ã€ŠTreasure-hunting: Into the Unknownã€‹


 Chapter 1 The Supernal Continent

    On a hill behind the Welkin Sect''s base, there was an empty place surrounded by dense green woods. A young man dressed in white was standing there in front of a worn out wooden post. He got soaked completely by the rain, and his white clothes clung to his body, revealing his lean frame. He was clenching his fists so tightly that it seemed his nails would rip open the skin of his palms and gouge his flesh out.

    "Am I a veritable loser now? I was a genius. But everything has changed ever since I was injured three years ago. Now I cannot even cultivate the most basic martial energy. I detest myself! God, discharge your thunderbolts and kill me now if you dare! Otherwise, I will wreak vengeance on you in every possible way!" the young man shouted with all his might, in order to ensure all his complaints reached God''s ears.

    Rumble!

    All of a sudden, a thunderous sound that mimicked the roar of a giant, echoed from the hilltop to the valley below. From the sky eclipsed by dense dark clouds, a quick flash of lightning descended. Then, that lightning flash enveloped the young man.

    What befell him was probably the divine retribution for his outrageous behavior against the Almighty!

    However, a blurry and shining, ghostly apparition slid into the young man''s body the moment that lightning flash had completely covered it.

    Then, that lightning flash disappeared. Immediately after that, a mysterious object, the size of an average man''s palm, flashing colorful beams of iridescent light, started falling slowly from up above. Its shape resembled that of a compass.

    At that moment, the young man slowly opened his eyes. All the former traces of resentment and despair in his eyes seemed to have given place to shrewdness and wisdom. It was like he had been reborn.

    Just as the mysterious object fell, the young man caught it in his outspread hand, looked at it, and surveyed his surroundings carefully. Then he exclaimed, "What is this place?" He said that in a modern tone which was quite peculiar to the world where he was situated. "Have I traveled through space and time?

    I simply wanted to try using the Treasure-hunting System for fun. I did not expect to travel through space and time. Is this some sort of a bonus? Hey! I still remember my full name is Zachary Zi. But is this my body? Well, I guess only my soul has traveled to this world, and now it has taken possession of this body." Zachary Zi analyzed the situation, swinging his legs, folding and unfolding his hands to feel his body.

    It was a great surprise that the body of the then resentful young man was now possessed by a soul from another world. Now that his disgruntled soul had gone for good, perhaps it was good luck to him because he was not miserable any longer.

    Then, Zachary Zi started merging the old soul''s memories with his own. The old soul was a young master of the Zi Clan, an influential clan with several thousand disciples. His father was the respected head of the clan. Besides, the old soul was a born genius with an great aptitude for martial arts, which he had inherited from his father. He had lived a life of comfort and luxury. He could easily get what he wanted and enjoy everyone''s respect.

    Nevertheless, a tragedy had struck three years ago. One day, a group of mysterious men with great power suddenly sneaked into the Zi Clan''s house and killed many disciples. The old soul''s parents were also killed when they fought against the intruders. Before death, his father ordered him and his betrothed to escape from the house through the secret tunnel. Although the couple found their way to it, the intruders still overtook them. When they were about to catch him, his fiancee saved him but she nearly perished.

    To keep his fiancee out of danger, he began running towards another direction alone to divert them away. However, after a considerable chase, they did catch him and beat him so hard that he nearly died.

    Fortunately, Lewis X

    uan, his father''s sworn brother and the Welkin Sect''s leader, came to rescue him just when it seemed that all was lost. After that, he went back to look for his fiancee under Lewis Xuan''s protection. Unfortunately, he could not find any traces of her.

    Later, Lewis Xuan informed him that the mysterious gang had killed all the members of the Zi Clan, except him. Since he had become homeless, he followed Lewis Xuan and went to the Welkin Sect''s base. To avenge his clan, he decided to stay there and cultivate to be a powerful warrior. Also, he wanted to ascertain who the murderers were and find his missing fiancee.

    However, he could not have anticipated that his injuries would rob him of his original genius abilities and debilitate him. Even three years later, he still could not gain an entry into the Welkin Sect as its official disciple, let alone take revenge on his parents'' murders!

    "This guy''s name, like mine, is also Zachary Zi. Even the spellings are the same. This is probably not a coincidence, is it? Maybe I''ve come here for a reason. Perhaps I am meant to come here to fulfill his wish! But, I am not Aladdin''s genie or something¡­" Zachary Zi was lost in his thoughts, rubbing his chin slowly.

    All of a sudden, a tall figure dashed through the heavy rain. In the blink of an eye, it appeared behind the Zachary Zi, and was bone dry! Its awesome aura permeated the entire surroundings. Clearly, that was a great man.

    Feeling a powerful presence behind him, Zachary Zi turned around immediately. He was first perplexed, but then he exclaimed, "Oh, Master Lewis, you''re here. What''s up?"

    With sharp eyebrows, the person, who was now standing in front of Zachary Zi, had an imposing appearance. He looked much younger than his fifty years. He was Lewis Xuan, the Welkin Sect''s leader.

    "Tomorrow is your parents'' death anniversary. Don''t forget to pay your respects to them and clean their graves. You have been in the Welkin Sect for three years now. How time flies!" Lewis Xuan said firmly, his eyes sparkling. Immediately, his eyes reflected regret and perhaps disappointment as well.

    "Sure!" Zachary Zi lightly responded to Lewis Xuan''s reminder. To hide his true identity, he tried to act like the old soul based on his memories.

    "The annual selection test will be held in a month. If you still cannot become an official disciple, according to the rules, you are not allowed to stay here anymore. Then you must leave the Welkin Sect. I advise you to find a job and work hard! You don''t have to persist in becoming an official disciple, as there are some things that you cannot change¡­"

    Lewis Xuan said, his face gloomy. Then he turned around and disappeared in the curtain of rain.

    "Did you say that there were some things that I could not change? Well then, I will change them and prove myself to you!" Zachary Zi laughed aloud confident, looking at the direction where Lewis Xuan had gone.

    After Lewis Xuan''s departure, Zachary Zi continued to merge the original soul''s memories with his. He learned that this world was called the Olden World. As for the Welkin Sect, it was a sect of warriors, and was based in the Enigmatic Kingdom in the southwestern Supernal Continent.

    The Supernal Continent was the Olden World''s most ordinary continent, for it comprised of many other, more mysterious, more legendary and more archaic continents, which probably already existed in the Olden World''s ancient times.

    Most human residents of the Supernal Continent did not dare to explore those continents, because those places were filled with mysterious and were extremely dangerous for them. Only warriors dared to venture there. Their physical limits far exceeded those of ordinary people, as they were exceptionally powerful.

    Anyone from the Supernal Continent who aspired to acquire invincible powers by practicing martial arts was called a "warrior." Ordinary people held the warriors in high esteem and respected them.

 Chapter 2 Treasure-Hunting Compass

    Once Zachary had got his bearings and understood what the Olden World and the Supernal Continent were, he immediately looked at the compass he was holding, and mumbled to himself, "This Treasure-hunting Compass is more miraculous that I thought it was. It could take my soul to another time and space..."

    The biggest technology company in the world had invented the Treasure-hunting Compass that Zachary had in his hand.

    The most powerful function of the Treasure-hunting Compass was creating a second world in which adventurers could search for treasures.

    Plus, its assisting system could also release quests on its own. Whoever successfully completed them would be awarded substantially. Those who were lucky could become millionaires in a matter of days. As a result, countless adventurers loved, and even worshiped the assisting system.

    Since the Treasure-hunting Compass could not only create a second world, but also connect the real world with it, any item or creature could travel between those two worlds, seamlessly. Undeniably, that was a miracle!

    Furthermore, the company gathered a hundred volunteers and planned to observe them while they regularly handled the Treasure-hunting Compass. That way, they would be able to fix bugs, if there were any, and ensure that it would not cause any health issues to the people using them. Zachary was one such volunteer.

    To his surprise, the Treasure-hunting Compass had brought him to an entirely new world¡ªone that was totally different from his.

    At that moment, Zachary''s eyes were glued to the crescent-shaped "Start" button. Moments ago, he had pressed that button, and its activated system had teleported him to the unknown world he found himself in at that moment. Therefore, he thought that if he were to press it again, he might be teleported back to the world he belonged to. Of course, there were also chances that he might find himself somewhere else.

    Anyhow, Zachary pressed the button once again, hoping to get back to his familiar surroundings. No sooner had he done it than a faint blue light flashed from the device and enveloped his entire body. The next moment, before he could blink an eye, his body transformed into a tiny blue dot and vanished.

    When Zachary opened his eyes again, he found that he was in a mysterious, actually, a three-dimensional virtual space. He immediately held his right hand over his eyes to protect them from the brilliant network of different hued lights that were flashing back and forth.

    All of a sudden, a soothing, angel-like voice filled the space saying, "Welcome to the Treasure-hunting System. I''m your guide, Mimi."

    "So, is this the Treasure-hunting System? I''m inside..." Zachary was surprised. After he had inspected his body, he was sure that it had entered the system. Therefore, it could only imply that the teleportation happened because of system failure.

    "Ninety percent of the Treasure-hunting System is severely damaged. However, self-recovery will happen, but it will take a long time. Therefore, as of now, it can only support the most basic functions..." It was just as Zachary had expected! There was something wrong with the Treasure-Hunting System.

    "Okay, I get it. Even though it''s damaged, why did it teleport me to this space?" Zachary grumbled. In order for him to get back to his origin

    al world, he had to get the Treasure-Hunting Compass fixed first. Worried, he asked, "Mimi, how long does it take to fix the system?"

    "Since the damage is too severe, I cannot estimate accurately how much time self-recovery will take," Mimi replied.

    Just as Zachary was about to ask more questions, the entire sky glistered with a bright yellow light, and Mimi reported in a girlish tone, "The Treasure-hunting System has found a new world¡ªthe Olden World... Supernal Continent... Scanning...

    Map loading...

    Data loading...

    Historical records loading...

    Loading complete!"

    "Now, the Treasure-hunting System can directly load information about the world it has found!" Zachary could not believe what he had just heard.

    As he was wondering, Mimi said, "Please enter your name!"

    "Zachary Zi," Zachary quickly answered, snapping back to reality.

    "Age!"

    "I should be about... eighteen years old!"

    "Gender!"

    "Male."

    "Height!"

    "Weight!"

    "Personality!" "Hobby!"

    After fifteen minutes or so, Zachary could not help but complain, "Mimi, are you doing a background check? That''s more than enough!"

    Suddenly, Mimi was silent. It seemed that Zachary''s complaining had caused her to keep quiet. However, now that Mimi had not said anything for some time, Zachary was beginning to get worried.

    "Alright, go ahead and ask!" He said so, because he felt that Mimi was angry with him. ''Even a virtual character has her temperament, though I''ve never heard about that!'' Zachary thought to himself.

    "Are you a homosexual?" Soon, Mimi asked another annoying question.

    Zachary could not help rolling his eyes at her. "What kind of a system is this? Mimi, you''re like a big-mouthed gossip!"

    Suddenly, a huge screen appeared in front of his eyes, and a figure approximately his size, appeared on the screen. Following that, several beams of red light flashed on his body.

    "Body inspection completed!" It was Mimi speaking again.

    Meanwhile, some data was displayed on the virtual screen that was near the figure.

    The concluding comment at the end read, "You''re the weakest of the weakest in the Supernal Continent. You won''t be able to even beat an ant there!"

    "What kind of an assessment is that?" Zachary blurted out angrily, and cursed the system.

    Just as he was getting impatient and annoyed, the entire surroundings were filled with a flashing red light, which seemed to be warning him.

    "Congratulations! Even though physically and mentally you''re weaker than the weakest of the Supernal Continent, you''re blessed with double martial speed, which is rare¡ªonly one in a thousand has that!" Mimi exclaimed, excitedly.

    "What are you saying? I don''t understand any of that," Zachary pouted, getting confused once again.

    "The world you''re currently in is called the Olden World, and you are in the Supernal Continent. The warrior''s career is the most popular in this world. There are eight levels associated with it, which are: the Mortal Level, the Earth Level, the Heaven Level, the King Level, the Imperial Level, the Sage Level, the Holy Level, and the Divine Level. Also, before becoming a warrior, one has to go through the Foundation Establishment, so in total, there are nine stages. However, in order to become a warrior, one has to at least own the original martial speed."

 Chapter 3 Recovering Double Martial Speed

    "Okay, I understand." Soon, remembering something, Zachary said, "Wait a second! I thought this body, which my soul is currently in, cannot cultivate at all because of a major past injury. Then how come, all of a sudden, it has the talent of double martial speed?" From the original soul''s memory, Zachary knew that he had been gravely injured. Therefore, in that state he could not reach the original martial speed.

    "It is true, the Zachary Zi of the Supernal Continent had lost his double martial speed because he had got hurt owing to the torture he suffered, but that doesn''t mean that he can''t recover!" Mimi answered.

    "Mimi, are you saying that there''s a remedy?" Zachary raised his eyebrows, and wondered if the body''s owner would take it from him, if he got to know that he could recover his martial speed.

    "You are going to get a Refreshing Pill, if you activate the second world. That will help you rebuild your body," Mimi replied.

    "Then why am I waiting? Help me activate it now!" Zachary was quick to answer.

    "Loading... The second world is activating soon! Gentle reminder: You might feel unwell when you enter the second world. Please don''t worry about that. That happens..." Though Mimi sounded serious, there was a playfulness in her tone, as if she was half-joking.

    After his conversation with Mimi, suddenly, Zachary felt that his surroundings had changed rapidly, and everything around him was blurred. Soon after that, he felt that a mystical force was lifting him, and he was rising towards the sky. The next second, he felt that he was falling into an abyss. After that, Zachary blacked out.

    Near a pond of clear water, a man could be seen. His forehead was resting on the uneven rock''s surface, while his hips were raised high and not touching it at all. To passersby, who might stop to look at it, or glance from a distance, he presented the sight of a lover in the act of love-making. Contrary to what it seemed, after some time, his entire body started shaking, though it began with his hips moving first.

    Bang!

    The body collapsed and lay prone on the ground.

    "Ahem!" When Zachary regained consciousness, he realized his mouth was filled with mud. When he opened his eyes, he found that he was no longer in the previous three-dimensional virtual space. On looking around, he could see that he was under peach trees. Their fragrance permeated the air. Their lush canopies covered the undergrowth, while birds of paradise chirped and darted from tree to tree, leaving a blaze of color behind them. Zachary''s first thought was, ''Am I in heaven?''

    "This is..." Zachary was surprised at what he saw. Everything seemed so real, but he knew that he was not in the real word.

    Once again, he heard Mimi saying, "This is the second world that the Treasure-hunting System has created to assist adventurers hunt for treasures. You are in the Peach Blossom Forest. This is where beginners hunt for treasures. As your expertise increases and you gain experience as a warrior, other scenes will reveal themselves. Remember that each scenario''s map has its function, and it will aid you to advance in your treasure-hunting quest. Listen carefully, for what I am going to tell you now is crucial. The amount of time you spend in this world will translate to the real world on a one-to-one ratio. That means, if you cultivate here for a day, one day will pas

    s in the real world as well. And the effect will be the same!

    Plus, in the second world, the system is going to beset you with a wide range of treasure-hunting quests. Once you finish them, you will be rewarded with treasures, and those will directly translate to riches in the Supernal Continent. The rewards you receive will be in the forms of pills, cultivation methods, armor, weapons, and other treasures. The tasks you complete and the riches you gain in the second world will give you an edge in your treasure-hunting adventures. Moreover, the treasures you get in the second world can be used in the real world. Similarly, you can also use those you gain in the real world in the second world..." Mimi continued to explain.

    While listening intently, Zachary thought to himself, ''If this Treasure-hunting System can create a second world that is so similar to the real world, then it is indeed very powerful.''

    "Moreover, this Treasure-hunting System also has the beauty collection mode through which you can meet many beautiful women of all types. And it has been developed with the sole purpose of preventing the treasure hunters from feeling lonely. As you complete your quests, you will meet women of different kinds: innocent, aloof, domineering, etc. Even legendary and fictional female characters from novels and fictions. Once you complete some specific quests, you will have the opportunity to train them to become the types of people you want them to be. Moreover, you may even be able to take them back to the real world!" Mimi exclaimed excitedly.

    "Wow, this Treasure-hunting System is truly amazing. It even has the beauty collection mode!" Being a man, Zachary could not help getting excited. ''If I can take home the beauties that only exist in books and imagination, I will surely be the happiest man in the world!'' he exclaimed inwardly.

    "I''m going to be Casanova! I can''t wait to have fun with the girls!" Zachary said.

    "Here''s a reminder for you. Since the second world is equivalent to the real world, your death in this world, will also be translated to the real world," Mimi added.

    Goose pimples instantly surfaced on Zachary''s skin.

    "Since you''re not a warrior yet, only the newbie quests are available to you. For each newbie quest you complete successfully, you will receive a treasure that is given to beginners. If you can complete all the newbie quests and become a warrior at the first grade of Mortal Level, you will earn a special award!" After a pause, Mimi continued, "Once you have completed your first quest, you will get a Refreshing Pill, which will help you recover your double martial speed."

    "Will the quests that are assigned to beginners be dangerous?" Zachary asked, cautiously.

    "There is nothing to worry about. There is no danger associated with the newbie quests," Mimi reassured Zachary, as she had understood his initial fear.

    Since Mimi was so positive, Zachary thought that it should be okay to begin his treasure-hunting adventure. Nodding his head, he said, "What''s the delay? Let''s begin!"

    "Newbie quest mode on! The first quest..." As Mimi was announcing for the quest to begin, a huge ten-foot high teak door suddenly appeared in front of Zachary.

    Pushing it open, he walked into the hallway. Just as he had crossed the threshold, an intense white light radiated from inside, and engulfed him completely.

 Chapter 4 A Crazy Newbie Quest

    After a while, Zachary found himself teleported to a sealed cave surrounded by thick stone walls without any opening. Plus, there was no ventilation at all.

    Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw some glaring light. He blinked to make sure his eyes were not fooling him. Shining words appeared in front of him as he pointed his gaze to the direction of the light.

    "Quest hint: solve the puzzle on the wall before the cave is fully immersed by water. This quest is meant to train your mental dexterity so as to prepare you for treasure hunting in the future." As Zachary read the lines, he felt the wet grounds. As he looked down, he was surprised to find water gushing from below with its level quickly rising.

    "This looks so real!" he murmured to himself in worry. "Hey, Mimi, you told me that there''s absolutely no danger! Are you kidding? This is killing me!" Zachary reminded himself of the quest at hand and stopped complaining. On a wall beside him, there were nine rocks protruding out. Each rock had a figure on it.

    Talking to himself, he asked, "So I have to solve the jigsaw puzzle as soon as possible?" Zachary tried to move the stones, but they couldn''t be moved. Still confused without any clue what to do, he concluded, "So it''s not a jigsaw puzzle.

    "Could it be a riddle?" Staring at the stones and figures on it, he pondered, ''But what do the figures mean? I can''t even understand them? How can I solve the puzzle? Damn it! Is the system teasing me?'' Zachary rolled his eyes.

    The water level had already reached his knees. Surely, the system wasn''t kidding. He would indeed be drowned if he couldn''t complete the quest on time.

    Zachary diverted his energy and concentrated back on the rocks.

    After a few attempts, he found that he could press a couple of the rocks down and they didn''t bounce back. The discovery gave him hope.

    His legs were totally submerged in water, signaling him that there wasn''t much time left.

    He was hesitating to put his hands on the two rocks, but when the water level gone up to his chest, he reached them and pressed the rocks in a hurry.

    "''Please, Come on!" he exclaimed. In the brink of hypoxia, he gathered all his strength and jumped up while holding on those two rocks. He knocked his head on the last rock.

    Zachary felt sick as if his surroundings were swirling. The last bit of air in his lungs was also used up. Deprived of oxygen, he thought he was going to die.

    "Congratulations! You have successfully completed the first newbie quest. A Refreshing Pill is awarded to you!" said the voice whispering in his ears. Zach

    ary opened his eyes and found himself back to the Peach Blossom Forest.

    "Fuck! I thought I was dead!" Zachary cursed as he gasped for air.

    "Since you''ve completed the first quest in the second world, you''re given the chance to choose your awards." It was Mimi speaking.

    A beam of light flashed through and three choices appeared in front of him. The first two choices were cultivation methods, namely Mortal Energy Formula and Heaven and Earth Formula. Both were at the medium stage. The last choice, however, was a question mark.

    Eyes fixed on the last award, he asked, "What does the question mark mean?"

    "The question mark means random choice. If you choose this question mark, you will be given a cultivation method at a random stage. It could be at the primary stage, at the medium stage or at the premium stage. You might get something better than those two, or something worse," she explained.

    Zachary did not say a word while contemplating on the choices. "The probability of drawing higher-stage cultivation methods is very low. The first two choices are already the best cultivation methods at the medium stage. I would suggest you choose either one of them. If you risk the third choice, most likely you won''t get a better result. Don''t blame me for not reminding you," Mimi explained to Zachary.

    "No worries. I''ve always been lucky," he replied with confidence. "I''ll choose the third one." Zachary decided to try his luck. ''If I can get a cultivation method at the premium stage, it will be so great!'' he thought excitedly.

    "Starting random draw!" Mimi tersely said.

    The question mark started to swirl. Different names of cultivation methods flashed in front of Zachary. In a short while, the name stabilized. The cultivation method was called "God-slaying Formula."

    "What stage does this cultivation method belong to?" Zachary hurriedly asked.

    "Cultivation method examining... Examination completed. The stage of the cultivation method is..." Mimi fell into silence.

    "Oh, come on. What stage is it?" Zachary probed Mimi.

    "Now you''ll get your awards." When Mimi spoke again, she skipped the topic on the stage of the cultivation method.

    Before Zachary could complain, a beam of light radiated from the third choice. The light directly entered his brain. In a matter of few seconds, he saw huge chunks of words and a myriad of figures flashing in his brain. Soon, he gathered everything about the God-slaying Formula.

    "Now it''s the award for activating the second world..." After a while, a golden pill appeared and gradually landed in front of Zachary.

 Chapter 5 A Complete Change

    "Hello, you haven''t told me what stage of cultivation method the God-slaying Formula is," Zachary said while he got his reward, the Refreshing Pill. He had to know the answer. He persisted and continued asking, even if Mimi did not answer him. No one could fool him.

    "The prerequisite for receiving the second newbie quest requires that you practice the God-slaying Formula and reach the second grade of Foundation Establishment. However, you do have a choice¡ªyou can either choose to exit the Treasure-hunting System and return to the real world, or continue to practice in the second world," Mimi said automatically, ignoring Zachary''s question again. She disappeared as soon as she was done speaking.

    "Mimi..." Zachary yelled out her name a few times. When he got no response, he finally stopped shouting. However, he did not understand why Mimi did not tell him what stage of cultivation method the God-slaying Formula was. He wondered whether the reason behind her not telling him was because its stage was so low that she did not think it necessary to do so, or because of another reason, which he did not know.

    "Never mind. I will find out the reason for her silence myself, sooner or later. Right now, I have to concentrate on my cultivation. My body''s former owner was useless. Even after three years of training, he couldn''t reach the first grade of Foundation Establishment. Worse still, he was bullied by others all the time. If I were him, I would have committed suicide a long time ago. Oh, right! First, I must repair my double martial speed..." Zachary said, and then quickly threw the Refreshing Pill into his mouth.

    It immediately melted in his mouth. After a while, he felt that his entire body was refreshed. He had never felt so relaxed and comfortable, as he did now. The originally damaged meridians in his body also started the self-repairing process. Strangely, he had the feeling that his body was being remolded completely.

    After half an hour, Mimi''s automatic voice rang out again. "Your damaged meridians have been repaired, and you have also now recovered your double martial speed."

    ''Huh? It was so easy? I thought that I would experience a life-and-death struggle or something similar to that, '' Zachary thought in disbelief and shook his head. ''The next step is to practice the God-slaying Formula. My body''s former owner should have cultivated the Welkin Sect''s cultivation method earlier. Now I have to practice the God-slaying Formula from the start, even though that is troublesome. But what choice do I have? None. If I do not practice the God-slaying Formula, I will not be able to get the second newbie quest.''

    Therefore, without wasting any time, Zachary began practicing the God-slaying Formula near a lake in the Peach Blossom Forest. The lake had sparkling clear water with dramatic scenery.

    Although he did not know what stage of cultivation method the God-slaying Formula was, judging from the training posture it required, he had the feeling that it was not a general cultivation method. It required a warrior to practice by standing upside down in a strange position.

    "Damn! I am not practicing yoga. Do I have to be like this?" Zachary muttered unhappily, but continued leaning upside down, against a big rock.

    After that, he tried to cultivate martial energy according to the God-slaying Formula. Gradually, as time went by, he felt that he was like a stone pillar standing between heaven and earth, integrating with the world.

    At that moment, a morning breeze blew gently, and there were slight ripples on the clear water''s surface. At the same time, a thin layer of inscrutable purple energy suddenly appeared on Zachary''s body. It required a person to observe it; otherwise, it would have gone undetected.

    Slowly, that thin layer of purple energy started spreading around continuously like ripples on the water''s surface. Although it was still very weak, it had layers that were visible.

    This purple energy was the so-called martial energy cultivated by a warrior!

    It was essential to mention at this point that the color of the martial energy at the Foundation Establishment, which was cultivated by a warrior according to some ordinary

    cultivation method, was cyan. The color would gradually change as a warrior''s cultivation level increased. The reason why the martial energy exuding from Zachary was purple was that he used a different cultivation method.

    Generally, a regular warrior focused on cultivating his inner energy first, to improve his outer strength. This method was called meditating cultivation and was the Supernal Continent''s most used cultivation method. It required circulating the martial energy in a warrior''s body according to the cultivation method and stimulating his meridians and muscles to strengthen them, such that it increased his overall strength and qualities.

    On the other hand, the cultivation method recorded in the God-slaying Formula was extremely different. It focused on cultivating a warrior''s body first, to strengthen his martial energy. That meant that it would push his physical strength to his limit during his cultivation. Therefore, it was also known as physical cultivation. However, with time, the so-called physical cultivation had almost disappeared in the Supernal Continent. The reason for its disappearance was that it was exceedingly difficult to cultivate and became unbearable for any normal warrior, especially in the later period. That was why, gradually, warriors abandoned it.

    Nevertheless, if a warrior trained using the physical cultivation method, he was much more powerful than his peers of the same level, who trained using the meditating cultivation. Moreover, he would be even stronger than those who were two or three levels higher than him in cultivation. Without a doubt, this advantage came with a risk to one''s life. One could say that both cultivation methods had their advantages and disadvantages.

    Zachary was in a headstand posture for cultivation, which was the most regular pose in physical cultivation. As the level of physical cultivation increased, the stance used for it also became more challenging. Without a doubt, the pain a warrior experienced was a hundred times more intense than what he would feel in cutting his wrist or slicing his flesh.

    After a long time, the layer of purple energy that had been earlier floating around Zachary suddenly entered his body. It then turned into a series of star lights as they moved inside his originally weak and empty meridians. After that, they formed a stream of purple energy.

    Later, this small stream of purple energy began to flow slowly along Zachary''s meridians. Then gradually, it started flowing faster, until it was running through his specific meridians at an alarming rate.

    If the Welkin Sect''s leader were to see this scene now, he would definitely be taken aback. Such amazing circling speed precisely embodied Zachary''s double martial speed qualification!

    Generally speaking, before anyone could become a warrior, he would first have to go through the Foundation Establishment for some time. That was to specifically cultivate martial energy, one of the most basic conditions to become a warrior, by basic cultivation methods. Whoever failed to cultivate it could not become a warrior.

    Additionally, only those who were physically strong and healthy could become warriors. That was because a strong physique was crucial for those normal people who wanted to become qualified warriors.

    Furthermore, martial speed was the most important qualification for warriors. The faster their martial speed was, the better was their cultivation''s effect on their martial energy. Moreover, what martial speed qualification a person would have was decided at his birth. Therefore, if a warrior wanted to reach higher level cultivation, he was required to have a higher martial speed. Although a warrior could improve his martial speed, it was extremely difficult to do so unless he was highly talented.

    The reason why martial speed was especially crucial for warriors was that after all, they were humans, and humans had a limited lifespan. For example, in case a warrior had the original martial speed, and the other had double of that, then the latter would only need half the time to reach the same level of cultivation than the former. That would, therefore, result in a fundamental gap between the two.

 Chapter 6 The Shadow Pace

    According to rumors, the limit of martial speed for all warriors in the Supernal Continent was tenfold. This meant that a warrior with tenfold martial speed only needed to spend one tenth of time to cultivate compared to a warrior with only original martial speed. Warriors with higher martial speed had the potential to reach a much higher cultivation level.

    All sects selected their disciples based on the martial speed that they exhibited during their Foundation Establishment.

    Anyone who just started cultivating, as long as he developed martial energy and had original martial speed, could be assimilated into a sect to be a formal disciple. If he had double martial speed, he would be considered as one of the most important disciples. If he was gifted with triple or quadruple martial speed, the sect would allocate all possible resources of cultivation to him, for his potential talent was one in a trillion!

    Therefore, with double martial speed, Zachary had a very promising future. As long as he remained diligent in improving himself, he would surely get better very quickly.

    One night had passed. He slowly opened his purple eyes as the first beam of light penetrated the moist leaves and fell on Zachary''s face. His eyes suddenly radiated strange lights, giving off a feeling of spirit and vitality, and this made him inexplicably charming.

    "You have reached the second grade of Foundation Establishment!" Mimi exclaimed excitedly.

    "I reached the second grade of the Foundation Establishment after only one day? That''s fast, isn''t it? It seems that this God-slaying Formula is truly extraordinary!" Zachary exclaimed in awe.

    "Since you''ve successfully cultivated the God-slaying Formula and reached the second grade of Foundation Establishment, you can continue with the second newbie quest. Do you want to proceed?" Mimi asked.

    "Sure. I hope there''s no danger this time, though!" Zachary was obviously still wary of what he faced in the first newbie quest.

    In the blink of an eye, the door appeared in front of him once more. He stepped into it without hesitation. White light flushed out and engulfed him.

    Half an hour later, Zachary walked back out of the door. It seemed that he was having a hard time. His face was muddy and part of his hair was burnt. "What the fuck!" he cursed. "This is just insane! I was drowned in the first newbie quest and then in the second, I was struck by lightning! Are you guys trying to kill me? I can still handle the quests. But if I proceed with higher-level quests, how am I going to survive?"

    "Congratulations for completing your second newbie quest. Here is your reward: the manual on Shadow Pace," Mimi announced.

    "Manual on Shadow Pace?" Zachary repeated puzzled.

    "Shadow Pace is a martial art at premium stage that can improve your speed. You can cultivate it and use it at any cultivation level. When you''re at a higher cultivation level, this martial art can be upgraded as well. It''s the best skill for travel and escape!" Mimi explained.

    Zachary scanned the memory of the owner of the body about martial arts. Warriors needed to cultivate not only cultivation methods but also martial arts. Martial arts were skills that warriors used for fighting. The higher the stage of a martial art, the higher the chance a warrior had to defeat his opponent.

    There was a wide range of martial arts in the Supernal Continent. There were some martial arts that were more powerful than others. Martial arts were classified according to the eight cultivation levels of warriors. Martial arts could be of Mortal Level, Earth Level, King Level, etc.

    To cultivate martial arts, warriors needed to learn from manuals on martial arts. Normally, sects and families had their exclusive manuals on martial arts. When their disciples reached a certain cultivation level, they could learn certain martial arts.

    Most manuals on martial arts had a requirement for warriors'' cultivation levels. For example, some manuals might require the warriors to be at Mortal Level, and some might require the warriors to be at Earth Level. The manuals on m

    artial arts were classified into three categories based on their power: primary stage, medium stage and premium stage. The higher the stage of the manuals on martial arts, the more powerful the martial arts.

    However, some manuals had no requirement for warriors'' cultivation levels. Most of these kinds of manuals were of the supporting type. For example, the manual on Shadow Pace that Zachary obtained was a supporting martial art, more specifically, movement skills.

    Cultivation methods and martial arts were complementary to each other. Cultivation methods allowed warriors to cultivate martial energy, and this was the basis for performing martial arts. A higher-stage martial art could benefit warriors a lot as it saved martial energy.

    It was important that the best cultivation method to use was picked. This was the basis for the rankings of the sects in the Supernal Continent. A sect with a higher-stage exclusive cultivation method fostered more powerful disciples, and thus strengthened themselves even further. Even sects of similar levels could be classified further. For example, within the medium stage, the powers of the cultivation methods might vary greatly.

    For example, though the Welkin Sect was classified as a sect at medium stage, it was near the bottom of this stage, because its exclusive cultivation method was not powerful.

    A beam of light suddenly flashed towards Zachary''s head. In the blink of an eye, the information contained in the manual on Shadow Pace was transferred into his mind.

    "Congratulations for obtaining the manual on Shadow Pace! The third newbie quest will be made available when you attain the third grade of Foundation Establishment. You are not permitted to start the third quest yet. You can either choose to rest in the Treasure-hunting System or continue with your cultivation," Mimi said to Zachary.

    "Let me try the Shadow Pace!" Zachary exclaimed excitedly.

    Then Mimi''s voice disappeared suddenly.

    Zachary tried to use the newly-learned martial art¡ªShadow Pace. Since the system directly imprinted the manual into Zachary''s mind, it could be considered that he had already learned the martial art. All he needed was some practice drills before he could use it with ease.

    Just as Mimi said, the Shadow Pace was truly perfect for escaping. It could allow him to merge ten steps into one and this greatly improved his speed. The performance of the Shadow Pace was based on his own cultivation level and martial speed. The higher his cultivation level and martial speed, the faster he would be when he used the Shadow Pace.

    After he had spent two days in the system, Zachary decided to exit the system first. Two days in the system was equivalent to two days in the real world as well. He was concerned that the people in the Welkin Sect might think that he went missing. Though he was not the owner of the body, he still felt that he should fulfill his role.

    Zachary was completely aware that the owner of the body was considered as a loser by the Welkin Sect. No one ever talked to him. Even if he disappeared for half a month, nobody would notice at all.

    The moment he got back to the real world, his stomach craved for food. He never ate anything for two days. Even though warriors sustained themselves without food for days, their bodies still needed food to replenish themselves with vital vitamins and nutrients.

    Zachary thought about what he had to do. The Treasure-hunting Compass had to be repaired first before he could return to his original world. While he waited for that, he would accept the identity of the body and live the life of his new role in this new world.

    Zachary went back to the empty land at the back of the mountain. After he got back to the Welkin Sect, he immediately headed to the kitchen. Though it was his first time here, Zachary seemed to instinctively know where to go. Perhaps it was a place that the owner of the body frequently visited. When he was about to reach the kitchen, a few disciples blocked his way.

    "Hey, isn''t this Zachary?" one of the disciples said as the others snickered.

 Chapter 7 Consequences Of The Provocation

    Zachary raised his head and saw a familiar face. There was a man standing before him who looked like a guileful thief.

    "Hey, Benjamin!" Zachary greeted him with a wry smile. According to the memory of the owner of the body, Zachary knew that he was talking to Benjamin Zhao. Not so long ago, he reached the eighth grade of Mortal Level. Because of that, Steward Albert of Welkin Sect made him his personal disciple. He also had double martial speed, which made him stand out among his peers.

    In Welkin Sect, the leader held the greatest power. Next in power were two elders and five stewards. Since the two elders normally cultivated in seclusion, the five stewards were generally in charge of the sect''s matters. In the sect, they were the real rulers and were highly respected.

    ''The eighth grade of Mortal Level?'' Zachary thought to himself.

    Benjamin Zhao was with the new disciples at the Foundation Establishment. Normally, new disciples who just entered the Welkin Sect would choose to form groups of their own, join other established groups, or follow experienced disciples in order to avoid being bullied. As a talented disciple, Benjamin Zhao definitely had a group of followers.

    While Benjamin Zhao and his followers stood on Zachary''s way, a mesmerizing figure passed by which grabbed their attention.

    "Isn''t that Elva? Every time I see her, I can''t help getting excited and indulged..." Benjamin Zhao murmured as he stared at the figure.

    The eyes of other disciples at the Foundation Establishment were all glued to her too.

    With aroused curiosity, Zachary turned his head to see her. She looked ethereal in a white dress. She was slender and tall, with sexy curves and fair skin. Her lips were enchantingly red, and her eyes were icy cold, so cold that they could freeze one''s soul. She was like a proud lotus that could only be found on the peak of the highest mountain, so pure and distant. These qualities always elicited men''s desires to conquer and possess her.

    Zachary knew from the experiences of the owner of the body that the beautiful lady was the personal disciple of the sect''s leader. Her name was Elva Han, twenty years old. She had triple martial speed, the highest among all the disciples of the Welkin Sect. Moreover, she had reached the first grade of Heaven Level, which was also one of the highest among the disciples.

    Benjamin Zhao turned back to Zachary and loudly introduced him to his followers. "Perhaps you guys haven''t heard about it. This is the most famous loser in our Welkin Sect!" The mockery was not just to insult Zachary but also to get the attention of Elva Han.

    To no avail, Elva Han did not show any interest at all. She threw a glance in their direction for a second but quickly averted her gaze as if it wasn''t worth her time.

    "Yes? Is he the infamous Zachary Zi that people talk about?"

    "I heard that he''s been in the Welkin Sect for three years but he has made no progress in cultivation..."

    "Why is he still with our sect then? If I were him, I would rather leave the sect to save myself from shame!"

    Benjamin Zhao''s followers quickly chimed in to ridicule Zachary.

    "I didn''t expect disciples of the Welkin Sect to be this disrespectful. On behalf of the elders, I should give you guys a lesson you''ll never forget." Zachary gave them a faint smile and his body disappeared.

    Benjamin Zhao and his followers didn''t understand what was going on. All of a sudden, their pants fell off to the ground exposing their private parts.

    "What the heck! What''s going on? Where is he?"

    Benjamin Zhao was shocked. He was able to capture Zachary''s first move, but easily lost track of him afterwards. A warrior at the eighth grade of Mortal Level couldn''t capture the movements made by a warrior at the Foundation Establishment! That was unbelievable!

    With shame, worry and disbelief, the other disciples exchanged doubtful glances with each other.

    When Benjamin Zhao and his followers realized what happened, Zachary appeared at the same spot again, as if he hadn''t moved at all.

    "Incredible speed! Benjamin didn''t even have a chance to react? How did he make it? Even I could only vaguely see his movements..." someone remarked with surprise.

    The voice came from the passer-by, Elva Han. Even at the first grade of Heaven Level, she could not manage to follow Zachary''s move. The leading disciple of the sect apparently became interested in him.

    It so happened that a few female disciples of the Welkin Sect passed by, witnessing the public nudity displayed by Benjamin Zhao and other male disciples. One screamed, "Lascivious!"

    Another yelled at the disgusting event, "Unsightly!"

    Another shouted, "What a disgrace!"

    The commotion drew a crowd of disciples. They laughed and pointed their fingers to Benjamin Zhao and his followers. The men felt so ashamed of themselves, wishing they could bury their heads into the ground at that very moment.

    "Shit! Zachary Zi, I''ll hit you!" Benjamin Zhao was so angry. His face turned red like tomatoes; his sweat ran down his nape in shame. He was also frustrated not being able to punch Zachary since his hands were glued covering his private part.

    Wearing a poker face, Zachary turned around and walked away while triumphantly congratulating himself in silence.

    Elva Han rarely talked especially to strangers. She was normally reserved but she decided to stop him. "Wait a second. What''s your name?"

    "Are you talking to me?" Startled, Zachary turned to Elva Han.

    The brief conversation between Elva Han and Zachary drove all the male disciples of the Welkin Sect crazily jealous. It was a well-known fact that she was indulged in cultivation. Never had she asked a person for his name before. The male disciples wished that they were in Zachary''s position and couldn''t wait to tell her their names so as to get close to her.

    "Let''s talk about that later," Zachary simply said. Food was his main priority now. Having no intake for more than two days, he was starving. His hunger could not be ignored with Elva Han''s beauty no matter how attractive she was. He couldn''t fill his stomach with her looks anyway. This left her embarrassed and angry. It was the first time that a male disciple had disregarded her words. All the while, everyone around her treated her with patience and care. He was the only exception.

    "Stop!" For some inexplicable reason, Elva Han had an impulse to stop Zachary.

    Casting a glance at her, Zachary swiftly made a full-body turn and bypassed her from her right, leaving a shadow in the air. When he showed up again, he was already a few meters away from her.

    All other disciples present only witnessed that the two of them seemed to exchange their positions in a blink of an eye. They were all baffled of what happened, thinking that they might have seen it wrongly. Even Elva Han didn''t see clearly as well.

    "Beauty, you''re too slow. I''m sorry." Zachary winked at Elva Han and walked towards the kitchen.

    "You..." Still in disbelief, Elva Han rushed towards him.

    Seeing that she wasn''t giving up, Zachary increased his speed even more.

 Chapter 8 Collect Herbs

    A race was ignited between Zachary and Elva. Their speeds were both difficult to follow leaving other disciples in bewilderment. The audience moved their heads from one side to another, eyes almost popped out in amazement and confusion. They couldn''t catch up with them and could only watch as the two of them both disappeared.

    Elva noticed that when she was about to catch up with Zachary, he would further increase his speed away from her, as if teasing her like they were six-year-old kids. She felt humiliated and degraded when she saw the confidence in his face. She couldn''t believe that the most famous loser in the Welkin Sect could win over her. As the best disciple of the sect, she never lost to any other disciple. It was her first taste of defeat. Worse, from someone unexpected.

    "Beauty, you''re not going to catch me. Maybe we can have a battle practice next time!" Zachary didn''t want to compete with Elva, since he was mindful that he couldn''t beat her this time. If she caught up with him, he would surely be defeated. The Shadow Pace enabled him to achieve such speed. Otherwise, he would be immediately caught by Elva. Without a doubt, her cultivation level was incomparably higher than his.

    Fueled by her pride and burning desire to prove her power, Elva showed no intention of giving up. While running, Zachary had a great idea. With swift shift in his speed gear and direction, he pulled a stick from a tree and had a sudden break.

    Zachary''s halt was something unexpected to Elva. She tried to control her speed but her momentum was difficult to destroy. She continued moving forward; luckily she had a grip on her speed and made a good turn before she was about to hit Zachary. She nicely bypassed the man without touching him. Meanwhile, the sound of a cloth being torn caught her attention.

    When Elva quickly surveyed herself, she found her torn dress was barely covering her body.

    "You..." Elva glared at Zachary, covering her sleekly full breasts in embarrassment.

    A piece of white cloth was hanging on Zachary''s stick, freely flying like a flag.

    "I''m sorry for resorting to this. Now you''ll stop, won''t you?" He flashed a teasing smile, showing his demure admiration in her body and discreet sweet success to stop her. "I''ll go first..." Putting up a crooked smile, Zachary sprinted away.

    Elva''s face flushed red, due to both anger and shyness. The blush made her even naturally more charming.

    After Zachary got rid of Elva, he sneaked into the kitchen for food. His hunger and exhaustion made him like a predator voraciously looking for its prey. When he was full and satisfied, he went back to his treehouse. Since the owner of the body had been alienated by other disciples, he built himself a little treehouse on an old tree. His neighbors were the monkeys living at the back of the mountain. Away from the crowd, he found peace and happiness in solitude.

    Zachary climbed up the tree and entered the treehouse. Though it was small, it had everything that he needed. He was contented at the simplicity of his humble abode. Zachary yawned, stretched himself and laid his back on the hard bed. With tired body and full stomach, he fell asleep immediately.

    One night elapsed like a wind.

    The sun was starting to shine at dawn but Zachary did not notice it since his door and windows were closed. He was awakened by some noises from outside.

    The sound became louder as the crowd approached his treehouse. "Why so noisy? Can you just keep quiet!" he shouted in annoyance with eyes half closed. Irritated, Zachary forcedly got up, rubbed his eyes and went out of the treehouse. When he opened the door, he saw a large group of disciples heading towards the bottom of the mountain. Perplexed, he jumped to the ground and pulled one disciple. "Excuse me? What are you guys doing?"

    "Seriously?" The disciple gave him a quizzical look telling him it was a stupid question. "We''re going to collect herbs to exchange for pills," he added when Zachary creased his forehead in confusion.

    The disciple left in a hurry and ran in high speed after answering Zachary, obviously afraid to be left out.

    "Collect herbs to exchange for pills?" Zachary repeated. He quickly gathered the information he needed from the memory of the body. The Welkin Sect was going to recruit formal disciples. One m

    onth before the selection, the sect would provide the disciples at the Foundation Establishment with some special privileges. This group of disciples could earn contribution points to the sect and exchange them for pills that would be helpful for cultivation.

    There were two main ways to earn contribution points. One was to complete daily quests such as cutting firewood or cleaning the floor. The other was to collect herbs on the Herbal Mountain. The herbs could be refined into different kinds of pills. A higher level of herb could earn a disciple more contribution points.

    The amount of contribution points earned through these two ways varied a lot. For disciples who chose the first way, they might need to work for half a month just to get enough points for one pill. For those who chose the second way, a first-grade herb would be enough for a first-grade white cultivation-aiding pill.

    The herbs in the Supernal Continent were classified into nine grades according to their ages. A higher-grade herb would imply a higher age and consequently the pill that was refined from it would be of higher quality. Other than the age, the herbs were also classified based on their scarcity level. There were four different levels: Common Level, Scarce Level, Rare Level, and Unique Level.

    Similarly, the pills that were refined from the herbs were classified into nine grades based on the age of the herb, and were classified into four types based on the scarcity level of the herb¡ªwhite pill, green pill, purple pill and golden pill. White pills were the most common pills, while golden pills were extremely hard to make and were extremely powerful as well. Usually, the best pills that could be found in the market or in sects were purple pills. The pills used in the Supernal Continent were generally classified into three types: cultivation-aiding pills, energy-replenishing pills, and therapeutic pills.

    As its name implied, cultivation-aiding pills were used to aid cultivation. It was able to enhance one''s cultivation efforts. Energy-replenishing pills were commonly used during battles, as they were known to quickly replenish warriors'' martial energy. An energy-replenishing pill was an instant booster when all their strength was depleted. Therapeutic pills were apparently used to cure. The wounded warriors would treat a therapeutic pill as a magic pill healing the pains they incurred during a fight.

    Luck played a big role in the probability of collecting any herb. For the unfortunate ones, they could spend weeks in the mountain and returning home empty-handed. In addition, there was a risk associated with collecting herbs. Martial beasts usually lurked near the herbs. Every year, a number of disciples at the Foundation Establishment were killed by martial beasts.

    Those martial beasts were mutated from normal beasts under certain conditions. Since their power was comparable to that of warriors'', they were termed martial beasts. They were ferocious, strong and robust. Dealing with them was deadly and if heavily wounded by them, the warriors would probably be killed.

    Despite the threat posed by the martial beasts, most disciples at the Foundation Establishment still chose to collect herbs. Even if danger and luck were included in the equation of the risk, it was a fast way for them to improve.

    ''Though I''ve recovered double martial speed, I''m still very weak, '' Zachary thought to himself. ''If I can''t make it to be a formal disciple this time, I''ll be kicked out of the sect. Since I''m new to this world, There''s no other place I know of to stay. That will be horrible! I have to reach the minimum requirement for a formal disciple of the Welkin Sect, and that is to reach the ninth grade of Foundation Establishment. I can''t just rely on my double martial speed. I have to get some pills to aid my cultivation.'' In less than a month, the selection process for formal disciples would begin. However, he just made a breakthrough and reached the second grade of Foundation Establishment. There was also a minimum requirement for accepting newbie quests in the second world. If he were to continue to cultivate at his current speed, for sure he couldn''t reach the ninth grade of Foundation Establishment in time.

    Zachary followed the crowd to the Herbal Mountain after a moment of contemplation.

 Chapter 9 Bearing Grudges

    The Herbal Mountain, which was located right next to the Welkin Sect, was actually a bluff mountain, and herbs under the third grade grew on it, in abundance.

    As it was very steep from all sides and most of the herbs grew on the sheer cliffs, collecting herbs posed a challenge to whoever wanted to do so. Nevertheless, many disciples wanted to try their luck.

    Zachary followed the crowd to the foot of the Herbal Mountain. When he reached there, he saw many disciples already waiting there anxiously. Most of them were at the Foundation Establishment.

    "Don''t push. Only those disciples who get the number plates can have access to the Herbal Mountain. Only one hundred are available, and it is first come, first served," someone shouted in the front of the crowd.

    "Please, give me one. If you give it to me, I promise I will do anything for you. Anything!"

    "This is my last chance to become an official disciple! Please, help me! I request you to give me a chance."

    "Dude, the happiness of the rest of my life depends on you now."

    Almost all the disciples at the Foundation Establishment seemed to have gone crazy. Yelling and pushing one another, they were trying to get close to the disciples who were holding the number plates, as they wanted them desperately.

    Zachary was a little surprised to see such a scene. Narrowing his eyes, he activated Shadow Pace and elbowed his way through the crowd hurriedly, until he got to the front. A few disciples at the Mortal Level from the Welkin Sect were handing out the number plates. Since only a hundred number plates were available, it was evident that there were not enough for everyone. Without hesitating, Zachary reached out and tried to grab the one which was the closest to him. Just as he was about to get hold of one, a hand appeared from nowhere and snatched it.

    "You! Loser! How dare you try to sneak your way here and rob the others'' chances to get to the Herbal Mountain! Do you really think that you are capable of becoming a formal disciple?" a familiar voice called out mockingly.

    Turning around, Zachary saw the man who had snatched the number plate from him. It was none other than Benjamin, whom he had insulted with his Shadow Pace.

    Zachary was a little surprised and worried to see Benjamin. He knew that he could get into trouble because, besides being loathsome, Benjamin was an obnoxious person.

    Sniggering at Zachary, Benjamin shook the number plate and threw it to the crowd. People who saw what Benjamin had done went crazy trying to get the number plate.

    "Don''t you know you are a loser? Then, why do you still want to collect the herbs? If you really want one, you can try begging me for it. Who knows? I might take pity on you and get you one," Benjamin sneered.

    Clenching his fists, Zachary swallowed his anger. Had he run into Benjamin in a different situation, he would have taught him one more lesson. However, he knew that he had no choice but to flatter and fawn over him because, without the number plate, he would not be able to collect the herbs. And he needed them in exchange for the pills.

    "Benjamin, what happened between us earlier was a mere misunderstanding. In fact, I honor you very much. I would love that you get me a number plate. Would you?" Zachary said politely. But in his mind, he had already cursed Benjamin.

    "Well, sure. Hey, guys! Listen, Zachary wants a number plate. Please make sure that he never gets one. Do all of you understand?" Benjamin said to the disciples of Mortal Level who were handing out the number plates. It was evident that Benjamin was taking revenge on Zachary.

    "Damn you!" Zachary shouted aloud. Now, he knew that Benjamin would do his best to make things difficult for him.

    Since Benjamin was the personal disciple of a steward, the disciples of Mortal Level nodded their heads, obediently.

    The disciples at the Foundation Establishment were relieved and happy to hear what Benjamin had said. That meant that they had one less competitor, and their chances to get into the Herbal Mountain had increased manifold.

    "Fine! I don''t think the Herbal Mountain is the only mountain from where I can collect the herbs," Zachary scoffed. He kn

    ew that he could never change Benjamin''s mind, so he decided to leave. He could not bring himself to beg someone like Benjamin. In fact, he had already gone against his will, by talking to him politely.

    Benjamin was glad to see Zachary walking away like that. With a sinister smile, he turned to one of the disciples of Mortal Level, whispered a few words. The disciple left right after Benjamin had finished talking.

    After walking away from Benjamin, Zachary turned on the Treasure-hunting Compass, and got into the second world, right after he had returned to the treehouse.

    "Mimi, please check. Are there any other mountains in this area, besides the Herbal Mountain, from where I can collect herbs?" Zachary asked.

    "Searching..." Mimi replied gently.

    A few moments later, she said, "I have found that there is the Dragon Mountain. It lies about a mile away from the Welkin Sect."

    "Okay. It''s a little far from here, but that is better than nothing," Zachary said to himself, and logged off the system. Soon after that, he packed a few things, left the treehouse, and headed for the Dragon Mountain.

    What Zachary did not expect was that the Welkin Sect''s disciples, who were guarding the entrance of the sect, would stop him on his way out.

    "Guys, I need to run some errands. Would you please let me out?" Zachary asked politely.

    "Hey, you''re the loser! Right? What errands do you have to run? You know the rules. The disciples at the Foundation Establishment cannot leave the Welkin Sect as they please. Just go back!" a disciple said contemptuously.

    "No one would know I am out, if you do not say anything. I will bring you something nice, if you let me get out," Zachary said, with a big smile on his face. Bribing was the only way he could think of.

    "We need nothing! Go back!" one of the disciples shouted. It seemed that they did not want to do Zachary any favor.

    Even though Zachary was a little upset and disappointed, he could do nothing but walk back to his treehouse, reluctantly.

    Right after Zachary walked away, the disciples at the entrance started talking to one another at once. "He is the loser who has offended Benjamin. What an idiot! Benjamin said that we could not let him out for at least a month!"

    Zachary was not someone who gave up quickly. After he got back to the treehouse, he logged into the system again to ask Mimi if there was any other way to get out. Unfortunately, her answer was, "No." Moreover, the Welkin Sect was located on the steep hillside and was also surrounded by cliffs. Therefore, the only way to get out was through the entrance, or the mountain behind the Welkin Sect. Since its disciples also guarded the latter, there was indeed no way out.

    ''Benjamin Zhao, you bastard! I will take revenge on you, whenever I get the chance, '' Zachary cursed inwardly.

    Since he could not collect herbs and exchange them for pills, the only way he could think of was to do daily quests.

    And as only a hundred disciples could get to the Herbal Mountain, the rest who did not get the number plates had to perform the daily quests the Logistics Hall of the Welkin Sect assigned.

    As expected, lots of disciples at the Foundation Establishment had already gathered at the Logistics Hall, which was very crowded, as everyone there was waiting in line to get the daily quests.

    Finally, Zachary got into the Logistics Hall, after having waited in the line for about an hour, and immediately saw Benjamin sitting on a chair with his legs crossed. Behind him, several disciples were busy handing out the daily quests to the people who had gotten into the hall.

    "Hey, you! I have waited for you for such a long time!" Benjamin said. He got up from the chair, and walked to Zachary as soon as he saw him.

    "Benjamin, are you waiting for me? What can I do for you?" Zachary said, faking a smile.

    "You are here to get a daily quest, aren''t you? I have a great daily quest for you!" Benjamin replied with a welcoming smile.

    "Great! But I don''t want to bother you with such an errand. I can choose it myself. Thanks, though!" Zachary rejected Benjamin''s offer politely. He was sure that he would never give him any great daily quest.

 Chapter 10 The Apprentice Quest

    "Choose it yourself? Who said you can choose it yourself? You can''t have anything else other than this daily quest." Benjamin''s face suddenly looked bored.

    As soon as Zachary heard what Benjamin had said, his eyes turned into two slits. He knew in his heart that Benjamin was deliberately giving him a hard time.

    "If you don''t want this quest, then get out of here!" Benjamin sneered.

    Zachary looked at Benjamin with anger on his face. If he didn''t accept the quest, he wouldn''t be able to earn contribution points and exchange them for pills. But if he accepted the quest, he might fall into a trap set by Benjamin.

    Zachary was not the type of person who gave up easily. He burst out laughing and then said, "Well, since it''s your idea, then I''ll take it."

    "You are a wise man, then!" Benjamin never expected that Zachary would accept the quest. He knew well that the quest was difficult. He then tapped Zachary on the shoulder.

    The two exchanged hostile stares.

    Zachary thought to himself, ''Just don''t give me an opportunity to humiliate you, or I''ll definitely return the favor!''

    Because of Benjamin, Zachary received the daily quest to cut Iron Bamboos in the Iron Bamboo Forest of Welkin Sect.

    The Iron Bamboo, as its name suggested, was so hard that even the sharpest blade would only be able to cut off a small piece.

    When Zachary reached the Iron Bamboo Forest, he cursed Benjamin''s name in his heart again and again.

    ''How hard it is to chop down an Iron Bamboo! And I have to chop ten each day. What should I do?'' Zachary stared at the Iron Bamboo that was barely scratched after he hacked it several times with his machete. His eyes were wide with disbelief.

    But to get the pills, Zachary had to continue cutting the Iron Bamboo.

    Regardless of the humiliation, the fact remained that chopping down ten Iron Bamboos each day was beyond the ability of normal people. Zachary chopped from morning until night and he was only able to cut two.

    Zachary gave up eventually. Instead of chopping Iron Bamboos, his time would better serve him if he entered the second world where he''d be able to improve his cultivation using his double martial speed even without the assistance of pills.

    Zachary also knew that this was the only chance for him to become an official disciple of the Welkin Sect, so he had to give it his everything.

    "If I could become stronger, maybe I can rob Benjamin of his pills!" Zachary dreamed of a bright future. He knew that in order to stay in the Welkin Sect, he would do anything by hook or crook. However, his power was limited at present, and he could do nothing to deal with Benjamin. After ten days of hard work, Zachary improved his cultivation to the fourth grade of Foundation Establishment by using the rewards¡ªtwo first-grade white cultivation-aiding pills that he received from the third and fourth newbie quests. Improving that fast was already quite amazing, but there was still a long way to go before he reached the ninth grade of Foundation Establishment. Besides, the cultivating time required for each grade got longer as it went higher. If he practiced at this rate, he would not be able to reach the ninth grade of Foundation Establishment within the time that was left.

    "Do I really have to do this step by step?" Just as Zachary pondered this depressing situation, he suddenly heard Mimi''s voice. "You have cultivated more than ten days together in the second world. To reward you for your continuous efforts, you may now access the apprentice quest. This allows you to select a beauty master randomly and start the quest. Once you complete the apprentice quest, you can cultivate with your master together."

    "The apprentice ques

    t?" Zachary''s eyes lit up. He was still a bit far from the fifth grade of Foundation Establishment so he was unable to take the fifth newbie quest. And no fifth quest meant no treasure reward. Originally, his only choice was to practice step by step. But the apprentice quest changed it all. This left him surprised and excited.

    "There are no restrictions on the apprentice quest. If you fail, you can try again until you finally succeed!" Mimi continued.

    "This is a lucky break. God truly never lets me down!" Zachary laughed loudly after hearing Mimi''s words.

    The next moment, a lucky wheel appeared in front of Zachary. It contained the names of many of the most recognizable beauties of his original world.

    Then the lucky wheel began to turn rapidly clockwise.

    "Stop!" Zachary shouted after he watched it spin for a while.

    The turntable slowed down and eventually stopped. The pointer stopped on Anne''s name.

    "Congratulations! The master you selected is Anne. The system will now send you to the Living-dead Tomb where you can get the apprentice quest from her," Mimi said.

    Zachary laughed after seeing the name. He said to himself, "Anne? Isn''t she the heroine of the classic martial arts fiction that even kids know? In this classic martial arts fiction, she and her apprentice became lovers. If I become her apprentice, then I can play the role of her apprentice in the fiction and have a relationship with her. That is something nice to dream about!"

    Mimi continued, "Allow me to give you a quick reminder. If you want to complete Anne''s apprentice quest, you will need to be persistent and patient. Although Anne has a unique beauty and extraordinary martial skills, she is withdrawn and quiet. So, completing the quest would depend on your own ability!"

    "Activate a new scene¡ªthe Living-dead Tomb..."

    The place flickered in front of Zachary and he was thrown into another world. He looked around. A bleak forest surrounded him. The atmosphere was dark and the air was cold. A huge, sealed stone door was in front of him. An old stone plaque hung on a nearby wall. On the plaque were inscribed the words Living-dead Tomb!

    "Anne should be in there." Zachary shivered a little from the cold air. He then went forward and banged on the door of the stone tomb. "Master Anne, I came here to become your apprentice! Please open the door!" he shouted like he and Anne had known each other for some time.

    Zachary knocked for a long time, but there was no response from inside the tomb. The surrounding forest was still and silent as death.

    "Isn''t she at home? Maybe I need to walk around. Perhaps she went out for a walk," Zachary muttered in a low voice. As he turned to leave, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck. When he turned around, he saw that the door of the stone tomb had been opened without a sound!

    Zachary entered the stone tomb and saw two rows of sarcophagi lined up on both sides under the light of dimly-lit candles. Bits and pieces of ghost money and incense sticks that had not been completely burnt were scattered about. Between the two rows of sarcophagi lay a path that ended in several chambers.

    "Where are you, Master Anne?" Zachary called out. He almost whispered when he called out because he did not want to disturb the peace of the dead that was surely resting inside the sarcophagi that were lined on both sides.

    Zachary then heard a faint sound that came from the chamber on the left. He turned around to see where the sound came from. He hesitated for a moment and then walked towards the chamber.

    "Who are you? Why are you making so much noise? You''re disturbing the peace!" a sweet yet cold voice asked and echoed in the tomb.

 Chapter 11 Quests Given By Anne

    Zachary stopped talking. He raised his head and barely saw a white figure in the dark, lying on a thin rope that was suspended in the air. Even though Zachary only saw her back, the gorgeous posture and the beautiful shape of her body told him that this person had to be Anne. This was exactly how she was described in the famous martial arts fiction.

    "Master Anne, please accept me as your disciple." Zachary was about to kneel down, a ritual that all disciples performed when they were formally accepted by their masters. Since it was an apprentice quest, naturally the first thing he should do was to become her personal disciple.

    However, when he tried to bend his knees, he couldn''t control his legs anymore. His knees were half-bent and the muscles were stiff.

    "Who is your master here? Leave the Living-dead Tomb now! Otherwise I''ll throw you out!" Anne said coldly without turning around.

    "I won''t leave the Living-dead Tomb until you accept me as your disciple!" Zachary was sure that Anne must have done something to make him unable to kneel down. Hence, he decided to sit on the ground instead and waited for Anne to change her mind.

    His persistence eventually bore fruit. Anne seemed to move slightly, and soon afterwards, three rays of light shot towards him, each one targeting one of his weak spots.

    "Ice Needles?" Zachary sprang up and used the Shadow Pace. He barely managed to dodge the attacks.

    "If you continue to stay, the number of needles will be thirty instead of three," Anne warned.

    "Even if the number becomes three hundred, I will not leave!" Zachary answered firmly. He recalled that in the martial arts fiction Anne was naturally a kind person. ''I have to complete this quest. I don''t believe she''ll kill me! She isn''t someone who randomly kills someone!'' Zachary thought to himself.

    And as Zachary expected, Anne didn''t attack him anymore. After half an hour or so, the figure suddenly vanished. In the blink of an eye, Zachary saw a beautiful lady appear in front of him. She had fair, soft skin and an immaculately beautiful face. Her beauty was simply beyond description. She was like an angel that mortals could never get close to. Her white dress made her look even more divine and holy.

    "So...very beautiful," Zachary stuttered. He couldn''t help staring at her. Even Elva couldn''t compare with her beauty.

    "Have you seen enough?" A look of disgust crept onto Anne''s cold face.

    "No," Zachary said honestly.

    "What will make you leave?" Anne asked in a serious tone.

    "Master Anne, you have two choices. Either you accept me as your disciple, or you agree to be my girlfriend and go out with me," Zachary answered with an impish smile.

    "I choose neither one. Just go. Don''t disturb me any further. Do not think that I will not kill you. I just don''t want your blood to stain this place." Anne walked about as she spoke.

    Zachary raised his eyebrows. ''Getting her to accept me as her disciple is harder than I thoug

    ht, '' he thought.

    Nonetheless, he never planned to give up so easily.

    Three days passed by.

    During those few days, Anne completely ignored Zachary. She walked by him several times a day as if he was not there, and she even slept on the rope with him around.

    On the fourth day, Anne suddenly said to Zachary, "I want to drink the Sweet Dew. If you can get me some in half an hour, I will accept you as my disciple. If you can''t, then you must leave and never return again."

    "No problem. Where can I get the Sweet Dew?" Zachary knew it was his last chance.

    "If you go five hundred meters north of the Living-dead Tomb, you will find a cave. A large group of huge bees live there. They are all deadly poisonous. One sting is enough to kill you. If you don''t want to die, I would suggest that you just give up." Anne then left after she spoke.

    "I''m not afraid of bees!" Aware that he had no time to waste, Zachary rushed to the cave.

    The entrance of the cave was half-covered by thick bushes. From outside, he could only see the outline of dark creatures flying within.

    Without hesitation, Zachary dashed into the cave. In less than a minute, he was driven back out by a group of large and ferocious bees. Luckily, Shadow Pace made it easy for him to escape from the bees; otherwise, he would have died.

    The bees returned into the cave after they chased Zachary out.

    "Damn bees. I just need to get some Sweet Dew. Since you almost killed me, don''t blame me for what happens next!" Zachary exclaimed. He collected some dried twigs, barks and sticks, piled them at the entrance of the cave and then lit the pile.

    The wind blew at the fire and it grew bigger. A lot of smoke soon got blown into the cave. Shortly after, the group of bees fled out of the cave.

    Taking advantage of the situation, Zachary kicked the sticks away and rushed into the cave. After some time, he dashed back out with a palm-sized honey comb in his hands. There was a fragrant, transparent liquid inside. This should be the Sweet Dew that Anne requested for.

    "Got it!" Laughing with confidence and satisfaction, Zachary quickly returned to the Living-dead Tomb and gave Anne the Sweet Dew.

    She looked at Zachary and then said in an emotionless tone, "It seems that you''re a persistent person!"

    "I''m willing to do anything for you, Master Anne! Do you accept me now as your disciple?" Zachary said while smiling at Anne.

    "Well. If you really want to become my disciple, then you have to complete ten collection quests first. Get me ten Heavenly Aromatic Herbs from outside the Living-dead Tomb. The Heavenly Aromatic Herbs have a faint herbal scent. Don''t get them wrong!" Anne said giving Zachary the instructions.

    "Wait a second, Master Anne. You said that you would accept me as your disciple once I got you the Sweet Dew!" Zachary said, feeling cheated.

    Anne never planned to explain herself. She remained silent and stared at Zachary coldly without uttering a word.

 Chapter 12 Exchange For Pills

    After a short while, Zachary shook his head helplessly and said, "All right. I will finish ten collection quests. But Master Anne, please don''t break your promise after I''ve accomplished the quests." And with that, he stepped out of the Living-dead Tomb to carry out the first collection quest of collecting the Heavenly Aromatic Herbs.

    An hour of searching later, Zachary returned to the tomb and gave Anne ten Heavenly Aromatic Herbs.

    "You have completed a collection quest, and you will receive a random treasure reward..." Mimi''s voice echoed in his ears the moment Zachary handed the herbs to Anne.

    "Congratulations! You will receive a first-grade Heavenly Aromatic Herb!" As Mimi was speaking, a flash of light shone in front of Zachary''s eyes and a fresh herb appeared in front of him.

    "It turns out I can get a reward after completing a collection quest! And it is an herb reward!" Zachary exclaimed in surprise with raised eyebrows as he seized the herb.

    "Master Anne, this is only the first quest, and there are still nine left. May I continue to complete the remaining quests?" Zachary asked with great excitement. Although Anne didn''t accept him as her disciple, he could still acquire treasure rewards with every quest he accomplished. With that in mind, he was eager to finish more quests for more rewards. And if he completed ten collection quests, then he would acquire ten treasure rewards. Thus, he couldn''t be more willing to continue the remaining quests.

    "I''m tired. You can leave now. See you tomorrow!" Anne replied, ignoring his request.

    After a moment, Zachary found himself back in the Peach Blossom Forest.

    The moment he returned, Zachary heard Mimi''s tender voice, "The Treasure-hunting System has a special storage space. Would you like to keep your treasures there?"

    "Oh, there''s even a storage space! Yes, I would like that," Zachary answered with delight. Immediately after his reply, the first-grade Heavenly Aromatic Herb in his hand disappeared. He knew that it had been stored automatically in the special storage space.

    After exiting the system, Zachary went back to his treehouse. Exhausted, he collapsed on his bed and fell into a sound sleep. He needed a good rest for tomorrow''s quest.

    The next day, Zachary returned to the Living-dead Tomb. Anne gave him the second collection quest, which was also gathering herbs. With experience from the previous day, he completed it with ease. Once again, after delivering the herbs to Anne, he was rewarded with a first-grade herb. If Zachary kept the pace and continued this, he would get ten herbs in total after completing the ten quests, and his urgent need of the herbs would be satisfied.

    The following days, Anne consecutively gave Zachary the remaining eight quests. All of them were as simple as the previous ones, which only required him to collect specific items such as herbs, food, and so on. Most of them were easily obtained.

    Of course, some of them were a little difficult to find. But with the magical Shadow Pace he had grasped, he could go anywhere to search for them with no trouble. May it be on a steep mountain or pass a formation organized by formidable bronze fighters, Zachary was able to find all the items required.

    "Congratulations! You have completed the tenth collection quest. Now you can receive a random reward... A second-grade Fire Spiritual Flower." As Mimi''s announcement faded away, a strange flame-like flower burned in front of Zachary.

    "Second grade, ha-ha... I made a killing!" Zachary exclaimed with a triumphant smile on his face. He collected his reward happily.

    After finishing the ten collection quests, he felt quite relieved. He immediately looked at Anne, who was standing in front of him, and asked with eagerness in his eyes, "Master Anne, will you accept me as your disciple now?"

    "Starting tomorrow, I will have to cultivate in seclusion for a while, and I''ll make the decision when I finish my cultivation!" Anne quickly made an excuse to avoid his question. Zachary was rejected once again. He felt like she was fooling him.

    Zachary felt both annoyed and amused. It never occurred to him that someone as pure, noble, and arrogant as Anne would be so perverse and unreasonable. Moreover, he couldn''t find a way to protest since her excuse had no flaws in it.

    Before he could insist, he was sent back to the Peach Blossom Forest once again.

    "Huh, I just don''t believe it! By whatever means, I will make you accept me as your disciple, and then your lover... Then, I can do anything I want to do." He smiled shamelessly to himself. He then stroked his chin, narrowed his eyes and pondered seriously, ''I wonder how many first-grade cultivation-aiding pills I can get by exchanging just ten herbs? I need more pills to improve my cultivation and advance three grades.''

    With his hard work all these days, Zachary was now at the sixth grade of Foundation Establishment, but he still had a long way to go before reaching the ninth grade. And worse still, there was not much time left. Thus, his only hope now was to exchange his task rewards for more first-g

    rade cultivation-aiding pills so that he could make a breakthrough.

    After considering his options, Zachary took out nine of the first-grade herbs that he kept in the storage space of the system, and put them in the cloth bag he had prepared beforehand. The only thing left in the storage space was the second-grade Fire Spiritual Flower. With that done, he left the system.

    Early the next morning, Zachary went to the Welkin Sect''s Pill Hall to trade his herbs for pills. The moment he arrived, however, he came upon a noisy, bustling crowd.

    The disciples at the Foundation Establishment who had been collecting herbs in Herbal Mountain all came here to exchange their herbs for pills. The formal disciple selection would start very soon. Just like Zachary, they all needed more pills to improve their cultivation.

    By a rough calculation, Zachary assumed that more than two hundred disciples at the Foundation Establishment formed a long queue inside the hall. They were using their contribution points or the herbs they had collected in exchange for pills.

    The Welkin Sect was not very good at refining pills. Hence, the pills they could provide for their disciples were only first-grade white cultivation-aiding pills, but they were still beneficial to the disciples at the Foundation Establishment.

    Recently, each disciple at the Foundation Establishment from the Welkin Sect had worked tirelessly for the final improvement of their cultivation before the official selection. All their efforts were paid, of course.

    Some were satisfied with their payment while others were not.

    Since the number of disciples allowed to collect herbs at the Herbal Mountain was limited, those at the Foundation Establishment with good qualifications were greatly favored and had such opportunities. The remaining who had poor qualifications seldom had these chances and could only do daily tasks in exchange for one or two first-grade white cultivation-aiding pills.

    To put it briefly, compared to those less qualified, those disciples who were able to collect herbs from the Herbal Mountain had gotten much more pills. Among them, those who were unlucky could get only two or three first-grade herbs. Meanwhile, those who were fortunate had a great harvest; wherein each was able to collect at least five or six first-grade herbs. One first-grade herb could exchange for a first-grade white cultivation-aiding pill. If a disciple could collect more precious second-grade herbs, he could exchange it for at least two or three of the mentioned pills. Moreover, if he had better luck and picked some more precious herbs, that would mean he could trade those herbs for more pills.

    Of course, there were many official disciples of the Welkin Sect in the Pill Hall. They were here to have fun. With the overwhelming amount of people, the hall was tightly packed.

    Among the crowd, a disciple at the Foundation Establishment was standing near a table as he watched a disciple of the Pill Hall count the herbs he had picked. He had a broad smile on his face.

    "One first-grade Ripple Herb. Three first-grade Withered Summer Flowers. That''s four herbs in total. You can get four first-grade white cultivation-aiding pills," the disciple declared loudly after he finished counting.

    Many of the disciples at the Foundation Establishment in the hall overheard his fortunate trade-in, and they began to murmur to each other. They all knew that one more herb meant an added percentage to the chances of being picked in the official disciple selection. Hence, they couldn''t help but be envious of him.

    As soon as the disciple took the four pills and got out of the long queue with a happy mood, a figure immediately approached him.

    "Impressive, man, what a good harvest! You got four first-grade white cultivation-aiding pills! I can''t believe your luck," the man said dramatically.

    The disciple turned his head to acknowledge the man beside him. It was none other than the "famous" Benjamin whom most disciples didn''t dare to offend. The smile on the disciple''s face instantly disappeared. But just as quickly, he forced himself to smile again, and he replied respectfully, "Benjamin, I should thank you for my good luck. To show my gratitude, I offer you this pill. Please take it." After he said this, a subtle, unwilling expression reflected on his face as he took out a pill and discreetly handed it to Benjamin.

    "No, I shouldn''t take it. After all, you''ve earned it. It is my humble duty to help you, junior disciples, not the other way around," Benjamin said politely, pretending to reject the pill. But in secret, he immediately took the pill with no hesitation or shame.

    At that very moment, another figure strode into the Pill Hall and headed straight for Benjamin.

    "Hey loser, why are you here? Are you here because you envy the other disciples and want to make a fool of yourself?" Benjamin brazenly shouted the minute he saw the figure.

    The other disciples of the Welkin Sect burst into laughter. Such a scene was hilarious to them.

    The disciple whom Benjamin humiliated was none other than Zachary.

 Chapter 13 I Can Give You One

    Zachary acted as if he didn''t hear Benjamin''s words. Angered by Zachary''s arrogance, Benjamin extended his arm to block Zachary. "The Pill Hall isn''t for just anybody. If I remember correctly, you haven''t completed even one daily quest. You have no contribution points to exchange for pills at all. Just get out of here and don''t shame yourself!" he said while staring straight into Zachary''s eyes.

    "I don''t have contribution points from daily tasks, that''s true. But that is not the only way to get pills," Zachary calmly replied.

    "Are you saying that you''ve got herbs? You''ve got to be kidding. You didn''t even go to the Herbal Mountain. Where did you get the herbs?" Benjamin asked, surprised at Zachary''s response.

    "That is none of your business," Zachary said slowly in a scornful tone as he walked past Benjamin.

    Benjamin stared at Zachary''s back as he walked away. Anger simmered in his eyes. In his heart, he murmured to himself, ''Is he just pretending? How could he possibly get any herb? Well, let''s see what tricks he''s trying to play.''

    Zachary squeezed through the crowd until he reached the exchange table. He then opened the cloth bag in his hands and poured the herbs inside the bag onto the table.

    The disciples that worked in the Pill Hall, as well as the other disciples present were all surprised when they saw the herbs that Zachary brought out. There were a total of nine herbs on the table from Zachary''s bag. The amount seemed impossible!

    "How... How is that even possible? Where did he get all of those herbs? I asked the disciples to stop him from going into the Herbal Mountain. He couldn''t go to other mountains as well. Where did he get the herbs from?" Benjamin asked in disbelief. His eyes were wide open as he stood agape in awe.

    "Please check these for me. How many pills can I get for these herbs?" Zachary asked the disciple in charge of the pill exchange while he acted as if nothing happened around him.

    "Let me see here..." The disciple snapped back to reality and started to appraise the herbs that Zachary brought them.

    He gasped in shock as he appraised the herbs on the table.

    "First-grade Mysterious Energy Flower. First-grade Dragon Sunflower. My goodness! These are all first-grade herbs of Scarce Level!" the disciple exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement and surprise.

    The Pill Hall fell completely silent at the disciple''s declaration.

    All the other disciples present looked at Zachary as if he was a bizarre creature that was supposed to be extinct. They couldn''t figure out how he was able to gather that much herbs of such high quality.

    Benjamin, unable to believe what he had just seen and heard, dashed towards the disciple and shouted to him, "Are you sure? Check it again! Are those herbs really of Scarce Level? Aren''t those supposed to be garbage?"

    "Benjamin, if these herbs are garbage, then the herbs that the other disciples collected would be even worse than garbage," replied the disciple.

    Benjamin''s face turned dark as he stared at Zachary.

    Zachary stared back at Benjamin with an arrogantly insulting smile.

    The disciple checked the herbs brought by Zachary again and then appraised their overall value for trade. Since all the herbs were of high quality, they were worth two pills each. Zachary''s herbs were enough to trade for eighteen first-grade white cultivation-aiding pills.

    The disciple gave Zachary two bottles. Each bottle contained nine pills.

    "Even if you get lucky enough to get so many first-grade white cultivation-aiding pills, you will not pass the selection for formal disciples. Trash like you won''t be able to stay in the Welkin Sect!" Benjamin said jealously.

    "Are you jealous, Benjamin? There''s no need to be jealous. I can give you one if you want." Zachary took out one first-grade white cultivation-aiding pill and threw it at Benjamin.

    Benjamin merely watched the pill fly towards him and fall to the floor. He never dared catch the pill for he knew that it would bring him shame. His face became bright red as an

    ger almost overwhelmed him. He wanted to tear Zachary apart.

    And since the first-grade white cultivation-aiding pill was a valuable item to other disciples, they jumped at the pill on the floor and competed with each other to grab the pill.

    Zachary walked casually towards the door. The noise of the disciples fighting to get the pill on the floor drowned the sound of his footsteps as he exited the room.

    "Damn that Zachary! Fuck him!" Unbridled wrath overcame Benjamin; anger frothed on his lips. As soon as Zachary was gone, Benjamin shouted at the disciples who fought for the pill on the floor, "What do you think you''re doing? Didn''t you hear that the pill was for me?" Benjamin roughly shoved the disciples at the Foundation Establishment away, picked up the pill and walked away angrily.

    When Zachary returned to his treehouse, he took out one cultivation-aiding pill. It turned into liquid as soon as it entered his mouth. The liquid quickly dispersed from his meridians to all the cells in his body. It wasn''t martial energy, but it was a form of essential energy that was encased in the cultivation-aiding pill. The essential energy could be refined into martial energy before it could be absorbed by his body.

    Zachary then refined the essential energy. It took him four hours to refine one first-grade white cultivation-aiding pill.

    "It appears that I have to spend a few days to refine all the pills." Zachary raised his eyebrows, took a deep breath and nodded to himself as he tried to count the total number of days that he''d need.

    The selection drew nearer as the minutes turned to hours and the hours turned to days. Zachary knew that he needed to work extra hard to pass the selection.

    A few brief days later, the selection began.

    The training ground was flooded with people. Hundreds of disciples of the Welkin Sect gathered for the annual formal disciple selection. It was an assessment for all disciples at the Foundation Establishment. If they successfully passed the selection, they would become formal disciples of the Welkin Sect.

    A few elders sat at a high platform on the front-end of the training ground. They had bright, sharp eyes and all had a strong aura around them.

    At the center sat Lewis, the leader of the Welkin Sect. His inner garment was made of silk, and was black and white in color. And his outer garment was a loose, blue robe. His white hair made him out as an aged man, but his face looked lively, suggesting that he was vital and vigorous. A strong aura of Imperial Level radiated from him, and it amazed the disciples present.

    On each side of Lewis sat two old men. Each of them wore a robe of different color. They seemed to be as equally vigorous as Lewis was. They were the stewards of the Welkin Sect, and they were all at the King Level. Steward Smith, who was ranked the fifth in all stewards, stood at the center of the training ground. He was the one who was assigned to examine the disciples.

    "The selection will now commence. When your name is called, come to center of the training ground." After the announcement was made, came the selection.

    A disciple''s name was called. He walked towards Smith.

    "You can start." Smith motioned to the disciple.

    The disciple started to radiate martial energy from his body. A thin layer of green light surrounded his body. Though his martial energy wasn''t particularly strong, it was still considered decent for a disciple at the Foundation Establishment.

    "Original martial speed. Ninth grade of Foundation Establishment. Qualified!" Smith announced loudly to everyone present.

    The disciple jumped up in joy, feeling relieved that he passed.

    The selection went on in a similar manner until half of the disciples had completed going through the selection. Some were happy that they passed while some were heartbroken that they failed.

    One of the disciples facilitating the process called out another name, "Zachary Zi!"

    Silence followed after the name was called. No one seemed to step forth at the sound of that name.

 Chapter 14 A Grand Debut

    "Is Zachary here?" the disciple asked. He called out again. He looked around but didn''t see Zachary.

    "I wouldn''t be too surprised. He is likely too afraid to come here and take the selection...again." Benjamin hated Zachary with such passion.

    "He failed the selection three years in a row. Knowing that he would fail again this time, he is likely ashamed to come here and embarrass himself further."

    "It will be the same even if he takes the selection one hundred times."

    "He must have realized that he shouldn''t bring shame to himself anymore!"

    Benjamin successfully caused a disturbance in the crowd.

    At that time, the stewards of Welkin Sect heard the noise and looked at the direction of Lewis.

    Even Elva, standing on one side of the platform, frowned.

    "Has he decided to run away from all of this? Humph! Shame on him. Next!" Smith, who was in charge of the selection, looked displeased and signaled to the disciple assigned to the job of registration.

    "Did you call my name? I am so sorry! I took a nap and didn''t hear your voice." A lazy and sleepy voice came from the back of the crowd.

    The crowd made way for the owner of the voice. He yawned, stretched himself as he walked through the crowd, smiled and looked at the disciples of Welkin Sect.

    The man was none other than Zachary himself.

    "Can you believe what he just said? Late for his registration because of what? Taking a nap?"

    "Is he asking for trouble?"

    "I guess he must have gone crazy!"

    "I heard that he traded some precious herbs for pills not long ago. What a waste he must have made!"

    "You''re right! Those pills would do nothing good to him! He''s so useless!"

    The crowd became restless once again, whispering or even talking loudly. The people seemed to have decided to ignore how Zachary would feel if he heard their demeaning language.

    Despite the disturbance in the crowd, Zachary stayed calm and walked slowly with his arms on his head. He stopped before Smith and smiled at him.

    Smith saw the latecomer and felt irritated, as if he just discovered that his wife had been cheating on him.

    "What is the point of trying another selection after you failed three times? Go away and don''t embarrass yourself and your family further," Smith said with contempt. He thought Zachary was hopeless no matter how many times he tried.

    "Such lovely and encouraging words you just said!" Zachary smiled as his lips curled. Suddenly, his body gave out a pale purple light, and he released an aura with such ease that indicated he was already at the ninth grade of Foundation Establishment.

    "What the hell! Original martial speed... The...ninth grade... of Foundation Establishment... Purple aura? The physical cultivation?" Smith stammered, his eyes wide open in disbelief. He found it hard to accept what transpired in front of him.

    The crowd immediately fell silent. Everyone stared at Zachary, confused and shocked. A loser who failed the selection for the past three years, displayed the original martial speed and successfully reached the ninth grade of Foundation Establishment in unbelievable speed. Moreover, his body radiated the rare purple aura which meant he cultivated using some physical cultivation method. No one believed what they saw or heard.

    Even Lewis and other stewards found it hard to believe.

    "The original martial speed... Not bad!" Quickly, Smith regained his composure. He coughed briefly to cover his embarrassment and then announced Zachary''s test result.

    But Zachary was not yet done. The purple light shone brighter, and the martia

    l energy circulated in his body faster.

    "D-double... double martial speed! It''s just unbelievable!" Smith was baffled.

    The crowd became even more restless than before. They felt frenzied and hysterical. They just saw something impossible turn into something possible right before their eyes. They couldn''t be more shocked if they saw a ghost in broad daylight. A useless warrior somehow displayed the double martial speed.

    Lewis and the other stewards felt uneasy.

    "Was this guy hiding somewhere and cultivating in incredible ways?" Elva thought to herself, still calm and composed. Despite her outward calm, she couldn''t help but feel confused.

    Zachary looked around smiling and met the shocked eyes of the people who laughed at him a few heartbeats ago.

    He laughed out loudly. His laugh sounded arrogant, and his purple aura shone even brighter.

    "Double martial speed! Yes, it''s happening right now!"

    The training ground suddenly fell quiet and motionless as a graveyard. All eyes were transfixed on Zachary, including the eyes of Lewis, the stewards and all disciples.

    Zachary, who had been a joke for the past three years, now made a brilliant display and shocked everybody.

    "Am I witnessing double martial speed?" Lewis asked for he couldn''t restrain himself any longer. He stood up and shouted at Smith excitedly to confirm his conclusion.

    "Master Lewis, you''re right. It''s surely the double martial speed," Smith answered seriously and respectfully. He sounded to be announcing something instead of making a reply.

    The training ground was in an uproar instantly.

    All disciples turned to look at Zachary; most of them felt extremely envious of what he had just done and who he became seemingly in the blink of an eye.

    The other four stewards rose to their feet spontaneously, stunned. They had known Zachary for some time now. As far as they knew, he was just another loser who couldn''t even get the original martial speed. But he somehow changed into someone who possessed the double martial speed.

    Despite people''s reactions, Zachary remained calm and composed. He successfully drew the attention of everyone present. They all admired and envied him at the same time. The people who treated him as garbage would see him differently. He knew that he now needed to keep a very low profile. He only wanted to get his revenge.

    In the meantime, Elva''s calm face slowly changed. She seemed to have realized something extremely interesting. A light flashed in her cunning eyes.

    "This piece of shit... No, no, no. I''m saying that Zachary has been hiding his strength all this time. How impressive!"

    "No one would ever find another warrior as humble as Zachary who wouldn''t display his true power until the very last moment!"

    "It seems like we were totally wrong about this genius!"

    It did not take long and the perspective of some disciples took a complete U-turn.

    Many of the disciples still refused to believe what they just witnessed, especially Benjamin. He expected to see Zachary embarrass himself, but to his great disappointment and shock, he witnessed Zachary make his grand debut.

    "What the hell! He suddenly displayed double martial speed! Something is wrong here. And that purple aura from his body... Am I dreaming?" From that day on, Lewis kept telling everybody that nothing was impossible as long as you kept your eyes wide open and worked really hard.

    The sudden appearance of a disciple with double martial speed greatly benefited the Welkin Sect. It was something that inspired every disciple to work harder.

 Chapter 15 Mortal Level

    Under the crowd''s unrelenting gaze, Zachary suddenly turned around and left. He walked steadily and soon disappeared from everyone''s sight.

    "Haven''t you ever seen a person with double martial speed? What''s so surprising about that? When I reach triple martial speed, will all your jaws drop?" Zachary joked as he ran back to his treehouse.

    He entered the system, and started to cultivate in the Peach Blossom Forest. He was surrounded by a layer of purple aura. Compared to half a month ago, the purple aura had become much denser. The purple aura slowly flew over his body. Gradually, a portion of it seeped into his skin and coalesced in his meridians. Then, it circulated in his body at double martial speed.

    The purple aura was continuously generated by the different parts of his body as well, which merged with the aura in his meridians. As the process continued, his meridians were filled by the martial energy to their maximum capacity.

    Zachary''s body felt like a bowstring that had been pulled to its limit. The tension was so great that it could break at any moment. As he reached the upper limit, he felt that his body was restrained somehow. He failed to make the breakthrough just yet.

    A few days ago, when Zachary assimilated all the first-grade cultivation-aiding white pills as well as other treasures obtained from accomplishing newbie quests in the second world, he accumulated enough martial energy in his body to make the breakthrough to the Mortal Level.

    Warriors relied on meridians to store martial energy. They needed to increase the meridians'' capacity. If they failed to improve the capacity of their meridians, it would be useless to cultivate more martial energy. Zachary was now in a condition where the martial energy in his meridians had entered an aggregated state.

    His body overflowed with excess martial energy. He felt that he could explode at any moment. His muscles were under immense pressure, as if they were ground by heavy weights. Zachary now suffered from excruciating pain.

    But Zachary didn''t let out any sound that indicated that he was in pain. He suppressed the pain as he attempted to push for the breakthrough.

    Zachary had no idea how much time passed by. He just felt that his body couldn''t sustain the strain anymore.

    "Aargh!" Zachary shouted as the overflowing martial energy in his body burst forth.

    Boom! The items inside the treehouse flew towards the walls as if they were thrown by a tremendous amount of energy.

    In the blink of an eye, the purple aura around Zachary became brighter.

    "Congratulations for making a breakthrough. You are now at the first grade of Mortal Level!" Mimi announced excitedly.

    "First grade of Mortal Level! Finally!" Zachary exclaimed as he laughed out loudly.

    "Congratulations for completing all newbie quests and reaching the Mortal Level. You can now get your newbie completion award!"

    A beam of piercing light beamed in front of Zachary, and then, a ring with the shape of a dog''s head floated in the air in front of him.

    Zachary took the ring and studied it closely.

    "Mimi, what is this?" Zachary asked curiously.

    "That is a Dog Soul Ring, an item that can help you find treasure. When the power of the ring is used, your sense of smell, vision and hearing will become greatly enhanced. It can also help you hold your breath for half an hour," Mimi explained to Zachary.

    "Sounds like a very useful item!" Zachary exclaimed as he wore the ring on one of his fingers.

    "Since you''ve reached the Mortal Level, you''re no longer allowed to accept any newbie quests. Main quest mode and cultivation quest mode are activated.

    The main quest mode is going to deliver quests automatically. All the quests are related to the real world. If you accomplish all the quests in the main quest mode, you will be able to reach the pinnacle of a warrior. The treasures awarded by the main quest mode is dependent on your own cultivation level when you complete the quest.

    For the cultivation quest mode, treasures will be awarded accordingly when you complete the quests."

    "Sounds great! That seems like something to look forward to!" Zachary was excited to know about the new modes.

    "Activate the first stage of main quest mode. Quest: become a formal disciple of the Welkin Sect!" Mimi announced.

    "I''ve already passed the selection for formal disciples. Soon I will become a formal disciple of the Welkin Sect," Zachary said to himself. Since all he needed to do was wait, the quest was considered completed.

    ''So glad that I passed. Can I have some fun now, just to reward myself? Or should I go to the Living-dead Tomb and spend some time with Master Anne? This Treasure-hunting System has the beauty collection mode. If I can take Master Anne out of the Treasure-hunting System and cultivate with her, that will be so great! However, she might be busy cultivating in seclusion right now.'' He exited the system as a myriad of thoughts ran through his mind.

    Zachary was so over-joyed for his recent breakthrough. While he was planning how he should go about with his celebration, an unexpected guest arrived. The person felt like a very powerful warrior.

    "Master Lewis?" Zachary was surprised to find that his visitor was none other than the leader of the Welkin Sect, Lewis.

    Lewis'' sharp eyes focused on Zachary''s body. Beneath the calmness of his eyes, there was a hint of confusion and astonishment that he could not conceal. After all, just now, Zachary, the well-known loser of the Welkin Sect, passed the selection for formal disciples and even exhibited double martial speed.

    From the time the Welkin Sect was established, no single disciple at the Foundation Establishment could improve so much in a short span of only one year! Naturally, Lewis was bewildered!

 Chapter 16 The Celestial College

    "You are at the ninth grade of Foundation Establishment and possess double martial speed. To tell you the truth, I couldn''t believe that. Just last year, you were only at the first grade of Foundation Establishment, with even less than the original martial speed. And yet somehow, in the span of just one year, you''ve made such unbelievable progress! It''s simply unheard of!" Lewis couldn''t help but exclaim in awe. Truth be told, he wasn''t all that suspicious about Zachary using unusual methods. After all, disciples of Foundation Establishment were still in their formative years. They hadn''t yet fully explored their potential. At this point, anything was possible. Nevertheless, what Zachary had just accomplished wasn''t just astonishing¡ªhe improved from less than original martial speed to double martial speed! And moreover, he went from the first grade of Foundation Establishment to the ninth grade of Foundation Establishment. That was jaw-dropping progress and unprecedented in the history of the Welkin Sect.

    "But Zachary, why is your martial energy purple in color? You should be practicing the meditating cultivation method of our Welkin Sect, as planned. However, purple martial energy is only ever seen in cultivators of the physical cultivation. How is this possible?" Lewis asked, somewhat suspicious.

    "Um... I''m afraid that I don''t know much about it either. My martial energy has always been purple," Zachary replied, pretending to be just as baffled.

    "Is that so? Well I suppose it''s just a coincidence, then. Still...that''s quite unusual." Lewis trailed off, seemingly deep in thought. Then he added, "But believe me, if your father could see your progress now, he would have been so proud! This is remarkable progress, Zachary."

    "Perhaps so...I believe I''m blessed by God to be so fortunate. At the rate I''m going, I have the chance to avenge my parents and even find Alisa," Zachary replied fervently.

    "Ah, still so persistent, I see. Since you''ve improved to this point, I don''t understand why you didn''t tell me all of this earlier. Were you worried about something?" Lewis asked.

    "I''m just trying to keep a low profile, honestly. I''m not here to attract attention to myself," Zachary replied quietly, not willing to divulge much more.

    "Is that so? Do you realize that you''ve caused some dispute in the Welkin Sect? Many of the disciples, and even some stewards themselves, can''t believe that you''ve improved so much. They don''t understand how you''ve managed it," Lewis told him pointedly.

    "Whether they believe it or not is up to them. What they think of it has nothing to do with me," Zachary answered flatly.

    "I just wanted to let you know, Zachary. There are eyes on you now, whether you like it or not. You did say you were trying to keep a low profile. If what you say is true, well, I hope you won''t be too bothered by others people''s opinions," Lewis told Zachary in a careful tone.

    "Sure, I''ll keep that in mind. Don''t worry." Zachary nodded in response, unperturbed.

    "Remember this: When you become a formal disciple of the Welkin Sect, you''ll find yourself making even greater progress than you already have. In roughly three to five years, you''ll be eligible to enter the esteemed Celestial College. Once you do, I am confident that you''ll have a bright future there. And of course, this might be a good chance for you to further your goals. If revenge is what you seek, you can strengthen yourself there to take it. Don''t let me down, alright?" Lewis told him with finality. He seemed to study him for a moment, before he nodded and left the cottage.

    "Celestial College?" Zachary watched Lewis''s back depart; his thoughts muddled with deep considerations of what the future might hold.

    It wasn''t long before he found the important knowledge with regards to the Celestial College from the memories of this body.

    The Celestial College was one of the four biggest martial colleges in the Supernal Continent. The other three colleges of note were the Crane College in the Vanity Kingdom, the Dignity College in the Canopy Kingdom, and the Shura College in the Devil Kingdom.

    Together, these four martial colleges held an assemblage of some of the most powerful warriors in the entire Supernal Continent. And it was important to note that a large proportion of those acclaimed warriors were ranked above the King Level. Beyond that, there was also a certain unofficial ranking system. Warriors of the Imperial Level were considered incredibly powerful throughout the Supernal Continent. Beyond them, warriors of the Sage Level were considered amongst the finest warriors and the cream of the crop. And after this level, warriors of the Holy Level were considered incredibly select and exclusive; they were at the pinnacle of talent. And more powerful than any of them, there were the warriors of the Divine Level, who were thought to exist o

    nly in legends.

    Within the four martial colleges, the strongest and most noteworthy college in terms of both disciples and masters was the Dignity College. The Celestial College was considered second to them. Coming in third was the Shura College, and finally, the Crane College was the last, but not the least.

    What made the true difference between disciples and masters was that disciples were often below the Imperial Level. However, once disciples made their breakthrough to the Imperial Level and beyond, they would automatically upgrade to be considered as masters.

    In addition, even though the Dignity College ranked the first in terms of acclaim, they did not have a monopoly of the top ten of disciples. Three of those top ten disciples actually came from the Celestial College. Though the Dignity College had the honor of claiming the first and third of the top ten, the second, the fourth, and the fifth came from the Celestial College, proving that this institution was no less accomplished.

    Out of the famed top ten of disciples, there were only three women among them. Two of them hailed from the Celestial College. Rumor had it that these high-ranking women were placed in the top ten not only because of their renowned power, but also because of their arresting beauty. Each one of them had countless male admirers, followers, and patrons who would do just about anything for them. They all vied for their attention and to hover in their periphery, like butterflies to blossoms. Because of this double-edged fame, the girls also served as a major incentive for male warriors to opt for attending the Celestial College over the other three colleges. Many of the warriors from the other three colleges aspired to transfer to the Celestial College, if only just to earn a glance at the two famous beauties.

    Of course, this was all easier said than done. It would be a hard road for them, as it was very difficult to get enrolled into any of these establishments. Strictly speaking, there were three ways to get recruited into one of the colleges. First, an applicant must have triple martial speed to be considered qualified to enter any of the four college. Second, within each kingdom, every clan or sect was held to a strictly followed, specific quota of how many of their disciples they could send into the colleges. This quota was based on the sect or clan''s rank. And lastly, warriors could choose to take on the colleges'' incredibly rigorous entrance examinations. However, only one in ten thousand eligible candidates ever managed to cross the threshold in this manner.

    The whole gist of it was that it was virtually impossible for any simple man or woman to find themselves admitted into the martial colleges, especially for those who were less talented or from a weak clan or sect. This incredibly exclusive and strict process made it clear that to every clan and sect that it was considered a great honor for disciples to make it to any of the four martial colleges.

    For warriors themselves, the most effective incentive that motivated them to pursue eligibility into the martial colleges wasn''t the exclusivity or the beauties. It was the access: the warriors would be able to learn from famous masters. Moreover, it opened the opportunity for them to meet other skilled warriors there, creating a continuous drive to further improve. Without a doubt, any of the four martial colleges was considered a paradise, and a highly coveted place to go for all warriors who strove to improve. Once in every three years, the four martial colleges would enroll new disciples. And once the warriors were recruited, they would be allowed to stay in those martial colleges for as long as they wished. Regardless of whether they were ranked as disciples or masters, as long as they performed well in the martial colleges, they would have a significant opportunity that was inaccessible to many: they would be able to enter a highly-ranked clan or sect. That was also another major incentive of the martial colleges. The warriors'' performances in the college would play a tremendous role in determining their future not only in their craft but also in their society.

    The Welkin Sect, compared to all the other sects in the Enigmatic Kingdom, was considered to be at the lower end of the medium stage. And when taking into account all the other sects and clans throughout the Supernal Continent, the Welkin Sect ranked even lower. It was only natural that the Welkin Sect eagerly hoped that its disciples would earn a great achievement, elevating its status throughout the continent. Unfortunately, to date, there had not been a single disciple who had managed to stand out in the four martial colleges.

    After learning all of this, Zachary finally got a sense of what the Celestial College was about. And the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was where his future lay.

 Chapter 17 The Cultivation Quest Mode

    Zachary then went to the kitchen and brought some food. After eating his fill, he returned to the hill that was behind the Welkin Sect, hurried into the system, and continued his cultivation. Although for the time being, the main quest could not be completed, it was worth experiencing the cultivation quest mode.

    "Mimi, help me start the cultivation quest mode." Zachary was now adept at operating and using the Treasure-hunting System.

    "Start the cultivation quest mode. Please be ready to enter the simulation training scene."

    As Mimi''s voice resounded in Zachary''s mind, the beautiful landscape around him immediately transformed into a very real training ground. The simulated enclosure was surrounded by several majestic and extraordinary statues that had been sculpted in a variety of martial postures. Moreover, they were so real and lifelike that they made the entire ground resemble a real battlefield.

    "The cultivation quest mode''s difficulty level is divided into normal, hard, challenging, and command. The more difficult it is to complete, the higher will be the number of points gained. Points obtained from completing the quest can be exchanged for the corresponding pills. More points are required to acquire the pills of premium stage. The task is random. And please note that you cannot give up the task once you have accepted it. You won''t be able to receive a new one until you have completed the previous one," Mimi said.

    "With my current strength, I will only be able to complete quests of normal difficulty!" As Zachary knew himself, he chose a quest that was the easiest¡ªthat of normal difficulty.

    "Choose normal difficulty... The system is randomly selecting quests...

    You have successfully got the quest. You must knock down a wooden stake a thousand times and it must be completed within six hours. If you fail to do so, you will have to restart again!"

    As Mimi told Zachary about the content of the quest, a humanoid stake appeared in front of him.

    "I need to knock down a stake a thousand times within six hours? Is this quest trying to kill me? If this level is called normal difficulty, won''t opting for the challenging difficulty be the end of me?" Zachary was extremely shocked after he heard what Mimi had said.

    "The countdown has started!" Unfortunately, Mimi ignored Zachary''s complaint and started the countdown the very next moment she had finished saying what she had to say.

    In order to start his quest, Zachary took off his shirt, which revealed his lean upper body. Then, after taking a few deep breaths, he began to aim at the stake, shaking his fist and starting the knockout quest. Even though the stake looked ordinary, it could not be knocked down easily.

    Six hours later, Zachary, whose face revealed how angry he was because he had not been able to succeed at the assigned quest, lay exhausted in front of the wooden stake.

    "Time is up. You knocked down the humanoid stake five hundred and one times, which means that you have failed this quest. Would you like to start again immediately?" Mimi asked.

    "No, just wait for a while. This quest is ridiculous," Zachary spat. "Give me a four-hour break." Having asked for a time-out, he immediately stood in the headstand position, which started infusing new energy into him and enabling him to restore his strength, at once.

    Soon, Zachary discovered that after that extreme training, the martial energy circle in his body seemed to flow more smoothly than it did earlier. He could also feel some other subtle changes occurring in his body.

    Four hours later, Zachary took up the challenge again, but sadly, he was only a hundred knocks better than he had been the last time.

    "I refuse to believe that I am incapable of completing the quest..." Zachary seemed unwilling to quit. Therefore, after another four more hours of rest, he continued the cultivation quest challenge.

    There he was, starting the task, failing to achieve the target in the given time, resting and starting all over again. After several such cycles, twenty-four hours had passed.

    "Nine hundred and ninety... Time is up..."

    "Damn it, I missed it by ten... Can we round off this result?" Zachary pleaded.

    Just then, the system suddenly sounded an alarm that someone was coming to the treehouse.

    As soon as he hear

    d the alarm, Zachary quit the system. Moments later, a Welkin Sect''s disciple entered the treehouse, and told him to go to the Heavenly Martial Hall to attend the official disciples'' initiation ceremony.

    "Finally, I''ve granted your wish of becoming a formal disciple of the Welkin Sect," Zachary said and sighed, after the disciple left. After all, he had already helped this body''s original owner hold his head high, hadn''t he? He had also completed his wish to become a formal disciple of Welkin Sect. Moreover, in his opinion, he had nothing to do with the blood feud of this body''s original owner. He had a lofty ambition and a still greater goal to achieve¡ªhe aspired to become a leader in this alien world.

    On arriving at the square in front of the Heavenly Martial Hall, Zachary saw that there was already teeming with people. Most of the Welkin Sect''s disciples had gathered there, including those who were at the Foundation Establishment.

    At the square, Zachary joined the other disciples who were at the Foundation Establishment and had passed the a formal disciple recruitment test. Then, after Lewis, the Welkin Sect''s leader, had spouted a lot of nonsense, Zachary received the a robe from him, which was an identity of the Welkin Sect''s formal disciple. As he received the robe and became the Welkin Sect''s formal disciple, he could feel the envy of the disciples at the Foundation Establishment.

    "Two months from now, the Welkin Sect will be holding the selection for the Celestial College. This time, we only have one place, so I hope all the participants will give their best. Besides, Bruce and Elva are eligible to enter the Celestial College directly, because they have triple martial speed," Lewis said and then looked around at the disciples of Welkin Sect.

    All the disciples present became jealous and started commenting on what Lewis had announced. The reason why the discussion among them was so heated was that in the last three years, only Bruce Mo and Elva had reached the Heaven Level out of all the Welkin Sect''s disciples. Also, they were the only two disciples who had triple martial speed in the Welkin Sect within recent fifty years. Moreover, among all the disciples that the Welkin Sect had sent to the Celestial College before, almost none of them had achieved any level of significance; therefore, no one knew about them. The main reason for their failure was that they did not have outstanding martial speed. Now that Lewis had Bruce Mo and Elva, he was hopeful that they would succeed.

    "I don''t know when I can enter that Celestial College. Of course, it is impossible for me to enter it with my current strength, and now it seems that I have to work harder than ever before..." Zachary knew clearly that he was just getting started, and still had a long way to go.

    Back in the treehouse, Zachary entered the system instantaneously, and waited to receive the reward for having completed the quest.

    "Congratulations for completing your first main quest. You get a manual on Crushing Skill as your reward," Mimi said joyfully as soon as he entered the system.

    "The Crushing Skill is a martial art at the first-grade of Mortal Level."

    After that, a beam of light went straight between Zachary''s eyebrows, feeding the contents of the manual on Crushing Skill into his mind. When he cursorily read its contents, a smile appeared on his face immediately. He discovered that the Crushing Skill was indeed powerful. It was really a rather good martial art for Zachary to learn at that time.

    "With the Crushing Skill, passing the cultivation quest should not be a problem for me right now," Zachary smiled. At once, he began to practice the Crushing Skill. Once had he become familiar with its power, he immediately entered the system and challenged the cultivation quest again.

    Just as what Zachary had thought, he could knock down a stake easily with the Crushing Skill.

    "Congratulations for finishing your cultivation quest. Because you have completed this quest in an hour, in addition to the original reward, you''ll be rewarded with an extra pill, which is a first-grade green energy-replenishing pill," Mimi said.

    "It''s really nice that I get a pill as extra reward!" Zachary smiled with delight. Then he quit the system after he had received the rewards.

 Chapter 18 A Beauty

    "That''s weird. I just completed my first main quest. I should get a notification for the second main quest. So where is it?" Zachary suddenly remembered something. "Mimi, where is the second main quest?"

    There was no response from Mimi.

    "What a faulty system! I just want to accomplish as many quests as possible to improve myself..." Zachary complained as he exited the system and went to the Logistics Hall.

    Every formal disciple of the Welkin Sect was entitled to one first-grade white cultivation-aiding pill each month. However, there was a prerequisite. They needed to first complete a specific quest given by the sect, patrolling or herb collecting for example.

    Usually, disciples of Welkin Sect would complete the quests in groups. The Logistics Hall helped the disciples form teams and assigned quests to them.

    When Zachary arrived at the Logistics Hall, he found that Benjamin was also there. The moment Zachary stepped into the room, Benjamin put on a warm smile and said enthusiastically, "Hello, Zachary!"

    "What''s wrong with you?" Zachary jeered at him, surprised at Benjamin''s unusual behavior.

    Benjamin smiled sheepishly and answered, "It seems we''ve been assigned to the same team. Our team is assigned the quest of patrolling and I''m the team leader. Don''t worry. I will not allow anyone to bully you."

    "Okay," Zachary answered. He knew right away that Benjamin was up to no good. ''Whatever he''s planning, I''ll be ready for it!'' Zachary thought to himself.

    After the members of the team gathered, Benjamin led them to the bottom of the mountain to patrol. The task was rather simple. All they needed to do was walk around the mountain and take note of anything suspicious. They needed to patrol for six hours.

    "Zachary, can you tell me where you got those herbs?" Benjamin saw a chance to talk to Zachary and he took it.

    "Are you sure you want to know?" A strange smile crossed Zachary''s face.

    Benjamin nodded.

    "It''s a secret," Zachary replied and then walked away.

    ''Damn it!'' Benjamin cursed inwardly. He kept his smile outwardly and continued to approach Zachary.

    There was no way that Zachary would ever tell him the truth.

    After an hour or so, Benjamin told the team to take a rest. He then passed a water bottle to Zachary to befriend him.

    Zachary happily accepted Benjamin''s "kindness." After he drank some water, a voice sounded in his mind. "The system found a highly valuable treasure within the vicinity. The random treasure-hunting quest mode is on. Find the treasure and get it!" Mimi said inside his head.

    "Ahem!"

    Right after Zachary heard Mimi''s voice, he coughed the water in his mouth out.

    ''What is going on? Even when I am simply drinking water, the random treasure-hunting quest mode turns on automatically. The system is like a pirate! It makes me loot treasures now. I hope no one is guarding it, '' Zachary cursed inwardly. Nevertheless, he looked forward to the treasure that the system mentioned.

    "The random treasure-hunting quest wouldn''t be activate for just any treasure," Mimi explained. This surprised

    Zachary. ''The treasure must be really valuable if it can attract the Treasure-hunting System, '' he thought to himself.

    "Zachary, are you alright?" Benjamin asked in a tone of concern when Zachary coughed the water out.

    "It''s nothing. I suddenly had a stomachache. Please excuse me for a while. Don''t wait for me. I''ll catch up later." After excusing himself, he went into a bush.

    When he was sure that no one was looking at him, he took out the Treasure-hunting Compass. A red dot was on the radar projected by the compass; this indicated the location of the treasure.

    "Let''s take a look then!" Zachary used the Shadow Pace and rushed towards the red dot.

    He soon realized that the location shown by the red dot was not stationary. It was as if it was playing hide-and-seek with him. Luckily, its speed wasn''t fast.

    Zachary soon passed a wheat field and then entered a red forest when the red dot''s movement finally stopped. It was about only a hundred meters away from Zachary''s position.

    Zachary kept the Treasure-hunting Compass close and moved towards the red dot. Deep inside the forest, he found a cave entrance that was slightly concealed by a small waterfall. There were two lines of footsteps that led into the cave. It seemed that someone or some creature had just entered the cave.

    Zachary carefully inspected the surrounding areas to ensure that no one else was around. After a moment of hesitation, he quietly sneaked into the cave.

    The cave wasn''t too deep. It did not take long and Zachary reached the end of the cave. At the end of the cave, there was a female figure who was half naked. There was a vertical passageway that connected the end of the cave and the outside world. A beam of light fell nicely on her body through the vertical passageway.

    Zachary saw her face clearly. It was like a flower that just blossomed, alluring and arousing. Her lips were racy red, as if inviting him to kiss her. Her beautiful face was devoid of any emotion. Zachary suddenly had a sensation that she might not be real at all.

    "So...did the compass ask me to find the beauty? Am I supposed to do something sensual with her to get the treasure?" Zachary murmured to himself.

    He suddenly felt that the woman looked familiar. After a few moments of trying to recall who she was, he was not able to stop himself from calling out, "Alisa?!" The girl looked exactly the same as the woman that the owner of the body was supposed to marry.

    Zachary''s voice woke the woman up. When she opened her eyes, she seemed even more seductive. After being dazed for a moment, she instinctively took her clothes to cover her exposed body. Spitting some blood out, she replied embarrassed, "Don''t shout. I''ll tear your mouth apart!" She cautiously checked the outside of the cave. When she didn''t saw anyone outside, she heaved a sigh of relief and glared at Zachary again.

    She checked Zachary from head to toe, and eventually realized that he was not one of the guys who chased her. Additionally, he seemed weak to her. Feeling much more at ease, she asked coldly, "Who are you?"

 Chapter 19 A Marriage Contract

    "I... I''m here to protect you," Zachary said seriously. He believed that the treasure indicated by the system was either the woman herself or something that she carried with her.

    "Protect me? You?" the woman asked Zachary mockingly, as if Zachary had just told her a joke that was not at all funny.

    "You do not believe me?" Zachary felt crestfallen. When he first entered the cave, he did notice that the aura of the woman was unusually strong, maybe even stronger than that of Lewis. This confused him. ''If she is really that strong, why is it that she seemed to be trapped in here?'' he wondered.

    "I was ambushed," the woman said suddenly, as if she could read Zachary''s mind.

    Zachary felt shivers run down his spine. After a moment of shock, he then probed her, "People''s desires are insatiable. Everyone wants your treasure."

    "How do you know I have a treasure with me?" the woman asked startled.

    "I was just guessing," Zachary said smiling.

    "Then you have to die. I originally planned to let you go," the woman said seriously.

    "Are you sure you can pull it off?" Zachary said confidently as he smiled and then crossed his arms in front of him. He reasoned that the woman was likely injured. If she was not injured, then she would not be inside the cave. She would have fled instead if she was not injured.

    The woman was held back by Zachary''s confidence. ''He seems perceptive. And he was not intimidated by me at all. Though he is only at the Mortal Level, he might not be as weak as he appears to be, '' she pondered. She immediately noticed the robe that Zachary was wearing. "Are you a disciple of the Welkin Sect?"

    "Is it so obvious?" Zachary looked down at his own robe. He had almost forgotten that he was wearing the uniform of a formal disciple.

    "Although the Welkin Sect isn''t a huge sect, it is still well known. I believe its disciples should be decent at least. Perhaps..." she said.

    All of a sudden, her muscles tensed as she sprang into extreme alertness. She stared out of the cave in a worried look. "They''re fast," she said under her breath. She flew up from where she stood and landed near Zachary.

    Zachary felt her strong aura as she approached, which shocked him. In the blink of an eye, the barely-clothed beautiful figure stood mere inches away in front of him. And because she wasn''t properly clothed, he could still see the outline of her private parts, which aroused something in him.

    "Boy, I will go and run first. They will chase after me. Take that chance to escape. Help me hide the treasure. If I don''t come to find you in three months, the treasure is yours." She flipped her hand, and a scroll made of beast hide and sealed with wax appeared. She pushed the scroll into his robe and shocked him. He still barely grasped the meaning of her words.

    He was surprised. ''Am I really so lucky? This beautiful woman simply gave me the treasure! Or is it a trap?'' Zachary thought to himself.

    Bothered by the idea, Zachary hesitated. He argued whether he''d return the treasure or not. Before he arrived at a decision, the woman flew out of the cave without warning and disappeared.

    "So fast! Hey, wait..." When Zachary got out of the cave, the woman was gone in a shining orange-golden flash.

    "Could she be a warrior at the Sage Level? Fuck! I didn''t recognize that earlier! No wonder the system got excited. I should have asked her to give me more treasures!" Zachary murmured to himself. He felt extremely lucky. If the woman

    really intended to kill him, he would have been dead already. Perhaps she was truly seriously injured, but she didn''t need too much effort to kill someone at the Mortal Level. The woman had a golden-orange light radiating from her body. It was something that warriors at the Sage Level had. The warriors at the Imperial Level had an orange-colored light. Lewis, the leader of the Welkin Sect, hadn''t reached the Sage Level yet. He was only at the Imperial Level. It was extremely hard for a warrior at a higher cultivation level to make a breakthrough. Some could be stuck at a level for decades. And yet the woman reached the Sage Level at such a young age!

    ''I should leave this place before anyone sees me here, '' Zachary thought as he fled using the Shadow Pace.

    He kept running until he reached a place where he felt safe. He looked around one more time to make sure that no one was around and took out the scroll made of beast hide.

    "What kind of treasure is this? Should I open it? It is a treasure that a warrior at the Sage Level was guarding with her life," Zachary said to himself. However, the woman said that she might come back for the scroll. If she found out that he opened it, she could get mad and kill him. Because of this, Zachary was not sure what to do.

    ''Wait a minute. Have I completed the quest?'' Zachary wondered and then entered the system.

    "Congratulations for completing the quest. Since you''ve completed a random treasure-hunting quest, you get a special award, a Strength Pill, on top of the usual award!" Mimi declared the moment he entered the system.

    "What is a Strength Pill?" Zachary asked.

    "The Strength Pill improves the user''s strength in a short period of time. The degree of improvement is one level up. For example, a warrior at the Mortal Level will have the strength comparable to a warrior at the Earth Level after he takes the pill. However, it has serious side-effects. So it should be used with extra caution!" Mimi explained to him as a round pill that looked like a pearl floated towards Zachary.

    "It sounds like it is a great pill to have, but if it has serious side effects, I may not want to use it." Zachary shrugged as he placed the pill into his pocket. It was a free pill, anyway, so that was better than nothing.

    Zachary was also awarded a second-grade white cultivation-aiding pill for completing the quest.

    "So what does this scroll do?" Zachary asked as he raised the scroll.

    "It''s a marriage contract," Mimi answered. "The person with this scroll is allowed to marry a woman from a powerful family background."

    "A marriage contract? Is this even supposed to be considered a treasure? Who is the bride, anyway? I can''t believe there''s still forced marriage in this world! But what if the bride is someone I don''t want to marry?" Zachary asked. He was disappointed that this wasn''t the kind of treasure that he expected.

    "The identity of the bride is unknown. The ink used on the scroll is a special invisible ink; thus, the information about the marriage is concealed," answered Mimi.

    "An invisible ink? Can you analyze the ingredients of the ink? Then find a way to make the ink appear? Like heating or immersing in water." In his original world, Zachary was a professional treasure hunter. Invisible ink was a common method employed by people to conceal important information. There were methods to make the words written with an invisible ink to appear again; fire and water were the most common ones.

 Chapter 20 The New Quest

    Hearing Zachary''s question, Mimi fell silent. She was searching for information to answer his question. After what seemed like ages, she said once more, "According to my analysis, this ink is made from the flower juice of a very rare plant in the world called Datura. If you want to make the words written by the ink on the scroll visible, you must apply Datura''s root juice on the scroll."

    "Where can I find this Datura?" Zachary asked.

    "It''s extremely rare, so you won''t be able to find it," Mimi replied.

    "Oh, never mind then," Zachary said as he rolled his eyes.

    "Do you want to store this treasure?" Mimi asked.

    Zachary threw the scroll randomly and it disappeared, stored by Mimi into the storage space. Then, he exited the system and went back. Soon afterwards, he caught up with his team members to finish his patrol quest with them.

    "Why did it take you so long?" Benjamin asked when Zachary finally showed up. He stared at Zachary with suspicion in his eyes. He suspected that Zachary must be keeping a secret from him.

    "It''s because I am suffering from constipation," Zachary said. It was the first excuse that came to his mind.

    Benjamin looked at Zachary suspiciously, but didn''t ask any further questions.

    After completing the patrol quest, Zachary returned to the Logistics Hall and received the reward, a first-grade white cultivation-aiding pill. He then went back to his treehouse and entered the system. In the system, Mimi''s tender voice greeted him once more, "The new main quest is released. Head to Herbal Mountain to collect a century-old ganoderma hidden at the peak."

    "It''s a weird system. Finally, the new main quest has been activated. It seems like I will take a trip to Herbal Mountain tomorrow," Zachary muttered. He then entered the cultivation quest mode to start the challenge.

    The cultivation quest this time was to run ten laps around the entire Welkin Sect within four hours.

    The Welkin Sect was neither big nor small. Running one lap around the entire Welkin Sect at normal speed needed at least an hour. For ten laps, at least ten hours would be needed. Thus, such a cultivation quest was not easy.

    But Zachary had mastered Shadow Pace well. With it, he finished the task easily within four hours. He received some points after he completed the cultivation quest.

    Early in the morning of the next day, Zachary went to the Logistics Hall to obtain the daily quest. This time, he needed to go to the Herbal Mountain to collect herbs. However, he encountered his enemy, Benjamin, again during the quest.

    Zachary kept a low profile on the way to the Herbal Mountain and did nothing out of the ordinary. He still noticed that Benjamin would look back to check on him from time to time, as if he was afraid that Zachary would run away or take a secret route.

    ''What the hell is this guy thinking?'' Zachary thought secretly. Benjamin seemed a little different lately. He was attentive at times, while he''d be on very high alert and kept a distance from Zachary at other times. Zachary felt that he needed to keep an eye on Benjamin in case he planned to do something unexpected to hurt him.

    According to the quest, each disciple needed to collect three herbs. Anyone who couldn''t complete the quest would not receive any pill. Thus, after they arrived at the Herbal Mountain, the disciples immediately went off on their own directions to search for herbs.

    "I should look for the ganoderma first," Zachary murmured as he remembered his main quest. Zachary didn''t forget about his main quest, but herb collection was based mostly on his luck. He couldn''t just get whatever he wanted. Besides, the disciples of the Welkin Sect collected herbs from the Herbal Mountain all year round, and the number of herbs available had been greatly reduced. But there was an exception. The peak of the mountain was abundant with herbs because it was rich in essential energy. However, this was also the reason why it was home to some powerful and fierce martial beasts. No common disciple dared to go there to collect herbs. It was marked as a forbidden area.

    After Zachary disappeared to collect herbs, a figure appeared and said, "Let me see what secrets you are hiding." Then, he disappeared and followed Zachary.

    According to the description of the quest, a century-old ganoderma was hidden under a strange rock at the peak of the Herbal Mountain. Thus, Zachary''s searching range was reduced substantially, and it was also a risk for him. Since the peak was listed as a forbidden area, he was not supposed to be there. Thus, he needed to ascend to the peak quietly and without being noticed.

    Zachary was also worried of encountering a powerful martial beast that might kill him. But the risk was not something that could prevent him from going for the quest. The Dog Soul Ring that he received as a reward greatly improved his treasure hunting ability. It also granted him the ability to hide his aura.

    Zachary lifted the Dog Soul Ring and integrated his martial energy into the ring. He then saw a shadow the size of a palm shoot out from inside the ring. He felt that it was magical. The shadow fused with his body. He suddenly felt that his sense of smell, vision, and hearing had been increased considerably. Odors existing within a hundred meters around him were immediately picked up by his nose as if they came from somewhere very close; similarly, the scenery became vivid and clearly visible to his eyes, and also his ears became aware of the lightest sounds no matter how soft.

    His heightened senses filled him with great confidence. When he entered the area, he was immediately impressed by the thousands of steep and rugged rocks in front of him. From time to time, he saw beast shadows flashing by very fast. There were many gaps between the rocks and he knew that the ganoderma should be hiding among the gaps.

    He began to process all the scents around, and focused on searching for the specific smell of the ganoderma. After some time had passed, he smelled a bitter, strange and very strong smell. He suspected that it might be the smell of ganoderma. He then traced the smell, and soon, in the gap between two strange rocks, he found the ganoderma, and immediately became thrilled. He just couldn''t believe how lucky he was. However, when he looked up, he saw a fierce martial beast wandering nearby, and it looked very powerful.

    The presence of the beast brought great risk to the task of approaching the ganoderma, but he had no other choice. So, he summoned his courage and walked stealthily and silently towards the ganoderma under the nose of the martial beast. When he reached it, he quickly pulled it and packed it in a cloth bag that he prepared beforehand. He left carefully and silently and then dashed quickly towards the perimeter of the forbidden area as soon as possible.

    As soon as Zachary left the forbidden area safely, he heard a loud laugh. Then a voice said, "I knew it! I always felt that you were plotting something. But I didn''t expect that you actually had the guts to break into the forbidden area to steal the treasures..."

    Zachary turned towards the sound of the voice. He then saw that Benjamin was standing in front of him.

    He stared at the cloth bag in Zachary''s hands.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Zachary said while shrugging his shoulders.

    "If you don''t want people to know your secret, give me the treasure you found. If you find anything else in the future, give me half. Only then will I keep your secret," Benjamin threatened.

    "Do you really think anyone will believe you?" Zachary responded with a light smile and started to leave.

    When Benjamin saw Zachary leaving, he immediately went to try and grab the cloth bag. But, before he reached the bag, he felt a flash in front of him. In the blink of an eye, Zachary disappeared.

    Benjamin felt frustrated. He was not willing to give up the chance to get a free treasure. And so he immediately chased after Zachary. But despite his best efforts, he could not find where Zachary went.

    While climbing down the mountain, Zachary picked up several first-grade herbs with great ease and then returned to the Logistics Hall.

 Chapter 21 Heaven And Earth Pill

    Zachary returned to the treehouse and then entered the system. He submitted the treasure to complete the quest. The quest was then marked complete. "You''re awarded a fourth-grade Heaven and Earth Pill. Please use the pill when necessary. Afterwards, the next main quest ''First Awakening of Love'' will become available. There will be a series of sub-quests, and you need to complete all of them. Once you finish all of them, you will get a merit reward." A pill that radiated a purple light landed on Zachary''s hand. Judging by its appearance, he could say for sure that it wasn''t an ordinary pill.

    "A series of sub-quests? And there''s even such a main quest? What do you mean by using it when necessary? This is a fourth-grade therapeutic pill. Interesting." Zachary inspected the Heaven and Earth Pill with curious eyes. Since it was a quest item, he couldn''t just use it when he wanted. And he also had no idea exactly when it could be used.

    Half a month passed by, but Zachary never had a chance to use the Heaven and Earth Pill. Because of this, no new main quest could be activated. Nevertheless, he made steady progress. He was now at the second grade of Mortal Level, thanks to the cultivation quest mode. Physical cultivation and meditating cultivation were two different ways of cultivation. Physical cultivation required one to constantly strain their physical body, which was exactly what the cultivation quest mode was for.

    ''How should I use the Heaven and Earth Pill? Should I give it to someone instead? Since the quest is called First Awakening of Love, should I give it to a woman? To Anne, maybe? Has she finished her cultivation in seclusion? Maybe I should pay Anne a visit and check whether she has a new quest for me, '' Zachary thought.

    He went to the Living-dead Tomb, but it wasn''t open. He felt upset as he exited the system. As usual, he planned to go to the Logistics Hall to see if there was any quest for him. He left the treehouse and passed by the Bamboo Gully, the residential area for the female disciples. He saw a large group of male disciples gathering around this area.

    Since female disciples lived here, male disciples were forbidden from entering.

    Zachary walked towards the group. He heard some of the male disciples gossiping as he drew closer.

    "I heard Elva lost control during cultivation and was injured internally. This is the perfect chance for us!"

    "I heard that she''s badly injured. I brought a second-grade white therapeutic pill. It''s the best therapeutic pill that I have. I''m sure that she''ll recover the moment she takes this pill."

    "Your pill may not be good enough. I have a second-grade Imperial Gingseng. One bite is enough for her to recover!!"

    Zachary pondered, ''Elva got injured?''

    All of a sudden, there was a commotion in the crowd. Someone shouted, "Elva is here!"

    All the male disciples got excited and immediately tried to squeeze each other to get nearer to Elva.

    "Everyone! Clear out!" a commanding voice said.

    When the male disciples turned and saw who spoke, they all quieted down.

    Zachary also turned to look at the person. It was a young man in a green robe, walking with long steps. He had a handsome face, his long hair resting on his shoulders.

    Benjamin followed him closely.

    "He''s..." Zachary searched for information on the man in the memories. This young man was none other than the other disciple who was qualified to enter the Celestial College, Bruce. He was the personal disciple of the most powerful steward, Herman,

    and he was the most outstanding disciple of the Welkin Sect in the history of the sect, with triple martial speed. Moreover, he had reached the third grade of Heaven Level at a relatively young age. In the entire sect, Elva was the only disciple that was comparable to him.

    When Bruce passed, the other male disciples cleared a path for him. Standing at the opposite end of the path was Elva.

    Elva looked pale and exhausted, as if she was indeed badly injured.

    "Elva, how are you?" Bruce asked with such affection that made it obvious that he had feelings for Elva.

    "Nothing serious," Elva said while she shook her head.

    "I brought an Ethereal Reviving Pill for you. It should help you recover." Bruce brought out a pill that emitted a green light.

    The crowd was astonished. The Ethereal Reviving Pill was a third-grade green therapeutic pill, a truly valuable item. In comparison, the other pills and herbs brought by the other male disciples were inferior. None of them dared offer their herbs or pills after seeing what Bruce brought with him.

    "There''s no need. Please keep it." Elva walked forward as she shook her head. She then saw Zachary at the outer edge of the crowd. "Zachary! Why are you here?"

    "I was just passing by," answered Zachary.

    Bruce was surprised that Elva greeted Zachary.

    "Bruce, that is Zachary. The one that I told you about," Benjamin murmured to Bruce. He continued to murmur something but was no longer audible to others.

    Bruce looked surprised as he listened to Benjamin. His face then turned grim soon afterwards.

    Benjamin laughed out loudly within himself. He then said loudly to Zachary, "Hey Zachary, were you really just passing by? I think that you were just like the other disciples. You were here to impress Elva with a pill or something, huh? What kind of garbage pill have you brought?"

    Benjamin''s words raised an uproar in the crowd.

    "It is surely even worse than what I brought. Just keep it. Don''t shame yourself with it."

    "That''s right. Off you go now."

    "Do you want to compete with Bruce? Why not take a look at yourself first?"

    The crowd started to laugh at Zachary. No one noticed that their actions made Elva frown.

    Zachary suddenly laughed out loud. "Yes. You are all correct. I came here to impress Elva." He took out the fourth-grade Heaven and Earth Pill from his robe as he offered the pill to Elva.

    "Elva, this Heaven and Earth Pill is for you. I hope that you get well soon." Zachary smiled lightly as he handed the pill to Elva.

    All the disciples present were petrified, including Bruce and Benjamin.

    "H-Heaven and Earth Pill... Isn''t that a fourth-grade purple pill? It''s even better than the Ethereal Reviving Pill of Bruce! That''s the highest grade therapeutic pill that I''ve ever seen!"

    "How could he possibly have a Heaven and Earth Pill? Is he lying? Is that a trick?"

    "If that pill is really a fourth-grade therapeutic pill, I''ll eat horse dung!"

    The disciples were struck with awe. Elva was equally astonished. When she stared at the pill in her hand, she exclaimed in disbelief, "It is indeed a fourth-grade purple therapeutic pill, the Heaven and Earth Pill. Where did you get this?"

    "Secret!" Wearing a mystical smile, Zachary turned and walked away, leaving everyone stupefied.

    Bruce''s face was ice cold. He could have won Elva''s favor easily if Zachary hadn''t arrived and destroyed his chance.

    "Bruce, we can''t just let him go like that. Look at how arrogant he is!" Benjamin incited Bruce.

 Chapter 22 A Token Of Love

    After Zachary left the Bamboo Gully, he went to the Logistics Hall to get an assignment. When he completed the assignment, he returned to the treehouse.

    ''It turns out that the ultimate goal why the system sent me to collect that ganoderma is to heal Elva. This main quest is really interesting. Can the system predict what will happen in the future? But will Elva be moved by my actions?'' Zachary wondered. Then he smiled and entered the system.

    "Congratulations for unlocking the series of sub-quests of ''First Awakening of Love''. The first sub-quest, the Token of Love, has been unlocked..." Zachary was knocked off his feet after he read the contents of the first sub-quest. It required him to get a brassiere from Elva.

    "Holy, shit! Is this quest trying to get me into trouble? It asks me to get a brassiere from Elva. I can''t just ask it from her directly. Otherwise, it''s no different from committing suicide," Zachary cursed as he felt helpless. He was required to get Elva''s brassiere to complete the quest. He knew how important the main quest was. If he failed to complete this quest, no other main quest would become available. Apparently, Elva was connected to this series of sub-quests.

    "Is the purpose of this main quest to make Elva fall in love with me?" Zachary muttered in slight disbelief.

    "It seems that the only way to complete this quest is to steal it. But, this can be very difficult. The best time to do it is when Elva is not in her room." Zachary gritted his teeth. He understood that it was an extremely difficult quest. Not even considering the big gap between Elva and him in terms of power. More importantly, if he got caught, he would be labeled a pervert.

    Night came fast. Silence and darkness spread everywhere like fog.

    It was in the dead of night when a figure ran all the way from the back hill of the Welkin Sect to the Bamboo Gully where all the female disciples lived.

    It was called the forbidden land because male disciples were not allowed to approach the Bamboo Gully within five hundred meters. If anyone violated this rule of Welkin Sect, they would be punished severely. Several female disciples oversaw daily patrol within the restricted area around the Bamboo Gully daily.

    Although this was the forbidden land for regular male disciples, for Zachary, sneaking in was as easy as sneaking into an unguarded place. It did not take long before he slipped into the Bamboo Gully from under the watch of a group of female disciples who were on patrol.

    Zachary sneaked into one of the bamboo houses, when a soft fragrance grabbed his attention and disrupted his concentration.

    Zachary crept inside the bamboo house, separated from the outside world by a bamboo door. He was relieved to see that the bed was empty, though he knew this beforehand because he had asked around before he planned to come here tonight. His eyes scanned the objects inside the house one by one and tried to determine where the object that he came here for could be. Elva was on patrol tonight and would not be back any time soon. He should have the time that he needed to steal what he needed to get without fear of being discovered.

    Zachary''s eyes fell on a small bamboo cupboard in one corner. He approached it with a wicked smile, reached out his hands, and then opened the cupboard. He saw three neat layers of clothes inside which were clean and dry. Some of the clothes at the lowest layer were colorful and fragrant. These colorful clothes were the holy objects that male disciples in the Welkin Sect always dreamed about.

    "She has quite a few of these. I''ll just steal them all, so I don''t have to come back if I need one again," Zachary whispered to himself and raised an

    eyebrow. He took out a cloth bag immediately and collected the loot. Then he quietly closed the cupboard and left the house.

    He suddenly heard the sweet sound of a flute as he exited the house. The music breaking the silence of the night.

    "This is weird. Who is playing a flute at this time?" Zachary listened to the flute while looking for the figure that played it. He couldn''t help but look in the direction where the music was coming from.

    Under the moonlight, on top of a bamboo tree not far from Zachary, a snow-white figure stood. Her body moved with the music that made the tune more alluring. The sweet but melancholy music from the flute and her slow dance were irresistibly intoxicating.

    "Who is that playing the flute in the middle of the night? Is she not afraid to disturb others?" But Zachary did not have the time to enjoy the music or the graceful movements that accompanied it. First, he just stole something and second, he was not supposed to be here.

    "Who''s there?" a voice called as the flute ceased playing. The figure suddenly jumped into the air and after she leaped between several trees, she landed lightly and blocked Zachary''s path.

    "It''s you! Didn''t you go on patrol?" Zachary fixed his eyes on the figure in front of him. He had no idea that it was Elva, the famous aloof beauty in Welkin Sect.

    "What are you doing here? And what''s that in your hand?" Elva didn''t expect to see Zachary in this time and place. She then glanced at the cloth bag in Zachary''s hand.

    "Nothing. Actually, I came to see you," Zachary said. He quickly hid the bag behind his back.

    "You came to see me?" Elva asked surprised as she stared at Zachary.

    "I thought that the weather was perfect for a date tonight. So, I wanted to ask you if you''d like to go out for a walk. By the way, didn''t I just give you my pill and cure you? I think that maybe we could go out for dinner tomorrow," Zachary said smiling. He couldn''t help but think about the crazy sub-quest that he received. He started to wonder what the next sub-quest would be.

    "What are you talking about? Watch your language. But I want to thank you. The fourth-grade Heaven and Earth Pill really had a great healing effect and my internal injuries have almost completely healed. Here are three third-grade green therapeutic pills that the leader gave me. I didn''t want them at first, but now that you gave me that fourth-grade purple therapeutic pill, these three could serve as a gift of gratitude. The three pills could not compare with the fourth-grade pill though..." Elva said as her cold face softened a little. She took out a bottle and handed it to Zachary.

    "You don''t have to. Just keep it. I obtained the pill by luck. Maybe it was heaven''s decree to send me to you when you needed that four-grade pill. To tell you the truth, I didn''t expect that a beautiful lady like you is not snobbish like everyone else. I was expecting that you would not even talk to someone nameless like me. I am just very happy and honored that you accepted my pill. You do not have to give me anything in return; your quick recovery is all that I needed," Zachary said with humility. He wanted to create a cordial mood between the two of them and to give her a good impression of him. And the situation was indeed a good catalyst for the chemical reaction between them. He thought that how Elva regarded him could be helpful for the sub-quests ahead.

    "You seem to be different from the other disciples here." Elva''s voice was cold, but there was a subtle change in the tone of her voice as well as in the way that she looked at Zachary.

    "Maybe it''s because I am not a confident person compared to them?" Zachary said as he smiled lightly.

 Chapter 23 An Unpredictable Woman

    "Why do you feel inferior to senior disciples? I think you are talented enough. You possess double martial speed. That is a great achievement even among your peers. As long as you cultivate hard, I''m sure that you will achieve greater success. So you should never look down on yourself. If you have any questions regarding cultivation, you can ask me. It would be my pleasure to help you with it," Elva said softly. It was odd that she consoled Zachary while he was in a gloomy mood. She treated the other disciples with indifference all the time and had never showed concern for any man. If a disciple from the Welkin Sect was present, they would be surprised by what Elva said to Zachary.

    "Thank you very much, Elva. Your offer is just too good to refuse," Zachary replied as he nodded in agreement. He chuckled and thought that Elva had no idea what he truly intended to do. Even though she looked cold and aloof, she was quite a sensitive person. ''Maybe it won''t be that hard to finish the sub-quests related to her, '' he thought.

    ''Damn! Why did Elva treat that bastard so nicely? She has never treated me like this. I can''t believe she even offered to help a guy she barely knew. That is so unfair!'' Bruce thought to himself with rage. He stood not far from Zachary and Elva. His muscles tensed when he heard their conversation. Clenching his fists, he did his best to stay motionless and quiet. A strong feeling of jealousy flooded him.

    He had originally planned to go to Elva and talk to her. He was frustrated because Zachary had given her a better pill than his this morning. It never occurred to him that he would see them talking. His heart was filled with jealousy when he heard the sweet words Elva had for Zachary.

    Bruce''s strength was more powerful than Zachary''s or Elva''s, so they weren''t aware of his presence. Since Elva expressed her willingness to help him, Zachary wanted to seize the chance. "Although it is a little late, I do have some questions and want to ask for your advice. I wonder if it would be too much of a bother to ask you about those while we take a walk," Zachary said.

    "Sure, let''s go," Elva replied after hesitating briefly.

    Zachary and Elva walked side by side as Bruce watched with keen envy. It was not long before they disappeared from Bruce''s range of sight.

    "Zachary, you will live to regret what you did today! I will definitely have my revenge for this insult," Bruce murmured to himself angrily and then disappeared in the darkness.

    Zachary and Elva headed towards the back of the mountain where it was quiet and isolated.

    In the world where he used to live, he was a playboy and was skilled in flirting with women. He had countless lovers who lined up from one end of the street to the other. So it was a simple matter for him to beguile an innocent young girl like Elva. A few jokes and anecdotes later, she dropped her defenses. He could sense that she was no longer cold and apathetic like before.

    "It never occurred to me that you are such a witty talker. I initially thought that you were a low-key person. Although I had met you a few times, I still didn''t know your name at that time. It surprises me now to find that you seem totally different than what I have initially thought," Elva confessed as she stared at him.

    "Really? But that is normal since we all undergo changes in our lives. Maybe someday you''d change too. There might come a day when you will change into a regular girl someday..." Zachary said, grinning.

    "Do you mean that I''m different from other girls in a bad way? But maybe you are right. I''m indeed different," Elva replied when she heard what he said. A cold smile crossed her face as she became the aloof beauty again. Zachary''s words might not be arrows but they pierced her heart. She ached with sadness when she heard those words from him.

    Sensing that something was wrong, Zachary felt his heart skip a beat. He became aware that he said something wrong.

    "That is not what I meant to say. I''m so sorry if my words caused you any discomfort. Actually, I don''t think that you are a strange girl at all. I think you are a nice girl with a strong person

    ality," Zachary explained, looking worried.

    "You don''t need to explain anything. Let''s just go back," Elva said as her lips curled upward. She then turned around and started to walk back.

    "Elva, wait!" Zachary exclaimed. He reached out his hand unconsciously and tried to stop her. It was not a good idea to let their encounter end like this. If he made Elva feel uncomfortable, it would not do him any good in later quests. To his surprise, she immediately turned around and faced him as he called out her name.

    He never expected Elva to stop walking when he called her. His stretched out hand ended up touching her breast. Although it was initially only a light touch, he was surprised by her soft, smooth skin and was not able to stop himself from touching it further.

    "Wow, you need to wear at least a D cup bra. I didn''t expect this!" Zachary murmured to himself in disbelief.

    Elva was shocked by Zachary''s movements. She froze as her face flushed red with embarrassment. After she had recovered from her initial shock, she shouted, "I can''t believe that you are such a pervert!" Burning anger filled her eyes. Elva stretched out her fair arms and flew in the air before Zachary was able to say or do anything. She moved her arms crosswise and generated martial energy of Heaven Level within her body. The martial energy turned into the shape of a phoenix that surrounded her body.

    Elva''s intense aura struck Zachary''s head. An ominous feeling suddenly washed over him as he realized that she was totally agitated. Knowing that he would not stand a chance against her, he immediately left without a second thought.

    Boom!

    There was a loud explosion as the phoenix blew the area where Zachary stood mere moments ago. The phoenix generated powerful energy that devastated the entire place. The attack created a small crater where the explosion hit the ground. A cloud of dust and dirt filled the area. Zachary''s forehead was filled with sweat-soaked dust. As he turned around, he quickly realized that he was merely a few feet away from the devastation. He knew that he had underestimated Elva and he felt regret over what happened.

    Zachary decided to run away from the scene as fast as he could.

    He turned himself into a shadow and left the place at his full speed.

    "Bastard! I will not let you leave just like that!" Elva roared at the fleeing Zachary. She didn''t really use her best skill when she attacked Zachary. If she did, he would not get a chance to run away. She wanted to have another competition with Zachary. She was confident with her speed and was sure that she would be better than him this time. She would not let one failure in the past break her fighting spirit.

    In a split second, Elva followed Zachary at her full speed.

    Two shadows followed each other and dashed in the dense forest with inhuman speed.

    ''How can this happen? Why is he much faster than before?'' Elva thought to herself in surprise. She chased after Zachary at her full speed but she failed to catch up with him. She had been practicing her martial skills since she lost the competition to Zachary. She thought that her strength had greatly improved after all the training, so she couldn''t resist the temptation to get back at him. But to her surprise, he was way faster than before. It was beyond her ability to even get close to him.

    ''So he was hiding his true strength all this time? If I can''t even catch up with him, it means that there are very few people in the Welkin Sect that can match his power in terms of speed!'' Elva mused in silence. She still remembered vividly that Zachary, a mere nobody, possessed double martial speed in the selection. Everyone was speechless when he made a breakthrough to the Mortal Level. He even brought a four-grade pill to cure her injuries. All those things supported her theory that he had been hiding his true strength.

    Elva suddenly felt inferior to Zachary. She almost accepted that she had lost the battle to him.

    But she didn''t want to give up even if her chance of winning was slim. She would persevere until she succeeded. So she took a deep breath and set off to chase after Zachary.

 Chapter 24 Artificial Respiration

    Elva''s persistence tormented Zachary. Even though Shadow Pace was a powerful skill that increased his speed, it consumed martial energy. Every minute of using it depleted his martial energy.

    ''Maybe I should just enter the system, '' Zachary thought. He turned around and found that Elva was still following him. ''If I suddenly vanish, she''ll surely get suspicious. What if she stays at the spot and wait for me to reappear? I can''t hide in the system forever.'' Ultimately, he decided against it.

    Zachary soon reached a small pond that reflected moonlight. He thought of an idea and jumped into the pond.

    Elva was surprised to see Zachary suddenly disappear. When she arrived at the edge of the pond, she quickly guessed where he went.

    "Is he hiding underwater?" Elva murmured to herself and then walked closer to the pond.

    A hand suddenly reached out from under the water and grabbed Elva''s ankle. The hand dragged her quickly into the water. Her surprise prevented her from doing anything as she sank further into the water.

    No matter how powerful she was, she couldn''t walk on water.

    Another figure came out of the pond. Zachary smirked at her and then said, "Elva, I do wish to play with you in the water but it is quite late. Let''s do this again someday. Enjoy the cold water!" Then he turned around and was about to leave.

    "I... Wait... I... I can''t... swim..." Elva''s face was full of terror as she struggled to stay above the water.

    "What do you mean you can''t swim? Are you kidding me? You''re so powerful and yet you can''t swim?" Zachary was skeptical. He thought that it might be Elva''s trap¡ªwhen he reached his hand out to save her, she would grab him and catch him.

    However, before he took his first step away, something strange caught his attention. The splashing sound behind him was gone. The pond was silent and the surface of the water started to become still once more.

    "She really can''t swim. Oh my god!" Zachary wasted no time and jumped back into the pond. A short while later, he saw the sinking figure of Elva, who looked unconscious, small air bubbles escaping from her lips¡ªthe last ounces of air in her lungs.

    Zachary swam towards her. One arm scooped Elva while the other swept across the water. A few moments later, he managed to reach the surface with her in tow.

    They both got out of the pond and onto the bank. Zachary took in huge gulps of air for he almost ran out of breath doing his rescue mission.

    There was no movement from Elva at all. Her white clothes were fully soaked, which became transparent and traced the beautiful outline of her body.

    But Zachary was in no mood to enjoy Elva''s beauty. His mind was occupied by guilt. ''How would I know that she doesn''t know how to swim? If anything happens to her, I''m surely the one to blame, '' he pondered.

    "Artificial respiration," Zachary blurted out. Gazing at Elva''s pale lips, Zachary licked his own lips involuntarily.

    "This is my first kiss since I came to this world. You''re the lucky one. Fortunately I performed artificial respiration for other beautiful women in the past. I''m an expert at this," Zachary muttered

    to himself and then he bent down. He pinched Elva''s nose, opened her mouth and started the artificial respiration.

    When their lips met, a sensual feeling struck Zachary like electricity that made his entire body tingle while a sweet, fragrant smell almost made him crazy. He felt the bulge between his legs go out of control instantly.

    ''What the hell! She made me lose control so easily, '' Zachary cursed in his heart, slightly embarrassed.

    Zachary blew air into Elva''s mouth several times. She then coughed violently and disgorged water from her lungs. It was not long and she started breathing on her own again.

    Zachary sighed loudly in relief and fatigue.

    Elva sat up suddenly and stared at Zachary, who was breathing heavily close by. She still looked mad about what happened. Her breasts moved up and down following the rhythm of her breathing.

    His fatigue seemed to have washed his guilt away and he found it hard to stop himself from staring at Elva''s body.

    She suddenly noticed Zachary''s eyes were transfixed on her body; she realized that her clothes were soaked and she looked very much like she was completely naked in front of him. She immediately covered her breasts with her hands and turned sideways.

    "I didn''t mean to do that. It''s a huge mistake. I just saved your life. If I didn''t give you artificial respiration, you would have been dead by now," Zachary said weakly.

    "Artificial respiration?" Elva have never heard of it before. She thought about the words and she suddenly realized what it meant and what it took to do it. She touched her lips with her finger and immediately gasped in horror as she stared at Zachary. She blushed as she roared, "What did you do to me?"

    "N-nothing..." Zachary stammered and raised his hands up weakly as if giving up to whatever situation he now found himself in. ''How could I be so stupid? Why did I tell her that?''

    "You''re dead! You are so dead! I''ll kill you so that no one will know of this secret!" Elva exclaimed. She was clearly enraged. It was her first kiss and she had never been close to any male. Killing Zachary was the only solution that she saw.

    "I won''t tell anyone. I swear. Are you really so merciless and inconsiderate? I helped you, more than once! I just saved your life!" Zachary felt nervous as he stared at the killing intent in Elva''s eyes.

    His words rang in her mind and it gave her pause. She felt conflicted as she thought about all the things that had happened. She was so focused on her thoughts that she did not realize her hands slowly dropped to her sides.

    "Excuse me. I see everything," Zachary said with a childlike smile.

    Elva reflexively covered her breasts again with her hands.

    Seizing the moment, Zachary activated Shadow Pace and fled.

    Elva thought that it wasn''t appropriate for her to chase Zachary again. She had no choice but to give up. She stood up and stomped the ground heavily with both of her feet in her frustration. She began to doubt if she felt anger, frustration, humiliation, or all of them at the same time. The only thing that she was sure of at that time was that it was not the end.

 Chapter 25 The Treehouse Was Burnt

    Zachary, who narrowly ran away from Elva, did not dare to return to the treehouse, for fear that she might be waiting there. He went to the back of the mountain to find a secluded location and then entered the system.

    "That was so close! I should never provoke her again. She is such a horrible woman with a very bad temper! It''s such a pity, though. I really tried to get Elva to have a good impression of me, but it''s all for naught because of my negligence. At least I can finish the task first,"

    Zachary said with a regretful sigh. He then took out the cloth bag from his pocket, opened it and poured out all kinds of colorful brassieres.

    "Congratulations on completing the quest! You are awarded with a second-grade green cultivation-aiding pill!

    Congratulations on completing the quest! You are awarded with a second-grade green cultivation-aiding pill!"

    "That''s weird. I finished only one quest, why did I get two rewards?" Zachary wondered if something went wrong.

    "While you are doing the sub-quest ''Token of Love, '' you also completed the next sub-quest ''Kiss of Love'' in the same series," explained Mimi.

    "What the hell?! So that kiss was also a sub-quest?!" Zachary was shocked motionless. But then he felt somewhat lucky. If the system were to ask him to kiss Elva again, he would be doomed.

    After Zachary received the rewards, the system issued the next sub-quest in the series named "Eliminate the Misunderstanding," which was for him to clear the misunderstanding between him and Elva.

    "It seems that I must find a way to explain it to Elva," Zachary murmured. He couldn''t help but sigh. However, Zachary was not someone who would give up easily. He immediately exited the system and started to think of the best way to resolve the issue between him and Elva.

    The next day, as usual, Zachary went to the Logistics Hall first to receive the daily quest. He passed the notice board of the Welkin Sect on his way from the hall and saw that a lot of people gathered around the board.

    He walked towards the notice board and heard some of the disciples talking. They were talking about the notice stating that the enrollment for the selection test of the Celestial College had begun. The disciples from the Welkin Sect were allowed to sign up and participate in the selection. The victorious disciple would be qualified to study with Bruce and Elva in the Celestial College.

    ''I should join this competition. Maybe luck is with me, '' Zachary thought to himself. He had heard about the Celestial College before, so he felt enthusiastic about joining it, and his enthusiasm was fueling his fighting spirit.

    Zachary read the notice completely and then went to register for the selection test. He wrote his name on a piece of paper to register and placed it inside a cardboard box afterwards.

    After he signed up, he started to walk towards the treehouse.

    "It seems that a few ''flies'' have been following me since this morning," Zachary said to himself. He then suddenly turned towards his back to try and spot his trackers.

    Zachary did not use the Shadow Pace to shake off his pursuers that he called "flies." Instead, he led them around many twists and turns and to a remote and deserted place.

    "Stop trying to hide from me! Come out now! Your poor tracking skills are so lame, only a three-year-old will not notice that you''re following him..." Zachary shouted at his back after he suddenly stopped and turned around.

    After he finished speaking, a few figures emerged from their hiding. His followers were a few disciples at the first grade of Mortal Level

    "Don''t be arrogant, you garbage! We''ll have you on your knees and beg for mercy! We can''t wait to teach you a lesson!" the tallest disciple yelled back at Zachary.

    "Who sent you?" Zachary asked. He relaxed himself and then crossed his arms on his chest as he stared at each of the disciples before him. He could tell that following him was not their own idea.

    "You don''t need to know that. You are just a loser!" He then waved a signal with his hand and several of the disciples rushed towards Zachary. They all expected to easily overwhelm him and teach him a lesson.

    Mere minutes later, all the disciples were badly beaten by Zachary. They had to surre

    nder to make him stop hitting them.

    "Tell me now! Who sent you?!" Zachary tapped the head of the tallest disciple like tapping a watermelon. The disciple seemed to be the leader of the motley group and he was now kneeling before Zachary. He looked miserable with his bloody broken nose, swollen face and dirt all over.

    The other disciples looked equally pitiful, for Zachary''s attacks quickly turned their faces swollen as if a hundred bees took turns stinging them.

    "It''s... It''s Bruce..." the tallest disciple replied. He spoke slowly because his swollen face made it difficult and painful to pronounce each word properly. He never thought that Zachary would easily beat all of them at the same time. They had the advantage of numbers and yet they were not able to lay a single blow on Zachary. He realized that Zachary''s true strength was way beyond that of theirs. They all obviously underestimated Zachary''s strength and suffered gravely for it.

    However, out of their expectation, Zachary''s advantage over them went beyond his strength. In fact, he also possessed another mysterious power¡ªthe God-slaying Formula, which was completely different from the ordinary cultivation methods. The system was not even willing to reveal the grade of the God-slaying Formula.

    "Tell Bruce that if he has the balls, he should come to me on his own instead of sending weaklings! I will accept his challenge any time," Zachary said in a serious tone. "What will you say if someone sees you like this and asks why you are badly hurt?"

    "That the injury was caused by our own clumsy fall!" replied them in unison.

    "Ha-ha, you are at least smart enough to know what I mean! I will go first. Whether you leave this place or not is up to you." Zachary walked away laughing.

    After returning to the treehouse, Zachary entered the system and went to the Living-dead Tomb first. However, Anne was still in seclusion, and there was no way to complete the main quest. He then decided to enter the cultivation quest mode and refine the two second-grade green cultivation-aiding pills awarded by the system.

    After refining the two green pills, Zachary was only one step away from the third grade of Mortal Level.

    It was getting dark outside, and the back mountain of the Welkin Sect was completely silent. Under the cover of darkness, several figures quickly passed by and approached the treehouse where Zachary lived.

    At that same moment, Zachary had just completed the cultivation quest. He planned to rest before continuing his cultivation. Suddenly, the whole treehouse was illuminated by dazzling flashes of lights.

    "Alarm! Danger! You are in danger!" The charming, near-monotonous voice of Mimi sounded over and over.

    Zachary''s muscles tensed and his eyebrows almost met at the center of his forehead. He briefly thought about what could be the nature of the danger and immediately exited the system. As soon as he re-materialized inside the treehouse, a thick cloud of smoke greeted him. He looked around and saw flames roaring. The flames had almost completely burned down the treehouse. A large amount of smoke had filled the treehouse. Voracious flames continued to burn the treehouse inch by inch and the rate accelerated with each passing second.

    "Crushing Skill!" Zachary''s black eyes turned purple and a burst of martial energy rushed out in the form of purple shadow.

    A loud explosion accompanied the sound of large beams of wood being snapped into splinters. A purple martial energy broke through one of the walls of the treehouse, turning every wood it touched into splinters. In the blink of an eye, his treehouse completely collapsed into countless pieces.

    Zachary closely followed the wooden splinters and flew out of the treehouse, as he forced himself through a wall of flames. He was protected by his martial energy and emerged unscathed.

    Zachary briefly looked back at the treehouse. It was all in flames and even the trees had started to blaze with the spreading fire. The image of the flames blazed in his eyes, making them sparkle with anger.

    "Who is it? Who dared set fire to my treehouse? Show yourselves!" Zachary shouted loudly. His eyes blazed with fire wilder and more murderous than the fire that took down his treehouse.

 Chapter 26 Make A Breakthrough

    At that moment, several figures appeared and surrounded Zachary.

    "You are lucky enough to escape from the fire. You think you are somebody with double martial speed? Bah!" A vicious voice was heard.

    "Benjamin, it''s you! You burned my treehouse. Are you starting a fight?" Zachary said through gritted teeth.

    There were eight Welkin Sect''s disciples, with Benjamin as their leader. Most of them was at the first grade or second grade of Mortal Level, and some were even at the third grade. It was clear that they were well prepared and way better than novices.

    "Guys, Bruce gave his order and asked you to teach this bastard a lesson. If you do as he ordered, I am sure that he will recommend all of you to the stewards. There is a big possibility that they will take you as their personal disciples," Benjamin said in an encouraging manner to the disciples around him.

    Hearing his words, the disciples looked excited, and it was clear that they had already bitten the bait. That was because they only had the original martial speed and were not that powerful. It would be so lucky for them to become any steward''s personal disciples. Were that to happen, they would make significant progress.

    Benjamin''s false words could only deceive those disciples at a low cultivation level, while the others at a high level would not believe a single word of what he had just said. Only a talented disciple was able to became a steward''s personal disciple.

    Thus, except for those two disciples at the third grade, the disciples at the first and second grade rushed to Zachary, screaming and roaring before they had the time to mull over Benjamin''s words and make a proper decision.

    "He is no better than a disciple at the first grade of Mortal Level. I don''t believe that he stands a chance against these disciples." Benjamin was plotting something. He could have killed Zachary by himself, and there was no need to encourage others to fight for him. However, he did not want to get into any trouble if the fight became ugly. Therefore, the best way for him was to incite some snobbish disciples to teach Zachary a lesson.

    "Fuck off!" Zachary was very annoyed by those silly lads who had already come closer to him. Just when they enclosed him from all sides, Zachary''s body emitted a dazzling purple light.

    Instantaneously, three first-grade disciples lost their balance, staggered, and were sent a few steps back.

    "This cannot be true," Benjamin murmured, shocked by what just happened. Nobody would have believed that Zachary was capable of pushing three first-grade disciples back in a heartbeat, until now.

    Nevertheless, the other two second-grade disciples were better, and firmly stood their ground. The next moment, they threw their bodies upon Zachary, employed two moves, and attacked him fiercely.

    Zachary was quick and lithe, and moving quickly, he averted their attacks in the blink of an eye. Zachary''s easy dodge surprised the two second-grade disciples. They had never considered him as a serious and competent opponent. As far as they were concerned, he was as insignificant as a disciple at the first grade of Mortal Level.

    But the fight had to continue. The two second-grade disciples, together with three first-grade disciples, exerted all their might to attack Zachary. However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not defeat him.

    Deep down in his heart, Zachary knew that his strength would not be able to deal with the five disciples. Therefore, to play safe, he pretended to look confident, smirked coldly, and went all out. In that time, the purple light got brighter, and he made a breakthrough to the second grade of Mortal Level.

    "What? He has just made a breakthrough and reached the second grade of Mortal Level! How did he accomplish that so quickly?" Benjamin and other disciples couldn''t believe their eyes.

    In no time, Zachary had wounded two first-grade disciples. Seeing how he had hurt them, the remaining disciples were petrified. They looked at one another, hesitated, and did not da

    re to even take one step forward.

    "Boys, move your fingers, or you can trust me to beat the shit out of you," Zachary mocked. From his vantage point, he looked cool, and did not care about danger, for he was ready to do anything to anybody who dared to threaten his safety.

    "Don''t be afraid of this bastard. Charge together and hack him to death. If you back down, Bruce will never forgive you." When Benjamin saw Zachary easily defeating the five disciples, he knew that he had mistakenly underestimated him. But he had to finish what he had started, and Zachary had to be killed. Showing no mercy, he asked two disciples at the third grade of Mortal Level to join the fight.

    The two third-grade followers charged at Zachary, and before long, Zachary found it hard to defend himself. He had already consumed a great deal of martial energy as well as physical energy in his fight with the previous disciples. Now, the situation had become really horrific for him.

    Sure enough, in less than half an hour, Zachary had made mistakes.

    Boom!

    Two effective moves from the two disciples broke the ground where Zachary was standing into particles of fine dust. The explosion was so potent that it had a far-ranging impact on a vast expanse of land. Zachary was standing there weakly, with blood dripping from his mouth''s corners.

    "Kid, now you know who''s the boss here, don''t you?" Seeing Zachary weak and defeated, Benjamin laughed loudly.

    Following up on their victory, the two third-grade disciples acted more aggressively, and planned to drive Zachary into a corner. Zachary hardened his heart, and made the purple light brighter, before he was injured even more. He knew that that was his last chance to win and survive the battle.

    Meanwhile, several words from the God-slaying Formula were flashing in his mind: To slay God, hell would open a door for you to enter.

    Once Zachary had recalled the words, he seemed to have suddenly understood something. After that, roaring with anger and anguish, he released all this martial energy. Voila! All his pores opened and fervently started absorbing energy from between heaven and earth.

    Before long, the purple light flashed more brilliantly. He could feel that his aura had changed dramatically. Eventually, he made another breakthrough and reached the third grade of Mortal Level.

    "The third grade of Mortal Level? You have got to be kidding me!" Benjamin and the other disciples were stunned by what was unfolding before their eyes. They could not believe that Zachary, of all the people, could somehow reach third grade of Mortal Level before they could either defeat him or destroy him.

    However, he was a different person now¡ªit seemed that he had been reborn! Even the color of his eyes had changed. They were an intense and deep purple, dazzlingly weird and terrifying in the dark.

    "Although you have somehow succeeded in wounding me, I should thank all of you. Without your help, I would not have made another breakthrough so quickly." Zachary stared hard at Austin and the other disciples. He had developed a vision so penetrating that he could look into their hearts and minds and read their thoughts.

    "Go! Finish off this bastard. You let him survive today and he surely will make a lot of trouble for all of you later!" Exasperated, Benjamin screamed hoarsely.

    All the disciples threw themselves towards Zachary, on hearing his order.

    But that did not frighten Zachary, especially now that he had reached the third level and had mastered much more strength. When he saw them coming toward him, he built his martial energy quickly.

    Boom!

    Before anyone knew what was happening, several columns of martial energy appeared from nowhere, collided with one another and wreaked havoc in the surrounding area, creating an enormous dust cloud.

    When the dust cleared, all of the disciples, including the third-grade ones, were lying on the ground, struggling to breathe, screaming and yelling for help. Zachary stood firm and looked amazed by what he had done.

 Chapter 27 Break Your Arm

    "All of you! Stay back!" Benjamin knew that the other disciples couldn''t beat Zachary. It was his turn. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Zachary and left a shadow behind. As a warrior at the eighth grade of Mortal Level, he utilized his martial energy, which transformed into a tiger shape and dashed towards Zachary.

    Aware that Benjamin''s grade was much higher than his, Zachary decided to dodge the attack with his Shadow Pace. However, Benjamin''s attack was so powerful that Zachary was hit by a wave of energy though the attack did not hit him directly. The energy wave pushed him a meter away.

    "A warrior at the eighth grade of Mortal Level is powerful indeed." Zachary frowned.

    Benjamin was not satisfied that Zachary was only grazed by his attack. He strongly believed that a direct hit could''ve knocked Zachary down or even killed him. He immediately went for a second attack, a third and a fourth attack, unrelenting, with the objective of killing Zachary outright.

    It looked as though Benjamin had the upper hand in the battle, but Shadow Pace kept Zachary safe from Benjamin''s attacks by augmenting his speed.

    But Benjamin was, after all, much stronger than Zachary in terms of cultivation. He decided to trap him in the impact of his martial arts.

    Boom!

    Zachary retreated once more as another attack blasted past him. His face became sober as he focused himself on the new injury that he sustained from that last attack.

    "What skill are you using? I am much more powerful than you. A piece of garbage like you should not be able to survive my attacks for this long." Benjamin felt frustrated that Zachary was only mildly injured after all of his attacks.

    "A piece of garbage?" Zachary repeated in a cocky tone. He shook his head with an impish smile. He knew that his current power could not match with Benjamin''s. He then remembered the Strength Pill the he received as a reward from Mimi after he completed the random treasure-hunting quest. He remembered that it could boost his strength to a higher level but it would cause serious side effects.

    The Strength Pill seemed to be the only chance that he had if he wanted to defeat Benjamin. He braced himself for a sudden change in direction and then turned towards Benjamin. He took out the Strength Pill and threw it into his mouth.

    The effect was instantaneous. His body suddenly radiated a thick purple light. Martial energy surged within his meridians. Purple aura began to overflow from his body, forming a thin purple layer over his skin. He felt that his power increased significantly.

    "How is this possible?" Benjamin was in a state of disbelief. The purple aura around Zachary''s body became thicker as he approached Benjamin. He now felt that Zachary''s martial energy had suddenly surpassed his.

    The purple aura suddenly re-absorbed back to Zachary''s body. At the same time, a purple cyclone appeared and engulfed Benjamin.

    "This is a piece of cake!" Benjamin stretched out his fingers into a palm shape. He used his martial energy to activate his most powerful martial skill: the Dark Dragon Palm.

    Once Benjamin''s palm completed the skill, it was immediately consumed by Zachary''s purple martial energy.

    "What kind of power is this? It''s even greater than mine. How is that possible?" With Benjamin completely surprised, Zachary grabbed his outstretched hand. He then said while a wicked smile crossed his lips, "I wonder if you will learn your lesson after I break your arm."

    Benjamin''s face was suddenly filled with shock and terror.

    The

    purple aura around Zachary radiated, and a stream of martial energy that was way greater than the ninth grade of Mortal Level flushed into Benjamin''s arm.

    The forest at the back of the mountain was then filled with Benjamin''s howl of pain.

    When the other disciples saw Benjamin holding his disabled arm, rolling on the ground while howling in agony, they became so terrified that they did not dare move a single step to confront Zachary. None of them ever imagined that Zachary had such power.

    Zachary walked towards Benjamin with a frightful look.

    "Stop... Don''t come any closer..." Benjamin demanded, his voice quivering as if he was about to cry.

    But Zachary continued walking and was soon about to reach Benjamin. Out of nowhere a figure blocked Zachary''s way.

    Benjamin looked as if he had seen a light at the end of dark tunnel. "Bruce! You''re finally here!" Benjamin exclaimed as his eyes lit up. "This guy almost killed us!"

    "Bruce?" Zachary also recognized the person.

    "Zachary, fighting against your fellow disciples is against the rules of the Welkin Sect. You not only broke the rule, but also injured Benjamin seriously. You seem to want to be kicked out of the Welkin Sect." He quickly glanced at the people around him and was shocked. ''Benjamin is at the eighth grade of Mortal Level. The other disciples are all of Mortal Level as well. Why did they lose to Zachary so badly?'' he wondered.

    It was known to everyone that Zachary was a mere garbage barely one year ago. Even though Zachary shocked everyone with double martial speed during the selection for formal disciples, it wasn''t possible for him to possess power great enough to defeat Benjamin.

    "Talk all you want. It''s useless. I know that you ordered them to come here," Zachary ridiculed Bruce.

    "Since you already know that. Things are much easier now." With an insidious smile, Bruce quickly performed a martial skill at the primary stage of Earth Level. In an instant, a white tiger manifested and dashed towards Zachary.

    Zachary tried to activate Shadow Pace to dodge the attack, but to his surprise, he was not able to use his martial energy anymore.

    ''What is happening? Is this the side-effect?'' Zachary''s heart skipped a beat.

    Bang!

    Zachary was directly hit by the attack. Even though Bruce didn''t use his full power, Zachary was pushed back a few meters and fell onto the ground. He then coughed out a mouthful of blood.

    Zachary quickly stood up and glared at Bruce.

    "You cannot beat me. If you beg for mercy, maybe I will consider it. Of course, you have to promise to stay away from Elva," Bruce stated flatly.

    "You''re dreaming. If you kneel to me, I might consider letting you go." Zachary laughed out loud as he mocked how Bruce talked.

    "Bruce, this guy is stubborn. There''s no use trying to make him surrender." Benjamin still suffered intense pain as he prodded Bruce to kill Zachary.

    "Monstrous Murder Skill!" Bruce''s martial energy expanded and created a huge wolf shape. It dashed towards Zachary with an unbelievable speed as it cleaved the air with its claws. It moved so fast that it looked as if it left its own shadow behind.

    Zachary felt like his entire body was bit by countless starving wolves. His clothes were torn all the way to his flesh. He fell to the ground bathed in his own blood. But this was only the physical injury. His internal injuries were more severe¡ªBruce''s martial energy destroyed his meridians.

    Bruce evidently intended to ruin Zachary completely by destroying his path of cultivation!

 Chapter 28 He Is Mine

    "If you kneel down in front of me and beg for mercy, I will spare your life," Bruce shouted grimly.

    Upon hearing that, Zachary sneered. Although he could feel excruciating pain all over his body, he managed to stand. That was because he knew that falling down would convey his defeat.

    Seeing that Zachary was refusing to fall down, Bruce felt even angrier. Lunging forward, he attacked Zachary at lightning speed. And had Zachary taken it this time, he would have been killed, as he was in no condition to withstand the blow.

    "That''s enough, Bruce." A shadow suddenly appeared in front of Bruce, blocked his next move, and protected Zachary.

    "Elva?" Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Zachary immediately recognized the shadow that had saved his life. It was none other than Elva!

    "Elva?" Seeing Elva, Bruce raised his eyebrows and told her to get out of his way, as his fight was with Zachary and not her.

    "You know very well that he is no match for you. If you really want to fight, fight me," Elva replied coldly.

    "You are going to fight against me for him?!" After hearing Elva''s words, Bruce became even more furious.

    "Yes, he is mine. He can only be killed by me. I will not allow anyone else to kill him," Elva said, bluntly.

    "Elva, when did I become yours? You did not do anything to me, did you?" Zachary was stunned when he heard what Elva had said.

    However, Elva''s words had a different meaning for Bruce and the other Welkin Sect''s disciples present.

    At once, they shouted aloud.

    "Oh, come on! Elva, the Welkin Sect''s aloof beauty, has just said that this loser is hers."

    "What did I hear you say, Elva? Did I understand what I just heard, correctly? Have you fallen in love with this loser, and you just said that he was yours..."

    "Oh, my god! It is like casting pearls before swine!"

    "What is your relationship with this guy?" Bruce questioned Elva in an extremely cold tone.

    "It is none of your business! Just go! Otherwise, you cannot blame me for not showing mercy to you." Saying that, Elva immediately assumed her combat pose.

    When Bruce saw that Elva was ready to fight him, he gave Zachary a black look. Of course, he did not want to fight her. However, now that he had seen that she was protecting Zachary, he snorted and left.

    "Bruce..." Benjamin, who was standing on the sidelines, was not happy seeing how the situation had developed. Just when he thought Zachary was finally doomed, Elva had come there and saved him. Therefore, as soon as Bruce left, he glowered at Zachary and immediately followed Bruce, for there was nothing else he could do.

    "Are you leaving? Let us keep fighting with each other!" Zachary yelled arrogantly when he saw Bruce leave.

    Elva, too, immediately looked back at Zachary, and asked coldly, "Are you ok?"

    "I think I should be fine." However, he was not sure about that.

    "Just make sure you don''t die. Even if you are killed, you must die at my hands!" Elva declared.

    Zachary was surprised at what Elva had said. However, before he could think about her words and what she meant by them, he felt dizzy and fell unconscious onto the ground.

    "Zachary?" Seeing Zachary faint suddenly, Elva was shocked, as he had been smiling cheekily earlier. She leaned over, placed the back of her hand against his nose, and found that his breathing was becoming weak rapidly. Her expression immediately changed because clearly, Elva was concerned about his health. Instantaneously, in full view of those present, she picked up Zachary and disappeared, leaving behind some shocked Welkin Sect''s disciples. They were astounded seeing the drama of the beauty saving the hero unfolded before their eyes.

    Zachary woke up after two hours and found that he was in a bamboo house. He could see that someone had treated h

    is wounds. On looking around warily, Zachary realized that he was in a woman''s bedroom, as he could smell sandalwood''s scent everywhere. He also had the uncanny feeling that he knew whose bedroom it was, for it felt familiar to him.

    ''I wonder if this is Elva''s room. But she can''t be so kind, can she?'' Zachary thought. He could not imagine that Elva would ever be kind to him and heal him.

    Just then, the door opened, and a graceful figure entered.

    "Elva?" Zachary was surprised to see the figure come in. Now that he knew she had saved him, he was surprised by her act of kindness, as he could never have expected her to do so. However, he saw it as an opportunity to explain the earlier misunderstanding that had happened between them.

    "Are you awake? If you are, then, get out of my bed and my room!" Seeing that he was awake, Elva immediately ordered Zachary to leave.

    "Why did you save me?" Zachary could not help but ask. According to him, Elva was only supposed to want to kill him. So, it did not make sense that she saved him from Bruce''s attack, and then, even healed him in her room.

    "I did not save you. You were badly hurt and at least five of your meridians were broken. And as you know, repairing them is next to impossible, unless one can get some kind of precious pill," Elva replied coldly.

    "What?" Zachary was stunned on learning from Elva about how severely he had been injured. That was because he had no idea that he had been hurt so badly.

    "Now, you can no longer release your martial energy. If you do that, you will be playing with fire," Elva warned.

    Zachary frowned, and it was but natural that he was upset at having got so severely wound at that crucial point in his life.

    "Don''t mess with Bruce any more. You are no match for him. And your injuries tell you exactly what is going to happen to you in case you mess with him," Elva continued. Then she turned and left the room.

    After Zachary saw Elva turn and leave, he, too, got out of the bed, picked up his neatly folded robe that was by his bedside, and wore it.

    ''I could have never imagined that Elva would be my savior. I wonder if it is possible that the system knew I was going to land in a catastrophe and get seriously hurt. Is that why it asked me to steal Elva''s brassiere? It probably wanted to let me run into Elva that night because it knew about the series of events that were to take place. Was the system doing all this to attract her attention to me, and let her watch my every move and keep me safe? But why did she save me when she was supposed to wish me ill?'' Zachary wondered.

    After getting dressed, Zachary walked out of Elva''s bamboo house. As soon as he did so, he immediately attracted the attention of numerous female disciples, who lived there. On seeing him, they started whispering to one another and commenting on him. And Zachary could not release his martial energy and even could not use the Shadow Pace, so he had to walk back to the treehouse.

    "He''s really bold. He dared to take on Bruce, even though doing so was no less than committing suicide!"

    "I heard that he was beaten so badly that if Elva had not saved him, he would have died at Bruce''s hands."

    "He deserved to die. He is the sort of man who does not even deserve to be Bruce''s rival."

    "He may become a wreck right now. He is so pathetic!"

    ''Am I really going to be ruined? No! I cannot reconcile myself to becoming a wreck! I cannot be the same, pathetic Zachary, like the one before...'' As Zachary walked, he listened to those female disciples who were pointing towards him as they gossiped about him. However, he walked on, looking indifferent, though his clenched fists told a different story¡ªthat he would not be discouraged into stopping. He would make Bruce pay for what he had endured this day.

 Chapter 29 Be My Personal Disciple

    Zachary entered the system as soon as he returned to his burned treehouse. He then had his body checked by the system. The results confirmed what Elva said; five of his meridians were badly damaged. He had spent so much effort trying to heal the past injuries, but this time he had to heal five more meridians.

    "What is the best way to recover?" Zachary asked.

    "You''re seriously injured. No therapeutic pill, no matter how powerful it is, can heal you completely. I suggest that you find Anne. She has great medical skills. Perhaps she has a way to help you," Mimi suggested.

    Zachary immediately went to the Living-dead Tomb. Luckily, Anne was there and just finished her cultivation.

    But, she didn''t look pleased to see Zachary.

    "Master Anne, can I be your disciple now?" Zachary thought that Anne would most likely refuse to cure him because he was not her disciple yet. He thought that the logical first step would be to become her disciple first.

    "Have I ever expressed that I want you as my personal disciple?" Anne''s statement made Zachary want to bang his head on the wall.

    "You are just awesome!" Zachary said as he raised both of his thumbs upward. ''Anne appears to be even more shameless that I am. How can she act like she doesn''t know anything about her promise? She is pretending like she never promised that she would take me as her disciple.''

    "If you don''t have anything important to say, you can leave now," Anne said driving Zachary away.

    "Master Anne, there is actually one thing." Zachary decided that he had no choice but to tell the truth.

    "It''s getting colder. I want to wear fur. Best if it is made from the fur of the Murderous Antelope," Anne said without looking at Zachary as if she was talking to herself.

    "Is this considered a quest? If I can complete this quest, can you do me a favor?" Zachary said boldly. He saw a chance and he decided that he had nothing left to lose.

    "You have six hours." Anne took one last glimpse at Zachary and then she disappeared.

    Feeling hopeful once more, he left the Living-dead Tomb and went straight to look for Murderous Antelopes.

    It didn''t take long before Zachary found the first Murderous Antelope. It looked like a normal antelope with two small horns on its head. It looked harmless. Zachary was confident that he could catch it. Without thinking about the best approach, he dashed for it.

    It was an action that he would soon regret. The Murderous Antelope was not as harmless as he thought it would be. When he approached the Murderous Antelope, it jumped almost two meters off the ground, its forelegs soaring into the air. When Zachary reached the spot where the Murderous Antelope was originally standing, he fell right under the two powerful hooves of the Murderous Antelope!

    Before Zachary realized what was happening, the hooves smashed into his face.

    Thud!

    Rocks and dust flew all around Zachary.

    "Ahem! Ahem!" Soon, a figure ran out of the dusty area in a hostile manner.

    "Oh my! It''s not your fault to be cuddly, but it''s definitely your fault to be so violent!" Zachary turned around, roaring at the beast.

    The Murderous Antelope exited the dust cloud with bloodshot eyes. It looked as if it was now in a state of frenzy.

    "I have no choice but to fight you," Zachary said. He was aware that there was no way to avoid the fight, so he took a deep breath as he prepared himself with a fight with the deadly antelope.

    The fore-hooves of the Murderous Antelope scratched hard against the ground. It was getting itself ready to attack.

    Zachary and th

    e Murderous Antelope ran towards each other and crashed into each other''s body. The fight was bloody. Each attack made by either one of them left a mark on the other. After half an hour of fighting, each part of Zachary''s body was injured. A deep wound stretched from his shoulder all the way down to his wrist like a red snake that bled with each passing second.

    The Murderous Antelope paused and prepared for another deadly attack. It then howled as it ran towards Zachary once more.

    Zachary had no intention of dodging. At the very last second that the horns of the Murderous Antelope were about to sink into his chest, he grabbed them and then he jerked his arms. Luckily, his strength greatly improved recently, and it was enough to throw the Murderous Antelope onto the ground.

    The Murderous Antelope twisted its body on the ground, trying to get up. Since it was a life-and-death battle, Zachary immediately leaped onto the Murderous Antelope''s body; his teeth then bit the Murderous Antelope''s neck. A stream of hot blood instantly gushed into his mouth. He felt his body heating up and his blood boiling. With his heart racing as if it was about to jump out of his chest, Zachary almost lost his consciousness.

    Even though he was weakened, Zachary''s teeth were still stuck into the neck of the Murderous Antelope. The blood that escaped the Murderous Antelope''s body now covered both of them. Eventually, the Murderous Antelope stopped struggling and died due to excessive loss of blood.

    Zachary felt the Murderous Antelope dying from under him. He then relaxed his body and immediately lost consciousness.

    When Zachary regained consciousness, he was surprised to find himself back at the Living-dead Tomb, lying on an icy cold bed.

    ''Is this the Ice Jade Bed described in the fiction?'' he thought to himself. Zachary struggled to get up and found himself lying on a bed made of ice. He instantly understood who saved him.

    A beautiful lady suddenly walked in without warning. It was Anne.

    Anne stared at Zachary and asked, "Are you fully awake now? Why didn''t you tell me earlier that you were badly injured? Why did you still go out on that quest?" There was a tone of regret and concern in Anne''s voice.

    "I thought you would not accept me as a disciple if I did not go," Zachary answered sadly.

    "I might indeed reject you before. But now..." There was something different in Anne''s countenance as she spoke.

    "Have you changed your mind? Do you plan to accept me as your personal disciple?" Zachary asked. He was now sure that Anne was a kindhearted person. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have saved him. The indifference on her face was a facade¡ªhe still had a chance to get close to her.

    "No," Anne answered in an emotionless tone.

    "To tell you the truth," Zachary started, "I suffered a lot. Three years ago..." Zachary was like a professional actor. His eyes suddenly became crestfallen and sad as he told Anne the story of the miserable experience of the owner of the body, but in a more dramatic manner that inspired great sympathy.

    "Oh, I am really sorry to hear that. So you even have to take revenge for your parents." Anne''s eyes were tearful¡ªshe was affected by the heartrending story.

    "But now I will never have the chance to do that. Unless, you help me by curing me and accepting me as your personal disciple," Zachary said. He looked totally depressed and hopeless.

    "That is not impossible. Well, I can accept you as my personal disciple and heal your broken meridians. But...you have to promise me one thing," Anne replied.

 Chapter 30 Tragedy Turns Into Good Luck

    "I can promise you ten things if you so desire!" Zachary answered cheerfully.

    "It is very simple. You will do as I say. You have to accomplish any order I give you. If you show any sign of defiance, I will kick you out immediately, without any hesitation," Anne stated in a serious tone.

    "So simple?" Zachary had thought it would be an impossible quest, but it turned out that she only wanted him to listen to her.

    Anne nodded her head solemnly.

    Zachary climbed down the bed and kneeled in front of Anne. "Master Anne!" he said loudly, giving her a fist and palm salute¡ªa sign of respect for his master.

    "There''s no need to do that. There is no such rule in the Living-dead Tomb. Now, get onto the bed!"

    "Get onto the bed?" Anne''s words evoked a scene in Zachary''s mind, where he saw himself making passionate love to her. ''Has she fallen in love with me? She is so active! I am so excited!'' Zachary thought, gleefully.

    When Anne saw Zachary''s lustful smile, her face immediately turned dark. She waved her sleeve; a strong wind flashed towards Zachary and pushed him back onto the Ice Jade Bed. Anne, then, flipped her palm, and four Ice Needles appeared between her fingers.

    The sight of four Ice Needles gave Zachary an ominous premonition.

    Indeed, soon after that, the Living-dead Tomb was filled with piercing sounds of howling and roaring, which seemed to be coming from someone who was being tortured.

    One night passed.

    "Okay, now, all the five broken meridians are repaired. Plus, as I have helped you activate the Supernal Meridian, your martial speed should improve by one level now." Anne, who was sitting on the Ice Jade Bed, took back the Ice Needles and wiped some sweat from her forehead.

    "Oh... Wait... Master Anne, you said that my martial speed has improved by one level. That means, I have triple martial speed?" A moment ago, Zachary could think of nothing but the pain and torment he had suffered, but now, he was jumping with joy.

    "You are my personal disciple. It would be a matter of shame for me, if you only have the talent of double martial speed. Besides, the Supernal Meridian cannot be activated so easily, and only one in ten thousand can do that. I happened to discover that your Supernal Meridian is quite different from that of other people''s." Though Anne said it nonchalantly, the hint of her compliment was clear as day, for she could not hide it.

    "Ha-ha! I am a genius!" Zachary laughed, feeling superior.

    "Moreover, a part of my martial energy was left in your body after I cured you. If you can refine it, you may be able to reach the seventh grade of Mortal Level. Well, that''s a bonus for you," Anne added.

    "Really? My tragedy has turned into good luck!" Zachary, who was in high spirits, grinned from cheek to cheek. Because of his injury, he had not only upgraded his martial speed but also had reached the seventh grade of Mortal Level.

    He owed it all to Anne. It was only because of her that he could cultivate now; otherwise, that would not have been possible.

    "Thank you so much, Master Anne. I have nothing to pay you back with. How about I sacrifice my body for you, whenever you require it?" Zachary could not help thinking about having an intimate relationship with Anne.

    Rolling her eyes at Zachary, she said coldly, "I am tired. You can go now." Saying that, she left quickly.

    Soon after, Zachary also left the L

    iving-dead Tomb and exited the system.

    "I am so lucky. If Bruce ever learns how fortunate I have been this time, he will surely be very annoyed!" Zachary laughed out aloud.

    "Did you say very annoyed?" Zachary heard a low voice. It was coming from behind him.

    Immediately, he turned around and saw Lewis flying towards him, with a beautiful shadow following him¡ªit was none other than Elva.

    "Master Lewis, why are you here?" Zachary asked, baffled.

    "Where did you go yesterday? I had people look for you, for the entire day. I thought you..." Lewis seemed to be worried. He had heard from Elva that five of Zachary''s meridians were broken, so he wanted to check with him. However, it turned out that Zachary had disappeared without leaving a trace.

    "Do you want to die? Why are you running around with such an injury?" Elva glared at Zachary, as if blaming him for not taking good care of himself.

    "Do not worry. I will not give up on myself." Zachary smiled matter-of-factly.

    "Let me check you thoroughly, and see if I can heal you." After all, Zachary had the talent of double martial speed. In the Welkin Sect, the number of disciples with double martial speed was less than twenty. As such, each of them was vital for the sect and Lewis could not afford to lose Zachary.

    "Heal me? It is okay. I am doomed anyway." Pretending to be disheartened, Zachary shook his head. He could not allow Lewis to check his body, or else he would discover that all his meridians had been repaired, and even his martial speed had improved immensely.

    "Maybe Master Lewis can help you. Do not give up." Elva was getting agitated. She regarded Zachary as a talented warrior, especially when it came to his speed.

    "Thank you for your concern, Elva. Becoming someone other than a warrior may not be a bad thing, after all," Zachary answered calmly.

    "No one is concerning about you!" When Elva realized that she seemed to care too much for Zachary, she felt shy and turned her head away.

    "Since it has already happened, there is no use mourning over it. Come to the Heavenly Martial Hall with me. I will have Bruce and Benjamin come as well. Let us clear the matter," Lewis ordered.

    "Yes, Master Lewis." Zachary nodded his head in agreement.

    He, then, followed Lewis and Elva to the Heavenly Martial Hall.

    On reaching there, other than Bruce and Benjamin, whose broken arm was covered with a bandage, they saw the Welkin Sect''s stewards as well as a group of disciples at the Earth Level.

    The arrival of Zachary, Elva, and Lewis caused a stir there, as everyone knew that Zachary''s meridians were broken. The Welkin Sect strictly forbade its disciples from fighting each other. Lewis would surely treat this matter seriously. However. all disciples were convinced that Bruce would be neither reprimanded nor punished severely, as he was the sect''s most promising disciple.

    Bruce looked at Zachary indifferently. On the other hand, Benjamin''s eyes were filled with rage, and it seemed that he wanted to burn holes in Zachary with his eyes.

    Lewis walked to the end of the Heavenly Martial Hall and took the main seat that was meant only for the leader, while Zachary and Elva stood in the center. Elva kept studying Zachary, for she was still wondering what could have happened to him. She felt that he was too optimistic. Therefore, she could not help thinking that something was wrong.

 Chapter 31 Be Badly Injured

    At that very moment, Lewis, the leader of the Welkin Sect looked around at everyone, turned his attention to Bruce, and then asked, "Bruce, why did you attack Zachary?" Lewis'' voice wasn''t loud, but it rang with authority.

    "Because he insulted me, provoked me and wounded disciples of our sect, including Benjamin. So I taught him a lesson. But I didn''t intend to beat him that hard," Bruce answered calmly. He had known from the beginning that he would be questioned. So, he cooked up a good excuse beforehand.

    "Benjamin, why did Zachary fight you? Even if he could fight other disciples with his current strength, he definitely couldn''t have beaten you!" Lewis pressed. He was suspicious the moment he heard Bruce''s explanation. The whole fight seemed very strange to him. Everyone at the Welkin Sect knew that Zachary only became a formal disciple not too long ago. Thus, he couldn''t possibly have gained that much strength in such a short time. And since Benjamin possessed the strength at the eighth grade of Mortal Level, which was a much higher level than Zachary''s, Zachary couldn''t have injured him that easily.

    "Sir, Zachary must have learned something by the back door. He seemed to have eaten something when we fought," Benjamin replied, beating around the bush.

    "How is that possible? Even if he took the most powerful pill, he still wouldn''t be able to hurt you." Lewis eyed Benjamin. Of course, he didn''t believe his words. The other stewards observing the conversation were doubtful as well. Such a thing didn''t make any sense.

    "It''s true. The disciples who were with me witnessed everything," Benjamin insisted.

    "In that case, I will confirm it with the other disciples later. But you still haven''t answered my question. Why did Zachary fight you? As far as I know, the treehouse where Zachary lived was burned beyond recognition," Lewis said very seriously. He was already aware of the incident before he even asked them. It was Benjamin who initiated the trouble, leading a few disciples to burn Zachary''s treehouse.

    "The treehouse got burned accidentally because the campfire that I and some disciples made to warm ourselves got out of control. And yet, Zachary attacked us so violently without giving us a chance to explain what had happened," Benjamin stated calmly. He directed all the responsibility to Zachary in an attempt to defend himself.

    Zachary huffed with annoyance at the blatant excuse. He knew that Benjamin had practiced his calm demeanor to avoid any suspicion and punishment from Lewis.

    "Zachary, is what Benjamin said true?" Lewis asked, looking straight into

    ally useless, why would he remain in our Welkin Sect?" Barton echoed.

    Hearing the two stewards'' words, Zachary despised them for trying to push him into a more miserable situation. He sneered coldly in his mind, ''You two old farts better be careful. One day, I will pluck all your beards. Just wait and see. I will soon make you two beg me to be your disciple.''

    "Even if he becomes disabled and useless, we should wait for his injuries to heal. Let''s talk about these concerns after his recovery." Lewis vetoed the two stewards'' suggestion with a wave of his hand.

    With their leader''s objection, the two stewards could say nothing more.

    "Elva, take Zachary to the Pill Hall and get a bottle of second-grade white therapeutic pills. I shall examine his injuries later," Lewis said, signaling for Elva to do as he instructed.

    She nodded, glanced at Zachary, and walked out of the Heavenly Martial Hall. Zachary followed suit. When Bruce saw this, he became jealous of Zachary''s chance of getting closer to Elva. His fists clenched with bitterness. Bruce tried to comfort himself by thinking that Zachary was now disabled. And he knew Elva''s personality¡ªshe wouldn''t start a relationship with a lame disciple. Despite this, Bruce couldn''t help but feel jealous.

    Zachary followed a few paces behind Elva as they exited the Heavenly Martial Hall, and soon he caught up with her. Putting on an innocent expression, he asked, "Are you still mad at me? I''m sorry, but last time I didn''t mean to... I only did that because I wanted to save you."

    Elva rolled her eyes at Zachary, making it clear that she didn''t believe him. She then replied coldly, "If I were the one who fought you, I would try harder to break more of your meridians."

 Chapter 32 An Cultivation Boosting Pill

    "Do it. I''m incapacitated already anyway. How worse could it be to ruin a few more meridians! I''m going through a hell lot of pain right now. You can''t possibly make it any worse," Zachary replied miserably.

    His words stung Elva; she quickly realized the truth that he was badly incapacitated by his injuries. And her words would only hurt Zachary even further. She was not an inconsiderate and heartless person who would inflict further pain on someone suffering a lot. And in fact, she never really intended to kill Zachary in the first place. He had touched and kissed her already. If she reignited her anger each time she saw Zachary, it would not change anything. It was pointless to hurt Zachary now, especially since he had suffered a lot already.

    "Fine, it''s water under the bridge. But you must keep it a secret. If anyone finds out about it, I''ll definitely kill you!" Elva threatened.

    "I will never let anyone know about what happened that day. Elva, you''re really a warmhearted person! You are not only beautiful, but also very kind. You''re like an angel who came down from heaven..." Zachary exclaimed.

    "All right, stop the ass-kissing. Just keep moving!" Elva said. She blushed a little when she heard Zachary''s words of appreciation. She took a deep breath, returned to her usual cold expression and walked on.

    ''The misunderstanding between us should be considered resolved. And that sub-quest should be considered complete.'' Zachary felt relieved. That was because if he cleared their misunderstanding, he could complete and clear the sub-quest of Eliminate the Misunderstanding.

    ''Next, I should prepare for the selection test. I will have to show everyone in the Welkin Sect of my power and make Elva admire my skills, '' Zachary thought to himself as he watched Elva walk away.

    He thought about it and he knew that it wouldn''t be an easy task to make Elv

    lained.

    "Cool! That is amazing! Unfortunately, it is only available through main quests," Zachary said in a tone that hinted of regret. But since a Cultivation Boosting Pill took its user directly from the current grade to the next, it could be considered a very powerful advantage. He was eager to obtain that pill.

    "You can now access the next sub-quest in the series," Mimi said.

    "This annoyingly difficult series of quests is finally coming to an end. I hope the very last sub-quest is not the craziest of them all..." Zachary said. He felt both eagerness and anxiety. He was eager to get the quest because ending it would mean that he would be able to get the next main quest afterwards. He felt anxious because it might be the craziest one in the series. Another reason why he wanted to complete the main quest was for him to get the treasure reward once the quest was completed.

    "You have received the last sub-quest¡ª''Unforgettable Moment''¡ªand you must sleep with Elva in the same bed and you must have skin contact. There is no requirement to the time and place..."

    Zachary rolled his eyes and said, "Mimi, why is this quest so crazy? Are you sure you didn''t read the wrong quest?"

    "I am one hundred percent sure," Mimi answered.

 Chapter 33 The Invigilator

    "This sub-quest wants me to sleep with Elva... Sound like fun, but definitely not easy to do!" Zachary seemed to be whining but in truth he was excited to receive the sub-quest. Compared to previous quests, this one was the most difficult so far but way more meaningful as well. After all, sleeping with Elva would mean that they had developed a real relationship. It was also one of Zachary''s goals.

    ''Hmm...she is more powerful than me, so it''s not possible to forcibly have sex with her. I will have to resort to other methods, drugging her maybe? But I can''t let Elva know that it is me. I have to frame somebody else, like Bruce...'' Zachary thought about the possibilities and smiled. This was his dark side.

    He considered a lot of things in order to ensure the success of his plan. Moreover, he didn''t have any aphrodisiac, nor did he have any idea how and where to get one.

    He then went to the Martial Training Field and chose a cultivation quest of medium level. Then he started his cultivation. He planned to absorb the martial energy left by Anne. If what Anne told him was true, he should be able to reach the seven grade of Mortal Level when he assimilated all of her martial energy.

    The selection test for the Celestial College loomed closer with each passing day. He needed to fully absorb the martial energy and improve himself so that he would become eligible to enter the Celestial College.

    While Zachary was immersed in cultivation, the invigilator from the Celestial College arrived at the Welkin Sect.

    Each clan or sect in the Enigmatic Kingdom was entitled to a certain number of warriors that they could send to the Celestial College. To ensure the fairness of the process¡ªonly the best disciples were selected¡ªwhen the sects and clans carried out their internal selection,

    e leader of the Welkin Sect, Lewis Xuan." Lewis stepped forward, cupping his hands to show his respect. Without a doubt, this lady was none other than the invigilator sent by the Celestial College.

    "I am the invigilator from the Celestial College, Sara Long," the lady said, as she introduced herself.

    "Are you the same Sara who ranked fifth in the contest of new disciples at the Imperial Level among the four martial colleges last year?" Lewis asked as he seemed to remember the name.

    The contest of new disciples at the Imperial Level was a contest for all warriors who reached the Imperial Level in the last five years. Two of the warriors from the Celestial College made it into the top ten, one male and one female. The female warrior was called Sara Long. Since she rarely appeared in the public, few had actually seen her.

    When Lewis said that, the disciples of the Welkin Sect were shocked. None of them could have imagined that this lady was a top ten warrior among all disciples who newly attained the Imperial Level in the four martial colleges. This lady''s power was equal to their sect leader''s power, but what amazed them more was that she looked like she was in her twenties.

 Chapter 34 I Also Want To Be Coached

    Sara''s eyes swept across the Welkin Sect''s disciples who stared at her in shock and affection. She remained composed, though, as if she was used to similar situations. She then reverted her gaze back at Lewis and said, "When will the selection test begin?"

    "In five days," Lewis answered. "Master Sara, we prepared a cottage for you at the Bamboo Gully. I believe you are tired from your journey. Do you want me to assign a disciple to show you the way so that you can rest?"

    "There is no need. Summon the disciples who will participate in the selection test. I want to have a look at the young talents first." After Sara said that, she walked past Lewis dispassionately and entered the sect.

    Lewis and the other stewards immediately followed her. He ordered the disciples to gather at the training ground.

    A few minutes later, all the disciples of the Welkin Sect who were eligible for the selection test gathered at the training ground. The other disciples also came to see the invigilator, as they had heard that the invigilator was unusually beautiful.

    "Are they all here?" Sara asked Lewis. She looked at the disciples of the Welkin Sect before her, whose martial power ranged from Mortal Level to Earth Level.

    "They''re all here. If you happen to find anyone that you think is promising, feel free to give them some advice if you please." Though the role of an invigilator was to monitor the selection test, it was also routine for them to give the most talented disciples some advice on cultivation, so that the talented disciples would be able to do their best during the selection. This was also meant for the Celestial College to get the best candidate.

    Sara walked into the group of disciples participating in the selection test. Hands at her back, she carefully studied each disciple. After she examined a fe

    have been a fortunate turn of events because the invigilator would only coach the disciples who were eligible for the selection test but never the disciples who were directly recruited by the Celestial College. If he had known that Sara had such an intention, he would have cancelled Bruce''s punishment and have allowed Elva to stay in the sect.

    "Okay I see. I can still coach them after they go to the Celestial College." Sara nodded her head thoughtfully.

    "Thank you very much, Master Sara. I guess you should be quite tired by now. Why not take a rest at the Bamboo Gully?"

    Sara nodded in acknowledgement.

    "You''re all dismissed. For the twelve disciples who were selected, you all need to be prepared to be coached," Lewis announced to the disciples.

    When the disciples were about to leave, a loud voice called out unexpectedly, "Wait!"

    The disciples of the Welkin Sect turned to look at the direction of the voice. A figure squeezed through the crowd and walked up to Sara. "Master Beauty, I also want to be coached by you. Is that okay?"

    Such a rude statement shocked the disciples present. The sect leader and the stewards were also shocked.

    The person who spoke was none other than Zachary!

 Chapter 35 Unexpected

    When Zachary came back from the second world, he heard that an invigilator was sent by the Celestial College to supervise the selection test and that she was currently at the training ground of the Welkin Sect. So he rushed there immediately. Because he knew it was a rare opportunity to take instructions from an invigilator, he didn''t want to miss it.

    By the time he got there, Sara had already selected several disciples. But Zachary didn''t want to be left out. Moreover, the invigilator was a beautiful woman, so he stepped out to volunteer himself.

    "Who are you?" Sara looked at Zachary, who stood in front of her. He looked a little casual, but his smiling eyes gave her a strange feeling of confidence and ignorance.

    "My name is Zachary Zi, and I am also eligible for the selection test. Something happened to me just now, and that''s why I''m late," Zachary said introducing himself.

    His words caused an uproar among the people present. It was known to everyone that his five meridians were broken. Everyone knew that he could no longer be a warrior his entire life. Taking part in the selection test was therefore impossible and pointless. But now he asked Sara to coach him. He probably became so miserable that he had gone crazy.

    "Zachary, are you still going to participate in the selection test?" Lewis asked in a serious tone after he heard what Zachary said.

    "Of course I am," Zachary answered. Serious determination was carved deeply on his face as he stared at Lewis.

    "But you haven''t recovered from your injury yet, and I think that your condition is not good enough yet to participate in this selection test..." Lewis was in utter confusion. Zachary should have known that he would not do well in the selection test in his current state. Thus, it was unreasonable for him to ask Sara to coach him as well.

    Even if Zachary wasn''t injured, it was almost impossible for him to be selected by Sara. Although he had double martial speed, his cultivation was just at the third grade of Mortal Level, which meant that he was just at the primary stage of Mortal Level. Even if he participated in the selection test right now in healthy condition, he would sti

    e done the same thing.

    "Thank you very much, Master Beauty!" Zachary said; he smiled broadly and anyone could see that his eyes were full of self-confidence.

    "Let''s call it a day!" Sara said to Lewis. She didn''t seem to care what Zachary called her.

    Lewis immediately ordered two female disciples to accompany Sara to her cottage to rest.

    Zachary also swaggered away under the stares of the other disciples. Lewis shook his head and sighed, more in relief than in disappointment. Then he also left with the stewards of the Welkin Sect.

    Sara, led by two female disciples, arrived at Bamboo Gully and went to the prepared cottage to rest.

    Once inside, Sara closed the door of the cottage and took out a scroll. She unrolled the scroll carefully. A figure appeared on it that looked like Zachary by ninety percent.

    "It should be him. I thought it would not be easy to find him among the thousands of disciples in the Welkin Sect. I did not expect that he''d send himself to me." Sara stared at the portrait with a faint smile.

    Zachary was back to his tent as he pondered the events of the day. Without warning, he suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and said to himself, "This is strange. I suddenly sneezed. There might be a beauty who is thinking about me. Elva or Anne... Or, the beauty invigilator from the Celestial College..."

    Zachary entered the system as he pondered this. And then he continued to practice in the second world.

 Chapter 36 Saras Purpose

    The night passed uneventfully.

    Zachary returned to the real world the next morning and immediately went to the training ground of the Welkin Sect. He and twelve other disciples of the Welkin Sect were selected to receive special guidance from Sara before the selection test started. He would naturally not miss the chance of having intimate contact with Sara. After all, his objective was to conquer all beautiful women!

    The training ground was already full of people when Zachary arrived. Aside from the twelve other disciples that were selected by Sara, at least two or three hundred disciples also surrounded the field. They were doing their morning exercises, while at the same time, they looked in all directions, waiting for someone to appear.

    "They are a group of horny men. There may be a great number of female disciples in the Welkin Sect, including Elva, but it seems that these men still can''t resist the charm of this beautiful invigilator... However, it is understandable. Even if there are already beautiful women around, most men would still want to go for other seductive beauties instead. This is the true nature of a man!" Zachary whispered to himself with a sigh, as if he knew exactly the true nature of every man.

    As soon as Zachary stepped into the training ground, there was a commotion not far away. He then saw a beautiful lady coming through the crowd, which turned out to be Sara. She was dressed in elegant yellow yesterday, but today, she had changed into a plum-red robe, which exaggerated her beautiful face and gave her a unique charm of masculinity.

    The disciples in the training ground became excited as Sara walked closer. If not for her strength, they would''ve probably rushed to her like hungry tigers pouncing at a helpless sheep. However, as they dared not approach Sara, all they could do was imagine Sara in erotic and inappropriate scenes.

    Sara paid no attention to the disciples who watched her with indecent and dirty thoughts. She went straight to the thirteen disciples of the Welkin Sect that included Zachary and asked in a sweet voice, "I assume that everyone is here, right? Let us begin."

    The chosen thirteen wanted to immediately start the training and have intimate interaction with the beautiful invigilator. They secretly rubbed their hands excitedly as they waited for Sara''s coaching. Sara''s next sentence shocked all of them.

    "Since I do not know what you are truly capable of, let''s start with all o

    posture with one of his hands on his waist. He didn''t even give Sara the chance to state her true intention.

    "Shut up!" Sara exclaimed as she stared at Zachary with a vicious look. Her glassy eyes stared at him, as if staring at a toad with an expression of disgust and loathing.

    "So even if I tell you the truth, it will not stop your determination to express your deep love for me. Since your love is truly tempting and hard to refuse, I will listen to what you want to say! However, you must be prepared for the possibility to be rejected by me..." Zachary said brazenly without shame of his great arrogance.

    Sara became so angry that she almost slapped Zachary. But she took a deep breath and calmed down. "I have something to ask you."

    "What do you want to know? My height, weight, blood type, zodiac sign, or... Whatever you ask, I will answer to satisfy your curiosity about me." Zachary flirted with her in a shameless tone. He deliberately behaved so shamelessly in order to test Sara''s true nature and find out why she secretly led him here.

    "You are such a shameless guy! Forget it. I have nothing to ask you anymore," said Sara after hearing Zachary''s outrageous words. She immediately turned away as a look of displeasure crossed her face, for she couldn''t put up with his ridiculous attitude.

    ''She gets angry so quickly? Ha-ha, it appears that she is still an innocent and sensitive girl. However, since she brought me here in private, she must have a purpose. When I return, I''d like to probe into her true intentions...'' Zachary guessed, with his eyes turning cold and indifferent. But he immediately followed Sara.

 Chapter 37 Can I Have The Reward

    Sara went back to the training ground. Zachary followed her and arrived at the field too. The other disciples who were still battling against each other were surprised to find them together. No one noticed that they even had left. Their imagination ran wild upon they saw the two together.

    "What is that trash doing with Master Sara?"

    "Only God knows. Maybe she needed to use the washroom, so she asked that trash to show her the way..." "Damn! That was a missed chance! Why didn''t she choose me instead?"

    "Worry not! Master Sara wouldn''t like that trash anyway! She won''t even talk to him if he isn''t so shameless!" Most of the disciples in the field stopped fighting and started chatting.

    Different versions of stories about what they could have done were created faster than the attacks that they threw at each other now that their attention was focused on the two.

    "That guy is trying to impress Master Sara too! And he wants to have a head start. Well, he''s dreaming!" Benjamin spat, annoyed that Zachary had his chance to be with Sara. ''What makes Zachary so irresistible? Not only did he get Elva''s attention, but now he also gets along well with Master Sara. I just can''t understand it!'' he roared in his heart.

    "What are you standing around for? Continue!" Sara ordered when she noticed that the disciples stopped fighting.

    Soon, the disciples all cheered up and rushed towards the twelve selected disciples at the center.

    "There''s one more here!" Sara reminded the disciples as she looked at Zachary with a wicked smile.

    Zachary was immediately surrounded by a few disciples at the medium stage of Mortal Level. However, since he was known for badly beating Benjamin, none of them dared to attack him directly.

    Sara was surprised to see that the disciples at the medium stage of Mortal Level feared Zachary so much.

    Eventually, a few disciples started to attack Zachary, but they couldn''t even get close to him to get their attacks in.

    ''He has an awesome movement skill

    red if he was simply insane.

    "He is just so arrogant! But he will face the harsh truth very soon!" Benjamin jeered, for he believed that Zachary was no longer able to cultivate anymore. No matter how Sara trained him, he wouldn''t be able to improve or even use his martial energy. Even if he participated in the selection test, he would only end up being ashamed.

    "Let''s end the morning session. We''ll continue after lunch." After Sara announced this coldly, she turned around and left without a word.

    Zachary stared at the disciples present, smiled coldly and then left.

    Sara headed to the Heavenly Martial Hall.

    Lewis, who was discussing the details of the selection process with the stewards, quickly rose to his feet and greeted Sara.

    "Master Sara, I thought you were coaching the disciples at the training ground. What brings you here?" Lewis asked.

    "We''re having a break," Sara replied.

    "Really? Please take a seat, Master Sara. We are still deciding how to best do the selection process. We could use your advice," Lewis suggested courteously.

    "You do not need my advice. You are free to decide on your own." She paused slightly and thought about something. It was as if she was looking for the right words for what she was about to say. "Actually I''ve come to ask about one thing," Sara said at length.

 Chapter 38 The Benefit Of Being Shameless

    "What is it that you wanted to ask, Master Sara?" Lewis asked as he turned his full attention to her.

    "Master Lewis, I thought you said that the disciple named Zachary Zi was injured?" Sara asked frankly.

    "That is correct," Lewis replied as he nodded his head.

    "What kind of injury is it?" Sara continued.

    "Hmm..." Lewis hesitated. Since the injury was from a fight among disciples, telling the truth could bring shame to the Welkin Sect.

    "It''s okay if it is sensitive. I just want to know how serious his injury is." Sara said, sensing that Lewis was reluctant to share.

    "It''s rather serious. Five of his meridians have been broken. Actually he is a talented disciple. If he didn''t suffer from such a severe injury, he would surely be one of the best disciples of our Welkin Sect," Lewis sighed, obviously feeling sorry for the sect''s loss.

    "Five meridians?" Sara seemed to be taken aback. Just now at the training ground, Zachary didn''t appear like five of his meridians were broken. If he indeed suffered from such an injury, he wouldn''t be able to use his martial energy at all. In hindsight, Zachary didn''t really make any move that required a substantial amount of martial energy. That was one possibility behind it.

    "Master Sara, may I know why you are concerned with Zachary''s injury?" Lewis and the stewards were curious about Sara''s question. They didn''t think that she''d be curious about his injury at all. And since Zachary was quite offensive the day before, they thought that her first impression of Zachary was rather bad. And yet they were surprised that she seemed to care about the condition of Zachary''s injury. This made Lewis and the stewards suspicious.

    "I do not care about his injury actually. What I do care about is the fact that if he is indeed suffering from such a severe injury, it wouldn''t help him no matter how much advice I give him..." It seemed to Lewis and the stewards that Sara had made a decision regarding the matter.

    "Master Sara, would you prefer that Zachary focus on recovery first?" Lewis asked, having read the hidden meaning of S

    re curious about Zachary now. ''What kind of movement skill is he using? Clearly it isn''t like any other movement skill. He even managed to move without me detecting it!''

    "Master Beauty, do you want to reconsider your decision?" Zachary asked, unwilling to give up.

    "Zachary, how dare you be so rude to Master Sara!" Benjamin berated Zachary. He saw this as an opportunity to impress Sara. He then turned to Sara and said, "Master Sara, please allow me to teach this disrespectful trash a harsh lesson on your behalf!"

    The other disciples all supported Benjamin and there was an uproar in the crowd.

    "Quiet!" Sara exclaimed.

    The crowd immediately fell quiet.

    She stared at Zachary and contemplated for a second. Then she said, "I said I wouldn''t coach you anymore. I will not change my mind. However, since you''re injured, I have a fourth-grade green therapeutic pill for you."

    She took out a green pill from her sachet and threw it to Zachary as soon as she finished speaking.

    Zachary took a close look at the pill in his hand¡ªit was indeed a fourth-grade green therapeutic pill. Even though it couldn''t match the Heaven and Earth Pill that he gave Elva before, it was still a very valuable pill.

    The other disciples had no idea what just happened. They couldn''t understanding how Zachary received a fourth-grade green therapeutic pill so easily when he acted so shamelessly.

 Chapter 39 Peeking At Sara

    "I also have a bottle of second-grade pills. They are of no use to me now. I''ll just give them to you." Sara took out a bottle of pills once more and threw it to Zachary.

    ''What is she doing?'' Zachary wondered. ''She gave me a therapeutic pill and also a bottle of second-grade pills. Is she up to something?'' The other disciples were shocked. They felt like banging their heads on a wall. They couldn''t understand why Sara gave Zachary so many precious pills. Was it because she pitied Zachary so much?

    "Master Sara, I think the pills are too precious for him!" Benjamin said out loud. He felt like he spoke on behalf of the disciples, challenging Sara''s decision.

    "Who do you think you are? Who are you to question me? Sprint a hundred laps around the training ground!" Sara ordered, pointing a finger at Benjamin in anger.

    Benjamin was stupefied for a moment as he realized what just happened. He never thought that Sara would be angry at him. She wasn''t someone that he could disobey. All he could do was cast a vengeful glare at Zachary and began to do as he was told.

    The other disciples felt it was unfair, but they all kept their mouths shut and their heads low.

    "Now, can you leave?" Sara said to Zachary after she stared at the other disciples.

    She seemed to have made up her mind. This was obvious to Zachary now. He knew that there was no use protesting further. He received valuable items from Sara, anyway. He took the fourth-grade green therapeutic pill and the bottle of second-grade pills, and then left the training ground.

    When he was back in the system, he had the system check the bottle of pills. It turned out that the pills were all second-grade green cultivation-aiding pills.

    "I''m so lucky!" Zachary was ecstatic. He jumped around dancing. When he finally calmed down, he murmured to himself, "She must have a hidden reason to kick me out. Should I approach her in the evening? Maybe she is hinting at something. Does she want me to sleep with her?" A lustful smile crept onto his face as he thought about the possibility.

    That evening, a dark figure, under the cover of dim moonlight, sneaked into the well-guarded Bamboo Gull

    lly?" Sara asked in a cold voice.

    "Zachary said that he wanted to see you. That''s why I brought him with me," Elva explained as she took a glance at Zachary.

    "What are you here for? Haven''t I made myself clear? I don''t want to see you again!" Sara put on an annoyed look.

    "Master Sara, I just wanted to say thank you. I forgot to thank you when you gave me the pills," Zachary said sincerely.

    "I was just pitying you. If you don''t have anything else, you can leave now!" Then, before Zachary could say another word, she turned and went back into her cottage.

    "Follow me," Elva said coldly to Zachary when Sara was gone.

    Shaking his head helplessly, Zachary understood that Elva must be angry. ''It seems that my good luck has run out, '' he thought to himself.

    After the two disciples were gone, Sara walked out of the cottage. Eyes fixed at the hole on the window paper, she whispered to herself, "It seems that Master Katrina is right. This guy is rather sly. I thought of observing him longer, but there''s no need to do that now. I have to do the task Master Katrina asked me to do as soon as possible. But it surprised me that Elva helped him cover up. They may have some special relationship. I heard that Elva was cold towards all men. Why would she do such a thing for Zachary? She should have known that the consequences would be dire if I caught her lying. So interesting!" Sara went back into the cottage with a smile.

 Chapter 40 The Selection Test Begins

    Zachary followed Elva all the way out of the Bamboo Gully. She then kept walking towards the direction of Zachary''s tent.

    Elva didn''t speak at all as they walked. The dim illumination of the moonlight revealed to Zachary the cold light in her eyes. She was obviously mad at him.

    "You don''t have to walk me to my tent. I can go back by myself," Zachary said, to break the awkward silence between them. He knew that it would be pointless to explain what he had done.

    "Why did you give up on yourself and sink to such depths?" Elva asked sharply as she stopped walking all of a sudden.

    "Huh?" Zachary froze for a moment, but immediately understood what Elva meant. It turned out that she misunderstood him and thought that he was there to peep at Sara while she bathed because he was disheartened by his serious injuries.

    "Although five of your meridians were broken, they still can be completely healed. If you work hard, you will be able to become a warrior again. If you need any help, find me and I will help you. Just stop doing stupid things like this. And, don''t let me feel disappointed in you ever again!" Elva said in an agitated, broken tone that showed how much she hated Zachary''s degenerating behavior. She sounded sharp and straightforward, which was not her usual manner.

    Because of Zachary''s actions, Elva didn''t behave like usual herself and lost her temper. He never expected such a thing to happen. Even she never expected it at all.

    "I am leaving now," she said. She suddenly realized that she seemed out of her usual self. She was aware that she shouldn''t care about Zachary because they were not even close friends. She didn''t even know him two months ago. And now she was mad at him because he seemed to be giving up and degenerating because of his injuries. Such a thing was totally out of her expectations.

    Elva immediately turned and hurried away as soon as she finished speaking. It was as if she committed some shameful deed.

    ''It never occurred to me that Elva was so worried about me. Alas, if I had known about it earlier, I would have been more cautious in peeking at Sara. I wouldn''t let Elva down again...'' Zachary smiled as his eyes flashed with evil but charming light.

    Time passed by in the blink of an eye and the day of the selection test arrived.

    This time, a total of more than sixty disciples from the Welkin Sect participated in the selection test. The entire Welkin Sect had only twenty disciples at the Earth Level, and all of them participate

    true that the strongest would always win in the end.

    "By the way, Master Lewis, I saw Elva last night," Sara said abruptly with her brows furrowed slightly, as if something came across her mind.

    "Really? If so, may I know your opinion of Elva?" Lewis asked Sara excitedly. Elva was his favorite disciple.

    "Her qualification is pretty good. Even at her current age, she has triple martial speed. It''s very rare. Even the Celestial College only has a few disciples who have the triple martial speed at her age. I was almost the same age as her when I managed to have triple martial speed. If she can continue to make such great improvements, she will soon make a breakthrough and achieve quadruple martial speed!" Sara gave a fairly high evaluation of Elva.

    Lewis and the stewards were relieved to hear such a high evaluation of Elva, but they were also very shocked. What Sara said also meant that her current martial speed qualification was already quadruple or even higher. No wonder she had already become a warrior at the Imperial Level at such a young age.

    "Master Sara, thank you for the compliment!" Lewis, who was always a calm and composed person, couldn''t help but smile.

    "However, I don''t know what relationship Elva and Zachary have. Last night, I saw them together and they seemed to be..." Sara said and stopped abruptly, keeping Lewis and the stewards in suspense. She seemed to indicate to them that there existed a special relationship between the two disciples that they were likely not even aware of.

    Lewis then exchanged surprised glances with the other stewards. They realized that she knew more about the two disciples than they did.

 Chapter 41 The First Round

    "You must have misunderstood them. There is nothing between Elva and Zachary," Lewis replied.

    "Is that so? Maybe I did get it wrong." Sara smiled, nodding her head.

    Almost at the same time, Elva walked to the stage and bowed to them. "Good morning, Master Lewis, Master Sara, Master..."

    "Elva! It''s nice that you''ve come. Master Sara was just talking about you. She has high expectations of you and says that you''re gifted with talent," Lewis said. He smiled proudly at Elva.

    "Thank you very much, Master Sara!" Elva was not a person who would flatter others. However, Sara was a warrior at the Imperial Level and was the invigilator from the Celestial College. Hence she was cautious not to displease Sara. She bowed to her to show her gratitude and respect, but her face was still cold.

    The way Sara stared at Elva made her uncomfortable, but Elva decided to ignore it. She turned to Lewis and said, "Master Lewis, I was wondering if Zachary would be in the selection test."

    "I happened to see the list of participants just now. He didn''t quit. But I don''t know whether he will be here to join or not. Never mind. It''s his choice!" replied Lewis. Lewis was surprised to hear Zachary''s name from Elva. After recalling what Sara had mentioned just now, he threw a glance at Sara helplessly.

    "He is a piece of trash now. He can''t even use his martial energy. If he insists on joining, he will only end up humiliating himself. I suppose he understands his situation," Sara remarked suddenly.

    Lewis and the other stewards all felt a bit embarrassed. Even though there was nothing wrong with her words, they felt like she ridiculed Zachary quite harshly.

    "Who says he''s a piece of trash?" Elva asked. She felt offended by Sara''s disdainful comment.

    "I said so. Isn''t it true?" Sara scoffed.

    "Even though you''re at the Imperial Level, you should still respect others. Zachary is only injured right now. I believe he will be able to bounce back

    und began. Each disciple had to hit a rock that was two meters in height and a hundred and fifty kilograms in weight. They were graded based on the distance the rock moved.

    The rock had gone through a prior test. It was able to withstand the force of a warrior at the Heaven Level. If nothing went wrong, it wouldn''t shatter from the attacks of the disciples.

    "The test begins now! Who would like to start?" The disciple in charge of the test of Zachary''s group motioned for one of them to start.

    "I''ll try first!" One of the disciples at the medium stage of Mortal Level couldn''t wait to give it a try. He breathed in deeply, positioned himself in a horse stance, focused his power into his fist and punched the rock with all his might.

    With the sound of collision, the rock shifted slightly.

    "One inch!" the examiner called out.

    "Not bad!" The disciple seemed to be rather satisfied with his result.

    Another disciple walked towards the rock and punched the rock in the same way as the previous one did.

    "One point three inches!" Then the third disciple took his turn at the rock.

    "One point five inches!"

    The three disciples at the Mortal Level had finished their turns. The fourth one was the only disciple at the Earth Level, who was most likely to win the contest in the group.

 Chapter 42 Broke The Stone With One Punch

    The disciple at the Earth Level drew the audience''s attention as he approached the stone. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, waiting to see his performance.

    The disciple walked towards the huge stone and lunged his fist at it. In a split second, the martial energy exploded from his body.

    Before they could blink their eyes, a loud sound came from the stone. The huge stone was pushed forward by the disciple''s power. It moved forward, sending bits of ground stones and dust up as it scraped the ground.

    "Three inches!" the examiner announced. The audience was amazed by the disciple''s record. They all stared at him agape in surprise.

    "Three inches! That''s an incredible score!"

    "It seems to me that he would get the first prize in this competition."

    "The last contestant is a piece of trash. I guess that there is nothing else worth seeing here. Let''s go and watch the other groups!"

    A smug smile spread across the disciple''s face for he felt very proud of his record. When he returned, he held his head high and cast an arrogant glance at Zachary. He totally enjoyed his triumph.

    Since the four contestants had finished their tests, Zachary was the only one left in this group.

    As Zachary caught a glimpse of the surroundings, he noticed that a large number of disciples had left to watch the other groups. Only a small number remained in their seats and stared at him with complete disdain on their faces. They had lost their enthusiasm for the test and just wanted to witness Zachary embarrass himself.

    ''Just wait and see!'' Zachary thought to himself and chuckled. He was not irritated by their deliberate provocations and remained composed in front of the audience. As he started his turn, he walked around the huge stone and measured the height of the stone with his eyes. To everyone''s surprise, he didn''t hit it. Instead, he placed his hands on the surface of the stone and moved them towards different areas of the stone''s surface.

    The disciples were totally confused by Zachary''s strange actions. It seemed to them that Zachary was not there for a real test, but to humiliate himself. It was impossible not to notice the derisive stares that they threw at Zachary as he proceeded with his seemingly foolish actions.

    Ignoring the disciples'' reactions, Zachary stood firmly in front of the huge stone as he finished his preparations. He simply clenched his fist tightly into a ball and gently placed it on the exact spot that he had determined before. He then slightly knocked on the surface of the stone with a minimal amount of force.

    "I''m done," Zachary calmly declared as he raised his hand that indicated that he had finished his test.

    The audience all froze when they heard what he said. They all stared blankly at him with wide open eyes.

    tion quests.

    Gray then went back to the terrace and reported the strange thing that happened in Zachary''s group to Lewis.

    "What? What did you just say? Zachary broke the test stone into pieces in the strength test?" Lewis and the other stewards shouted in disbelief when they heard what Gray said.

    "Gray, the test stone should at least be able to withstand the attack from a warrior at the Heaven Level. How could it be broken into pieces by a mere nobody?" Herman asked in a confused tone.

    "I agree with you. How did he manage to break the test stone? Even if he has powerful skills, I still think that it is beyond his capacity to break the test stone.

    How could that happen? That is so strange! Such a thing has never happened before in the competition."

    The other stewards looked at each other in confusion.

    "Although I am not sure how he was able to do it, one thing I''m sure of is that the stone broke into pieces after Zachary lunged his fist at it," Gray replied.

    "Maybe he won the test by luck," Lewis calmly said and cast a glance at Sara.

    Sara appeared unaffected by the developments and remained silent. Her eyes had a distant faraway look as she glimpsed Zachary''s group briefly. She was lost in her thoughts and seemed to be thinking about something very serious.

    Seeing that Sara didn''t have any objections, Lewis felt a surge of relief.

    The speed test would follow the strength test.

    The second round was also a simple one. The contestants would run one lap of the entire Welkin Sect in a designated route and fetch the flags along the route within ninety minutes. The one who collected the most number of flags would become the winner.

    The constants were divided into different groups in the second round too, and Zachary''s group was the last but one. With time to kill, he found a secluded place and dozed off.

 Chapter 43 Will You Marry Me

    Shortly after Zachary had comfortably positioned himself for sleep, a familiar fragrance caught his nose. He sprang up at once. A pair of eyes met his wide-open eyes.

    The beautiful figure was visibly startled by Zachary''s sudden movement. She jumped back a step.

    "Elva, what are you doing here? Are you peeking at me?" Zachary asked as he bent forward a little as if he wondered about the idea himself.

    "Me? Peeking at you? You make me sick!" Elva replied with an expression of surprise and shock.

    "I make you sick?" Zachary asked. "Are you pregnant? Is the baby mine?"

    "What are you talking about?" Elva exclaimed. She was so aggravated that she turned around to leave.

    "Goodbye Elva!" Zachary said. He never intended to stop her. He then rested himself back into a comfortable sleeping position.

    When Elva turned around and found that Zachary was about to sleep again, she felt angrier. Her face turned red like cherry. She went right back to him.

    "Elva, do you need anything?" Zachary stood up and asked when he noticed Elva was on her way back.

    "I don''t need anything! I don''t want to talk to you!" Elva said angrily as she folded her arms. She unintentionally squeezed her plump breasts into an even more seductive shape.

    "Really? I guess that is understandable. I''m a piece of trash now and you''re the most promising disciple of the Welkin Sect. Why would you even talk to me?" Zachary said in a low tone, acting pitiful.

    "I didn''t say you were trash!" Elva replied. She felt sorry for Zachary. She knew that he would never become a warrior again.

    "Don''t be pessimistic. Maybe there is still a chance. Actually, I did have something to tell you," Elva said in a voice that was softer than usual.

    If any other disciple heard how soft Elva spoke to Zachary, they might become petrified.

    "I heard that you shattered the rock that was used f

    st one healthy arm," Zachary retorted.

    Those words made Benjamin angrier. His eyes blazed with fury. "I will make it to the runoff even with just one arm. I ranked second in both the strength test and the speed test. I''m already qualified for the intermediary contest now!" Benjamin replied. "What about you? Can you even make it to the intermediary contest?"

    "Haven''t you heard the news? I was so lucky to shatter the rock in the strength test. Because of that, I ranked first in the strength test," Zachary replied triumphantly, clapping his hands slowly to provoke Benjamin even further.

    "What? Is that true?" Benjamin''s face darkened. He already heard the story, but he just couldn''t bring himself to believe it.

    "It doesn''t matter. You can''t rely on luck again in the speed test!"

    "We''ll see. I''m really looking forward to meeting you in the runoff. That will be the perfect chance to break your other arm. Benjamin, you''re going to be the armless hero! Aren''t you excited about it?" Zachary smiled mockingly as he murmured to Benjamin. His words sent a feeling of dread into Benjamin''s entire being.

    He did not feel fear but he involuntarily shivered a little.

    Zachary left Benjamin standing and went to where his group was.

 Chapter 44 Getting Into The Intermediary Contest

    It was around 3 o''clock in the afternoon when Zachary took his speed test with the other four disciples.

    They all stood at the starting line of the training ground. The field was surrounded by disciples of the Welkin Sect. They began to whisper when they saw Zachary.

    "Rumor has it that Zachary, the loser, smashed the stone in the strength test."

    "Really?"

    "I think it''s just a rumor. Do you really think that he has the capacity to smash a huge stone on his own? I heard that something went wrong during the test."

    Everyone present talked about the strength test because of the unusual results.

    A gong rang out and the speed test began.

    The four disciples activated Cloud Pace to improve their speed and take the lead.

    Zachary stood watching the four disciples as they sped off as if he was one of the audience.

    The disciples watching the event unfold all stared incredulously at him. They were all very confused.

    A few moments later, Zachary finally began to run off. The crowd watched him until he turned a corner where he suddenly disappeared.

    Half an hour later, the onlookers started to wonder who would get back with the flags first. There were only ten flags, and whoever got five of them first would definitely pass the test.

    An hour later, someone appeared within sight of the spectators.

    "Someone is on the way back!"

    "Wow, that''s fast! Did he get five flags?"

    "I bet that''s the senior at the Earth Level."

    Everyone was eager to know who was able to finish the test so soon.

    As the figure came closer to the crowd, everyone was surprised to see who he was. Carrying ten flags, Zachary walked towards the crowd triumphantly, acting like a conquering hero. Meanwhile, the other four disciples were nowhere in sight.

    Zachary walked back to the starting line slowly. He threw ten flags to the ground, and then clapped his hands before raising them at the same time. "Done!" he exclaimed at the crowd who watched him with complete disbelief.

    Everyone present was so shocked that they didn''t know how to react. Even though Zachary was the last one to set out, he got back first. And to everyone''s surprise, he carried back ten flags. They all wondered how he was able to do it.

    What they didn

    nted but it was barely noticeable.

    Gary announced the result upon his return to the training ground. As expected, many disciples tried to protest, especially the four disciples who were in the same group with Zachary.

    "Master Lewis said that you can present evidence of cheating if you don''t accept the result. If you can''t, please accept that your skills are just not as good as his!" Gary said in a serious tone.

    All the disciples remained silent after hearing Gary''s words.

    Zachary won the first place in the speed test. Since the other four disciples in the group didn''t get any flags, they were all tied for second place. This meant that even if Zachary decided not to take the last test, he would be able to get into the intermediary contest.

    The result caused uproar among the disciples of the Welkin Sect. No one expected that it would be Zachary, the loser, who would get into the intermediary contest.

    Only the top two from each group made it to the intermediary contest. This was equivalent to only twenty-six disciples entering the intermediary contest, and Zachary was one of them. Twenty disciples at the Earth Level had attended the preliminary contest, and all of them were able to get into the intermediary contest. Other than Zachary, the other five disciples were at the premium stage of the Mortal Level.

    Zachary became the first disciple at the primary stage of the Mortal Level that was able to get into the intermediary contest in the Welkin Sect''s history.

 Chapter 45 A Bizarre Hole

    The twenty-six disciples who were eligible for the intermediary contest needed to wait for three days before it started. The three-day wait was intentional so that they''d have more than enough time to rest.

    The intermediary contest was more comprehensive. It tested for the disciples'' ability to perform well under pressure and in danger. And for this purpose, the location for the test was agreed to be the Burial Forest. It was known as a naturally perilous place. Those who passed the intermediary contest would qualify for the runoff.

    The Burial Forest was a place full of martial beasts. A long time ago, the region where the Welkin Sect was located was in constant threat from martial beasts. The ancestors of the Welkin Sect spent an enormous amount of effort to eliminate the threat and chase off the remaining martial beasts to the Burial Forest. Disciples were then assigned to guard the entrance of the Burial Forest to prevent martial beasts from escaping and hurting residents nearby.

    Although the Burial Forest was known as a dangerous place, most of the powerful martial beasts were killed by the ancestors. The remaining martial beasts were not too powerful anymore. Any disciple at the premium stage of Mortal Level was able to survive in the forest.

    In case anything unexpected happened during the test, a few stewards were assigned to monitor the progress of the test to ensure the safety of the disciples.

    Even though they were assured of their safety, all the disciples except for Zachary were terror-stricken while they stood at the entrance to the dark Burial Forest.

    "Take care when you enter! Once you are faced with danger, remember to call for help, but this will mean you fail the test as well." After Gray explained this to the disciples, he asked the disciple behind him to give the participants the signal fireworks, which could be used to call for help.

    And then, the twenty-six disciples all went into the Burial Forest.

    The eight disciples who survived inside the forest longer than the rest would be eligible for the runoff. The eighteen disciples who surrendered to the dangers o

    hawk. Its reddish feathers looked like flames burning on its body. Its wings were large enough to cover a large portion of the sky, and it darkened the area underneath the wings as it passed. It flew towards Zachary at an incredible speed. Its eyes locked on him like he was its prey.

    The first instinct that he had was to run as fast as possible from the huge bird.

    Zachary wasted no time; he jumped down from the huge tree and then fled into the dense forest. As he ran, he turned back his head from time to time to observe the bird. The distance between them became shorter each time he glanced back.

    Although Zachary''s speed wasn''t actually slow, the bird''s speed was simply too fast for him to evade. And soon the bird was about to catch up with him.

    The moment that the bird''s beak was about to bite into Zachary''s back, a big hole in the ground suddenly appeared, giving him a chance to escape. Without giving it a second thought, he jumped into the hole.

    The hole in the ground wasn''t deep. Zachary was on the bottom of the hole in an instant. He balanced himself and then raised his head.

    A giant bird figure flew across the sky and then it disappeared.

    "So lucky¡­" Zachary sighed in relief. He thought that it was now safe enough to look around the hole. It was completely dark inside the hole, except for area where he stood. Light that came from the sky above lit the area where he stood.

 Chapter 46 Treasure Beasts And Weapons

    A white light suddenly shot out from the Treasure-hunting Compass and lit the cave in an instant.

    "That''s cool," Zachary said smiling.

    He then looked around with the white light. He found that the cave was littered with skeletons and countless corpses, making it look like a mass grave.

    The cave was not big. He walked forward and stopped at the end of the cave. He found that there was no other out; it was a completely enclosed space.

    ''I don''t know if the huge bird has flown away. I might have to stay here for a while. I wonder if there''s any treasure hidden in this cave...'' Zachary looked around for a good spot to start and began to rummage around the cave.

    He dug in the cave for a long while, but found nothing.

    Just when he was about to give up, he suddenly found a bone that emitted a bluish light. It was as if the bone was sprinkled with fluorescent powder.

    He picked the bone up, placed it in front of him and checked it carefully. He concluded that it was a hand bone.

    ''I better bring it to the system for identification along with the egg!'' Zachary activated the Treasure-hunting Compass and then entered the system.

    "Hello, can you please help me identify what these two are?" After entering the system, Zachary took out the egg and the hand bone, then placed them on the platform for the system to identify.

    Several flashes of light shot from both sides and swept back and forth between the egg and the hand bone.

    After a long while, Mimi said in a sweet voice, "Identification completed! They are a Blazing Egg and the hand bone of a human warrior respectively."

    "A Blazing Egg? What treasure is that?" Zachary asked at once.

    Soon, a hologram image of appeared in front of him. It was a giant bird with flames on it.

    "That bird chased me just now," Zachary said with certainty.

    "It''s a treasure beast of Common Level which is named Blazing Roc. It can lay Blazing Eggs. Blazing Eggs can be used to improve warriors'' strength," Mimi explained.

    "What is a treasure beast?" Zachary raised his eyebr

    assistance.

    And on the Supernal Continent, OH weapons were rarer than MH weapons. The materials used to refine OH weapons were usually very rare and could never be obtained easily. Therefore, on the Supernal Continent, very few warriors possessed OH weapons, and they were usually above the Imperial Level.

    Most warriors on the Supernal Continent usually used MH weapons only. However, because MH weapons were also not easy to create, only warriors above the Heaven Level usually had MH weapons.

    But the rarity of MH weapons was not because of the rarity of the refining materials. The real reason was that there were very few weapon refiners on the Supernal Continent that could refine MH weapons.

    Weapon refiners were the common name for weapon builders or weapon smiths who had the ability to refine weapons. A weapon refiner must be a warrior because the process of refining a weapon required that a weapon refiner must quench the materials with their martial energy. This was the only method to ensure that the strength and hardness of the weapon would be able to resist the corresponding power of martial energy. The higher the level of a weapon was, the more power the weapon refiner needed. Unfortunately, on the Supernal Continent, there were very few weapon refiners above the Imperial Level. Thus, the higher the level of a weapon, the rarer it was.

 Chapter 47 Booklet On Weapon Refining

    "So these kinds of weapons exist in this world. That''s great!" Zachary scratched his chin and then asked with great interest, "Mimi, since this hand bone is a special material for refining weapons, it is possible to forge a powerful weapon from it, right? I am wondering if the Treasure-hunting System can forge a weapon for me,"

    "Because the system has only been repaired by one percent, it can''t forge weapons at its current state. However, the system can provide the necessary equipment needed for weapon refining," Mimi responded.

    "So the system has this capability, but it cannot be used right now?" Zachary rolled his eyes helplessly and sighed. It was rare for him to look forward to something, but he did not expect that the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

    "Are there any weapon refiners in the Welkin Sect who can help refine my weapon?" Zachary asked, hoping that the reply would be favorable.

    "No. The Welkin Sect has no one who is capable of that special task. But your master Anne is also a highly-skilled weapon refiner. Her Ice Needle is one of the most powerful weapons known," Mimi replied.

    Zachary carefully put away the Blazing Egg, and then headed for the Living-dead Tomb with the hand bone as soon as he heard Mimi''s reply.

    "Master Anne, your dear disciple is here!" Zachary called out as he rushed into the Living-dead Tomb and went straight into Anne''s room, but she was not there.

    "That''s strange. Where did she go?" Zachary looked around the tomb, and then he heard the sound of water coming from a chamber not far from where he was. His eyes brightened up. "Is Anne taking a bath now?" he whispered to himself in great excitement. Hoping to catch a glimpse of Anne''s beautiful naked body, he headed to the place where he heard the flowing water.

    Zachary passed through an arch, and he was surprised to find a natural hot spring that flowed in the depths of the Living-dead Tomb. In the middle of white steamy mist stood a graceful figure looking like a goddess floating among the clouds. The water concealed the lower part of her body, showing only her white and smooth back, which looked rosy red and inviting!

    Zachary gulped involuntarily as he stared at the figure. He wanted to get to the middle of the pool and drink all the water so that he could see the full glory of the naked body in front of him.

    But befor

    one of the three highly-skilled weapon refiners, aren''t you?" Zachary asked his master.

    "Me? I suppose I don''t really belong to this era," Anne answered vaguely. She took out a book and handed it to Zachary. "I have written this booklet on weapon refining. It''s a booklet containing all the weapons that I have refined as well as my own insights on each of them. You can take this booklet, read through it and learn from it. The amount of knowledge you can learn from this booklet depends entirely on your own comprehensive ability. To learn the secrets of weapon refining, you need to focus on practice. If you are patient enough, I am sure you will make great progress."

    "Thank you, Master Anne," Zachary replied. He carefully took the booklet with a look of great enthusiasm and gratitude.

    "Well, you can go now. Remember to come back in seven days!" Anne then took the hand bone and left.

    Seeing Anne leave and then looking back at the glistening hot spring, Zachary started to think of erotic scenes in his mind. ''When can I take a bath together with her?'' he thought to himself excitedly.

    After leaving the system, Zachary went back to the cave filled with the corpses of martial beasts. The cave was quite safe, so he didn''t leave. He decided to stay in the cave to cultivate while he waited for the end of the trial.

    Zachary initially planned to refine the Blazing Egg. But since he was not far away from reaching the Earth Level, he decided that it would be better to refine it after he reached that level, for he would reap better benefits if he had higher strength.

 Chapter 48 Zachary Was Back

    Two days had passed.

    When Zachary felt that time was almost up, he began to climb up the wall of the cave with his bare hands. Luckily the wall was very uneven, which made it easy for him to climb out of the cave. When he was almost at the top, he raised his head to ground level and looked around for the Blazing Roc. It was no longer around. He then climbed all the way up and disappeared in the next moment.

    The intermediary contest was over because eighteen disciples had given up.

    Sara, Lewis, and the eighteen disciples were waiting for the eight disciples who passed the intermediary contest at the entrance of the Burial Forest. The eight disciples were supposed to be escorted back to the entrance by the stewards.

    Before long, the stewards exited the Burial Forest and brought back seven disciples.

    "Why are there only seven of them? Who is not here yet?" Lewis asked when he noticed that one of the eight was missing.

    "It seems that Zachary is not here!" Herman replied.

    Lewis'' expression immediately changed.

    "Barton and I have searched everywhere, but we still couldn''t find him. He might already be..." Gray sighed.

    "His power was not strong enough. It was just too dangerous for him in the first place. We shouldn''t have let him participate in the selection test," Herman remarked, blaming Zachary himself for the accident.

    The disciples glanced at each other after hearing Lewis'' words. Most of them showed an expression that they didn''t care at all. Although they were all from the same sect, Zachary had always been treated as a loser. Immediately after he shocked everyone in the formal disciple selection, he was seriously injured by Bruce. Now everyone believed that he couldn''t cultivate anymore. Hence, nobody ever had any confidence in him.

    ''He deserved it! It''s a pity that I didn''t get the chance to exact my revenge, '' Benjamin thought to himself. He was one of the seven disciples w

    amin, who was at the premium stage of Mortal Level. The other six warriors were all at the Earth Level: three were at the premium stage, two at the medium stage, and one at the primary stage. It was highly likely that the winner would be one of the three disciples at the premium stage of the Earth Level.

    Most considered it a miracle that Zachary was able to enter the runoff. However, no one thought that he was really eligible for this¡ªthey attributed his success to a series of lucky events.

    The runoff was a series of one-to-one battles. The strongest was going to win¡ªluck wouldn''t be able to help anymore.

    Four battle rings stood in a row on the training ground, surrounded by the disciples of the sect. There were over a thousand of them, and it was so crowded that there was no place for them to move around too much.

    The four rings were set up to showcase four simultaneous battles between pairs from the eight qualified participants. Everyone expected the eight disciples to use their true ability in order to win. In the end, only one of them would be selected to enter the Celestial College. The runoff immediately became the only topic that every disciple of the Welkin Sect talked about. Everyone was eager to see who would win and make it to the Celestial College.

 Chapter 49 Take Revenge

    Sara and Lewis sat side by side at the elevated platform in front of the training ground. Several stewards sat on both sides. Elva stood motionlessly on one side. She had her usual icy look that attracted the loving stares of many disciples.

    A bell rang loudly. Eight disciples including Zachary walked in a single row and entered the competition area.

    The runoff was composed of three rounds of one-on-one matches. Drawing lots was done at the beginning of each round to determine the match-ups. When the eight disciples completed walking into the competition area, the lots had been prepared for them to draw from.

    But just before the disciples started drawing lots, Sara suddenly stood up from her seat and walked towards the front of the platform. Everyone fell silent and the drawing of lots was paused as everyone''s attention became focused on her.

    "Before the competition begins, I have something to say," Sara said in a calm voice. Her eyes slowly swept the crowd as she spoke.

    The disciples cocked their heads to listen; some leaned forward in anticipation of her next words.

    "I want all of you to know that at this point, after the preliminary and intermediary contests, these eight disciples who have qualified to enter the runoff should be considered as elite warriors of Welkin Sect. Even if they don''t make it to join the Celestial College, they will attain success in the future by cultivating hard. And by that time, I am sure they will be more qualified than anybody else to be enrolled at the Celestial College. Therefore, in order to encourage them, the winners of every upcoming match will be given a bottle of third-grade pills. Moreover, the disciple who is lucky and good enough to be admitted into the Celestial College will be awarded a magical treasure that will help to significantly improve their cultivation level." Her words caused an uproar among the disciples. They felt envious of the opportunities that awaited the eight lucky disciples.

    Other than Zachary, the other seven disciples were also extremely excited. They were so eager to win and obtain the rewards.

    Sara then turned and walked back to her seat at Lewis'' side.

    After drawing lots, the eight disciples prepared for the start of the matches. To ever

    unpredictable speed. He moved either really fast or really slow. But whatever he did, he managed to avoid Benjamin''s attacks with ease. Benjamin became angrier with each of his attacks that missed Zachary. At the first chance he had, he shouted and violent martial energy burst forth from his fist. "Triple-tiger Fist," he shouted loudly.

    The martial energy divided itself into three parts, and then turned into three tiger shadows that aimed at three vital parts of Zachary''s body. The attack was so aggressive and fast.

    The disciples of the Welkin Sect all knew that Zachary would not be able to dodge the Triple-tiger Fist even if he hadn''t lost his five meridians.

    Just when the people watching were sure that Zachary was bound to lose because of Benjamin''s attack, Zachary suddenly disappeared just as the Triple-tiger Fist was about to hit him. Benjamin''s attack managed to hit nothing but air. Everyone watching was shocked to see the developments in the match and the sudden shift in the situation. Even Lewis and the stewards stared at each other in disbelief. They had never seen Zachary use Shadow Pace before.

    "Master Lewis, the skill that he used is not a unique movement skill of the Welkin Sect, is it?" Sara asked.

    "I-It..." Lewis stammered as he struggled to find the right words to say. It was obvious to Lewis that what Zachary used was definitely not the Cloud Pace.

    Lewis'' embarrassed expression gave Sara all the answers that she wanted. She asked no further questions.

 Chapter 50 Break Benjamins Other Arm

    Zachary reappeared in front of Benjamin before anyone realized what was happening. Although Benjamin did not expect Zachary to be so fast, he reacted quickly and gathered his martial energy once more to attack Zachary.

    "Go to hell!" Benjamin exclaimed and unexpectedly used a more powerful martial art this time. Five aggressive tiger shadows immediately rushed towards Zachary and threatened to overwhelm him.

    But Zachary didn''t dodge at all.

    All disciples of the Welkin Sect shifted their eyes from the other ongoing battles and stared intently at the development of Benjamin''s battle against Zachary. They were all surprised that Zachary did not even budge to avoid Benjamin''s attack.

    Even Lewis'' face darkened as he felt his heart sink.

    Elva gasped with worry.

    Only Sara seemed unaffected as she watched unblinkingly at Zachary.

    Zachary threw a punch that seemed weak and devoid of any martial energy or force. But his punch immediately collided with the five tiger shadows, and a huge explosion resulted from their collision. A cloud of dust filled the battle ring as the collision of martial energy threw everything away from the center of the explosion up to a distance of ten meters from Zachary and Benjamin.

    A loud wailing pierced the thick cloud of dust like the sound of someone who experienced extreme pain.

    There was a commotion in the spectators'' area as soon as they heard the scream. They knew in their hearts that it must be Zachary screaming in pain, and knew that he was likely seriously injured.

    Lewis and the stewards had the same conclusion and fear.

    When the dust settled, they were all shocked as Benjamin was kneeling on the ground, his face twisted by intense pain. His last good arm lay motionless and possibly broken on his side. His reddish, tear-filled eyes stared at Zachary with disbelief, astonishment, anger and hatred.

    The crowd did not expect th

    aying Formula that you cultivate. It is very difficult to make an OH weapon of primary stage from the material of Rare Level that you gave me, so it was more challenging than I had expected. Even though the bracer is only at Mortal Level now, it can be upgraded after you learn weapon refining skills. It can be upgraded to the Holy Level at the most," Anne explained.

    "How is it used?" Zachary asked. He listened intently and nodded as he understood Anne''s explanation. He knew that she would make the OH weapon that was best for him.

    "MH weapons can make use of warriors'' martial energy and improve martial arts'' killing power. OH weapons, on the other hand, cannot make killing attacks and are only used to provide assistance. But they can store warriors'' martial energy and give enemies fatal blows. And at a critical moment, this could help turn the tide of battle. It is quite easy to use the OH weapons. Warriors only need to store their martial energy in OH weapons. Once the martial energy in an OH weapon is full, one can release their ultimate skill. Your OH weapon is at the Mortal Level now. But since it is made from a material of Rare Level, it can at least release an ultimate skill equivalent to that of a warrior at the Earth Level," Anne explained.

 Chapter 51 He Is Not A Wreck

    "Really? It sounds easy. Let me try..." Zachary put the Holy Bone Bracer on his right wrist, and then tried to infuse martial energy into it. He soon discovered that the Holy Bone Bracer was like a vampire as it devoured his martial energy endlessly.

    It was not long when he discovered that all of his martial energy had been completely drained off and yet the Holy Bone Bracer did not seem to be full yet.

    "Master Anne, are you sure that I can use this OH weapon?" Zachary asked, feeling that he was tricked.

    "Oh, by the way, the Holy Bone Bracer has another ability. It can absorb the martial energy of creatures in addition to your own and make use of it. If you are in combat, you don''t need to pour your own martial energy into the bracer. Instead, you can use it to absorb the opponent''s martial energy. The stronger the opponent is, the more martial energy you can absorb and release. Besides, if the Holy Bone Bracer absorbs the opponent''s martial energy, it will make their martial arts less powerful. This is like a defensive effect in a way. But you can only release the power of the Holy Bone Bracer once a day with your current strength. If you overuse it, it can cause a huge damage to your body. Keep that in mind!" Anne explained.

    "Is that true?" Zachary asked amazedly.

    "I believe that this Holy Bone Bracer will soon be of great use," Anne said. She seemed to know what would happen soon. "Well, I''m going to rest. You can leave now! If you can''t enter the Celestial College, you''d better not come here again." After that, she turned and left.

    "Anne, are you encouraging me in a disguised way?" Zachary shook his head, smiling, and then left the Living-dead Tomb.

    Apart from Zachary, there were three other disciples entering the second round of the runoff. Two of them were at the premium stage of Earth Level and the rest one was at the medium stage of Earth Level. Almost everyone expected Chandler to win.

    In their eyes, it was impossible for Zachary to win in the next round regardless of whoever his opponent was.

    But when Zachary defeated Benjamin during the first round of the runoff using only one strike, some felt impressed with him.

    The second round of the runoff was held as scheduled after

    tle ring. Her glassy eyes sparkled with wisdom, as if she was reminded of something important as she watched him with full attention.

    The sound of a gong rung through the training field that signaled the start of the second round of the runoff.

    There was intense cheering around the battle ring of Zachary and Gary Qian. Of course, the disciples cheered for Gary Qian, though, not Zachary.

    Gary Qian was at the six-grade of Earth Level, while Zachary was only at the third-grade of Mortal Level. Even though he defeated Benjamin in the first round, he was still very weak in the eyes of the disciples of the Welkin Sect.

    Zachary sneered in his heart as his eyes swept the disciples that cheered for Gary Qian. He knew well that they would shut up soon.

    Seeing that Zachary stood still even after the signal of the battle''s start and didn''t even prepare himself for the battle, Gary Qian decided not to give Zachary any chance. He heard how Zachary won in a strange manner when he was in preliminary contest and intermediary contest, even in the first round of the runoff, so he knew that he must defeat Zachary as soon as possible.

    Gary Qian immediately assumed the martial posture for punching. His left foot dug deep into the ground as his body moved towards Zachary rapidly and fiercely. His martial energy turned into a dragon shadow and rushed towards Zachary. The attack was so powerful that it seemed as if there was a real dragon that materialized inside the battle ring.

 Chapter 52 Defeat Zachary With All His Strength

    "He is using the Dragon Fist! It is the unique martial art of Master Albert," someone in the audience yelled. All at once, the audience burst into an uproar. When they saw Gary launch such a powerful attack against Zachary, they realized that he wanted to defeat Zachary with one strike, taking advantage of the huge gap in power between them.

    With Zachary''s current status, they were convinced that he would never be able to withstand such a powerful attack.

    When Zachary realized Gary''s intentions, his eyes narrowed slightly. He then crossed his arms to block the incoming fist attack.

    Bang!

    Gary''s Dragon Fist struck Zachary''s arms with tremendous force. Air waves rippled from the point of impact as martial energy scattered in all directions.

    Elva frowned while watching the battle unfold.

    The audience thought that Zachary would be thrown into the air, but instead, he was only pushed back by three steps.

    "He was pushed back by only three steps?" someone in the audience said in disbelief.

    "Gary used all his strength in that attack. But Zachary was able to block it completely."

    "Isn''t he disabled? What did this guy eat that made him so strong?"

    The disciples that witnessed the scene all talked to each other about what happened.

    Even Lewis and the stewards stared at each other in surprise.

    "What just happened? Obviously, Zachary didn''t use any of his martial energy. So how was he able to block Gary''s strike?"

    "Yes, it''s rather confusing."

    "Master Lewis, can you see what skill Zachary is using?"

    The stewards turned to Lewis, waiting for his answer.

    But Lewis just shook his head. He was just as confused as the stewards. Logic dictated that the force and momentum of Gary''s attack should have injured Zachary gravely. Yet, he was able to block the attack and he also seemed to be unaffected.

    "He seems to be hiding his real strength," replied Sara meaningfully.

    "The strength of a warrior at the medium stage of Earth Level is really powerful!" Zachary exclaimed. He looked satisfied. The muscle between his thumb and index finger was numb with pain, and it was a little strenuous for him to speak. Yet he still smiled broadly. He stared at the Holy Bone Bracer on his right wrist and thought to himself, ''This OH weapon is so powerful that it is able to withstand a full attack from a warrior at the medium stage of Earth Lev

    r than Zachary, but he couldn''t beat him with two fists. The whole thing was incredible for him and he couldn''t help feeling frustrated.

    "Nothing special. It''s just that the power of your fists was too weak," Zachary answered.

    Gary became extremely furious when he heard Zachary''s reply. He roared and rushed toward him with his fists that turned into shadows.

    "Taste the strongest attack of mine!" In an instant, Gary''s fists were like a crowd of demons pouncing fiercely at Zachary. The fist shadows transformed into overlapping dragon shadows, and rushed towards Zachary.

    The stone plates of the battle ring, within ten meters around Zachary, were all impacted by the force of the martial energy and began to crack.

    "I can''t believe that Gary just used the strongest skill I taught him. I told him to use it in the final round," Albert said as he shook his head.

    Since it was Gary''s strongest skill, its power was not hard to imagine.

    The disciples were shocked as they watched agape. Even Lewis and the stewards watched with a heavy look on their faces. They believed that the power of Gary''s attack was simply too much for Zachary to withstand.

    "Zachary..." Elva whispered under her breath. Her face was now etched with a look of serious concern.

    After about twenty fist attacks, Gary stopped, gasping for air. The dust around him gradually dissipated.

    "Let me see if you can resist my attacks this time!" Gary exclaimed confidently. He felt that all his fists hit on Zachary, so he was very confident that Zachary would not be able to withstand his attacks.

 Chapter 53 One Punch

    Just then, a tightly clenched fist suddenly appeared from the smoke and dust that had not settled down, and went for Gary''s chest. Then, a violent increase in the martial energy abruptly broke through the smoke and shot out.

    Startled, Gary immediately gathered his martial energy to protect himself against the attack. But the fist, which was more powerful than his, managed to break through his defense and hit his chest.

    Bang!

    He was thrown off balance in a second, and fell to the battle ring, unable to stand up.

    When the Welkin Sect''s members, including the sect leader and the stewards, saw that, they could not believe their eyes.

    That was when a figure slowly stood up from the dust. It was none other than Zachary. Everyone present could see that his eyes emitted a domineering aura, unlike anything else they had seen. Besides, the aura was blazing like a raging fire. Furthermore, a white bracer was flickering with a faint light on his wrist.

    "He... He defeated Gary with only one move!"

    "No way! Did I make a mistake? A loser defeated Gary..."

    "Gary could not take that fist. Does that mean Zachary is stronger than a warrior at the medium stage of Earth Level?"

    Immediately, the spectators started saying all kinds of things. But most of all, they were suspicious regarding what they had seen, and broke out in an uproar.

    ''Did he just defeat Gary?'' Elva opened her mouth slightly.

    ''Is that an OH weapon on his wrist?'' Sara also noticed the Holy Bone Bracer Zachary was holding.

    "Gary..." Seeing his defeated disciple, Albert, Gary''s master, stood up and glared at Zachary, angrily.

    "Master Lewis, how did Zachary manage to hit such a powerful punch, and that too with so much martial energy?" Herman said, looking solemn.

    The other stewards also turned around to look at Lewis.

    "Has he already recovered from his broken meridians? But it should have been impossible for him to regain his health by himself. And even if he has recovered, defeating Gary with one move should not have been possible. What the hell is going on?" Lewis was also confused on seeing what had jus

    ey shared the feeling that she seemed to be protecting Zachary. That was not the first time she had treated Zachary in a special way. They remembered that during the intermediary contest, she had seemed partial toward him.

    "In fact, I think highly of him," Sara added suddenly.

    The stewards and Lewis were at a loss for words, and could not understand why Sara said so.

    "All right, Zachary, you may leave now." Seeing that neither he nor anyone else had anything to ask Zachary, Lewis ordered him to leave, as he waved his hand.

    Before leaving the Heavenly Martial Hall, Zachary stole a glance at Sara.

    "If there''s nothing else, I will leave now." Saying that Sara too got up and left.

    "Master Lewis, there must be something wrong with Zachary. His meridians couldn''t have healed so fast," Albert said, the instant Sara left.

    "That''s right! It is so weird! Maybe Zachary has cultivated some strange cultivation method to make his meridians heal quickly. In case he has done that, I am sure he will go astray!" Herman added.

    "No matter what caused his meridians to heal so quickly, his performance was there for everyone to see. Since his meridians have recovered, his previous performance then, makes sense. If you are all okay with it, let us wait and see the last battle. Then everything will be clear!" Lewis went on in a serious voice, barely smiling.

    The stewards were all confused.

 Chapter 54 Ready For A Decisive Battle

    Zachary went back to his tent and was about to enter the system to report the progress of the competition to Anne, when a delicate shadow suddenly appeared in front of him like a tornado.

    "Master Sara?" Zachary smiled when he saw her.

    "Well done! You were actually able to defeat a disciple at the medium stage of Earth Level and enter the final round. It seems that I underestimated you before!" Sara said with a cold smile.

    "Do you regret that you didn''t coach me?" Zachary replied and then laughed aloud.

    "Actually, I already knew there was something wrong with you. But I didn''t expect that you could recover so soon after five of your meridians were injured. To the best of my knowledge, a fourth-grade therapeutic pill couldn''t do that to you, could it? What are you hiding from me?" She was curious about how Zachary recovered from his injuries so soon. If Lewis and the stewards hadn''t confirmed Zachary''s injuries, she would have suspected that he had been lying about his injuries all this time.

    ''I''ll leave this to her to guess. She will never get the right answer from me, '' Zachary thought to himself. Zachary never answered her question and remained silent.

    "But I am more interested in the bracer that you now wear. Although it looks ordinary, I am guessing that it''s not a common one," said Sara. She stared at the Holy Bone Bracer on Zachary''s right hand.

    Zachary admired the fact that Sara was indeed a warrior of Imperial Level. She was able to tell that his Holy Bone Bracer was extraordinary with one look.

    "Oh, you mean this bracer? I found it inside the Burial Forest. If you like it, I''ll get one for you later," Zachary answered calmly.

    "No, thanks." She cast one last glance at Zachary, turned around and then left.

    ''That''s weird. She is paying too much attention to me that you''d think she has a crush on me. It''s impossible, of course. But what is she hiding?'' Zachary pondered as he watched Sara leave.

    As soon as Sara was gone, Elva arrived. Although she was cold as always, there was confusion and surprise on her beautiful face.

    "Elva..." When Zachary saw Elva, he knew she must have figured out that he kept the fact that his meridians were healed. And considering her personality, he believed that she must be angry about what he concealed.

    But Elva just asked casually, "I heard that your meridians have been healed?"

    "Yes, they have been healed completely," Zachary answered calmly with a smile.

    "How is that possible? Besides, Gary is a warrior at the m

    for a long time," Zachary said in a flattering tone.

    "No, thanks. You''d better prepare for the competition! Remember, you could only use the Holy Bone Bracer once each day. If you use it again, you''ll be in danger. It''s not worth risking your safety. Do you understand?" Anne warned Zachary.

    "Yes, Master Anne! However, even a supreme Holy Bone Bracer will not be able to help me win this final battle. Master, can you give me some advice?" Zachary asked.

    "You''re much weaker than your opponent. Even if I give you advice, they will do you no good. But you don''t need to worry too much about victory or defeat. In fact, you''ll be enrolled by the Celestial College whether you win or lose because you already possess triple martial speed," Anne answered flatly.

    "You could be right. But if I win the championship, it will help me marry a wife. What a waste it will be if I just give it up!" Zachary said unhappily.

    "Helen of Troy is dangerous, but I can''t stop you from doing whatever you want. Take these three Ice Needles and stab them at three vital points of your opponent''s body. He will then be paralyzed for a time. Use that opportunity to clobber him." She took out three precious Ice Needles and gave them to Zachary.

    "Master, I always know that you''re the best!" He received the needles happily. The system told him before that Anne''s Ice Needle was an extremely powerful MH weapon. And he needed all the extra help that he could get to win the championship.

    "Stop talking nonsense. I will go and rest." She turned around and then walked away.

    Zachary also left the Living-dead Tomb. Without any task to finish, he prepared himself for the final battle.

 Chapter 55 The Insidious Bruce

    Zachary''s last opponent was Chandler, the personal disciple of Gray. He was at the ninth grade of Earth Level and the most powerful among the disciples of Earth Level. It made sense that he could make it to the final battle.

    Despite his whiskers and sturdy figure, he was fairly young. In fact, he was at a similar age as Elva. It was quite impressive for him to attain such a level at such an age!

    Chandler was at the courtyard outside his room, beating the wooden stakes. He was sweating profusely. His steps were firm, and his fists and legs were steady. It was obvious that he practiced diligently.

    "Chandler." Just then, a man with extraordinary aura walked into the courtyard.

    "Bruce? Why are you here? I thought you were still cultivating in seclusion?" Chandler said and then grinned innocently.

    "It''s almost time to go to the Celestial College. Master Lewis wanted me to go out and prepare in advance. I heard that you''ve made it to the final battle, so I''ve come to congratulate you."

    "That''s very nice of you, Bruce. But I just made it to the final battle. It''s not like I''ve won the battle already. What''s there to congratulate me for? Congratulate me after I win it!" Chandler said.

    "Your last opponent is the loser, Zachary. You should be able to easily defeat him. But I heard that his meridians have been healed, and that he even defeated Gary, so I think it''s necessary to remind you. This person is very strange. Although his strength seems normal, he is good at some hidden and insidious techniques. He even broke one of Benjamin''s arms and defeated Gary under seemingly impossible circumstances. He must have some secret techniques readied for the final battle," Bruce reminded him in a sullen tone.

    "I''ll remember your words, and I will be very careful," Chandler replied.

    "Being careful won''t work. I have a packet of Nether Powder. Keep it in case you have need of it. If Zachary uses any surprise tech

    nded in a straightforward and imposing manner.

    "Chandler, you can use your full strength. Even if I lose, I won''t lose in a shameful manner!" Zachary calmly smiled and suddenly released his aura¡ªhe had just reached the seventh grade of Mortal Level. There was no need to hide his power now.

    "Seventh grade of Mortal Level? When did he attain such power?"

    "Do I see it wrong? Before he was injured, he was only at the third grade of Mortal Level, wasn''t he?"

    "Oh my God! Is he still a human?"

    All of a sudden, the whole training ground was in an uproar.

    Even the leader and stewards of the sect were also surprised to see that Zachary had reached the seventh grade of Mortal Level after his meridians were restored.

    "He suddenly increased his power? How was he able to improve his power by so much? Is it possible that he has encountered something?" Even Sara was stunned. She stared at Zachary agape with eyes wide open.

    Although Elva suspected it, she was still surprised when Zachary revealed his true power.

    Chandler was surprised when he saw that Zachary was now at the seventh grade of Mortal Level. He immediately bent his back, staring at Zachary as if a wild bear had spotted its prey. Even though Zachary had improved greatly, the gap between them was still huge.

 Chapter 56 Sumo Skill

    Chandler was the most talented disciple of Gray; thus, he also received the secret manual on martial arts of his master called the Sumo Skill. This technique was not about the fist and foot, but with three attacks which were pouncing, grabbing and smashing, all of which integrated martial energy. Its true strength lay in the way that each attack flowed into the next, making a set of three attacks behave like a single attack.

    Zachary was aware of this, so he planned to utilize the Shadow Pace to dodge Chandler''s attacks. As long as he was not caught by Chandler, there was room for him to counterattack.

    Zachary''s face turned serious as soon as Chandler started attacking. He never expected that Chandler''s attacks were extremely fast. Chandler was so fast that he got in front of Zachary and grabbed his right arm in the blink of an eye. Everything happened so fast!

    Fortunately, Zachary reacted in time. His countermove was as quick as lightning. He broke away from the grasp of Chandler before the grip had locked in on him and thus avoided the attack. But Chandler seemed to be able to react just as fast. He exhibited extremely flexible waist strength. He rolled over, adjusted his angle, and once again pounced at Zachary. His movement was unbelievably fast.

    Fortunately, the Shadow Pace was mysterious and powerful that Zachary dodged Chandler''s attack narrowly, but in all aspects, he was completely at a disadvantage.

    ''Wow! A warrior at the ninth grade of Earth Level is really something! Besides, Chandler is more cautious than Gary. He has no flaws. As long as he keeps closing in, there''s no chance to fight back.'' It was immediately obvious to Zachary that this battle was more difficult than he had originally anticipated.

    The disciples that watched the match leaned forward and strained to keep their eyes open, afraid they''d miss a single wonderful moment. They wanted to see when Zachary would get hit by Chandler so that they''d see the Sumo Skill combo in action.

    "Where did Zachary learn that movement skill? With Chandler''s strength, it''s strange that he can''t keep up with Zachary''s speed!" Gray asked.

    Lewis and several other stewards of th

    ble to fight anymore," Gray sneered.

    The other stewards of the Welkin Sect nodded in agreement. Nonetheless, they were surprised that Zachary survived.

    "It seems that you have another up-and-rising star, Master Lewis," Sara said as she turned to Lewis.

    Lewis smiled upon hearing Sara''s words. He knew that Sara''s words were meant for Zachary.

    Seeing that Zachary was still able to stand up after his attack, Chandler felt very surprised. But he did not take the advantage of the moment to attack Zachary once more. Instead of attacking, he said, "Zachary, let''s end it here! You have been hurt badly by my Sumo Skill combo. There is no point for us to continue our competition."

    "Chandler, although I was hit in a series of attacks by your Sumo Skill, I sealed your acupoints as well. Didn''t you notice?" Zachary said in a serious tone yet he curled up his lips.

    As soon as Zachary finished speaking, Chandler''s face turned dark and gloomy as he noticed that his martial energy had stopped circulating, and even his body could no longer move.

    "What... When did you seal my energy acupoints?" Chandler asked in an extremely surprised tone.

    "I did it when you hugged me passionately," Zachary replied.

    "Did you do it on purpose?" Chandler asked.

    "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I am so sorry. Chandler!" After Zachary finished what he wanted to say, he rushed towards Chandler in the blink of an eye, using his Shadow Pace.

 Chapter 57 Loss At Both Sides

    Zachary released the martial energy from the Holy Bone Bracer that he had absorbed when blocking the Sumo Skill of Chandler. He then gathered it in his right fist.

    "Crushing Skill!" Zachary threw a punch at Chandler. The punch was so powerful that it sent out a ripple of power similar to that of a warrior at the premium stage of Earth Level.

    Chandler''s face turned grim when he saw the incoming attack. However, since his energy acupoints had been sealed, he had no strength to resist the attack.

    Everyone watching the battle, including Lewis and the stewards, looked surprised. They couldn''t understand why Chandler did nothing to avoid Zachary''s incoming attack.

    Bang!

    ''It seems that Zachary has a card up his sleeve!'' Sara thought to herself. Of all the people who witnessed the battle, she was the only person who stayed calm.

    With a thunderous sound, Zachary''s punch smashed Chandler''s chest with great power.

    However, after the punch, a white mist exploded between Zachary and Chandler and was scattered by the wind. Zachary''s forward momentum brought him directly into the white mist, which immediately went into his eyes. A burning sensation overcame Zachary. His eyes were unable to see the light anymore, and everything became extremely dark for him.

    Chandler never expected that the Nether Powder that he put away in his pocket would explode from Zachary''s fierce attack. It turned out that the white mist had saved his life. Actually, he didn''t plan to use the Nether Powder, but to avoid being discovered by others, he had to put it away. He had intended to return it to Bruce, but he didn''t expect it to be crushed by Zachary.

    Zachary, who lost his sight, immediately took a few steps back. He then took a few deep breaths to calm down, and quickly sorted out his thoughts. It was not long when he came to the conclusion that the white mist must be a kind of powder that could make him temporarily blind.

    As a result, neither Chandler nor Zachary dared to move an inch forward, for fear that the other would launch a surprise attack.

    The development of the situation was totally unexpected by everyone that watched the scene!

    "What just happened? Why did Chandler suddenly stop?"

    "What''s stranger is that now even Zachary stopped."

    For a moment, all the disciples of the Welkin Sect stared at each other.

    "Master Lewis, what''s going on here?" The stewards turne

    with Chandler!

    But since Zachary was severely beaten to the slabs by Chandler, he hurt all over and was too weak to move. Elva became very worried of Zachary that she subconsciously bit her lower lip lightly.

    Although Chandler was hurt on one of his arms, he was still powerful and could stand up to fight again. Now, it was clear that Zachary had been defeated by Chandler.

    Chandler supported himself up and walked towards Zachary.

    Hearing that Chandler walked towards him, Zachary intended to get up and go on fighting with all his remaining strength.

    "Zachary, I really admire your perseverance!" Chandler suddenly extended his unhurt arm to Zachary and tried to help him to his feet.

    Zachary was stunned at first, but then he burst into laughter and reached out his arm to let Chandler help him stand up.

    The scene shocked the disciples that watched the two warriors.

    "Chandler, it''s me who has lost the contest! I throw in the towel..." Zachary admitted defeat. It was because there was no need to fight anymore. Even though he couldn''t get the first place, he was sure to be able to get into the Celestial College with his triple martial speed.

    "No, it''s me who has lost the competition. If you didn''t accidentally hit that bag of Nether Powder, I''m sure I would have already lost," Chandler said in a serious tone. Although Zachary was blind, he was able to hurt one of his arms, which was enough to show his amazing skill and courage. It turned out that he was a man who was willing to risk his own life. Such courage and perseverance made Chandler feel inferior to Zachary.

 Chapter 58 I Had A Blazing Egg Too

    "I was just out of luck," Zachary replied. Although he really wanted to win, Chandler didn''t take advantage of the situation to give him a fatal blow. This proved that Chandler was a man of integrity.

    The disciples watching the battle were confused with Chandler''s actions. They were all aware how rare such an opportunity was and thought that he shouldn''t give the opportunity up. Additionally, they knew that Chandler had better skills than Zachary. Thus, he had a better chance of winning than Zachary.

    Since both Zachary and Chandler were willing to accept defeat, it was up to Sara to make the final decision of who won the battle.

    Zachary and Chandler walked off the battle ring and headed to the high platform in front of the training ground as the other disciples watched.

    "Did Chandler win?" Gray asked Sara impatiently.

    Lewis and the other stewards turned their heads towards Sara as they waited for her to answer Gary''s question. But no reply came forth from her.

    Lewis, Sara and the stewards all watched their every step until the pair of finalists finally reached the platform. Sara studied Chandler first, and then looked at Zachary. Her face revealed no emotion, no clue as to what she was thinking. The rules of the Celestial College stipulated that anyone who possessed triple martial speed would automatically be eligible to enter the college without going through the selection test. Whether Zachary won the battle or not was no longer a decisive factor to his eligibility to get accepted by the Celestial College. His triple martial speed earned him a free pass.

    "You did a good job," Sara said as she stared at Zachary. "It is refreshing to see that a warrior at your level has the potential to beat an opponent who is more powerful." Sara''s praise for Zachary was not a welcome statement to some stewards.

    "Master Sara, Chandler is the worthy winner. I acknowledge his skills and respect him from the bottom of my heart!" Zachary replied with a laugh. He knew that even if he lost to Chandler, he could still get into the Celestial College.

    "You seem to know exactly what you''re saying. Well, I declare that the finalist who is qualified to enter the Celestial College is none other than... Chandler," Sara announced in a loud v

    then said to Zachary, "Take it. You must refine it carefully and don''t waste such a rare treasure."

    "This is just a Blazing Egg. What''s the big deal?" Zachary replied nonchalantly.

    His words surprised everyone present.

    "What a tone! It''s a treasure for a warrior at the Heaven Level. If you use it properly, it can increase your strength by half a level," Sara said, frowning. Her lips pouted slightly.

    "It''s only half a level! It''s not really that big of a deal," Zachary commented.

    "He''s being absurd again," Elva whispered to herself unconsciously.

    Lewis shook his head with a sigh when he heard Zachary''s statement.

    "Well, if you can bring me something similar to the Blazing Egg, I will give you something better, in addition to the Blazing Egg. If you can''t, then I will take back the Blazing Egg," Sara replied. She raised one of her eyebrows.

    The disciples who heard Sara''s challenge laughed at Zachary''s misfortune. They thought that instead of getting a valuable reward, his crude comment caused him to lose the reward.

    "That is a deal, Master Sara." Zachary laughed loudly to the surprise of the onlookers. He then took out a Blazing Egg and then showed it to Sara.

    Everyone was shocked. They never imagined that Zachary had a second Blazing Egg.

    Not only the disciples, but even Lewis and the stewards were surprised. They couldn''t imagine how he obtained a rare Blazing Egg.

    Silence fell over the entire training ground as Zachary showed his Blazing Egg to Sara.

 Chapter 59 The Beauty Sent A Message

    When she saw the Blazing Egg in Zachary''s hand, Sara could not help but marvel. She did not want to show it, but the surprise on her eyes could not be hidden.

    "Ahem." Zachary cleared his throat to get the lady''s attention back to him rather than the egg. "Have I convinced you now, Master Beauty?"

    Sara immediately recovered from her surprise and replied, "Very well. I''ll keep my word and give you an extra reward." She took out a booklet. "This Ghost Palm is a martial art at the premium stage of Heaven Level. There are three moves in total. Learn and master all those three and even an opponent whose cultivation is one or two levels higher than yours will fall under your feet," she stated.

    Murmurs started to arise in the crowd. Everyone was shifting uncomfortably in their seat, surprised with everything that transpired before them.

    The martial arts in the Supernal Continent were divided into three stages: primary stage, medium stage, and premium stage. In terms of power, most of the time, the martial art at the premium stage were better than the ones at the other stages. But because of other factors influencing a battle, a warrior using martial arts at the primary stage might be able to defeat one using martial arts at the premium stage.

    Because of its simplicity, the martial arts at the primary stage were the most used and taught in the Supernal Continent. Aside from being easy to learn and master, they also required less martial energy compared to those at the other stages. For example, the martial energy used to perform three moves of martial arts at the primary stage would be equivalent to the energy used to execute just one move of a martial art at the premium stage. If one decided to attack their opponent with a move from a martial art at the premium stage and the opponent successfully defended himself, it would put the attacker to a disadvantage since he had lost a lot of martial energy and was unable to attack again. This was why the martial arts at the primary stage were widely used. Although they were less powerful, they required less martial energy and allowed more flexibility during battles.

    With this factor at hand, no martial art could be considered the most powerful in the Supernal Continent, even if it was one at the premium stage.

    But if someone could learn and master martial arts at the premium stage, then it might be able to turn the tables at critical moments.

    So when Sara offered to give Zachary a martial art at the premium stage of Heaven Level, the other disciples were all green with envy. Even

    et into her."

    "Pffft. You? You''re not even close to being worthy to hold her shoes," Sara replied, continuing her insult.

    "Ahh. Good for me I don''t have such fetish. Why would I even want to carry her shoes? If it''s up to me, I''ll go take off her clothes right away," Zachary replied arrogantly.

    Sara looked at him with wide eyes, absolutely disgusted with his scandalous behavior. If she hadn''t known him, she would think she was talking to a psychopath.

    Zachary let out a playful chuckle. "Is that everything that she wanted to tell me? Didn''t she say that she missed me and wanted me to see me as soon as possible?" he continued to ask in a playful manner.

    "Whatever! I am done talking with you!" Sara replied irritably. "Just remember everything I say." "The Blazing Egg and the manual were both from Master Katrina. Treat them as payment for your silence." Sara started to walk away from Zachary. "Goodbye. I''m heading back to Celestial College now,"

    ''Huh. I did not expect that she was sent by that beautiful woman in the cave. I guess she really is powerful to have that kind of authority over Sara, '' Zachary thought to himself. He turned serious immediately after Sara''s departure. The playfulness and smile on his face were all gone. If the beautiful woman sent Sara just to tell him to take good care of the marriage contract, then it must be really serious and important. She definitely would not go through all that trouble just to make sure he would keep it as a secret if she was not concerned and worried. She also clearly wanted to avoid others from suspecting.

    "I guess I really have to be careful this time." With that, Zachary quietly turned back from the woodland and left.

 Chapter 60 A Loser To An Idol

    By the time that Zachary returned to the training ground, Lewis and the stewards had already left the area, and only a few disciples remained. The chatter around him was still all about that battle, with its unspeakable twists and turns. It was virtually unheard of.

    When they heard Zachary return, however, all eyes on the field turned towards him. The look of surprise and admiration was written on their faces. Not even a few months ago, Zachary was seen as something of a loser in the sect. And yet in just a few short months, he had elevated himself to the seventh grade of Mortal Level, with triple martial speed that so many of the disciples there could only dream of.

    Now that he was qualified to enter the Celestial College, along with the tremendous honor of personal instruction from Sara, Zachary represented the image of a prosperous future in the field. He was now considered just as elite as Bruce and Elva, if not more.

    Suddenly, all the disciples still in the area rushed right up to Zachary, surrounding him and clamoring for his attention, suffusing him in praise and awe.

    "Zachary, you were so awesome back there! You held Chandler to a draw! Do you realize how incredible that is?!"

    "It''s true! You''re our hero!"

    "Zachary, Zachary, could you teach me a thing or two? Please?"

    "What was Master Sara saying to you just then? Was she teaching you some new martial arts?" "You''ve got to teach us too! Come on, please?"

    The air was thick with chatter and praise, confounding Zachary for a moment.

    Looking around at the sudden crowd that gathered around him, Zachary inwardly made a bitter smile. ''So it looks like the world is shallow, superficial, and snobby everywhere. It doesn''t matter where I am, '' he thought to himself.

    Back where he came from, in his original world, Zachary had been born into a humble family. He experienced failure, time and time again, in spite of his best efforts. Although he had overcome incredible hardships and so many setbacks to his aspirations, he had never surrendered to fate. And in the end, because of his unremitting efforts, he had become one of the top treasure hunters in that world. That was also why he had been selected to become a tester of the Treasure-hunting Compass. However, that didn''t turn out as planned: there was som

    ch a feat was the most unimaginable achievement in the history of the sect. Other than Chandler, the other three disciples all had triple martial speed!

    Throughout the Welkin Sect, triple martial speed was already considered as a feat only achieved by the top disciples. However, this was merely the "entry level" for the Celestial College.

    The Supernal Continent was home to countless warriors of fame and legend. There were hundreds of sects and clans in the continent. Other than the quota granted to those sects and clans of premium stage, there might be three or four disciples who could make it into the Celestial College with triple martial speed in each sect or clan. It was such a select ability that typically, only one or two disciples with triple martial speed would be found in sects of medium stage. Without a doubt, no weak warrior could possibly get recruited into the Celestial College. Most of the prospects were highly talented. And in their standard, having triple martial speed was merely basic.

    Moreover, in the hallowed halls of the Celestial College, one couldn''t achieve great accomplishments by simply relying on their martial speed. The true way to tear a strip of success through the college was to have diligence and the willingness to learn. It would be up to a warrior''s focus and ability to grow that would decide if they would stand out in the Celestial College. But then again, if a warrior had high martial speed, they might just be able to make great progress in cultivation with much less effort.

 Chapter 61 Arrogance And Disdain

    Among the continent''s sects at the medium stage, the Welkin Sect was considered at the lower end in terms of ranking. It was the first time that the sect could send two disciples, Bruce and Elva, who had triple martial speed, to the Celestial College at the same time. Therefore, for the Welkin Sect that had not seen any disciples who could stand out from Celestial College, there was much hope this time.

    Elva and Bruce had a lot of hopes pinned to them: Should they prosper in the Celestial College, they might be considered for leadership positions in the Welkin Sect in the future. Through them, the sect would elevate itself among sects at the medium stage, and might even further develop into one at the premium stage.

    However, Zachary was the unexpected factor that took them all by surprise. As everyone''s attention went to Elva and Bruce, Zachary seemed to have suddenly appeared from thin air, wielding gifts and talents that went far beyond the first two. And he had managed all of that in so short a time. The astonishing speed at which he recovered from his injuries and the swiftness of his great progress, both in cultivation and martial speed, were beyond imagination.

    Lewis felt a strange sense of compassion towards Zachary following these achievements. While he couldn''t explain Zachary''s development, he had seen the bright light of pure potential in him.

    "Master Lewis? What can I do for you?" Zachary asked, after a beat or two passed wherein no one spoke.

    There was a moment of charitable contemplation before Lewis answered, "Your performance in the selection test, Zachary, has proceeded well beyond our expectations. And we''ve seen quite a few things from you that we can''t really explain. But that doesn''t matter anymore. Always remember to remain humble, to not fall into arrogance or self-conceit. Your talent has qualified you to enter the Celestial College, but you might find yourself as the weakest there, regardless of your current power and triple martial speed. You must mentally prepare yourself for this reality."

    "Okay, then," Zachary replied with no emotion behind it.

    "In order to prepare the four of you further before you enter the Celestial College, I''ve decided to have the stewards provide you with some more personal guidance. Zachary, although Master Sara has indeed trained you in person, I see no harm in you lear

    ng his arms as though all of this should be self-explanatory. "I honestly can''t really appreciate their guidance if they haven''t even the sincerity in giving it. And besides, compared to Master Sara, who even are they? Just as nobody as they said I''d be, I assume."

    The devastating words from Zachary had their desired effect: the stewards were enraged. But because they still sat in front of Lewis, clothed with the dignity of their position, they couldn''t possibly respond to these provocations. Instead they bestowed baleful glares at Zachary, cold as ice, feigning that they were far too above such cretin''s insults. In secret, they were just about ready to teach him a lesson.

    "Very well then, Zachary. If you insist upon not getting any guidance at all, then no one here will force you. You''re dismissed!" In an attempt to diffuse this terrible situation, Lewis could only leave Zachary to his own devices, knowing how stubborn he was. Zachary wouldn''t listen to him anyway.

    After a cursory glance around the hall, with a meaningful look towards Bruce in particular, Zachary only muttered to himself in silence, ''You''ll be next.'' Without another word, his lips curled to a smirk as he departed from the hall.

    "Master Lewis, look at this guy! Can you believe how rude he was just now?! How could we possibly give him any hand in leading the sect in the future? In my opinion, Bruce is the ideal candidate to focus on here, along with our other, more dignified candidates," Herman suggested, looking at Lewis for approval.

    The other stewards only nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 62 Much To Do

    "Please train the three disciples personally before they enter the Celestial College," Lewis told the stewards. "That is all. You are all dismissed!" And with that, he took his leave.

    The stewards followed soon after.

    The disciples also left the hall one after the other.

    "Elva!" Bruce called out as he walked out of the hall.

    "Is there something wrong?" Elva inquired as she turned to look at him.

    "Well, it seems like we haven''t had a practice fight in a while. How about we find a place to train right now? I''d like to see how much you''ve improved," Bruce proposed.

    "Can we practice another time? I have something else to do today," Elva answered with indifference before walking ahead and leaving him.

    She strode on until she caught up with Zachary. She didn''t call his attention, however, and just trailed after him.

    Zachary noticed that Elva was walking behind him, and he asked with a grin, "Are you following me?"

    "I am not following you. I''m heading for the back of mountain to get some fruit." She deadpanned, refusing to admit that she was indeed following him.

    "Really? Well then, I guess I have to go!" And in an instant, Zachary was gone. Elva realized he had used his Shadow Pace to disappear.

    "That guy!" she exclaimed, stomping her feet as she attempted to pursue him.

    But all in vain, she couldn''t find any sign of Zachary or his whereabouts.

    Biting her lips till they turned red, she decided to let it go. But then Zachary suddenly appeared in front of her, carrying peaches in his hands.

    "You..." Elva trailed off, speechless by his abrupt return. "They''re delicious! Would you like some? Here, take them," he insisted, handing the fruits to Elva.

    Although it was a simple gesture, Elva was touched. Her heartbeat quickened. Although her getting fruit was an excuse, Zachary took it seriously and picked the fruit for her himself.

    Their eyes met for a moment, and both indulged in the silence stretching between them.

    But Zachary didn''t take it seriously. H

    at being a quest!" Stunned, Zachary furrowed his eyebrows in wonder. Ever since he was stuck with the main quest, he had not taken any other quests except for cultivation quests.

    "This quest is a hidden one. After completing this quest, new treasure-hunting side quests will be activated. The new quests will be released randomly according to your situation in the Celestial College," Mimi explained.

    "I thought I couldn''t accept any quests until I completed the main quest! I was so worried!" he exclaimed with joy and relief. If there was no quest, he wouldn''t attain any rewards, which would certainly affect his progress in cultivation. Although he would get cultivation-aiding pills for every cultivation quest, they would only be sufficient for daily cultivation.

    Almost immediately, a round pill radiating purple light appeared in front of Zachary. It was the Cultivation Boosting Pill that he had dreamed about for a long time.

    As this pill was of the Mortal Level, it would enable Zachary to upgrade by one grade. He seized it and began to refine it.

    After three whole days and nights, Zachary successfully made a breakthrough and reached the eighth grade of Mortal Level.

    There was still some time before he left for the Celestial College. He used that time to study the booklet on weapon refining that Anne had given him.

 Chapter 63 Learning Weapon Refining

    The first part of the booklet on weapon refining contained techniques in refining weapons, most of which were from Anne''s experience. The second part was a guide to all kinds of weapons, including the top fifty weapons of all levels in the Supernal Continent, as well as all kinds of rare weapons, and so on. Everything in it was available; even the refining materials needed and where to find the said materials were recorded in detail.

    This booklet on weapon refining was like a divine book for every weapon refiner, and was considered to be the most desirable item of all.

    With the booklet, Zachary learned something in particular about weapon refining. It wasn''t difficult. As long as a warrior had the weapon refining skills, he could refine a weapon. However, whether the weapon could be successfully refined or not was another matter.

    The most difficult part of refining a weapon was how to deal with the problems encountered during the process. The process could be divided into five stages: the primary refining, hammer hardening, tempering, purifying, and quenching. Each stage must be done step by step, and at the same time, the warrior must maintain the refining with energy fire. It wasn''t easy for one to refine a weapon in exactly the same way as done in the booklet, so to become a true weapon refiner, one had to be a powerful warrior first.

    The so called "energy fire," which was produced by martial energy, was similar to a martial art. The different was that the energy fire must be maintained for a long time while one strike of a martial art lasted much shorter time, sometimes even less than a second. The energy fire was divided into five elements: metal, wood, water, thunder and earth. They were used according to the refining materials and the refining environment.

    Therefore, if one wished to be a weapon refiner, they had to cultivate a certain kind of element of the energy fire, at least.

    Although the cultivation of the energy fire had something to do with warriors'' strength, it had nothing to do with their cultivation level. That was to say, the energy fire of different elements needed to be specially cultivated by warriors. Different elements of energy fire had their own cultivation methods, which

    for weapon imitations that would spread all over the Supernal Continent, she wouldn''t pass it on to Zachary in the beginning.

    ''I should probably hurry up and study all that are recorded in the booklet, '' Zachary thought to himself as he organized his ideas, ready to put his plan into action. He had already made up his mind.

    As long as he completed the quests released by the system, he could get treasures such as pills, manuals on martial arts and many other kinds of rewards. So he had nothing to worry about. He had enough time to devote himself to learn weapon refining.

    Moreover, Anne''s Holy Bone Bracer, which she molded for him, was an evolutionary OH weapon that could be upgraded by refining. So it really was necessary for him to learn weapon refining.

    With no hesitation, Zachary took the booklet and left the system. Then, he went to the kitchen and packed some food, enough to sustain him for a few days. With all the things he needed at hand, he headed straight for the forbidden area of the Welkin Sect, the Burial Forest.

    The Burial Forest was the perfect place for Zachary if he wanted to learn weapon refining. Naturally, he needed a lot of refining materials for practice. Beginners needed a lot of materials, especially since they expected to try many times. Skeletons of martial beasts or ores could be used as materials for them to practice weapon refining. So the Burial Forest, where the martial beasts roamed, was the best place to collect these ingredients.

 Chapter 64 Fight The Blazing Roc

    Of course, considering the perilous situation in the Burial Forest, Zachary would not take any risks to find rare metals or hunt some martial beasts. He didn''t need to do that as the beasts would fight each other and left him with their precious corpses.

    He spent a satisfactory day choosing suitable bones of the martial beasts.

    But the bones alone would not suffice. He had to cultivate the energy fire first. However, cultivating the energy fire was no laughing matter and would not possibly be done in a day no matter how talented he was. It could take at least a few months or even years to generate. And for Zachary, time was limited.

    Another valid reason that prompted Zachary to venture into the Burial Forest was the possibility of obtaining energy fire without the need for cultivation, but it was quite dangerous. The booklet on weapon refining recorded that one could get the energy fire through the fusion with natural energy fire.

    Natural energy fire was rather rare. It could be from the most powerful martial beasts or extremely dangerous landscapes. Either way, it was not easy!

    Zachary was very lucky because from the booklet he found that the Blazing Roc species had fire with metal element.

    The fire with metal element was the most popular for the weapon refiners in the Supernatural Continent since the common materials used usually contained the metal element. Besides, one could cultivate it easily in places rich in spiritual energy. Hence, among the five different types of energy fire, the one with metal element was the easiest to cultivate.

    The Blazing Roc was exactly the treasure beast with the fire that Zachary wanted. If he could subdue it, he would kill two birds with one stone. It was dangerous but worth a hell lot.

    "Blazing Roc, here I come!" Once everything was set, Zachary performed the Shadow Pace and surged towards Blazing Roc''s nest.

    But soon, Zachary was aghast! The nest was empty.

    "Oh, where did it g

    the tree. Enraged, it gave out a shrill scream. As its wings trembled, an array of feathers came down like a rain of arrows to attack Zachary fiercely.

    Zachary''s expression changed drastically. Simultaneously, he jumped and quickly avoided the feather attack.

    Noting that Zachary had dodged its attack, the Blazing Roc seemed to be annoyed. It flapped its wings, producing huge waves of dust. Soon the air was clouded with dust that blocked Zachary''s vision.

    Zachary looked around alertly. Suddenly, he felt something approaching him from behind. He turned sideways to avoid it immediately, but it was too late. A pair of wings socked him. He tried to dodge but was blown away by the strong force. His body crashed into a nearby tree, the remaining force shaking the tree violently.

    Due to the sudden attack and the great momentum, Zachary''s hands grew numb. Fresh blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth.

    Almost at the same time, he saw the Blazing Roc storming out of the dust and flying low in the air. It blazed directly at him like an enraged bull.

    Sensing this movement, Zachary knew he would be crushed into pieces if hit, but it was too late to dodge.

    "Let''s do it!" Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Thus, with his arms outstretched, Zachary dashed straight towards the Blazing Roc.

 Chapter 65 A Narrow Escape

    At the very next instant, Zachary and the Blazing Roc collided with each other in a violent clash. With its incredible, staggering strength, the roc was able to pull him all the way backwards. With his feet making two deep grooves into the ground as he skidded backwards, he was immediately on the defense. Now, its whole body was covered with surging, roaring flames, reducing his clothes to ashes. He felt as though he were completely engulfed in scorching, blistering heat. He thought he might be burned to death if not for the Holy Bone Bracer that had already absorbed so much of its strength.

    "Aargh!" Zachary screamed out. The shout precluded a blaze of light erupting from the Holy Bone Bracer on Zachary''s wrist, and the energy it had absorbed now exploded outward. He reached out and grabbed at the only part of Blazing Roc''s neck not covered in fire. He effectively blocked its impact and hurled the beast to the ground with all his might.

    The Blazing Roc never expected that Zachary was able to keep his vicious attacks at bay and even counterattack with speed. Even though he had thrown it with full strength, however, it wasn''t nearly as injured as he might have hoped. After all, a martial beast with such rough, thick skin had incredible endurance and wouldn''t be so easily injured.

    And then the beast seemed to be right back up at the next instant. The Blazing Roc had every intention of taking Zachary down to death if it had to. But by the time it had recovered from his previous attack, Zachary was already fired up from fighting spirit without any concern about potential danger. He then activated his Shadow Pace and jumped onto its neck.

    But the moment Zachary landed on the beast''s back, his clothes disintegrated into ashes. Not even the martial energy could defend him from the fierce flames, and it wasn''t long before his skin began to scorch. Pain rippled over his body, but he ground his teeth and never made a sound. Drawing out his Ice Needle, which was prepared for just this moment, he brought it straight into the Energy-gathering Acupoint in its head.

    As the Ice Needle struck into the Blazing Roc''s body, the scorching flames that protected it were extinguished almost instantly. After doing that, Zachary was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

    It didn''t take long for the Blazing Roc to realize that the burning flames on its body had been effectively neutralized by Zachary''s little stunt, and now it could do no further harm to the latter who was still clinging for dear life onto its body. In a single bound, it launched itself into the air above them for over a hundred meters, frantically trying to shake him off and force him

    soothe the great, frightened roc.

    Realizing that Zachary no longer presented any signs of hostility, the Blazing Roc cautiously and carefully consumed the fourth-grade green therapeutic pill.

    Having finished that, Zachary carefully and painfully collapsed into a sitting position beside the Blazing Roc, fighting to catch his breath as he himself tried to rest.

    It took two days for Zachary''s wounds to almost fully heal, and by that time the Blazing Roc had regained some movements as well. However, since he had broken one of its wings, and its Energy-gathering Acupoint was sealed, it could no longer pose as a danger to him.

    "If you allow me, I''d like to take that fire in you. I swear that I won''t treat you unfairly. If you let me do this, I''ll serve you well in the future, care for you, feed and water you, and consider you a friend of mine. Should anyone try to bring harm on you, I will protect and avenge you, with the expectation that you''ll return the favor for me, of course," Zachary said with utmost sincerity. He stood there, arms over his chest, imploring the Blazing Roc, who was lying on the ground at rest.

    While the Blazing Roc didn''t entirely understand what Zachary had said, it inherently understood his meaning. It was an instinctive ability that allowed a treasure beast to understand what humans were trying to say, and it seemed to know what he was asking from it. Like any human might, a beast also had the right to make the choice to survive. Although the Blazing Roc was a martial beast at the Heaven Level, it was still trapped here through Zachary''s maneuvers. The beast knew that it wouldn''t be able to get out of there easily. And in a way, it understood it had no choice. Though still somewhat unwilling, it seemed to accept its fate.

 Chapter 66 Fuse With The Fire

    A ball of strange, dazzling golden flame came out of the Blazing Roc''s mouth and fell in front of Zachary.

    "Thank you. I will take it." Zachary immediately reached out to catch the golden flame. The moment it fell on his palm, it turned into a wisp of golden smoke and went into his body.

    All of a sudden, Zachary felt a warm current course through his body, as if a hot spring had enveloped him. After that, he felt his martial energy circulate rapidly. At the same time, his body also emitted a faint golden light, which was different from his original purple one.

    Suddenly, Zachary felt a sharp burning sensation near his lower abdomen, which quickly increased in intensity. Soon, he could feel the burning sensation along his meridians, and it was so hot and painful that he felt that his meridians were melting.

    Zachary could not help clenching his teeth, because it hurt so much. However, knowing that it was the fusion''s side effect, he could do nothing but endure the pain. After a long time, the burning sensation spread all over his body, which caused him to sweat so profusely that he felt like he was in a cave that was on fire.

    "There is no such thing as a free meal in this world!" Zachary snorted, and activated the martial energy in his body, in an attempt to reduce the burning feeling.

    But he soon found that the martial energy in his body was out of control. It seemed that his entire body was out of control, and he could do nothing about it. He was like a bystander watching himself suffer.

    "Damn it! Whatever!" Zachary had resigned himself to the fact that there was no other way but to bear the strong burning sensation in his body.

    After experiencing excruciating pain for a long time, Zachary suddenly felt that the martial energy in his body had grown stronger. Without being aware of it, he had reached the bottleneck to the Earth Level, which meant that he had skipped the ninth grade of Mortal Level.

    "No way! Is it because of the fusion with the fire with metal element?" Zachary was both surprised and delighted, as he had never expected that would happen. But he soon figured out what

    cal cultivation method. And as the martial energy circulation of physical cultivators had no fixed direction, even if he were to reverse his martial energy''s movement, his body would not be harmed.

    In addition to reverse circulation, learning the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill also required the learner to be exceptionally talented. As a treasure-hunting expert, Zachary enjoyed challenges, especially those that were extremely difficult. Therefore, in the next few days, he began to use the materials he had collected to practice how to forge weapons. Of course, no matter how talented a genius he was, he could not understand weapon refining at one go. It was already challenging enough for him to keep his energy fire burning.

    On the first day

    "Failed again? It only lasted for two hours. Just a little more!"

    On the second day

    "Damn it! Luck please bless me! Only ten hours!"

    The fourth day

    "Oh, my God! It finally lasted one whole day. Keep up the good work!"

    Zachary tried countless times, but he failed repeatedly.

    Eventually, he managed to maintain his fire with metal element for two days, which met the basic weapon refining requirement. However, that was the beginning stage.

    Meanwhile, the day when he had to go to the Celestial College arrived.

    Zachary, who had been practicing weapon refining in the Burial Forest, returned to the Welkin Sect when it was time for him to do so.

 Chapter 67 Something Difficult To Tell

    The registration for Celestial College''s new students was in three days. However, they needed to arrive at the school earlier to get themselves ready for the function. Normally, they would set out three days in advance.

    As soon as Zachary returned to the Welkin Sect, he was asked to go to the Heavenly Martial Hall.

    On reaching the Heavenly Martial Hall, he saw that it was already full of people, including Lewis and the stewards.

    Bruce, Elva, and Chandler, the other three disciples who were to go to the Celestial College with Zachary, were also present.

    They had been receiving special training from the stewards in the past few days. It was obvious that they had made some progress, although the training time had been short.

    On the other hand, it seemed that Zachary had not changed a bit. Therefore, people present at the Martial Heavenly Hall received him disdainfully. The news that he had refused to accept the stewards'' guidance had spread throughout the sect.

    Seeing that Zachary had arrived, Lewis signaled to the crowd to be quiet.

    "You are going to the Celestial College tomorrow. You should be proud of the fact that you are entering the Celestial College and will be representing our sect. Of course, your being there is also our sect''s honor. But before you leave, I have to tell you something." Then, he looked at the four disciples.

    "The Celestial College is very different from the Welkin Sect. Here, you may be regarded as gifted geniuses, but at the Celestial College, there are countless disciples with such talents. In other words, you will be nobodies there. However, I have full faith in your talent and diligence. I am certain that you will stand out from the other students. We have high expectations of you, especially Bruce and Elva. Most of your seniors who entered the Celestial College earlier, did not achieve anything. Of course, that is the fate of most of the disciples. You must remember that unless you are exceptionally talented, you will not be able to shine there. Therefore, after you enter the college, you must train even harder than you did at the Welkin Sect, so that you

    Lewis had ordered him to go to his room, Zachary went where Lewis lived, which was a separate pavilion in Welkin Sect''s northwestern part.

    After entering Lewis'' quarter, Zachary looked around and found that the pavilion''s furnishings were elegantly simple. He saw a few chairs on either side of the room, together with some plants and ornaments. Lewis was sitting with eyes closed on a long couch in cultivation. His body emitted a faint golden orange glow, which indicated the power of a warrior at the Imperial Level.

    Zachary muttered softly, as if talking to himself, "When can I become as powerful as him?" Then he called out, "Master Lewis, I am here!"

    Lewis slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Zachary, his eyes shining brightly as if they were infused with energy. After looking at Zachary, he pointed to the chair next to him and ordered, "Sit down!"

    Zachary sat down, crossed his legs and asked, "Master Lewis, you asked me to come over. I do not think you only plan to given me the reward. Am I right? Is there something that you want to tell me in private?"

    "You have always been smart and hard-working. To be honest, I did not expect you to make it to the Celestial College. Of course, I am glad for you. I think, had your parents been alive, they would have been proud of you as well. However, I am concerned about you." Lewis''s tone was rather burdened, as if he had something difficult to tell.

 Chapter 68 The Truth Behind The Familys Extermination

    "What are you worried about?" Upon hearing Lewis'' words, Zachary knew that his words had a profound meaning.

    "I know you want to be a warrior because you want to avenge your parents'' deaths. But you are a grown man now, and qualified to enter the Celestial College. You have a bright future ahead. So, I do not want you to be blinded by hatred. It is not good for your cultivation," Lewis sighed.

    "Oh, I see. Master Lewis, do not worry about that. I have already let go of the revenge. That is why I have made progress. Earlier, I wanted to take revenge, but it was like invisible shackles. My desire for revenge controlled me. So, after thinking through, I''ve finally improved myself," Zachary replied calmly.

    His calm reaction surprised Lewis, because just a few months ago, the Zachary he knew would have never said something like that. However, hearing Zachary''s words also comforted him.

    "If that is what you think, then rest assured that I can tell you the truth about your family''s massacre," Lewis nodded slightly.

    "The truth?" Zachary knew the truth about his family''s extermination from the memories of the original body''s owner. He knew that his father had once been the leader of the Zi Clan, a clan of warriors. He also knew that Zi Clan was one of the most influential clans at the medium stage in Enigmatic Kingdom. Furthermore, the Zi Clan was strong that it even exercised a significant hold and threat on the sects and clans at the premium stage. Then, it was suddenly wiped out by a group of mysterious warriors, and his parents also died miserably in that fight. Till that day, even his fiancee''s whereabouts were unknown.

    "In fact, I did not tell you the truth¡ªthere was a rebellion. Some ambitious members of the Zi Clan killed your parents to seize the clan''s core power." Lewis revealed the truth.

    "So that is how it is," Zachary smiled coldly. ''What a pitiful man! No one told the original owner of this body such an important truth.''

    However, to prevent Lewis from suspecting, Zachary immediately pretended to be righteously indignant and asked angrily, "Who the hell killed my parents?"

    "He is your father''s only brother, Armand Zi," Lewis said in an angry tone as his eyes became cold.

    "So it is this guy who killed my parents. Wait, wait a moment. My uncle? No, it is not possible! Why did he do that?" Zachary was a

    am sorry. I overslept," Zachary said, but he still walked slowly and it took him a long time to reach at the front of the Heavenly Martial Hall.

    "How dare you make so many of the Welkin Sect''s people wait for you for such a long time! This is not right!" Herman immediately assumed a posture and started scolding Zachary.

    "Never mind. It is not a big deal," Lewis said, after hearing what Herman had said.

    Just then, the sky over him suddenly darkened, and a strange turtle-shaped animal with six huge wings descend from the sky.

    "Wow, what is this?" It was the first time that Zachary had seen such a beast.

    "It is the Wind Turtle. Haven''t you seen it before?" Elva explained immediately, seeing that Zachary was surprised.

    Upon hearing Elva''s words, Zachary recalled the information about the Wind Turtle from this body owner''s memories. It was a kind of martial beasts, and was gentle by nature and easily tamed. That made it a popular flying vehicle in the Supernal Continent.

    "It turns out that this beast is used as a plane in this world. I wonder if it is safe travelling on it. It seems that there is no accident insurance. If one falls to their death, they have no choice but to accept it!" Zachary said, amused by what he said.

    Under the watchful eyes of the public, Zachary and the other three boarded the Wind Turtle. As it slowly took off, it also displaced a large amount of loose sand that became a sand cloud. Meanwhile, the Wind Turtle slowly flew away from the Welkin Sect and toward the Celestial College, which was in the Celestial City.

 Chapter 69 The Celestial City

    As the Celestial College, which was in the Celestial City, was a long way from the Welkin Sect, Zachary intended to find an opportunity to chat with Elva and bond with her on their trip there. However, she seemed to deliberately avoid him by sitting on the Wind Turtle''s back. Her aloof demeanor and her stern expression made it evident that she did not want to interact with anybody, least of all Zachary. Besides, Bruce kept following her everywhere like a faithful doe-eyed puppy. He would speak to her at the first chance he got and help her in case she needed anything. So, as Zachary was not getting any opportunity to either chat with her or help her, he decided to step aside before they arrived at the Celestial College.

    Of course, completing the last one of the series of sub-quests was uppermost on his mind, as that would allow him to continue with the main quest. However, he was aware that to complete that quest, he needed to create the ideal situation to do that. Therefore, he decided to consider carefully before making a decision after reaching the Celestial College.

    In contrast with Elva''s indifference, Chandler followed Zachary everywhere. It was the first time that Zachary had met someone so enthusiastic and considerate. He was both flattered and surprised when Chandler fetched him a glass of drinking water.

    "Chandler, I can get water by myself. You do not need to do that," Zachary said politely. He was a little embarrassed by the way Chandler was treating him. His behavior even made Zachary wonder whether Chandler was gay.

    "It is not a big deal. In fact, the first time I saw you, I started seeing you as one of my friends. Maybe it is because our experiences are similar. Both of us went through difficult times before we achieved our present status of strength," Chandler said sincerely. Although he was not a genius, he was one of the talented disciples as compared to most of the others. However, when he had first joined the sect, the other disciples had used to give him the cold shoulder, as they saw him as a fool. Therefore, he naturally felt close to Zachary, who had the same experience.

    "Really?" Zachary''s eyes suddenly lost their shine as he thought

    n and one woman were leading the group and attracted the most attention. It was clear that they were at the Heaven Level.

    Of course, Zachary knew the distribution of forces in the Enigmatic Kingdom from the body owner''s memories. The Virid Sword Sect was famous for its swordsmanship. The Virid Sword Sect had committed itself to studying swordsmanship since their establishment. Consequently, that had made them the uncontested leading experts in that area.

    Without a doubt, the Virid Sword Sect''s warriors were first-rate and unmatched in their swordsmanship.

    Among all the sects in the Enigmatic Kingdom, there were only three clans'' skills that could compete with the swordsmanship of the Virid Sword Sect. They were the Dragon Fist Sect, famous for its fist skills, the Hua Clan, famous for its kicking skills, and the Ying Clan, the most mysterious clan in the Enigmatic Kingdom.

    These four famous forces were all at the premium stage.

    "Hey, she is pretty!" suddenly Zachary shouted. He ignored the two men and set his eyes on the beautiful woman. Her delicate features and her perfect face looked even more exquisite in a bright purple dress. Her aquiline nose and intoxicatingly innocent blue eyes made her look like a person of high birth. Her mix of oriental and western beauty said that she seemed to be a person of mixed blood.

    "Wow, there are also half-breeds in this world!" Zachary said excitedly, as if he had discovered a new continent.

 Chapter 70 The Unrivaled Genius

    "She should be Joyce Chen, the unrivaled talent in the Virid Sword Sect. From what everyone has heard, she possesses quadruple martial speed. And yet she''s roughly the same age as Zachary," Elva remarked. She might have been feeling a little competitive. Of course, she''d heard the news of Joyce Chen, who was likely the talk of the town. Joyce Chen was at the first grade of Heaven Level as she was, and also a few years younger than her. The comparison was stark: If Elva was a genius, then Joyce Chen could only be considered to be even more of a genius. She was unrivaled in her talent, and had achieved just as much in less time.

    "Quadruple martial speed? That''s just unbelievable," Zachary stared, rather astounded at the revelation. Who could''ve thought that someone as beautiful as Joyce Chen would hide such deadly force and such martial speed?

    Across the Supernal Continent, the typical limit for a warrior''s inborn martial speed was usually three times that of regular martial speed: triple martial speed. Nobody had seen a warrior with quadruple martial speed until Joyce Chen appeared.

    It was not a surprise that Elva and all the other warriors from the sects all across the continent would recognize who she was exactly. After all, all of them were surprised and jealous of what Joyce Chen had accomplished.

    But beyond her talent and martial speed, Joyce Chen also made waves for her eye-catching beauty. Male heads turned wherever she went, following the light of her loveliness. Some emboldened warriors even got up the courage to try to chat her up. But where Joyce Chen went also followed the two male warriors, who stood flanking her like bodyguards. They were at Heaven Level, and had intimidating auras that no one wanted to face head on.

    By this time, several disciples of Virid Sword Sect started to whisper.

    "Before leaving the sect, we were told by our leader that we were supposed to keep a low profile. But now Everyone is talking about Joyce," said a charming man with long red hair, standing at Joyce Chen''s right hand.

    "Come now, Colin. There won''t be a problem. After all, we''re both here to protect Joyce. None of these annoying, thoughtless guys will dare approach her." The younger man with them, good looking and heroic, beamed brightly, drawing the eyes of the female warriors in the area.

    "That''s enough. They''re all just talking. Just ignore them," Joyce Chen said calmly as she was used to being the cent

    uicide, they backed away.

    Not long after Zachary and the three other disciples of the Welkin Sect took their token and proceeded onward, they noted the presence of many powerful warriors, all decked in blue, gathering before them. It appeared as though they were waiting for something or someone.

    A charming, adorable, and beautiful lady appeared before them without a sound. Her expression was bright and full of youthful vitality.

    "Hello there! Nice to meet you! Welcome to the Celestial College. I''m Rebecca Hua! You must be the guys assigned to live in the No. 45 disciple dormitory, is that right? Why don''t you follow me? I''m the person assigned to look after your disciple dormitory!" Rebecca Hua said all of this with her sweet smile, beaming like the warmth of the sun. She was Elva''s complete opposite: Where Elva was a cool, glacial beauty, Rebecca Hua blossomed like sunshine. Even though Elva''s beauty was clearly superior, Rebecca Hua''s brightness drew the eyes like flowers looking to the sun.

    "Hello, beautiful lady. My name is Zachary Zi. I hope you don''t mind, but may I know your measurements, hobbies and what you like doing in your spare time?" Zachary was talking a mile a minute as he made a beeline for Rebecca Hua. He was pretended to be attracted by her beauty, but the real aim for him was to shake off Chandler''s grip.

    A little flabbergasted, Rebecca Hua paused for a second before her bright smile returned. "Oh dear, that''s so many questions all in one second! I don''t know how to answer you right now. You''ve overwhelmed me! How about we talk about it later and work on your accommodations first?"

 Chapter 71 The Hua Clan

    "Then tell me your measurements first." After saying those words, Zachary suddenly became serious. He had his reasons to behave like a lecherous man. One was that he wanted everyone to think that he was a shameless womanizer because that would enable him to carry out what he planned to do later at the Celestial College without anyone detecting anything.

    It was evident that all the warriors around Zachary despised him.

    But before he could successfully flirt with the girl, another pretty girl suddenly appeared and raised her hand to pat his head.

    However, her palm missed its target, as Zachary''s figure suddenly disappeared from where he had been standing.

    "Elva, it is wrong to launch a sneak attack. Help me, beauty!" The next moment, Zachary appeared behind Rebecca.

    "When did you come behind me?" Rebecca asked, shocked, when she saw that Zachary was silently standing behind her. She had not noticed him make any movement.

    "Just now!" Zachary answered, raising his eyebrows.

    Hearing his reply, Rebecca frowned. Then, she suddenly turned to Zachary and said, "Your disciple dormitory is the second last, if you turn left to the south. Let us see who arrives first. If you are faster than me, I will tell you my measurements."

    "Really?" Zachary said excitedly.

    "Stop it, Zachary! You can''t hold a candle to her. Don''t humiliate yourself!" Bruce snorted. He was displeased with Zachary.

    What Bruce said was right. Although Rebecca did not release her martial energy, it was most likely that she was far more powerful than they were.

    "She will surely allow me to have a head start!" Saying that, Zachary calmly looked at Rebecca.

    "Okay, I will let you run first. Is that alright?" Rebecca said generously.

    "Okay, great! I will go first." No sooner had Zachary finished speaking than he began running forward. He did not use Shadow Pace at the start, because he wanted to test Rebecca. Nevertheless, he was running fast.

    "His movement skill looks ordinary! But just now... Never mind. Let me

    ll was extraordinary.

    "It so happens that you arrived very late. I have been walking around the dormitory for a while. Elva, the room in the east is beautiful. It has with sufficient light, and we can even see a red grove..." All of a sudden, a figure swaggered out of the dormitory and came toward them.

    "When did you get in?" Rebecca was stunned.

    "When I arrived, I didn''t see you here, so I entered the dormitory," Zachary answered calmly.

    "How is that possible? I did not see you on my way here..." Rebecca could not believe what she was seeing, nor what Zachary had said.

    Meanwhile, Elva also sported a meaningful smile on her red lips.

    "You must have made a wrong judgment." Zachary smiled, and then said to Elva, "Let''s go inside." Then, he turned around, and walked in again.

    With her eyes wide open, Rebecca stared at Zachary''s back, then at Elva.

    "I have told you that he is faster than I am. Now do you believe me?" Noticing how surprised and curious Rebecca was, Elva was amused. Then, she walked in too.

    However, Rebecca still could not figure out when Zachary had overtaken her.

    "This guy is a little weird. I was careless and did not use my full strength. I think that is why he was able to overtake me..." Concluding thus, Rebecca turned and left immediately, because she could not tell him her measurements.

 Chapter 72 Rules Of The Celestial College

    Not long after, Bruce and Chandler arrived at the disciple dormitory. After entering it, they saw Zachary and Elva come out of a room in the east.

    "This room belongs to Elva and me," Zachary said, pointing at the room behind him.

    Elva gently kicked Zachary after he said that. She would have beaten him up for his loose talk, had she not known that he liked to joke around. So, she said, "Chandler, Zachary will share a room with you for the time being. Keep an eye on him, especially at night. If he has nothing to do, do not let him go out!" After that, she entered the room behind her.

    "Zachary, let us go and check the room we are going to live in," Chandler proposed in a friendly manner. Then, he took Zachary to the room that was in the dormitory''s north side.

    Bruce headed towards the remaining room in the west, making a cold snorting sound.

    In the afternoon, Rebecca appeared again at No. 45 disciple dormitory, where Zachary and other Welkin Sect''s members lived.

    Standing in the middle of the courtyard, she gently ordered everyone to come out. Although she did not speak loudly, everyone in their room could hear her.

    Soon, Zachary and the other three disciples came out of their rooms and walked to the courtyard.

    "Hello, Rebecca! Nice to see you again. Oh, right, you have not shared your measurements with me!" Zachary said smugly.

    Rebecca glanced at him but did not pay heed to him.

    "Here are the rules of the Celestial College. As a matter of fact, they are simple. First, you must respect all the teachers who teach in the Celestial College. Also, you are required to attend all the classes unless there are special circumstances. Second, there is a midnight curfew. No disciple is allowed to linger around the Celestial College after the curfew, and must go back to their dormitory. These rules are not meant to restrict you. It is just that after midnight, many masters will compete against one another and make the entire college their arena. If you hear any peculiar sound, you do not need to pay attention to it. But, do remember that you cannot leave your dorm. Otherwise, our Celestial College will not be responsible for any possible accidents that may occur. Third, disciples are not allowed to fight in private here. If t

    ough they were masters, they did not have much of a future there. Also, there were many warriors who focused entirely on martial arts and stayed on at the Celestial College to continue their cultivation and reach higher levels. All in all, the only way to be able to stand out in the Enigmatic Kingdom was by receiving training at the Celestial College. It was true not only in the Enigmatic Kingdom, but also in the other three kingdoms.

    The Freshmen Zone was responsible for admitting the new disciples. Moreover, the number of warriors entering the Celestial College every year was usually less than five hundred. Therefore, the Freshmen Zone was much smaller than the other four zones.

    In addition, it was located in an area that was covered by forests. The place where the dormitories were located was rather flat, but the other places were linked by paths that had many twists and turns.

    After leaving the disciple dormitory, Zachary walked on the forest path for a while. He felt bored, because besides the woods, there was nothing new for him there.

    "I thought I was going to have fun in this Celestial College. Yet, it looks like just as boring as the Welkin Sect. But those secluded groves¡ªthey seem interesting. I can use them to do naughty things, like having outdoor sex stealthily. I will find a suitable place and put up a tent there as a cover, so that I can cultivate in the system. If the tent is discovered, no one will suspect me," Zachary said and planned his future course of action.

 Chapter 73 She Is My Wife

    Zachary got bored and was on his way back when several warriors saw him. They stared at his clothing and recognized him as a disciple from the Welkin Sect. One of them then pointed at him.

    "He''s from the Welkin Sect, right?"

    "Yes. I heard that there were four disciples from that rubbish sect who made it to the Celestial College this year. They got so lucky!"

    "Although the Welkin Sect is at the medium stage, it''s actually no different from those sects at the primary stage. The Welkin Sect can''t hold a candle to our Skeleton Sect!"

    "This guy''s cultivation should be less than the Earth Level. Why was he able to enter the Celestial College? The Welkin Sect even let this crap come here!"

    The three warriors from the Skeleton Sect mocked Zachary loudly as if he weren''t there.

    Zachary heard all their words and stared at them from head to foot. All three were at the premium stage of Earth Level. The one who wore a blue robe was at the ninth grade of Earth Level.

    Under normal circumstances, Zachary would not simply let go of insults. But unsanctioned fighting between disciples was strictly prohibited in the Celestial College. And since he was a new disciple, he didn''t want to cause any trouble. So he continued walking as if he didn''t hear anything.

    The three disciples felt insulted when Zachary ignored them and simply walked past them, so they surrounded him.

    "Get out of my way," Zachary said calmly as soon as he was surrounded by the three disciples.

    "Brat, you are the one who is in our way. If you want to leave, you have no choice but to creep between my legs. Ha-ha!" Their numbers and superior strength made them bold, and they wanted to take advantage of the situation to bully Zachary. But they did not want to make the first move. They simply wanted

    t I''d like to see what danger they have in store for me. Bring them here. I''ll wait for them inside!" Joyce then went straight into the forest nearby.

    Zachary watched as Joyce entered the forest. He smiled proudly to himself and walked back to the three warriors of the Skeleton Sect.

    "She is waiting for you in the forest now. Please be merciful," Zachary said to the three warriors.

    "Don''t worry. We will treat your wife very, very nicely. You can go now!" The three warriors had seen Joyce enter the forest and wanted to wait no longer. They immediately rushed into the forest one after another.

    "Idiots. The girl in the forest will be more than happy to make you eat dirt. If you die, I''ll make sure to burn paper money for you," Zachary sneered and walked away.

    Not long after, screams came from the depths of the forest. When the screams died down, a girl came out. She looked around, but there was no sign of Zachary anywhere.

    "That crazy guy said I was his wife. Ugh! And I even tried to help him just now. I must be going crazy!" Joyce bit her pink lips and stamped her feet angrily. But when she realized that Zachary was nowhere to be found, she decided to walk away.

 Chapter 74 Using Energy Fire

    On Zachary''s return to his disciple dormitory, he saw Chandler hauling around a massive stone that he had clearly uprooted from somewhere. He was evidently struggling as he was sweating bullets all over the place.

    "Zachary! You''re finally back. Elva was looking for you," Chandler immediately told him, setting the huge stone down.

    "Really? Where is she right now?" Zachary raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.

    "She just stepped out with Bruce actually. You''ve just missed her," Chandler replied with a smile.

    "I wish I''d known; I wouldn''t have left otherwise. Bruce is really good at finding excuses to whisk her away, isn''t he? Oh right, I need to go find Master Sara and ask her to take me to Master Katrina," Zachary murmured to himself.

    "Who''s Master Katrina?" Chandler blinked curiously. He felt puzzled and wondered to know who was Zachary referring to.

    "Oh, nothing!" Zachary hastily beat a retreat and headed back to his room. As he shared quarters with Chandler, he didn''t have an opportunity to enter the system. He just opted for a sleep until the night drew over them.

    It wasn''t long before it was late into the night, everything in stillness.

    After training and practicing all day, Chandler, exhausted, was in a deep sleep in his bed. Zachary lay with his eyes closed, and, sensing his roommate''s steady, even breathing, opened his eyes. Casting a glance at Chandler, he got up and crept out of the room with a bag in hand. He left the disciple dormitory and headed for the north of the Freshmen Zone.

    Before long, Zachary reached a pine forest in the north of the Freshmen Zone, and he snuck into it with all the silence and stealth of a thief in the night.

    Then he set a simple tent up within the depths of the forest, which was on the flat ground by a pond and was made by some long, thick branches.

    "This should be alright for now. If anyone stumbles along, they''ll just think I''m camping," Zachary muttered to himself, as he finished his work, brushing his hands clear of dirt. After stepping into his tent, he started the Treasure-hunting Compass and entered the system.

    Wandering into the Peach Blossom Forest, he came upon the Blazing Roc. The creature had already built a shelter in the forest, and was now resting on its stomach, safe and sound.

    "Hello, Blazing Roc! Were you waiting long? Did you miss me?" Zachary chirruped in greeting as he went up to the roc.

    The Blazing Roc raised its great head and took a look at Zachary, acknowledging him but just barely. Then it haughtily set its head back down, ignoring him completely, and was cl

    warriors, the cream of the crop among the freshmen, to specially train them," Elva explained patiently.

    "Finally! I''ve been itching for a fight for ages, and my fists are getting weary of disuse." Chandler grinned, clearly excited by the prospect of this competition.

    "Seriously? Is there a way I can just skip this?" Zachary rolled his eyes. His least favorite thing right now was to take part in some troublesome competition, unless, of course, there was a significant treasure as a reward to pique his interest.

    "Of course you can''t! This is mandatory. Every incoming new disciple is required to participate in the freshmen contest," Elva replied, shaking her head.

    "Oh very well. Let''s join in, then. It''s not like I have a choice," Zachary shrugged absently, as he honestly couldn''t really do much about this.

    "Oh you think you''re so important, do you? It doesn''t matter if someone like you participates or not. With your so-called strength, you''d only be part of the body count," Bruce snapped disdainfully, narrowing his eyes at Zachary''s aloofness.

    Zachary replied with a cold smile, "Don''t get ahead of yourself, Bruce. You might even not be able to be as good as me in the coming contest."

    "Oh is that right?!" Bruce started to rise to his feet.

    "Yeah, you know what? Let''s make this a little more interesting with a bet. The loser between us will strip naked and streak around the Freshmen Zone. How about it?" Zachary grinned with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

    Bruce''s jaw dropped at such a ridiculous stipulation. He was fairly confident he''d be able to defeat Zachary, but he did have some misgivings. After all, Zachary did show off an excellent performance and skill in magic just before.

 Chapter 75 Teaming Up With Zachary

    "Would you two just cut it out?! Need I remind the both of you that the freshmen contest isn''t merely a test of strength? There''s far more to it than barbaric posturing. Like the selection test in the Welkin Sect, there will be a variety of challenges to face. But it will surely be a lot more severe and quite cruel. We need to teaming up with someone else. And this typically requires even a smidgen of cooperation and understanding," Elva scolded them firmly, looking from one to the other. "However, three people are needed to form a team in the freshmen contest. Now you can see the problem here: we have four people in our sect. And you know that means..." Elva trailed off, her expression conflicted. As she did, her lovely eyes met Zachary''s across the room.

    The weight of her implication dawned on Zachary: Because there were four of them and only three could be a team, one person would have to go alone and sacrifice himself. And from the way they all looked at him, it became immensely clear that he himself was expected to be the victim.

    "Obviously, the three of us¡ªme, Elsa, and Chandler¡ªare more than enough for one team. So I suppose someone here would have to find another team, huh?" Bruce remarked, as his lips curled into a sneer at Zachary.

    Zachary had no intention of ever teaming up with Bruce on such an event, but he was surprised to be abandoned by Elva. Giving her a plaintive expression, he whined, "Are you really that hardhearted to leave me on my own like this, Elva?"

    His words made Elva hesitate for a moment. She was well aware of Zachary''s level of strength, however, and was certain that no one wanted to be saddled with him in a competition like this.

    "Elva, don''t fall for it. I suggest you leave him alone. He''s only going to drag us down," Bruce said with a darkened face after noticing that Elva was seriously considering changing the plan about Zachary.

    "That''s enough of that. I''ll team up with Zachary instead," Chandler interjected, volunteering a quick solution to their trouble, his face determined.

    "Chandler..." Zachary was somewhat moved by his willingness to keep the peace. But still, he couldn''t quite let go of the fact that this meant Bruce and Elva would team together, with plenty of time alone. So he replied, "I wholly appreciate the kindness, Chandler, but like Bruce here said: You''ll only get bogged down if you were to team up with me. I think your best chances are if you team up with Bruce over ther

    making fun of me, I''ll make you regret the day you were born," Elva snapped.

    Finally seeing that Elva was in no humorous mood and was not willing to be placated, Zachary dropped his shoulders in disappointment.

    "Now let''s go. Don''t forget that we have a lot of work ahead of us. We have to find a third disciple talented enough and willing to join us," Elva sighed as she gave him a last glance. She was really starting to doubt her decision. But if she hadn''t made that choice, she''d spend her time worrying about Zachary being left alone to fend for himself.

    She wondered to herself when she started getting so concerned about his wellbeing. She certainly had no reason to!

    Zachary only nodded somberly and followed after Elva.

    There were roughly four hundred new disciples that had managed to gain entry into the Celestial College. And yet in spite of that immense number, it would still be a great challenge to find a powerful, talented disciple who would conceivably be able to join them.

    And just as what Elva predicted, most of the new disciples had already grouped themselves to their own teams. Often within the same sect, as most of the sects had sent in disciples in groups of three or less. Only a handful of disciples from the sects of premium stage stood independent and alone, but they were unlikely to want to team up with strangers from a different sect, and would rather team up with each other.

    This left a demand for new members among the sects who were still missing a final member. Just as they expected, this awkward situation afflicted a number of teams. Many teams seemed to be trying to recruit teammates.

 Chapter 76 Recruit A Groom

    Just then, the square in the center of Freshmen Zone was very crowded, and a variety of boards had been set up to announce the search for teammates.

    "Come to us! We will strive for the top ten!"

    "Have a look here! Our sect has all kinds of therapeutic pills!"

    "We want a teammate at the medium stage of Earth Level! We will give you a MH weapon at the Rare Level."

    And there were all kinds of announcements.

    However, the demand far exceeded the supply. The ones with higher cultivation based joined the teams from sects at the premium stage or the leading teams from sects at the medium stage. As a result, other groups from the lower-end sects had no chance of recruiting strong teammates.

    "Elva, shall we shout for a teammate as well?" Zachary turned to Elva and asked.

    "No, I will not do that. You can hang up a board if you want," Elva refused, as she did not want to advertise herself in public.

    "No way! We cannot do this without you!" Zachary said hurriedly.

    "No way," Elva refused firmly.

    "Elva, do you want that only the two of us take part in the freshmen contest? If that is the case, we will definitely lose. Anyway, I do not mind ending up losing with you." Zachary looked at Elva dotingly.

    Elva started getting goose bumps when she saw Zachary gazing at her. Finally, she conceded, saying, "Okay, I will take the board, and you do the shouting!"

    Zachary grinned and then ran away. After a while, he got a board on which he had written something to recruit a teammate, and handed it over to Elva.

    After hesitating for a while, she took it from him.

    As soon as Zachary saw that Elva was holding the board, he grinned wickedly and immediately started shouting, "Here is the most beautiful woman of the freshmen in the Celestial College, Elva Han. I am here to recruit a groom to marry her! Do not miss the chance!"

    All the male disciples in the square were shocked by what Zachary had said. Everyone present, which included those who were recruiting others, came in his direction

    n as they entered the square, they saw that Elva leaving with Zachary.

    "It''s him." Joyce recognized Zachary as soon as she saw him, and clenched her small fists.

    "I will be right back, Derrick." Saying that, she walked directly towards Elva and Zachary.

    Seeing Joyce look upset, Derrick also followed her.

    Soon, she was face-to-face with Zachary and Elva.

    Zachary did not easily get alone time with Elva, so he had planned to take that opportunity to continue to woo her. He had not expected Joyce to appear suddenly.

    Of course, Elva was also surprised.

    The disciples also felt odd, seeing Joyce suddenly come up to Elva and Zachary. Out of curiosity, they immediately gathered around them, as they wanted to know what was going to happen next.

    "How dare you make fun of me!" Joyce pointed at Zachary furiously.

    "Sorry, do I know you? I know all the beautiful women here, but who are you?" Zachary pretended that he did not know her.

    His words made the people present angry, and all of them protested against what Zachary had said. However, he seemed to be oblivious to the crowd''s reaction.

    "This guy is really interesting. He dared to say something like that. He is really annoying, but Joyce may not want my help!" It was Derrick, who said those words to himself. He had followed Joyce, and now was looking at Zachary.

 Chapter 77 The Fight Between Two Beauties

    "How dare you!" Joyce became more furious at Zachary''s words though she was still reasonable to some point. "If you admit your mistake and apologize to me, I will let you go. Otherwise..."

    "Otherwise what? Are you going to bite me?" Zachary decided to be brazen because if he admitted his fault, he would have a worse time. In order to deal with the three disciples from the Skeleton Sect, he had lied that Joyce was his wife. If Elva found out about it, she would definitely be angry.

    Joyce never expected Zachary to be such a bastard. She simply wanted an explanation for his previous behavior, but his reaction made her angrier.

    Joyce suddenly moved forward. She was only a few meters away from Zachary and in the blink of an eye, she crossed the distance between them. She was so fast that it amazed everyone who saw her move.

    But Zachary was not inferior when it came to speed. As soon as he saw that Joyce made the slightest move to get near, he quickly retreated, and went behind Elva.

    Everyone present was surprised that Zachary was able to dodge the surprise attack of Joyce. Everyone knew that Zachary''s cultivation level was lower than Joyce''s, and there was no way that he could''ve avoided her attack.

    "Why did you avoid my attack? Do you feel guilty about what you''ve done?" Joyce snorted after she saw Zachary''s reaction. What she really wanted to do was grab Zachary, so she continued to advance towards him.

    However, a hand beautiful and white like ivory blocked Joyce''s further actions. It turned out that it was Elva who tried to stop Joyce.

    "Joyce, please calm down. You don''t have to fight him," Elva said in a calm voice.

    Joyce stared at Elva. She was so focused on Zachary that she was not able to pay enough attention to Elva''s presence. When she had a good look at Elva, she realized that Elva was not inferior to her own beauty. What surprised Joyce even more was that they were more or less equal in strength and aura.

    "You are?" Joyce asked in a low voice. Her face curled into a puzzled look.

    "I am Elva Han, a disciple from the Welkin Sect," Elva replied in a straightforward tone.

    "I

    as not long when the two feminine hands began fighting for supremacy. Purple martial energy emanated from the hands and became more intense as the seconds passed by. What began as a cautious test of each other''s strength eventually became a full-blown contest as the two ladies released their strength without hesitation. Their martial energy soon filled an area of ten meters from the center of their conflict.

    The people who watched the conflict keenly felt the increasing intensity of the martial energy that the two ladies released as they fought.

    The warriors around the two ladies watched with keen interest. They were both freshmen, but their strength was amazing nonetheless.

    As the two ladies fought for the upper hand in their ever-escalating conflict, both of their hands were gripped tightly at the same time by a pair of hands seemingly out of nowhere.

    The warriors around the two ladies watched in amazement at the sudden development of the situation.

    The person who held the dainty hands of the two lovely ladies was Zachary. Everyone was surprised with what he did, and yet they felt unfortunate that it was not they who held the two hands at the same time.

    What surprised them even more was the fact that Zachary was able to intervene in the fight without getting adversely affected by the martial energy that the two ladies released. The onlookers failed to understand how he was able to do it.

 Chapter 78 The Treasure-hunting Compass Was Stolen

    "Alright, alright. There''s no need for this. You two beauties fought so hard for me that I feel very embarrassed. People who don''t know me might think that my wives are so possessive!" Zachary exclaimed. It made the onlookers irritated and angry with him instantly.

    ''I''ve seen shameless people, but I''ve never seen such shamelessness of this level!'' Joyce thought to herself.

    Her face twisted that showed her disgust when she saw that Zachary''s hand held hers. She immediately shook her hand off from his grasp.

    Elva also took her hand back.

    When the two women''s eyes met, sparks flew in all directions.

    "Joyce, it''s better to settle our old scores than to make new enemies. Anyway, I didn''t take anything from you," Zachary said in an almost pleading tone. He didn''t want things to go on like this.

    "You took advantage of me. Now you''re making it sound like what I did was wrong," Joyce replied. She was a bit angered now.

    "I never took advantage of you!" Zachary exclaimed. He started with a surprised look and then grinned as if he suddenly remembered something amusing.

    "You said that I was your..." Joyce wanted to say something but decided not to continue.

    "You are my what? Stop it, will you? Just be a good girl and leave!" Zachary said. His tone made it seem like he was scolding a child.

    "Humph! You must admit your fault!" Joyce replied. She was not someone who could be fooled easily with fast talk.

    Zachary never expected her to be so persistent. Any ordinary girl would''ve dropped it by then. Falling out was obviously not something that benefited anyone. He obviously misjudged her personality.

    "Joyce Chen, please behave yourself!" Elva reminded Joyce.

    The onlookers were jealous of Zachary because of how the two most beautiful freshmen fought for him. They tried to understand how his

    Early the next morning, Elva and Zachary continued to look for a teammate without success. Fortunately, there were still a few days left before the freshmen contest.

    "I didn''t expect it to be so difficult to find a teammate," Elva complained on their way back.

    "Elva, you seem to have talked a lot more lately," Zachary remarked. He was visibly surprised

    "Really?" Elva was a little surprised. She agreed that she did spoke out much more than usual when she was with Zachary.

    "I''m such a charming companion!" Zachary declared proudly.

    Elva gave Zachary a disdainful look.

    "What if we can''t find anyone else?" Zachary asked while he rubbed his chin.

    "Then it will only be the two of us. By the way, have Bruce and Chandler found anyone?" Elva asked thoughtfully.

    A dark figure suddenly appeared out of the forest and bumped into Zachary.

    "Apologies." The figure retreated a few steps, bowed to Zachary, apologized, and then hurried away.

    "What a strange person!" Zachary never saw the person''s face. He smelled faintly of milk. When he was about to leave with Elva, he felt that something was missing. He reached his hand into his robe and discovered that his Treasure-hunting Compass was gone!

 Chapter 79 A Beautiful Thief

    "Could it be...?" Zachary''s face darkened with realization and he quickly turned around.

    "What is it? Zachary, what''s wrong?" Elva''s tone was one of concern when she saw such a swift change in Zachary''s expression.

    "I just...I think I have a stomach ache. I have to go. I''ll be right back. Elva, go ahead without me!" And without another word, Zachary simply fled, disappearing from Elva''s sight.

    "Again? He''s always like this!" Elva grumbled, glaring coldly at Zachary before she walked off on her own.

    Away at the other end of the area, Zachary was striding with a purpose, using his Shadow Pace. There was a cold, dark expression on his face as his eyes scanned for suspicious tracks. He was certain that it was the black figure that had stolen his Treasure-hunting Compass.

    "That thief seems to have a strange scent. Some kind of fragrance..." Cocking an eyebrow, Zachary released the power of his treasure hunting expertise: the Dog Soul Ring. With it, his sense of smell heightened substantially, at least several times higher in mere seconds. Through this ability, he could track a scent within a hundred meters around him.

    "Who the fuck is that?! Who''s shitting around here?" As soon as his smelling ability rose, however, Zachary whiffed up a truly disgusting scent, putrid enough to nearly make him puke up his breakfast.

    Acting swiftly, Zachary blocked the other, horrific smell and instead focused his skill on seeking out the strange fragrant smell. As he strode through the forest, he spotted a small collection of small buildings before him. The thinnest thread of the fragrance was wafting out from between two of those buildings. This was definitely the right track.

    "You''d better be ready to get beaten to a pulp, you fucking thief! Once I catch you, I''ll strip you naked and pummel the living daylights out of you!" Zachary snarled loudly as he rushed straight into the alley where that scent was coming.

    At the other end of the alley, a slim, petite figure stood, turning the strange thing over in her hands.

    "What the hell is this thing? I figured it might be some kind of treasure, but it''s so strange that I''ve no idea what this is..." The black shadow seemed confused as she turned the thing over and over again. Her skimming fingers touched it in curiosity. Then she was just about to press that strange, raised button on the thing...

    And right in the next instant, there was a rapid movement.

    An angry figure materialized before that shadowy figure and snatched her wrist.

    Realizing Zachary was on her, she flipped through the air and then swooped down at him

    was almost as though he found it unimportant. In short, he wasn''t taking this pill seriously at all.

    "Alright, you had your look. Give my thing back." Zachary crossed his arms over his chest expectantly.

    After that, Rita Ji tossed the Treasure-hunting Compass back at Zachary.

    "It looks like you''re for real after all. So what''s this test you''ve got for me?" Rita Ji asked, raising an eyebrow.

    "Come with me, and I''ll show you." Zachary turned heel and walked off.

    Rita Ji followed after him, curious.

    Together, they walked to the road that led into the Freshmen Zone, where there were already quite a few new disciples milling around, both male and female.

    "Okay, this is your test: I want you to steal ten brassieres for me," Zachary smirked.

    "Oh my god, you''re a degenerate! A psychopath!" Rita Ji gasped, completely appalled.

    "Hey, you are the one who wants to join my team. If you want to be part of the squad, you''ve got to be a little bit of a freak." Zachary laughed out loud at the scandalized expression on Rita Ji''s face. He set out the condition on purpose, with every intention to dissuade her from joining his team.

    "I''m not saying it''s too difficult, you complete moron. But it''s morally reprehensible and I''m not indulging your sick needs!" Rita Ji snapped angrily at him, unable to believe what Zachary was saying.

    "Well then you can''t be part of our team! I bet you can''t even do it!" Zachary shot back deliberately.

    "Oh yeah?! Oh yeah, you freak, watch this!" With a snarl, Rita Ji sped right up. In the twinkling of an eye, she was gone.

    "Oh. Well...her movement skill is a little impressive." Zachary blinked and nodded.

    And in under half an hour, Rita Ji was back in front of him.

 Chapter 80 A New Teammate

    "Is it done?" Zachary asked, raising his eyebrows.

    Rita threw a cloth bag to Zachary.

    When Zachary opened it, he saw an array of colorful brassieres with different scents.

    "Awesome!" Zachary could not help exclaiming.

    "Of course," Rita said with pride.

    "Great. Congratulations for passing my test! Come back with me!" Zachary turned around and left.

    After he took Rita back to the disciple dormitory, he found out that Bruce, Elva and Chandler were sitting on the stone bench in the yard and looking at each other.

    "I found a teammate!" Zachary said to Elva, after he swaggered up to Bruce and the others.

    Bruce and the other two turned to look at Rita.

    "She? Her strength does not seem special, in any way. Isn''t it enough that Elva has you to drag her down?" Bruce snorted after he glanced at Rita.

    "She''s not strong, but she has a special skill!" Saying that, Zachary whispered something to Rita.

    After looking briefly at Bruce, Rita walked up to him and said, "I hate those who look down upon me, especially men." Then, she waved her hand in front of Bruce, and a jade hairpin appeared in her hand in the blink of an eye.

    "A man with a jade hairpin. Are you a pervert, like Zachary?" Rita said contemptuously.

    Seeing that, Bruce was shocked. He did not expect that Rita could be so skilled that she could take the jade hairpin from inside his clothes before he could react.

    "I was going to gift it to Elva," Bruce explained immediately.

    "Okay." When she saw that Elva was so pretty and buxom, Rita became hostile. "Sure, men like women who are amply endowed."

    "What did you say?" Elva said coldly after she heard what Rita had said.

    "Do

    in the Celestial College.

    Therefore, many teams were rather be short of people than join teams belonging to other sects or clans. Were that to happen, they could not hope to get good results for their own sects or clans.

    The day before the freshmen contest, Zachary received a random treasure-hunting quest which was a side quest from the system. However, that request was bizarre as it only required him to obtain a treasure in the competition, but it did not specify which or what treasure it was.

    "What a confused quest! It seems that I have to complete the last one in the series of sub-quests as soon as possible. The side quest is rather questionable," Zachary muttered while cultivating.

    However, it was not easy to complete the last one in the series of sub-quests. Although he could use some dirty methods, he would be in great trouble if Elva were to discover it.

    Of course, he could frame Bruce. But Bruce was not a fool, so it would not be easy to frame him. So, he decided to wait a little longer and find the most suitable opportunity to complete that extremely difficult and abnormal sub-quest.

 Chapter 81 The Freshmen Contest

    On the sixth day after all the new disciples entered the Celestial College, the freshmen contest started as scheduled.

    As every new disciple was required to participate in the freshmen contest, the square in Freshmen Zone''s center was filled with new disciples from all kinds of sects and clans.

    On the previous day, the disciples who had not yet formed a team had randomly assembled, in twos or threes. Of course, their cultivation base was not strong. Plus, they had been arbitrarily assigned to new teams. There was no doubt that they would not be able to compete with other better-prepared teams.

    Since the sects and clans at the premium stage and the leading ones at the medium stage each had five or six new disciples in the Celestial College, disciples from the same clan or sect could form two teams. That was certainly an advantage for them. Although the two teams had to compete with each other, they could still cooperate whenever they needed to ensure mutual benefit. That indeed gave them an edge over the others.

    No disciple had any idea about what kind of tests they were going to face before the freshmen contest started, because how the freshmen contest would be carried out remained a secret. In a way, it was rather exciting¡ªnot knowing what tests they were going to face.

    "Why hasn''t that girl come yet?" Elva asked Zachary when they were waiting for the freshmen contest to begin.

    "Don''t worry. She will come." Zachary didn''t seem worried at all.

    Elva glanced at Zachary. She had no choice but to wait patiently. Finally, fifteen minutes later, Rita arrived.

    "Beautiful Rita, you are finally here," Zachary greeted Rita enthusiastically.

    "Hasn''t the competition started yet?" Seeing that all the teams were still at the square, Rita snorted, showing her disdain.

    "It will start soon!" Zachary answered.

    A coquettish, gorgeous beauty, and seven masters appeared in front of the crowd. Each of them were at the Imperial Level. It was amazing!

    en statues on the first floor. The duration is one day. A day later, the team that has collected the most golden statues will be the first round''s champion. In addition to the abundant rewards the team will receive, the team members will also be ranked higher in the personal ranking. However, martial beasts are guarding all the golden statues, so be warned and don''t take it lightly. Furthermore, if more than two teams find a statue at the same time, they are allowed to fight for it, until one of them gets the statue. Besides, when one team gets the statue, the other teams cannot snatch it. That is against the contest''s rules.

    After the contest starts, the Death Prison''s entrance will be closed until the contest is over. Therefore, you cannot quit in the middle of the game. You have to face any danger. Nobody will help you. Good luck with that! Disciples die in the freshmen contest every year.

    Well, the first contest is about to begin. The masters and I will be waiting for you at the second round. Before sunrise, tomorrow, all of you must gather on the second floor, no matter how many golden statues you have collected. If you don''t assemble in time, your results in the first round will be canceled." As soon as Sara finished speaking, she and all the masters turned around and headed for the second floor.

 Chapter 82 The Freshmen Contest

    The door closed loudly that sent echoes that reverberated inside the area. A cold wind swept across the disciples that shuddered, either from the cold or from the dread that Sara''s last words brought into them. They were now trapped inside what could be considered as hell on earth.

    The door of Death Prison getting closed signaled the start of the freshmen contest. The teams of new disciples quickly dispersed in different random directions in search for golden statues.

    "Elva, take care of yourself. Remember, you have two pieces of garbage with you. Don''t expect to get any good grades. If you change your mind, let me know. I''ll asked Chandler to take your place in your team and you can come to mine. I''ve got a new talent of Heaven Level..." Bruce was with Chandler and another freshman of Heaven Level. He pretended to care but looked arrogant, nonetheless.

    "Okay," Elva replied calmly.

    "Don''t worry Bruce. I will take good care of Elva," Zachary said and then waved to Bruce.

    When Bruce saw that Elva was not about to change her mind, he stared at Zachary bitterly and signaled to his group to move south of the Death Prison.

    "If we stay together, we might not find a lot of golden statues. I think it''s better if we split up," Rita said. She stood between Zachary and Elva and studied their surroundings very carefully.

    "Rita! Are you saying that I''m unreliable?" Zachary asked as he pursed his lips.

    "Yes. That''s exactly what I mean," Rita countered.

    "How could you even say that? But don''t worry. Elva will take care of us. We won''t be at the bottom," Zachary said with confidence.

    Elva wondered how she got dragged into Zachary''s team. She thought that if she joined Bruce''s team, it was more likely for her to win.

    "We''d better stay together," Elva suggested as she thought about the situation and weighted their options.

    Rita nodded in agreement.

    "Which direction are we going in?" Rita asked. She prepared herself as she waited for her companions to decide on a direction to take.

    Zachary glanced at Elva as he waited for her to make a decision. Elva shook her head and said, "It''s up to you, Zachary."

    "OK, then. Let''s go that way," Zachary said as he randomly pointed to a direction.

    They then headed to that direction as a team.

    They hadn''t walked for very long when numerous dark red dots flashed in the darkne

    ld we do now?" Rita asked helplessly as she stared at Elva.

    "Stay back," Elva advised Rita.

    Rita stood back at once.

    Elva stood facing the door and took a deep breath. In an instant her martial energy that belonged to a warrior of Heaven Level rose and surrounded her body.

    "Take this!" Elva shot her fists toward the door with all her might.

    Boom! Boom!

    The door broke into pieces after the powerful hit and crashed on the floor.

    Once the door was broken down, Rita and Elva saw that the doorway was covered by silky, web-like threads. They were interwoven with each other that created what looked like a silky barrier that blocked the passage into the room.

    Elva and Rita were surprised. They had never seen anything like it before.

    "The room looks like the nest of a martial beast." Elva''s expression became more serious. She tried to break through the threads, but immediately found out that her martial energy did not work on it at all.

    Zachary, who was trapped inside the room, froze for a while. A buzzing sound filled the room and he suddenly became aware of the presence of a martial beast of Earth Level.

    "Damn! You are play tricks on me? Let''s see what kind of beast you are!" Zachary exclaimed. He then released his martial energy that belonged to a warrior of Earth Level.

    As Zachary''s martial energy radiated from his body, it lit up the surrounding area inside the room up to a few meters from him. The dim light from his martial energy revealed that the room was filled with silk threads and numerous cocoons in one corner of the room.

 Chapter 83 The Red Spider

    ''Is it the nest of some martial beast?'' Zachary wondered as his expression suddenly changed.

    At that moment, he heard a rustling sound above his head. The next moment, he saw a black figure, as big as two people, swooping down on him from the air.

    Noticing that the situation was unfavorable for him, Zachary immediately activated the Shadow Pace. In the blink of an eye, he had already raced to a corner. When he turned his head to check the black figure, he couldn''t see it anymore.

    "Is it playing hide and seek with me?" Zachary murmured softly. He thought that the black figure was most likely a martial beast like a spider, which could spin webs over his head.

    After realizing that, he immediately thought of a solution. All of a sudden, his martial energy burst forth and he began to destroy the white cocoons beside the wall.

    Before long, an angry scream rang out above his head.

    "Get out of there if you have the guts to do so. Don''t sneak around," Zachary yelled.

    After that, the black figure slowly fell to the floor. It seemed that it was hanging by a thread.

    "Finally, you have revealed yourself. Now hurry up! Tell me your name! I will not kill those whose names I don''t know!" Zachary shouted disapprovingly.

    The black figure let out a squeak as if it was grinding its teeth. The next moment, two silver threads faintly shot out from the darkness, and instantly headed toward Zachary.

    Seeing that, Zachary didn''t retreat, but stepped forward. In a fraction of a second, the two silver threads wrapped around his arms and pulled him back.

    With a half-smile, Zachary pretended that the black shadow was dragging him.

    Pretty soon, he could clearly see the black figure in front of him. He found out that it was a red spider, which was much bigger than an ordinary spider.

    The spider opened its big mouth, which looked like two iron pliers. Moreover, it seemed that it was going to break Zachary into pieces. At that moment, a silver light flashed between Zachary''s wrists, and the silver threads that were wrapped around his arms were cut off in an instant. He was holding his du

    ors who had cultivated martial energy with elements. Hence, they were invaluable, and very few people could afford one.

    "When I reached the Heaven Level, Master Lewis asked one of his old friends to make this Golden Flame Glove for me. It is the only one in the whole Welkin Sect. Even the stewards don''t know that I have this weapon." Elva understated it. In fact, originally she had not planned to bring out her MH weapon so soon. That was because doing so made it an easy target for sinister warriors. After all, compared to ordinary MH weapons, hers was extremely rare and many warriors would covet it.

    "It seems that Master Lewis is very nice to you. He has never given me one," Zachary said admiringly. Seeing Elva''s MH weapon with fire element, he could tell that Lewis had great hopes for her.

    "Hey, you guys, look!" Rita shouted abruptly, as if she had found a treasure.

    Turning around, Zachary and Elva saw that Rita had taken a glowing golden statue out of a broken white cocoon.

    "Is it the golden statue we are looking for?" Elva asked and fixed her attention on the statue.

    "It seems that we have a blessing in disguise. But I don''t know if it''s made of pure gold," said Zachary, looking as if he was deeply obsessed with the golden statue.

    "Let''s get out of here first!" Elva said immediately. She was worried that a long delay at such a dangerous place might cause more trouble.

 Chapter 84 Fight Over The Golden Statue

    Zachary and the girls left the room.

    At the same time, at the second floor of the Death Prison

    "Master Sara, according to the information we''ve just received, most of the teams have succeeded in finding and obtaining one golden statue," a warrior of Heaven Level in a blue robe reported to Sara. She sat with the other masters who also listened to the report with keen interest.

    "It appears that the new batch of disciples are not bad. In less than four hours, there have been so many teams that have collected the first golden statue."

    "Although the number of freshmen this year is less than last year''s, there are quite a number of talented disciples in this batch. Impressive!"

    "I even heard that more than thirty have reached the Heaven Level, and more than ten have triple martial speed. They''re really fascinating!"

    The masters looked at each other and discussed amongst themselves.

    "It is just the beginning. The deeper they go into the first floor, the more powerful the martial beasts that are waiting for them. It will get harder the longer they are inside," Sara stated flatly.

    Just as she finished speaking, the disciples immediately found themselves in trouble.

    The Death Prison was like a maze. The deeper one went into it, the more complicated it became. And most of the martial beasts were above the medium stage of Earth Level. Thus, it became harder and harder for teams to get golden statues. Moreover, their martial energy got depleted the further they went.

    A similar situation happened to Zachary''s team. Elva was in no way weak but her martial energy was limited. Since Rita and Zachary seldom fought, Elva had started to feel exhausted.

    "It will not be easy to collect the second one. And it will become even more difficult for the third and the fourth," Elva declared. She panted slightly after she killed a group of martial beasts.

    "I think we''d better find a place to rest first," Rita suggested.

    Zachary nodded in agreement.

    They found an empty room that seemed safe, and rested there.

    After an hour of resting, Elva recovered much of her martial energy. They decided to move on.

    "Hey, guys... You go ahead. I need to use the washroom," Rita said.

    "Do you need me to guard outside?" Zachary asked after hearing Rita''s words.

    "What? No! I''m going to take some time. Don''t wait for me. I''ll catch up with you right away," Rita replied.

    Elva nodded and then signaled to Zachary. Then the two of them left.

    Half an hour later, Elva and Zachary noticed that Rita had not caught up with them

    g back, he headed straight for the golden statue.

    Almost at the same time, another hand grabbed the golden statue just when Zachary reached it and grabbed it with his hand.

    Although Zachary was faster, the other person reached it too.

    The three teams which fought the martial beast, were shocked to see that Zachary and another person already snatched the golden statue. Four members of the three teams immediately rushed towards the statue with the intention to join the fight.

    "You bastard, let go!" a familiar voice exclaimed.

    Zachary looked up and saw that the person who competed with him was none other than Bruce.

    "Bruce, what a coincidence!" Zachary sneered.

    "Let go! Even if I give you the golden statue, you can''t win the first place anyway," Bruce said as he fought for dominance in getting the golden statue.

    "Not really. Don''t forget that I still have Elva!" There was no way that he would give the statue to Bruce.

    "You are alone. Elva already abandoned you. You deserve it!" Bruce blustered.

    "Oh Bruce, you are just so delusional," Zachary replied mockingly.

    Bruce roared and gave off a strong martial energy at the Heaven Level. He then attacked Zachary without warning.

    Zachary used Shadow Pace and avoided Bruce''s blow and headed in the direction of Elva.

    Bruce was about to chase after Zachary when a beautiful woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blocked his way.

    "I''m sorry, Bruce, but we will take this golden statue." It was Elva.

    "Elva..." Bruce was so surprised that he stammered and didn''t know how to react.

    "Elva, I''ll go first. I''ll wait for you up front." Zachary quickly moved away once he saw that Elva stopped Bruce''s advance.

 Chapter 85 Andrew

    When Zachary was far from the scene, he immediately activated the power of the Dog Soul Ring to identify the smell which was left by the golden statue. He had thought of using the ring earlier, but he never got the chance because he was always with Rita and Elva. Now that he was alone, he decided to take the opportunity to use it.

    "It seems that all the golden statues should be placed by the same person, and this person should be a woman." Zachary reached this conclusion from the information that he gathered based on the scents that he smelled with the help of the ring.

    Zachary searched for the scents that were similar to the golden statue. He ran with all his strength using Shadow Pace and avoided all the martial beasts that blocked his way. About half an hour later, he found a room with its door wide open.

    Learning from his previous experience, Zachary stood in front of the doorway first and peeked into the room. There was no significant difference between this room and the other rooms aside from the eight pillars in the center of the room that formed a circle. Each pillar had a long chain as thick as a man''s arm that reached all the way to the floor that made it seem like it was used to hold some monster captive.

    "It doesn''t look dangerous," Zachary whispered to himself. He soon laid his eyes on a piece of gold in the far corner of the room. It seemed that it was the golden statue that he was searching for.

    ''Why is that golden statue hidden in such an obvious place? It''s not even hidden. It''s just lying there, '' Zachary wondered. But he entered the room anyway when he couldn''t figure out the answer. He intended to get the golden statue and leave as fast as possible.

    The moment Zachary walked into the room, everything around him quickly became distorted. The long thick chains that were connected to the eight pillars in the center of the room moved. Four of them moved upward and the other four moved downward.

    "What the hell is this?" Zachary said to himself as he turned to look at the door, but it was no longer there.

    ''Is this a trap?'' Zachary wondered.

    Laughter filled the room a

    there were three people before me, then? They must all be as awesome as I am!" Zachary said proudly.

    "The first two came here so far back in the past that I no longer remember their names. The third one, I can still remember. And it''s a woman. Her name is Queenie Ying," the ghost recounted.

    "So, why are you imprisoned here?" Zachary asked. His face turned serious and was etched with curiosity.

    "Let bygones be bygones. Go and take your golden statue. It seems that I have to wait for another three years to get another freshman. You ruined the only entertainment I have here," the ghost said. His voice was tinged with disappointment and loneliness.

    "Sir, you must have been here for a long time already, right? And since you are a ghost, can''t you go out? Why do you have to stay in this damned place?" Zachary asked.

    "This is a vast world, and yet there is never a place in it for me. This is how it was when I was alive, and this is how it is after I die," the ghost replied. Scorn and misery crisply reverberated in his voice.

    "How pathetic!" Zachary exclaimed. He felt sorry for the ghost.

    "Pathetic? You think I am pathetic? Come on! I''m the great Andrew! I suppose you will never understand how powerful I am unless I show you my strength!" Andrew''s face suddenly became a twisted mass as a tremendous force of energy rushed out from his body that quickly engulfed the room in an aura of power.

 Chapter 86 Merge With The Spiritual Energy

    Zachary felt that the entire room was shaking, and it was about to collapse. However, it was not only confined to the place he was in, as the violent and forceful reverberations were affecting the whole Death Prison.

    All the disciples in the prison were shocked, stopped what they were doing, and looked at one another.

    At the same time, all the masters on the second floor, including Sara, had also felt the intense vibrations, as well as a mysteriously astonishing aura. They were shocked.

    "Is it...?" one of them murmured.

    The next moment, other masters fixed their eyes on Sara.

    "Has someone broken into that room by mistake? Even so, it should be impossible to cause such a big commotion!" Sara said. "I''ll go have a look." After saying that, she vanished without a trace.

    At that time, even though Zachary''s room was at the center of vibrations, he appeared to be extremely calm as he looked at Andrew. He had not expected that he could have such astonishing and terrifying power. From the shocks, everyone could imagine how powerful he must have been when he was alive.

    ''If I could possess his strength, I would be invincible in the world!'' When Zachary thought of that, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he immediately shouted, "Master Andrew, do you have any wish that has not been completed?"

    "A wish?" Andrew suddenly calmed down after hearing what Zachary said.

    He restrained his force and the strong vibrations finally disappeared.

    Andrew seemed to have thought about it seriously and said, "My only wish when I was alive was to dominate the Supernal Continent."

    "Really? In that case, let me help you fulfill that wish. I aspire to dominate this continent. Besides, I want to court all the beauties in this world," Zachary stated proudly, resting his hands on his hips.

    "You? Humph, I am afraid you will not be able to reach my stage in another three hundred years," Andrew said proudly.

    "So, would you please help me?" Zachary asked with sincerity.

    "What do you mean?" After he heard Zachary, Andrew looked at him.

    "Lend me your power," Zachary suddenly responded seriously.

    Hearing that, Andrew was shocked. He didn''t expect that Zachary wanted to have his power.

    "You are ambitious, and I like that. Howeve

    , show me mercy!" A familiar voice came through loud and clear.

    "Zachary?" Elva was shocked and immediately stopped. She looked at Zachary, who was standing in front of her. With mud all over his face, and his clothes tattered, he looked like a beggar. Anyone who looked at him would have thought that he was wearing strips of cloth.

    "Where on earth have you been? How did you make yourself look like this?" Elva stared at him angrily.

    "Well, forget it. I wanted to find a place to relax; instead I met a bunch of perverted martial beasts. They wanted to rape me, and I was almost molested by them," Zachary said jokingly, but he looked exhausted, as if he had suffered a lot.

    Truth be told, he had actually thought that he was going to die.

    Elva was unconvinced, but seeing that Zachary was safe, she breathed a sigh of relief.

    "By the way, I accidentally picked up two golden statues conveniently," said Zachary, taking out two golden statues that he was holding behind him. Apart from getting one from the mysterious room, luckily, he had found another when he was on his way there. And, he had managed to get it with Shadow Pace''s help, without anyone noticing.

    "Two?" Elva was stunned.

    "A loss may turn out to be a gain," Zachary exclaimed with a smug smile.

    Hearing what Zachary had said, Elva couldn''t help but laugh. Then she said, "Don''t be ridiculous. We have four statues now. We should move toward the second floor. If we are lucky, we might find another golden statue."

 Chapter 87 The First Place In The First Round

    Sara just got to the second floor when Zachary and Elva were heading to the second floor.

    "How did it go, Master Sara?" The masters turned towards Sara as she approached.

    "A small issue, nothing serious," Sara replied calmly. Her heart palpitated but her exterior betrayed nothing.

    The other masters sighed in relief.

    The sun was about to rise and it was less than two hours before the first round ended.

    Many of the disciples were already on the second floor. Zachary and Elva were among them, but Rita was nowhere to be found.

    When the sun had fully risen from the horizon, all the teams had reached the second floor.

    "We will now begin to register the number of golden statues that each team collected. Please send one representative per team and hand in your statues here," Sara announced to the teams that were gathered.

    The teams sent their representatives and registered the number of statues that they collected. Majority of the teams managed to get two golden statues. Only a few powerful teams were able to collect three statues.

    "Hey Elva, I think our score is pretty good," Zachary said as he closely watched the disciples who handed in their statues, and no group had handed in four statues yet.

    "That is a credit to your effort. How did you manage to get two so easily, anyway?" Elva asked. She found it hard to believe that Zachary managed to get two golden statues on his own.

    "Well, where is Rita? Did she get lost getting here?" Zachary murmured as if he didn''t hear Elva''s question.

    "Four statues,"

    the master in charge of the registration declared. The announcement caused a stir among the gathered disciples.

    Zachary and Elva looked at the direction of the registration table and discovered that it was the team of Bruce.

    "Isn''t that Bruce from the Welkin Sect? He is really strong."

    "Although he is from a rubbish sect, he ranks in the top five among the freshmen."

    "He''s so handsome!"

    The crowd made such a commotion when they recognized Bruce.

    Bruce felt very proud of himself.

    "That''s just four statues. It''s no big deal," a voice that drowned the murm

    ondered if Rita was merely hiding her true strength because she hadn''t even reached the Heaven Level.

    The faces of Colin and Jason darkened. They never expected to be defeated by a weaker team.

    All the masters were fascinated when they saw Rita. They had never seen her before, but they all felt that she was more than a little special.

    ''She looks somewhat familiar. Have I met her somewhere before?'' Sara thought as she threw a furtive glance at Rita.

    "Do you still think our lovely Rita is rubbish, Bruce?" Zachary deliberately provoked Bruce, whose face now looked like it was about to explode.

    Bruce was speechless. He never expected that Zachary''s teammate was so resourceful.

    With seven golden statues, the team of Zachary won the first place in the first round¡ªan achievement that no one ever imagined possible.

    "Here are the rules to the second round of the contest. You will be given a list of twenty herbs and you need to collect them all. Once you''ve collected the herbs, bring them to the third floor where we will be waiting. The team which gets to the third floor first will win the first place. However, in the second round, teams are now allowed to fight for the herbs. You are still forbidden from using any improper methods," Sara announced the rules of the second round to the eager disciples present.

    After the announcement, Sara and all the masters proceeded to the third floor.

 Chapter 88 Collecting Herbs

    The teams fought each other once more.

    Similar to what happened on the first floor, the teams immediately went off to different directions to collect the herbs on their list. Since fighting was allowed, many of the more powerful teams took advantage of the weaker teams.

    As soon as Zachary''s team set out, they were immediately targeted by several teams.

    "Elva, we have a lot of pursuers!" Zachary exclaimed as he glanced back at the shadowy figures behind them.

    "They are afraid that if we get first place again, we will most likely win the contest. The results of the freshmen contest will affect our personal ranking afterwards," Elva explained.

    "Let them follow for as long as they want." Rita looked unsympathetic.

    The difficulty in collecting herbs came from the increased strength of the martial beasts present on the second floor. Martial beasts at the premium stage of Earth Level were everywhere and many other martial beasts were at the first grade of Heaven Level.

    Zachary''s team was only able to collect four herbs four hours later.

    "Only four herbs after four hours. We definitely need to do better," Zachary said after he brought out the herbs that they had collected.

    "It will not be easy to collect twenty herbs. We need to search and defend against other teams who will try to rob us of our herbs. For now, let''s look for a place to rest for an hour before we continue," Elva suggested.

    The three of them found a dark room to recover their energy.

    While Zachary''s team rested, the sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention. The sound of a door getting kicked open was the next thing that they heard.

    "I planned to wait for the other teams to find herbs first and then take their herbs from them. But I didn''t expect that it would be hard to find even one of them!"

    "Don''t worry. It''s a large place and we have

    waited for her to join. He knew Elva would be of great help to them.

    But there was no way that Elva would join another team.

    Rita suddenly responded, "I will join you! I was wrong to team up with a coward."

    Rita decided to join them after what Zachary did. Adolph hesitated for a while. Eventually, he nodded and said, "Okay. Come with us!" He then turned and left, followed by the other members of the Hua Clan.

    "I think I''d be better off with them," Rita said and left with them.

    "Well, is this the kind of teammate you''ve found for us?" Elva snapped while staring at Zachary.

    "How could I have known that she is so fickle? But women are fickle by nature, aren''t they?" Zachary replied with an intelligent smile.

    Elva said nothing but she maintained her disappointed stare.

    "How about we split up, Elva?" Zachary suggested. He thought about their situation for a while and decided on this course of action.

    "What? No way! It''s way too dangerous!" Elva disagreed. She shook her head at Zachary''s idea.

    "Don''t worry. I can take care of myself." Zachary went straight out of the room, and in the blink of an eye, was gone.

    "What are you trying to do?" Elva asked, but Zachary was likely unable to hear what she said.

 Chapter 89 Finishing The Collection Of Herbs

    When Zachary was alone, he quickly entered the system. Once in, he headed straight to the Living-dead Tomb.

    "Master Anne!! Help me!" Zachary started yelling at the top of his lungs from the moment he stepped into the Living-dead Tomb.

    The gate swung open almost immediately and he stepped through the threshold. Anne was there, standing in the hall before a stone table, which was filled with sacrificial offerings. It looked as though she was paying respects to the ancestors.

    "What are you shouting for?" Anne asked coldly, giving Zachary a glare.

    "Master Anne, can you lend me twenty herbs? I need them for something really important," Zachary replied desperately.

    "You can ask, but you do understand that there''s nothing in this world that you can get without great effort," Anne said to him in a stern tone as she gazed sternly at him.

    "I know, and I ask you to LEND me twenty herbs. I''ll do whatever you assign me to later on in repayment."

    "I''ll have you do double the quests for me, then," Anne said coldly.

    "Deal," Zachary quickly said through gritted teeth. He wanted the first place, and there simply was no other option. And he was willing to do double the quests if that was what it took to get there.

    "Very well, then. What kind of herbs are you looking for?" Anne asked.

    Zachary immediately recited the names of twenty varieties of herbs to Anne.

    "Wait right here." Anne turned around and walked towards a smaller chamber within the tomb itself. She stepped into it and rummaged around for a few moments.

    Before long, she came back out holding a bulging bag, and carefully handed it to Zachary.

    "Thank you very much, Master Anne. You''re a lifesaver," Zachary breathed, holding the precious bag with both hands. He grinned at her and was just about to leave when Anne stopped him in his tracks.

    "Aren''t you forgetting something? Kowtow three times to the ancestors before you leave," Anne said in a cold voice.

    "Oh right." Zachary immediately scrambled back. He faced the altar and kowtowed three times. Once completed, he rose and fled.

    With great haste, he stepped out of the system and called up the power of the Dog Soul Ring to heighten his senses once again. With his keener abilities, he sought out Elva''s trail and found her breath. He immediately began tailing it.

    It wasn''t long before Zachary came upon two teams engaged in fierce combat. It was a skirmish of speed, with both parties fighting to snatch herbs from one another with desperation.

    Instead of circling around them, though, Zachary opted to ensconce himself in a shadowy nook. He settled in for a good view of the battle.

    One of the more common tactics in combat between teams was that one member would hold the bag of herbs in safekeeping while the others take on most of the combat as a group. And often, the team member with the strongest power would be the one holding the bag for safekeeping.

    However, after watching the combat proceed, Zachary realized that one of the teams was rapidly tiring in defending th

    or who had been silent this whole time. "Hello, beauty. Are you okay?"

    "I... I think I''m okay. Thank you...um..." She stared at him, completely befuddled by the change of events that had taken place. She didn''t think Zachary was all that strong, and yet he had managed to defeat an opponent at the premium stage of Earth Level, and in such a devastating way.

    "Oh, you don''t have to thank me for that," Zachary grinned. He then extended his hand. "Give me the herbs."

    The female warrior was aghast at the unexpected turn from Zachary.

    "Hey, hurry up! If you don''t, I''ll have to take you by force and..." He made a swift, neck-cutting gesture. Zachary''s smile was a mischievous one.

    Trembling, the female warrior swallowed hard. She had just witnessed what Zachary could do, how he''d swiftly defeated a warrior far stronger than herself, and knew she had no other recourse but to give in. She immediately held out the bag to Zachary.

    "Thank you!" Zachary peeled the bag open and peered into it. Five herbs were inside. It wasn''t much, but he had no shame taking them.

    "Good choice. I''ll be taking these now." Zachary put the bag away. "By the way, I''m only at the first grade of Earth Level, not a master or anything. So don''t swoon over my abilities, okay?"

    The girl only gaped at him, dumbfounded. He was even weaker than she was! And yet before she could make another move, Zachary vanished.

    With his herb errand completed, Zachary resumed his search for Elva. It wasn''t long before he was back on track, and had caught up to her.

    "There you are, Elva! I''m back!" Zachary floated cheerily in front of her.

    "Zachary! Where in the world have you been?! I''ve been looking for you everywhere, you idiot!" Elva cried, just barely stopping herself from swatting at him.

    "Whoa, easy there! I''ve got something nice for you! I''ve collected twenty herbs. Time to head for the third floor," Zachary smiled. And without giving her a chance to respond, he grabbed Elva''s hand and rushed to the third floor with her.

 Chapter 90 The Third Round

    Rita stood in one corner not far from the room where Zachary''s team had been robbed by five warriors. Lying on the floor around her were the five warriors with their bodies bruised and bloodied.

    "So, you''re from the Hua Clan? I think your strength is not at all impressive," Rita remarked. She rubbed her palms against each other as if she was getting rid of dirt from her hands.

    "How dare you! Who the hell are you?" Adolph asked, staring at Rita as half of his beard burned to ashes.

    Rita searched him but he was powerless to stop her. In addition to taking back the herbs that they robbed from her team, she also took all the other herbs that they had collected.

    Meanwhile, on the third floor, the masters patiently waited for the first team to arrive. They discussed and guessed which team would be able to collect twenty herbs at the fastest speed and reach the third floor.

    "I would say that Colin''s team has the best chance to make it first. Their overall strength is the strongest among all the teams."

    "The team of Jason is also a strong contender."

    "It never occurred to me that the champion of the first round is an insignificant team that I am not even familiar with."

    "All things considered, it can hardly be called an insignificant team. In terms of strength and qualification, Elva is not bad. She is only slightly inferior to Joyce from the Virid Sword Sect and definitely better than most of the freshmen."

    Sara hardly listened to the conversation of the other masters. Her mind still pondered about the accident that happened on the first floor.

    The conversations and arguments of the masters went on for another one hour before they all suddenly stopped talking.

    Their attention was all drawn towards the entrance to the third floor where two disciples approached them steadily and confidently.

    "What!? A team has already collected the required twenty herbs in such a short period? I don''t think it''s possible. It normally takes an entire day to complete that list. Ba

    lva had won the first place once more. She smiled and thought to herself, ''I wanted to help them, but I didn''t expect them to be this capable. It seems the herbs I collected will have to be saved for now.''

    She decided not to go back to the team and instead stood unnoticed in one dark corner.

    "The third round is also the last round. The disciples who haven''t had any good results yet should work harder this time or there will be no chance for you to win," Sara declared. She paused and swept the disciples that watched her with her lovely, glassy eyes. "The objective of the third round is to hunt for a treasure. The team who can find the Heavenly Squama Jade on the fifth floor will be the winner. In addition to the rich rewards, the team who wins the first prize will also be rewarded with a fourth-grade Heavenly Squama Jade."

    Sara barely finished her words when the disciples cheered loudly at the announcement. They were all excited and in high spirits. A fourth-grade Heavenly Squama Jade was a rare treasure that could enhance a warrior''s strength, an item that was more advanced than a Blazing Egg.

    With such a prize at stake, the disciples became more eager to fight and risk everything.

    When Sara gave the signal of the start of the third round, all the teams dashed towards the fifth floor like a horde of locusts.

 Chapter 91 Be Chased And Blocked

    "Elva, as long as we are on the fifth floor, I have a sure way to get the treasure. So it''s probably going to be up to you to get us there. I''m really counting on you this time!" Zachary said to Elva in a serious tone.

    "Got it. Let''s go!" Elva nodded with a renewed sense of determination as she and Zachary quickly followed the other disciples to the fifth floor.

    At the same time, Rita, who stood silently in the dark, suddenly changed her expression to a very serious one and disappeared without warning.

    Before Zachary and Elva had even gone far, their path were blocked by three teams. One of the teams came from the Dragon Fist Sect.

    "I''m sorry but you have already won the first two rounds in a row. Your grades are already good. You should sit out the third one," a freshman wearing a red robe from the Dragon Fist Sect said.

    The three teams were to block Zachary and Elva to eliminate their chances of winning the third round.

    "Elva, we have to split up and meet at the entrance on the fourth floor," Zachary said to Elva after seeing this.

    Elva''s face turned serious. She could sense the presence of disciples at the Heaven Level among the three teams. The rest of the disciples were strong as well. It was impossible for them to get through. Elva stared straight into Zachary''s eyes with a serious and meaningful look.

    As if understanding each other''s thoughts through mere eye contact, Zachary and Elva went off to two different directions at the same time.

    "Stop them!" The three teams immediately dispersed and chased Zachary and Elva.

    Zachary used the Shadow Pace to move at an amazing speed and soon got rid of the freshmen that chased him. Just as he was about to find the entrance to the fourth floor, a figure suddenly rushed out from nowhere and blocked him.

    Zachary frowned and stopped. He stared at the figure and sneered, "Bruce! Are you stalking me?!"

    "You brat, it''s time to settle this once and for all," Bruce said as his face darkened. He had tolerated Zachary for a very long time, but he couldn''t tolerate him any longer.

    Zachary''s countenance changed only slightly. He knew full well that Bruce''s cultivation base was much higher than his. He knew that if he confronted Bruce directly, the results would not be in his favor.

    Bruce released his martial energy and went directly for Zachary. He wanted to take it seriously and kill Zachary this time.

    Zachary never dodged nor avoided the incoming Bruce, and instead rushed at Bruce head on.

    Br

    all of your performances during the contest," Rebecca replied in a serious tone as her unblinking eyes turned from Bruce to Zachary.

    Bruce and Zachary were both surprised to hear what she said.

    "So a competition between two disciples from the same sect will have a huge negative impact on your performance report. The reason why I stopped you is because I don''t want your performance report to be affected and I don''t want you to be punished for your actions. Master Sara has a lot of very ugly punishment options. Don''t say I never warned you. I will go now. Think about what I said and look out for yourselves! Don''t mention anything about this to the other supervisors or freshmen. Otherwise, you''ll find out how much Master Sara and I have in common when it comes to punishments!" Rebecca barely finished speaking when she disappeared into the dark once more.

    Zachary and Bruce were left agape and stared at each other speechless.

    "I''m sure you heard that, Bruce. If we keep fighting, we will both be in a lot of trouble," Zachary said.

    "Shut up!" Rebecca''s words left Bruce with a lot to think about. After a moment''s hesitation, he glanced at Zachary one last time and left.

    The sight of a discouraged Bruce caused Zachary to laugh uncontrollably. He gathered his wits about him and continued his search for the entrance to the upper floor. The most important thing now was to gather with Elva.

    When Zachary left, a girl appeared unexpectedly. It was Rita.

    "I was going to make a move, but I didn''t expect that woman to beat me to it. It seems that Zachary is quite a lucky guy." After she said those words to herself, Rita disappeared once more.

 Chapter 92 The Fourth Level

    With the help of the Dog Soul Ring, it took Zachary only two hours to find the entrance to the fourth floor.

    "Are you here yet, Elva?" When Zachary was sure that Elva hadn''t arrived yet, he didn''t know if he should go back for her or wait. But he quickly realized that if he went back for Elva, he risked getting found by the disciples who wanted to prevent them from finding the treasure. At length, he decided to stay and wait for Elva. He searched for a safe and dark corner and waited patiently for Elva to arrive.

    After a long time of waiting, when Zachary was about to fall asleep, a beautiful figure appeared near the entrance and looked around.

    "Elva!" shouted Zachary as he waved at Elva.

    "When did you arrive?" Elva asked when she saw that Zachary waited for her.

    "About four hours ago. I was about to fall asleep," Zachary answered and then yawned.

    "You got here so fast," Elva replied. She was surprised at how fast Zachary made it to the entrance.

    "Let''s hurry. A lot of disciples already made it to the fourth floor." Zachary went forward to the entrance to the fourth floor as he spoke.

    Elva followed him closely.

    Meanwhile, at the entrance to the third floor, disciples at the Heaven Level arrived to report to Sara and the other masters. They were in charge of monitoring the freshmen.

    Since Zachary and Elva won two rounds in a row, they attracted the attention of all the masters.

    "You mean the team of Zachary and Elva has also reached the fourth floor, but there are only two of them?" Sara asked.

    "Yes." The disciple making the report nodded.

    "That is so weird. So the their third team member hasn''t shown up yet," Sara said in a low voice, almost to herself.

    "Elva from the Welkin Sect has already reached the Heaven Level at such a young age. It is said that she displayed triple martial speed in her teens. She is a rare talent."

    "Yes, but the other one is so much weaker. It seems that he hasn''t even reached the Earth Level yet."

    "Such a group making it to the fourth floor is truly amazing!"

    All the other masters except for Sara looked at each other as they nodded.

    "He was enrolled at the last minute," Sara added. Her statement al

    chary thought to himself. He was disappointed that his act did not scare Elva in the slightest. He wanted to scare her because she might suddenly embrace him out of fright or something like that.

    "There is no such thing as ghosts. What is there to be afraid of?" Elva replied in an emotionless tone.

    And just as she finished speaking, a white figure suddenly flew past in front of them. Before Zachary could react, he felt someone grab his arm. He looked to his arm and saw Elva tightly gripping his arm with both her hands.

    "I thought you said you were not afraid of ghosts?" Zachary laughed loudly.

    "Huh! It''s just reflex action." Elva hurriedly let go of Zachary''s arm. She then faked a cough and walked quickly.

    They suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind.

    "Someone''s coming." Zachary turned his head towards Elva.

    "Let''s hide!" Taking a lesson from previous experience, Elva hinted at Zachary to avoid getting attacked by other teams. It was absolutely very dangerous for them, because they were one teammate less than other teams and this made it more challenging for them.

    Zachary and Elva quickly hid in the nearest room. They soon saw a team with two disciples at the Heaven Level rush past the room and disappear in an instant.

    "Isn''t that Joyce?" Zachary muttered. After the disciples disappeared, Zachary and Elva came out.

    The team was made up of Joyce, Derrick and another disciple who was at the premium stage of Earth Level.

 Chapter 93 Enter The Fifth Floor

    "It seems that our progress is a little slow. If we don''t speed up, other teams will surely catch up with us," Elva suggested.

    "Am I dragging you down?" Zachary asked. He stared at Elva with a mournful look.

    "I didn''t say that. Don''t think too much. Let''s just pick up our pace." Elva shook her head and moved forward.

    Not long after Zachary and Elva started to move forward faster, a loud scream pierced the silence of the prison.

    Zachary and Elva stared at each other and hurried to the location of the scream. When they caught up to the source of the scream, they saw a disciple at the premium stage of Earth Level on the floor with a growing pool of blood coming from his lower body.

    Not far ahead, Joyce and Derrick fought with four martial beasts at the first grade of Heaven Level. The beasts looked like wolves. The two were locked in a fierce battle and the wolves were getting the upper hand.

    Although Joyce and Derrick were both at the Heaven Level, Derrick was only at the second grade, while Joyce had just reached the first grade. Going against four martial beasts of Heaven Level made it impossible for them to win.

    "Elva, I don''t think they can win," Zachary said as he turned to Elva with a grim look on his face.

    "I will help them. Wait for me here," Elva replied in a determined tone. Although she always seemed apathetic, she had a kind heart and was always ready to help. Her words caught Zachary off guard.

    Then he nodded in agreement.

    Elva immediately sped and joined the battle before either Joyce or Derrick became badly injured.

    Joyce immediately recognized her and was surprised to see that Elva came to their aid.

    Joyce and Derrick felt relieved because of Elva''s help, but the three of them were still not enough to beat the four martial beasts. Moments after Elva joined the battle, the tide of the battle still went against the three.

    Zachary stood at a distance and watched them. He could clearly see that they were losing. He then stared at the Holy Bone Bracer.

    "Master Andrew, if y

    qualified to enter the Celestial College because of his triple martial speed three years ago, but he only entered the Celestial College this year.

    As for Jason from the Dragon Fist Sect, he was only slightly weaker than Colin, but he absolutely had the strength to compete with him.

    It now all depended on which team could find the Heavenly Squama Jade first.

    On the fifth floor, all the martial beasts were at the Heaven Level, so it was a true struggle for Elva and Zachary to proceed further.

    "Elva, should we continue or should we rest first?" Elva was exhausted after she killed a martial beast at the first grade of Heaven Level, and she panted for breath.

    "Of course we continue. But be careful. I won''t be able to protect you anymore," Elva cautioned.

    Zachary slightly shook his head. Elva was good in every aspect, but she was too stubborn. He originally planned to proceed alone once they reached the fifth floor.

    Even though Elva wanted to move forward, reality caught up with them. Soon, a martial beast at the second grade of Heaven Level blocked them and the only passage way forward.

    "Elva, I think this is enough. I can take it from here," Zachary declared. His countenance became truly serious. He never wanted to see Elva take any more risks.

    Elva didn''t know how to react when Zachary started to act out of his usual self.

 Chapter 94 Fight Together

    At that moment, Colin''s and Jason''s teams arrived one after another, and found Zachary and Elva there.

    "You!" They were surprised to see Zachary and Elva on the fifth floor.

    "I suppose they arrived before us. I can see how. The woman seems strong enough, but the man looks weak."

    "But even we struggled to get here. They wouldn''t have gotten here without the help of some stronger disciple!"

    "Exactly! It would be impossible if they got here by themselves!"

    All other disciples on the fifth floor were surprised. They immediately scanned the vicinity to see if Zachary and Elva had a companion.

    "There are only two of us. Believe it or not, we made it here by ourselves," Zachary sneered.

    The two teams were stunned. They couldn''t believe it!

    "My name is Colin Xie. And you are?" With a solemn smile, Colin approached them.

    "Elva Han from the Welkin Sect," Elva greeted in return.

    "So you are the famous Elva Han. I have heard a lot about you! The talented female disciple of the Welkin Sect," Colin said with a straight face.

    The disciples standing by were shocked.

    "I am Jason Feng from the Dragon Fist Sect," Jason said as he walked forward.

    The other four disciples came up and introduced themselves as well.

    "Stop staring at my wife like dirty old men!" Zachary angrily shouted, seeing they were approaching Elva a little too close for his liking.

    Hearing his words, Colin, Jason and the other four disciples were astonished.

    "This gorgeous woman is your wife? Lad, are you daydreaming?"

    "You don''t deserve her with such puny strength!"

    "You''re living an illusion!"

    The four disciples snic

    searched with their increased combat power. Besides, the higher the floor in the Death Prison, the smaller the area; hence the fifth floor wasn''t too large. When they went deeper in, there was only a straight and wide channel in front of them.

    After many fights, the three teams entered a crescent-shaped hall. Stone pillars on both sides extended to the end of the hall. The hall looked worn-out and old, but one could tell that it had been a trial hall in the past.

    "There are no other exits here. I think the Heavenly Squama Jade is right in this hall," Jason said as he looked around the hall.

    Colin nodded.

    "Let''s see who will win," Elva told the two team leaders.

    "Then we will make our move." Jason smiled shrewdly, and the two disciples at the Heaven Level behind him immediately sprinted in two directions.

    To not be outdone, the two disciples at the Heaven Level with Colin also dispersed.

    Without hesitation, Zachary and Elva also began to look for the item.

    The whole hall was turned upside down by the three teams as they searched for the Heavenly Squama Jade.

 Chapter 95 The Ghost Bat King

    A huge black bat-like shadow waited between the two stone pillars at the end of the hall. Its ferocious red eyes fixed on Zachary and the other intruding disciples. Held tightly in one of its huge black claws was the Heavenly Squama Jade that the disciples searched for.

    The giant bat-like figure suddenly swooped down towards one of the disciples from the Dragon Fist Sect. Its tremendous speed caught the disciple completely off guard even though he was at the Heaven Level. The giant bat-like creature swiped at the disciple with its powerful claws before he was able to do anything.

    "Argh!" A loud anguished scream echoed throughout the prison. The disciple''s shoulders were torn open as blood flowed freely from the gaping wounds that were left by the bat''s claws.

    Zachary and the other warriors also noticed that creature.

    Jason rushed to his injured teammate.

    The huge bat wasted no time as it maneuvered itself for another attack and swooped down once more¡ªthis time at Jason.

    "Hundred-Fist Skill!" Jason rapidly extended his hands as he uttered the words. Hundreds of fist shadows came forth and rushed towards the charging giant bat.

    The giant bat let out a howl that was charged with martial energy. The force of the bat''s attack deflected Jason''s attack back at him.

    Jason scowled at what happened to his attack. He grabbed his teammate and retr

    and Elva.

    "Even if we join forces, it might still not be enough," Elva replied as she shook her head.

    Colin also hesitated. He knew that the Ghost Bat King was extremely strong, and if they fought it head on, the result would likely still be unfavorable. Although the competition was important, he didn''t have to risk his life for it.

    "How would we know if we don''t give it a try? Although the Ghost Bat King is at the seventh grade of Heaven Level, remember that our goal is only the Heavenly Squama Jade. We can retreat once we get the jade," Jason encouraged the other disciples.

    "That changes things a bit,"

    Colin replied. He was obviously tempted by Jason''s words.

    Elva never answered and instead glanced at Zachary meaningfully.

    "Elva, I''m afraid that you''d have to make this decision. I''m too weak to be of any help at this point," Zachary said as he started straight into Elva''s eyes.

 Chapter 96 A Fierce Battle

    Although Elva was aware that it was a great risk to fight against the Ghost Bat King, she was still itching to have a try. After all, it was not a common experience to fight a martial beast at the seventh grade of the Heaven Level.

    "Find a safe place to hide. I''ll fight," Elva told Zachary after some deep considerations.

    "I will, even if you don''t tell me to." And with that, Zachary disappeared.

    Seeing that Zachary had hidden himself well, Elva walked towards Jason and the other disciples.

    "Elva and I will lure and distract the Ghost Bat King. Colin, please help get the Heavenly Squama Jade," Jason said.

    Colin nodded in agreement.

    With the plan set to action, Jason and Elva went to two different directions. Jason launched his attack, attracting the Ghost Bat King''s attention. The beast gave a violent counterattack, displaying the power of the seventh grade of Heaven Level.

    Soon enough, Jason couldn''t withstand the power of the martial beast anymore. Seeing his need of assistance, Elva attempted to distract the Ghost Bat King.

    In an instant, Elva''s fist burned with a black flame. The shadow of a fist that flew like a dragon shot out and hit the wing of the Ghost Bat King.

    The beast''s body shook violently and it let out a cry of rage. It immediately turned to Elva and lunged at her fiercely.

    When she started fighting, Elva could attack the opponent while defending herself. But after a while, the difference of their grades became more and more evident. Soon, it was difficult for her to hold on.

    At that moment, Jason should have come to Elva''s aid.

    But he didn''t move at all, his eyes turning dark.

    The Ghost Bat King proceeded to release its ultimate skill. Strong energy turned into white light and burst out like a sound wave. It reached Elva in an instant.

    It was hard for the Elva to run away. In the blink of an eye; she was swallowed up by the sound wave.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Immediately, withi

    ance, but it carried a momentum that could penetrate a stone with only water droplets. Colin''s martial power was two grades higher than Jason''s, so Jason did not dare be careless. He turned his body immediately and tried to avoid the three rays of sword light. However, the energy of the sword light still cut through his clothes, leaving three wounds on his body. The power of the sword strike was indeed strong! If the strike had hit him directly, he would have been dead.

    Since he was wounded, Jason slowed down. Taking this opportunity, Colin quickly caught up.

    The two were equally fast!

    As this was going on, the dust had settled and a figure suddenly dashed out like a phantom. In an instant, it flashed past Jason, grabbed the Heavenly Squama Jade, and put it into his bag.

    Jason and Colin were startled. As their vision cleared, the figure had already returned to the side of another seemingly unharmed figure.

    They were Zachary and Elva, whom they had mistakenly considered to be dead!

    "They''re alive?" Jason cried out in disbelief. It never occurred to him that Zachary and Elva would survive the attack of the Ghost Bat King, let alone come out unharmed. It was even more surprising that Zachary had easily grabbed the Heavenly Squama Jade from him and Colin amidst all the chaos.

 Chapter 97 Spiritual Skill

    Colin looked at Zachary in confusion. Even if Zachary combined his strength with Elva, who was seriously injured, they could have never been able to avoid the attack of the Ghost Bat King. How did they escape from it? It was unthinkable!

    Elva was as surprised as Colin and Jason. She had seen how Zachary took the Heavenly Squama Jade. She stared at him in a strange way. Everything happened so fast that she couldn''t react properly. Zachary was just suddenly in front of her, and then they were both enveloped by extremely strong power. It seemed like the sound wave was going to devour them. But unexpectedly, it disappeared without a trace.

    After that, Zachary snatched the Heavenly Squama Jade in a flash.

    "Zachary, you..." Elva''s words trailed off due to her astonishment. She didn''t know how to explain what had just happened because there were so many questions racing through her head. Before this, she had felt that Zachary was hiding something, and now she was certain. He was hiding something shocking!

    As these things were happening, all the masters led by Sara were standing in the dark corners of the hall, hiding themselves and waiting for the change. When they had rushed over, they were surprised to see Zachary blocking the attack of the Ghost Bat King to protect Elva. And now, they saw that the two were completely unharmed. They witnessed how Zachary swiped the Heavenly Squama Jade right under Jason''s and Colin''s noses, two disciples who were far more powerful than him. Even the masters couldn''t help but be amazed.

    "This new disciple, Zachary, seems to be more capable than I expected!" one of the master remarked.

    The other masters nodded, seeming to have a new appraisal for Zachary.

    Sara stood still and stared at Zachary with surprise in her eyes.

    But even though Zachary got the Heavenly Squama Jade, it didn''t mean the fight was over. The Ghost Bat Ki

    or, he heard a shrill cry. The Ghost Bat King staggered and quickly flew to him. Although it was seriously injured, it still screamed loudly.

    "Is it still alive?" As the beast approached him, Zachary''s face froze. His martial energy had been drained by that spiritual skill and he couldn''t move now.

    "Zachary..." Seeing Zachary freeze with exhaustion, Elva felt extremely nervous. She rushed to Zachary immediately.

    Jason''s face became sly. He suddenly stretched out his hand and blocked Elva''s path.

    "Get out of my way!" Elva said coldly. She needed to get to Zachary, fast.

    "Hand over the Heavenly Squama Jade and I''ll let you pass," Jason said with a menacing smile.

    Elva glared at him and then looked at the Ghost Bat King, which was about to get to Zachary. With a cold, loathing eyes, she threw the jade into the air without hesitation, allowing Jason to grab it, and rushed straight to Zachary so she could help him get up.

    "Elva..." In order to save him, Elva gave up the Heavenly Squama Jade, which was equal to giving up the first place in the freshmen contest. It was very difficult to make a decision like this with her unyielding personality. It was evident that in Elva''s heart, the jade was far less important to her than Zachary.

 Chapter 98 Invalid Result

    Zachary placed his arm over Elva''s shoulder as he smiled faintly. The two of them stepped back together. But the Ghost Bat King never gave up as it tried to catch them.

    Jason was about to grab the falling Heavenly Squama Jade when a ghost-like figure appeared out of nowhere and released a powerful wave of martial energy that pushed the Heavenly Squama Jade back into the air.

    "Colin!" Jason exclaimed when he saw that it was Colin who sent the jade back up in the air.

    "It seems that we need to decide the winner between us," Colin said as he sneered at Jason. He was determined to get the Heavenly Squama Jade.

    Jason was surprised but he knew that it was not the time to give up. He prepared himself to go all out against Colin.

    A delicate feminine figure came out of the shadows and went to grab the Heavenly Squama Jade.

    Jason and Colin were both shocked. They never expected that a third person hid in the shadows to grab the Heavenly Squama Jade.

    Jason and Colin launched their attacks at the same time.

    "Virid Water Swordsmanship!"

    "Hundred-Fist Skill!"

    Rays of swords and fists formed in mid-air.

    "Quintuple Sword Strike!" Five rays of different-colored sword light rushed towards the attacks of Colin and Jason.

    The attacks from three warriors collided in the air. The sword light disintegrated the attacks of Colin and Jason like they were nothing, and went after them.

    Boom!

    Five loud explosions overcame Jason and Colin completely.

    The feminine figure defeated Colin and Jason with only one move to the surprise of everyone who watched the ensuing contest.

    The figure caught the jade and walked casually towards Zachary and Elva.

    Everyone was surprised to see the identity of the mysterious female when the dim light of the prison shone on the figure''s face and revealed who she was.

    "Lovely Rita! You are so awesome!" Zachary exclaimed. He whistled out in relief and admiration.

    Colin and Jason got back to their feet with dust all over their clothes and faces. They never imagined that it was Rita who gave them a run for their money. They immediately concluded that she concealed her true power.

    Zachary was unable to move and Elva was badly injured. The Ghost Bat King soon caught up with them. It released a powerful sound wave charged with intense white martial energy that intended to kill Zachary and Elva.

    Just as Zachary and Elva were about to be engulfed by the powerful sonic attack, another figure su

    and Elva looked at each other. They knew that Jason had it coming.

    The other masters had no objection to her punishment, because what Jason did violated the values of that the Celestial College held dear.

    What took most of their attention was the fact that Zachary''s team won first place in three consecutive rounds. This had never happened before in the history of the freshmen contest. Even the strongest teams in the past only won the first place in two rounds out of three.

    "Announce to everyone that the freshmen contest is over!" Sara relayed to the supervisors.

    The different teams on the various floors of the Death Prison soon heard the news that the freshmen contest was over. They all left the prison immediately and gathered at the open space in front of the Death Prison.

    It was not long before almost all the freshmen were outside the Death Prison.

    The top three teams followed Sara and the other masters out of the Death Prison. The other disciples watched them as they emerged from the prison.

    The disciples whispered among themselves. They all wondered which of the three teams won the first place!

    In the eyes of the freshmen, the highly likely winner was the team led by Colin because the martial power of Colin was far greater than that of other freshmen. But the team from the Dragon Fist Sect also had a chance.

    What surprised them the most was that Zachary''s team was among the top three teams. No one expected them to get the first place, though.

    Sara and the other masters walked towards the front of the crowd. The three winning teams stood on one side and waited for the announcement of the results.

 Chapter 99 The Last Test

    "I didn''t expect that Elva and Zachary could make it to the final round!" Chandler said excitedly when he saw Zachary and Elva among the top three teams.

    Bruce stood beside Chandler with a glum face. He glared at Zachary with murderous intent. He had wasted his time trying to kill Zachary, but had been stopped by Rebecca. By the time he reached the fifth floor, the contest was over.

    "That loser would only drag Elva down. It''s impossible for them to win the first place again," Bruce mumbled.

    Joyce and Derrick, who were forced to give up halfway because of their seriously injured companion, also looked on regretfully.

    "If we were in the same team with Colin, we would''ve won the third round," Derrick said, shaking his head.

    "Colin will be fine even without us," Joyce replied. She was unhappy when she saw that Elva was among the three teams.

    ''I can''t believe she is stronger than me, ''

    Joyce thought to herself, pouting her lips. Her countenance became more serious. She started to see Elva as a rival.

    Sara started her speech after confirming that all the freshmen had left the Death Prison and were all safely gathered outside. "Many of you have performed really well in the freshmen contest, although some have performed below expectations. But overall, I am very pleased with the results!"

    The freshmen stared at each other after they heard what Sara said. The disciples were well aware that if they didn''t win, it wouldn''t make any sense no matter how well they performed in the contest.

    "I will now announce two important things," Sara said in a calm voice. "The first thing is the punishment that will be levied on the Dragon Fist Sect''s disciple, Jason. He played dishonorably in the third round. His actions are against the spirit of the Celestial College, so his score in the third round will be annulled."

    All the freshmen were confounded to hear her words. They n

    llege. A requirement to enter the Supreme Hall was that a warrior must first be at the Sage Level or above. And the qualifications of Winona Qing could show her status.

    It was an enviable event to receive an award from the esteemed Winona Qing. If she was in a generous mood, it was possible for her to award something extra to the winners.

    The freshmen present stared enviously at Zachary, Elva and Rita.

    And yet the three of them remained extremely calm.

    Sara and the other masters left at the end of the announcement and were followed by the freshmen who left the area in small groups.

    "Rita, you truly made a great contribution to our team. What reward do you want?" Zachary asked Rita with a smile.

    "Forget it. What reward could you possibly offer me?" Rita replied and looked indifferent.

    "I can give you bad news," Zachary replied smiling.

    "Bad news?" Rita replied to Zachary with a puzzled look.

    "You are in trouble," Zachary said as he pointed at a dozen freshmen heading towards Rita.

    Rita turned around and saw Adolph, the freshman that she pretended to defect to during the contest. But she betrayed him in the end.

    Adolph and the group of disciples rushed towards them in anger. They instantly surrounded Zachary, Elva and Rita.

 Chapter 100 Challenge From Adolph

    "Bitch! How dare you play tricks on me!" Adolph shouted as his face twitched in anger. He thought that inviting a beautiful lady to join his team would be beneficial, but it turned out that this beauty was as crafty as she was pretty. She took the herbs that they collected in addition to what they took from her team and caused them to fail in the second round.

    "You don''t have the ability to protect your stuff, and you have the gall to be arrogant here? Leave or I will beat you to a pulp," Rita replied. She was so angry that she released her martial energy which belonged to a warrior of Heaven Level. The energy level started from the first grade and steadily rose to the sixth grade.

    At this time, many disciples who hadn''t left also gathered around and pointed at them. They never expected that Rita had such powerful strength.

    No one truly knew anything about her.

    "This is not even my real strength. Are you afraid yet?" Rita added. ''She is already so powerful at such a young age. She surely has a strong background. She must have some powerful weapons or pills with her which can help boost her martial energy. There is no way I can win against her, '' Adolph thought to himself.

    "You... You..." Adolph stammered. As Rita''s power rose, his face turned red with embarrassment. He knew that if he fought Rita, he would most likely be badly beaten.

    "Alright. Alright." Adolph had suspected that Rita was rather powerful, but he didn''t expect her to be that powerful.

    But disciples were watching him. He''d look like a coward if he backed out just like that. He thought for a while, then pointed at Zachary and roared, "I want to challenge you!"

    If he saw the spiritual skill released by Zachary with the help of Andrew, he would have regretted his challenge right now.

    "Lovely Rita, it''s you who provoked him. Why is he challenging me?" Zachary asked. "Maybe it''s because y

    hat he would defeat him.

    "If you can beat me in three moves, then you win," Zachary replied as he crossed his arms over his chest.

    Adolph was momentarily stunned. He laughed loudly once he recovered from his initial shock. "Boy, with your strength, you won''t be able to dodge my attack even if I use only half a move."

    All the disciples around them shook their heads, knowing how crazy Zachary''s terms were.

    Elva intended to drag him away from the fight. Although Zachary''s movement skill was amazing, he was seriously injured just to save her. As a result, he had no chance of winning.

    "It''s hard to say whether I can avoid it or not. But you are doomed otherwise," Zachary replied back with a calm smile. Although he was injured, he could still use Shadow Pace without a problem. The man was only at the primary stage of Heaven Level, not too powerful an opponent for Zachary. The most important reason why Zachary accepted the challenge was the fourth-grade purple cultivation-aiding pill that Rita promised to give him if he won. Since he was only at the Earth Level now, this pill might be able to improve his martial power several grades higher.

    It was time to show Adolph and the disciples watching, just how powerful the spiritual skill was!

 Chapter 101 Make A Challenge

    "Is a battle going to take place here?" A soft feminine voice came out of nowhere.

    The disciples turned towards the source of the voice. They were all surprised and bewitched by her beauty.

    "Rebecca?" Zachary murmured. He was surprised to see her at this time and place.

    "Rebecca," Adolph said in a respectful voice. Though he and Rebecca were both from Hua Clan, the latter was the daughter of the clan leader.

    Rebecca stared at Zachary and then at Adolph. "If the two of you want to fight each other, I''ll allow you guys to do so and personally serve as the supervisor," she said in a flat tone and with an expressionless face.

    "Then I will do my best to show you what am capable of, Rebecca," Zachary said in an excited voice.

    Adolph briefly stared at Rebecca. A sinister smile suddenly crossed his face. "If you lose, you must kowtow to me. In addition, you must give me that fourth-grade purple cultivation-aiding pill," he declared.

    Zachary expected that Adolph wanted to get Rita''s fourth-grade purple cultivation-aiding pill.

    He turned towards Rita instead of replying to Adolph''s demand.

    "Okay. If you win, this pill will belong to you," Rita agreed without hesitation.

    The primary reason why Rita took out the pill was that she wanted to see the real strength and potential of Zachary. After his battle against the Ghost Bat King, she became more curious about his strength, especially the creepy power that he released at the critical moment. After all, her master, Katrina, kept on talking about Zachary.

    "What if you lose?" Zachary asked Adolph in a mocking tone.

    "I will never lose!" Adolph replied confidently.

    "Is that so? How about this? If I lose, in addition to the conditions you''ve just mentioned, I will give you three bottles of third-grade green cultivation-aiding pills," Zachary smiled and seized the chance to make a fortune.

    His statement caused a commotion in the crowd. It was known to all that third-grade green cultivation-aiding pills were most suitable for warriors at the Earth Level and at the primary stage of Heaven Level. Although they were inferior to fourth-grade purple cultivation-aiding pills, they were also quite precious. Since a single pill was already highly valued, an offer of three bottles of the said pills was an offer no one dared refuse.

    Zachary then took out three bottles of third-grade cultivation-aiding green pills as offered.

    The disciples became very suspicious that Zachary had three bottles of third-grade green cultivation-aiding pills.

    Even Rebecca was surprised after hearing what Zachary just said.

    "You have three bottles of third-grade green cultivation-aiding pills?" Adolph asked in a tone of disbelief and mocking.

    Zachary handed the three bottles to Rebecca. "Tell him. What are those three bottles of pills?"

    Rebecca took the bottles and opened one of them to examine more closely. She immediately saw the green glow in the bottle.

    d again?"

    "Are you sure he is really weak?"

    "Where did he go?"

    "Where is he?" The disciples looked around, with a puzzled look on their faces.

    A shadow appeared behind Adolph and did something to his waist. Adolph suddenly became aware of the presence and turned around. He was surprised that Zachary was able to get to his back without him sensing it.

    "Go to hell!" Adolph shouted at Zachary. He jumped up and his leg swept around with powerful momentum. "Try this! I don''t believe you can survive this attack once again."

    He became more aggressive this time. However, when he raised his leg and swept toward Zachary, a chill swept all over his body.

    The crowd burst into loud laughter and the girls screamed in terror.

    "Look at that! His thingy is as small as a finger!"

    "A finger? I think it''s just toothpick!"

    "Maybe he''s impotent?"

    Adolph''s eyes sprang wide open as he lowered his head in response to the laughter and shrieking. He was naked from waist down and the furry thing between his legs shrunk with the cold.

    Adolph''s face turned scarlet red. After he landed, he immediately covered his lower body with his hands, and then glared at Zachary, who smiled slyly in front of him.

    "Oh, so you have a sexual fetish of taking off your pants when you fight?" Zachary asked and then punched Adolph with his fist.

    Adolph instinctively raised his hands to block Zachary''s attack.

    "Just kidding!" Zachary suddenly disappeared and went to the back of Adolph.

    Adolph was suddenly aware of something about to happen. Zachary posed at Adolph''s back as if he was about to kick a football, and kicked Adolph hard.

    He landed like a frog as loose earth filled his mouth.

    "You bastard! I will kill you!" Adolph became angrier from embarrassment. He got up, one hand grasped his trousers and the other clenched into a fist.

    "Hey! You have used three strikes already." Zachary stood still and didn''t dodge Adolph''s incoming attack.

 Chapter 102 The Battle Is Over

    Adolph conjured up all his strength and his hand was immediately engulfed in flames. The flames then gathered together towards one point and formed a huge fiery dragon. The air heated and ignited around the flame dragon.

    "Such power!"

    Zachary slightly grimaced at the sight. He was amazed at how powerful the skill of a warrior of Heaven Level truly was. Adolph''s attack was so intense that he seemed to plan to take Zachary''s life.

    "This is on you!" Zachary exclaimed and then smiled slightly. His bracer started to glow, and a stream of borrowed power steadily transferred itself to him.

    Adolph loomed closer and as the two of them met, the dragon-shaped flames quickly overwhelmed Zachary.

    Zachary disappeared within the flames as everyone watched in horror.

    "What?!"

    The disciples exclaimed as they watched the unmoving figure of Zachary disappear inside the flames.

    ''Can he possibly survive that?'' they wondered.

    Rebecca was worried and shouted, "Be careful!"

    "What? You want me to be careful?" Adolph asked. He never understood what he should be careful about. Was he supposed to be careful of Zachary''s counter attack? ''I''m afraid he''s already badly burned, '' he pondered.

    A loud explosion erupted from the flames after they completely consumed Zachary. The flames burst into a pillar of fire more than ten feet high. All that was left was the charred marks on the ground when the flames died out.

    "Zachary is completely burned to ashes!"

    And as if in response, a loud familiar voice shouted out from the sky, "Spiritual skill!" It was Zachary and his right hand erupted into a spiritual beast. It rushed out emitting radiant light that threatened to engulf Adolph.

    Boom!

    With a deafening thundering sound, Zachary''s right hand burst forth in a golden light.

    The spiritual energy tha

    imself too much once more.

    Adolph glared at Zachary.

    "Do as he says!" the disciples cheered loudly.

    Adolph was too embarrassed of himself. He stared at Rebecca with pleading eyes, hoping that she would let him go.

    "Admit your defeat. Go ahead," Rebecca said emotionless and then stared at Adolph with a you-are-doomed look.

    Adolph had no choice but to cover his face and run naked as agreed.

    "I believe these pills are yours," Rebecca said as she handed the six bottles of third-grade green cultivation-aiding pills to Zachary.

    Zachary accepted them without saying a word.

    "You guys can now leave!" Rita announced to the disciples who were watching.

    Seeing that the fun had ended, the disciples left immediately.

    Rebecca nodded to Zachary and went on her way.

    "Well done! This fourth-grade purple cultivation-aiding pill is yours," Rita said as she handed the purple pill to Zachary. She immediately used her movement skill and left without another word.

    "Don''t you ever do that again! Now go and heal yourself!" Elva blurted out. She glanced at Zachary one more time and started to walk away, without saying anything else. She felt somewhat jealous but she could not understand why.

 Chapter 103 The Treasure Beast System

    Zachary watched Elva walk away until she was no longer within sight. His countenance turned more serious as he stared at the Holy Bone Bracer. ''I have a lot of things to do. Although I can borrow the power of Master Andrew, I will probably die if I lose control of it! I will only use it in the most crucial situation. It seems that my meridians have become much wider after my two attempts of using Master Andrew''s power. I should find a place to cultivate immediately, '' hey thought. He disappeared from where he stood.

    He immediately entered the system as soon as he found a safe place.

    "Congratulations on your completion of the side quest and winning the freshmen contest. Also, congratulations on completing the random treasure-hunting quest!" Mimi exclaimed as Zachary entered the system.

    "Mimi, please don''t startle me each time I come in," requested Zachary. "Not only have I completed the side quest, but also the random treasure-hunting quest. And I also won the contest. I think I should get an extra reward!"

    Three choices appeared in front of him. The first two were martial arts at the medium stage of Earth Level, while the last one was a question mark.

    "Since you completed the side quest perfectly, the system will give you a bonus reward," Mimi replied.

    "Judging from my current cultivation progress, it would be wise for me to learn martial arts at the Earth Level. But it''s worth trying my luck. The last time I picked a random reward, I received the God-slaying Formula, but I still have no idea which level it belongs to," Zachary whispered to himself while he considered his options.

    "I choose the random reward!" Zachary shouted. ''I don''t think my luck will be worse than the last time, '' he thought to himself.

    The third choice started to spin as soon as Zachary chose it. When it stopped spinning, Mimi exclaimed excitedly, "Congratulations! It''s an auxiliary cultivation method, Flawless Illusion. One can cultivate it and use it at any cultivation level, and it can be upgraded too!"

    "What? It''s not a combat skill? I want a combat skill at the premium stage of Earth Level! I should have chosen one of the two martial arts at the medium stage of Earth Level instead!" Zachary said mournfully. He then slapped his forehead with his hand.

    A beam of light shot forth and entered Zachary''s brain. In an instant, everything about the Flawless

    en laughed loudly.

    He noticed a house-shaped icon that flickered in front of him. He clicked it and a shopping cart appeared. It was filled with all kinds of items. When he clicked on the icon of an item, he accessed a brief description of the item.

    Some of the items were: Hatching Fluid, Growth-promoting Pill, Egg-laying Pill, Cultivation Boosting Pill... And there were other treasures. The higher the treasure''s level, the more expensive it was. Even a pill at the Common Level cost five treasure-hunting coins.

    With the help the treasure beast system, Zachary was confident that he would be able to upgrade his Blazing Roc to the Imperial Level.

    "It seems that I have to work harder to collect treasures in the future," Zachary said to himself while nodding slightly.

    He went and sat on a big rock beside the pool and took out a third-grade green therapeutic pill. While he healed himself, he noticed that the martial energy in his body was much stronger than before, which seemed to be enough for him to make a breakthrough and reach the third grade of Earth Level.

    "It seems that I have benefited from widening my meridians. I''m able to reach the third grade of Earth Level." Zachary was very happy, but then he hesitated for a moment. He realized that this might be because Andrew''s spiritual soul had fused with his Holy Bone Bracer.

    Zachary felt great to be able to upgrade again. After nearly a day of healing, he started making the breakthrough.

    Another day had passed uneventfully.

    He had a smooth breakthrough and reached the third grade of Earth Level.

 Chapter 104 The Queen Of Charm (Part One)

    After Zachary made the breakthrough, he headed to the first available empty space to try out the spiritual skill once more, but this time without Andrew''s help. Last time when he performed the skill, he had no knowledge of the whole process at all; he only felt a force flowing through the Holy Bone Bracer. When he did, visions flashed through his mind like some kind of awakening. But it wasn''t an epiphany or a hallucination: it was Andrew using the skill.

    But when he attempted to repeat the action a few times, he realized that he couldn''t perform that particular spiritual skill anymore. In spite of continued attempts, he was unable to make use of the skill.

    "I don''t think my martial power is strong enough for this. If I want to use this skill by myself, without Master Andrew''s aid, I have to at least reach the Heaven level!" Zachary pursed his lips in frustration and disappointment. All this time, he thought that his command of the skill was unmatched, allowing him to beat any freshman. But as it turned out, he might have a long way to go.

    Still, surrender was not Zachary''s nature, and pride would not allow him to do it. He had to continue studying and mastering this skill until he conquered it. Certainly Andrew must have had reservations on teaching him the ability, perhaps suspicious of his motives. Perhaps only after Anne promised to build him a body would Andrew be more willing to teach him the skill.

    ''Oh yes. I haven''t actually had the chance to visit Master Anne yet. I don''t know if she''s still in seclusion. It looks like I have to go to the Living-dead Tomb, on account of my promise to Master Andrew too, '' Zachary thought. After a moment of deep consideration, he teleported himself to the Living-dead Tomb. He was well aware of Anne''s notorious temper. There was a good chance that she''d drive him out and slam the door in his face from the moment the words

    d and cultivated. Existence within those walls was regarded as a complete mystery.

    Nestled within these walls was a dense forest. Sara stood gracefully within. Across her, another figure stood with its back to her.

    "Say that again? The boy''s team swept all three rounds in first place, you say?" As she spoke, the figure finally turned around, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face. She was the woman that Zachary had run into within the cave, who had presented him with a marriage contract. Her name was Katrina Long, and she was responsible for many things that went on within the Celestial College. She was nicknamed the "Queen of Charm."

    Whenever Katrina''s name was mentioned within the Celestial College, everyone within earshot would tremble. She had a mysterious background, and her power and means of ruling the college were fearsome. She rapidly ascended the ranks with her talents and rose to become one of the most powerful personages of the Celestial College.

    She looked to be in her early thirties, and yet she had already reached the Sage Level. Some of the more wicked rumors mocked her, claiming that cosmetic skills were the only reason she looked young for her age; the popular gossip was that she might be more than fifty years old.

 Chapter 105 The Queen Of Charm (Part Two)

    There were many stories about Katrina. But as she was such a shadowy figure, no one could really confirm the truth.

    Katrina rarely showed up in public, or presented herself before others in the college. Only during moments of dire need, such as accidents, would she appear. Even most of the college''s masters had never laid eyes on her.

    It was worth noting, however, that both Katrina Long and Sara Long shared the same surname: Long. There was suspicion that there must be a certain relationship between the two of them.

    "Yes, absolutely. In the most critical situation, he seemed to have used a mysterious power, but it didn''t seem to be his own, causing him to collapse after he used it." Sara looked contemplative.

    "Also, there''s another member of the team I took note of: a girl named Rita. I have no solid information about her, but I suppose she must be quite powerful to be within their ranks. I''ve looked into her background and found that she was recruited to the college in the last minute. Still, I haven''t found anything too useful or conclusive about her," Sara added, this time with a hint of interest.

    "Don''t worry about that," Katrina replied calmly. "Regardless, I find what you''ve just told me rather fascinating.

    It appears that Zachary is full of surprises, isn''t he? In recognition of his hard work, I do believe I should pay him a visit, don''t you think?"

    "You...what? Isn''t it a little imprudent to be in direct contact with him? He''s a freshman!" Sara replied, a little scandalized.

    "Well you did say he got first place in the freshmen contest. And I''m going to see him in order to present him with the award. There''s nothing inappropriate about that, is there?" Katrina merely smiled, deep in thought.

    "You...are personally going to give him the award?" Sara asked slowly, completely flabbergasted. She had never even heard of a warrior at the Sage Level descending down

    n if a master of Sage Level had arrived?

    "Behold the Queen of Charm!" The masters'' voices rang out in unison. These masters of Imperial Level were compelled to show respect to a warrior of Sage Level.

    As they spoke, Katrina gracefully walked through them, towards the crowd of awestruck freshmen. Her calm, cool demeanor and incredibly powerful stance could have brought the freshmen to their knees, evoking a powerful compulsion to worship the earth she walked upon.

    "The...the Queen of Charm?! So she''s the Queen of Charm, the one they all talk about! She''s the most legendary female warrior of Sage Level in the Celestial College! Sage Level! A warrior of Sage Level, can you believe it?!"

    "Oh, my God! I can''t believe this is happening! Someone this powerful is actually here! What''s even going on right now?! I''ve never even seen a warrior of Sage Level in my whole life!"

    "She''s the one everyone can''t stop talking about! They say she''s the most beautiful woman in the entire Celestial College. The Queen of Charm is real! I can''t believe she''s right before my eyes! Not even Master Sara''s as beautiful as her!"

    "I heard that even the president of the college reveres her and pays her so much respect."

    And just like that, the whole crowd was in uproar.

 Chapter 106 The Awarding Ceremony

    "Oh, that''s really her! She''s so famous!" Zachary finally saw the mysterious woman once again and yet he appeared very calm. He knew something more interesting could happen today.

    It suddenly occurred to him that this woman''s surname was also Long. He wondered if she was somehow related to Sara.

    "It seems that I am too popular here. But I''m not here to steal the show. So I need to be quiet." Katrina waved her hand and then smiled when she saw the commotion that she caused.

    Although it was just a simple statement, it carried with it a powerful message.

    "Since Winona is busy today, Master Katrina, a warrior of Sage Level, will award the prizes to the winning team of the freshmen contest on behalf of the Celestial College," Sara announced.

    Hardly had she finished speaking when the audience cheered loudly.

    It was truly a memorable day for the winning team. Getting awarded by the Queen of Charm was something that added prestige to anyone.

    The freshmen viewed the winning team with a variety of emotions. Some envied them, and some admired them. However, a very select few hated them to their very core, and these were Bruce and Jason.

    "The team who won the first place in the freshmen contest, please step up!" Sara announced as she signaled to Zachary''s team to walk forward.

    The three of them walked to Sara''s side.

    After Zachary''s team reached Sara''s side, three disciples of Heaven Level approached with three small, silver boxes. The disciples then opened the boxes facing the spectators. Inside were ten bottles of pills.

    "Since the team won the first place in all three rounds of the freshmen contest, they will receive special awards. These are all fourth-grade green pills. There are five bottles of white cultivation-aiding pills, three bottles of green cultivation-aiding pills, one bottle of white energy-replenishing pills, and one bottle of white therapeutic pills," Sara announced.

    The freshmen were envious when they heard Sara''s announcement on what the re

    ppeared in her hand.

    "It''s a fourth-grade golden pill!" The eyes of the freshmen lit up with astonishment. Most of them had never even seen what a golden pill looked like.

    "This fourth-grade Golden Jade Pill is a cultivation-aiding pill that helps warriors make a breakthrough to the King Level. Who wants it?" Katrina asked as she turned to Rita and Zachary.

    "Oh my God! I can''t believe my eyes. That''s really rare!" The disciples of Heaven Level were astounded.

    "Of course that''s me! You know that, Master Katrina!" Rita said to her master via telepathy. She hurriedly waved her hand out, as if she feared that Zachary might claim it first. She was so fast that the golden pill was in her hand in an instant. Not many people even saw her move clearly.

    "You have done a truly great job this time. You''ve finished your apprenticeship with me, and you don''t have to cultivate in seclusion anymore," Katrina answered as she smiled at Rita meaningfully.

    Rita was overjoyed when she heard her master''s words. She looked forward to that for a long time. ''Though Zachary is shameless, he has brought me enough good luck. But what on earth is the relationship between Master Katrina and him?'' she pondered.

    She became even more curious the more she thought about it.

    Katrina stared at Zachary and said, "Hold out your hands."

 Chapter 107 A Treasure Beast Egg Of Scarce Level

    Zachary was stunned for a second. But he held out his hands as soon as he recovered from his initial surprise. Katrina slowly approached him and then touched his palms with her hands. He felt how soft and tender her hands were. Their nearness allowed him to smell her natural, fresh, sweet scent that intoxicated him for what felt like a very brief moment. Before he realized what was happening, she moved her hands away.

    Zachary felt like his head was in the clouds. When his vision wandered to his hands, he saw a beast egg with red dots the size of a palm.

    "This is...?" Zachary said with hesitation and then looked up at Katrina in wonder.

    All the new disciples strained their eyes to get a good view of what Katrina placed on Zachary''s hands.

    "I accidentally got this egg from a treasure beast of Scarce Level. I''ve tried to hatch it several times, but I never succeed. So I give it to you now," Katrina replied in a gentle voice.

    There was a hubbub in the crowd after she spoke.

    "It is the egg of a treasure beast? And of Scarce Level?"

    "This guy is so lucky to get a treasure beast egg."

    "But it''s not easy to hatch the egg. Besides, even if it is hatched successfully, its chance of survival will be very low."

    "Yes, it''s just a treasure that is pleasant to the eye but of no real use."

    "Actually, he''s in bad luck. The egg can''t be hatched and raised by a human. So the previous two treasures are way better than the egg."

    All kinds of discussions went on among the disciples. Some people felt envious of Zachary''s good luck, while some thought that he was in bad luck for the egg had very little real value!

    Zachary felt so happy as he stared at the egg in his hands. He tried to maintain a calm facade but deep inside, he felt it hard to do that. He had just activated the treasure beast system not long ago and now Katrina gave him a treasure beast egg of Scarce Level, as if everything was well-arranged by fate.

    It might be impossible for others to hatch the egg, but this was not the case for Zachary as he had activated the treasure beast system.

    "Master Katrina, they both received such wondrous rewards, but you gave me a treasure beast egg that can''t be hatched by anyone. You''re so unfair!" Even though he was so please

    asure beast of Scarce Level with thunder element. Its special skill is the Thunder Wrath," Mimi said.

    "That''s good! That''s very good!" Zachary replied and nodded with satisfaction. ''Did she give it to me on purpose because she knew that I have the treasure beast system? Ha-ha!'' he wondered and then burst into laughter.

    "Mimi, help me exchange all these rubbish treasures for treasure-hunting coins," Zachary said as he pointed at the pile of treasures on the ground.

    "Starting exchange." A reddish vortex appeared out of nowhere like a giant mouth, and soon swallowed the treasures on the ground one by one.

    "The exchange is complete. You have received eighty-eight treasure-hunting coins."

    "What a lucky number! But it is too little. The exchange rate for rubbish treasures is really low," Zachary murmured to himself. But he didn''t really care too much since he got all those treasures for free.

    He opened his treasure beast system as soon as he received the coins and was about to buy the Hatching Fluid for the treasure beast egg. However, the instructions on the liquid made him curse loudly, "Damn! If I want to hatch a treasure beast egg, I need to use three drops of the liquid! And one drop of the liquid costs thirty coins. I don''t have enough coins!"

    After a few moments'' thought, he said to himself, "I''d better go to Master Anne for a treasure to exchange for more coins." Even though he still had a MH weapon of Earth Level, he couldn''t trade it for two treasure-hunting coins.

 Chapter 108 The Treasure-raiding Quest

    Zachary went straight to the Living-dead Tomb. He knew that Anne was fickle with her whereabouts and she might not be there. But he was really lucky this time because she was there when he arrived.

    "Master Anne, I missed you so much!" Zachary hollered at Anne, who was mixing honey in front of a stone platform.

    "Your strength has improved?" Although Anne didn''t turn around, she could tell right away that Zachary''s strength had improved as she could tell he was now at the third grade of Earth Level.

    "Yes, Master Anne." Zachary recalled to her what had happened during the Welkin Sect''s selection test and the Celestial College''s freshmen contest.

    When he got to the part where he had infused Andrew''s spiritual soul into his Holy Bone Bracer, Anne turned around. Her pretty face looked surprised. She then examined the bracer around his wrist.

    "It seems that everything is destined. If I didn''t make the Holy Bone Bracer for you, you wouldn''t be able to merge the spiritual soul of that warrior. A spiritual soul is very rare. Those who will turn into spiritual souls after their deaths are definitely very powerful when they are alive. But, given your current strength, if you try to use the power of the spiritual soul, it will do you no good. Always remember that!" Anne was capable and talented. She stated the key point that Zachary faced and emphasized it in a way that he easily understood.

    "I understand, Master Anne. I''ll be careful." Since Zachary had first-hand experience with the power of the spiritual soul, he definitely wouldn''t mess around with it. Andrew''s voice tried to get Zachary''s attention as he spoke with Anne. Because of the spiritual binding, Andrew''s spiritual soul was now bound to Zachary''s bracer. And Andrew could now only speak through him. It seemed that the former couldn''t wait to have an independent body.

    "About the booklet on weapon refining, how much have you learned?" Anne asked suddenly.

    "I have almost mastered the use of the energy fire," Zachary replied.

    "Good. You were quite fortunate to get the fire with metal element from the Blazing Roc. I thought it would take you at least a few years to have your energy fire. After all, energy fire is difficult to cultivate," Anne explained. She was clearly satisfied with the rate at which Zachary learned and developed.

    "Master Anne, my improvement is all due to your good guidance," Zachary replied in a flattering tone. "Master Anne, since I have been working hard to improve lately, can you do me a favor?"

    "What is it?" asked Anne. She was usually quiet and cold. She had never talked thi

    stained by blood. When he opened the bag, he found some valuable jewelry, a third-grade treasure at the Common Level and several herbs which seemed to have existed for ages.

    "It seems that I am quite lucky today. I found several items just by killing a martial beast," Zachary said with great satisfaction and transported the items into his Treasure-hunting Compass.

    He then entered the system, went to the Living-dead Tomb and reported to Anne about the success of his first treasure-raiding quest. He also handed over several herbs he had collected as harvests for his collection quest.

    Knowing that Zachary was eager to get treasures, Anne gave him another one at the third grade of Common Level as a reward.

    With the two treasures at the third grade of Common Level in his hand, Zachary immediately went back into the system and exchanged them both for treasure-hunting coins.

    "You get two treasure-hunting coins," Mimi said after evaluating the two treasures.

    "Two treasures for two coins. Not bad," Zachary said to himself. After the exchange, he opened the treasure beast system and bought three drops of Hatching Fluid.

    A small jade bottle appeared in front of Zachary.

    He then took the egg of the Thunder Dragon Horse to the Peach Blossom Forest. As soon as the Blazing Roc saw Zachary, it flew down and curiously stared at the treasure beast egg in his hand.

    "You will have a little friend to play with very soon. And then, I''ll have a new follower. If I can nurture more than a dozen powerful followers, I can do anything in the future." Zachary smiled at his little fantasy as he placed the egg of the Thunder Dragon Horse on the ground. He then poured a drop of liquid inside the jade bottle on the egg.

 Chapter 109 Hatching The Egg

    As soon as the first drop of the Hatching Fluid landed on the egg, there was a flash of radiance not unlike that of the sun upon rising. The egg immediately began rattling, as though something within it was preparing to be let loose.

    The second drop struck the egg.

    Almost immediately, the shell began to crack and shatter.

    The last drop made its way upon it.

    Boom!

    A deafening peal of thunder cracked in the Peach Blossom Forest. Lighting and thunder battled in the sky as though they were in the heat of war, and through the dense gathering of black clouds, a jagged lightning strike came down and slammed into the treasure beast egg.

    The egg seemed to take in the power of the lightning itself, glowing and crackling in energy.

    Crack!

    The shell split neatly into two.

    Seeing this, the Blazing Roc raised its magnificent head and roared up to the sky. Not long after, however, a smaller, weaker roar echoed it.

    The tremendous column of thunder and lightning dissipated along with the light. And there, nestled between two halves of the egg, sat a cub. It was a Thunder Dragon Horse cub that was now looking around curiously, marveling at its strange new surroundings with big, innocent eyes.

    "Hey there, little guy!" Delighted, Zachary knelt down next to the new cub, admiring it and tenderly extending his hand to it to pat its head.

    Chomp! Without warning, the Thunder Dragon Horse took big nip onto Zachary''s finger. Its wickedly sharp teeth easily penetrated his skin and it proceeded to start feeding on his blood with the greed of a newborn.

    "In accordance to the ritual, the Thunder Dragon Horse has made you its master!" Mimi announced, her voice ringing. "Congratulations, Zachary! You have now earned your second treasure beast. Now you have two under your care and your control. Behold your Thunder Dragon Horse, a treasure beast of Scarce Level!"

    By now, the little Thunder Dragon Horse cub released its jaws from where they were clamped on Zachary''s finger. It proceeded to hop right into his hand, scurrying all the way up to his shoulder to rest.

    "There you are, little guy. I think I''ll call you Kiwi. That''ll be your name. And Blazing Roc, I''ll call you Orion from now on." He was quite pleased with the names he''d chosen for his precious treasure beasts.

    Once he named them both, Zachary proceeded to give both of them a third-grade pill apiece. For the time being, he bade the Blazing Roc to care of the little Thunder Dragon Horse cub. In the meantime, he resumed his cultivation.

    As he carefully refined the purple cultivation-aiding pill that Rita had given to him, he could feel his cultivation base growing, flooding through his body. He could

    e is placed at that level, with his current strength, he''ll be unable to keep up. His fall will be painful. I feel that he''s the type that thrives when faced with adversity," Sara replied calmly, having thought this out.

    "I...suppose that''s quite true..." Rebecca replied thoughtfully, unable to deny the sensibility of it.

    "I''m glad you agree. Now, would you keep an eye on Zachary for me? I want to know if he starts doing anything unusual or out of the ordinary. But it''ll need to be done in secret. I don''t want him to get wind of what''s going on," Sara ordered in a strict tone.

    "I get it. But Master Sara, I''m just curious. Why do you care so much about Zachary?" Rebecca asked, furrowing her brows as she tried to understand.

    "I think right now, you''re better not know." Sara just shook her head. She paused contemplatively for a moment before adding, "You know, I didn''t expect your Hua Clan to perform so poorly in that contest. Both the Virid Sword Sect and the Dragon Fist Sect did far better. It''s a little out of the usual standard for the Hua Clan, isn''t it?"

    "Oh it''s just a little contest. Our clan''s disciples aren''t pinning their hopes on that. Their true aim is to enter the Elite Zone. The plan is to keep things close to the vest and bide our time, hiding our strength," Rebecca replied calmly, unbothered by the loss.

    "Is that so? I hope it really works." Sara then dismissed her with an absent wave of the hand.

    At the dismissal, Rebecca nodded, bowed politely and exited the room.

    "The real game here is to see exactly how far Zachary can go. His true potential is still hidden. I wouldn''t have ranked him that low if I could help it. It certainly wasn''t my idea; it was Master Katrina''s plan to do this," Sara murmured. There was a faraway look in her eyes.

 Chapter 110 A Martial Beast Of Heaven Level

    Zachary entered the system and went to Anne to take a treasure-raiding quest.

    After accepting the treasure-raiding quest, Zachary went straight to the Celestial College. When he arrived at the Heavenly Frosty Peak, his face immediately became grim.

    "Why didn''t she mention that it''s so cold here?" The peak was surrounded by scenic mountains and rivers. The temperature was below freezing and many places were frozen and covered with ice and snow.

    Since Zachary never prepared clothes that were appropriate for the cold, he had to use his martial energy to resist the cold. But this was not completely effective since he still felt cold.

    According to the instructions of the treasure-raiding quest, the treasure was in a cave. But he never knew which cave it was.

    It was easy for Zachary to sweep the mountain range with his current speed, but it wasn''t easy to find a cave that contained treasures. There were many small and large caves in the area. The most important thing of note was that there were martial beasts of Heaven Level in the Heavenly Frosty Peak that made the area really dangerous.

    After a short time, Zachary encountered a group of martial beasts which were called Snowy Wolves. The Snowy Wolves were martial beasts at the primary stage of Earth Level. They seemed to be very hungry as they stared at him.

    "Back off!" Zachary roared.

    But the Snowy Wolves didn''t understand what Zachary said and they rushed at him all at once.

    "Okay, this should warm me up. And I can also collect raw materials from them afterwards," Zachary said and watched the wolves approach, and then attacked them without holding back.

    Almost an hour had passed before he defeated the group of Snowy Wolves. He then collected their bones and skins which were both usable as refining materials. He continued after he completed gathering raw materials. He explored several caves but was unable to find anything. He encountered several more martial beasts that were at the medium stage or premium stage of Earth Level. Shadow Pace and Flawless Illusi

    d its powerful wings. It continued flapping its wings until the nearby rocks rolled into the cave.

    Bang! Boom!

    Several loud noises came from inside the cave. It was immediately followed by a loud roar that shook the walls of the cave and brought ice and snow down from the roof of the cave down to the ground. A short moment later, the martial beast of Heaven Level whose sleep was rudely interrupted rushed out of the cave. Its big yellowish eyes glared angrily at Zachary and the Blazing Roc. It roared at the two in rage.

    As soon as the Blazing Roc saw its opponent, it immediately jumped and took to the air. The leopard-like beast followed its flight path closely with its eyes and prepared itself to attack. The Blazing Roc swooped down for an attack, and the two were immediately locked in an intense fight.

    When he was sure that the leopard-like martial beast was locked in battle with the Blazing Roc, Zachary sneaked into the cave. With a powerful punch, he knocked away the ice stone which sealed the treasure, and took out a diamond-like treasure.

    Zachary was about to leave the cave when his path was blocked by a huge white figure. It was a martial beast of Heaven Level, but it was not the same beast that the Blazing Roc fought.

    Zachary planned well but failed to realize that there was a second martial beast of Heaven Level inside the cave.

 Chapter 111 The Ice Jade

    The martial beast of Heaven Level dashed towards Zachary. Its huge claw slashed at him.

    The martial beast''s body almost completely blocked the entrance of the cave. Since the distance between them was too close, there was no time for Zachary to use the Shadow Pace. Unless he entered the cave again, he would not be able to survive against this beast.

    "Damn!" Understanding that it was useless for him to try and dodge the incoming attack, Zachary clenched his teeth and decided to rush towards its claw. His Holy Bone Bracer slightly shook, and mighty rays of light shot out from it.

    Boom!

    Zachary was thrown away by the claw and slammed into the ice wall near the entrance of the cave. The whole ice wall caved in and shattered into pieces.

    He fell from the wall and coughed out a mouthful of blood.

    ''Such strength! If I didn''t have the Holy Bone Bracer, I would have been dead, '' he thought to himself. Zachary''s face darkened when he looked at the Holy Bone Bracer. Although the force of the claw was very strong, the Holy Bone Bracer was unable to absorb enough force from it. If his Holy Bone Bracer didn''t get enough power, it would not be able to deal a fatal blow.

    The martial beast didn''t give him a chance to recover. Before he was about to land on the ground, it charged at the Zachary with its powerful body and tried to crush his body.

    Bang!

    The cave reverberated with the loud crashing sound of the impact. The martial beast''s body was pressed hard against the wall with Zachary in the middle.

    A few moments later, the martial beast moved its body away from the ground with satisfaction. It turned around to look at the wall, only to find that Zachary was nowhere to be found.

    The martial beast looked around and tried to find Zachary, but he seemed to have completely vanished. It decided to join and help its companion that fought against the Blazing Roc.

    Just as the martial beast turned away, a figure appeared before the wall that was just smashed by its body. Before the martial beast could get ou

    round who argued with each other. They were disciples of the Dragon Fist Sect and the Hua Clan.

    Jason stood in front of the group of disciples of the Dragon Fist Clan. Adolph stood among the members of the Hua Clan. He stood next to a feeble young man who seemed to be in his early twenties. Zachary hadn''t seen this young man before nor had he heard about his abilities before in public. He assumed that he was an obscure warrior of the Hua Clan.

    However, Zachary sensed that the young man was hiding something. He was not as feeble as he looked!

    ''Is he a powerful warrior too?'' Zachary contemplated. Since he entered the Celestial College, he realized that there were a number of great warriors who hid their true strength like Rita. No one knew that Rita was about to reach the King Level. In addition to Rita, there must be a lot of disciples who had great power but didn''t want to attract too much attention.

    "The disciple from your Dragon Fist Sect is going too far. How dare he flirt with a female disciple from our Hua Clan!" Adolph shouted as he pointed at Jason.

    "You''re dreaming! It is clear that the female disciple of your clan seduced the disciple of our sect," Jason exclaimed. His face was etched with anger.

    "I am giving you a chance to apologize. Otherwise, you will live to regret what you did today," Adolph demanded angrily.

 Chapter 112 Richard Hua

    "Apologize? I''d rather see what your Hua Clan can do!" Jason looked like a gentleman on the surface, but he was an insidious and unreasonable person who took advantage of others.

    The other disciples of the Dragon Fist Sect rudely jeered at the Hua Clan.

    Adolph and the disciples of the Hua Clan became so angry that they clenched their fists. They wanted so much to rush and teach the disciples of the Dragon Fist Sect a lesson.

    To make matters worse, some of the onlookers booed and howled to goad the disciples of the two forces to fight. It started to go out of hand.

    A young disciple from the Hua Clan raised his hand, and Adolph and the other disciples of their clan calmed down.

    "It seems that being reasonable doesn''t work with your sect. Let''s do this the hard way. Let''s have a duel. If you lose, you should apologize at once; if we lose, we''ll simply let the matter go. What do you say?" the young man proposed in a calm tone.

    "I''m afraid that if you lose, you will all cry. Besides, do you even have a powerful warrior in your clan? You''re all trash!" Jason replied as he belittled the young man before him as well as the other disciples of the Hua Clan. The strongest freshman of the Hua Clan that he knew was Adolph, and yet he was still no match for Jason. Jason was sure that there was no way for anyone in the Hua Clan to win against him in a duel.

    "I''ll represent the Hua Clan. Who will represent the Dragon Fist Sect?" the young man declared in a calm voice. He completely ignored Jason''s arrogant words.

    "You will represent your clan? Any disciple of the Dragon Fist Sect can beat you to death. You''re a nobody!" Jason said arrogantly. He openly insulted the young man in front of the other freshmen.

    "Is that so?" the young man replied with a smile. He pulled out a jade flute from his back and played. The sound of flute was very melodic.

    The people present were startled by the young man''s action. They could not understand why he played the flute in the middle of an argument with the Dragon Fist Sect. But to everyone''s surprise, a shrill scream came from the sky that broke their moment of incredulity. A giant shadow flew across the sky and toward them. Adolph and the other disciples of the Hua Clan immediately cleared out as if they knew what was coming.

    Murmurs erupted

    me?" Richard Hua cried out in pain as he clutched his nape.

    The freshmen focused on the feminine figure; she was the third daughter of the Hua Clan''s leader, Richard Hua''s elder sister.

    "Why did you do that? Didn''t I tell you to keep a low profile in your first year? You never listened to a word I said!" Rebecca scolded Richard Hua.

    "But the Dragon Fist Sect was being arrogant. They were not taking us seriously," Richard Hua replied. He shrugged as he explained to his elder sister.

    Rebecca glanced at Jason. Then she pinched Richard Hua''s ear and dragged him to where Zachary was standing. She then pointed at Zachary and said, "You should learn from him. He received the treasure beast egg of Scarce Level from Master Katrina, and yet, he doesn''t show it off at all. You are showing off just because you have a treasure beast!"

    Zachary listened but didn''t know exactly how to react.

    "Did his treasure beast egg hatch yet? Even Master Katrina couldn''t make it hatch, so how could he make it hatch? The chance to hatch a treasure beast egg of Common Level is one in a thousand. Imagine the chances of hatching an egg of Scarce Level! Even if you wait until the end of the world, his treasure beast egg may never hatch at all," Richard Hua argued as he stared at his elder sister.

    The disciples who watched the scene whispered and talked amongst themselves. Although Zachary received an egg of Scarce Level, he might never be able to hatch the egg at all.

    Rebecca looked a little surprised. She had almost forgotten that.

 Chapter 113 Friendship With Richard

    Zachary thought to himself, ''You guys are totally wrong. Do you think I''m just anyone? I am from the future! I am a modern man who can make miracles happen! The egg has already hatched. But it''s not the right time to let the others know that I have two treasure beasts. I won''t be able to keep a low profile if they find out!

    Wait and see. You will all worship me very soon.''

    "Send the Peach Blossom Eagle back," Rebecca solemnly ordered. Her eyes were wide open as she heard Richard still quibbling.

    Richard''s face displayed a look of misery as he played the flute, asking the Peach Blossom Eagle to leave.

    As soon as the eagle left, the crowd seemed to come back to their senses. They were in an uproar once again. They had never expected that among the freshmen of the Hua Clan, there was a young master who had raised a treasure beast.

    "All of you leave this instant!" The watching crowd was startled at Rebecca''s sudden command.

    Seeing that the fun was over, the disciples left. They didn''t want to get on Rebecca''s nerves, or else they would suffer.

    Soon enough, the entire training ground was empty. Jason, who was afraid of getting into trouble with Rebecca, had also left under her close watch.

    "I have something to take care of right now. I''ll deal with you later!" Noticing that everyone had gone, Rebecca glared at Richard and then disappeared.

    "Dude, your sister is so mean!" Zachary said sympathetically.

    "Yes, and ''mean'' is honestly an understatement! She''s like a shrew. Of all my sisters, she has the worst temper, unlike the other three who dote on me," Richard explained, looking dejected.

    Hearing Richard''s words, Zachary thought, ''So anyone who dotes on you is good tempered.'' He thought it was wise of Rebecca to stop her brother. Richard

    said in a brotherly tone.

    "Okay, that''s very kind of you. You''re my brother now!" When he thought of Elva''s brassiere, Richard felt like he was floating. He agreed without hesitation and was easily convinced by Zachary''s promises.

    With the friendship of the Hua Clan''s young master, Zachary didn''t need to worry about having someone to back him up.

    "Let''s find a place to talk." With Zachary''s arm around Richard''s shoulder, they scurried off.

    After spending a whole day with Richard, Zachary obtained a lot of useful information about raising treasure beasts. He entered the system with satisfaction. "Take me to the Living-dead Tomb."

    Zachary appeared in front of the tomb. He knocked on the door loudly, and then the door opened. He walked past the tomb hall and saw Anne emerging from it.

    "Have you completed your quest?" Anne asked in a calm voice.

    "Yes." Zachary nodded as he took out the Ice Jade. "This treasure is of great quality. Can you help me forge a handy weapon with this?"

    "Is it Ice Jade? That kind of material is not suitable for you even if it is made into a weapon. You better not waste it!" Anne said after taking a glance at the jade in his hands.

 Chapter 114 Dark And Light Wonder Cauldrons

    "Why can''t I use this?" Zachary asked.

    "Many warriors believe that they will get martial energy with certain element when their cultivation reaches a certain level. But it is actually the cultivation method that determines the martial energy''s element. In the Supernal Continent, most cultivation methods will produce martial energy with metal element. As a result, the hidden element of most warriors'' martial energy is metal. Martial energy with a different element can also be produced based on warriors'' physical bodies or when warriors cultivate in unique environments, but the chances are small," Anne explained patiently.

    "I understand," Zachary replied as he slowly nodded his head.

    "What is the element of the God-Slaying Formula that I cultivate?" Zachary asked.

    "Well..." Anne suddenly stopped in mid-sentence.

    "Is it a rubbish cultivation method that has no element?" Seeing the embarrassed expression on Anne''s face, Zachary couldn''t help but suspect the worse. Mimi didn''t tell him what level the God-slaying Formula belonged to, so he had always suspected that there was something odd about it.

    "You will find out soon enough. This is your reward today!" She took out a pill that glowed with purple light.

    "A third-grade purple pill!" Zachary exclaimed as his eyes lit up.

    "You''re only one step away from the fourth grade of Earth Level. This third-grade purple cultivation-aiding pill should be of great help to you," Anne explained.

    "Thank you, Master Anne. You''re so kind!" Zachary took over the pill with a wide grin.

    "This Ice Jade is of no use to you. You can exchange it for treasure-hunting coins, and then go to the Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons to try your luck," Anne suggested.

    "The Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons?" Zachary asked. He was sure that he has never heard of it before.

    "Oh, I forgot that you haven''t seen the cauldrons yet. Come with me," Anne replied. She led Zachary to a tunnel that led to the depths of the Living-Dead T

    is at the premium stage of Earth Level. There are a total of three moves. You can perform it after you reach the fourth grade of Earth Level." A ray of icy light shot out directly into Zachary''s brain.

    "Oh again it shot into my brain! Will my brain get hurt because of this?" Zachary cracked a joke.

    "You should go now." Anne waved her hand, and a bright beam of light covered Zachary and the Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons. The light seemed to disperse every particle in them until they completely disappeared.

    Moments later, Zachary was back to the Peach Blossom Forest, together with the Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons.

    "I really want to give it a try!" Zachary said as he rubbed his hands together. But after he''d given it more thought, he decided against it. He knew that even after he exchanged the Ice Jade for treasure-hunting coins, it would likely only be enough for him to try two or three times. It definitely wouldn''t be enough for him, ho he decided not to hurry to trade the Ice Jade into treasure-hunting coins. He decided to collect more treasures and exchange them all at once.

    "I have to work harder to collect more treasures," Zachary whispered to himself.

    He took the third-grade purple cultivation-aiding pill and began to concentrate on breaking through to the fourth grade of Earth Level.

 Chapter 115 Training Guidance

    A day and a night went by.

    Zachary sat on a rock by the pool as a purple aura surrounded his body and rippled. A purple cyclone swirled around him.

    He sat motionless as the purple cyclone steadily increased its speed until it covered the whole area. A powerful explosion broke the purple cyclone from within as lightning escaped from the dissipating winds. When the cyclone had completely dispersed and the stone was visible once more, he was nowhere to be found.

    Another day went by. All the new disciples had been grouped, and they would be trained by different masters assigned to different teams. All the new disciples had been divided into ten teams according to their performance in the freshmen contest.

    The freshmen of Heaven Level were divided equally among the ten teams in order to maintain the competitiveness of each team. The teams should more or less be equal in total strength.

    Disciples from the same clan or sect were also scattered into the different teams.

    Virid Sword Sect''s Colin and a few other disciples were assigned to Team Two; they were in the same team with Bruce and Jason, who had a feud with Zachary in the freshmen contest.

    At the same time, Zachary, Elva and Rita were in Team Ten. Joyce was also assigned in the same team with them. Some of the male disciples of the other teams who noticed this were jealous of Zachary, because he was in the same team as the three beauties of the new disciples.

    Although Rita and Elva had both won first place in the freshmen contest, the former''s strength was more powerful. Because of this, she was ranked first in Team Ten. Elva was ranked second, and Joyce third. A great number of the rest of the team members were at the premium stage of Earth Level, and a small number were at the medium stage of Earth Level. Zachary was ranked last.

    If he was still ranked last in the team a month later, he would be screwed.

    Ten masters of Imperial Level were in the square of the Freshmen Zone along with all the new disciples.

    l to the premium stage of Heaven Level, while the strength of the disciples of the Elite Zone was at least above the medium stage of Heaven Level. The strongest ones were close to the Imperial Level.

    Although the college gave priority to select elites and geniuses to cultivate, ordinary warriors were also cultivated with great care. To the college, the ordinary disciples and the elite disciples were just like ordinary soldiers and generals. It was impossible that there were only generals without soldiers in the army.

    "The motto of the Celestial College is fair competition. Always remember this. Don''t do anything stupid or dishonorable for the sake of a win or just to gain ranking. Otherwise, you will pay for it very dearly!" Sara reminded the disciples. "I will now announce the names of the masters that are assigned to each team.

    Team One, Dick Tian.

    Team Two, Aaron Yun...

    Team Seven, Carl Gu...

    Team Ten, me, Sara Long."

    Sara''s announcement created a commotion among the members of the other teams. Most of the new disciples were hoping to have Sara as their master because she was one of the top ten new warriors of Imperial Level amongst all the warriors in the four martial colleges in the Supernal Continent. Her strength was unquestionable and she was a beauty; thus everyone aspired to be her disciples.

 Chapter 116 Master Sara

    "So Master Sara is assigned to our team! How interesting!" Zachary was intrigued when he heard that Sara was going to be their team''s master. He felt that it was amusing because of the complicated relationship between him and Sara.

    The disciples assembled with their respective masters. After they were assembled, the disciples headed to the training grounds with their masters. Only Team Ten remained in the square because Sara disappeared.

    "Where did Master Sara go?" Elva asked as she looked around the square. She didn''t know when Sara disappeared.

    "Did she go to the ladies'' room?" Zachary suggested and then smiled.

    "What are you talking about? I really don''t understand why you were assigned in the same team with me," Rita complained. She was annoyed by Zachary''s rudeness.

    "If you are in my team, we will become invincible in battle!" Zachary said as he patted his chest.

    Rita stared at him and rolled her eyes.

    Suddenly Zachary felt that someone was gazing at him. He turned towards that direction and saw that it was Joyce. She felt isolated because she was the only one from the Virid Sword Sect in the team.

    "Joyce, the genius born with quadruple martial speed." Rita followed where Zachary was looking and saw Joyce as well. She had seen her before but always from afar. Even before she entered the Celestial College, she had heard of Joyce since she was quite famous as the first warrior in the Supernal Continent who was born with quadruple martial speed.

    The martial speed that one was born with was called the inborn martial speed. Everyone initially thought that the absolute limit for inborn martial speed was triple martial speed. And the higher the inborn martial speed, the faster a warrior could cultivate. However, a high inborn martial speed was a double-edged sword, especially for inexperienced warriors. It was easy for these warriors to lose control and end up with broken meridians. Normally, it

    ecific strength, weakness and current cultivation level.

    "And the last one, Zachary," Rebecca called out.

    Zachary waited as he watched each disciple in the team get assigned to a specific training regimen. When he heard her call his name, he raised his hand right away.

    "As for you, Master Sara said that she would supervise your training personally. You can leave now. Go and find her in the Sky Building tomorrow morning," Rebecca disclosed.

    The other disciples in Team Ten turned to Zachary with envy in their eyes.

    "Hey, what kind of relationship do you think he has with Master Sara? She is actually going to supervise his training personally."

    "He is not as tall or handsome as me. Why would Master Sara treat him differently?"

    "It''s normal for Master Sara to desire young men. It''s called human nature. But I didn''t expect that she would prefer someone like him."

    The disciples whispered with each other. Even Elva, Rita and Joyce were surprised at Sara''s special treatment.

    Based on what they knew, the disciple who should be provided with special treatment would be Joyce because she had quadruple martial speed, or Rita, who displayed remarkable power in the freshmen contest. But Sara seemed to think highly of Zachary for reasons that were known only to her.

 Chapter 117 Morning Training

    "What? Why didn''t you tell me earlier? I''ve been waiting here for so long," Zachary complained and then left. He didn''t seem happy at all.

    "He is so unreasonable. He doesn''t seem to take the training seriously. After all, being supervised and trained by Master Sara is an extremely rare privilege that every disciple dreams of!" Rebecca muttered as she watched Zachary withdraw from the training ground.

    When Zachary went back to the disciple dormitory, Bruce and Chandler were also in the dorm. The two of them were on the same team.

    "Zachary, you are so lucky. Master Sara will personally teach your team," Chandler exclaimed.

    "Nothing special," Zachary replied and waved his hand dismissively.

    "Don''t be so ungrateful with what you have been given. But even if Master Sara teaches you in person, you will still end up a loser!" Bruce said in a contemptuous tone. ''I will never forget what he did in the freshmen contest, '' he thought.

    "Bruce, you can''t think of it that way. Zachary is talented, and with the guidance of Master Sara, I believe that he will certainly make great progress," Chandler explained as he stood beside Zachary.

    "Humph!" Bruce said no more and went back to his room.

    Zachary then saw Elva walk back to the disciple dormitory. She walked briskly and her face was expressionless.

    "Elva!" Zachary called out to her. Elva had never talked to him since he disappeared for two days. She was still angry because of this.

    Elva glared at him briefly and went back to her room.

    "What''s wrong with her?" Zachary said and shook his head.

    However, he did not have time to rest. He left the disciple dormitory and went to the pine forest before entering the system. He accepted a treasure-raiding quest from Anne.

    After four hours, he completed the treasure-raiding quest. He then went back to the Peach Blossom Forest and began to learn weapon refining. Since he had already mastered the preliminary use of fire energy, he had al

    "Thank you for thinking so, Master Sara," Zachary replied cordially.

    "As for the other thing, when you were in the freshmen contest, how did you manage to summon such power?" Sara asked.

    "I guess it was an unusual performance," Zachary replied calmly. "Unusual performance?

    Alright. You go to the training ground first. I will be with you later," Sara ordered. She didn''t want to waste time anymore since it was time for the morning training. She thought she could find out the truth in the future.

    "Okay," Zachary replied as he turned around and left the study.

    When Zachary was gone, Sara''s entire countenance changed. "Whoever entered that room was bound to meet the spiritual soul. If it was not Zachary, then who was it? What''s more, the power that Zachary used back then was not his own power. It seems that I have to pay very close attention to him. Master Katrina has warned me not to let this boy attract a lot of attention. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have taken the risk to modify his personal scores," Sara murmured to herself.

    Zachary walked out of the room in deep thought. His face was etched with seriousness. ''It''s not easy to deceive her. I must be careful when I use Master Andrew''s power next time!'' he thought to himself. He exited the Sky Building and went to the training ground.

 Chapter 118 Unharmed

    Not long after Zachary reached the training ground, Sara appeared in the sky with her fluid, silky movement. Her landing enchanted the male disciples of Team Ten.

    "I had some business to deal with yesterday, so I was not able to meet you." She stared at the disciples. "Yesterday, Rebecca had told you the details of the training courses, so I won''t repeat them again. Before the morning training, I want to assign a team leader. If I''m not there, the team leader will lead you and supervise you."

    The disciples whispered amongst themselves. They thought that the ideal team leader should be someone who was powerful enough to keep the other members in line. They felt that the ideal leader would be Rita, Elva, Joyce or several disciples of Heaven Level. Since Rita was powerful than others, they felt that she was going to be the team leader.

    "Who wants to volunteer?" Sara asked everyone as she shifted her gaze to Elva, Rita and Joyce.

    The three ladies had different reactions to Sara''s call.

    "I volunteer!"

    "Here!"

    Elva and Joyce stepped up. Rita, who possessed the most powerful strength in the team, decided not to volunteer.

    Sara glanced at Rita. She had always been suspicious about Rita''s identity and background. Sara also secretly investigated her, but found nothing. She even suspected that Rita might be a disciple of a warrior of Sage Level from the Celestial College and hid her identity on purpose.

    "Is there anyone else?" Sara looked around at the disciples again. Seeing that nobody else wanted to volunteer, she focused her gaze at Elva and Joyce.

    "You two are almost equal in strength, but in terms of talent, Joyce possess the quadruple martial speed, so she is the team leader," Sara said after she gave it some thought.

    Elva felt sad about Sara''s decision. But since Sara had made up her mind, she didn''t plan to make any objections.

    "Master Sara, it''s not fair for Elva. Let them have a duel and see who will win. The winner becomes the team leader,"

    e disciple stood opposite him.

    "Dude, I''m so sorry. If you get hurt in the battle, please don''t blame me," the disciple said with heavy sarcasm as he tightly clenched his fist.

    The next moment, he shouted and rushed towards Zachary. Then, he used his best martial art. His strong martial energy that belonged to a warrior at the fifth grade of Earth Level turned into a ferocious snake that rushed straight at Zachary.

    Zachary firmly stood on the ground. With his hands crossed, he protected himself with martial energy.

    Boom!

    The disciple hit Zachary with a powerful force that created a cloud of dust.

    Elva felt nervous and worried.

    Rita and Joyce almost didn''t react at all. They thought that Zachary could not withstand the attack. After all, in their opinion, he only reached the first or second grade of Earth Level at most.

    After the dust dissipated, Zachary stood still. He firmly withstood the blow of the disciple.

    The disciples who saw the result of the attack roared and cheered loudly.

    "Incredible! He can sustain a blow from a warrior at the fifth grade of Earth Level."

    "Even if he could, he should have been injured. But he seems fine."

    "This is so weird. Is he just lucky?"

    The disciples present were all surprised at the result, including the three beauties, Elva, Rita and Joyce!

 Chapter 119 Test Out

    Elva was both relieved and surprised.

    "Well, he got lucky," Rita sneered.

    Joyce kept her composure, although she was visibly startled.

    Zachary''s opponent was surprised with what happened. He wanted to try and rush forward again, but he was stopped by Sara.

    "You can go back now. Let''s pick another one," Sara said. She then turned around and checked every disciple in her team and then picked a disciple at the seventh grade of Earth Level.

    The disciple was obviously inspired by the first test that he was eager to try as well. He immediately rushed towards Zachary without waiting for Sara''s go signal.

    "Let''s see how you will handle this!" The disciple clasped his hands. The powerful martial energy that he emitted was like a giant hammer that crashed down from the sky and smashed Zachary.

    Zachary took a step back to brace himself and blocked with his hands up using the same defensive form.

    Boom!

    When the attack came down, Zachary was surrounded by flying debris and loose earth.

    "Maybe he couldn''t block it this time." Most of the disciples in Team Ten expected that Zachary wouldn''t be able to block the blow.

    However, when the debris cleared, Zachary stood at the same spot unharmed.

    "How is that even possible? He resisted an attack from a warrior at the seventh grade of Earth Level."

    "What defensive martial skill did he use?"

    "Is it possible that he is more powerful than he looks?"

    The disciples murmured amongst themselves once more.

    Even Elva, Rita, and Joyce were visibly surprised with the result. If it was mere luck for Zachary to block the attack from the disciple at the fifth grade of Earth Level, then it was impossible that he defended against the attack from the disciple at the seventh grade of Earth Level and ended up unscathed.

    Sara was also surprised to see that Zachary could easily take the full blow of two disciples whose cultivation levels were higher than his.

    ''It seems that he has indeed reached the Earth Level. When he participated in the freshmen contest, I felt that he had improved a lot, but I didn''t expect him to reach the Earth Level so quickly. During the selection test in the Welkin Sect,

    "Joyce''s Virid Water Swordsmanship is absolutely amazing," Rita sighed to herself.

    The other disciples dared not to look away for fear they''d miss something wonderful. They were also shocked by Joyce''s swordsmanship.

    Zachary was immediately surrounded by the water waves and sword shadows from all directions. There was nowhere to dodge. If he used the power of the Holy Bone Bracer, he could easily absorb the martial energy contained in the sword skill and instantly break the attack. However, what Sara wanted was to force him to reveal his hidden power, so he decided not to give her what she wanted.

    Zachary''s martial energy rose. One sword radiance materialized on his left arm. In the blink of an eye, the sword radiance turned into water ripples that spread out like streams that fanned out. The sword radiance collided with more than a dozen sword shadows that came down towards Zachary. The shrill sound of clashing weapons filled the area as if numerous swords hacked at each other with great fury and skill.

    A few moments later, the sword shadows and the sword radiance consumed each other. However, since Joyce''s strength was greater, there were three sword shadows left that broke out of the formation. As they were about to reach Zachary, a smile crossed his lips. He instantly turned into a shadow and dodged the three sword shadows. When the attack dissipated after they missed, he promptly returned to where he originally stood.

 Chapter 120 The Leader Of Team Ten

    The disciples were all surprised, because the sword skill that Zachary used looked very similar to Joyce''s Virid Water Swordsmanship even though there were a few differences. But most importantly, considering the gap in power between Zachary and Joyce, it was amazing that he was still able to almost completely block Joyce''s Virid Water Swordsmanship.

    "He just used a sword skill, and he broke the famous Virid Water Swordsmanship!" Rita blurted out uncontrollably.

    Elva couldn''t help but feel excited and surprised. Although she didn''t know from whom Zachary learned the swordsmanship, it was clearly not ordinary.

    Joyce couldn''t believe that the sword skill she was proud of was broken by Zachary, a warrior at the Earth Level, with a sword skill of his own.

    ''Which sect does the swordsmanship belong to? It broke the Virid Water Swordsmanship from the Virid Sword Sect! Obviously, this swordsmanship is more powerful than Joyce''s since Zachary is only at the Earth Level while Joyce is at the Heaven Level. If they were at the same level, she would definitely be defeated! Additionally, the Virid Water Swordsmanship is considered as one of the best martial arts under the King Level. If Zachary''s swordsmanship is more powerful than the Virid Water Swordsmanship, it is definitely a martial art above the King Level!'' Sara concluded within herself as she slightly nodded. Of all the people present, only Sara saw the fight between Joyce and Zachary clearly in all its important detail. Although Joyce''s attack still won in the end, the swordsmanship that Zachary performed was actually superior than Joyce''s Virid Water Swordsmanship.

    "No way! Let me try again! Water Splash Strike!" Joyce couldn''t accept the fact that she didn''t beat Zachary, and in swordsmanship of all things. She readied her dual swords once more and a radiant energy burst forth.

    Zachary''s eyes narrowed and his lips slightly twisted to the right side. Sara said that she would only make one attack, but Joyce ignored the rule

    l. It can break the swordsmanship of Joyce, whose strength is much greater than mine, '' Zachary thought as his mind wandered further from Sara''s lecture.

    He started to hone the Lady Swordsmanship in his mind until he was so absorbed in mental practice that he waved and danced as he sat.

    Sara, who was absorbed in her lecture noticed that Zachary danced while he sat. She raised her eyebrows and screamed, "Zachary! Get up!"

    The disciples turned their eyes to Zachary, whose mind was obviously far from where they were.

    Zachary came to his senses when he heard Sara''s voice. "Yes? What can I do for you?"

    His words caused murmuring among the other disciples.

    "First. Get up," Sara replied as she stared at Zachary.

    Zachary stood up as ordered.

    "What were you thinking about? You were miles away," Sara scolded him.

    "I wasn''t! You had my undivided attention," Zachary replied.

    "Really? Then please answer a few questions based on what I just told you," Sara replied. "What is the highest level of inborn martial speed?"

    "Well, about that..." Zachary did not know the answer to the question. He then suddenly felt a slight buzzing on his chest, and Mimi''s voice spoke directly to his mind. "The highest inborn martial speed is triple martial speed, except for Joyce, who was born with quadruple martial speed."

 Chapter 121 The End Of The Morning Training

    To Sara''s surprise, Zachary''s answer was correct.

    "How will a warrior''s martial speed affect their cultivation?" Sara continued to ask.

    "Hmm." Mimi told him the answer again through telepathy.

    After he heard Mimi, Zachary flashed a confident smile and answered Sara''s question.

    After he answered the two questions in a row, the disciples of Team Ten were dumbfounded. They knew that he was not paying attention, and yet he easily answered the two questions.

    Even Sara never expected that Zachary could answer her questions. ''Can he think of two different things at the same time?'' she thought to herself.

    "Sit down," Sara ordered as she gestured for him to take a seat. She didn''t want to waste any more time.

    Zachary resumed his seat.

    Sara continued her lecture, and everything went smoothly for a time. Then out of nowhere, the sound of snoring suddenly interrupted her. All the disciples turned towards the sound of snoring and saw Zachary sleeping.

    Electricity flashed in Sara''s eyes as she stared at Zachary. It was the first day and he slept in class.

    Sara snapped her finger; martial energy in the shape of a pill shot out from her finger and hit Zachary''s forehead.

    "Ouch!" Zachary immediately woke up from the pain, yawned and stretched. "Is the class over?"

    The crowd burst into laughter again. Zachary was just too unbelievable.

    "Zachary! Get up!" Sara wouldn''t let Zachary off so easily.

    "Okay." Zachary stood up once more as he scratched his tummy.

    "I will ask you three questions. If you can''t answer, sprint a hundred laps around the training ground." Sara had almost lost her temper.

    "Okay," Zachary replied, shrugged his shoulders and smiled. He had the perfect helper, so he was not afraid of what Sara would ask him.

    After that, Sara asked two questions without delay, and each of them was answered easily by Zachary.

    The disciples of Team Ten were surprised, as they all knew that Zachary had slept in class. ''How was he able to accurately answer the questions? Is he a

    hat do you think of my answer?" Zachary asked. He watched the transformation of Sara''s facial expression and immediately knew that his answer was what she expected to hear.

    "It''s fine," she replied flatly.

    As soon as the disciples of Team Ten heard Sara''s reply, they all cheered. They never expected that Zachary''s statement would be accepted by Sara.

    Even the three girls, Elva, Rita and Joyce, also turned their eyes on Zachary, especially Joyce. She was irritated because Zachary used some unknown swordsmanship to suppress her Virid Water Swordsmanship, and now he could answer such a complicated question.

    "The morning training is now over! Class dismissed. See you all in the afternoon training," Sara announced as she stood up and walked away.

    "Zachary, how were you able to answer that question? Did you figure it out by yourself?" Elva asked as she walked up to Zachary. She was unable to hold back her curiosity any further.

    "Of course...not! I was really napping in class. I just happen to have heard about it or read about it before," Zachary replied with a wide grin.

    "Just as I expected. Remember to fully focus in class next time. Don''t mess around again," Elva reminded Zachary. She then gave him a derogatory look and left.

    Zachary left alone. He wanted to enter the system and do something during the noon break.

 Chapter 122 An Enchanting Beauty

    Meanwhile, Katrina was in her cultivation room, deep in the heart of the bamboo forest of Sage Hall. There she encountered an unexpected guest, or to be precise, an unexpected beauty.

    Katrina was by no means any less beautiful than the breathtaking specimen standing in front of her, but the beauty of this mysterious woman was deeply rooted in her mystical aura. Her movements had the ability to enchant and bewitch those who laid eyes on her. Something radiated from within her that rendered her irresistible. Her perfect skin looked so soft. Her beauty was calm and emotionless. Her long, wavy hair was so smooth and silky, almost as if it was tailored from fabric. The sheets of the silk slipped onto her shoulders, peppering her luscious body with soft, sensual kisses. Like a lover, it seduced the senses and conveyed with utmost skill the art of pleasing. She was like a siren, whose melody purred to the soul, piercing through and engulfing a man''s entire being from within.

    "You''re not an easy target to find! To be honest, of all the places, I didn''t think that you would willingly choose to hide in the Celestial College. I thought you were done with this place?" The enchanting woman locked Katrina with the rapturous shade of purple in her eyes which was reflected from her sensuous dress. Although there was calmness in the way she spoke, her expression carried enough command to convince Katrina of her resolve.

    "I never said that I was done with Celestial College. But if I am, I will not be here," Katrina replied, concealing her arrogance under her expressionless face.

    "That''s enough! Return the contract to me now," the woman said firmly, glaring at Katrina with some seriousness.

    "Look! I won, fair and square! You signed the contract when you lost the battle. Are you trying to go back on your word now? If news of this gets out, you''ll be damaging your own reputation, Sophie!" Katrina eyed the woman contemptuously as she spoke.

    If it had been anyone else there, they would have been shocked to hear the name of Sophie. Everyone knew that there were only two female warriors of Sage Level in the Supernal Continent. Sophie was the only female warrior of Sage Level that was on par with Katrina.

    No one w

    o the sound of her whistle. This extraordinary creature was also known as a Magic Cuckoo, a common means by which one would send out simple messages in the Supernal Continent.

    "Tell Sara to come see me," Katrina ordered the Magic Cuckoo.

    The Magic Cuckoo flapped its wings with great power and shot off into the sky right after it uttered the sound "cuckoo."

    Before long, Sara graced both Katrina and Sophie with her appearance.

    "Master Katrina!" Sara quickly glanced over her shoulder after she courteously bowed before Katrina. Having noticed Sophie''s unfathomable aura, Sara asked, "This lady is...?"

    "An old friend who would like to meet Zachary. It''s almost the end of the afternoon training. Please, take her to see him," Katrina requested politely.

    "She wants to meet Zachary?" Sara seemed puzzled. ''Who is this woman? I can''t even get a proper reading on her cultivation level. Why does she want to meet Zachary? She doesn''t look like a member of the Welkin Sect!''

    Although surprised, Sara nodded politely and said to Sophie, "This way please."

    "Thank you," Sophie said, glancing at Katrina before leaving the attic with Sara.

    "How can I miss such an interesting scene? If Sophie finds out that the man she is going to marry isn''t even worthy to be called a warrior, she will definitely do something unexpected! I can''t wait!" Seeing Sophie and Sara leave, Katrina was giddy with excitement and she giggled by herself playfully before she too left the attic.

 Chapter 123 Sophie

    Sophie proceeded to the training ground of Team Ten after she left the Sage Hall with Sara.

    "May I know what''s your name?" Sara asked in a respectful tone. Although she couldn''t find out how powerful Sophie was, she could feel that she was more powerful than a warrior at the Sage Level judging by her aura. She was therefore respectful of her.

    "My surname is Shu," Sophie replied flatly.

    "Master Shu, why do you want to meet Zachary? May I know what is the relationship between you two?" Sara asked.

    "Nothing. I just want to see him," Sophie replied. She couldn''t tell Sara that Zachary had her marriage contract and this meant that he would be her future husband.

    Sara appeared doubtful of what she heard. She had a feeling that Sophie didn''t really know Zachary well. But if she was not familiar with him, why did she want to meet him? Sara was baffled.

    "By the way, how strong is Zachary now?" Sophie asked with obvious concern.

    "He is currently a warrior at the Earth Level," Sara replied honestly.

    "What!?" Sophie was shocked. She didn''t expect that Katrina would give the marriage contract to a rubbish warrior at the Earth Level. She then thought that it was a joke that Katrina deliberately arranged. "You are kidding, right? A warrior who is trusted by Katrina, a warrior of Sage Level, cannot be a mere warrior at the Earth Level."

    "Master Shu, if you don''t believe me, you can check it for yourself," Sara replied. She became even more confused. But now she was sure that Sophie didn''t personally know Zachary before.

    Sophie didn''t believe her words, and her countenance became cold and grim that started to give off a strong air of hostility. Even Sara, who walked beside her, could not help but change her expression as well when she sensed this.

    Sophie soon arrived at the training ground of Team Ten with Sara, where the disciples, including Zachary, were gathered.

    The arrival of Sara and Sophie immediately drew the attention of the disciples of Team Ten.

    "Wow! What a beauty! She is just so beauti

    to supervise Team Ten on their afternoon training. When the training was almost over, she called Zachary and whispered, "Come to my disciple dormitory tonight." After whispering the address of her dormitory to Zachary''s ear, she turned and walked away.

    "Tonight?" Zachary repeated. He was surprised as his eyes lit up. He suddenly lost himself in various fantasies.

    That night, a black figure easily sneaked into Sara''s disciple dormitory and avoided the guards outside.

    "The guards are weak! If a philanderer is wandering around this area, the women inside the dormitory will all be deflowered," the black shadow said to himself in a low voice and shook his head.

    The black shadow went into a courtyard. The courtyard was slightly similar to the disciple dormitory where Zachary and his fellows lived. There was a two-story building to the south of the courtyard, and the lights there were bright.

    "It should be here." The black shadow walked to the door of the two-story building and then knocked softly. The figure then asked in a low voice, "Master Sara, may I come in?" Under the bright lights nearby, it could be seen that the black shadow was Zachary.

    When he heard no response, Zachary knocked a few more times. When there was still no response, he tried to push the door open. To his surprise, the door was not locked and pushed open easily.

 Chapter 124 The Marriage Contract

    "Was the door left unlocked for me specifically?" Zachary murmured. He poked his head inside and saw a small living room with elegant decor but no one was inside. He looked up to the second floor and felt an aura coming from there.

    "She must be on the second floor," Zachary said to himself. He turned around and closed the door after he entered the room. He tiptoed to the second floor as he intended to surprise Sara.

    However, as soon as he reached the second floor, he saw that the whole floor was full of strips of silk curtains and the scent of sandalwood filled the air. It seemed as if he had entered a fairy palace.

    "Master Sara? Are you here?" Zachary greeted in a low voice. He felt strange about the atmosphere.

    No one answered.

    ''She''s not here. Maybe she went out. I think I''d better go back, '' Zachary thought to himself, about to head back to his dorm.

    The silhouette of a feminine figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the silk curtains. She was slender, enchanting and sexy.

    "Master Sara? Is that you? What kind of game are you playing?" Zachary hesitated but eventually decided to lift the curtains to see what was going on inside.

    As soon as he lifted the curtains, a sharp and cold blade poked out through the curtains and pressed itself against his throat.

    A smooth arm rested on the shoulder of Zachary. It moved along his shoulder as if it teased him. It then descended to his chest and kept moving downward. At the same time, the figure moved to the back of Zachary while maintaining the blade on his throat and one hand moving downwards from his chest.

    "Wow! Master Sara, I didn''t know that you like to play this way. I must say that this is a side of you that I like. But we haven''t known each other for a long time. Aren''t we being too hasty? Since you took the initiative, I won''t refuse you. But can you put this down? It might kill me if either of us is not careful," Zachary said. He slowly pointed at the blade on his throat. He never knew how to properly react to the situation that he found himself in.

    But there was still no reply, only her constant b

    front of him once more.

    "If you kill me, you will never get what you want. If you really want it back, ask your sister to come to me," Zachary said calmly. He glanced at Sophie and pushed the blade away without changing the expression on his face. He went downstairs and exited Sara''s dorm.

    "Damn!" Sophie cursed. She never expected that such a young man with such pitiable strength would be so fearless.

    A brief moment later, she also disappeared into thin air.

    A pretty woman stood on the tree opposite the building. Her beautiful face showed a slight smile of satisfaction as she watched the events unfold. "He is definitely not stupid. I can let him keep it for a while longer. But since Sophie has found me, she will not rest until she gets what she wants. I must find a way for her to compromise. That marriage contract is of no use to me. Even if I leave it to that kid, it doesn''t really matter. The most important thing is to put the interests of the whole above everything else."

    The owner of the tender voice disappeared when a chilly evening air blew across the tree.

    Zachary felt strange about the entire encounter. It was Sara who invited him, but it was Sophie who waited for him. And she wanted to get the marriage contract back so badly that she even threatened his life.

    "This matter is not simple at all!" Zachary said to himself as he made his way to his dorm unnoticed.

 Chapter 125 Continued To Cultivate

    After Zachary entered the system, he went to Anne and accepted a treasure-hunting quest. Because he had morning and afternoon trainings every day, he could only finish the quest in the evening.

    But it was hard to finish the quest in the night, and it took Zachary a lot of effort to complete the treasure-hunting quest. Nevertheless, when he had finished, Anne gave him a third-grade purple cultivation-aiding pill as a reward.

    After that, he continued his cultivation.

    The next day, during Zachary''s trip to the training ground, he was worried that he would bump into Sophie. Although he wasn''t sure whether she was Katrina''s sister, he thought it would be sensible if he stayed away from her.

    Luckily, when he arrived at the training ground, he didn''t see Sophie. Sara pretended nothing had happened and began the morning training.

    Like yesterday, Zachary didn''t listen to a word in class. But every time she asked him a question, he answered it correctly, which surprised the other disciples.

    The morning training finally finished, and Zachary was eager to leave. But Sara suddenly walked up to him and said, "Follow me." With that, she turned and walked towards the dense forest on the side of the training ground.

    When the disciples of Team Ten saw Sara and Zachary leave together, they all began to wonder. They knew that Sara had made a special arrangement for Zachary, so they were curious about what that arrangement was.

    Zachary didn''t care about the looks the disciples gave him. Under the envious gazes of the crowd, he left with Sara.

    In the privacy of the forest, Sara looked at Zachary and asked carefully, "What did Master Shu do to you last night?"

    "Master Shu? Is she Master Katrina''s sister?" Zachary asked after hearing the title. It was strange that Sara would call her that.

    "Master Katrina''s sister? Did she tell you that?" Sara was stunned. She had never heard of Katrina having a sister. And ev

    nything to him.

    "Master Sara, is there a problem?" Zachary asked.

    "It''s nothing," Sara replied, shaking her head tentatively. "Let''s go back. Today''s instructions are over." And with that, she left.

    "Things are becoming more and more complicated for me," Zachary murmured to himself, shaking his head with a bitter smile. Then he headed back as well.

    When he returned to the disciple dormitory, he saw that Elva, Bruce and Chandler were there.

    "Zachary!" Chandler called out enthusiastically the second he saw Zachary. "How was the training? Being trained by Master Sara must be awesome!"

    "It was great! You should try it sometime. Yesterday I was almost raped," Zachary replied with fake enthusiasm.

    "What?" Chandler was dumbfounded.

    "Nothing. Just a joke!" Zachary shrugged.

    "Humph! Even if Master Sara is training him, he''s still a loser. Don''t embarrass our Welkin Sect!" Bruce gave Zachary a look of disgust. But deep inside, he felt a little jealous.

    "I think you''re just jealous! I''m training with beautiful women and you''re stuck here with a bunch of men," Zachary retorted defiantly.

    "Do you want to die?" Bruce threatened, glaring at him.

    "I''m tired. I''m going to my room to sleep." Ignoring him, Zachary entered his room, leaving Bruce in a rage.

 Chapter 126 Sophie Appeared Again

    Zachary enjoyed the few days of peace when Sophie didn''t show up. Sara began to personally monitor Zachary''s afternoon training. If he didn''t achieve the designated goal, he would be punished. She was really ruthless in punishing him.

    But Zachary didn''t lose his temper. After all, she was the master. He couldn''t afford to offend her or he would meet a terrible end.

    He often practiced in the system so he could easily withstand Sara''s harsh training. Because of this, he was able to come up with solutions that best suited the given situations during training.

    Two days later, two guests unexpectedly came to the disciple dormitory. The guests'' arrival surprised them.

    "Master Herman, Master Gray, why are you here?" Zachary and his fellows from the Welkin sect were in the disciple dormitory when the guests arrived.

    "The sect leader sent us on an errand. We happened to pass by the Celestial College, so we came to see you. Although you''ve only been here a month or so, we''ve been very concerned about you. Especially the sect leader. He''s been sending people to inquire about you. But the Celestial College is closed to the outside world, so it''s been hard getting information about you guys," Herman replied as he stroked his beard.

    "That''s right. The sect leader wanted to come here in person, but the Welkin Sect would be a mess if he left, so he asked us to pass by here," Gray added.

    "You must have had a long journey. Would you like to rest in my room?" Bruce asked with utmost respect in his tone.

    "No, thank you. We''d love to stay if we had enough time, but we have urgent missions, so we have to leave soon. We brought you some pills and treasures that can help you cultivate." Herman waved his hand and opened the Virtual Air Space. In an instant, three bags of different sizes flew out of it.

    "Bruce, I collected the treasures in this bag for

    man? You dare to disobey the rules of our sect?! I''ll teach you a lesson on his behalf!" Clenching his fists, Bruce dashed forward, charging at Zachary. He wanted to teach him a lesson while Herman watched.

    Herman and Gray didn''t try to stop Bruce. They both agreed that Zachary needed to be taught a lesson. Otherwise, he would be too cocky and arrogant. They had prejudice against Zachary. Even though he had displayed great power, it didn''t change their opinions about him.

    "Bruce!" Elva shouted, trying to stop him.

    But at that very moment, a beautiful figure flashed out. Strong aura emitted from within her as she shouted, "Let go of him!"

    The woman''s words made Bruce''s blood boil. There were disturbances in his martial energy. He let out a muffled groan, released his grip on Zachary''s collar and took a few steps back. His face turned pale with fright.

    Herman and Gray were shocked when they saw the beautiful shadow. Their bodies trembled, intimidated by her imposing manner. It was clear that the woman wasn''t ordinary. Her cultivation base was far more superior to theirs.

    Even Elva and Chandler were surprised as they watched.

    Zachary was just as shocked. But he grinned as soon as he realized that the woman was Sophie.

 Chapter 127 Sophie Showed Up

    Only Zachary and Elva had seen Sophie earlier, so no one knew who she was. But the scary aura she gave off, was enough to make people shiver!

    Herman and Gray looked at each other, wondering whether Sophie was a master of the Celestial College. They were surprised when they found out that she already had such a strong aura when she was half their age.

    Just then, Bruce was still reeling under the impact of the sound of Sophie''s loud and powerful voice, which had shaken him terribly. He felt as someone had hit his chest with a hammer. Also, he didn''t understand why such a master would suddenly stand up for Zachary.

    "Master Shu, I''m glad that you came at the right time!" Zachary greeted her as if he knew her very well.

    Sophie snorted. Glaring at Bruce, she said, "How dare you hit him! Do you want to die? I don''t mind helping you fulfill your wish!"

    Bruce was dumbfounded. He didn''t expect that such a beautiful woman would suddenly appear and defend Zachary. Moreover, he did not know Sophie and Zachary''s relationship.

    Herman and Gray too were taken aback by her statement. If Sophie was determined to take action now, they would be no match for her.

    "I''m sorry. It was a mistake. Being fellow disciples of the same sect, Bruce and Zachary are used to playing with each other. It was only a joke," Herman explained hurriedly. Knowing what a powerful figure Sophie was, he realized that let alone him, the entire Welkin Sect would not be able to do anything, even if she were to kill Bruce.

    "Was it only a joke?" Sophie glanced at Zachary.

    "I don''t know if it was a joke, but I am sure he dares not beat me now. Am I right, Bruce?" With Sophie supporting him, Zachary took the opportunity to ridicule Bruce.

    "You..." Bruce glared at Zachary angrily, but when he looked at Sophie again, he winced.

    Elva and Chandler did not say anything, and the atmosphere became extremely cold.

    Sophie suddenly turned to Zachary. In fact, instead of disappearing, she had started secretly observing his movements, in an attemp

    tion Bruce, even Herman and Gray were also eager to have them, because they had never seen a treasure at the King Level before.

    Bruce was drooling with jealousy seeing the gifts. Compared to what Sophie had given to Zachary, the treasures that his master had just given to him were worthless.

    As for Elva and Chandler, they too were envious. However, they looked calm because they had seen such a thing happen earlier when Katrina had given Zachary many treasures after the freshmen contest. But Sophie had been much more generous with her gifts.

    "Master Shu, are these all for me?" A rough estimate would be that there were at least thirty treasures, most of which were cultivation-aiding treasures. Besides, some were precious pills and materials for weapon refining. The number of treasures was similar to what Katrina had given him last time, but what Sophie had given him were of a far superior quality.

    "Yeah, these are useless to me now. I''m just clearing my Virtual Air Space," said Sophie nonchalantly. The treasures that Sophie had given to Zachary were usually used as awards for the disciples. Also, she had a lot of treasures in her treasure collection. She was willing to give all she had in exchange for the marriage contract, if it were possible. Now, she had only given a fraction of her treasures to Zachary, just to make him like her.

 Chapter 128 The Heavenly Tribulation

    Sophie''s statement stunned Herman and the other people present. If these treasures were all rubbish for Sophie, then what kind of treasure was good enough for her?

    "May I have your name please?" Herman asked. He suspected that Sophie must be a master of high status, for she definitely had the haughtiness that commonly came with it.

    "You don''t deserve to know my name," Sophie snapped at Herman as she turned to him.

    Herman''s face became flustered for an instant, yet he was able to maintain a state of calm.

    "I will accept your kindness," Zachary said. He suspected that Sophie did it for him. He wouldn''t pass up the treasures if he could get them for nothing. Anyway, he could exchange the treasures for treasure-hunting coins.

    "Just take them. I''m leaving," Sophie said and left without another word.

    Herman and the rest remained muted with shock and were rooted in place for some time.

    "Bruce, there are so many items here. It''s a little embarrassing for me to take them all. Why don''t you pick one for yourself?" Zachary said sarcastically as he grinned at Bruce and shrugged.

    Bruce gritted his teeth in anger and balled his fists.

    "Pick one for each of you, Master Herman, Master Gray," Zachary said as he turned to Herman and Gray.

    Herman and Gray were still speechless. They didn''t know how to react to Zachary''s offer.

    "Elva, Chandler, please take what you want," Zachary said sincerely as he turned to Elva and Chandler.

    "No thanks. Keep them for yourself," Elva replied flatly and promptly went back to her room.

    "Thank you, Zachary, but my master has already given me a lot," Chandler replied. He was too embarrassed to take one for himself so he politely declined Zachary''s offer.

    "Alas, it''s too embarrassing to keep so many treasures," Zachary said as he gave everyone present one final glance. He felt them lose the pride that they valued so much. They often had the habit of looking down on him, and now they had to swallow the bitter pill.

    Zachary went to find a large bag and placed all the treasures inside. He then carried the bag on his shoulder and

    s it returned to its original position.

    "Ha-ha! My calculations were correct! I got six! I''m going to be a warrior of Heaven Level soon!" Zachary exclaimed with excitement.

    He had used Cultivation Boosting Pills before and he knew that there was no adverse effect. He was sure that there would be nothing to worry about if he consumed all six pills at once. He decided to consume all six pills at once.

    When Zachary consumed the second Cultivation Boosting Pill, his whole body suddenly felt like it turned inside out. His blood boiled, and his martial energy flowed in reverse. He felt like his entire body was about to explode.

    And this was just the beginning. Zachary noticed that his body emitted smoke, as if he were on fire. A stream of martial energy spilled out from his body and formed a cocoon-like layer around him.

    The sky of the Peach Blossom Forest was suddenly covered with thick, red clouds. Thunder roared and lightning filled the sky in bright streaks of white fire.

    "What the hell is going on? This all feels like judgment day at the end of time," Zachary exclaimed despite the pain that he went through.

    "The pills produced by the Light Wonder Cauldron are rare treasures, and you will have to pass one Heavenly Tribulation after you take one pill. You just took six pills, which means you''ll have to go through six Heavenly Tribulations," Mimi explained in a calm voice.

 Chapter 129 Improvement In Cultivation

    "What?! Mimi, why didn''t you tell me about that earlier?" Zachary asked. He suspected that something bad was about to happen.

    "You never asked!" Mimi replied in the same flat tone.

    "What if I can''t pass them?" Zachary asked concerned.

    "If you can''t pass them, then I will have to prepare a memorial service for you," Mimi replied and chuckled softly.

    "Mimi! How can you be like that to me!? This is unbelievable!" Zachary exclaimed. He thought that if he had known about this earlier, he never would''ve consumed all the Cultivation Boosting Pills at once.

    But it was too late for regrets. What he needed to focus on now was to pass six Heavenly Tribulations. He cleared his mind and prepared himself. He adapted to the violent changes within his body, and was soon ready to accept the first Heavenly Tribulation.

    Suddenly, a dragon-shaped red thunder separated itself from the cloud and descended from the sky. The speed of its descent increased with each passing moment until it collided with the light ball which contained the martial energy surrounded Zachary. The light ball began to glow and then seemed to have neutralized the power of the red thunder. Strong winds suddenly blew from the clouds and overwhelmed the entire Peach Blossom Forest.

    As the situation got worse, Orion and Kiwi quickly moved to the other side of the forest.

    A short moment later, the red thunder disappeared. After having passed the first Heavenly Tribulation, Zachary felt the energy inside his body grow stronger in an instant. He had reached the fifth grade of Earth Level.

    But this was only the first Heavenly Tribulation.

    Without warning, the second red thunder rumbled and shot towards Zachary again.

    He protected himself with the light ball of martial energy, and he felt that his strength increased by one grade. However, he felt that the power of the red thunder was stronger than the last time. He then realized that its power grew with every increase in his power.

    Before Zachary could catch his breath, the third red thunder shot towards him with tremendous violence.

    "Bring it on!" Zachary had lost all fear of the inco

    s messed up martial energy and fused it into a steady stream. The stream of martial energy quickly circulated inside his body as his meridians expanded to their maximum.

    The merging lasted a long time. When Zachary finally felt exhausted, his body shone brightly again. Powerful martial energy radiated from within him as he opened his eyes.

    He had finally reached the Heaven Level!

    A moment later, the light faded. A serene calm masked Zachary''s face as he listened to his own breathing. The aura emitted from his body completely changed. He was now a real master of Heaven Level.

    "This feels so great!" Zachary shouted with excitement. He felt that the power in his body was completely different from before. After his cultivation increased by one level, his strength was far from what it was before.

    "This dangerous breakthrough is way too exciting! I won''t do it next time," Zachary said and chuckled. He knew that he had learned his lesson. He wouldn''t attempt to consume several Cultivation Boosting Pills at one time anymore.

    Orion and Kiwi also came back. They circled around Zachary as Kiwi rode on Orion''s back. They celebrated their master''s breakthrough to the Heaven Level by flying around and making noise.

    Zachary smiled as he watched his two treasure beasts. He knew that breaking through to the Heaven Level was just the beginning. What he needed to face next time would be even more dangerous.

 Chapter 130 Treasure Liquid

    "Congratulations! You have broken through to the Heaven Level. Now you can receive three random rewards," Mimi said in a sweet voice.

    "That''s great! I''ll get three rewards," Zachary replied.

    Three choices fell in front of him.

    "Let''s get started!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. The three choices started to spin.

    "Stop!" he called out and the first choice stopped spinning.

    He called out again until all three choices slowed down and stopped.

    "Congratulations! You received a bottle of fourth-grade purple cultivation-aiding pills.

    Congratulations! You received a Crescent Moon Stone, a weapon-refining material of Scarce Level.

    Congratulations! You received the Virid Divine Bead, a treasure-hunting auxiliary treasure,"

    Mimi announced excitedly as the rewards revealed one by one. Zachary was curious of the third item a lot more than the first two. "What is the use of the Virid Divine Bead?" he asked.

    "When you use it, you can breathe underwater for two hours," Mimi explained.

    "That is useful!" Zachary replied as his eyes lit up.

    He received the three random rewards.

    Now that he had successfully broken through and reached the Heaven Level, the first thing he wanted to do was go to the Living-Dead Tomb and tell Anne about the good news.

    When Zachary reached the Living-Dead Tomb, Anne was on her way out.

    "Master Anne, where are you going?" Zachary asked. He had always been curious about where Anne went from time to time. The area of Living-Dead Tomb was not that big.

    But he knew that the Treasure-hunting Compass was very powerful, and Anne could go to places where he was not allowed to go.

    "Why are you here?" Anne asked. She was surprised to see Zachary because he normally went to her at night for quests. She immediately sensed his aura of Heaven Level. "So you have broken through to the Heaven Level!"

    "Yes. And that''s why I''m here, to tell you the good news," he replied with a wide grin on his face.

    "Where did you get so many treasure-hunting coins?" Anne deduced that the reason why Zachary became so powerful so fast was beca

    ottle with a drop of Power-boosting Treasure Liquid appeared in front of Zachary.

    Zachary took it and held it tightly.

    "I''ll be out for three days. I''ll give you a variety of treasure-hunting quests to finish in those days. You can come back when you''re done with all of them," she said as she tapped her index finger between Zachary''s eyebrows, and the details of the treasure-hunting quests were imprinted into his mind. She then went on her away.

    "Goodbye, Master Anne!" Zachary said goodbye to her respectfully. He then followed her immediately after she had traveled for some time. He wondered where she would go.

    After a while, Anne suddenly disappeared while Zachary followed her. He sped up by using his Shadow Pace.

    Bang!

    Zachary bumped against an invisible barrier of force and was thrown back.

    "Master Anne does go someplace where I''m not allowed to go," Zachary murmured to himself. He decided to return to the Peach Blossom Forest. He exchanged the rest of his treasure-hunting coins for Growth-promoting Pills to feed Kiwi. He then proceeded to train Orion. Kiwi was still too young to be trained.

    Zachary learned a lot about training treasure beasts from Richard. He needed to get a lot of treasures to feed the treasure beasts. He should train them well so that they could help him fight in the future. He would train Orion really hard whenever he had spare time.

 Chapter 131 The Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill

    Half a month had passed, but Zachary, who had just reached Heaven Level, did not stop training. Instead, he worked even harder, focusing not only in his cultivation, but also the martial arts. His current martial arts mainly consisted of the Shadow Pace, the Flawless Illusion and the Lady Swordsmanship. He was now able to utilize all the skills with ease during a fight. His unique abilities enabled him to compete against martial beasts that were a few grades higher than he was.

    To add to the array of skills in his arsenal, he had even made considerable progress in Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill as well as the energy fire.

    Sara had been personally overseeing his training for the past two weeks. With the use of her "no pain, no gain" philosophy, she made sure to keep him on his toes for the duration of his training. This helped develop his mental fortitude and resilience, so that no amount of training would intimidate him, no matter how brutal.

    Apart from the harsh conditions Sara subjected him to during his training, Zachary willingly put himself through immense adversities every day. In fact, treasure-raiding quests and cultivation quests were a part of his daily routine. Fortunately, the treasure-raiding quests helped him accumulate a lot of different treasures. This allowed him to convert a pile of valueless treasures into treasure-hunting coins in the system.

    "Conversion completed! You will get forty treasure-hunting coins in this transaction."

    "Forty? Really? That''s only enough for two Egg-laying Pills," Zachary sighed, shaking his head with disappointment.

    Egg-laying Pills were used to shorten the time needed for treasure beasts to lay eggs. One pill could shorten the time required by one month. The Blazing Roc would produce one Blazing Egg every three months. The Thunder Dragon Horse was only hatched just recently. Apart from feeding it Growth-promoting Pills every now and then, Zachary also used some treasures of Common Level to help with its growth.

    After much disappointment, Zachary, gritting his teeth in anger, bought two Egg-laying Pills. Later, he went to the Peach Blossom Forest and gave them to Orion. Once it had eaten the pills, a golden flame engulfed its body as it screeched in the most strident fashion. After a long time, a hot Blazing Egg eventually fell from the tail of its body.

    A Blazing Egg was

    look on her face.

    "Oh, thanks for reminding me! I almost forgot that!" Zachary smiled, shaking his head like he was disappointed in himself. Time flew as he was either busy focusing on cultivating in the system or putting up with the daily torment Sara subjected him to. He didn''t have the chance to pay attention to what was happening around him. In fact, Elva had reminded him several times, but he didn''t take it seriously at the time. However, since it was the last day of the month, Zachary couldn''t sit around and wait for fate; he had to take some action.

    "Say, do you happen to know who that man is?" Zachary pointed at guy fighting Elva.

    "Him? You don''t know? He is Wilson Qin. His father is the head of Celestial City, William Qin," Rebecca replied.

    "Wilson? I see," Zachary answered.

    "William is at the premium stage of Imperial Level, and that is enough to tell how powerful he is. Since William had his son when he was already quite old, he has spoilt Wilson as much as he could. Unfortunately, even though William is a powerful man, his son seems to have fallen far from the tree. Even at thirty years old, Wilson is just at the second grade of Heaven Level. Perhaps if it weren''t for his father''s name, he would have never been accepted in the Celestial College," Rebecca said, lowering her sights to her feet.

    "He''s already thirty, but he still looks like as if he hasn''t been weaned!" said Zachary, smirking sarcastically.

    Rebecca couldn''t help giggling.

    "Then I will challenge this guy!" Zachary announced it without further consideration.

 Chapter 132 Accept The Challenge

    "What? You want to challenge him? A warrior at the second grade of Heaven Level is very strong for you. It''s impossible for you to beat him!" Rebecca replied. She was very surprised although she tried hard not to let it show. Zachary''s challenge to Wilson was like throwing an egg against a rock.

    "I want to challenge him. I''m sure of it. You don''t have to worry about me!" Zachary replied confidently.

    "Think about it again. Several disciples ahead of you are only at the fourth grade of Earth Level. If you challenge them, you have a better chance of winning," Rebecca replied. She didn''t want Zachary to go for a pointless challenge. There was a huge gap in power between him and Wilson.

    "I want to do something exciting," Zachary replied as he curled his lips.

    "Are you really decided?" Rebecca asked. She stared at him suspiciously as she wondered why he was so confident.

    "I am really decided on this," Zachary replied in the same confident tone.

    "OK. If you insist. But remember, don''t blame me and go crying if you lose," Rebecca reminded him. She was sure that he would lose the challenge.

    "If I cry, I''ll cry on your shoulder," Zachary teased Rebecca.

    "Hey! Watch your mouth!" Rebecca glared at Zachary.

    He then walked towards Elva and Wilson.

    "Hey boy!" Zachary greeted Wilson cheerfully.

    Wilson was shocked and jumped up. "You brat! Who do you think you''re calling?"

    "You, of course. I want to challenge you!" Zachary declared.

    Everyone in the team who heard Zachary''s challenge was shocked. They never expected that Zachary would challenge Wilson, one of the most powerful disciples in Team Ten. Zachary, on the other hand, ranked the last in the group. Considering the difference in power, Zachary had no chance of winning.

    "Zachary, you want to challenge Wilson?" Elva asked Zachary when she heard the challenge. In the selection test back in the Welkin Sect, Zachary was tied with Chandler, who was at the ninth grade of Earth Level. It was a great figh

    ng strategy! However, unless he can defeat Wilson in one move, the situation will continue to be a stalemate. Speaking of raw strength, Wilson definitely has the advantage," Rebecca whispered to herself as she watched the fight between the two.

    Wilson made full use of his power, but unfortunately, he couldn''t break through Zachary''s defense. As the fight went on, he became frustrated and angry because he couldn''t hit Zachary. At length, he roared and used a martial skill at the medium stage of Heaven Level.

    "Five-Beast Fist!"

    His fist transformed into the forms of five different fierce beasts, which rushed towards Zachary from different directions. They lunged at him with their fangs and slashed with their claws.

    The other members of the team felt worried for Zachary because they were familiar with this move. It was a powerful skill used by his father William. Wilson''s cultivation level was so much greater than Zachary''s. And the difference in power was obvious. Let alone Zachary, even the warriors of the same level as Wilson would be helpless from this attack.

    Zachary suddenly disappeared. Several shadows rushed in different directions and collided with the five beasts. The sounds of several collisions filled the area. A loud explosion followed as a cloud of dust and debris shrouded the two combatants.

 Chapter 133 Challenge Wilson Successfully

    "Is that an illusion technique?" Everyone''s eyes widened as the disciples of Team Ten stood there astonished. They tried to find the real Zachary, but none of them could tell him apart from his shadows.

    Meanwhile, the fast moving shadows disappeared after colliding with the five beasts.

    When the disciples took a closer look, Zachary was still standing in his place, as if he hadn''t moved an inch. The shock registered on their faces simultaneously as they didn''t expect Zachary to break through Wilson''s martial skill at the medium stage of Earth Level by an unknown illusion technique.

    A wild uproar broke out, as everyone looked around at each other in utter disbelief.

    "He has grasped an illusion technique? I can''t even tell which one''s the real Zachary!" Rebecca said to herself in surprise.

    "What an amazing individual! The technique he used is a little similar to the Shadow Clone Technique taught by my grandfather. I must find an opportunity to spar with him." Rita seemed intrigued by Zachary''s abilities.

    Needless to say, Elva was also surprised, but she was fairly certain that the technique Zachary used was not from the Welkin Sect, but a mysterious technique like his Shadow Pace. She was taken by curiosity, wondering where he could have learned such a technique.

    However, the person who was most dumbfounded was none other than Wilson. The last thing he expected to see was Zachary breaking through his best martial skill with just an illusion technique. Enraged, he charged forward to take Zachary head-on, so he wouldn''t have the time to react.

    Unfortunately, almost at the same time, Zachary suddenly opened his eyes and hefted the sword in his hand, which started radiating abruptly while his aura charged up. A wave of powerful martial energy that was not expected to be found in a warrior of his level rushed out from his body. He carried the power of a thousand waterfalls in his sword, the force of which could rip the heavens asunder.

    It was a move from the Lady Swordsmanship.

    In the blink of an eye, Wilson felt the power of water slam into his body like a force of nature.

    Wilson was taken by surprise, and by the time he could react, it was already too late.

    Hiss! Hiss!

    Zachary waved his sword around like he was trying to tame a wild animal, his aura fierce and unforgiving.

    Although it took everything from Wilson to face the full force, his clothes were ripped to shreds. Before long, he was standing there naked in public.

    Bang!

    Ev

    d smirked at her.

    "Well, you don''t have to tell me now if you don''t want to, but I know how to change your mind." Rita then walked away with a disdainful look on her face.

    Meanwhile, Zachary noticed that Joyce had been looking at him, so he smiled at her. However, she rolled her eyes at him. It wasn''t the response he was expecting, so he shrugged his shoulders and left the training ground.

    Before long, Rebecca told Sara about how Zachary challenged Wilson and defeated him, fair and square.

    "He defeated Wilson with just one move?" Sara seemed taken aback by Zachary''s performance.

    "Yes! I was just as surprised as you are. How did he defeat Wilson with just one move? It doesn''t make sense." Rebecca fell into deep thought.

    "Actually, it''s not a very big deal. When he competed to become an official disciple of the Welkin Sect, Zachary went up against a senior disciple at the ninth grade of Earth Level with his strength at the Mortal Level," Sara said calmly.

    "Really?" Rebecca''s eyes widened.

    "There are many things about this boy that cannot be explained so simply. But even so, it''s still hard to explain how he defeated a warrior at the second grade of Heaven Level with just one move!" Sara held her chin in her hand as she dove into thought.

    "I suspect that his strength has reached the Heaven Level." Rebecca always trusted her instincts.

    After pausing to think for a while, Sara nodded and said, "I see. Keep an eye on him for me."

    Rebecca bowed her head courteously and left to fulfill her duties immediately.

    "I think it''s necessary to report the whole thing to Master Katrina." Sara stood up and left to find Katrina.

 Chapter 134 Spiritual Soul

    After a while, Sara stepped into a room in the Sage Hall, where Katrina was usually found cultivating.

    Katrina, for her part, wasn''t the least bit startled to find her there. She merely asked, "What is it now, then? Did he mess up again?"

    "Well, it looks like you''re a prophet!" Sara nodded with a sigh.

    "Very well then. Tell me all about it. What did he do this time?" Katrina asked, raising an eyebrow.

    "Zachary defeated a disciple this morning. It wasn''t just any disciple; he beat one at the second grade of Heaven Level," Sara responded, some disconcertion on her face.

    At that revelation, Katrina felt rather startled. Recovering quickly, she said, "Did a similar thing take place during the freshmen contest? For all we know, he may just have had a lucky shot."

    "I don''t know, but Rebecca did say that Zachary was more likely to use his real strength in such a situation, and not use other means." While she hadn''t seen how he had managed such a feat personally, Sara couldn''t be sure how or why it happened. But Rebecca, who was at the King Level, had sound judgment, and Sara was inclined to believe her.

    "Oh, really?" Katrina stared at empty space in deep consideration. She couldn''t help but be a little suspicious as such an achievement made very little sense. A disciple at the Earth Level couldn''t possibly have the strength to leap up and defeat someone at the Heaven Level in just half a month. Even if he had utilized some kind of treasure, there simply shouldn''t be a way to do that.

    "Do you want me to test him and make sure?" Sara asked, puzzled. Perhaps the best way to test Zachary''s power was to pit him against her own hands and abilities.

    "No, that wouldn''t work. He''s too clever for that, and he''ll take notice of what you''re really trying to do." Katrina just shook her head, knowing that Zachary was canny as a fox and would probably be on his guard at all times, trying to keep people from discovering whatever secrets he had.

    "Then, maybe I could find someone else to test him and see what he''s capable of," Sara suggested, not quite willing to give the idea up.

    "Well if he really is hiding something, it''s highly unlikely that he won''t let anything slip or get exposed unless he is backed to a corner and has no other recourse. So if we want to force this guy to reveal his true strength, we''ll have to give him a situation where he has no other option." Katrina smirked to herself, cold and calculating.

    "What do you mean?" Sara asked, trying to figure out what Katrina had planned.

    "If I remember correctly, there''s an incarnation test tomorrow, isn''t there? In the Soul Testing Pagoda? L

    he gazed up at the ornate pagoda before them.

    "We''re here at the Soul Testing Pagoda, Zachary. This is where warriors of Heaven Level take their incarnation test," Sara replied coolly, without any expression on her face.

    "A what? Incarnation test? What do you mean?" Zachary stared at her, completely bewildered.

    "Haven''t you even wondered why spiritual souls form after deaths of certain warriors?" Sara asked him, not the least bit perturbed.

    "Those spiritual souls are from warriors who had unimaginably great power. It''s that power that refuse to dissipate even after death, so strong that even their consciousness couldn''t fade away. That power and awareness then condense and transform into spiritual souls." Zachary hesitated before carefully answering what he knew.

    "Hmm...a reasonable explanation, though not entirely correct," Sara replied. "In the Supernal Continent, there are numerous theories about how spiritual souls form and come to be. The most widely accepted explanation is that a warrior would cultivate another self, creating a new incarnation of themselves during the cultivation. Warriors of Divine Level, in fact, can summon incarnations of themselves, which are equally as powerful as they are. And after warriors who have managed to create such incarnations pass into death, the incarnations are left behind to form spiritual souls," Sara explained to him.

    "Is that what an incarnation is? That sounds fascinating," Zachary answered thoughtfully, rubbing his chin in contemplation. He wasn''t entirely knowledgeable in matters of spiritual souls, so upon hearing Sara''s explanation, he couldn''t help but be intrigued. Mostly, this was also because his Holy Bone Bracer itself had a warrior''s spiritual soul merged into it.

 Chapter 135 The Soul Testing Pagoda

    "The Soul Testing Pagoda is a place to test if a warrior can cultivate their incarnation," Sara explained to Zachary.

    "I never expected that such a place exists," Zachary replied in a surprised tone. Knowing of the existence of such a place broadened his perception.

    "This Soul Testing Pagoda was created by a weapon refiner called ''Ghost Refiner.'' It is specially used to test a warrior''s incarnation. But it is said that the Soul Testing Pagoda was created with a very powerful spiritual soul as its core," Sara continued to explain.

    "The more you tell me about it, the more mysterious it sounds! However, since you have brought me here, do you want to test me?" Zachary asked as he raised his eyebrows.

    "Generally speaking, only when one reaches the Heaven Level can one enter the Soul Testing Pagoda and get tested. There''s a group of disciples at the Heaven Level who''re taking the test today. I want you to join them. Some freshmen of Heaven Level have also been selected to take the test, and Bruce and Elva are among them," Sara explained.

    "Really? You have just made me very interested to take that test," Zachary replied. His eyes sparkled with keen interest.

    He then followed Sara into the Soul Testing Pagoda. The bottom of the tower was a large octagonal hall. There was a ladder in the middle of the hall that went up. There were also spiral stone steps that were suspended in mid-air. The stone steps were not connected anywhere and they went all the way to the top of the tower. However, unlike regular stone steps, the distance between each step was half a meter.

    Dozens of disciples of Heaven Level were gathered in the hall. Their strength varied from premium stage to primary stage, and Zachary had never seen most of them before. Colin, Joyce and Derrick of the Virid Sword Sect were there, so were Jason and two others from the Dragon Fist Sect. Richard and Adolph of the Hua Clan were also there.

    Peculiarly, Rita was not present.

    A list of potential new disciples was released a few days ago, and Rita was ranked first, followed by Colin from the Virid Sword Sect. Jason, Joyce, Bruce and Elva were also in the top ten. Since Colin and the others were in the hall, Rita should be here as well.

    " Sara replied with a slight bow. She then turned to Zachary and said, "Once the incarnation test begins, go and follow behind the other disciples. Don''t push yourself too hard. Just do your best and play to your true strength."

    Zachary nodded and then walked towards Elva.

    The other disciples were surprised to hear that the instruction to allow Zachary to take the test came all the way from Katrina.

    "I doubt if he can even get to the tenth floor with his weak strength."

    "I''m sure that he''ll wet his pants out of fear by then!"

    "I''ve never heard of a freshman at the Earth Level who was allowed to take part in the incarnation test. It''s unprecedented!"

    Many of the disciples sneered at Zachary and didn''t think he would make it.

    Bruce and Jason were among the disciples who talked behind Zachary''s back. They stared at Zachary with hate-filled eyes, as if they wanted to chop him into pieces at that very moment.

    Joyce looked at Zachary differently this time. The news of Zachary''s win against a freshman at the second grade of Heaven Level was not known outside of the team. But since Joyce witnessed the incredible fight firsthand, she wisely decided to reserve judgment.

    ''This guy cannot be underestimated! I never expected that Master Katrina would personally order him to join the incarnation test. I think I should talk with him more moving forward, '' Joyce thought to herself. Richard, who was acquainted with Zachary, had a mischievous smile on his face.

 Chapter 136 Taking The Test

    Zachary walked right up to Elva with a cheeky grin. He acted as if the test would be a walk in the park, unaware that the incarnation test would not be fun at all. Many disciples of Heaven Level had experienced nausea, dizziness, and even some cases of trauma after they took the test.

    "Why did Master Sara let you participate?" Elva asked with concern as she observed Zachary''s nonchalant attitude.

    "She said she wanted me to experience something new. I didn''t want to come, but when I heard that you''d also be taking the test, I came here as fast as I could!" Zachary replied with exaggeration.

    "Really? It seems like Master Sara treats you differently. But strangely, Master Katrina was the one who ordered you to enter the competition." Elva''s tone was skeptical.

    "Are you jealous? Don''t worry. I am a faithful man," Zachary said with a narcissistic smile.

    Elva gave Zachary an annoyed expression.

    "Let''s go," Vincent said as he motioned for Sara and the other masters to follow him.

    The masters walked to the ladder in the center of the hall, and it transferred them to the top floor. There they could observe the entire Soul Testing Pagoda.

    "Listen up, everyone. We will be starting now. When you step foot on the pagoda, you need to release your martial energy and keep your balance. You need to focus your attention on the whole process. If you find it hard to breathe, or your martial energy is exhausted, do not proceed to climb the pagoda anymore. Stay where you are and wait for the end of the test," Vincent ordered as his voice echoed from the top of the pagoda.

    After he finished giving the instructions, the disciples lined up orderly and started preparing themselves for the test.

    That very instant, the Soul Testing Pagoda let out a rumble. A strong force rushed out from its bottom and spread throughout the entire pagoda. In a flash, it turned into countless shining points and released strange light. It flew around in a whirlwind!

    Some of the disciples who took the test for the first time, were surprised.

    ood chance that Elva can make such achievement," one of the masters responded.

    "So nothing is impossible!" Sara added firmly.

    "We''ll see what will happen." Vincent grinned.

    As the masters conversed, more than half of the disciples had reached over ten floors, and none of them had stopped yet. At the end of the queue, Elva and Zachary sauntered along the stones, feeling relaxed.

    "Zachary, you don''t need to force yourself if you can''t stand the pressure. I''ll be fine on my own if you want to stop," Elva said with worry as she turned to look at Zachary.

    "I know," Zachary replied. He had already reached the first grade of Heaven Level, so the pressure wasn''t a big deal to him.

    Soon, they both reached the 10th floor, which caused quite a stir among the other disciples. Because they thought that with Zachary''s strength, ten floors would be his limit. But Zachary seemed to be skillful at climbing.

    It didn''t take long for most of the disciples to climb up to the 20th floor, and their overall performance was good.

    Zachary and Elva continued to climb the pagoda and were close to the 20th floor, which really surprised the other disciples.

    Even Vincent and the other masters were shocked, and they started to discuss among themselves. But Sara remained calm, as if she had known that Zachary would succeed in reaching such a high floor.

 Chapter 137 Climbing The Floors

    The reason why Sara made Zachary take the incarnation test was to gauge his current strength. She mentally prepared herself to not underestimate Zachary, since he had the tendency to surprise everyone with great results.

    After reaching the 20th floor, most of the disciples began to slow down their pace. They knew that the faster they climbed up, the faster the consumption of the martial energy in their bodies would be as well. Since their martial energy was limited, they had to employ calculated strategies in order to successfully reach the 40th floor.

    When they were about to reach the 30th floor, majority of the disciples at the primary stage of Heaven Level began to pant and feel exhausted. They dragged their tired legs forward with difficulty. Not long after, the weak disciples couldn''t hold out any longer. They could no longer move their bodies so they sat on the spot to recover their breath. A large portion of these disciples who gave up were novices. On the other hand, the more experienced and powerful disciples continued to advance.

    Meanwhile, Elva, who was in the end of the disciples with Zachary, began to pant for breath as well.

    "Elva, are you okay?" Zachary asked with concern.

    "I''m fine. How about you? Don''t you feel uncomfortable?" Seeing that Zachary didn''t look tired at all, Elva sensed that something was a little strange.

    "I''m fine! I don''t feel tired," Zachary replied with ease, as if nothing was going on. His current strength was comparable to Elva''s. The main difference was that Elva practiced the meditating cultivation method while he practiced the physical cultivation method. In addition to the consumption of the martial energy, the power of the Soul Testing Pagoda would also cause a huge burden to the body. Compared to the other disciples, Zachary was having a relaxed time in this test.

    "Really?" Elva asked incredulously. Unknowingly, she narrowed her eyes in confusion as she began wondering about Zachary''s strange behavior. She soon got rid of her thoughts. After all, it would be good if he could pass the test with his current strength.

    Zachary nodded in confirmation. He really didn''t feel any pressure at all. On the contrary, most of the disciples seemed to stagger along as if they were under enormous weight. Some of them could hardly stand up, and their pale faces were dripping with sweat from their foreheads.

    Elva took a swift glance at Zachary to make sure that he was doing fine. His usual posture and expression proved to her that he was indeed alright.

    t Zachary and started to discuss with each other.

    "It was no question that he was outstanding. However, I think he needs to stop here. I''m afraid that it will be very dangerous for him if he continues to climb the pagoda," Vincent said. As the person in charge of the test, it was already a violation of the regulations to let Zachary take the test. Furthermore, Zachary had already shown his extraordinary talent, which was more than enough to pass the test. After the 40th floor, however, it would be impossible for him to continue climbing up without reaching the Heaven Level. If he forced his way up to the higher floors, he would only be hurt by the power of the Soul Testing Pagoda.

    "There is no need for us to stop him. Just let him continue," Sara replied suddenly.

    "Sara, what do you mean? If it is only to test whether he has the potential to cultivation the incarnation, his current performance is great enough. There is no need for him to take great risk." Puzzled, Vincent stared at her.

    "I will be fully responsible for the consequences," Sara stated calmly. Unlike the other masters, Sara was neither surprised nor skeptical. Her expression was very composed.

    At her reply, Vincent made eye contact with the other masters. They looked at each other in confusion, having no idea why Sara insisted on letting Zachary continue to climb the pagoda.

    "Don''t you think it is already a miracle for him to reach the 40th floor with his strength? Besides, I don''t think he has reached his limit," Sara observed. She thought that if Zachary had indeed reached the Heaven Level, then the 40th floor definitely wasn''t his limit. She wanted to see if he could work wonders.

 Chapter 138 Climb Higher

    On realizing what had just happened, Vincent and the other masters were shocked. Even an ordinary disciple at the Heaven Level couldn''t climb to the 40th floor. Therefore, they could not help but wonder how Zachary, a disciple who was below that level, could reach it. Moreover, it was likely that he might be able to climb even higher.

    Because of Sara''s insistence, Vincent and the other masters decided to wait and see.

    At that time, the fifteen disciples, including Zachary, who had ascended the 40th floor, were still climbing the pagoda.

    However, the difficulty in the next step was nothing short of a struggle. Even moving a single step was a strenuous task.

    Six of them were freshmen, and the other nine, who were their seniors, were at least at sixth grade of Heaven Level. Although all of them had outstanding talents, even they had a hard time climbing up further. Therefore, it was no wonder that the freshmen were finding the ascent difficult.

    Soon, the team that continued to go up the pagoda was divided into three groups¡ªthe first comprised of the three strongest warriors at the premium stage of Heaven Level. Elva and Zachary were at the end. The rest of them were in the middle.

    Although most of the disciples didn''t know Zachary, they were speechless, seeing his performance. They were all astonished that even though Zachary''s strength was less than theirs, he was able to ascend to the 40th floor just as they did. That he had exceeded most of the disciples of Heaven Level, was unbelievable!

    "Bruce, why are you still here?" Zachary said that to deliberately provoke Bruce, who was in front of him.

    Bruce was so angry that he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, as if he wanted to smash Zachary into pieces.

    "You may go on. Don''t wait for me!" Zachary waved at Bruce and the others, looking dissatisfied.

    want to go up, I will go up first." With a smile, Zachary jumped up like he was carrying a mountain. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he reached the 46th floor, on par with Joyce and the other two disciples of Heaven Level.

    All of a sudden, the entire Soul Testing Pagoda became silent and everyone stared at Zachary in disbelief.

    "You are such a freak!" Looking at Zachary, Joyce was surprised beyond belief. As it was, she was already amazed when Zachary broke her swordsmanship and defeated Wilson with only one move. Now that he was able to reach the 46th floor, she was even more intrigued about him.

    "How about having a competition with me? Let''s see who the winner is. If you lose, you will marry me," Zachary said meaning to annoy Joyce.

    Zachary''s words were met with a lot of booing for people thought that he was insane. That was because his saying that he wanted to marry Joyce was nothing short of insanity!

    "This guy is hopeless," Bruce snorted with contempt.

    Elva too was extremely agitated on hearing what Zachary had said, and looked sufficiently displeased.

    "Why should I compete with you?" Of course, Joyce would not easily be provoked by Zachary.

    "I know you dare not." Zachary laughed.

 Chapter 139 The 50th Floor

    "Humph! Alright then, why not? Let''s have that race!" Ordinarily, Joyce would never accept such a ridiculous provocation; her personal dignity simply didn''t allow her to stoop that low. But Zachary did love to push buttons, and as he hadn''t yet even reached the Heaven Level but still stood on equal footing with her on this floor, it got under her skin. She was nevertheless confident that he would never defeat her, not with her quadruple martial speed.

    "Then, let''s begin!" Zachary braced himself, bringing his hand down as a signal.

    Joyce burst forward in a surge of violent martial energy that whirled around her. Zachary, who was just next to her, would''ve undoubtedly felt the intensity of her extraordinary power, particularly that of the quadruple martial speed. In his eyes, he saw that she almost seemed to transform into a swallow, hovering from earth''s gravity, soaring into the air and falling onto the 47th floor.

    The assembled warriors at the Soul Testing Pagoda burst forth into cheers and uproar, recognizing the magnificence of Joyce''s quadruple martial speed. As a warrior, she was surging in strong, fierce power and she also reached the first grade of Heaven Level, all of which made her get ever closer to Queenie''s record.

    "Magnificently done, Joyce!" Colin remarked, having already climbed to the 48th floor with three other disciples flanking him. All three were at the premium stage of Heaven Level. Upon the sight of Joyce''s climb, he couldn''t help but nod in approval.

    "You better not fall behind, Colin!" Joyce batted her eyes at him mischievously.

    Colin smiled at that, stretching out his arms in response. Almost immediately, his feet emitted an incredible amount of martial energy. Under the stunned eyes of the crowd, he shot upward, falling to the 49th floor before them.

    There was a roar of disbelief and astonishment from the crowd at the feat. Though Colin was only at the medium stage of Heaven Level, it would appear that he had every ability to match any disciple at premium stage of that level as well.

    Colin had now advanced to another floor just one step away from that much-awaited 50th floor. The three disciples at premium stage of Heaven Level left below stood agape in shock and resentment. They were unable to believe that a freshman had outmatched them.

    Zachary now glanced at the steps. He was only three floors away from the 50th floor, and even though it seemed like a short distance, it felt more as though like trying to cross a raging, divine river that wouldn''t allow trespassers to get by.

    "It looks like you can''t keep up with me after all. That''s what you get for shooting your mouth off," Joyce sneered as she turned back, having seen Zachary momentarily stopped in his tracks.

    But that was all the motivation Zachary really needed, bein

    ness.

    The masters, including Sara and Vincent, stood atop the Soul Testing Pagoda and were watching Zachary''s ascent carefully.

    "Do you think he''ll really do it? He''ll reach the 50th floor?"

    "If he did manage to set foot on it, it would be a miracle."

    "I''m afraid that our college''s boarding records will all have to be rewritten."

    "But this is perplexing. As far as anyone can remember, only the disciples at the Heaven Level and are approaching the King Level can even hope to reach the 50th floor..."

    Sara didn''t appear particularly surprised by all this, but her eyes couldn''t hide a glint of pure excitement. Not even she had ever expected Zachary to rise to this level, to the point that he was about to shatter Queenie''s record. It was history being made before their very eyes.

    Under the intent stare of everyone assembled, Zachary had transformed into a purple mark that was about to set foot onto the 50th floor. But even to warriors of Heaven Level, that traitorous stone step was a challenge in itself. Without pure, unadulterated strength, there would be no way for him to get through it.

    And just as everyone had expected, when the purple beam that was Zachary started to approach the stone step itself, an invisible force seemed to bear down upon him, halting his momentum. An incredible pressure was bearing down from above, with hands of thunder and lightning reaching out and preparing to hurl him down the endless abyss. Zachary struggled to get control back, trying to fight against such omnipotent pressure, but in the end he could not hold on. His martial energy collapsed, shattering away, as though he were a bird being stripped clean of his wings. He floundered briefly and teetered, threatening to plunge down.

    And everyone who beheld this unspeakable scene felt their heart jump to their throat at the climax of the thrilling test.

 Chapter 140 Reaching The 59th Floor

    "Zachary, watch out!" Elva couldn''t help but shout out. She didn''t know where her power came from, but somehow, her delicate body suddenly leaped for two consecutive floors. She seemed to try to get close to Zachary, who was falling from the air. But she stopped before she could reach him because of her weakening physical strength.

    Almost at the same time, Zachary was going to fall to the ground. Were he to fall to the bottom of the pagoda from such a height, he would be seriously injured, if not dead.

    That was why most of the people present were worried about Zachary. However, some were happy to see such a scene. For example, it was clear that Bruce and Jason were sneering coldly, as if they were eager to see him fall down and become a pile of lumpy flesh.

    Masters like Sara and Vincent also realized that Zachary was in great danger, but they had no time to save him. All they could do was watch him fall to the bottom of the pagoda.

    Just when Zachary was in such grave danger, a strong blue light exploded from his Holy Bone Bracer. Instantaneously, he felt a magical force dash into his body and make his body float in the air.

    Then, something even more astonishing happened. An extremely blurry blue shadow suddenly appeared behind Zachary, which was unclear but visible.

    "Is this... the incarnation shadow!?" a master exclaimed. Meanwhile, the eyes of the masters, including Vincent and Sara, were wide open. They couldn''t believe that the blue shadow that had shown up behind Zachary was a sign that he would successfully cultivate an incarnation soon.

    No one had ever thought that Zachary, who was only at the Earth Level, would have shown his incarnation shadow at that time.

    Almost at the same time, Zachary stopped dropping. Instantly, he flew upward and passed through the 50th floor easily. It seemed that he was walking in the sky. What was more surprising was that he continued to fly upwards toward the higher floor.

    All the people present were stunned when they saw the bizarre scene as it unfolded before their eyes. Not only the disciples, but also all the masters like Sara were dumbfounded and couldn''t believe their eyes.

    One floor... Two floors...

    Seven floors...

    Nine floors...

    Ten floors?! The audience counted as Zachary flew upward.

    In that

    In the meantime, Sara and the other masters also went down from the top of the pagoda by taking the ladder and landed on the 59th floor first.

    "Come and join us," Sara said to Zachary calmly. Without saying anything else, she indicated to Zachary, that he should follow them.

    Zachary nodded. As his martial energy had recovered, he directly stood up and joined the masters. However, he found that the other masters, including Vincent, were staring at him as if he were a monster. From their looks, Zachary immediately understood that he had frightened those masters at the Imperial Level by setting up such a record.

    ''It''s not my fault. I don''t want to do this, either!'' Zachary thought to himself. He felt that the frightening feeling that the others felt because of what he had accomplished was quite good.

    Not long after, all the masters and the disciples were back to the hall at the bottom of the Soul Testing Pagoda one after another.

    Sara looked around the disciples and suddenly declared, pointing at Zachary, "There seems to be something wrong with the Soul Testing Pagoda. I declare that Zachary Zi''s test result is invalid. Please don''t care about it!"

    Hearing her words, all the disciples looked at one another and started discussing animatedly. However, they soon arrived at a consensus that Sara''s explanation was reasonable. If that was not the case, Zachary''s surpassing them, and setting an astonishing record when he hadn''t reached the Heaven Level, would be equal to overthrowing their deep-rooted faith.

 Chapter 141 The Invalid Result

    "All the test results are correct except for Zachary''s. The disciples who ascended the 40th floor have the potential to cultivate the incarnation, so congratulations to you! But ultimately, whether or not you can cultivate the incarnation still depends on yourselves," Sara explained in a calm voice. "And that is all for today. You guys can go back and rest!"

    "Wait!" Zachary shouted out as the disciples were about to leave the pagoda.

    Everyone turned their eyes on Zachary.

    "Joyce, you haven''t forgotten our bet, have you? You lost, so now you should keep your end of the bet," Zachary said as he stared straight into Joyce''s eyes as the crowd watched them.

    "You!" Joyce didn''t know what else to say. She never expected that Zachary would take what she said seriously. But worse of all, she never expected to lose.

    The disciples present were so shocked by Zachary''s performance that they almost forgot about the bet.

    "Of course she won''t agree to it. That was a joke!"

    "Yeah, how could a goddess marry a toad?"

    "This brat is impossible!"

    Soon, there was a hubbub among the disciples. And their words were all targeting at Zachary impertinently.

    Sara, Vincent and the other masters stood mute as they stared at each other. The bet was exclusively between Zachary and Joyce, so they could not intervene.

    "Zachary, stop it," Elva said. She thought that he was being too naughty. She looked cold and very unhappy.

    "Elva, she lost the bet. So, she should agree to her end of the bet," Zachary replied. He understood that Elva was not happy with it but he had a plan in mind. He continued to look at Joyce mischievously.

    Elva spoke no further. She gave Zachary an angry stare and gave up talking. Anger was visibly present all over her face.

    Everyone looked at Joyce. They didn''t know how Joyce would deal with the bet between her and Zachary. Even if she backed out on her words, they would certainly support her with all their hearts.

    Nevertheless, Joyce knew that if she did go back on her words, she would be in even greater trouble. However, it was impossible for her to be Zachary''s wife. Therefore, after she thought for a while, she sa

    the yard for Elva''s return.

    It was almost dusk when Elva walked back into the disciple dormitory.

    "Elva," Zachary greeted as soon as he saw Elva was back.

    "Leave me alone. Go to your beautiful wife," She threw a cold, angry glance at Zachary and walked to her room.

    "Don''t you want me to explain to you why I did that?" Zachary asked while smiling helplessly.

    "There''s nothing to explain. You are free to choose whoever you want to marry. It''s none of my business," Elva retorted in anger.

    "Elva, I did this for the team. I sacrificed myself for the team!" Zachary explained with a smile as Elva was about to reach the door of her room.

    "What do you mean?" Elva asked as she turned towards him. She stopped walking and became very curious to hear what Zachary had to say.

    "If two men ride on a horse, one must ride behind. You and Joyce are natural rivals, even more when you are both in the same team. Joyce''s personality will not allow her to give in to you and your personality is the same. Thus, sooner or later, your rivalry will be detrimental to the success of Team Ten. Thus, in order to mitigate the effects of your rivalry, I have to sacrifice myself and draw Joyce''s attention on me so I can restrain her. This way, she could not go after you whenever she wants to, and weaken Team Ten. This is why I risked earning the enmity of everyone and disgrace myself in front of so many people," Zachary explained patiently.

 Chapter 142 Continuing The Cultivation

    "Really?" Elva replied. She watched Zachary explain his plan so calmly and clearly. A calm and serious Zachary was not something she saw often. She searched for a hint that he was lying to her, but she could find none.

    "If I lied to you, my pants would be on fire!" Zachary replied with a grin.

    "You have lied to me so many times before! I think you''ll need a new pair of pants!" Elva wouldn''t be deceived so easily by Zachary. But she did consider that he waited for her patiently to return and was willing to explain everything to her. Because of this, she decided to forgive him this time.

    Zachary laughed out loudly.

    "But if you offend Joyce, it will be like offending the Virid Sword Sect. Be careful!" Elva warned Zachary in a serious voice all of a sudden.

    "I know. But don''t worry. Considering Joyce''s personality, she will trouble me on her own. She will not let her fellow disciples to bother me," Zachary replied with a thoughtful expression on his face.

    "And don''t do that again! I really don''t understand why Master Katrina decided to send you to take part in the incarnation test at the Soul Testing Pagoda. That''s so dangerous! You almost..." The memory of Zachary almost falling to the ground from the 49th floor in the Soul Testing Pagoda made her shudder in fear.

    Zachary understood that Elva was worried about him. The thought made him smile but he said nothing about it. "Where have you been all this time?" he asked Elva with concern.

    "It''s personal," Elva replied flatly.

    "Okay," Zachary replied back in a tone of disappointment. "So, are you still angry with me?"

    "Why would I be angry?" Elva gave Zachary a chiding look and went to her room.

    ''I think she''s still angry with me, '' Zachary thought to himself. He shook his head and sighed as he watched Elva enter her room.

    In the meantime, Sara informed Katrina of Zachary''s performance in the Soul Testing Pagoda. Katrina was surprised after she heard Sara''s report.

    "I can''t believe that this guy is so powerful. Even if he has already reached the Heaven Level, it should be impossible for him to reach the 59th floor," Katrina said. She never expected Zachary would achieve such a magnificent feat.

    "I agree. He is likely hiding something from us," Sara replied. She only guessed at this but had no real evidence to support her assumption.

    "We can''t let him be in the limelight any further. Otherwise..." Katrina said but stopped in mid-sentence. She had a scowl on her beautiful

    e Heaven Level sooner," Zachary said in a pitiful tone. He pretended to be sad and disappointed, but in truth, he was so overjoyed.

    "Really? I am sure that even without my guidance, you can accomplish that goal with your own diligence and persistence. So always remember to work very hard!" Sara knew that what Zachary had said was merely out of courtesy. She suspected that he must be quite happy with the announcement. But she didn''t want to push him about it.

    "I should go then," Zachary said as if he was granted amnesty. He flew away as soon as he finished speaking.

    ''He is really very happy about it!'' Sara thought to herself when she saw his enthusiasm to leave. She shook her head and smiled. She then assembled all the new disciples of Team Ten.

    "You have been in the Celestial College for quite some time and I can see your progress, but it is far from enough. In three months, there will be new disciples from the other colleges who would visit the Celestial College for knowledge exchange and communication. These visitors are all elites, and it will be a chance for all of you to learn from each other, but I have to tell you that only five members of each team will be selected. So if you really want to get this opportunity, you must train harder!" Sara announced as her eyes swept at all the disciples of Team Ten.

    The disciples rubbed their hands in excitement. They all knew that this was a good opportunity for them to stand out in the Celestial College. If they could defeat the disciples from other colleges, it would also be a proof of their own strength!

    "Continue your cultivation!" Sara said as she turned around and left.

 Chapter 143 The Visit Of The Delegation

    Now that Zachary was no longer restricted in his training, he was very happy. With the help of the Treasure-hunting System, he went all out in his training and cultivated by himself day and night. At the same time, his Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill also improved, and reached close to the level needed to forge a weapon of Heaven Level. But he still had a long way to go before he could forge a body for Andrew.

    Three months passed by so fast. Zachary successfully broke through to the fifth grade of Heaven Level. The Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons were instrumental for such fast and shocking improvement.

    Even his two treasure beasts improved significantly. Orion had reached the third grade of Heaven Level, and Kiwi had reached the third grade of Earth Level.

    But Zachary was not the only one who improved during the past three months. Most of the new disciples in the Freshmen Zone also made progress.

    Colin from the Virid Sword Sect smoothly broke through to the sixth grade of Heaven Level. Jason from the Dragon Fist Sect who was only at the third grade of Heaven Level amazingly broke through to the fifth grade. Bruce had already reached the fourth grade of Heaven Level and was close to the fifth grade. Elva also broke through two grades successively and reached the third grade of Heaven Level.

    But the most amazing improvement was that of Joyce. She had broken through three grades in three months and reached the fourth grade of Heaven Level. Also, she managed to gain an absolute advantage¡ªthe quadruple martial speed.

    In the meantime, representatives of the Shura College from the Devil Kingdom, arrived at the Celestial College for the exchange of martial arts.

    The Freshmen Square was full of people. All the new disciples of Celestial College gathered there to welcome the delegation from the Shura College.

    "Hey, did you hear that? There is a new disciple from the Shura College who is at the Heaven Level with quadruple martial speed. And she is not born with that martial speed. It is said that she reached that speed when she was at the Earth Level. She is obviously talented."

    "And this new disciple is a beautiful girl. As soon as she entered the Shura Colle

    and refined. His words to Sara were not flattery at all. As one of the main judges in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest two years ago, he witnessed how Sara performed in the contest. Thus, he knew that she was the most gifted warrior of Imperial Level in the past ten years. After the contest, he invited Sara to join the Shura College. Unfortunately, Sara turned down his offer.

    "Rupert, I am flattered by your words! I''m just a rookie compared to you and the others!" Sara replied in a modest tone.

    "Ha-ha! With your qualification, we''re sure that you''ll surpass us in the near future. I think highly of you," Rupert replied as he laughed loudly and heartily. He didn''t have the haughtiness that normally came with influential people.

    "Would you mind introducing the outstanding talents of your college to us?" Sara requested. She swept the freshmen delegation of Shura College who stood just below the platform. Immediately, she knew that they were all elite warriors. Even the weakest had at least triple martial speed.

    "We are here to exchange martial arts with your college for a month. I am sure you will get to know each one of them. Do take your time. What I am interested in is to meet a gifted freshman from your college. Can you invite her with us now?" Rupert proposed abruptly.

    "Rupert, are you referring to the disciple of the Virid Sword Sect, Joyce Chen?" Sara verified as if she had long predicted that Rupert would make such a proposal.

 Chapter 144 Cultivation

    "You are prophetic, Sara!" Rupert replied as he nodded vigorously with a smile.

    Sara had to fulfill this small request of Rupert since she was the host. She turned to the disciples of the Celestial College and called out, "Joyce, please come up here."

    Joyce was calm and confident when she heard her name called. She was already used to situations like this. She walked towards the platform under the gaze of everyone in the area. She then climbed the platform and approached the masters who were gathered there.

    "Joyce, this is Master Rupert from the Shura College. He is the best warrior of Imperial Level in that college," Sara introduced.

    "Pleased to meet you, Master Rupert," Joyce greeted as she nodded at Rupert. She was neither humble nor pushy, but her tone was somewhat respectful.

    "A pleasure to meet you at last, Joyce! I want to let you know how impressed I am by your quadruple martial speed! You are very close to the fifth grade of Heaven Level, right?" Rupert analyzed her briefly up and down and then nodded. "And courtesy demands reciprocity. I shall introduce you to Polly Qiu, the number one among the new disciples of our college. She has also reached the Heaven Level and possesses quadruple martial speed. But she wasn''t born that way; she succeed in achieving this martial speed through cultivation."

    Sara slightly narrowed her eyes. It was not so long ago that she heard about the existence of such a genius from the Shura College who possessed quadruple martial speed. Compared with Joyce''s inborn quadruple martial speed of, Polly''s martial speed was more amazing since she achieved it through cultivation. It was almost impossible for a warrior of Heaven Level to achieve quadruple martial speed through cultivation. Such geniuses were as rare as the ones who were born with quadruple martial speed. There were very few in the entire Heaven Supernal Continent who had such outstanding talent.

    "Polly, please come over here," Rupe

    "Work hard. Don''t waste your triple martial speed. And by the way, come to the training ground tomorrow morning," Sara ordered and then left.

    ''Go to the training ground tomorrow morning? She hasn''t tortured me for three months, so she wants to give me a hard time tomorrow. I wonder what she will do to me, '' Zachary thought to himself.

    After he entered the system, he took a treasure-hunting quest. Since he had reached the Heaven Level, the grade of the treasure-hunting quests'' treasures increased as well. This meant that he could get more treasure-hunting coins from the treasures. But it still wasn''t enough to satisfy his needs. Every aspect of his present life needed treasure-hunting coins, especially for his two treasure beasts. They consumed almost all of his treasure-hunting coins.

    But his efforts had its own rewards. He could now summon Orion for two hours to help him in battle. Thus, he could complete the treasure-hunting quests without too much effort. Moreover, when he collected materials in the Death Prison, Orion could fight with the enemies, which helped a lot.

    Zachary completed the treasure-hunting quest after two hours. He then started his cultivation quest. After that, he went to the weapon refining room to practice weapon refining.

    It was another busy day for Zachary.

 Chapter 145 The Competition

    Early the next morning, right after exiting the system, Zachary made a beeline for the training ground. As he arrived, he found that the ground was already full of people crowding around and seemingly captivated by something. Slowly, he approached the scene and spotted five disciples in the middle of the area, dressed in the robes that signaled they were from Shura College. Each of them was young, and among them was a beautiful young lady who drew the eyes of everyone else on the ground. It was Polly.

    "Hey, wait a minute! What are they all doing here?" Zachary asked one of the disciples standing near him. It was certainly unexpected. What could possibly have brought Shura College''s new disciples onto Team Ten''s training ground?

    "Huh? Don''t you know? From today on, we get five new disciples from Shura College to cultivate along with us. Looks like we''re the spot for all the beauties. Look at that, the first beauty among Shura College''s freshmen has been sent to us," the disciple next to Zachary chirruped, looking unbelievably thrilled.

    "I see. So that''s what happened." Vastly intrigued, Zachary gazed at Polly, who looked divinely lovely amidst everyone else.

    "Watch where you''re staring, you pervert, or you might go blind!" A high, girlish voice sounded behind Zachary.

    Turning around, he saw Rita standing there, arms akimbo.

    "Well...don''t tell me you''re being a little jealous? How sweet! Don''t worry; I''ll keep my eyes on you as much as you like," teased Zachary, gazing flirtatiously at Rita.

    "Try it, and I''ll cut your eyes right out of your head," Rita retorted, glowering at him. She turned her gaze towards Polly and added, "I didn''t expect that Polly would ever be sent to be part of Team Ten. I''m pretty excited to have a rival to compete with, though."

    "Are you looking for a challenge?" Zachary grinned, smiling at her knowingly.

    "Me? Challenge her? Please, she''s not even at the right level to dare and step up to me. Let''s see her take on Elva and Joyce first; then let her try and challenge me," Rita snorted disdainfully, her smug countenance unruffled by the newcomer''s presence.

    Following all this commotion, Sara and Rebecca stepped into the training ground.

    "Master Sara, it''s good to see you again." Polly and the other four Shura College freshmen immediately stood at attention and bowed respectfully to Sara. Sara nodded at them in acknowledgement, saying, "Welcome. Throughout the nex

    es of the Team Ten all whirled around to look at Zachary, standing in the crowd.

    Dumbfounded, Zachary stood staring back. "Me?" he asked, pointing to himself. He was starting to get the feeling that Sara was setting him up. This was clearly the reason that she''d asked him to come here, putting him on the spot.

    The other disciples of Team Ten were in uproar, aghast and appalled at this. They hadn''t even seen Zachary in the last three months since he had been "exiled." There didn''t seem to be much of an improvement in his cultivation level at all.

    No one would''ve ever imagined that Sara would choose him.

    "Well, hello, Polly," Zachary smiled as he walked up to the other members. He didn''t protest Sara''s selection and instead put all his attention on Polly.

    When Polly saw Zachary moving so casually and slovenly, her expression darkened as she analyzed him. To her surprise, he seemed to still be at the preliminary stage of Earth Level. She glanced at Sara, somewhat confused as to why she''d send such an ill-prepared combatant for this contest.

    "You consider this brat to be capable of even participating in this contest against us?"

    "You''d better not look down on us!"

    "I''ve no issue with the first four disciples but this last one..."

    A hubbub was brewing among the other four freshmen with Polly. They were unable to accept such a decision and took it as an insult.

    "Zachary, come here for a moment." Sara gestured for him to come to her.

    Hesitating briefly, Zachary stepped forward to where Sara was. She suddenly waved her jade-like palm and cast a wave of strong martial energy towards him.

 Chapter 146 Saras Test

    Everyone was surprised. They could not understand why Sara suddenly attacked Zachary. They feared for his safety. Elva''s face changed drastically and her hands suddenly clenched into fists.

    Although Polly and the other four disciples from the Shura College never knew what Sara was about to do, they were sure that someone at a very weak cultivation level like Zachary could never avoid her attack.

    Just when the martial energy released by Sara was about to slam at Zachary, he shook his body slightly with a calm expression; it was as if he never planned to dodge the attack at all. The next moment when Sara''s attack was supposed to make contact, the martial energy passed by him harmlessly.

    A loud commotion erupted in the crowd. They knew that Sara''s martial energy was going to hit him, but it suddenly changed its course. The sight was amazing to behold for everyone present.

    Polly and the other freshmen from the Shura College were also surprised. They couldn''t figure out how Zachary redirected the martial energy.

    "It seems that you have improved your movement skill again!" Sara nodded with satisfaction. Everything happened as she had expected. She had attacked him without warning in order to test his strength. But more importantly, she wanted to prove to Polly and the others that Zachary was not as weak as he seemed to be.

    "Master Sara, even if I did something wrong to you, you don''t have to kill me, do you?" Zachary said as he pretended to look pitiful.

    "I''m just testing your strength. If you can''t even dodge that, then you deserve to be killed!" Sara said in a critical tone. She then turned to Polly and the other disciples of the Shura College. "Although he is not as strong as the other disciples, he is exceptional in movement skills, just as you saw when he avoided my attack. You will discover his unique advantage soon."

    "Master Sara, now that you have pointed it out, I believe that he must have his own merits," Polly agreed as she threw a few glances at Zachary, but the belittling look in her eyes didn''t change.

    "The competition rules are as I just told you. If you have no objection, we can start now!" Sara announced.

    "Wait! Master

    Nah. I estimate that thirty minutes will be enough for me," Zachary replied calmly.

    "Really? Then I''d really love to see how you can get the sachet in just thirty minutes." Sara didn''t believe that he was capable of doing what he said.

    "I''m leaving. Master Sara, put on some lipstick and wait for me!" Zachary said a few moments later. Checking that the time was perfect for him to set off, he swaggered and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    He immediately shifted to the maximum speed of his Shadow Pace after he set out. The speed of his steps was as fast as the wind. Wherever he passed, sand and stone were blown to the air due to the momentum of his breakneck moving speed. During the past three months, he had made great improvement in his Shadow Pace and now it became superb. People only saw an afterimage that moved forward but not Zachary himself.

    After a short while, Zachary saw two disciples from each team get intercepted. They jumped up and down, trying to break through the obstruction, but their efforts turned out to be in vain.

    "They are so stupid. They don''t even know the tactic of luring the enemy out of its hole!" Zachary shook his head and then shouted loudly, "Wow, Rebecca is dancing naked over there. Look!"

    The disciples of Heaven Level who heard him immediately turned and looked around subconsciously.

    Just as those disciples became distracted, a shadow passed through them so fast that they barely noticed.

 Chapter 147 Catch Up With Polly

    After Zachary easily broke through the blockade of the disciples of Heaven Level, he immediately went all out because he knew that Elva, Joyce and Polly were all still far ahead of him, and he needed to catch up with them.

    This task was not a big deal for him.

    Before long, Zachary caught up with the three freshmen of the Shura College that included Polly. Elva and Joyce were there with them as well. All of them were stopped by five disciples at the premium stage of Heaven Level.

    ''Master Sara really put a lot of effort and thought into this. It seems that she never plans on giving either teams any chance of winning, '' he thought. The five disciples at the premium stage of Heaven Level had tactfully sealed off the way to the attic and made it more difficult for the contestants to go on. After seeing what was in front of him, Zachary realized that Sara really didn''t plan to let anyone win.

    However, Zachary was not in a hurry to break the blockade. Although with his current Shadow Pace, even a disciple at the premium stage of Heaven Level might not be able to catch up with him. It was not worth it if he attracted the attention of the five disciples.

    So he stayed nearby and waited to see what would happen next.

    Just then, a beautiful figure suddenly floated in the air. She glided over the heads of the five disciples like a feather that was blown by the wind.

    "Wow, she is flying! This is what a warrior of King Level could do." The five disciples at the premium stage of Heaven Level were stunned. They knew in advance that Polly was the most powerful among the new disciples of the Shura College with quadruple martial speed. So it was not a surprise for her to do what she did.

    When Elva and Joyce saw this, their faces were shrouded by a shocked look. The skill alone had proved that Polly was better than them.

    But the two girls would not yield easily.

    Just as Polly broke through the five disciples at the premium stage of Heaven Level, Joyce took the opportunity while the five disciples were distracted, and used her dual swords. She focused all her energy to her feet. Joyce then

    fast!" Zachary cried out sarcastically when he saw the five disciples approaching.

    "If you pass, we will be punished. Even if we die, we must hold you back," one of the disciples explained.

    "Master Sara is a cruel lady! Her punishments scare you guys that much?!" Zachary shook his head. Suddenly, he sped up again, as if he flew through the air.

    "He can fly as well?" The five disciples were dumbfounded again. If it was amazing for Polly to use this skill, then it was a miracle for Zachary.

    In an instant, Zachary increased the distance between himself and the five disciples. At the same time, Elva headed towards another direction.

    When they realized that they couldn''t catch up with Zachary, the five disciples immediately turned and chased Elva.

    Zachary soon arrived in front of the attic where Sara placed the sachet. As soon as he entered the room, he saw that only Polly was there and Joyce was nowhere to be found.

    ''It seems that even Joyce are not her match, '' Zachary thought about this as he approached Polly in a flash.

    "Polly, are you looking for the sachet?" Zachary asked with a laugh as Polly searched around. He knew right away that she was searching for the sachet.

    "Why are you here?" Polly was taken aback at the sight of Zachary. She was sure that no one from the Celestial College could catch up with her. But to her surprise, Zachary, who was the weakest, showed up.

 Chapter 148 Obtained The Sachet

    "Because I''m so weak, everyone simply ignores me," Zachary replied with a smile.

    "Don''t you dare get in my way!" Polly didn''t want to talk to Zachary anymore. She rolled her eyes at him and continued to look for the sachet.

    Zachary smiled at Polly. He then activated the power of the Dog Soul Ring to improve his senses. He sniffed around the attic and soon sensed a familiar fragrance. ''It smells good, just like the faint scent of Master Sara. Is it possible that this sachet is a close-fitting thing of hers?''

    Zachary thought to himself as he walked towards the scent. A short while later, he found a pink and delicate sachet hidden in a roof beam on one side of the attic.

    "Done!" Zachary put it away carefully and was about to leave the attic as soon as possible. But a beautiful figure floated overhead in front of him.

    "Polly? What do you want now?" Zachary asked as he stared at her with a smile.

    "Hand over that sachet," Polly demanded in a threatening voice. She held out her hand towards Zachary.

    "Sachet? What sachet are you talking about? I don''t have any sachet!" Zachary replied and pretended to be ignorant of her meaning.

    "Stop pretending. I saw you take the sachet," Polly replied in an impatient tone. Although Polly was busy searching for the sachet, she was aware of Zachary''s search as well. And because she kept a close eye on him, she soon observed that he found the sachet easily.

    "Well, you''re right I guess. But I am the one who found it, why would I give it to you?" Zachary replied as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her.

    "Because..." Polly trailed off. She was stunned by his words. She indeed had no reason to ask him to relinquish the sachet. But just the same, she couldn''t let him return with the sachet. If that happened, their team would lose the competition. She could not allow her team to fail in any competition, and this was her principle.

    "It seems that you really want to win the competition. In fact, it''s not difficult for me to hand over the sachet. All you have to do is beg it from me," Zachary said and made it intentionally difficult for her.

    "You want me to beg it from you? No way!" Polly exclaimed. She snorted in contempt and glowered at him.

    "Then you can''t have it!

    Polly didn''t know what to say. She was speechless by the amazing speed of Zachary.

    In the blink of an eye, the figure had disappeared.

    "What kind of movement skill did this guy learn? I can''t believe that he can actually beat me," Polly murmured to herself in disbelief. She was truly astonished by Zachary''s performance. She was ranked the first place among the new disciples of the Shura College in movement skill. If she competed with the disciples of King Level, she would still not be inferior. But it was unbelievable that she was no match for a garbage freshman of the Celestial College.

    On the finish line, Sara stared at the last wick of incense that was about to burn out.

    "It seems that no one can make it back on time," Sara said and shook her head in great disappointment.

    The new disciples of Team Ten started to whisper to each other. They also seemed to think that no one could return on time. The competition was truly quite difficult.

    Just when everyone accepted that no one could get back before the time ran out, a fast figure suddenly arrived and stopped in front of Sara just as the last wick of incense burned out.

    "Phew!" The figure noisily heaved a long sigh of relief.

    All the disciples of Team Ten also looked at each other in mute surprise and stared at the figure. It was none other than Zachary!

    "Have you brought back the sachet?" Sara asked Zachary as if she already knew what the reply would be.

    "What do you think?" Zachary answered with a wide grin.

 Chapter 149 Win The Competition

    "Show it to me. Don''t try to trick us," Sara demanded. Zachary''s confident expression made her think that he must have the sachet. Although she was surprised, it was still within her estimation. His movement skill was very special, and with his strength hidden very deeply, it was reasonable to think that he could get the sachet beyond everyone''s expectations. Moreover, if he could defeat the number one disciple, Polly, from the Shura College in terms of movement skill, it was also considered as winning honor for the Celestial College.

    "All right!" Zachary laughed as he took out the sachet from his pocket and shook it in front of Sara.

    The disciples of Team Ten were all amazed when they saw that he really was able to retrieve the sachet and bring it back in time. No one expected that he could actually make it. Moreover, his opponent was the team with the number one disciple of the Shura College, Polly.

    Polly came back as well after some time. When she saw that Zachary stood in front of Sara with the sachet in his hand, she looked embarrassed and disappointed. She had never dreamed it possible that she would be defeated in the first competition since she arrived at the Celestial College. More specifically, she was defeated by a nobody who was only at the Earth Level.

    The other disciples soon got back one by one including Elva and Joyce. They were shocked when they saw the sachet in Zachary''s hand. The other four disciples from the Shura College seemed to be completely dumbfounded that Polly was beaten by a freshman of Earth Level!

    "He got the sachet! We are fortunate," Joyce mumbled to herself. At the last stage of the competition, she was surpassed by Polly. When she saw that Zachary had won, her pretty face looked strange¡ªit was etched with relief and disbelief at the same time. After all, Zachary had defeated Polly easily who was stronger than her.

    "So Polly, are you convinced now?" Zachary asked as he smiled at Polly. He wanted to laugh at her funny face but he kept it in.

    "How did you do it? With your current strength, it''s impossible for you to defeat me!" Polly asked as she ferociously glared at him. She still couldn''t accept the fact that she was defeated by him.

    "Isn''t the competition a race? Just as you said, I''m a piece of garbage. As a garbage disciple, the one thin

    no biggie. I was just lucky," Zachary replied in a plain tone.

    "If you can win a competition even by good luck, then, the top disciple from the Shura College should not be considered as so talented," Katrina said in a gentle voice. Her brows went up slightly as she spoke.

    "To be honest, she is very talented. If I have a competition with her in any other aspect, I''m sure that I can''t beat her," Zachary stated in a matter-of-fact manner. He believed that Polly could be on the same level as Rita in terms of strength and that he couldn''t possibly match Polly.

    "It''s good that you understand this. I also hope that you will not feel complacent and self-conceited just because you won against Polly. You are far from being able to compete with her!" Katrina said as she nodded. Ever since she was sure that Zachary hid his true power at the Heaven Level, she had been looking forward to his good performance. He didn''t disappoint her this time. However, this was only a small competition; there would be more intense competitions that awaited him. She hoped that he would have good performances in the later competitions as well.

    The new disciples from the Shura College all turned out to be very talented. Even Polly had the ability to defeat all the new disciples of the Celestial College. Katrina estimated that only her own disciple was strong enough to compete with her. Therefore, she also hoped that the rise of Zachary would cause a stir in the exchange activities of the two colleges and he could win honor for the Celestial College!

 Chapter 150 The Fight Between The Treasure Beasts

    Since Katrina had sent the Heavenly Silk Gloves to Zachary, he had been so busy practicing his Ghost Palm secretly that he knew nothing about what was happening outside. So, he had no idea that the competition between the two colleges had been getting more fierce since he had defeated Polly.

    After he had fully mastered the Ghost Palm and the Heavenly Silk Gloves, his cultivation in seclusion was over. When he passed through the Freshmen Square, he suddenly saw that it was thronging with numerous people and that everyone was excited. Also, from time to time, their loud cheers and exclamations made the entire square extremely lively.

    At the same time, Zachary also noticed that two beasts were fighting fiercely with each other.

    ''A battle between two treasure beasts? Interesting!'' Zachary thought to himself. He then walked through the crowd with his Shadow Pace and found the best spot to watch the battle.

    Zachary recognized that one of the two treasure beasts was Richard''s Peach Blossom Eagle, and the other looked like a rhino. Its black scales were sturdy as steel, and the bulky rhino stood firmly on the ground. No matter how sharp the Peach Blossom Eagle''s claws were or how viciously it attacked with its sharp claws, they could not hurt the rhino a bit!

    "Mimi, what kind of a treasure beast is this?" Zachary asked the Treasure-hunting Compass.

    After a ray of light flashed on the Treasure-hunting Compass, Zachary heard Mimi''s voice. "It''s the Black Ferocious Rhino¡ªa treasure beast of Common Level, which is good at defense. I can sense that it has reached the first grade of Heaven Level."

    "Which one is more powerful?" Zachary asked curiously.

    "They are almost equal in terms of strength. The Black Ferocious Rhino is good at defense. Without a potent attack, its enemy cannot inflict direct damage to it. And if they have a prolonged fight, the Peach Blossom Eagle will exhaust its physical strength," Mimi answered immediately.

    "It seems that there is a good chance that the Peach Blossom Eagle will lose," Zachary nodded lightly.

    Just as Mimi had said, after a long battle, the Peach Blossom Eagle began to feel tired, and its attacking speed also slowed down. A moment late

    ollege disciples speak, they were angry and felt that the Shura College disciples were looking down upon them. But the truth was that, besides the Peach Blossom Eagle, they didn''t have another treasure beast. Of course, they couldn''t rule out the possibility that someone might deliberately hide a treasure beast from them.

    Unless they could defeat that Black Ferocious Rhino, they could do nothing about those arrogant Shura College disciples.

    Just at that moment, a shrill scream pierced the air. At the same time, a roc engulfed in blazing fire smothered the sky with its huge wings. It sparkled in the sky and attacked the Black Ferocious Rhino, which had just defeated the Peach Blossom Eagle.

    When the disciples saw a treasure beast suddenly appear from nowhere, they were all shocked. They didn''t know where the treasure beast had come from, but judging from its power, it seemed to be coming to assist the Celestial College.

    That was when the Celestial College disciples seemed to see a glimmer of hope.

    Seeing the treasure beast suddenly appeared from nowhere, Ellison was startled. But then, he smiled disdainfully. In his opinion, the Celestial College could not win, even if they sent out another treasure beast.

    However, to his surprise, the moment the roc approached the Black Ferocious Rhino, the latter screamed fearfully and instantly ran away. Everyone present was dumbfounded seeing it dash to safety and couldn''t believe what they had just seen.

 Chapter 151 The Treasure Beasts Master

    After being chased everywhere for a while by the roc, the Black Ferocious Rhino fell to the ground, and it seemed that it was crawling feebly, unlike earlier, when it had been the aggressor.

    "Damn it! What the hell are you running from?" Ellison felt angry and yelled out loudly, when he saw his treasure beast was scared by the roc. He was frustrated at the Black Ferocious Rhino''s changed behavior. Nevertheless, the Black Ferocious Rhino did not obey his master, for it had been frightened out of its wits.

    All the new disciples present did not seem to believe their eyes. The Black Ferocious Rhino, which had just defeated Richard''s Peach Blossom Eagle, ran away without striking a blow. No one could grasp what was going on.

    Of course, at that moment, everyone was confused. One of the reasons was that no one knew what kind of treasure beast the roc was, and how it could scare the Black Ferocious Rhino. Also, no one knew who the rare treasure beast''s master was.

    Soon, people were speculating, so there was a lot of excitement among them.

    But nobody came forward. Only the fiery roc hovered in the air and pinned the Black Ferocious Rhino down.

    "Is it the Blazing Roc, the treasure beast that ranks tenth among the treasure beasts with elements of Common Level in the Supernal Continent? That has the energy fire with metal element that all the weapon refiners dream of, and is as valuable as an ordinary treasure beast of Scarce Level," Richard suddenly cried out in amazement, looking a little shocked. He had raised a treasure beast himself. Also, he knew all kinds of treasure beasts on the Supernal Continent. So he could tell what a treasure beast was unless it was extremely rare.

    Richard''s reaction shocked all the disciples. No one had ever expected that they would see the Blazing Roc¡ªthe Supernal Continent''s tenth-ranked treasure beast of Common Level. Although most of them didn''t know much about treasure beasts, the gap between the Blazing Roc and the Black Ferocious

    emitting potent energy instantaneously, the Blazing Roc appeared in front of Ellison. That was when Ellison released his martial energy to resist its attack. Nevertheless, he was blown away several meters.

    The audience burst into an uproar as they saw the treasure beast''s power. In fact, the Blazing Roc''s aura was not more ferocious than Ellison''s, but with its unique leverage of unequaled physical might, it defeated Ellison.

    When Ellison was about to be thrown down prone on the ground, a delicate figure suddenly appeared. Two fragrant purple silk ribbons flew out, when she stretched out her arms, revealing her alabaster white skin.

    All of a sudden, the two purple silk ribbons wrapped around the Blazing Roc''s wings. Then, with a pull, its huge body shook in the air and fell directly to the ground.

    When it was about to land on the ground, a figure appeared under its body at an incredible speed. He held up his hands to prevent the Blazing Roc from falling down, and then forcefully grabbed the purple silk ribbons that were wrapped around its wings. Afterwards, he smiled at the purple silk ribbons'' owner and said, "Polly, show mercy on my pet!"

    Hearing that, all the disciples present turned to see the Blazing Roc''s master, and almost immediately, their expressions froze.

    It was none other than Zachary!

 Chapter 152 Taking the Test Together

    No one had expected to discover that the Blazing Roc''s master was someone who had been undisputedly voted to be the most useless disciple in the entire Celestial College. Masters in the college had, in fact, given up in his training and couldn''t even be bothered to care any longer.

    This came as somewhat of a shock to the disciples of both colleges. After all, Zachary''s aura was so weak that should they have flicked a finger at him, he could''ve been destroyed. And yet here he was, the master of the exceedingly rare Blazing Roc. How did this even happen?

    "This is just impossible! When did he even manage to get a treasure beast?!" Bruce stammered, aghast in shock. He stood with the rest of the stunned crowd witnessing this madness. Zachary, who had been summarily dismissed by everyone else in the college, actually owned a treasure beast.

    This only further fueled Bruce''s jealousy, solidifying his resolve that at this point. He had to do whatever he could to destroy Zachary, or at least any chance of his success in the college.

    Polly, who bore witness to this, was shocked to their core. It was bad enough that she had already been humiliated, bested by someone like Zachary in movement skill. But now he had unveiled the rare Blazing Roc, summoning it as its master, and it was beyond all comprehension.

    "Are you kidding me? This is ridiculous! How did you even manage to get the Blazing Roc?! It''s strength is well over the Heaven Level!" Ellison burst out in disbelief. He couldn''t help but say what everyone else seemed to be trying to process.

    "Orion, why don''t you go tell him the truth. Tell him if I''m playing a trick on them or not," Zachary simply said, smirking in triumph, gesturing to his Blazing Roc.

    In response, the majestic Blazing Roc raised its magnificent head and roared in response. It galloped through the space and landed gracefully, unperturbed and calm, right beside Zachary.

    Jaws dropped from all of the new disciples that stood there as the Blazing Roc displayed the type of loyalty that unequivocally proved that Zachary was his master.

    "Well then! Any other questions?" Zachary raised an eyebrow at Ellison defiantly.

    Ellison''s face turned beet red, seemingly speechless before color soared into his cheeks in rage. "What are you so fucking smug about, little brat?! Even if you do have this treasure beast, you''re still the biggest loser this college has ever seen! This only proves without a doubt that you''re useless on your own! Why don''t you fight alone and we''ll see how strong you are, then!"

    "I think I''ll take that challenge. You

    aid with a bow.

    "Zachary," Katrina nodded. "Last time, your result in the incarnation test was declared invalid. I plan to give you one more chance to prove yourself. Rita hasn''t taken the test yet. Therefore I''d like the both of you to take that test along with the Shura College disciples." At her imperious words, she headed straight into the pagoda without another glance.

    The disciples in the area stared at one another, absolutely flabbergasted at Katrina''s commands. A second chance like this one was virtually unheard of, and they didn''t think Katrina would ever consider it. Zachary now had one more chance to prove himself.

    Zachary, however, had to smother a burst of unholy laughter as he realized that Katrina might have been plotting something like this all along. So he turned to look at Rita and beamed. "Hello, lovely Rita! It''s been a while, hasn''t it?"

    "Oh god." Rita rolled her eyes. "Every time I see you, everything is going to go sideways. You had better not mess with my test later or I''ll finish you." Rita glared at him and stormed into the pagoda after Katrina.

    And finally, amidst the staring eyes of all the other disciples, Zachary made his own way into the Soul Testing Pagoda as well.

    The masters and disciples of the two colleges were in shock upon seeing Katrina. Katrina, with her influence as a warrior of Sage Level, bringing Rita and Zachary into the Soul Testing Pagoda, was not something they had prepared for.

    "Master Katrina? What brings you here?" Sara threw on a guise of amazement. In truth she''d already expected Katrina''s arrival and already knew that she had planned to bring Rita to join in the test. But she certainly didn''t expect her to bring Zachary along as well.

 Chapter 153 Climbing The Pagoda

    Sara and the masters of the Celestial College present had witnessed the amazing performance of Zachary in the Soul Testing Pagoda before. Thus, when they saw that Katrina brought him with her, it was not a big surprise to them although they all had different thoughts about it.

    ''It''s him again!'' Polly stared coldly at Zachary the moment he walked in, as if she had just recognized a longtime, formidable enemy.

    At the same time, the three masters at the premium stage of Imperial Level from the Shura College were also surprised to see Katrina. They never expected that the famous Queen of Charm from the Celestial College would actually be there in person. They all politely saluted upon seeing her. "Master Katrina!"

    "Rupert? A pleasure to see you here! It has been a long time!" Katrina glanced at Rupert as she greeted him and briefly glanced at the other two masters.

    "Master Katrina, you still remember me!" Rupert said with a surprised and flattered look on his face. Katrina was a famous warrior at the Sage Level in the Supernal Continent, which attracted many warriors'' attention because of her skill and unmatched beauty. However, she was also famous for being haughty towards men. It was not unusual for her to treat men as insignificant individuals. Thus, the honor and pride that Rupert felt at that time were indescribable.

    "You are the strongest warrior of Imperial Level in the Shura College; of course I should remember you," Katrina answered calmly.

    "Who are they?" Rupert asked, referring to Rita and Zachary who followed closely behind her.

    "Oh, they are the two special freshmen of our Celestial College. I want them to take part in the test with the new disciples of your Shura College. I suppose you don''t mind it, right?" Katrina declared calmly.

    "Why would I mind it? But there should be many strong warriors among your new disciples. Why don''t you invite some more to compete with ours?" Rupert proposed immediately. He was confident that the new disciples of the Shura College were as good as those of the Celestial College. Additionally, he wanted to gauge the difference in their skills and abilities. This provided them with the chance to collect more information about the freshmen of the Celestial College, so that they would be more prepared for the coming freshmen contest among the four martial colleges.

    "The other disciples have taken part in the previous test, and their scores have been recorded. There is no need for them to join this test anymore. If you want to make a reference, you can make a comparison of the scores when the scores of your new disciples come out. Sin

    college this year, no one can reach the 50th floor yet," Katrina replied. She deliberately revealed a weakness of the college.

    "Even Joyce didn''t manage to do that?" Rupert asked in disbelief. ''It seems that the new disciples of the Celestial College are nothing more than ordinary warriors, '' he thought to himself as he pondered at what Katrina just told him.

    "She almost made it," Sara replied briefly with a nod.

    As they spoke, more than half of the disciples from the Shura College had broken through the 40th floor. This was more than the passing rate of the Celestial College last time.

    The masters of the Celestial College slightly shook their heads and sighed. It seemed to them that they had been defeated. Only Katrina and Sara remained calm and composed.

    Half an hour later, most of the disciples from the Shura College had stopped climbing. Two thirds of them reached floors above the 40th floor, and many of them reached the 45th floor. More than ten of them were still climbing the pagoda. Five freshmen led by Polly were only three floors away from the 50th floor.

    Even for the most talented disciple at the Heaven Level, passing these three floors was a great challenge. And Polly was no exception. Her face was pale, sweat trickling down her cheeks. And yet, she still pushed forward. The other four disciples led by Polly soon found that their strengths had reached their limits.

    Everyone''s eyes were focused on Polly and the other four disciples. Soon, everyone would find out if they could reach the 50th floor or not.

    At that moment, a delicate feminine figure sped past the 40th floor at an amazing speed. In the blink of an eye, the figure reached the location where Polly and the other four disciples were.

 Chapter 154 Climbed Up To The 60th Floor

    "You are..." Polly panted heavily. She took a closer look and saw that figure was not from her college. She was Rita, who was brought in by Katrina earlier.

    Rita nodded slightly but didn''t really give her that much attention. She then adjusted her breath and got ready to move forward once more.

    "It seems that this new disciple of the Celestial College is really just keeping a low profile!" Rupert murmured in shock. He was convinced that Rita was not a simple woman. He then regained his composure when he realized that only Rita from the Celestial College made it up here while there were five disciples from the Shura College. In comparison, the Shura College had the upper hand.

    Sara and all the other masters were also surprised except for Katrina. They didn''t know that Rita''s talent had reached such a high level.

    The other four disciples of Heaven Level stopped on the 48th floor. They had reached their limits and could no longer go any further. However, their performance was quite good compared to the other disciples. At this point, Polly and Rita were both only one step away from the 50th floor.

    Polly and Rita exchanged glances. They were both unwilling to concede defeat to each other. They refocused their martial energy and pushed themselves to get to the 50th floor.

    The 50th floor was like a bottleneck for disciples of Heaven Level. If one could reach it, that not only proved that they had the qualification to cultivate the incarnation, but also had a bright future.

    And the 50th floor was not easy to reach!

    But the 50th floor was not the limit for Polly and Rita. They reached the 50th floor at almost the same time as the masters and disciples watched. The disciples all cheered loudly when they finally reached the 50th floor.

    Polly braced herself and rushed to the 51th floor. Her movement shocked everyone.

    When Rita saw this, she became determined to push forward too. She immediately jumped towards the 51th floor with all her remaining martial energy.

    The two girls were under great pressure from the air that had become unbearable for them. Rays of light emitted from within Polly as she summoned her martial energy again. A shadow flashed from Polly''s back that lifted her up and stabilized her on the 51th floor.

    And the disciples from the Shura College all cheered loudly at the sight of this.

    e," Zachary replied with a mysterious smile, and then looked at Polly. ''Polly, you will be awed by my great power this time!'' he quietly thought to himself as he stared straight into Polly''s eyes.

    Almost at the same time, Zachary''s Holy Bone Bracer started to hum and emit rays of light. But it was a humming that could not be heard but felt. And Zachary felt the keen humming as the bracer started to send energy throughout his body. The Holy Bone Bracer steadily absorbed the power of the Soul Testing Pagoda and exploded. But unlike the explosion the last time, this time it was an inward explosion as it fed the energy that it absorbed directly into Zachary''s body.

    Zachary suddenly turned into a shadow and continued to fly forward unhindered. It was like he walked on flat ground. All the people present watched agape at Zachary.

    In the blink of an eye, Zachary reached the 59th floor with minimal effort. It was the floor that he reached last time, and he was only one step away from the 60th floor.

    At this floor, the pressure that Zachary endured was as violent and powerful as the most powerful hurricane. But he was determined to jump up again. He pushed back the intense pressure and climbed further. Eventually he stood firmly on the 60th floor.

    The entire Soul Testing Pagoda went quiet and calm.

    After Zachary reached the 60th floor, the whole Soul Testing Pagoda suddenly flashed with an astonishing white light. Above the pagoda, the sky darkened and a loud peal of thunder crashed as they looked up and stared at Zachary in mute disbelief.

 Chapter 155 The Legendary Soul Testing Door

    The Soul Testing Pagoda seemed to descend into pandemonium in the next instant. The floating stars began whirling in the air, transforming into shadows that stretched out and intertwined with one another. They formed themselves into an immense net-like formation, casting a surreal sight throughout the area.

    As this happened, a tremendous white and blue pillar of light descended from the sky, beaming down and speeding into the pagoda itself. All the disciples from the Celestial College who were waiting outside the pagoda witnessed this spectacle and stood awestruck at the sight.

    The brilliant light from the column permeated into the pagoda and it formed a shining, circular door right in the center hall.

    "Master Katrina...this is...What''s going on here?!" Sara gasped. She could barely turn her eyes away from the sight to glance at Katrina, completely bowled over.

    "This is the Soul Testing Door!" Katrina choked out in shock as the light from the door shimmered onto her face.

    "What? What is that?! I''ve never even heard of such a thing before," Sara stammered, even more stunned. Even in all her years at the Celestial College, she had never heard a breath of such a door existing, much less seen it appear before her very eyes.

    The masters that were still in the area stared at the door, speechless at what was revealed before them. The Soul Testing Door was a spectacle so rare and mysterious that some of them had never even heard of it either.

    "It''s not a surprise that you wouldn''t know about it, really," Katrina began. "The Soul Testing Door has been closed for over two hundred years now. The door is part of the Celestial College''s darkest history. I myself can''t speak much about it either. I had delved deep into the annals of our college to even learn what it was. It was said that the Soul Testing Door led to the Incredible Space. That space is said to be filled with the rarest, and most extraordinary treasures ever seen, along with a utopia filled with rare, precious treasure beasts. The Incredible Space was once considered as a holy realm of our college, and countless warriors have, for generations, dreamed of setting foot through its threshold. But two hundred years ago, the Soul Testing Door slammed shut without warning. Warriors of Sage Level and even ones of Holy Level were trapped inside and killed. I never expected it to even open today after what happened. Is it because...?" Katrina slowly turned her gaze away from the door and to everyone waiting. Her eyes landed on Zachary, who was on the 60th floor, as amazed as anyone else. But whatever she was thinking, she wasn''t entirely sur

    ir bodies.

    The masters of both colleges now descended to the bottom of the pagoda.

    Sara bid the Celestial College masters a meaningful nod, conveying that they were now all considered on-duty in the protection of the Soul Testing Door. Starting from this moment, no disciple was allowed to even approach it.

    "Everyone, descend the floors and gather outside the pagoda. Make haste, at your fastest speed. This pagoda is now about to be locked down and sealed," Sara instructed loudly to all the contestants in the area.

    Responding to the command, the Shura College disciples obeyed and descended, making their exit from the pagoda immediately.

    "You three masters, exit the pagoda now, please," Sara politely instructed to the Shura College masters, though her gaze expressed that this was not a suggestion and more of a command.

    The three masters, exchanging some suspicious glances amongst themselves, were clearly intrigued by the Soul Testing Door before them, but they had no real choice but to comply. This was the Celestial College''s territory and therefore, their words would stand. Acting rashly could lead to unfortunate results, disgracing their own college.

    All this time, Zachary remained standing on the 60th floor. He gazed down to look upon the Soul Testing Door for a moment before disappearing.

    It wasn''t long after this that the Shura College disciples gathered safely outside of the Soul Testing Pagoda alongside their masters, awaiting further events or instructions. Following them, the masters of the Celestial College, along with Sara and Rita, emerged from the pagoda. And with a wave of Sara''s hand, a great force of martial energy slammed the Soul Testing Pagoda''s doors shut, effectively sealing it from everyone.

 Chapter 156 The Soul Testing Door

    "Today''s test is over. Thank you for your hard work. I''ll send someone to give you the Shura College''s scores, so you can leave and rest now," Sara politely said to Rupert and the other two masters.

    Without saying anything, Rupert simply nodded and then left with the warriors and disciples of the Shura College.

    "Don''t loiter around here, all of you. Go back and practice!" Sara said to the Celestial College disciples who were watching them.

    The disciples looked at one another for a while. Although they were curious about the test results, they were more curious about what had happened in the Soul Testing Pagoda. They couldn''t help but wonder what the white and blue light was. However, as they couldn''t ask Sara directly, they had to leave.

    "Where is Zachary?" Sara asked as she looked around and found that Zachary had gone.

    "Probably he took this opportunity to slip away again," Rita responded.

    "This guy... Never mind. His performance didn''t disappoint Master Katrina. Otherwise, the Shura College would really think there is a dearth of talent in our Celestial College," Sara said, smiling. "Of course, you did a good job too. Polly just reached one more floor than you did. After all, she has quadruple martial speed while you only possess triple martial speed. So, you shouldn''t be disappointed with the result."

    "Thank you, Master Sara. I will go first." Rita nodded calmly and left.

    After leaving the Soul Testing Pagoda, Zachary immediately entered the system, as he intended to investigate the Soul Testing Door.

    On entering the system, he heard Mimi''s sweet voice immediately. "Congratulations! You have completed the random quest of opening the Soul Testing Door!"

    "What the hell is the Soul Testing Door?" Zachary said, feeling curious.

    "When you enter the Soul Testing Door, it will lead you to a magic place called the Incredible Space. There are countless treasures and various kinds of treasure beasts, as well as rich essential energy, which can make the cultivation much easier. Therefore, that makes it a holy place of cultivation, a place all warriors dream of. However, two hundred years ago, the Soul Testing Door suddenly closed, and countless warriors from the Celestial College who had reached the Sage Level and Holy Level were trapped in there. To this date, no one knows whether they are dead or alive!" Mimi immediately responded.

    "Then how is it that I can open the Soul Te

    artial beasts of Heaven Level went through the Soul Test Door. How could that happen?" Sara asked, puzzled.

    "Which one of you wants to try?" Katrina nodded, agreeing with Sara, and asked the masters who were present there.

    All of them looked at one another at once, but they were not willing to take the risk.

    "Let me do it." Seeing no one come up, Sara went straight to the Soul Testing Door. After she had prepared herself, she jumped up, and rushed to it.

    However, before they could blink their eyes, Sara bounced out.

    "This is unbelievable! Even a warrior of Imperial Level can''t enter the Soul Testing Door?" Katrina said, shocked. She hesitated for a moment and then said, "Call two guards of King Level over, and let them have a try."

    After a while, the two guards came in, and tried to enter the Soul Testing Door one after another, but they failed too.

    Seeing that, Katrina frowned and called over two disciples of Heaven Level.

    Surprisingly, one of the two disciples entered the Soul Testing Door successfully, but the other was unable to, as he was thrown out.

    That phenomenon was strange, but after investigating it, they concluded that the disciple of the Heaven Level, who had successfully entered the Soul Testing Door, had done so because he had passed the Soul Testing Pagoda''s test. Therefore, he had the potential to cultivate the incarnation.

    "Only those warriors of Heaven Level who have passed the Soul Testing Pagoda''s test, can enter the Soul Testing Door. The limits are undoubtedly strange!" Katrina was unable to explain why there were such limits in the Soul Testing Door.

 Chapter 157 Task Assigned

    Katrina reported the investigation results to the dean of the Celestial College. The dean himself was reluctant to believe it, because there was no limit to the cultivation level of the warriors who could pass the Soul Testing Door in the past. Now only the warriors of Heaven Level with incarnation talent were allowed to enter. The dean furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and stress because it was becoming harder and harder to understand.

    In order to figure out the whole situation, the dean ordered a group of warriors at the premium stage of Heaven Level to enter through the Soul Testing Door. Only then would they be able to investigate and look for information about the Incredible Space.

    It took the pioneering team a few days before they finally returned. But after in-depth investigations, they still didn''t know why the space was opened. Nonetheless, they were still able to retrieve a significant amount of information about the Incredible Space. For example, the martial beasts and treasure beasts that existed inside the space were mostly between the Heaven Level and the King Level. There were a lot of treasures inside there. There was also so much essential energy within it that it seemed to be very suitable for the warriors of Heaven Level to absorb. Despite their progress, however, there were many places that were considered restricted areas.

    From all of the information collected by the team, it was clear that the current state of the Incredible Space was drastically different from how it had been in the past.

    Although the Incredible Space was so different, it wasn''t necessarily a bad thing. As long as the Soul Testing Door was open, the Celestial College could allow disciples to train in the Incredible Space. The disciples of Heaven Level who were able to pass the test of the Soul Testing Pagoda would be allowed to enter the Incredible Space, which only meant that they would be able to improve at a much faster speed.

    Unfortunately, this happened during the Shura College''s visit. As much as the Celestial College would have wanted, they couldn''t keep this a secret from the outside world for long. Other than that, the reappearance of the Soul Testing Door would definitely cause a ruckus within the Supernal Continent, which would o

    selves this time," Sara said forwardly, encouraging the disciples.

    A few minutes later, Sara dismissed the disciples.

    "Zachary," Sara called, and he stopped to turn at her. "Stay. I need to discuss something with you." Zachary swallowed and went closer to her.

    He found himself alone with Sara in the large room. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and said, "I have a special task for you. Since you had something to do with the reopening of the Soul Testing Door, I think you can unravel the myth yourself."

    "I''m sorry, I''m afraid I can''t shoulder such a heavy responsibility," Zachary replied, surprised and flattered at Sara''s sudden request.

    "This isn''t a request. Even if the Soul Testing Door is a great significant entity of the Celestial College, it is still an unpredictably dangerous place. I need you to look in on it because I''m afraid that it might close again like it did in the past. We still have to figure out why it suddenly closed last time," Sara stated, looking at Zachary with narrowed eyes.

    "I''ll try my best." Zachary nodded slowly in agreement as he tried to digest her words. Actually, he was going to look for treasures in the Incredible Space. He smiled to himself as he thought, ''I can kill two birds with one stone this time.''

    "Anyway, Master Katrina said that if you can accomplish this task successfully, you will be handsomely rewarded," Sara continued.

    With this, Zachary grinned at Sara brightly and said, "I guess I have to come back alive, huh?"

 Chapter 158 The Incredible Space

    Tomorrow was that much awaited day: the day when the eligible disciples would be given the dazzling opportunity to enter the Incredible Space. Eligible disciples of both colleges were, in varying degrees of stress, preparing themselves for the event.

    The number of qualified disciples from the Celestial College had risen in the past few months, very nearly matching the number of disciples from the Shura College. More than thirty disciples had passed the incarnation test in each college, but the gross scores still indicated that the Shura College ranked ahead of the Celestial College.

    While there was no official competition for the disciples that had qualified to enter the Incredible Space, representatives of both colleges engaged in subliminal contest with one another. They were all secretly trying to see who would be able to gain the most treasures in the Incredible Space, or who would make the greatest advancement in terms of cultivation level. In a way, it kept everyone on their toes.

    After he departed from the Sky Building, Zachary didn''t directly make his way back to the system. His first errand was to return to the disciple dormitory, where he planned to have a few moments to speak with Elva. His plans were foiled, however, as upon entering the disciple dormitory, he was met by Bruce. There was a cold, displeased expression on Bruce''s face, and he was clearly just waiting for Zachary to return.

    For his part, Zachary ignored Bruce and that horrid expression on his face, and attempted to walk past him to head straight to Elva''s room. That was when Bruce stepped forward menacingly to block his way.

    "You little ingrate, I thought I''d already taught you a lesson about trying to fight me, but it looks like it hasn''t gotten into your thick skull," Bruce snarled. He had already tolerated Zachary and his appalling impudence for far too long, and the two of them had been at each other''s nerves since they both entered the Celestial College. Everything good that Bruce had done, Zachary had spoiled, outshining him in so many ways. Bruce made it no secret that he loathed him, but he had yet to find an opportunity for revenge.

    "Me? Go up against you? Check yourself, you might be hallucinating. I''ve never even considered stooping down to fight you," Zachary sneered. He hadn''t ever taken Bruce or his threats seriously at all, as it was Bruce who was harboring all that jealousy anyway. It was clear that he wanted Zachary''s good relationsh

    remind each and every one of you. The opportunity laid before you is exceedingly rare and precious. I want you to make the most of your time within the Incredible Space, and make as much progress as possible for the next two weeks. I hope that you all will be able to find something precious, or achieve new heights." Katrina looked around at the assembled crowd and nodded.

    The speech was short, but it sparked life in the spirit of all the disciples from both colleges. Within the Incredible Space lay untold adventures and treasures. Their skills and strength might drastically improve overnight in such a miraculous place. They might reach heights that they had never thought possible.

    The chances remained slim, but there was still that chance. And they would take it.

    At Katrina''s signal, the Soul Testing Pagoda slowly opened. The qualified disciples from both colleges then entered, one after another, in a line that headed straight through the magnificent Soul Testing Door and to that Incredible Space.

    Zachary lagged a little behind Bruce and Elva as he passed through the Soul Testing Door. As he did, he saw the disciples of both colleges were gathering on a huge stone platform. Overhead, the sky was a deep, bloody scarlet, and the wind roared in their ears in gales that could slice paper. An incredible abundance of essential energy permeated the space, and Zachary could feel it sizzling over his skin.

    At the other end of the platform lay a tremendous, bottomless black abyss. It spread out like a border or a moat, hindering the way to the splendid scenery on the other side. Volcanoes, flaming ravines, snowy plains...

 Chapter 159 Treasure Hunting

    A group of disciples at the Heaven Level were standing in front of the platform. At the head of the group was a young man at the ninth grade of Heaven Level. He stared at each new disciple of the two colleges with piercing eyes. "Everyone, we are the supervisors in charge of monitoring this trial and to ensure your safety during the trial. I am the captain, Thomson Zuo," he announced to the freshmen in an emotionless tone. He paused and his eyes scanned all the freshmen present. "You''ll have the time to freely cultivate inside the Incredible Space. However, there are a few things you should remember before you enter. First, there are many areas in the Incredible Space that are off limits. If you ignore this warning and still enter these areas, your life will be in danger. Second, don''t fight with each other, or rob other disciples of their treasures. If we find out that you fight with or steal from another disciple, you would be immediately expelled from the Incredible Space. Thirdly..."

    Thomson Zuo finished the few tips fast. Afterwards, he immediately gave a signal to the other disciples of Heaven Level behind him. They stepped forward, carried a few boxes and placed them in front of the disciples of the two colleges.

    "This is the next thing that you should remember. These are signal flares. Each of you can get one. If you come across any emergency inside the space, ignite it and we will go to rescue you immediately," Thomson Zuo explained. He then signaled to the new disciples to step forward and said, "All of you form a line to take your signal flare!"

    The new disciples from the two colleges lined up and took signal flares from the boxes as instructed by Thomson Zuo.

    But there were a few disciples who thought that they could handle whatever dangers the Incredible Space had in store for them and didn''t take signal flares. It was quite easy to figure out who they were.

    "If you''re ready, you can go now," Thomson Zuo declared.

    The freshmen of the two colleges gathered together in different groups as they headed towards the Incredible Space. They were excited about going inside it.

    "Elva, be careful. I will not be with you," Zachary said to Elva, who stood in front of him.

    "The first smart decision from you!" Bruce said. He thought that Zachary took his advice and warning and decided not to be on the same team with him and

    m. I can collect materials from the corpses of the martial beasts they''ve killed so easily, '' Zachary thought to himself.

    However, it was not long before the situation shifted. The martial beasts that Polly''s team met became stronger and stronger, and almost all of them were now at the premium stage of Heaven Level. Polly''s team was starting to have a hard time defeating them.

    When Polly''s team reached a valley that was shrouded in mist, they decided to stop and rest.

    "We should stop here. If we keep going deeper, I don''t think we can defeat the rest of the beasts that will block our way," Polly, the leader of the team, said to the disciples in her team.

    The disciples nodded in agreement.

    "There must be a lot of treasures near here. We''d better start looking for them separately. But don''t go too far from here. We''ll meet again here after four hours," Polly instructed.

    The members of her team immediately dispersed and began to search for treasures in different directions. Polly also disappeared and traveled alone.

    After Polly left, Zachary, who had been following closely behind, appeared. "Where is Rita now? Is she playing a trick on me? But, why did she want to keep an eye on Polly? Or was Rita only following someone else''s order? Her identity is really mysterious!" he murmured to himself.

    "Ah, never mind. I don''t really care about her. Anyway, she has to join me later. I''m going off to look for the treasures now." After that, he activated the power of the Dog Soul Ring to enhance his senses and began to look for treasures around the area.

 Chapter 160 A Strange Space

    It didn''t take long before Zachary sensed the aura of a treasure. He immediately went to the eastern side where the a pile of stones stood seemingly undisturbed. On the way to the pile of stones, he saw two disciples from the Shura College who were in the middle of a fight with a martial beast at the medium stage of Heaven Level. The disciples themselves were at the third and the fifth grade of Heaven Level.

    Zachary looked around the battle area, and not far from the combatants was a strange flower. It was like the moon as it glittered with a bright orange light.

    "Mimi, analyze that flower," Zachary whispered and pointed the Treasure-hunting Compass to the direction of the flower.

    The Treasure-hunting Compass flashed a moment later, and the familiar voice of Mimi spoke directly into Zachary''s mind. "Moon Spiritual Flower. It is of the Rare Level and it can be used to refine golden pills of King Level."

    "Damn! Even a random flower in the Incredible Space is already of Rare Level. This is amazing!" Zachary blurted after he heard Mimi''s report. He felt giddy with excitement, because if he could pick the Moon Spiritual Flower, perhaps he could exchange it with Anne for a golden pill. Even if he couldn''t exchange it with Anne, it would definitely be worth a lot of treasure-hunting coins.

    He stared at the disciples for a moment and then rushed towards the Moon Spiritual Flower with his Shadow Pace. He took it under the noses of the two disciples and put it into his Treasure-hunting Compass.

    The two disciples from the Shura College soon killed the martial beast. They turned around to look at the flower and saw that the Moon Spiritual Flower was gone. In its place stood Zachary.

    "You brat! How dare you steal our treasure!" one of the disciples exclaimed at Zachary. The two disciples immediately assumed that it was Zachary who took the Moon Spiritual Flower.

    "What are you talking about? I can''t hear you very clearly," Zachary replied while he pretended to clean his ear with his hand.

    The two disciples were immediately enraged and rushed at him together.

    Zachary smiled faintly and closed

    This is crazy!" When he was about to return to the surface, he noticed a light not far from him. It looked like the light came from an underwater lighthouse. He hesitated for a moment but eventually approached the source of the light.

    When he got closer, he discovered that it was really a lighthouse at the bottom of the lake. The lighthouse seemed to have a rare pearl that emitted light and made the lighthouse shine under the lake. But he was not interested in the pearl but the hole at the bottom of the lighthouse that was big enough for a person to go through. He had no idea where the hole led to but he suspected that it had something to do with the barren bottom of the lake.

    Zachary went straight into the hole. The light bubble that surrounded him squeezed itself to fit into the hole and seemed to break at any moment. As soon as he got through the hole, he was suddenly sucked deeper into the bottom of the lighthouse by a powerful force.

    Zachary ended up getting sucked into a strange place. He stood back up and looked around. The area was large and it looked like an underwater cavern with red walls. The ground had a lot of coral and weeds. Dead bodies of fishes and martial beasts littered on the ground.

    "Have all the creatures of the lake been sucked into this place? But what is this place?" Zachary murmured to himself. The strange space made him feel like he was in the stomach of a monster.

 Chapter 161 The Olden Divine Liquid

    All at once, a turbulent torrent of sickly turbid water gushed in from every direction, and Zachary felt the ground underneath his feet give way. A small gasp left his lips and his arms flailed, as he got flushed down a narrow passageway together with wilted weeds and the corpses of the martial beasts.

    The world rushed by in a blur as Zachary felt like he was sitting on a water slide, twisting and turning through the passageway before the expected thump of the ground that knocked that wind out of his lungs. He landed into a bigger space at the bottom, and right in the middle was an enormous oval object that somewhat resembled a giant glowing egg. At the same time, the corpses of martial beasts and whatever weeds came down with Zachary started to disintegrate quickly all of a sudden, transforming into liquid before getting sucked into the giant glowing egg.

    "Am I inside the belly of a giant monster?" Suddenly, Zachary finally realized where he was and what was going on. According to his deliberations, he must have accidentally ended up inside some kind of water monster and the cave he had walked in through might have been its nose.

    Zachary found himself in a dire situation attributed by his own curiosity. If he hadn''t been so nosy, he wouldn''t have ended up inside the belly of a water monster.

    Fortunately, his life inside the body of this water monster was not in any immediate danger. However, Zachary knew that he would have to come up with a way to get out before it was too late. Without further delay, he took out the Treasure-hunting Compass so that Mimi could scan and identify the water monster.

    Suddenly, the Treasure-hunting Compass emitted strong sound waves which spread out and helped to determine the structure of the water monster.

    Before long, Mimi''s excitement was heard through her charming voice. "The beast has been identified. It is the Olden Divine Whale, a beast that had been declared extinct almost hundreds of years

    hing as he spoke.

    "Welcoming gift? You are lucky that I didn''t digest you inside my stomach. You shouldn''t be so greedy!" The Olden Divine Whale wasn''t too happy about Zachary''s request.

    "Please, don''t be so stingy! I just want one drop!" Zachary insisted.

    "The Olden Divine Liquid can only be given to a person who is destined to have it," the Olden Divine Whale responded.

    "How do you know that I''m not destined to have it?" asked Zachary, straightening his back and tilting his chin upwards.

    "Someone like you..." After a moment of silence, the Olden Divine Whale exclaimed, "What? You are the chosen one! Did you have anything to do with the opening of the Soul Testing Door?"

    "Bingo!" Zachary said immediately, winking his left eye.

    "Fate must have brought you to me! You journey is destined to be marred with great many difficulties, and even a narrow escape from death. But never mind that. It''s a rare blessing to meet a human chosen by fate. Perhaps our lives are destined to cross paths. I will give you a drop of the Olden Divine Liquid!" Soon after, the colors swirled and blended like a poorly shot photograph. When Zachary opened his eyes, everything returned to the way they had been earlier.

    A drop of liquid shot out of the egg, flew into Zachary''s body and merged with him.

 Chapter 162 Encounter With Polly

    ''That''s it?'' Zachary was stunned. However, before he could say anything, he felt a strong force sucking him towards the darkness that engulfed his body all of a sudden.

    Before he realized what had happened, he was blown out of the pond by a huge wave of water. When he was about to fall into the pond again, he saw a giant shadow moving with an amazing speed to the end of the pond. Wherever it passed by, the water level rapidly dropped and the water was drained in the blink of an eye. Soon, Zachary felt that he was dropping into a bottomless cliff.

    In mid-air, Zachary realized that he would meet his death if he didn''t act quickly. As such, without wasting another second, he took out the Treasure-hunting Compass and summoned the Blazing Roc.

    Orion appeared out of thin air, swooped down instantly and caught Zachary before landing comfortably on the ground.

    After Zachary landed safely, he stared at the dried up pond with amazement. He never thought that he would meet such a magnificent beast in such an unsuspecting place. The fact that he now had a drop of the Olden Divine Liquid made him feel excited about what was to happen next.

    After sending Orion back to the compass, Zachary realized that his time was almost up. It was time to go back to keep an eye on Polly. On his way back, he accidentally found two more treasures. However, compared to the Olden Divine Liquid, they were not interesting at all, regardless of how powerful they were.

    Just when he was about to return to the assembly point of Polly''s group, Zachary saw a figure rushing out from the other side, chased by a serpent as it spat out a dark green-colored liquid from its mouth.

    The person ran in zigzags to evade the beast''s attacks, but it was too fast to outrun. It stretched out its jaw wide open and charged towards the person. In a last ditch effort to save herself, the person jumpe

    We just need to keep our eyes and ears open around her. It shouldn''t be too difficult!" Rita said.

    "If you had told me earlier, I wouldn''t have put so much effort to keep an eye on her," Zachary complained, shaking his head. In truth, he had been taking it easy these past few days.

    "Did you really think that I would believe you? I''m sure you must have had a good time yourself!" Rita knew Zachary all too well. He was the kind of person who would seize every chance to take advantage of the situation.

    "Is that what you really think of me?" Zachary said with an innocent look.

    "Stop pretending. You can leave now. As for your reward, I will give them to you after we leave the Incredible Space," said Rita, and she seemed annoyed by Zachary.

    "Then I''ll go now." Zachary nodded his head.

    "By the way, on my way here, I ran into a few supervisors. They told me that some disciples had sent out signals to quit. They seemed to be in trouble and the area from where the signals were sent out seemed to be the same area your team was responsible for in the investigation, so, it is probably..." Rita reminded Zachary right away as soon as the thought appeared in her mind.

    Zachary''s face turned solemn before he disappeared in an instant.

 Chapter 163 Get Injured

    Concerned about Elva''s safety, Zachary gave full play to his Shadow Pace and rushed towards her without a stop. Fortunately, before setting out, he reviewed the terrain of the area that they were supposed to investigate. As such, he managed to enter a vast expanse of ice just after one night. All of a sudden, Zachary felt the temperature drop to freezing point. Although there was martial energy inside his body to help him resist the cold, he could still feel the harshness of the cold air which made the air he breathed out get frozen in an instant.

    Zachary squinted his eyes and looked into the distance, trying to scale out the vast white expanse, but he lost all sense of direction. The terrain of the whole icy land rose and fell, and there were meandering snow mountains in the distance.

    "Why would they send us to investigate this place? Elva, I have told you before that this kind of task should be left to me only," Zachary grumbled to himself. Although he wasn''t sure whether the signal flare was sent by Elva or Bruce, he decided to find them first.

    Zachary released the power of his Dog Soul Ring, which immediately improved his five senses. He sniffed at the air, hoping to catch a whiff of Elva''s scent, but her trail had long gone cold. Thus, he realized it would not be an easy task to find them.

    The vast expanse of ice looked quiet and peaceful, but there were many martial beasts lurking in the ice and snow, waiting for a chance to attack any warriors passing by.

    Not long after Zachary had arrived, he came across three martial beasts at the primary stage of Heaven Level, somewhat looking like grizzly bears. They were bigger than two people put together and the hideous fangs that hung from their mouths were covered in drool, releasing a deadly, foul odor. Before Zachary knew it, the three beasts sprang up and launched fierce attacks on him.

    He put on his Heavenly Silk Gloves and used the first move of Ghost Palm. He waved his left palm, creating numerous palm shadows that appeared and dissolved. The illusion made it hard to determine the fake palms from his real one.

    This was a martial art at the premium stage of Heaven Le

    released the signal flare?" Zachary asked at once.

    "Yes. I lit the signal flare because I was worried about Bruce. But I still haven''t seen a single one of those supervisors," said Elva with a nod.

    "That''s normal. Their marching speed is less than half as fast as mine. It has taken me less than a day to get here, let alone them," Zachary said.

    "Then how did you find me?" Elva asked doubtfully.

    "Of course, I have my own ways. I think we have more pressing matters at hand right now. I will slay this beast who dared to bully you." Zachary turned his head to the martial beast at the sixth grade of Heaven Level that was fighting with Orion.

    "That beast is very powerful. Even if we fight together, we might not be able to defeat it. We''d better retreat first," Elva said with hesitation.

    Zachary hesitated for a moment. In fact, he could easily kill the beast if he just teamed up with Orion. However, Elva had no idea about his real strength yet.

    "Okay, I''ll cut you some slack today," said Zachary with a righteous look, right after pondering for a moment.

    He waved his hand, gesturing for Orion to retreat. Then, he put Elva in his arms before disappearing from that place.

    Shortly after, Zachary, with Elva in his arms, gently landed on an ice stone.

    "Elva, you should stay here and heal yourself first," said Zachary. He took out a fourth-grade purple therapeutic pill from his pouch and passed it to Elva.

 Chapter 164 Entering the Cave

    "Zachary, where did you get the pill? And that treasure beast of yours...?" Elva asked, a frown on her pretty face as she stared down at the fourth-grade purple therapeutic pill in her palm. It was certainly not the first time that Zachary had produced such a valuable pill, but beyond that, she was even more confused about how he even managed to get the magnificent Blazing Roc.

    "Look, all you need to know is that I don''t steal or rob anyone to get my hands on these things. Don''t worry. I know that you worry about me a lot these days, but I''m not the old Zachary anymore," he answered.

    He was serious, and Elva decided not to press the matter. The least she could do was give Zachary the benefit of the doubt, and everyone had done quite a bit of growing all this time. Who knew what Zachary had really gone through, so she shouldn''t continue to judge him for what she only thought she knew. Instead, she decided to be relieved, knowing how Zachary had changed, because that was what she wanted the most.

    Elva swallowed the pill and immediately felt it take effect, healing her injuries with great efficiency. Even the serious damage that would often take days to heal was already almost gone within two hours.

    "Elva, do you think you could lead me to the ice cave?" Zachary suddenly asked, by the time she had recovered from her injuries.

    "The ice cave? Why would you want to go there? I think it''s a better idea to wait for a supervisor. We''ll need extra help. If it''s just the both of us, I''m not sure that we''d manage to save Bruce," she replied, a little startled and unsure.

    "Bruce? Oh, I''m not going there to save him. I care about the cave. From how you described the ice cave, I feel as though it must be a maze. If we do it right, following the correct passages, we''d be able to get through the cave. Otherwise, we might just get hopelessly lost," he responded coolly.

    "You want to just go in there and..." At that instant, she realized what he was trying to do.

    "Come on, let''s do it! If your hunch is right and that it''s a warrior''s abode, there will be a lot of treasures!" Zachary grinned, alight with excitement.

    "But Zachary..." Elva fidgeted uncomfortably, not sure if this was a good idea. If he did go in there and find himself hopelessly lost, it would simply be terrible.

    "Look, Elva, are you going to come with me and walk on your own or do I have to pick you up and carry you?" Zachary raised an eyebrow at her.

    Elva flushed deep scarlet, flustering at him. No matter how worried she was, the idea of being carried by him was worse. She huffed and got to her feet, striding away quickly without another word.

    S

    ound it were entrances to passageways in all directions.

    ''Damn it. The maze is really designed to mess with you. I think I''m in trouble now, '' Zachary thought to himself. All this time, he had assumed that this was one of the usual mazes meant to deter raiders. But now he was sure that there must be some kind of illusion at play. Even if he had chosen the right path, he could still end up getting misled by illusion and routed back through the way he came.

    "Where are you, my treasures?" Zachary muttered, looking around for any sign, anything strange, or any indication that there might be an illusion. If this cave was indeed enchanted in some way, its power must be coming from some treasure.

    After looking around, Zachary spotted something strange atop the cave, seemingly blended into the cavern wall. It was not stone or iron, and it was emitting a weak aura. That certainly proved that it wasn''t like everything else in this cave. It was camouflaged so well that if you weren''t looking very hard, you would''ve never noticed it.

    He stretched out his arm and summoned the Blazing Roc. Pointing at the strange object, he commanded, "Orion, bring that thing back to me."

    Orion took off into the air, flying all the way to the top of the cave with a few beats of its tremendous wings. It reared back and took the item directly into its mouth before soaring back down. Landing next to its master, it laid the object into Zachary''s waiting hand.

    And as it landed into Zachary''s palm, the surroundings began to transform and shift all around them. The huge array of entrances began to fade and vanish, replaced clearly by a broad tunnel path that stretched all the way to the end of the cave. At the other end, the riveting aura of powerful treasures emanated.

 Chapter 165 Illusion

    "I thought that it was a maze, but the truth is that, it was just an illusion of a maze. And the key to dispelling the illusion was hidden above my head. How interesting! However, sometimes the most dangerous place is also the safest place to be." Zachary smiled to himself. The maze was actually a deceptive trick and he felt proud that he figured it out.

    He raised his head and stared straight into the tunnel in front of him. Deep in the tunnel, he could clearly smell the presence of treasures. He steadily walked towards the direction of the treasures that he detected. When he reached the end of the tunnel, a closed stone gate greeted him. It looked heavy and reinforced. He pushed the gate, but it did not budge at all.

    "It''s a lot heavier than I thought," Zachary murmured to himself. He released his strongest power and hit the stone gate with all his might, but the stone gate remained intact.

    Zachary frowned and thought about his predicament. He did his best to get rid of the illusion, but now a stone gate barred him from moving forward.

    "Is it just another illusion?" Zachary thought that since the owner of the abode used illusions to confuse people inside, it was possible that the gate was an illusion as well. He immediately looked around and searched for clues to the true nature of the stone gate, but found nothing after he searched for a long time.

    "This is so fucking crazy! Open the gate!" Zachary shouted. He became frustrated by his lack of progress.

    Then without a warning, the gate suddenly opened with a low rumbling sound just as the last echoes of Zachary''s voice faded into the air.

    Zachary became cautious for a moment and then started laughing at himself. "So cursing out of frustration is how you get the gate to open? An interesting choice!"

    Zachary decided not to enter even after the gate had completely opened. He instead studied the interior of the area beyond the stone gate. He found it difficult to get a complete view because the area within was too large. It was furnished with a table, a chair and a bed that were all made of stone. It looked like it was set up as a place for living in seclusion.

    Seeing that there was no obvious danger within, Zachary walked in and headed towards the direction of t

    ag for a moment and opened it. The bag was filled with more than ten treasures of King level and weapon refining materials that were perfect for improving her weapon. The large number of treasures made her stare at Zachary in disbelief and awe. She thought that whatever treasures he recovered from the adobe would definitely be worth more than what he gave to her which was hard to believe.

    Bruce became very jealous of Zachary. He never expected Zachary to be so lucky. "Aren''t those just ordinary, treasures of King Level? It''s not really a big deal. The real treasures in the Incredible Space should at least be at the Imperial Level!"

    Zachary sneered to himself, ''You''d be lucky if you can find even one treasure at the King Level!'' But he didn''t say it out loud. Instead, he said, "You''re absolutely right. I''m sure the treasures that I found are all just rubbish to you."

    Bruce''s face darkened. He looked like he just choked on something.

    "Elva, is there anywhere else that you haven''t explored yet?" Zachary asked.

    He originally planned to explore the whole place. But if Elva and Bruce already explored an area, there was no need for him to investigate it anymore.

    "We haven''t explored the eastern and the southern wings of this area yet," Elva replied to Zachary.

    "I can take care of those areas. Elva could come with me," Zachary said as he turned to Elva. He originally intended to explore alone, but he was worried about her.

    "Go with you? No way!" Bruce exclaimed furiously.

 Chapter 166 Three In A Group

    "I think we should stick together. This area seems to be more dangerous than the other areas. We''d better be careful," Elva suggested, after some hesitation.

    Zachary''s eyes twinkled as he glanced at Bruce. He didn''t want to stay with him. However, the area they were in was very dangerous. It was safer to be together.

    "Okay, let''s go together then." Zachary mulled over the pros and cons for a while and then agreed. Besides, he already acquired enough treasures for himself, so he didn''t mind spending two to three days with Elva and Bruce.

    "Bruce, is that okay?" Elva turned to face Bruce.

    Bruce simply looked into her eyes, but he didn''t say anything as he didn''t want her to get mad at him. He silently nodded his head and looked at Zachary. ''Oh boy, you''re doomed!''

    Before long, the three of them set off on a journey to the southern part of this zone.

    The fact that Zachary and Bruce weren''t fond of each other was evident¡ªthey constantly bickered and sniped at each other. Fortunately, the most they could do was quarrel with each other since they were in the presence of Elva.

    After one whole day, the three of them reached the perimeter of the ice plane. Under a towering ice peak, they looked up and awe consumed them. Not too far from the ice peak was a crater in the center of the valley. The basin around the crater was weathered by thick mist, making it difficult to determine what it contained.

    "That''s it. It''s time to go back," Bruce suggested.

    "Wait!" Zachary shouted, as he bolted full pelt, feeling an intense and mystical aura coming from the basin.

    "What''s wrong, Zachary?" Elva asked curiously.

    Zachary stopped at th

    chary on the chest head-on, but the martial energy from the Holy Bone Bracer protected his body. However, the monstrous momentum from the impact thrust Zachary into the basin.

    "Elva, can we go now?" Bruce stared at her complacently.

    "Why did you do that?" Elva couldn''t believe her eyes as she didn''t expect Bruce to be so cruel to Zachary.

    "He''s dead now. I just helped him fulfill his wish." Bruce laughed hysterically, thinking that Zachary would no longer be a threat to him.

    "Really? Then you go ahead and run. I have to find him, even if he really is dead." In the blink of an eye, Elva unexpectedly pushed Bruce away and jumped down into the basin after Zachary.

    "No, Elva! Why? Why?" Bruce wailed as he didn''t expect that Elva would choose to die with Zachary.

    The snow slid down in a great sheet, moving quickly and battering everything on its path.

    Bruce glanced at the pit one last time as he thought of Zachary and Elva and reluctantly snorted. Soon after, he turned around to leave.

    Meanwhile, as gravity took Zachary down, he saw a girl above him falling at an amazing speed.

 Chapter 167 Frozen Beasts

    "Elva!" Zachary was shocked. He never thought that Elva would chase him, jump down and risk her life.

    "Zachary!" Elva called out to Zachary as she reached out her hand to him. She was not really sure why she decided to jump. But she was sure that she couldn''t just give up even though it seemed that there was no hope at all.

    No matter how desperate a situation might seem, Zachary would always do everything he could to save her. He immediately released his powerful martial energy and transformed it into a big hand. The hand then grabbed Elva and took her to his side. He then held her in his arms.

    "Elva, you don''t have to do something dangerous like this! Are you so desperate for us to be a couple already?" Zachary said to Elva in a teasing tone.

    "Who would I want to be your partner? I can''t just watch you die," Elva replied with determination.

    "That''s exactly what I should be saying," Zachary mumbled as he smiled faintly. He was about to use the Treasure-hunting Compass to call Orion. But Mimi''s voice halted him. "You cannot call out Orion because you are in the middle of a random quest. And this quest does not allow the use of the assist function of the Treasure-hunting System."

    ''Damn! When did a random task come out?'' Zachary cursed to himself. This random quest appeared at the perfect time.

    But Zachary never gave up. He raised his Holy Bone Bracer and roared, "I know you want me to come down. Since I''ve already come down, would you help me now?"

    "Zachary, what are you doing?" Elva asked in a puzzled tone. The sudden outburst of Zachary surprised her.

    "Saving our lives," Zachary said with a smile. Almost at the same time, the blue light around his Holy Bone Bracer soared and instantly enveloped them.

    Their falling speed hadn''t slowed down, but instead became faster!

    Boom!

    A loud explosion filled the air. Under the protection of the blue light, Zachary and Elva fell through the thick and solid icy surface in a devastating collision. Shards of ice and debris flew in different directions as the released cold created a mist that spread around the center of impact.

    The icy fog dissipated as

    e.

    They didn''t know how long they had walked. But the scene all looked the same, and they never even encountered a single martial beast.

    "Elva, let''s change direction," Zachary suggested. They''d walked for a long time and he still felt that the breath was still far from them. This meant that they were traveling around in circles. And the direction of the monstrous breath was at the center of the circle.

    "Why? Aren''t we going to search for an exit?" Elva asked with a frown on her beautiful face.

    "It''s pointless to continue looking for the exit in our current direction. Besides, since we''re here, why not find out exactly what is going on here. Perhaps this place is connected to the mystery of the closing of the Soul Testing Door many years ago," Zachary explained using a partially made up excuse.

    "Yes, I think you''re right," Elva agreed as she nodded at Zachary.

    They changed direction and moved toward the center. Soon, their surroundings finally changed. A lot of ice sculptures suddenly appeared within view along their path. But these ice sculptures were not made of ice but were made of once living beasts. They could see their bodies clearly through the ice.

    "What a spectacularly macabre scene! These beasts must have very high levels when they were alive!" Zachary blurted out and sighed. Even though the beasts were frozen, he still felt how powerful they were before when they were still alive.

 Chapter 168 Ice Tombs

    "Zachary, are you cold?" asked Elva. The two walked forward together while Elva tucked her arms firmly under her armpits for extra warmth.

    "No, I''m not." Zachary gently shook his head, and turned to look at Elva. He sharply took in a breath when he saw her face. She was pale as a ghost and her chest rose and fell quickly as she gasped for air.

    "Elva, you seem not okay." Zachary could tell that there was defiantly something wrong with Elva.

    "I''m fine, really. Let''s just continue walking." Elva forced a smile.

    Zachary scrunched up his nose while pondering over the situation. After a minute, he quickly reached out and grabbed Elva''s hand.

    "What are you doing?" Elva could barely speak as her whole body froze under the touch of his skin. She felt as if there were bolts of electricity coursing through her body all at once.

    "Come here, don''t be like that! I just want to give you some warmth." Within an instant, Zachary released martial energy from his body that radiated from his hand. The warm energy flowed into Elva''s fingertips and traveled quickly through her veins. It was as if he dipped her whole body in warm honey.

    The energy fire that Zachary cultivated made his body quite unique. His core body temperature ran significantly higher than most ordinary people. Anywhere on his body that was touched felt like the heat from a burning furnace. There was no way that the cold could affect him.

    Elva closed her eyes as she adjusted to the heat of Zachary''s martial energy. The warm flow felt foreign to her body and she took her time to adjust to this new sensation.

    The pair walked for what seemed like an eternity down a long winding path. Before they realized it, Zachary and Elva approached the presence of an intense aura. As they walked closer, the air slowly became much thicker and colder. With each breath, the heat from their breath instantly condensed into tiny ice crystals. Even under the protection of Zachary''s martial energy, Elva''s face grew paler with each step, and her lips turned a distinct shade of purple. She did her best to conceal her freezing body and remained silent as they kept moving forward. She did not want him to worry about her with this threat looming nearby. Regardless, Zachary didn''t notice the change in Elva. He was acutely concentrating on the potent aura he could feel in the distance.

    When they finally reached the end of the icy forest, they had to squint to see a few feet ahead. The ground and sky were covered in a blanket of fog, it was as if everything ahead was covered in a thick wall. All that Zachery could see was a giant arched gateway made of ice.

    "Elva, you''d better wait for me outside." Even from outside the wall, Zachary could clearly feel the intense aura that lurke

    tombs. This formation might have something to do with the treasure.

    Then he used Shadow Pace and jumped high into the air. He flew through the ice tombs and looked down at all of them from above. From this bird''s eye view of the ice tombs, he saw that the shape looked like an emblem. Among the perfect rows that formed the emblem, he could see one tomb stood out among the rest. It seemed that this tomb was built in a hurry. This was odd, considering the time and effort that was put into the other tombs'' placement.

    "Ah! That is it," Zachary said confidently. In an instant, he headed straight for the tomb and stood before it. "Master, I am truly sorry to bother you during your rest." He paused to gather his martial energy and blasted it directly at the ice tomb with all of his might.

    With a big bang, the ice tomb exploded in an instant. Large stones of ice rushed around him and a thick fog briefly enveloped the whole space.

    After a while, the icy mist dissipated and Zachary took a closer look at the demolished tomb. He did not suspect he would see an almost empty tomb. There was no warrior buried inside. Instead, there was a long object in the shape of a spine that was buried. It was like one of those MH weapons, but there was no special aura within it. It was dim and dull with nothing of note on it. Zachary sighed and wondered why he wasted his energy.

    Before he could completely dismiss the tomb entirely, Zachary noticed that beside the spine-shaped object, there was a very strange compass. It appeared to be as big as his palm and had three layers. Each layer was densely packed with ancient patterns and three silver needles rotated ceaselessly between the upper and the third layer. It was unlike anything Zachary ever saw. Most of all, it was really strange that it didn''t emit any weapon''s aura at all.

 Chapter 169 Dual Cultivation

    Zachary''s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked at the compass and spine-shaped object. The brightness of both was a new hue that popped off in his eyes. Right now, He just wanted to know what these two things were for. He had no idea if they would really help him and if they were related to the random quest. He shrugged and put the compass and spine-shaped object away. He sighed and said to the Holy Bone Bracer, "Master Andrew, I hope you''re satisfied now."

    The Holy Bone Bracer answered with a sudden light flashing. Then it came back to peace at the next moment.

    Zachary turned back to the same way how he came here. He walked through the ice mist and went through the ice gate. Finally he came back to the place where he separated with Elva. His heart sank as his eyes found her. She was lying under an ice tree, almost like she was just sleeping. And yet, her skin was as pale as snow, her fingers and lips purplish. She didn''t look like she was breathing.

    "Elva!" Zachary called out as he hastily rushed to her. He felt his heart on his mouth as his eyes moved aimlessly on her body to try to find out what happened to her. Up close, her face looked pale and her lips were almost too purple to be considered normal. He leaned his face close to Elva''s. His cheek was against her lips as he tried to feel her breath. It was slow and weak, and it was the reason why she didn''t look like she was still breathing at all. He seemed not to feel the slightest relief though. She could be dead at any moment now.

    Of course, Zachary couldn''t just sit there and wait for Elva''s death, so without another thought, he immediately took out the Treasure-hunting Compass. At the same time, he prayed in his heart that the two strange things he found were the treasures needed for the random treasure-hunting quest.

    With eyes closed, Zachary carefully lifted Elva''s body and said, "Enter the system." With Elva in his arms, he paused for a while before he opened his eyes again. Like before, his vision was easily enveloped by a flash of brilliant light.

    In a blink of an eye, Zachary brought Elva into the system.

    "Congratulations¡ª" The first thing he heard was the delicate and serene voice of Mimi. But this time he had no time to waste.

    "Not now. Take me to Master Anne first," Zachary snapped.

    In a snap, Zachary and Elva were swallowed by the bright light again, this time to the Living-dead Tomb.

    hary asked in a serious tone.

    "So, you''re the only one who can save her now," Anne said in a matter-of-fact tone, raising her head as she looked at Zachary.

    "Me?" Zachary was stunned after hearing Anne''s words. Much more confused than before. How could he help her?

    "Your God-slaying Formula can help you absorb the poison from Elva''s body. Therefore, if you absorb the poison into your own body, you can save her life," Anne stated.

    "Really?" Zachary didn''t expect that he was the one who could save Elva. But he didn''t think it would be that simple.

    Sure enough, there was slight worry written in Anne''s face. "Once you absorb the poison into your body, it will weaken your body. What''s worse, it might kill you. It''s very dangerous. Unless you can dissolve it and fuse it with your body, you''ll be in danger. And I''m not capable of saving both of you at the same time."

    "I see," Zachary said, looking much less nervous. "Master Anne, after I absorb the poison, you just try your best to save her. I will take care of my own." Zachary''s eyes were serious and as determined as ever.

    Anne saw the change in his eyes and she said, "You can''t just rely on your martial energy to completely absorb the poison. You and Elva need to enter a state of dual cultivation."

    "What?" This time, Zachary blinked fast in confusion. Just what on earth was this state of dual cultivation? Was it really going to help him save Elva?

    "Even the slightest drop of poison left in her body can kill her. The only way we can surely save her is by dual cultivation¡ªin other words, having sex," Anne said lightly.

 Chapter 170 To Save Elva

    "But in this particular case..." Zachary understood what Anne meant. He stared at Elva''s comatose state and hesitated. He just couldn''t force himself to have sex with her while she was in a coma. Even though it had to be done to save her, he knew that it would hurt her.

    Even though he had had countless dreams of having sex with Elva, he would never take advantage of her when she was in danger.

    "Master Anne, can you wake her up? I want to talk to her," Zachary said to Anne after he hesitated for a moment. He was unusually calm and his voice was serious.

    "Okay, but your time is limited. I can only give you five minutes. Whether you can persuade her or not is totally up to you. But even if you can''t persuade her, you already know what you should do to save her. Don''t think too much or you will regret losing her," Anne reminded him. "After you absorb the poison into your body, you only have one hour to detox yourself. Moreover, because you have triple martial speed, the poison is more dangerous for you. The faster a warrior''s martial speed is, the greater the damage the poison will do. So take care of yourself! This is not to be taken lightly!"

    Zachary took another look at Elva, who lay peacefully in a coma, and then nodded calmly at Anne.

    Anne approached Elva and took out five Ice Needles and quickly punctured key areas of her body. "She will wake up soon," Anne said calmly and walked out of the chamber.

    Anne was soon gone. Zachary stared steadily at Elva. He felt so guilty.

    Elva eventually woke up and slowly opened her eyes. She was still obviously weak. She looked around and found herself in a strange place. A sudden chill overcame her body.

    "Za... Zachary. Where am I?" Zachary stood beside Elva and looked at her. He was visibly worried for her.

    "Elva, don''t try to talk too much. Please just listen carefully. You have been poisoned. Your body is slowly being weakened by it. I must absorb the poison from your body. But the only way for me to do so is... We need to have sex," he explained the

    ff his own clothes, and then positioned himself on top of Elva.

    Elva suddenly felt her freezing body was suddenly surrounded by a strong heat wave. She groaned at the sensation of warmth on top of her.

    Zachary gently caressed one of her plump breasts to get her blood flowing. She felt her body tremble slightly, as her body started to match his movement. Her cheeks became even redder as warm blood rushed to it.

    His caresses on her breasts made her more ready for what needed to be done. He gently separated her legs wide. It was her first time so he slowly sank himself into her body.

    Elva suddenly became a little nervous. When she suddenly felt the hard object forcing its way between her legs, she could not help but lightly shout, "Ah!" Her body started to tremble from all the sensations that flooded her body.

    "Elva, it might be a little painful, but please endure it," Zachary said in a soft and gentle tone.

    The next moment, Elva''s delicate face was visibly in pain. She bit her lips and closed her eyes tightly.

    The moment he was inside her body, he used the God-slaying Formula to its maximum strength and the martial energy in his body flowed rapidly. A purple cyclone soon formed and whirled around him. But this cyclone was different from its normal form. It flowed in reverse as if it sucked everything into its central vortex.

 Chapter 171 The Poison

    Drawn by the purple cyclone, Elva''s martial energy rushed into Zachary body. There were rays of icy light in her martial energy because of the damage done by the poison inside her body.

    Elva''s martial energy and the poison were constantly absorbed into Zachary''s body. He felt that his meridians expanded. He then felt that his meridians were getting corroded by the strong poison, as the pain grew more and more intense. The more martial energy he absorbed, the greater the damage would be to his own meridians.

    But he continued to absorb the poison from Elva''s body without hesitation. The poison corroded his body and the pain kept growing as he absorbed more of the poison from her. He felt like his meridians froze because of the poison.

    Zachary''s lips slowly turned dark purple, and frost started to build up on his skin. He summoned all his will and defiantly resisted the poison with an indomitable determination. He was willing to be devoured by the poison just to get rid of all the poison inside her body.

    Elva was too weak to speak. She could do nothing but mutely watch as Zachary risked his life to save her. As he absorbed the poison into his own body, he also absorbed her martial energy and she felt weaker and weaker. She could see how much he wanted to save her even if the cost was his own life. She could now see how much pain he was in and how the pain kept increasing with each passing moment. She suddenly felt a sharp stinging pain in her heart. The longer she watched him suffer, the more pain she felt in her heart. She never wanted to see him suffer so much pain and risk his life for her. If she had known that it would be so dangerous, she wouldn''t have agreed to it.

    A tear fell from Elva''s eye. She then fell into a coma again because of the extent of the damage that the poison had done to her body.

    An hour later, Zachary had managed to absorb all of the martial energy and poison from Elva''s body into his own. He suffered so much from the pain that ordinary people could not possibly endure. His face was severely twisted from the pain, and his skin was covered with a thick layer of frost. He struggled to stand and separated himself from her.

    Anne walked into the chamber at that exact moment. When she saw Zachary''s suffering etch clearly on his face, a look of sadness filled her eyes.

    "Please... Master Anne... Please save her," Zachary pleaded. Even the slightest movement caused intense pain and required great effort. He drifted at the edge of consciousness.

    Anne watc

    racer. Rays of light flashed from the bracer as it greedily sucked the poison out of his body.

    "You have proven yourself worthy to be taught!" Andrew exclaimed as he nodded at Zachary.

    "Now how can I use the spiritual energy in my Holy Bone Bracer?" Zachary asked as the pain in his body quickly receded.

    "The power of the spiritual soul is induced by the mind. And the soul will move with your heart. As long as your mind is at the same level with mine, you can use the spiritual energy," Andrew replied as he nodded his head.

    "So that is how it is." Zachary completely understood the new concept that Andrew taught him.

    "I have taught you a useful spiritual skill. I will pass on one more spiritual skill to you. And these two spiritual skills will benefit you enormously." As soon as Andrew finished his words, he pointed his finger and a beam of light shot straight into Zachary''s forehead.

    Zachary''s eyes glowed with a blue light. A moment later, it slowly faded away.

    "Thank you very much, Master Andrew," Zachary said and smiled gratefully. He felt giddy with excitement.

    "Now, take care of yourself. I don''t know when we will talk again, but I don''t want you to die before you achieve your grand ambitions!" As soon as Andrew finished speaking, he turned into blue light once more and merged with the Holy Bone Bracer.

    The Holy Bone Bracer had absorbed all the poison from Zachary''s body. Rays of light emitted from it and it sparkled in the icy air.

    "Okay. Here we go!" With his eyes closed, Zachary inwardly exerted the power of his mind. He soon felt a connection with the Holy Bone Bracer. At the same time, the bracer began to tremble and shake.

 Chapter 172 Cultivation Increasing

    After Zachary refined the poison, a surge of pulsating martial energy gushed out of the Holy Bone Bracer and rushed into his meridians, as if a torrent of power rolled into his body.

    Zachary''s body was immersed in a surging wave of martial energy. A purple light poured over and streamed around his body like a halo and spread all around him. At the same time, his strength improved rapidly with the flow of energy.

    The sixth grade...

    The seventh grade...

    Zachary''s cultivation level increased by two grades in an instant, from the fifth grade of Heaven Level to the seventh grade.

    "It seems that I''ve earned a lot this time!" He was so happy that the dangers that he had just survived seemed like no more than a distant memory. He never expected that the poison he refined could turn into such a strong martial energy. He then remembered how the same poison almost killed Elva earlier.

    After a time, the martial energy within Zachary''s body finally returned to normal and the power of the Holy Bone Bracer gradually dissipated. He felt like he had just got back to life as a new man, for he felt indescribably different.

    A delicate feminine figure entered the chamber. She immediately sensed the great improvement in Zachary''s cultivation level and felt extremely relieved.

    "Master Anne! Is she okay?" Zachary exclaimed as he jumped off the Ice Jade Bed naked as soon as he saw Anne enter the tomb.

    "Her life is now in no more danger from the poison," Anne replied calmly.

    "Can I see her?" Zachary asked as he was about to leave. He then looked puzzled when he noticed that Anne''s face looked slightly embarrassed. She forced herself to look as if nothing happened. He realized that he was butt naked. But he kept his cool and smiled at Anne. "I think mine is something to be proud of!"

    "The ones I use to make medicinal wine with are bigger than yours!" Anne''s reply made him speechless.

    Zachary silently turned around and quickly put on his clothes.

    "By the way Master Anne, why was Elva poisoned? But I was not?" Zachary asked Anne. It was something that troubled his mind but he kept it back since there were more urgent things to attend to bac

    ld pay more attention to her after what happened. She felt that it was something that a warrior should not let happen.

    When Zachary heard this, he suddenly grabbed Elva''s jaw and caught her sweet lips with his. She was stunned for a moment, but she quickly recovered and pushed him back. Her eyes were wide open in surprise. "What do you think you''re doing?"

    "Although I promised you that I wouldn''t take what happened too seriously, the fact remains that you are now my woman. So I can''t leave you alone," Zachary replied in a serious tone.

    "What craziness are you talking about? I''m not your woman," Elva replied. She was shocked by Zachary''s words but she never gave in.

    "Then kill me, or choose me," Zachary said in sullen tone. He stretched out his arms and exposed his chest to Elva.

    "You..." Elva glared at him angrily.

    "I have done what I should and what I should not have done. Nothing will change whether you wanted it or not. Always remember that!" Zachary replied and smiled at her wickedly.

    "I don''t want to talk with you anymore," Elva said. She had nothing else to say. She jumped off the flat stone and started to walk away. She picked a direction and walked that way. But because her martial energy had not recovered yet, she walked very slowly.

    Zachary followed closely behind her. He folded his arms across his chest but did not say anything. They walked in silence, like a young couple who just had a fight.

 Chapter 173 Five-God Tombs

    "Stop following me!" Elva turned around and gave Zachary a cold glance, gesturing for him not to take another step.

    "Elva, you have just recovered from the poison, and your martial energy has not fully recharged yet. If I don''t follow you, who will protect you?" Zachary smiled, amused to see Elva so restless and agitated. Indeed it was a rare sight to see her like that, but that only added to his interest.

    Elva was speechless. She couldn''t refute him because Zachary wasn''t wrong. Without any martial energy in her body, the consequences of what could happen to her if she were to take action alone was inevitably dire. Despite her reluctance to give in, all the more because of what Zachary had said, Elva knew that allowing her anger to flare up would do her no good. She had already had sex with Zachary, and she tried to not care about it. She found that it was impossible, however, for such a thing to be really disregarded, and the best she could do now was to divert her attention from it.

    After taking a few deep breaths, Elva calmed down. She looked at Zachary and said, "If you keep messing around, I promise I''ll stop talking to you. Just let bygones be bygones. Don''t mention it again in the future. Besides, don''t talk to me like I''m your woman, or else..." Elva frowned and bit her pink lips after saying that.

    The look of determination on her face told Zachary that she hadn''t come to terms with this fact yet. He thoughtfully changed the topic of conversation, hoping it would take her mind off things. "We should find a place to recover your martial energy." Zachary looked around and pointed a direction as he led the way in front.

    As Elva watched Zachary from behind, a myriad of feelings flooded her. But she told herself that she couldn''t influence herself by anything that shouldn''t have happened between her and Zachary. Otherwise all of this would hinder her further cultivation in the future. With her resolve strengthened, Elva marched on behind Zachary.

    Soon after, they came t

    was only fitting that they were referred to as gods.

    Therefore, the places where they were buried were called the Five-God Tombs.

    However, there were many rumors about it in the Supernal Continent. Some believed that they didn''t exist at all. As if they were only made up during the formation and development of warriors'' history, in order to motivate warriors to pursue the highest form of martial arts. Others believed that while the Five-God Tombs might have existed, the five figures that were said to be buried in the tombs did not. However, the Five-God Tombs were said to be riddled with astonishing treasures, which were rarer and more extraordinary than the others. These treasures were collected from heaven and earth by the five figures a long time ago, and thus they were called the Five-God Treasures.

    Many years ago, countless warriors were obsessed with the idea of finding the Five-God Treasures, but most of those who tried had either died or spent their entire lives searching for the treasures with no luck. Fortunately, this obsessive fanaticism only lasted for nearly a hundred years and then it gradually faded away. After all, no warrior had been known to find the Five-God Tombs in the last hundred years.

    "How do you know for sure that they don''t exist? I found one!" Katrina replied, smugly smiling at Sophie.

 Chapter 174 Martial Fire Tomb

    "You did? Really?" Sophie asked in a suspicious tone.

    "I know that you wouldn''t believe me if I tell you about it. That''s why I didn''t want to tell you about it in the first place. The one I found is the Martial Fire Tomb. I''ve already visited it once and it''s not very dangerous. Of course, it''s not that easy to get into. But it should be easy enough for both of us!" Katrina explained in a calm voice.

    "Why did you decide to tell me about it? Why not look for another warrior of Sage Level? You can choose any warrior of Sage Level in your Celestial College. You can even choose a warrior of Holy Level. But I''m afraid you will not be able to invite one!" Sophie still couldn''t understand why Katrina chose to tell her about it. She was a strong rival of Katrina, and it was unrealistic to let a warrior cooperate with a strong opponent. Moreover, it was something related to the legendary Five-God Tombs.

    "I have my reasons. You only have to say yes or no," Katrina replied.

    "It''s a big decision. I will have to think about it." Sophie thought if the term of Katrina was not so difficult, she would help her. After all, for her, the marriage contract was like a ticking time bomb. It was not a threat to her life, but it was a threat to her reputation. However, after she heard what Katrina just said, she felt that it was not that simple at all. There was definitely a reason why Katrina decided to let her join. And thus, she had to be more careful.

    "Well, whatever. I''m not in a hurry anyway," Katrina replied casually. She thought that there was no need to worry. It was Sophie who wanted the marriage contract, not her.

    "By the way, I heard that the Soul Testing Door of your Celestial College was reopened. I never expect that the Soul Testing Door will be opened again after two hundred years. The luck of your Celestial College can be amazing!" Sophie said in a jealous tone. The Soul Testing Door granted access to the Incredible Space. It was a training place that had been the dream of countless warriors. Although she had never entered it herself, accordi

    ed to them.

    "They won''t be coming back," a low and gloomy voice announced from the crowd.

    All the disciples present turned towards the voice. They were surprised to find that the person who spoke was Bruce, a disciple from the same sect with Zachary and Elva.

    "What do you mean by that?" Thomson frowned and asked Bruce in a commanding voice.

    "They were buried in an abyss," Bruce replied expressionlessly. A flash of hatred obviously burned in his eyes.

    An uproar filled the gathering area, and all the disciples were shocked with what they heard.

    "How do you know this?" Thomson asked as his face changed into a look that he suspected something.

    "Because we were together. When we entered an ice plain, we encountered an avalanche. They both failed to avoid it in time, so they were swept by the avalanche into the abyss," Bruce explained slowly.

    "Then why didn''t you use the signal flare? Even if they were swept into a chasm, they might still be alive and could be saved," Thomson asked in a doubting tone.

    "Because I have already used the signal flare before," Bruce replied as he shook his head. Of course he was lying. No one knew that the truth was that when he saw that Elva chased after Zachary and fell into the basin with him, he was so angry that he left them both for dead. His hatred for Zachary left him unwilling to care anything about them.

 Chapter 175 Lose Composure

    "Really?" Thomson asked with a quirked eyebrow.

    "Yes. He''s right, Thomson. We saw the signal flare ourselves. We ran as soon as we saw it, and that''s how we found Bruce and Elva. He said they used the signal flare because they almost got lost in an ice cave," a supervisor chimed in.

    Contrary to what they believed, it was actually Elva who sent the signal. The other supervisors didn''t investigate the real situation properly at that time. This was why most of them would really think that it was Bruce who sent the signal.

    "Is that so?" Thomson pondered with a finger tapping his chin. He glanced slightly towards Bruce and sighed. "Well if that''s the case, we don''t have any other choice. Report the truth to the masters once we all get back. Everyone else, start lining up."

    It only took a few minutes before the freshmen of the two colleges lined up orderly. Each of them, along with Thomson and the supervisors, went through the Soul Testing Door before they finally returned to the Soul Testing Pagoda.

    On the other side of the pagoda, Sara and the rest of the masters, as well as the three masters from Shura College, sighed in relief when they finally saw the disciples return safe and sound. After all, even if the Soul Testing Door was finally reopened, there was still a dangerous world beyond it. What worried them most was that it would suddenly close and trap all the disciples within, just like it had in the past. It was a good thing that everyone was accounted for. At least, that was what they thought.

    The disciples and the supervisors had reassembled themselves by the Soul Testing Pagoda.

    "Thomson, is everyone here?" Sara asked as she tried to poke her head through the crowd to look for Zachary and Elva.

    "No," Thomson answered, and Sara''s eyes widened. "Zachary and Elva were killed in an avalanche." Thomson closed his eyes apologetically.

    Sara, as well as the rest of the masters, were shocked by the news. It was difficult to accept that they had lost two disciples.

    "What? An avalanche? But where are their bodies? How

    freshman at Celestial College, but she was a famous warrior in the Supernal Continent. They were all shocked with awe.

    "Well, why are you so quiet? Answer me. Where is he?" Sophie asked impatiently.

    "He''s dead," Sara answered weakly, heaving a heavy sigh.

    Sophie glared at Sara tightly. "What? Are you kidding me? How could he die?" Sophie didn''t seem to believe Sara''s answer one bit.

    "I''m not joking. I just found out that he died while he was cultivating in the Incredible Space," Sara answered, a pained look staining her face.

    Sophie was shocked to hear what she had just said. After she judged from Sara''s solemn expression, it was only then that she realized that Sara might not be lying after all. Without hesitating, she yanked on Sara''s sleeve and pulled her closer to her. "No. I don''t believe you. I need to go inside to find him,"

    Sophie spat, and Sara felt a searing pain on the side of her collarbone. Sophie was indeed a strong warrior like everyone had said. She was able to quickly break through Sara''s material energy armor.

    Seeing how anxious Sophie was acting, everyone around them started whispering. They couldn''t understand why both Sophie and Sara were feeling so strongly over Zachary''s death. There must have been a special relationship with the three of them. Otherwise, how could the dignified warrior, Sophie, act so emotional?

 Chapter 176 Come Back

    "Sophie, please. I also want to go in and look for him, but there are restrictions for entering the Soul Testing Door!" Although Sara was facing a warrior of Sage Level, she still maintained calm.

    Sophie seemed to have realized her sudden inappropriate behavior. She quickly shoved Sara away and sneered at her. "He can''t die. If he died, then I would make it my mission to destroy your Celestial College."

    Seeing how domineering and superior Sophie was, Sara, as well as the rest of the masters, stood idly in cold sweat. After all, a warrior of Sage Level had the freedom and liberty to threaten such a thing. Nobody would be able to retaliate against her. They were afraid that she could actually cause trouble for the Celestial College because of Zachary''s death.

    However, they still couldn''t figure out why Sophie was so upset. What relationship did she share with Zachary, anyway?

    Deep inside, Sophie was frightened. Her marriage contract was still in his hands. It would have been good if Zachary had the contract with him, because that would mean that all her trouble would end. However, she was afraid that he had hidden the marriage contract in some secret place. If he truly died, only Katrina would be able to know where the contract was. Then there was a high possibility that she could keep controlling Sophie. She hoped that the contract was in Zachary''s hands, because dealing with him was much easier than dealing with Katrina.

    When the three masters from Shura College saw Sophie''s rage and heard her pronouncement to destroy the Celestial College, they all smiled smugly. They knew of Sophie''s strong influence at the Dignity College, which meant that she could severely damage or even destroy the Celestial College. Maybe then, the Shura College would eventually become the next top school.

    Just as the situation was about to get worse, a figure suddenly passed through the Soul Testing Door. Everyone turned their heads once again in shock.

    "Elva!" A number of people gasped in surprise, while others were so startled that they just stared wide-eyed.

    n an instant, her body was gone, now transforming into countless streams of water. She tried to hold the Soul Testing Door from closing, and soon enough, the Soul Testing Pagoda was filled with Sophie''s strong aura. It felt like a strong and loud thunderstorm had entered the Soul Testing Pagoda. Everyone was stuck in awe at Sophie''s prowess, and they couldn''t help but feel a little frightened.

    Unfortunately, nothing could stop the Soul Testing Door from closing. It was far stronger than Sophie''s power. It still kept shrinking and closing at a stable pace.

    "Shit!" Sophie yelled, pulling more of strength towards the streams to hold the door open.

    With only a few inches to spare before it closed, everyone was losing hope. It wasn''t until another figure suddenly flew out from the Soul Testing Door that the door got closed completely.

    Sophie quickly reverted back to her physical form as she breathed tiredly. After the figure landed, it looked back at the sealed door and smirked excitedly. "I made it in time. Thank God."

    Having fixed their eyes on the figure who had just passed through the Soul Testing Door, the people on spot were stunned into total silence. They couldn''t believe that Zachary had made it.

    Zachary was an exceptionally lucky man.

    "Zachary? It''s you!" Elva screamed in relief and happiness, running up to Zachary to bring him in her embrace.

 Chapter 177 The Five-God Treasures

    "Elva, you are so bold! But I like it!" Zachary declared with an impish grin on his face. He never expected that Elva would be so happy to see him that she''d throw herself into his arms, but he was truly amused by such a pleasant surprise.

    Elva immediately noticed her blunder and immediately pushed him away. She glared at him and said in a threatening voice, "You bastard! You scared me to death!"

    "Hey, you brat, don''t make things this dramatic every time," Sara said as she cast a disapproving glance at Zachary.

    "Ha-ha, I didn''t know that Master Shu is here too!" Zachary exclaimed in surprise when he saw Sophie was there as well.

    "Humph!" Although Sophie didn''t say anything, her eyes betrayed her slight concern.

    The other masters of the Celestial College also wiped the cold sweat off their foreheads and sighed loudly in relief.

    Rupert and the other two masters from Shura College had a different reaction. They had expected that the Celestial College had lost one of its peerless talents this time, and felt thankful for it. But they never expected to be disappointed once more at the critical moment.

    But they were not the only ones. Bruce''s expression was even worse. He looked like extremely mad. He never expected that Zachary was so lucky to have gotten out of the Incredible Space at the last moment.

    "Bruce! So you were not buried alive!" Zachary said as he stared at Bruce with a smile.

    "And you also didn''t die from falling from such a high place," Bruce replied back in a cold tone.

    "Just the same as you," Zachary said with the same insulting smile at Bruce. But there was a hidden intense anger in his eyes when he stared at Bruce. He would never forget that Bruce tried to kill him by launching a deadly strike against him during that time.

    They glared at each other with great hatred in their eyes, as if a fight would erupt between them in any minute.

    "Well, the trial is over. You should all gather outside now," Sara announced to Zachary and other disciples at once.

    Afterwards, Zachary and the others disciples walked out of the Soul Testing Pagoda as Sophie closely followed.

    The freshmen from the two colleges that were gathered outside the Soul Testing Pagoda looked differently when they saw that Zachary and Elva were able to get out safely.

    "They are still alive!"

    "It seems that they are quite lucky. They didn''t die even after falling into the abyss."

    "But if they died, Zachary would be so lucky to have the company of such

    st: a Cultivation Boosting Pill at the Heaven Level.

    The reward of the random quest: a Strength Pill at the Heaven Level."

    The two pills appeared in front of Zachary, and he took them both.

    "By the way, where is this new scene Fairy Island that you mentioned? What''s the purpose of this new scene?" Zachary asked eagerly.

    "I can''t answer your questions. You have to experience the new scene by yourself," Mimi replied in her usual tone.

    "Well, let''s talk about it later. Help me identify the two treasures first." Zachary took out the spine-shaped object and compass from his storage space, and had the first item examined.

    "Examining...

    Examination completed. Congratulations on your success in gaining a MH weapon at the Divine Level."

    "A MH weapon at the Divine Level? Really? I''m so lucky!" Zachary was very excited. A wide smile was on his face.

    "However, this weapon is seriously damaged. Only a weapon refiner with super talent can repair it, but even so, the chances of completely repairing it are very low." Mimi''s words made Zachary feel frustrated. He felt like he was violently jerked out of a very pleasant dream.

    "You have got to be kidding me! But I think Master Anne can repair it," Zachary mumbled to himself thoughtfully. Then he took out the compass for identification. "What about the compass?"

    "Examining...

    Examination completed. This is the Five-God Compass. According to historical records of the Supernal Continent, you can find the Five-God Treasures using this compass!"

    "The Five-God Treasures? Tell me more, Mimi," Zachary requested. The sound of a possible treasure hunt immediately piqued his interest.

 Chapter 178 A Beauty In White

    "According to reliable sources, the Five-God Treasures are currently hidden in the Five-God Tombs. The five tombs are the burial sites for five warriors. It was said that they could control one of the five elements each. Their strength was unimaginable and more powerful than warriors of Divine Level. They were undefeatable in the entire world of martial arts, and no one could ever match up to their power. Furthermore, their descendants were also the first generation of warriors to enter the Supernal Continent. According to the records left by the descendants of the five warriors, not only are there the Five-God Treasures in the Five-God Tombs, but there are also five different sources of elements left by the five warriors. If one is lucky enough to find one of them and harness it, they will be able to obtain one of the most powerful martial energy with certain element.

    "Is that so? So is this Five-God Compass able to help me find the Five-God Treasures?" Zachary asked curiously with a lopsided smile.

    "That''s right. It''s pointless to look for the Five-God Tombs without this artifact. They are hidden in the most secluded and dangerous terrains of the Supernal Continent. If you are not a warrior of Sage Level or above, you won''t be able to obtain the Five-God Treasures."

    Zachary sighed in exasperation. "Well I guess it''s pointless to hunt for the Five-God Treasures for the time being." He knew he was far too weak to be able to tread across those dangerous areas at his current state.

    After their small discussion, Zachary took the MH weapon of Divine Level to the Living-dead Tomb. He left to find Anne, who might be able to repair this weapon.

    "Master Anne, your favorite disciple is here," Zachary shouted as he stood in front of the Living-dead Tomb, which was tightly sealed shut.

    A short while later, he still hadn''t heard a response. He took the liberty to push the door open, entering the Living-dead Tomb on his own. Once he peered his head past the door did he realize that Anne was nowhere in sight. He also couldn''t sense her aura within the tomb.

    "Hmm. Where could she be?" Zachary wondered to himself. If Anne wasn''t here, it meant that he had to go back.

    As soon as he walked out of the Living-dead Tomb, he suddenly remembered that the new scene. He was keen on exploring it himself. After thinking if it was worth exploring at the moment

    nytail, while small wisps of hair hung to frame her face up to the ends of her shoulders. Her red lips, dainty eyebrows and fair skin were so exquisite that Zachary could compare her to a smooth jade. It was far different from what he expected, based on the frightening strength of her aura. She looked like a fairy from a folk story, but he knew that she was far, far stronger than that.

    "She looks like Tania, a woman character of the novel ''The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, ''" Zachary murmured to himself. Seeing that their fight had wound down, he took the opportunity to jump from the tree and meet the two of them. "Master Anne!" he called out.

    Anne turned her head around and she was surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"

    "Well, I''ve missed you so much," Zachary answered, smiling sheepishly at her.

    "So you can enter this scene now? I didn''t expect that," Anne replied, smirking at her young disciple in mild admiration.

    "Who is this?" asked the woman in white, furrowing her thin, dark eyebrows.

    "Oh. My disciple," Anne replied succinctly.

    The woman raised her eyebrow suspiciously. "Disciple? Since when did you take in a glib and stupid disciple?" the woman teased, eyeing Zachary with scrutiny.

    "I may be glib, but I''m not stupid," Zachary argued, returning her dig at him with a raised eyebrow. "I''m fairly certain that there''s no other man more handsome or smarter than me in this world. By the way, your name is Tania, right?"

    "How did you know that?" the woman asked in disbelief. She turned to Anne and asked, "Have you told him about me?"

 Chapter 179 The Illusory Dragon Spine

    "No." Anne shook her head and looked at Zachary in surprise. She never thought that he could identify Tania.

    "You are really Tania! I was right!" Zachary felt overjoyed. He never expected that his guess was right. The beautiful woman in white was indeed Tania. Just like Anne, she was a character of some famous novel.

    "Hurry up and get him away from my Fairy Island. And don''t trample the grass!" Tania left with displeasure on her face.

    "Let''s just go back." Anne turned her eyes to him, and then went forward.

    Zachary followed her closely behind.

    They went back to the area of the Living-dead Tomb after they passed the invisible barrier.

    "Master Anne, so you often go to the Fairy Island and spar with Master Tania, do you?" Zachary pried.

    "So, what''s up?" Anne asked, completely ignoring his question.

    "I have obtained a MH weapon of Divine Level, but unfortunately, it is damaged. So I want to ask you to repair it for me," Zachary pleaded.

    "Oh, a MH weapon of Divine Level, you say?" Anne asked with obvious curiosity.

    After they returned to the Living-dead Tomb, Zachary handed over the MH weapon of Divine Level to Anne.

    "It''s the Illusory Dragon Spine. I can''t believe it! How did you get this treasure?" Anne asked. She was stunned when she saw the MH weapon of Divine Level that Zachary handed to her.

    "Is this weapon very powerful? You look so surprised to see it," Zachary asked excitedly after he saw the expression on Anne''s face.

    "Maybe powerful, maybe not," Anne replied in a slightly mocking tone.

    "What do you mean by that? So is it powerful or not?" Zachary asked. He became confused with Anne''s reply.

    "Although it is a MH weapon of Divine Level, it is similar to an OH weapon in some aspect. It can summon an Illusory Dragon that can be turned into any MH weapon of fire element. Moreover, it can also release martial skills of fire element. But there is a time limit, so it is not suitable for long time use."

    "That sounds great!" Zachary was surpri

    d be able to recognize it." He suddenly thought of something and proceeded on his way.

    Zachary activated the power of the Dog Soul Ring and began to search for the Mysterious Wood Root. However, because there were many precious flowers and herbs growing in the Fairy Island and it was like a large treasure house made of elixir materials, the different scents mixed with each other, and it was difficult to tell one from another.

    After a while, Zachary reached the central area of the island where several bamboo houses stood.

    "This must be where she lives." There were many flowers and trees lined the building.

    Zachary then saw Tania as she walked out of a bamboo house with a watering can in her hand. He hid and watched her from a distance.

    She took the watering can and began to water the flowers and plants around the bamboo house.

    ''Since I don''t know the location of the Mysterious Wood Root, why not follow her there?'' Zachary laughed wickedly at his idea. He then shouted, "Oh my God! Where is the Mysterious Wood Root? Why can''t I find it anywhere?"

    Tania, who was watering the flowers, heard the voice and immediately became alert. "Who dares trespass on my Fairy Island?" she shouted out. She suddenly disappeared and reappeared in the place where Zachary had been.

    But he had already gone when she got there.

 Chapter 180 Mysterious Wood Root

    "Where is he? Hmm... The noise clearly came from here." Tania squinted her eyes to get a closer look. After hesitating for a moment, she muttered to herself, "Perhaps I should check the Mysterious Wood Forest first!" Without further ado, she leapt into the air and gracefully took flight in another direction.

    Not far from where she Tania had been standing, a hidden figure suddenly emerged from the shadows. It sat on the ground like a chameleon, changing its color to suit its surroundings.

    "The Flawless Illusion is indeed a powerful skill. Even with her power, she couldn''t detect me!" Zachary snickered, despite the fact that he was actually risking his life because he wasn''t even sure whether or not Tania would sense his presence. Fortunately, the gamble had worked out in his favor.

    "The Mysterious Wood Root must grow in the Mysterious Wood Forest. How hard could it be to figure that out?" He laughed to himself, and then went after the scent Tania had left.

    It didn''t take him long to catch up. He entered a forest full of otherworldly trees. This had to be the Mysterious Wood Forest Tania had mentioned earlier. The trees in this forest had human faces of all shapes carved on their bark. Some looked like old people while some looked like children.

    It was not long after Zachary entered the forest that he smelled a strong, pungent and unusual odor. He immediately followed the scent and tried to find the source.

    Soon he came to an empty, flat piece of land, at the center of which was an old tree that looked like a wooden bucket without any branches or leaves. However, there were many roots popping in the soil under the tree, which seemed to have strong vitality, and at the same time, they exuded a strange weak light. The fragrance he had been tracking was coming from these roots.

    "Could these be the Mysterious Wood Roots?" Zachary''s eyes lit up and he immediately looked around with caution. After making sure that Tania wasn''t around, he boldly approached the roots.

    Howe

    ized that Tania did not believe him, he took a step back and moved closer to the tree.

    "How dare you! I will cut your hand before you can even think of it," Tania threatened.

    "I know, but it all depends on whether you are willing to risk the Mysterious Tree or not." Zachary knew very well that it would be a piece of cake for Tania to catch him. However, just one touch from his energy fire would burn the tree down in a matter of seconds, which led him to believe that she wouldn''t take such a risk.

    "What on earth do you want?" asked Tania.

    "I only want one Mysterious Wood Root," Zachary answered.

    After hesitating for a moment, she waved her hand and a palm-sized wood root radiating with light shot up towards Zachary.

    Zachary caught the Mysterious Wood Root in his hand and smelled it. The fragrance was similar to the wooden roots under the Mysterious Tree, but this root had been refined, unlike the other ones on the ground. He smiled and waved his hand at her. "Thank you very much, Master Tania. See you again!" Then, without looking back even once, he fled as soon as he could.

    Instead of chasing after him, Tania murmured to herself, "I can''t believe someone like Anne would actually accept such a crafty disciple. It seems very much unlike her. If I were her, I would never have accepted such a disciple."

 Chapter 181 The Upgrade Of The Holy Bone Bracer

    As soon as Zachary took the Mysterious Wood Root back to the Living-dead Tomb, Anne noticed that he returned empty-handed. She narrowed her eyes and asked, "So, you didn''t make it, huh?"

    "It''s not like that," Zachary argued. "Master Tania was just so delighted to see me that she gave me the Mysterious Wood Root as a gift." Zachary laughed loudly as he took out the Mysterious Wood Root from his inner pocket.

    Anne was surprised to see that he did take the root back. She raised her eyebrow curiously and asked, "You stole the root, right?"

    "I already told you! It''s a gift from Master Tania," Zachary denied, waving his hand dismissively.

    "Don''t lie to me! She will never give you the root for free!" Anne said, glaring coldly at her disciple.

    Zachary shrugged and laughed to himself. Then, he told her the entire story behind the root. After hearing the whole story, Anne kept shaking her head and questioned, "When are you going to be more cautious and make more progress, Zachary?" Fortunately, for Anne''s sake, Tania was kind enough to cut Zachary some slack. If she didn''t, he might have gotten the root but he wouldn''t be coming back unscathed.

    "Master Anne, there''s no problem anymore, right?" Zachary asked as he handed over the root to her.

    "With this root, we''ll be able to fix the weapon," Anne nodded. "By the way, have you upgraded your Holy Bone Bracer lately?"

    "What? No. I don''t think I''ve had it upgraded yet..." If Anne never mentioned it to him, he definitely would have forgotten about upgrading the Holy Bone Bracer. Although he had been studying the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill, he never thought of upgrading the bracer.

    Anne shot Zachary a pointed look and said, "The Holy Bone Bracer is already infused with the martial soul. That means it already bears a lot of power. If you don''t upgrade it soon, it will become too brittle once you use it too much. Get it upgraded as soon as possible, Zachary."

    "Yes, Master Anne! I''ll go do that now. I''ll leave the MH weapon at the Divine Level to you," Zachary said with a wide grin, before turning to leave.

    After he returned to the system, Zachary picked out some materials at the Earth Level and Heaven Level from his treasure house so he could use it to upgrade the Holy Bone Bracer. Since he had to upgrade it, he wanted to make sure that it was upgraded to the Heaven Level. With that in mind, he trotted over to the weapon refining room.

    However, when he enter

    lso be small. Therefore, in fact, he couldn''t draw many times by using the one thousand and one coins.

    Moreover, he had a Cultivation Boosting Pill in hand, which could help him reach the eighth grade of Heaven Level. He thought that he would definitely be able to reach the King Level in a shorter time compared to the others, based on the large number of treasures he had got. Thus, it would be a bit of a waste for him to draw the Cultivation Boosting Pills.

    Most importantly, the triple martial speed was not one of his advantages anymore after he reached the King Level. In the Celestial College, all the top twenty warriors of King Level had quadruple martial speed. That meant, if one wanted to be an outstanding warrior of King Level, it was necessary for him to attain quadruple martial speed first.

    ''So, does this mean that I still have to draw the Martial Speed Boosting Pill?'' Zachary thought quietly, a stern frown apparent on his face. He knew that the chance of drawing such a pill was rare, only one-thousandth.

    Despite that fact, however, Zachary still wanted to try it. He always liked to challenge things that looked impossible, so he went over to the Peach Blossom Forest where he saw the Dark Wonder Cauldron and the Light Wonder Cauldron in the center.

    "Orion and Kiwi, come and draw the lottery with me now," Zachary exclaimed at his two beasts, the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Blazing Roc who were playing around.

    The two beasts immediately approached Zachary in high spirits.

    "Mimi, how many treasure-hunting coins will it cost for one lottery draw at the Dark Wonder Cauldron?" Zachary asked at once.

 Chapter 182 The Friendship-enhancing Pill

    "Now you possess the triple martial speed. If you want to get the quadruple martial speed, you have to draw the fourth-grade Martial Speed Boosting Pill, and each time you need to pay 100 treasure-hunting coins."

    "100 coins? It means that in total I can draw ten times and not more than that." Zachary was hesitant. Because if he took those treasure-hunting coins to draw the Cultivation Boosting Pills, he could at least break through to the third or fourth grade of King Level.

    However, what he was keen to improve was his martial speed and not so much his cultivation level. That was because martial speed was of critical importance for warriors, and was even of greater value when it came to increasing it to a higher level. Nevertheless, finally gritting his teeth, he stood in front of the Dark Wonder Cauldron and shouted, "Put in 100 treasure-hunting coins!"

    After Zachary said that, the Dark Wonder Cauldron suddenly flickered, but after a while, it stopped moving.

    "Did I fail? Go ahead, and do the needful!" Zachary shook his head.

    He tried the second time. But he failed again.

    After that, he drew five times in a row, but failed each time.

    "Now, I have only three attempts left," he murmured to himself. He looked worse than crying, because the 700 treasure-hunting coins he had were all gone. That was indeed a monumental waste.

    But he wouldn''t give up. So he continued to put more coins in it!

    The eighth time... The ninth time!

    And he continued to fail! "I wonder if the Dark Wonder Cauldron is broken? I have tried to draw nine times, but I got nothing from it. I''m afraid the odds of getting a Martial Speed Boosting Pill are really one in a thousand." It seemed that he had underestimated the odds.

    "Well, I''ll leave the remaining treasure-hunting coins to buy food for Orion and Kiwi." Looking at the remaining treasure-hunting coins, Zachary regretted having lost the coins he had put in the Dark Wonder Cauldron.

    Just after that, he shook his head, turned around and swore, "Damn it, I don''t believe this. I will draw for the last time, now!"

    No sooner had Zachary spoken than the Dark Wonder Cauldron lit up again and stayed lit a little longer than ear

    to do your bidding, and she can''t refuse you."

    "Is it the beauty collection mode you talked about before?" Zachary''s eyes lit up.

    "Yes. The system has been repaired and upgraded, so the beauty collection mode is in operation now," Mimi replied.

    "That''s great! Does it mean that it can work on Master Anne? If I can make her to obey my orders... Ha-ha." Zachary''s mind started to wander.

    "That''s right. But now your friendship level with Anne only reaches level 1. You still need to work harder!" Mimi encouraged Zachary.

    ''Level 1 only? If I have the Friendship-enhancing Pill, I''m sure that my friendship level with her will reach level 10 sooner or later. The main quest is a fair deal, '' Zachary thought carefully. "Tell me what the main quest is."

    "Now, I give you the main quest¡ªthe object is Polly Qiu, the new disciple of Shura College. You need to make Polly save you, regardless of her life," Mimi stated.

    On hearing that, Zachary wanted to swear. What a quest it was! There was no way Polly would save his life. Firstly, Polly was the Shura College''s disciple. Therefore, it was unreasonable for her to save him¡ªa disciple from the Celestial College. Secondly, he had accidentally seen Polly half-naked in the Incredible Space. Therefore, he would count himself lucky were Polly not to take revenge on him when they bumped into each other again. Consequently, he didn''t see any way in which she would be willing to save his life risking hers.

 Chapter 183 Cultivation

    "Why are the main quests always so ridiculous?" Zachary sighed, thinking that it would be a good idea to at least give it a try because of the Friendship-enhancing Pill.

    Of course, Zachary knew very well that the only way to complete the main quest was to let Polly fall in love with him. Only at that time would she risk everything for him. Although the main quest he was set to carry out this time seemed simpler on the onset, in truth, it was far more troublesome than the one he had with Elva. This was due to the fact that in the previous mission, at the very least, he was a friend of Elva, but Polly treated him as an enemy. The difference was noticeably more concerning.

    Zachary was out of his wits on how to carry out his plans, and the only thing he could do now was wait and take one step at a time.

    In truth, the quest wasn''t the root cause of his troubles. The thing that worried him the most was Sophie. It was obvious that Sophie was desperate to get the marriage contract back, but Katrina had already made a deal with him. So, no matter what Sophie did, he couldn''t hand over the marriage contract back to her. Therefore, he was in a dilemma, from which there was no middle course of extrication.

    "Whatever! I''ll deal with that when I have to. I just need to focus on practicing now!" Zachary decided to stop wasting his time overthinking things as it would do him no good. Instead, he decided to focus his attention on cultivating in the Peach Blossom Forest.

    After two days and one night, Zachary finished refining the Cultivation Boosting Pill he had obtained after completing the main quest with Elva, and successfully broke through to the eighth grade of Heaven Level.

    Meanwhile, training in the Incredible Space not only helped improve the cultivation levels of the two colleges'' freshmen, but also helped them acquire a lot of treasures. There were only a few days left of the one-month exchange period between the two colleges, so the freshmen of both colleges would face off in a big competition, a real competition.

    The freshmen of the two colleges had long been at loggerheads and had competed with each other many times before. However, by contrast, Celestial College had suffered more defeats and its overa

    e Incredible Space. The thought of giving her some treasures to help improve herself excited him.

    However, just as he was about to go back to the disciple dormitory through the woods, a delicate figure suddenly appeared on the path and stood in his way.

    "I''ve finally found you!" Polly glared at Zachary, her eyes brimming with anger. She had been looking for him since she left the Incredible Space with the sole intention of getting even with him.

    "Hi, Polly. What''s up?" Zachary greeted her calmly.

    "Don''t pretend like you don''t know anything." Polly cast a stern glance at him.

    "Pretend? I don''t know what you are talking about," Zachary answered.

    Polly snapped with anger when she realized that Zachary was playing the fool.

    "Polly, if you have nothing else to say, I will leave now." Zachary didn''t seem surprised to see Polly as he had already expected her to seek revenge on him for he had seen her half naked in the Incredible Space. Although he had to complete the main quest about Polly to get the Friendship-enhancing Pill, for the moment, he knew clearly that he was unable to finish it for the time being.

    "It took me a long time to find you. How can I let you go so easily?" Polly snickered contemptuously.

    "What do you want? Are you here to enjoy the view with me?" Zachary crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Polly arrogantly.

    "I want you to gouge your eyes out yourself and apologize to me!" Polly suggested, as eyed him silently for a while.

 Chapter 184 Being Asked To Join The Group Competition

    "Polly, are you all right? Why do I have to gouge out my eyes?" Zachary never expected that Polly was so cruel. So he took her words as a joke, and he never intended to lower himself to the same level as her.

    "Because you..." Polly stopped in mid-sentence. She seemed too embarrassed to talk about what happened inside the Incredible Space.

    "What? At least give me a good reason," Zachary asked. He tried his best to prove himself innocent.

    "No need for any reason. Since you refused to do that, don''t blame me for being rude to you," Polly replied and furiously stared at Zachary. She then approached him, intending to dig out his eyes by herself.

    "You are so unreasonable! I just took a very brief look at your body! You didn''t lose anything due to that." Zachary shook his head when Polly rushed towards him.

    When Polly heard his words, she became even more furious and red-faced. She wished that she could tear him into pieces. But she was afraid that if the news spread, she would be humiliated in public. So she made up her mind to keep his mouth shut. And the best way was to teach him a lesson.

    Zachary never dodged even at the threat of Polly''s incoming attack. In an instant, she rushed directly in front of him, and pointed her fingers at his eyes, preparing to dig out his eyes.

    Regardless of how powerful Polly was, it was not difficult for Zachary to dodge her attack. But he never made an effort to dodge as he felt a powerful aura that quickly approached the scene.

    And sure enough, in the blink of an eye, a delicate feminine figure suddenly appeared. With a wave of her hand, a stream of powerful martial energy at the King Level rushed out and forced Polly to retreat.

    After Polly retreated a few meters, her face suddenly changed. She stared up at the silhouette who flung her away. Polly was taken aback, for the silhouette was no other than Sara''s most trusted person, Rebecca.

    "Polly, although I don''t know what misunderstanding you have with Zachary, according to the rules of our Celestial College, no one is allowed to fight privately without permission and a supervisor present. Anyone who breaks this rule will be punished severely!" Rebecca said seriously as she stared at Polly.

    Polly never expected that s

    zing Roc?" Sara asked in a flat tone. She had her suspicions but none of it was even close to a logical explanation.

    "That would be great if someone thought of giving me a treasure beast. But the sad reality is that nobody gave it to me. It''s pure luck for me to capture and tame the Blazing Roc," Zachary explained. He tamed the Blazing Roc because he was favored by luck; otherwise, he would have been killed by the beast.

    "Really?" Sara doubted Zachary''s story but had no choice but to believe it. She studied Zachary from head to foot, as if she seriously contemplated something. After a moment of reflection, she continued, "There will be a formal competition between the Celestial College and the Shura College, including group competition and individual competition. I asked you to meet me here to let you know that you will join the group competition representing our Celestial College."

    "What?" Zachary was stunned. He never expected that Sara would ask him to participate in the group competition against Shura College.

    "Why are you so surprised?" Knowing that Zachary liked putting on an exaggerated expression, Sara gave him a stern and doubtful look.

    "With my current strength, I should not be qualified to participate in the group competition," Zachary explained in a humble tone that was mixed with worry.

    "How long do you plan to hide your strength at the Heaven Level?! I was certain that you reached the Heaven Level since three months ago," Sara said without hesitation.

 Chapter 185 The Group Competition With Shura College

    Zachary was not surprised to hear what Sara said, because he was aware that she doubted his cultivation level. He also knew that the reason why she asked him to take part in the test at the Soul Testing Pagoda was to gauge his cultivation level. However, even though Sara had already known his true cultivation level at that time, she never revealed it to him, which was strange for him. Zachary smiled calmly and slightly nodded. "You are a good observer. It seems that I can''t hide anything from you."

    "What I don''t understand is that when you were in the Welkin Sect, you were only at the Mortal Level. But a few months after you entered the Celestial College, you suddenly reached the Heaven Level. Is it because I had misunderstood you in the first place or because you had gone through something amazing in the past few months, or because you had used some special cultivation methods?" Sara asked in a fit of curiosity.

    "Well, I don''t have to tell you that. Anyway, what is more important to you right now is the competition. It is useless to dig out the past," Zachary replied in a calm voice devoid of any exaggeration. He knew that there must be a reason why Sara chose him to take part in the group competition. He knew that she must have done it for a specific purpose.

    "You are wise. So I can look forward to your performance in the group competition with the Shura College, can''t I?" Sara asked directly as she sensed that Zachary already knew her thoughts.

    "Is it a trap for me?" Zachary knew that she lured him into a trap.

    "You just found out?" She smiled knowingly at Zachary.

    "If you have something to say, just say it. There''s no need to beat around the bush," Zachary said with a wide smile.

    "This group competition with the Shura College will affect the reputation of our Celestial College. Although our college ranks second among the four martial colleges, the disciples from our college have won the first prizes in the past ten years. But the new disciples from Shura College this year is much stronger than those in the previous years. In addition, there are many talents in this competition, including Polly. She has great potential and her cultivation level is way more powerful than Joyce''s. So Master Katrina is concerned about this competition. That''s why the competition is divided into group competition and individual competition," Sara rep

    as he approached Chandler.

    "No. She''s not here. She was summoned to the square not long ago. By the way, did you get anything from this trip to the Incredible Space? I really envy you for getting the opportunity to enter such a place," Chandler said in admiration. Although he had successfully broken through to the Heaven Level two months ago, his lack of talent prevented him from passing the incarnation test. Thus he was unable to enter the Incredible Space.

    "Why do you envy me?" Zachary asked as he smiled at Chandler. He felt sorry for Chandler in his heart when he noticed that Chandler looked downcast. Chandler had good qualifications when he was in the Welkin Sect. But no one noticed his true potential when he got into the Celestial College. Although he was intelligent and always worked hard, he didn''t have credible improvement in terms of cultivation level.

    Zachary went into the east room and took out a few treasures of Heaven Level and Rare Level from the Treasure-hunting System. He left them in the room before leaving. "Chandler, I''ve left something in the room for you," Zachary said to Chandler. He tapped Chandler on his shoulder as if telling him to hang in there and never lose hope. Zachary left the disciple dormitory before Chandler could react and find out what he left for him.

    Chandler went to the east room and he was shocked to see several shining treasures arranged neatly on the table. He couldn''t help trembling and said excitedly, "Zachary, you are such a fool! You should keep those rare treasures for yourself instead of giving them to me!"

 Chapter 186 The Fiftieth Member

    As the three-day time limit approached, Zachary knew that Sophie would definitely come to see him. So, he decided to hide in the system, where he could wait for as long as he needed to.

    As another two days passed by, the competition between the Celestial College and the Shura College also kicked off.

    First, it was the group competition. The two colleges sent teams of fifty each to compete according to the rules. The rules were simple. Upon entering the designated area, both teams had to find the Door of Victory and the key that would unlock it. Finally, the team that successfully opened the Door of Victory with the key, would be declared the winner.

    However, the key to the Door of Victory as well as the door were both hidden. Plus, the space that came in the competition''s ambit was spread out over a wide area, which made it impossible even for a team of fifty to locate the Door of Victory and its key easily. Moreover, while looking for these two things, the members of the two teams would definitely encounter one another as they competed. The rules seemed to be simple, but in fact, they required both teams to do their best, be flexible, and react accordingly¡ªfor any decision or move they might make, could affect the competition''s final outcome.

    As the number of disciples from the Shura College was fifty, they all could partake in the event. However, as for the Celestial College, their top five disciples from each of their ten teams were selected to form a complete team for the competition, with Team Ten being the only exception. Only its four disciples were confirmed, and they had yet to decide the last person who would participate in the competition.

    All the disciples were guessing who would be that last team member representing the Celestial College in the competition.

    Now, the two teams stood in front of each other in the competition area, rubbing their hands, and getting ready to fight.

    The Shura College''s three masters were busy thinking of tactics and methods for their di

    he Door of Victory as well as the key to it were hidden.

    "Colin, do you think we should look for the key or the door first?" Jason asked arrogantly, as if he was not convinced that Colin was the right team lead.

    "Given our strength, we should find the key first, and gain an upper hand in the competition. If we find the Door of Victory first, but our opposing team manages to find its key, then we may not be able to guard the door," Colin answered.

    "But if we think like this, they might think on the same lines. So, I think we should do the opposite of what you propose," Jason suggested.

    "I think we should divide into two groups. One group should look for the door and the other should focus on finding the key, simultaneously," Richard said.

    "In that case, our power would be divided as well, which might give the Shura College leverage, and they might sweep us in," Jason disagreed.

    Of the rest of the disciples, some supported Colin, some were in Jason''s favor, while others lent their support to Richard.

    It was chaotic.

    "Beautiful Rita..." At that moment, Zachary suddenly approached Rita, and whispered something in her ear.

    Hearing Zachary''s words, Rita stared at him with a strange look on her face.

    "I helped you last time, and this time I am asking you for a favor," said Zachary, curling up his lips.

 Chapter 187 The Six Groups Of Disciples

    Rita gave Zachary a chiding look, but since he had helped her track Polly in the Incredible Space, she was willing to help him this time. As the disciples talked with each other, she walked forward in front of the crowd. She looked around as if gauging the disciples and said, "I''d like to say something!"

    All the disciples looked her way immediately. It was not every day that Rita stood up in front of the disciples and wanted to say something. If it were any other disciple, they would absolutely not pay any attention to him or her. But Rita was different. She was still ranked number one on the list of most potential new disciples in the Celestial College, and had never been dethroned. It was now common knowledge that she hid her real cultivation level from people.

    It was also known that in the last three months, a lot of new disciples of the Heaven Level had secretly challenged Rita in order to take the rank of first place. But unsurprisingly, all of them lost to Rita. So it quickly became obvious that Rita''s cultivation level was far beyond any of the new disciples.

    Therefore, when Rita stood in front of the new disciples and wanted to say something, all the disciples were attentive and listened carefully.

    "Rita, what do you have in mind?" Colin asked politely.

    "We are in a group competition this time. But it is a fact that the key and the Door of Victory are hidden in extremely secluded places that are not easy to find. Because of this, the mission will be hard to complete even if all the disciples are united together, or are divided into two groups. If we want to find the key and the Door of Victory in the shortest possible time, we need to approach them in a different way," Rita explained in a serious tone.

    The disciples started to murmur and nod at each other. They agreed that Rita''s statement made perfect sense.

    "What is your plan, Rita?" Colin asked after a time.

    "I think that it''s better for us to depend on individual ability to find the key and the Door of Victory. Therefore, I think that the disciples with higher cultivation levels than the rest should form into several groups to search for the key and the Door of Victory. Even if t

    e Heaven Level, which was the group leader.

    "Your two groups are responsible for luring the disciples from the Shura College to distract them, but try not to have any direct confrontation," Colin told Chandler and the other group leader.

    Chandler and the other group leader listened carefully and nodded immediately.

    "Let''s go then! The other six groups will search in different directions for the key and the Door of Victory. If we find the key first, we will fire off a red signal flare. If we find the Door of Victory first, we will fire off a green signal flare. The group which finds the Door of Victory will be responsible to guard it and take action accordingly!" Colin led the group that consisted of the disciples of the Virid Sword Sect. They went out after he spoke.

    The other five groups went their separate ways.

    Rita and Elva''s group set out the last.

    "Chandler, be careful and take good care of Zachary!" Elva reminded Chandler before they set out.

    "Don''t worry. I''ll make sure to take care of him," Chandler replied confidently as he patted his chest.

    Elva nodded at Chandler and then left with her group.

    The other group that was responsible for luring the Shura College also set out, leaving only Zachary''s group alone in the gathering area.

    "Zachary, shall we go too?" Chandler asked as he looked at Zachary.

    "No, we''re not going anywhere. We''ll just nourish our energy here," Zachary said as he waved his hand.

 Chapter 188 Progress

    Chandler was shocked to hear this, and the other six new disciples were even more confused and shocked. However, they all looked down on Zachary and began to sneer at him.

    "You are not the team leader. Why should I follow your command?"

    "Who do you think you are? We only follow the orders of the team leader."

    "A piece of trash like you can''t give orders!"

    "What are you talking about? How dare you say all that to Zachary! I declare that he is now our team leader!" Chandler shouted and cussed before Zachary could do anything or say anything.

    When the six disciples heard this, their faces quickly changed and they immediately shut their mouths. They never dared offend Chandler. They knew well that he was a warrior of Heaven Level while they were only at the Earth Level. The gap between the two levels in strength was insurmountable.

    "Ha-ha! Chandler, calm down!" Zachary laughed out loud and patted Chandler on his shoulder.

    "Zachary, you are our team leader now, and we should all follow your orders," Chandler said with a grin. He had just received several treasures from Zachary and thus respected him more.

    "Let''s wait and see then," Zachary replied as he smiled humbly.

    The other six disciples dared not object to Chandler''s decision now that he had already considered Zachary as the team leader.

    At the same time, the disciples of the Shura College surprisingly had the same tactics as the Celestial College. They were divided into six groups, scattered in different directions, and looked for the key and the Door of Victory.

    The masters of both colleges sat at the auditorium as they listened to reports about the progress of the two colleges'' teams. They whispered to each other from time to time after they heard the latest reports.

    A day had passed.

    Zachary''s team stayed their ground and waited patiently while other teams of the two colleges had already searched more than half of the competition area. No fighting broke out yet. The disciples likely reserved their energy. However, as the search area became smaller and smaller, those teams were getting closer and closer to the key and the Door of Victory as well as to each other. A fierce battle was bound to happen so

    ame time, the news that the key and the Door of Victory had been found also reached the ears of the spectators outside the competition area.

    "Shura College''s team found the Door of Victory first, which means it has got some advantages. If they get the key, then they will be the champion."

    "Those disciples of Shura College are much stronger. It seems that this group competition is fraught with grim odds."

    "Those new disciples of Celestial College aren''t weak, either. Don''t worry, the situation will change soon! We can be the winner at the last moment!"

    All masters of the Celestial College became obviously excited except for Sara, who remained calm and composed.

    The three masters from the Shura College, including Rupert, appeared extremely calm. They surely believed that they would win easily.

    Back on the battle area, several figures rushed out from the bushes suddenly and blocked Zachary''s path.

    "We have been waiting for you for a long time," a leading figure immediately said with a sinister smile on his face.

    "It''s you again!" Zachary took a closer look and saw that the man Ellison, who confronted him last time to see whose treasure beast was better.

    As soon as Zachary and his team had entered the fighting area, Ellison had been watching and following him carefully. But since they stayed still, he never had the chance to take any further actions. The only thing that he was able to do was hide in the dark and wait for an opportunity.

 Chapter 189 Black Spirit Ring

    "We will make it clear for you," Ellison said with burning fury in his eyes. He glared at Zachary as if he wanted to twist his head off his shoulders.

    "I''m sorry. I''m busy. Let''s talk later," Zachary replied. He had no time to waste on him. The most important thing for Zachary right now was to get the key.

    "Busy? I''ll hit you until you''re no longer busy," Ellison said as he let out a ferocious laugh. He then signaled to the three disciples of the Shura College behind him.

    The three disciples immediately rushed towards Zachary as they prepared to fight.

    Zachary glanced calmly at the disciples of the Shura College. Two of them were at the premium stage of Earth Level and one was at the first grade of Heaven Level. He shook his head and said blankly, "Don''t waste time. Come at me together!"

    They felt humiliated when they heard this. One of them jumped up and threw a punch at Zachary.

    Zachary easily dodged the attack. He then flicked the forehead of the disciple with his finger so fast that he was not able to see what Zachary did. The disciple was knocked away and slammed into a tree a few meters away. He slid down to the ground, and passed out.

    Before the other two disciples of the Shura College could react, a shadow flashed in front of them. They suddenly flew off as if they had been hit by a great force and fell to the ground unconscious.

    Ellison was stunned when he saw what happened to his teammates. It never occurred to him that Zachary could cripple three disciples of the Shura College with very little effort.

    "Are you going to fight with me or not? If you don''t want to fight, then get out of here right now! Don''t waste my time or get in my way!" Zachary exclaimed at the shaken Ellison.

    Ellison met Zachary''s gaze. But since he was at the fifth grade of Heaven Level, there was no reason for him to be afraid of Zachary. He immediately rushed at Zachary and used his most powerful martial arts skill, Celestial Demonic Fist.

    Several streams of compressed martial energy flew out like air bombs and rushed towards Zachary. Before he could rea

    ege were in groups of three or five, and fought against the disciples of the Shura College. The two sides were almost evenly matched.

    ''It will take some time to finish the fight. I have time to study the box, '' Zachary concluded. After he reflected on the situation for a while, he turned into a shadow and rushed into the battle ground. He then used the Flawless Illusion to merge himself with the surroundings and became virtually invisible and undetectable.

    He carefully approached the weapon that protected the box.

    The disciples of the two colleges never thought that there was a guy who was about to steal the key under their noses.

    While the disciples were busy fighting, Zachary was studying the weapon.

    ''Wow! Isn''t this the Black Spirit Ring? There is a record about this weapon in Anne''s booklet on weapon refining. It''s a very powerful weapon at the Sage Level, '' Zachary thought to himself as soon as he recognized the weapon before him.

    The Black Spirit Ring was a special OH weapon. It could release its energy to protect a target person or item, and it could counterattack when it was attacked. But once used, it couldn''t be moved. And if the protective layer was somehow forcefully destroyed, the weapon would also be destroyed and become useless. Only warriors at the Holy Level or the premium stage of Sage Level were able to break Black Spirit Ring by brute force.

 Chapter 190 Premium-stage Martial Arts

    Although Zachary was not that powerful, he studied all the structures and principles of the Black Spirit Ring in the booklet on weapon refining. So even without a strong power, he could break it anyway. It only required a little time.

    "It looks like the Celestial College is quite wealthy. It''s just a novice competition, but a treasure of Sage Level is employed for it. If I break this treasure, its owner will be extremely furious for sure. But it''s not easy to break the Black Spirit Ring. Besides, I only get one chance to do it," Zachary whispered to himself. He then became serious. If he failed to break the Black Spirit Ring, the ring would strike back at him and he might get exposed and get seriously hurt.

    He took a deep breath and then worked to break the Black Spirit Ring''s energy holes. According to the booklet on weapon refining, the energy holes consisted of very small steel needles. These needles were forged with black steel that could gather the martial energy and stop it from dissipating. So if he wanted to break the energy holes, he must first destroy the needles first.

    But the energy coming from the energy holes was dangerous. He could get severely injured if he triggered the energy holes by accident. But if he was careful, no harm would come to him.

    Zachary took out a pair of delicate and exquisite tweezers from his pocket. He usually used them to trim his nasal hairs. The tweezers were made of superior materials and could absorb martial energy. Even if they accidentally touched the energy coming from the energy holes, the Black Spirit Ring wouldn''t be triggered.

    Zachary then carefully put the tweezers into an energy hole which was of the size of a thumb and started to destroy the steel needles inside the hole. Although the needles were thin, they were very hard. It took great effort to break the needles. When he broke a needle, the force of energy flowing from the energy hole also decreased.

    However, there were five needles in each of the energy holes, and the Black Spirit Ring had more than twenty holes. Zachary must destroy a hundred steel needles to break the whole ring.

    "Who the hell is that bastard who decided to protect the box

    ned to activate his Shadow Pace to dodge the powerful martial energy. But another figure came close to him. It was Bruce.

    "Zachary, let me save you!" Bruce shouted as he pretended to save Zachary. But his true intent was to approach Zachary without hindrance. When he got close enough, a sinister smile crossed his lips, the power at the fifth grade of Heaven Level shot out. He swung his arms, and two unimpressive dark light columns went towards Zachary''s legs.

    As soon as the dark light columns fell near his feet, a mysterious force grabbed Zachary''s feet and made it hard for him to move.

    "Go to hell, you brat!" Bruce smiled, and in the blink of an eye, he retreated as if he was thrown by Polly''s martial energy.

    Polly accumulated her martial energy. It continued to condense in front of her plump breasts. The next moment, the martial energy burst forth from her chest, like countless meteorites falling down from the sky that emitted dazzling columns of light. She hid herself among the columns of light and dashed directly towards Zachary.

    "It''s a martial skill at the premium stage! Very impressive!" A loud scream pierced the night and the audience was in an uproar. Polly used a powerful martial skill and was determined to kill Zachary on the spot.

    The disciples had no idea of why Polly was doing this. Zachary had seen her naked torso, which was unbearably humiliating for her. Thus, in the mind of Polly, he had to die by her hands.

 Chapter 191 Press Hard

    Rita and Elva were shocked by what they just seen. They wanted to help, but it was far too late.

    A lot of disciples had retreated several yards away since they saw that the situation was worsening. The last thing they wanted was to be involved in the battle.

    At the same time, Zachary''s martial energy had drastically increased. With one smite, he broke through Bruce''s clunk. However, he still wasn''t executed in time. Polly rushed in front of him with her martial skill at the premium stage of Heaven Level.

    The entire area shook with the strong and loud clashes.

    A split second after, the ball of martial energy right in front of Zachary exploded with a large, blinding light. It shone and illuminated the entire area as if the sun had suddenly appeared inside.

    The disciples of the two colleges were flabbergasted by what they were witnessing. A martial skill at the premium stage of Heaven Level? It was so catastrophic in nature.

    "Yes! Ha-ha! He''s finally dead!" Bruce exclaimed. He had retreated a while ago to hide from the explosion. When he saw that Zachary was attacked by Polly''s attack, he was filled with excitement and glee. He had been waiting for Zachary''s death for a long time already.

    "Oh no...Zachary..." Elva yelled out loudly, and her lips and hands were trembling in fear. She wanted to go right up to Zachary. However, just as she was about to move, another figure flew from beside her and rushed into that violent martial energy.

    Just as the figure landed on the spot where Zachary had been standing, she saw him in front of her safe and sound. "It''s nice to see you, Rita. Did you come to save me?" he teased.

    Hearing Zachary''s joke, Rita scoffed at him lightly, "Yes, dummy. Get up. Everyone thinks you''re dead." Rita was in awe when she saw that Zachary had survived Polly''s attack.

    "Oh well. I''m going to leave now," Zachary said, winking at Rita with a lighthearted smile. This was a waste of time, after all. He activated his Shadow Pace and disappeared.

    At the same time, the rampage martial energy quickly dissipated. The disciples of the two colleges stared slack-jawed at where Zachary once stood up, and found that there was only Rita there.

    "What? Where is he?" Polly herself was shocked to see that Zachary had survived her attack.

    "He''s already gone," Rita answered, a playful smile gracing her face.

    Upon hearing that, Elva breathed a sigh of relief.

    "How is that possible? How was he able to escape from my attack?" Polly asked, stunned at what had just occurred.

    The disciples looked at

    er unruly temper. I''ll definitely try to stay out of her way next time, '' he thought to himself worriedly. He immediately raised his head to look at her and smiled sheepishly.

    At dawn, a shadowy figure shuffled through the dark woods. Running after him was a young, beautiful woman. Although she wasn''t able to fully catch up to him, she kept a steady pace behind him.

    Almost an hour later, the shadowy figure ran into a forest. At the same time, Chandler and the other disciples who were hiding in the forest were alerted by the figure''s presence almost immediately.

    Before they could attack it, the figure suddenly spoke. "Chandler! It''s me!"

    Chandler quickly recognized the voice. "Zachary?"

    "Yes, it''s me. Be ready to cover me!" Zachary yelled to Chandler immediately.

    "Do you have the key?" Chandler asked in surprise.

    "How about the cultivation levels of the disciples guarding the Door of Victory?" Zachary smiled and asked in return.

    "They are all above the Heaven Level and the leader is even at the premium stage of Heaven Level. It''ll be quite difficult for us to get through the guards, with our current cultivation levels," Chandler answered in an instant.

    Zachary darted his eyes towards the hillside, where a huge door loomed above it. He peeked to see the terrain. The Door of Victory was located on a slope, and it was surrounded by several miles of forests. The terrain here was good for defense. Moreover, it would be more difficult to attack considering that the guards were extremely strong as well.

    However, Zachary didn''t have much time to worry about it any longer. He had to make it to the Door of Victory before Polly would finally be able to catch up to him.

 Chapter 192 Charge Over

    "Chandler, can you lure them away and distract their attention for me?" Zachary instructed Chandler immediately.

    "What are you planning to do, Zachary?" Chandler asked in reply.

    "I have my own way to get up there." Zachary gave him a determined smile. "Let''s do this! Polly should be on her way!"

    Chandler nodded with determination painted across his face. Together with the six disciples of their group, Chandler rushed to the slope where the Door of Victory was located.

    At the same time, the disciples of the Shura College guarding the Door of Victory saw the group of the Celestial College disciples rushing over. But they were not afraid at all since the cultivation levels of the Celestial College disciples were much lower than theirs. They immediately took the initiative to fight against them and intended to give them a lesson.

    Chandler and the other six disciples were surrounded by the disciples of the Shura College, and they suffered from a frenzied attack. Just as Chandler and the other six disciples'' lives were on the brink, Zachary summoned Orion and leaped in one bound onto its back.

    "Orion, I am counting on you!" Zachary patted Orion''s head; it immediately soared into the air and flew towards the slope.

    The disciples of the Shura College never expected that Zachary would ride on the treasure beast and flew towards them. They were shocked. They were fighting against the Celestial College disciples instead of guarding the Door of Victory. All they could do was watch Zachary rush to the door at an astonishing speed.

    Orion took Zachary above the Door of Victory. He had the key prepared, slipped down from Orion''s back and rushed towards the door. At the same time, Orion quickly turned into a shadow and was stored into the system.

    Zachary stood in front of the Door of Victory and was about to insert the key into the door. All of a sudden, a huge fox rushed out from nowhere. It bit Zachary''s arm that held the key furiously.

    Zachary stared at the fox and understood what he had to do. If he forced movement on his arm to reach the Door of Victory open, his arm would be broken. He immediately withdrew his hand and stepped back to keep his distance from the

    olly scoffed at him coldly. She noticed that no one was willing to support Zachary except for Elva and Rita. They merely just stood aside and watched the show.

    "I''ve never expected them to do that," Zachary replied. He didn''t think that it was a big deal, as long as he could win the group competition in behalf of the Celestial College, and completed Sara''s mission. He didn''t care at all whether or not anyone would help him.

    "Do you really believe that you can turn things around by yourself? Since the start of the competition, your Celestial College never has had the chance to win," Polly said with a smug smile as her eyes burned with fury. She couldn''t figure out why Zachary remained so confident and bold. He even dared to steal the key under the noses of so many disciples and try to open the Door of Victory stealthily himself. Unfortunately, he had underestimated her.

    "How about giving it a try?" Zachary replied with a smile.

    More and more disciples of the two colleges rushed to the slope. The entire slope was soon surrounded by disciples. The disciples of the Shura College gathered and blocked the slope. Seeing the crowd that blocked the slope, the disciples of the Celestial College decided not to fight. They just watched Zachary. They thought that it was impossible for Zachary to fight Polly alone and win the group competition by himself. Eerie silence fell on the scene as everyone held their breath and waited for the battle to begin.

 Chapter 193 The Ninth Grade Of Heaven Level

    Polly never wanted to waste time on Zachary. She jumped off from the Demonic Thunder Fox and took out an OH weapon that looked like a magic cube. The OH weapon glared, and the Demonic Thunder Fox was absorbed into it.

    Zachary was relieved to see that Polly never planned to send her treasure beast to fight.

    But at the next moment, Polly released her aura at the ninth grade of Heaven Level. It did not come as a huge shock since she was already known to be a powerful disciple of the Shura College. The slight surprise that the disciples had, came from finding out that she had already reached the ninth grade of Heaven Level.

    ''Her cultivation level is at the ninth grade of Heaven Level? So she didn''t do her best when she fought with me, '' Rita quietly thought to herself. Rita and Elva were surrounded by the disciples of the Shura College and couldn''t fight their way through their barricade. When Rita sensed Polly''s aura, she was lost in her thoughts. She knew that when Polly fought for the key, she didn''t use her full strength. She deliberately concealed her true cultivation level. When she sensed that Polly was now ready to use her real strength, she felt a strong urge to battle Polly. She believed that she was Polly''s true match and not Zachary.

    But even then, she still hesitated because Katrina told her not to expose her true cultivation level before the start of the individual competition. But now, Polly was determined to fight Zachary with all her strength. Even if Zachary was at the Heaven Level, he wasn''t a match for her.

    Although she couldn''t wait to compete with Polly, she didn''t dared disobey Katrina''s order. Thus, she had to continue to hide her true cultivation level. When she and Elva were blocked on the slope, she could do nothing but watch as Polly stood in front of Zachary with a powerful aura while he seemed relatively insignificant and feeble.

    ''It seems that I have to be serious, '' Zachary thought to himself. Although he was not surprised that Polly had reached the ninth grade of Heaven Level, he knew that he couldn''t defeat her if he didn''t do his best.

    He had his reason to defeat Polly, which was to lay the foundation for the main quest. If he wanted to deal wi

    the battle between them would become more exciting than before. She thought that no matter how deep Zachary hid his true cultivation level from people, the eighth grade of the Heaven Level must be his limit.

    "Let''s get this started." Zachary stretched out his hand as he sensed the burning fighting spirit in Polly''s eyes.

    "Since you have revealed your hidden cultivation level, then I''ll show you my real cultivation level in return." Polly''s aura surged inside her body. The next moment, fierce martial energy flooded out from her body and enveloped the area up to a hundred meters like a wild wind. When the wind subsided, her aura was no longer in the ninth grade of Heaven Level anymore.

    "The King Level! Has she reached the King Level?" Rita shouted at Zachary right away, "Don''t fight her!"

    At the same time, Polly stretched out her hands. Two purple silk ribbons immediately shot out from her sleeves. In a flash, they launched a fierce attack and flew towards Zachary. Although he had fought with Polly before and had experienced her martial art of the premium stage of Heaven Level, he could sense that her current strength was even more powerful than before. Her potent aura completely suppressed his.

    ''I can''t believe that she has already reached the King Level!'' Zachary thought to himself in shock. ''This is going to be a tough fight.''

    The disciples of two colleges were completely stunned. They realized that their strength was far from that of Polly.

 Chapter 194 The Battle

    Polly''s cultivation level, as well as her martial speed were higher than Zachary''s. So even if he was equipped with the Shadow Pace, Ghost Palm, and Lady Swordsmanship, he still couldn''t win against her.

    It didn''t take long for Polly to break Zachary''s protective martial energy. He was hit by a martial skill at the King Level. Due to the forceful impact, he retreated several steps, coughing out a mouthful of blood.

    "Prepare yourself for death!" Polly threatened manically, seeing that she was able to burst through Zachary''s martial energy. She felt more confident in her abilities and began to attack much more furiously.

    Although the gap between their strength was obviously insurmountable, Zachary refused to give up. He was not going to surrender that easily to her.

    Polly sensed that Zachary was at the verge of collapse, so she hastened to use her powerful martial skill at the King Level to defeat him. "Thunderous Elephant Skill!"

    Two spiral lightning forces, brilliantly lit with lightning radiance, suddenly shot out of her two hands before they collided against one another. From the clash, a large lightning elephant shone and roared furiously. It sparked like several lightning bolts had stormed the sky. Its giant feet stomped fiercely on the ground, making the entire area shake and tremble.

    The disciples of the two colleges stood in awe.

    Seeing that the situation was turning unfavorable, Rita couldn''t hide her true strength anymore. She knew that Zachary wouldn''t be able to survive this attack. She gathered all her power, and her aura surged up to the ninth grade of Heaven Level. The pressure knocked back a few of the disciples away, while the rest were absolutely astonished by what they were witnessing. But no matter what she did, it was too late to help him.

    In the blink of an eye, the lightning elephant rushed towards Zachary''s direction. It exploded radiantly whilst its giant hooves pranced before it stomped to trample him.

    The disciples from the two colleges were astonished by the immense power.

    With a frustrated roar, Zachary shook off the dust that accumulated on his body before he thrust his power toward his Holy Bone Bracer. "This is just great."

    All of a sudden, the elephant''s hooves landed on Zachary. A strong radiance engulfed him. A huge crater suddenly appeared after the earth trembled, and everyone feared t

    n their own feet as they tried to balance their footing.

    It took a significantly long time before the dust finally settled down again. At the epicenter, Polly was lying in her own blood. Her eyes rose up to the back of her head. She held the look of defeat.

    No one would have ever thought that Zachary would be able to defeat Polly with just one strike.

    Unbeknownst to most, the side effects from the Strength Pill were just as devastating. Even Zachary himself had trouble standing on his own feet, but he refused his weak body to express any of his pain. He wasted no time and headed for the Door of Victory.

    The disciples of the Shura College froze in silence. They stood still as they watched Zachary approach the door.

    Polly, who had been badly injured, suddenly heaved a sharp breath. She coughed up blood several times before she forced herself to stand up. Although she seemed like she was trembling and it looked like she was going to collapse again at any moment, she yelled at Zachary with her raspy voice, "Stop! We''re not done here!" Although Zachary had obviously defeated her, she didn''t want to admit her defeat that easily.

    Hearing this, Zachary halted and turned to her. "But we are done," he reasoned, smiling faintly. He turned back and continued to walk towards the Door of Victory.

    When Polly noticed that, she limped her way towards him, groaning in pain with every step in a vain attempt to stop him.

    However, a figure rushed out from the dark side with a strong, murdering aura. The person raised his hand and slammed it against Polly''s spine.

 Chapter 195 A Wonderful Battle

    Although Polly sensed a hint of killing intent behind her back, she had no strength to resist it. Just as she was about to get hit, Zachary suddenly turned around and stepped forward to hold her in his arms. But at the same time, he also exposed himself to that palm.

    "You brat! I knew you would do this!" Bruce sneered. His martial energy went towards Zachary, and was about to hit him.

    "Bruce, you are such a dick!" Zachary knew that Bruce must have known that he would save her, so he deliberately took the opportunity to kill him at that exact moment.

    When Polly saw that Zachary risked his own life to save her, she was stunned. Her resentment and anger immediately melted away.

    Seeing that Bruce was about to succeed in his evil plot, a beautiful figure suddenly showed up. She waved her hand, and a powerful suction force pulled Zachary and Polly away from the spot. Bruce''s attack hit the ground.

    Boom! The ground that was previously cracked already, sank even further.

    When Bruce saw that his attack didn''t hit the intended target, he glared at the figure who ruined his plan. And it was exactly Rita who rushed to help Zachary.

    "Thank you very much, beautiful Rita," Zachary said to Rita. After he regained his balance, he smiled at Rita and then threw the key to her. "Please open the door for us. I need to bring Polly to the healing room first." He rushed away with Polly safely in his arms.

    "He really knows how to please girls," Rita remarked with a slight smile on her beautiful face. She turned to Bruce and her entire countenance shifted into an angry glare with burning hate in her eyes. She then walked towards the door as the crowd watched, and opened it with the key that Zachary gave her.

    Colorful fireworks rushed out from the door as soon as it was opened. The loud and colorful fireworks marked the end of the group competition.

    The news that Polly was seriously injured by Zachary and that the team of the Celestial College had won the competition was immediately announced to the audience, and this surprised them all. Some of them thought that they misheard the news. Zachary broke Katrina''s treasure not long before and now he soundl

    tle between Zachary and Polly. But the most unforgettable aspect of the competition was Zachary''s strength. He reached the eighth grade of Heaven Level and possessed quadruple martial speed.

    Sara and the masters of both colleges all heard about the fight between Zachary and Polly from the freshmen that witnessed it. They all felt sorry that they couldn''t witness it in person.

    "He is truly amazing! I''m sure that even Master Katrina didn''t expect that," Sara muttered to herself; her eyes brightened up as a slight smile crept across her lips.

    When she heard that Zachary brought Polly to the healing room, she rushed to the room with the masters from the Shura College.

    When Polly saw the three masters from her college enter her room, she felt sad and ashamed.

    "How is your injury, Polly?" Rupert asked in a tone of concern. Although they lost the group competition, there was still the individual competition. They were more worried about her injury and whether it would affect her performance in the next competition or not.

    "Although I''m badly hurt, it is not serious actually," Polly replied in a flat tone.

    "Polly, where is Zachary?" Sara asked as she looked around Polly''s room.

    "He already left," Polly answered immediately in an emotionless tone of voice.

    "He''s so fast!" Sara murmured. "Now that you are safely recovering here, I will leave first to attend to something." She then nodded to the three masters and left.

 Chapter 196 Back Into The System

    Zachary returned into the system, thinking that Anne would have already completed repairing the Illusory Dragon Spine. He made a beeline for Living-dead Tomb, and saw Anne stepping out.

    "You''ve got good timing. I''ve finished the work on the Illusory Dragon Spine. It''s been repaired, and you may take it." A gentle wave of Anne''s hand produced the spine from thin air, and it floated towards Zachary.

    Zachary carefully reached out and clasped the weapon. Turning it over in his hands, he found it was still like the piece of scrap metal that it had used to be.

    "I''m grateful, Master Anne, but if I may ask...shouldn''t a weapon of Divine Level look more...divine? This one looks kind of..." Zachary trailed off, grimacing at the weapon''s appearance.

    "The Illusory Dragon Spine comes in this form, Zachary. If its appearance is too plebeian for you, then exchange it for some treasure-hunting coins," Anne replied with a huff at such a shallow concern.

    At that, Zachary burst out laughing. "Only a complete moron would exchange a weapon of Divine Level for treasure-hunting coins. I''m sorry if I seemed ungrateful for a minute there. Honestly, I don''t really care about its looks. It''s useful and powerful and that''s what matters."

    "On that note, you haven''t even finished any treasure-hunting quests in a couple of days. So here, take these quests." She gave Zachary two treasure-hunting quests for him to complete.

    He received the quests and headed back into the system briefly to place the Illusory Dragon Spine into his collection of treasures. Once done, he exited the system again and began his questing.

    It didn''t take very long; he completed two treasure-hunting quests in roughly six hours. Swaggering back into the Celestial College, he heard a woman''s voice cry shrilly, "Excuse you, but how long do you plan to keep hiding from me?!"

    Her voice, sweet as it was, was aggravatingly shrill. Zachary, heart hammering and blood surging, felt his legs rooted to the spot at the sound.

    "Master Shu, who are you referring to? I couldn''t possibly be trying to hide from you..." He recognized the voice immediately, and Zachary was certain that he was in vast jeopardy as he realized that Sophie must be livid at his absence. And offending someone at the Sage Level was never a good idea.

    "Oh really?" Now he saw Sophie''s splen

    y without a care. It was already too much to expect of her that she hadn''t yet killed him to prevent her secret from being exposed.

    "Well... I guarantee that''s not happening," Sophie responded coldly. She was aware that she might be outgunned. The only way to protect Zachary was to accompany him round the clock.

    "That isn''t convincing at all. I think I''d rather keep the contract, for my own self-preservation!" Zachary shook his head, his tone firm.

    "You!" Sophie''s face colored in rage; she was clearly unhappy that Zachary wasn''t willing to work with her here. Considering her status, she shouldn''t even have stooped so low as to make a deal with him. But even if she threatened him, he would not hand it over either.

    "It''s not even as serious as that! If I keep the contract, then not even Master Katrina will find it easy to take it from me, right?" Zachary suddenly said with a big smile, like he had a great idea.

    At that, Sophie flustered for a moment, and then it clicked for her. A wicked smile spread on her face. "So you''re saying you don''t blindly follow her rule, then?"

    "I''m only saying that my first principle in life is that I never fall for a bad deal. Always looking out for number one, that''s me." Zachary raised his eyebrows at her. "Besides, you''ve given me so many treasures last time. This is what I have for you in return."

    "You are such a little..." Sophie began, but then she stopped as she remembered that she herself was almost cheated by Katrina. At that, she quickly cut the discussion short and vanished instantly.

 Chapter 197 The Sage Hall

    ''I wonder why Master Katrina threatened Master Shu with the marriage contract. How about I follow her?'' Zachary pondered. He didn''t want to be fooled by Katrina. Although Katrina had been nice to him since he entered the Celestial College, he knew that this was because of the marriage contract that he had. Thus, at length, he decided that it was best to find out what Katrina really wanted. Then he could decide how to make full use of the marriage contract.

    Once he was decided on this course of action, he activated the power of the Dog Soul Ring and then used Shadow Pace to track the scent of Sophie.

    The college was guarded by special guards at the boundary of each zone. And it was forbidden to cross zones. Zachary used the Dog Soul Ring and his Flawless Illusion to follow Sophie and entered the most mysterious zone in the college¡ªthe Sage Hall, where only warriors of Sage Level could enter.

    As soon as he entered the Sage Hall, Zachary felt a sense of peace and tranquility. He felt that countless fierce beasts stared at him and this greatly bothered him. It was completely different from being in the Freshmen Zone. While a normal freshman never dared to enter a forbidden area such as the Sage Zone, Zachary was bold enough to do so.

    Since it was a place for warriors of Sage Level to cultivate, it was not tightly guarded. Only a few warriors of King Level patrolled the area.

    Zachary kept following Sophie''s scent until it brought him to Katrina''s place.

    ''This should be the place where Katrina cultivates, '' Zachary thought to himself as he studied the house from the outside. After he studied the area, he went to the back of the house and climbed a nearby tall tree. He focused on his hearing and heard a conversation.

    "Sophie, have you decided?" It was Katrina''s voice that spoke.

    "Yes," Sophie replied. Her voice was slightly more stern that Katrina''s voice, more confident.

    "You have made a wise choice. Since you agreed to go to the Five-God Tombs to find that thing with me, I will return the marriage contract to you afterwards," Katrina said bluntly in the same tone of voice.

    ''Sophie? The Five-God Tombs? So Master Katrina wants Master Shu...um...Master Sophie to go with her to the Five-God Tombs. What does she expect to find there? And why does sh

    Mortal Level to the premium stage of Heaven Level. It was almost impossible for him to grow this fast! Even some of the masters of the Celestial College had the same thoughts.

    A day later, at the Sage Hall

    "Don''t include Zachary in the individual competition?" Sara''s beautiful eyes were wide open and she was obviously surprised. The strength shown by Zachary in the group competition was amazing. He could definitely ensure the success of the Celestial College in the individual competition. It was hard for her to understand why Katrina suddenly decided not to include Zachary in the list of participants of the individual competition.

    "You didn''t ask for my permission when you included him in the group competition. That was a mistake from the very beginning. We shouldn''t make another mistake like that," Katrina replied. It was true that Sara never asked for Katrina''s permission to include Zachary in the group competition. Katrina only learned about it later. Since Sara already made the arrangement, Katrina didn''t think that it was a big deal. But what she never expected was that because of Zachary''s amazing performance in the group competition, Sophie changed her mind about joining her. And it disrupted her original plan! Additionally, if Zachary performed well, he would attract the attention of the other colleges. It was normal for other colleges to lure disciples like Zachary to join their colleges. She didn''t want other colleges to target Zachary, so she had to make him disappear from everyone''s sight.

 Chapter 198 The Elite Zone

    "But, if I do not allow Zachary to participate in the individual competition, there will certainly be doubts and suspicions! The people from the Shura College will also have issues with it," Sara explained. She knew that if she didn''t allow Zachary to join the competition, it would certainly cause unnecessary suspicions, rumors and doubts. Besides, she didn''t think that it was a bad thing to have Zachary in the individual competition considering his performance in the group competition.

    "Just don''t let Zachary participate in the competition. You are dismissed," Katrina ordered in a tone that was not to be questioned further.

    "I got it." Since Katrina was so determined, Sara didn''t dare to question her choice any more. Confused as she was, she nodded and then left.

    Sara announced that Zachary would not be joining the individual competition because of an injury that he was not immediately able to recover from. This created many questions, rumors and speculations. The Shura College did not make any comments, however.

    Two days later, the individual competition of freshmen from the two colleges began.

    The individual competition was a competition between the sixteen best freshmen disciples selected by each of the two colleges. As their individual strengths had been exhibited in the group competition, it was easy to estimate the results of the individual competition.

    The individual competition went on for three days. During this time, the new disciples from the two colleges all displayed their strengths and fought with their very best. Some of them even performed better than normal. All the new disciples, especially those from the Celestial College who were inspired by Zachary''s outstanding performance during the group competition, did their best in the individual competition, and this placed the Shura College under a lot of pressure. New disciples like Joyce, Elva and Richard also had amazing performances, especially Richard, who showed the strength of the sixth grade of Heaven Level unexpectedly.

    But eventually, the rookies from two colleges who reached the finals were unsurprisingly Rita and Polly.

    At the beginning of the match, Polly was positioned to win. But she didn''t recover completely from her injury in her fight with Zachary. And Rita finally revealed her hidden cultivation level,

    oup competition. Why do you have to be so harsh on him?" Elva retorted. She was a little angry when she heard Bruce''s words. She clearly remembered that when they were at the Incredible Space, Bruce kicked Zachary into the basin in order to bring her away. She was already very dissatisfied with Bruce and his actions. If Bruce was not from the same sect as she was, she would have ignored him a long time ago. She was aware that Bruce was very jealous of Zachary.

    Bruce never expected that Elva would defend Zachary. He looked very upset, but he decided not to say anything further about the matter.

    In the meantime, the students of other clans were also discussing amongst themselves.

    "Colin, in addition to Rita, the probability of you getting selected should be the highest. If you get accepted into the Elite Zone, our sect leader will be very happy," Joyce said. Her voice clearly revealed that she had great expectations of Colin.

    "I hope that you will get chosen. If you can make it into the Elite Zone with your quadruple martial speed, you will achieve a lot more than I do. If I am lucky enough to be chosen and somehow you are not, I will request the college to give you my slot!" Colin announced and put on a faint smile on his serious face.

    "No way! That''s crazy!" Joyce exclaimed and shook her head with a slight laugh.

    "Stop arguing. I think both of you are going to be chosen," Derrick said as he laughed at Colin''s words.

    Colin and Joyce exchanged knowing looks. If what Derrick had said was true, it would be preferable.

 Chapter 199 The Elite Zone

    Jason and Richard were also surrounded by disciples from their own sect and clan. The disciples all beamed with pleasure. They all believed that Jason and Richard were sure to be in the list.

    A short moment later, all the masters, led by Sara, appeared in front of the Freshmen Zone. However, they stood stately on both sides, as if waiting for someone important to arrive.

    All the new disciples immediately speculated that there would be a warrior of Sage Level who would join the ceremony and would be the one to announce the names of the new disciples who would be accepted early into the Elite Zone. But what they really wanted most was to see Katrina.

    And sure enough, after a short while, they saw Katrina flying down from the sky and landed in the middle of the masters. She was dressed in an exquisite red robe, and looked very elegant and gorgeous. In addition, a domineering aura emitted from within her body. Everyone held their breath and couldn''t move their eyes away from her.

    "Sorry to keep you all waiting! I will now announce the names of the new disciples who are eligible to enter the Elite Zone. There are six people who are qualified to enter the Elite Zone this time." Katrina looked at the new disciples who stared back at her in anticipation and excitement, and then took out a delicate red card in one fluid motion.

    "The first disciple who is eligible for early entry into the Elite Zone is... Rita Ji!" Katrina announced in a lively voice.

    All the disciples that were present immediately went into an uproar. But they were already sure that Rita would be selected to enter the Elite Zone, so they all calmed down after a brief cheering.

    "The second one is... Colin Xie from the Virid Sword Sect!"

    The disciples also expected that Colin was qualified to enter the Elite Zone, so they were not too surprised.

    "The third is... Joyce Chen from the Virid Sword Sect!"

    When Katrina called out Joyce''s name, the crowd immediately cheered loudly as they all turned towards Joyce. Although they already expected it, since she was one of the beauties among the new disciples, they were more enthusiastic to cheer for her.

    Colin and Joyce who were chosen to enter the Elite Zone, remained very calm.

    "The fourth is... Richard Hua from the Hua Clan!" Katrina announced in a calm voice.

    As soon as the disciples of the Hua Clan heard that th

    at his body trembled. He clenched his fists and his eyes seemed to burn with the fire of hatred. He was so convinced that he would be the one to be called and he couldn''t understand why a loser like Zachary would steal his thunder.

    The disciples were immediately in an uproar after a moment of silence.

    "Why Zachary? Is it just because he defeated the most powerful disciple in the Shura College? I think he only won through sheer luck that time. He was just a loser before. How did he suddenly become a mighty warrior? There must be some shady deal," Jason said angrily in a daze of confusion. He was furious that Zachary was chosen to enter the Elite Zone instead of him.

    Soon, many disciples who believed that they were stronger than Zachary showed their support.

    "I know that there will be a lot who will disagree with this decision. But he was chosen not only because he defeated the most powerful disciple of the Shura College, but also because he has broken the record of incarnation test in the Soul Testing Pagoda of our Celestial College. Besides, he has made great progress since he entered the Celestial College. Don''t forget that before he entered the Celestial College, he was just a rookie whose cultivation was lower than the Earth Level. But in the past few months, he has reached the premium stage of Heaven Level. Is there any of you who has achieved that much progress like him in the same span of time?" Katrina explained clearly and in a calm voice. She clearly anticipated the reactions of the disciples to her announcement and was prepared to answer them.

 Chapter 200 Being Arrogant

    What Katrina said silenced and humbled all the disciples that were present because they realized that she was right. Even though Zachary had kept a low profile since he entered the Celestial College, once in a while he would suddenly show his amazing performance, such as obtaining the treasure beast, breaking the record in the incarnation test. His performance always surprised people. But most importantly, his strength in the past few months had improved by leaps and bounds. Such a growth speed was truly beyond their reach.

    "But no one can guarantee that he truly defeated Polly by using his real strength. Perhaps he used a devious way to win. Or maybe he has a special relationship with her. So, he asked her to let him win deliberately. Many people saw him sending her to the healing room for treatment." Bruce stepped forward and questioned the decision with a ferocious look.

    His words provoked another uproar because his words also made sense. It was true that Zachary brought Polly to the healing room under the watchful eyes of the other disciples. If Zachary claimed that they didn''t have any relationship, it would be hard to believe!

    To Katrina''s surprise, Bruce, from the same sect as Zachary, openly questioned his own junior. This made her very unhappy, but she didn''t say anything and turned her attention towards another direction.

    "Bruce, do you really want to know my real cultivation level? Well, I''ll give you the chance right here, right now." A steady and powerful voice rang out from the direction where Katrina was staring.

    The crowd quickly made way. They saw Zachary calmly walking through the crowd straight to Bruce. He stared straight at him with sharp eyes.

    "You..." Bruce never expected that Zachary would appear. He clenched his fists and couldn''t conceal his hatred for him.

    When the disciples saw the internal conflict among the two disciples from the same sect, they became eager to watch the fun.

    The look in Elva''s eyes turned cold, but she knew that she could not intervene in their conflict.

    "Zachary, someone doubts your cultivation level. Why don''t you show it again? There''s no need to hide it n

    ll in the group competition and individual competition. Some were happy while some were not.

    "Elva, I really envy the three of you for getting the chance to go back to the Welkin Sect together!" Chandler said. His name was not called, so he looked at Zachary and Elva with admiration.

    Elva looked at Zachary with a faint smile. She knew that this return to their sect would mean a lot to him.

    "Go back to the Welkin Sect?" Zachary looked up to the sky and sighed.

    Two days later

    Zachary, Elva and Bruce were ready to go back to the Welkin Sect. They stayed in the disciple dormitory with Chandler and patiently waited for the master that was sent by the Celestial College to go back with them.

    Before long, a woman walked in and declared, "Let''s go!"

    Zachary and the others were stunned, because she was not someone they never met. It was Sara.

    "Master Sara?! You will go back with us?" Elva asked in surprise.

    "Is there a problem?" Sara asked as she glanced at Zachary and the other disciples.

    "No problem. Of course, no problem. I will not be lonely during the trip with the two beauties like Master Sara and Elva!" Zachary exclaimed and laughed loudly.

    Both Sara and Elva rolled their eyes at him at the same time.

    Bruce stared at him with hatred and anger.

    The three disciples left the disciple dormitory with Sara and went to take the Wind Turtle to the Welkin Sect after saying goodbye to Chandler.

 Chapter 201 The Zi Clan

    Welkin Sect''s training ground was located on a hillside at the southwest side of the sect. It was crowded at the moment, for almost all the disciples gathered there. On one side of the training ground, Lewis and the stewards sat with serious looks on their faces. They stared at the disciples of Earth Level who lay at the center of the training ground. To all appearance, they looked more dead than alive. A warrior stood in their midst. He wore a yellow robe and the surname "Zi" was tattooed on his shoulder. He looked arrogant and proud, for he had just defeated six disciples of the Welkin Sect with one blow.

    On the opposite side of Lewis and the stewards, there was a middle-aged man in a flowery robe with the same surname tattooed on his left chest. Two old men in green robes and a handsome young man sat beside him. Aside from the handsome young man, the other three men were warriors of Imperial Level. The middle-age man was the most powerful warrior among them. He was at the medium stage of Imperial Level. The two old men were at the primary stage of Imperial Level. Although there were many warriors of Imperial Level on the Supernal Continent, these three warriors were powerful enough for Lewis and the stewards from the Welkin Sect.

    But this time, Lewis and the stewards couldn''t maintain their composure anymore. They were worried, because these people were sent by the Zi Clan. A clan that was among the clan of premium stage in the Enigmatic Kingdom. They intended to annex the Welkin Sect.

    This middle-aged man''s name was Warren Bu. He was a warrior at the medium stage of Imperial Level from the Zi Clan, and he was known as a mighty warrior in the Enigmatic Kingdom. The other two old men were also seniors in the Zi Clan. As for the young man, since he was able to sit side by side with them, Lewis and the stewards guessed that he must be of a very high status in the Zi Clan. Other than that, they had no idea about the identity of the young man.

    Moreover, there was a row of disciples from the Zi Clan, dressed in yellow robes, standing behind them. All of them were above the premium stage of Earth Level, and the most powerful disciples among them were at the medium stage of Heaven Level. These disciples of the Zi Clan were like the elites of the elites, and more powerful than the disciples of t

    ck in an honest yet straightforward tone of voice.

    "Since you have made up your mind, I have nothing further to say. The purpose of our Zi Clan competing with sects and clans of primary and medium stage is to recruit talented disciples. So I don''t want to go back without getting anything. Well, if the Welkin Sect is willing to send ten qualified disciples to us, I will not make things difficult for you," Warren Bu declared with a sinister smile. He wanted to force the Welkin Sect to compromise in a way that would only benefit the Zi Clan.

    The faces of Lewis and the stewards changed. They knew that he just wanted to take advantage of them. But unless they handed over ten disciples, the Zi Clan would never let them go.

    "Master Warren, why do you have to make it difficult for us?" Lewis asked coldly.

    "I make it difficult for you? Well, then I will give you one more chance. If your disciples can defeat all the disciples of our Zi Clan present, we shall leave immediately." Warren Bu laughed loudly and arrogantly.

    When Lewis and the stewards heard this, they knew that there was no way that Warren would let them go easily. And based on the earlier battle, even if all the disciples of the Welkin Sect came, they might not be enough to defeat the disciples of the Zi Clan.

    The disciples of the Welkin Sect were all seething in anger. But no one dared to stand up to confront them.

    "Hey! What are you doing here? Oh, I see. Some crazy dogs are wandering around our Welkin Sect!" A loud howling laughter echoed on the hillside.

 Chapter 202 Back To The Welkin Sect

    Hearing the words, all the people of the Welkin Sect and the Zi Clan looked in the direction the sound was coming from. The appearance of three figures immediately caused a commotion among the Welkin Sect disciples.

    "Bruce and Elva..."

    "Wow, they have come back just in time!"

    "It seems that now our sect can be saved!"

    Excited on seeing the three new arrivals, all of the Welkin Sect disciples shouted a loud greeting.

    The three, who had arrived, were none other than Zachary, Elva, and Bruce.

    However, Sara was not there.

    The stewards and Lewis were also surprised on seeing Zachary, Elva, and Bruce, as they did not expect that they would suddenly return. However, they knew that the three were back at the right time.

    The people of the Zi Clan were also surprised to see those three disciples. They could tell that both Bruce and Elva were at the medium stage of Heaven Level. Moreover, both were as powerful as the Zi Clan disciples.

    "Are they the two disciples¡ªBruce, and Elva, who were admitted to the Celestial College? I have heard that they are the most talented of all Welkin Sect disciples in the past decades. However, aren''t they supposed to be cultivating in the Celestial College? Why did they suddenly come back?" Warren looked at Bruce and Elva and his face became grim.

    That was when the three of them came and stood in front of Lewis.

    "Master Lewis!" Bruce and Elva bowed.

    Zachary, on the other hand, just winked at Lewis. After that, he looked at the Zi Clan and said, "You just said that as long as all the disciples of the your clan were defeated, you would leave. Right?"

    Zachary knew that the father of his body''s original owner was once the head of the Zi Clan. However, the clan''s other members had betrayed his father. Although Zachary was lucky and had survived, his parents had been killed, and his fiancee had gotten lost. In addition, thanks to the Zi Clan''s current master, he was disabled. If it weren''t for his Treasure-hunting Compass, he would never have the chance to become a warrior. The Zi Clan''s current members were the enemies of his body''s previous owner, so, it wasn''t surprising that Zachary had a terrible impression on them.

    Hearing Zachary''s words, Warren was startled. But when he saw that Zachary was nothing but a piece of trash, he sneered, "Who the hell are you? Go away. Don''t talk nonsense here!"

    "So what? I''ll

    His attack was so powerful that its impact caused a streak of blood to appear at the corner of her mouth.

    Down but not out, that was when Elva held his leg tightly with her right hand, turned around and released her last martial energy instantaneously, throwing his body to the ground.

    Bang! There was a loud noise.

    Allen Zhang slid over a dozen meters on the ground before he stopped, but did not get up again.

    Elva held her left shoulder with her right hand, and smiled gently.

    Suddenly, the Welkin Sect disciples around them burst into an uproar.

    No one in the Zi Clan had expected that Elva would turn the situation around when she was about to lose.

    Warren was displeased, because Elva had defeated Allen, who was the second strongest among the Zi Clan disciples.

    "Elva, you can rest now! I''ll take care of the rest." Saying that, Bruce went onto the stage with an ingratiating expression.

    Elva nodded and went off. Meanwhile, Zachary took out a fourth-grade therapeutic pill and gave it to Elva.

    "Thank you!" After taking the pill, Elva said with relief, "At least, I didn''t bring shame to the sect. The last disciple from the Zi Clan is at the medium stage of Heaven Level, and he should not be a match for Bruce."

    "That''s not necessarily true. I think that since the Zi Clan dared to make trouble in the Welkin Sect, they must be well prepared!" replied Zachary. At that time, his eyes suddenly turned to the young man sitting next to Warren. Actually, he had been paying attention to him for some time, and he felt that he could be the Zi Clan''s real trump card.

 Chapter 203 Hidden Danger

    "Who would like to battle with me? Come over here!" Bruce was so pumped up. It was a rare opportunity to show off his strength. He would certainly not miss it. Moreover, he also knew that there was only one disciple in the Zi Clan who was at the same level as him, but with his talent and aptitude, he was confident that he would not lose.

    Warren and the seniors of the Zi Clan turned and looked at each other. There was only one disciple at the sixth grade of Heaven Level left on their side. It would be a real shame if they lost. And Bruce was a talented person. But they couldn''t run away from this because they started it. Thus, they called the last disciple to face Bruce.

    Bruce and the last disciple started to fight. Although their cultivation levels were evenly matched, Bruce was more skillful. Bruce had the upper hand because he was more talented and experienced due to his training at the Celestial College.

    Thus, it was not long before Bruce successfully defeated him.

    All the disciples of the Welkin Sect were shocked as they cheered loudly for Bruce. Bruce was a popular disciple in the Welkin Sect, and the disciples respected him a lot. Now that they''d watched him defeat the last disciple of the Zi Clan, they admired him even more.

    Lewis and the stewards of the Welkin Sect finally felt relieved. They were able to breathe easily for the first time since the Zi Clan arrived. If Elva''s performance was outstanding, Bruce''s performance just now was absolutely flawless.

    The Zi Clan group never expected that Bruce would defeat their disciples so easily. Warren''s face twisted and turned red.

    "Master Warren, I don''t think there''s anyone left in Zi Clan who can fight. So, please leave as we have agreed previously!" Seeing that the fight had ended, Lewis asked Warren to leave as they''d agreed earlier.

    "Who said there was no disciple left in the Zi Clan who can fight? Let me introduce you to the best disciple we have!" The young man that sat next to Warren suddenly stood up. His eyes blazed with bloodlust.

    Lewis and the stewards of the Welkin Sect never expected that this young man woul

    radius of fifty meters began to crack. Bruce''s clothes were torn apart and his body was covered with bruises.

    Nick Zi entered the cloud of dust and dragged out the body of Bruce. He threw Bruce''s helpless body in front of Lewis. Groaning, Bruce rolled a few times and finally stopped in front of Lewis.

    "Bruce!" Lewis and the stewards were shocked. Bruce''s master, Herman, rushed at Bruce to check him for injuries.

    "You''re seriously hurt!" After a brief examination, Herman found that Bruce suffered serious internal injuries and tendon damages.

    "You are garbage, just like your sect. I can knock you down with one single strike!" Nick Zi boasted with a smug smile on his handsome face.

    Lewis and the stewards became furious. They never expected that Nick Zi, with his true strength hidden deeply, could hurt Bruce so bad. They also never expected that Nick Zi was actually at the eighth grade of Heaven Level. He deliberately hid his true strength, and the purpose was to let the Welkin Sect underestimate the disciples of the Zi Clan.

    "Is this guy the strongest among all the disciples of the Welkin Sect? That is to say, no one in the Welkin Sect can defeat me. Originally, you needed to hand over ten talented disciples. But now, I will make you a generous offer. I don''t want your ten disciples. All I want is her!" Nick Zi said with his finger pointed at Elva as his eyes stared at her lustfully.

 Chapter 204 The Ghost Palm

    Elva glared at Nick and thought that he was crazy. She was willing to be handed over to the Zi Clan.

    Lewis and the stewards of the Welkin Sect knew it was not a good time to pick a fight with the Zi Clan. If they really wanted to forcefully take Elva, they could do nothing to stop them. And since Bruce had lost the battle, there was no other disciple who could defeat Nick anymore. The Zi Clan had all the reasons to take her away.

    "You ignorant little bastard! How dare you harass my wife! Kneel down!" An irresistible power came at Nick unexpectedly as a blue figure rose in the air. The person had such a superior aura that it made Nick extremely weak in an instant. His legs trembled and he couldn''t help but kneel on the ground.

    Everyone in the Welkin Sect and the Zi Clan watched agape with shock. They never imagined that Nick, who took down the strongest disciple of the Welkin Sect with just one move, would suddenly be forced to kneel on the ground by a powerful aura.

    Everyone saw the flash of the blue light, but Nick was the only one who sensed the power of the blue light because it was aimed directly at him.

    "Good boy!" After the blue light had faded, a figure stood in front of Nick, with his arms crossed. He sneered at Nick playfully.

    "It''s you!" Nick raised his head only to find that the man in front of him was Zachary, whom he had regarded as a loser earlier. He could not accept that he was overpowered by such a loser.

    Nick felt the pressure weaken so he hurriedly stood up.

    The spectators all stared at Zachary in surprise.

    Even Warren and the two seniors of the Zi Clan were astonished. They thought that what had happened was really strange.

    Lewis and the stewards had no idea of what truly happened either. They stared at Zachary with surprised eyes.

    "I will kill you!" Nick shouted at Zachary angrily. He felt extremely humiliated.

    "You are welcome to try," Zachary replied in a calm tone of voice.

    "Master Lewis, Zachary has been in the Celestial College for quite some time, but his strength doesn''t seem to have grown much. Yet he is as reckless as before. With his current strength, he has no chance against

    reased to the eighth grade of Heaven Level, their faces suddenly looked pale.

    "Ghost Palm! Ghosts Eradication!" Unexpectedly, the whirling martial energy around Zachary''s body transformed into palm shadows that looked like ghosts crying and howling, and rushed towards Nick.

    Nick suddenly became terrified as soon as the palm shadows moved towards him. He sensed the strong power of Zachary''s move, so he hurried to use his martial energy to resist the attack. However, right after the ghost palm shadows reached him, they turned into a dazzling purple light that spread out, one wave after another, as if it was endless.

    At first, Nick was able to block it although just barely. But his protective martial energy soon broke and he was completely enclosed in the purple ghost palms.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    When Zachary stopped charging martial energy into the move, a figure, whose clothes were shredded, flew straight back to where the Zi Clan gathered.

    "Young master!" Warren''s expression changed dramatically as he hurriedly stepped forward to hold Nick up, who was now in a coma. His whole body was soak with blood from numerous cuts and wounds. He was injured far more seriously than Bruce was. It never occurred to him that Zachary could easily hurt Nick with the slightest effort.

    "Is that the same Ghost Palm that ranks fourth in all martial arts of Heaven Level in the Supernal Continent?" one of Zi Clan''s seniors shouted out.

 Chapter 205 The Zi Clans Heir

    The words of the Zi Clan''s senior shocked the disciples of the clan. The disciples of the Welkin Sect, on the other hand, were not so surprised, as they had seen Sara give the manual on the Ghost Palm to Zachary. But they were still a little shocked. They were aware that warriors not only needed to have great cultivation level, but also great understanding of a martial art when they cultivated it. If a warrior''s talent was poor, even if they had the best martial art, they would not be able to fully understand it. The higher the level of a martial art was, the higher a warrior''s talent was required. Hence, a martial art at the premium stage of Heaven Level was not something that an ordinary warrior could master.

    Since Zachary had mastered the Ghost Palm which was a martial art at the premium stage of Heaven Level, it meant that his talent was far beyond ordinary.

    Not long ago, everyone in the Welkin Sect looked down on Zachary and considered him a loser. When he returned from the Celestial College, not only had he shown his cultivation at the premium stage of Heaven Level, but he also defeated the Zi Clan''s best disciple with the Ghost Palm. He had been just a loser before, but now he was the strongest disciple in the Welkin Sect. All the Welkin Sect disciples admired him when they witnessed his unmistakable improvement.

    ''The Ghost Palm? As far as I know, this is a lost martial art at the premium stage of Heaven Level. How could a disciple of the Welkin Sect learn a lost martial art?'' Warren thought to himself as his rage swelled within. He looked up at Zachary with seething anger. Although he was dumbfounded by Zachary''s display of strength, he was still able to maintain his composure and think about the situation with a clear mind. He had seen numerous great talents and strange things during his life. There were two things that he thought about. First, he had never heard a third talent in the Welkin Sect that was superior to Bruce and Elva. Second, the performance of Zachary proved that he was very important to the Welkin Sect. Zachary was a blessing to the W

    he leader of the Zi Clan.

    The disciples of the Welkin Sect also looked at each other in amazement.

    Elva''s brows furrowed. She knew that Zachary was in trouble again, but she understood that this time it was definitely not Zachary''s fault and the Zi Clan was entirely to blame!

    ''Oh, so he is the young master of the Zi Clan. And if I had known that, I would have killed him, '' Zachary quietly thought to himself. A murderous look flashed across his eyes as he glanced at the helpless body of Nick. Nick was the son of Zachary''s enemy. Although Zachary was Nick''s cousin, Zachary no longer considered him the person that he was. Nick''s father, an uncle of the original owner of Zachary''s body, killed the parents of his body''s original owner and rose to the position of leader of the Zi Clan. So even if Zachary killed Nick, he was just doing the right thing.

    "Master Warren, we''d better take him back with us and let our leader deal with him!" said one of the two seniors of the Zi Clan with a serious look on his face. They knew clearly that if they didn''t bring a scapegoat, they would be in big trouble since they didn''t protect their young master.

    Warren planned the same thing and his eyes flashed when he heard the senior. He suddenly moved so fast that he was immediately in front of Zachary. He planned to capture Zachary alive and bring him back to the Zi Clan for punishment.

 Chapter 206 Take Zachary Away

    When Lewis saw that Warren wanted to take Zachary away, he flew in the air to stop Warren.

    But one of the seniors of the Zi Clan anticipated Lewis''s move. He immediately moved to block Lewis.

    Warren stretched out his hand and released martial energy of Imperial Level. The martial energy turned into a huge golden net that moved towards Zachary. He had nowhere to escape and was about to be captured.

    Zachary never moved to avoid the incoming net. He just stood confidently in place.

    The disciples of the Welkin Sect became worried about Zachary and thought that it was hard for him to escape the golden net. Elva scowled as she watched the event unfold before her. Although she was worried, she still remained composed.

    But just as Warren was about to capture Zachary, a delicate feminine figure appeared near him. A sharp aura shot forth from her fingertips and went towards the golden net of Warren.

    Boom!

    After the intense aura broke through the net, it kept going towards Warren. He sensed that the aura was at the medium stage of Imperial Level, which was no weaker than his. So he decided not to face it head on and dodged it immediately.

    Boom!

    The aura missed Warren and collided with the ground instead. A powerful explosion rocked the area where the aura exploded. When the dust and smoke cleared, a huge crater was visible where the aura had hit.

    The delicate feminine figure landed in front of Zachary as she kept him safely behind her back. A harsh and powerful aura radiated from her that seemed to announce to everyone present that no one could take Zachary away from her.

    Everyone was surprised with what suddenly unfolded in front of them. They never expected that a mysterious master would appear at this critical moment to protect Zachary.

    Warren was shocked when he recognized the delicate feminine figure.

    "Master Warren, since when have you resorted to base banditry? Abusing your clan''s power to rob disciples from other sects?" the delicate figure asked as she scowled at Warren.

    "What are you doing here, Master Sara?" Warren never expected that Sara would suddenly arrive. He was aware of Sara''s status and thought about his next words and actions very carefully.

    The people from the Welkin Sect immediately recognized Sara. They felt relieved that Sara was there. Warren had just lost his advantage of strength in forcing the Welkin Sect to submit to what the Zi Clan wanted, including the abduction of Zachary.

    ''It seems that Master Sara and Zachary

    nd so do I!" Lewis declared in a determined voice. Lewis could not simply sit and watch as someone who was not a member of the Welkin Sect fought to defend one of his disciples. Since he had the support of Sara, he was no longer afraid of offending the Zi Clan. He moved quickly forward and activated his aura of Imperial Level as he positioned himself to protect Zachary with Sara.

    "Humph, then don''t blame our clan for bullying you by the sheer number of our people." Seeing that Sara and Lewis had joined forces to fight, Warren immediately signaled to the two seniors of Imperial Level. He knew that the cultivation level of Sara was definitely not weaker than his. Thus, he knew that he should not be careless.

    The two seniors of Imperial Level positioned themselves at either side of Warren and stood opposite Sara and Lewis. Although there were several stewards in the Welkin Sect that were present, they were only at the King Level. Even Herman was one step away from the Imperial Level. So they could only step aside and watch the battle.

    It was three against two. But Lewis'' cultivation level was higher than those of the two seniors, and there was not much difference in cultivation level between Warren and Sara. The overall cultivation levels of both sides were more or less the same.

    Everyone waited and held their breath as the five prepared themselves for the battle. At that moment, without warning, Zachary suddenly turned towards a direction. He felt a familiar powerful aura coming from that direction.

    ''This aura, '' Zachary thought as a mischievous smile crossed his lips. He thought that things were bound to become more interesting very soon.

 Chapter 207 Drive Zachary Out Of Welkin Sect

    It was apparent that Zachary, Sara, and the other four warriors of Imperial Level could sense the strong aura.

    In the blink of an eye, a beautiful silhouette fell from the sky before it landed in the very center of the crowd. The woman was dressed in a pale yellow silk dress, which complimented her heart-shaped face and doe eyes. Everyone was so enamored by her beauty that they all stared at her with wide eyes. The strong, demonic aura emanated from her voluptuous figure which further attracted the crowd even more.

    Even Warren, as well as the two seniors of the Zi Clan, were looking at her with shock and forgot what they were about to do.

    ''Is that... Master Sophie? What is she doing here?'' Sara thought to herself and tried to hide her surprise.

    Apart from Sara, Elva and two stewards from the Welkin Sect had already seen Sophie before, but they weren''t aware of her real identity. This was why they got so curious at her appearance.

    However, Zachary held a lazy smile on his face, as if he knew full well what Sophie''s intentions were in her sudden appearance.

    Sophie confidently passed through the crowd, glaring past the weak disciples, before she stopped in front of them. She looked around with a playful smirk on her face before she asked lazily, "Who''s the leader of the Welkin Sect?"

    When Lewis heard that Sophie was looking for him, he swallowed hard. He didn''t know what a warrior of Sage Level would ever want with a guy like him, especially since he never formally met her before. His eyes darted around before he finally stepped in front of her. He then cupped his hands to show respect. "I''m Lewis Xuan, the leader of the Welkin Sect. Is there anything I can help you with, master?" Although Lewis was clueless as to who she really was, he wanted to make sure that he didn''t offend her, which was why he addressed her as "master."

    "Oh! So you''re the leader of the Welkin Sect," Sophie replied humorously. She gave Lewis a once over before she shook her head disapprovingly at him. "Such a shame. With your cultivation level, it''d be such a waste to let a talented disciple into your Welkin Sect."

    Hearing her jibe at him, Lewis frowned and replied, "I''m sure that you didn''t just come here to spend your time insulting me,

    of them obviously valued their lives, and judging from their nervous reactions, they were worried that Lewis might just choose Zachary over all of them.

    Elva didn''t expect that things would turn out like this. It never occurred to her that Sophie would force Zachary out of the Welkin Sect. But whatever the cost, she certainly wouldn''t let this happen. She stepped forward immediately and said, "Master, if Zachary offends you in any way, I''m willing to take the punishment for him. I would be happy enough to offer my life for him. I only hope that you can be considerate enough to let go of Zachary and the other disciples of the Welkin Sect!"

    When the disciples heard what Elva said, they felt both envious and embarrassed. They could never have Elva''s courage and they knew it. To them, Elva was their goddess. In such a dangerous situation, she was willing to stand out to protect them. But no matter what, they knew Elva wouldn''t stand a chance to go against this dangerous woman''s wishes.

    "I must say, you have some guts. I like it. But don''t pull your panties in a bunch. I don''t want him dead. I''m just taking him away," Sophie explained. She had to admire Elva''s bravery. Quietly, Sophie thought that she was seeing her old self in Elva''s image.

    However, Sophie''s sudden revelation of her plans just made everyone more confused. Why did she ask Lewis to expel Zachary from the Welkin Sect just so she could take him away? What was so special about Zachary that made her value him so much?

 Chapter 208 Lady Evil

    "May I know your name, master? If you want to take Zachary away, at least tell me who you are." Lewis was smart. He knew there would be consequences if he stopped the woman, but he wanted to know her identity first before she had her way.

    "Old man, you are so annoying! I told you to banish him from the Welkin Sect. Stop talking nonsense! Do you think I''m joking?" Sophie said irritably. Her anger manifested a strong murderous aura, and it spread through the air. Everyone present trembled with fear the moment they sensed it.

    Even Sara, Lewis, Warren and the two warriors of Imperial Level from the Zi Clan felt the weight of the deadly aura. Their faces turned pale and serious.

    "Master Sophie, please don''t give our sect leader a hard time. I''ll willingly go with you," Zachary said as he analyzed the situation. He knew Sophie was serious. He didn''t want to get innocent people of the Welkin Sect into any trouble. He planned to try to get rid of her after she took him away from here.

    "Great!" Sophie''s murderous aura disappeared the moment Zachary complied, and her lips formed a satisfied smile.

    Seeing her attitude turn completely different from her state just minutes ago, everyone was stunned. All it took was for Zachary to agree to go with her, and they couldn''t believe how quickly her mood changed. They felt as if Sophie and Zachary weren''t really enemies because there was a faint, ambiguous atmosphere between them.

    "But some guys want to take me away too. What should I do?" Zachary made an indecisive expression and his tone was laced with worry.

    "Who?" Sophie shouted with eyes cold as ice.

    "Those three!" Zachary pointed to Warren and the two warriors from the Zi Clan.

    Seeing that Zachary used Sophie to deal with them, Warren and the two warriors clenched their teeth, and their eyes seethed with hatred. But since they had the support of the Zi Clan, they didn''t show an ounce of fear. "Master, this man seriously injured our young master. We must take him back to our clan and punish him. Please, I urge you to hand him over to us. I assume he has offended you in some way, so you plan to ruin his reputation and torture him.

    equest.

    Zachary also laughed. ''Ha-ha. What happened to your arrogance earlier? She has my back, so you had better kneel down to me. You really need a bigger reputation to gain some respect these days!'' he thought.

    "Get down on your knees!" Sophie shouted. Seeing that Warren was still standing in a daze, she trained her eyes on his figure and a strong force of martial energy shrouded him. Warren felt a great pressure on him, and he was forced to kneel down on the ground.

    "I... I was wrong!" Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He knew very well that he would die if he angered Sophie further. In the end, he had to kneel down and apologize to Zachary in front of the crowd.

    "Are you satisfied?" Sophie asked, turning to look at Zachary.

    "Sort of. They''re all lackeys of the Zi Clan. They''re used to things like that," Zachary sneered.

    "Then come with me," Sophie said, and she turned around, beckoning for him to follow her

    Zachary hesitated, and looked at Lewis, Elva and Sara. He knew Sophie would threaten him again if he didn''t leave with her. So he decided to take Sophie out of the Welkin Sect first and then come up with another plan.

    "Master Sophie, if you take Zachary away like this, I wouldn''t know how to explain it to Master Katrina," Sara said before they could disappear. She couldn''t just stand by and do nothing when her disciple was about to be taken, so she gathered her courage to stop Sophie.

 Chapter 209 Katrinas Appearance

    "Sara, it''s not easy for you to cultivate to your current level, I don''t want to kill you. If Katrina wants Zachary, let her come to me in person," Sophie said. Her words indirectly reminded her not to meddle in other people''s affairs or she would regret it.

    But Sara was stoic in her decision and did not budge an inch.

    Sophie''s face twisted in anger as she glared at her. She waved her delicate hand and it fiercely slapped Sara''s body. Sara''s clothes were torn apart and her skin was badly wounded and bled.

    Zachary''s brows furrowed at what he saw. It became obvious to him that Sophie was a very violent person.

    But despite what happened, Sara still didn''t relent.

    A series of crackling sounds were heard.

    Sara was now almost naked and her fair skin was exposed. Bruises and wounds covered her body. But in a display of sheer defiance, she still didn''t budge an inch.

    "You leave me no choice but to kill you. What a pity!" Sophie never expected Sara to be so unyielding. A murderous intent started to burn in her eyes that gave her a sinister yet beautiful demeanor.

    "Master Sara, don''t do this! Just leave me alone!" Zachary shouted in a worried tone of voice. A look of concern and helplessness twisted his face. He never wanted to see anything bad happen to her because of him.

    But Sara never heeded his words. She still stood defiantly in Sophie''s way.

    Sophie took one step towards Sara and she was suddenly engulfed by a powerful force. A strong demonic aura suddenly rushed wildly towards Sara.

    Everyone was worried about Sara. Although Sara was a warrior of Imperial Level, she was like a three-year-old in front of Sophie, who was much more powerful than her. Everyone''s heart sank at the thought that she might not survive the fight.

    "Sophie, you should first ask my permission before you hurt my people!" A sweet voice echoed from the air as it called out Sophie''s attention.

    Everyone was surprised when they looked up to see who spoke from above.

    "Wow! Master Katrina is here!" Zachary said in a voice filled with relief and surprise.

    Even Sara was visibly shocked.

    A colorful phoenix flew in the air, and then hovered above the training ground. The powerful aura of the treasure beast shrouded the entire space.

    "A treasure beast! Look! It''s a treasure beast!" someone shouted. And then the crowd was immediately in an uproar.

    When the colorful phoenix shadow landed on the groun

    reaction at all.

    Because Sara was injured in the conflict, Lewis immediately ordered someone to prepare a room for her to heal her wounds. As for the seriously injured Bruce, he was also taken away by Herman. When everything and everyone was settled on the training ground, Zachary and Elva went to the palace of the Welkin Sect with Lewis and the stewards.

    A few minutes of conversation later, Lewis and the stewards found out the reason why Zachary, Elva and Bruce came back with Sara. They were surprised that they performed extremely well in the Celestial College so they were given a month''s worth of vacation. The time could also be used for them to share what they learned with the disciples of the Welkin Sect. However, the greatest surprise for Lewis and the stewards was the news that Zachary and Elva had made it to the Elite Zone of Celestial College in advance. It was a cause for great joy for them.

    "It seems that Zachary and Elva have really fought for our Welkin Sect this time. And fought really well too!"

    "Yeah, that''s true. I have never heard that in the Celestial College, one can enter the Elite Zone in advance."

    "I have already known that Zachary is truly extraordinary!"

    The stewards started to discuss with each other in obviously excited voices. Their attitude towards Zachary became completely different from before he entered the Celestial College.

    Lewis was completely beside himself in happiness at the news. He fully understood the great impact this would have for the Welkin Sect as well as its ultimate importance if Zachary and Elva could enter the Elite Zone in advance.

 Chapter 210 Conversation With Lewis

    Lewis had no idea how Zachary had advanced so fast in a short period of time. And he had something more pressing to worry about. He turned to Zachary and Elva as he said, "You must be tired from the journey back. Why don''t you go and rest now? We can continue talking tomorrow. Anyway, Master Sara won''t recover until tomorrow. And Zachary, come with me. I have something to give you." He then turned around and left with his hands clasped behind his back.

    Zachary followed Lewis as everyone watched them walk away.

    They soon arrived at the hall where Lewis normally cultivated. Zachary noticed that the hall was lined with bookshelves filled with books. Lewis loved books and collected all kinds of books and records about the Supernal Continent that he could find. He was known to be a very knowledgeable person.

    "Have a seat." Lewis beckoned to Zachary as they entered the hall.

    Zachary turned to a chair and walked towards it. He sat on the chair on one side of the hall, while Lewis sat on a couch where he usually cultivated.

    "Master Lewis, what do you want to say to me in private?" Zachary suspected that Lewis only pretended that he had something to give him, but it was only an excuse so that they could talk in private.

    "Zachary, are you hiding something from me?" Lewis asked as his eyes flickered. In the past, Zachary''s sudden improvement had already been strange to him. Just a few months after he entered the Celestial College, his strength improved from the Mortal Level to the eighth grade of Heaven Level, and this made Lewis uneasy. He was happy to see Zachary''s improvement, but he was also worried about the possible unexpected consequences from the unbelievably fast pace that Zachary advanced. Since ancient times, many warriors went astray when they tried to make breakthroughs as fast as possible, and they regretted their choices.

    "Huh?" Zachary smiled gently. He neither admitted nor denied Lewis'' suspicions.

    "It doesn''t matter if you don''t feel like telling me, but I still need to remind you: don''t take the wrong path to achieve strength fast!" He knew that Zachary had his secr

    interests in Zachary.

    "If there''s nothing else, Master Lewis, I will go now," Zachary said when he noticed that Lewis had finished asking all the questions that bothered him.

    "Alright." Lewis nodded and waved at Zachary.

    Zachary nodded impulsively and went out of the hall. When he exited the door, he was surprised that Elva stood there as if she waited for him.

    "Elva? What are you doing there? Are you waiting for me?" Zachary asked Elva with a wide smile.

    "Master Lewis said he had something for you. What was it?" Elva asked with an obvious concern in her voice.

    "Oh, it''s nothing. Just my parents'' belongings," Zachary answered dismissively.

    "Did he say anything else?" Elva continued.

    "He questions about my stay at the Celestial College and why I suddenly became so strong," Zachary replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

    "I also want to know." Of all the people who personally knew Zachary, she thought that she was perhaps the one who witnessed and even experienced his improvement the most. Thus, she was more curious than anyone else about how he did it.

    "And you will. But not yet. Not today," Zachary answered thoughtfully. Although Elva was now one of the most important women in his life, he could not let anyone know his secrets, including her.

    However, he didn''t want to conceal too much from his woman, so he decided that he would tell her when the time was right.

 Chapter 211 The Fairy Stone

    "Okay. I understand." Elva nodded. She wanted to ask Zachary about Sophie. She thought for a while and decided against it. She understood that even if she asked, it was highly likely that he would not tell her.

    "I''ll return to the back of the mountain and rest. It''s getting late. Elva, go to bed early," Zachary said. He then turned around and left.

    It was nearly dusk when he reached the back of the mountain. The afterglow made the trees beautiful. When he reached the burned tree, he saw that his old tent was still there but it was disheveled. No one had been here since he left for the Celestial College.

    He made sure that no one was around and then entered his tent. As soon as he got into his old shabby tent, he entered the system.

    As usual, he went to the Living-dead Tomb first to look for Anne to get a treasure-hunting quest. However, Anne was not there.

    "Is she fighting with Master Tania again?" Zachary rolled his eyes and entered the Fairy Island through the path that connected the two areas.

    Compared to the gloomy and cold atmosphere of the Living-dead Tomb, the Fairy Island was like a tropical paradise. When Zachary arrived at the Fairy Island, he quickly found out that Anne was not there. Her scent was not there nor was he able to detect her presence.

    "That''s so weird. Where did Master Anne go?" Zachary planned to return to the system first. He wanted to leave before Tania could sense his presence.

    However, just as he was about to return to the system, he saw a colorful and gorgeous light not far from where he was. He paused and became curious.

    ''Is it a hidden treasure? It''s not against the rules to take a look in secret, right? This should be interesting!'' Zachary thought to himself. The bizarre light formation piqued the interest of Zachary. He turned into a shadow and went straight in the direction of the colored bizarre light.

    Zachary continued to explore the path where the light formation was. He then found a crack on the side of a small hill. The crack was big enough for a man to squeez

    e, this time you broke into the forbidden area of the Fairy Island. This is truly unforgivable. Even if I don''t kill you, you will be maimed before you can leave this island!"

    Zachary was shocked. He knew she wasn''t joking. "Why is this a forbidden area when there is only a stone here? What''s the big deal?"

    "Stone? What do you mean?" Tania was visibly stunned.

    "This one!" Zachary said as he pointed at the Fairy Stone beside him.

    "You can see the Fairy Stone? That is not possible! No one can see the Fairy Stone except me!" Tania''s eyes grew wide in surprise as she stared at Zachary. The Fairy Stone was the core source of power of the Fairy Island. However, only the master of the Fairy Island and no one else saw the stone. Even Anne, who was here before, was no exception. But Zachary could see the Fairy Stone. She was astonished and did not know what to do or say.

    "Is that true? But I can see it clearly! And I even touched it!" Zachary said. Tania''s words had confused him.

    "So the recent changes in the Fairy Island was because you touched the Fairy Stone!" The reason why Tania came here was the sudden shaking just now. She thought there was something wrong with the Fairy Stone, so she came here to have a look. But she never expected that it was because Zachary touched the Fairy Stone. And this meant that he could really see the stone!

 Chapter 212 Failing To Become Tanias Disciple

    "Master Tania, you just said that only the master of the Fairy Island could see the Fairy Stone. Since I can also see the Fairy Stone, does that mean that I am also the master of the Fairy Island? Or will I be the master of the Fairy Island in the future?" Zachary asked with a smile as he thought about Tania''s words. Since he could see the Fairy Stone and had triggered the apprentice quest, the whole thing was absolutely not a coincidence.

    Tania didn''t know how to answer or handle this situation. The former master of the Fairy Island never mentioned anything like this. How could Zachary see the Fairy Stone?

    "Since I can see the Fairy Stone, I am sure that I have a connection with the Fairy Island. So, Master Tania, have you considered accepting me as your personal disciple?" Zachary took advantage of the situation to convince her to take him as her apprentice.

    "You want me to accept you as my personal disciple? Don''t ever think about it again. And get your ass out of the Fairy Island right now. Next time I see you in the Fairy Island, I will definitely kill you." Tania was enraged by Zachary''s brazen request. She thought he was too annoying. He had come to her Fairy Island to make trouble before and now he asked to be her personal disciple.

    Seeing that she had a violent temper, Zachary acknowledged that it was really not going to be easy to get her to accept him as a personal disciple. So he grinned and said, "Then I''ll leave now. See you later, Master Tania!" As soon as he finished his words, Zachary ran away as fast as a rabbit.

    "This guy!" Tania finally calmed down when Zachary was gone. She looked back at the Fairy Stone and murmured, "Is it true that he has a connection with the Fairy Island? But if he wants me to take him as my personal disciple, he is absolutely dreaming! That won''t happen unless I die!"

    Zachary sighed in relief when he was finally out of the Fairy Island. Judging from Tania''s bad temper, he knew that she was probably more difficult to deal with than Anne. Although Anne looked indifferent, she was actually a soft-hearted person inside. But Zachary could tell that Tania was a cold-hearted woman.

    "It will take a long time before I could convince Tania to take me as her personal disciple," Zachary murmured to himself in great disappointment. He then began to think about possible wa

    ter putting the materials into the furnace, Mimi''s charming voice reminded Zachary, "It will cost a day and a night to complete the entire process."

    "Well, I am not in a hurry, anyway. And I don''t have to do it on my own, which really saves me a lot of time and energy," Zachary replied. He was pleased to be able to rest. He then went to the Peach Blossom Forest to help the Blazing Roc and the Thunder Dragon Horse cultivate their skills.

    The night passed by uneventfully.

    On the morning of the second day, Zachary left the system and returned to the Welkin Sect. As soon as he entered the Heavenly Martial Hall, he saw that aside from Lewis and the stewards of the Welkin Sect, Sara, Elva and Bruce were also there.

    Although Bruce was badly injured yesterday, he seemed to have recovered a lot under the care of Herman. Except for his pale face, he already looked quite good compared to his bad situation yesterday.

    He was seriously injured yesterday and was at the brink of losing consciousness, so it was not until this morning that he heard about the news that Zachary injured Nick badly yesterday. It seemed that Nick''s injury was even more serious than his. Instead of hating Nick, he felt that he hated Zachary even more. When he came to the Heavenly Martial Hall, he heard the disciples of the Welkin Sect talking about what happened yesterday. They said that the strongest disciple in the Welkin Sect was none other than Zachary. This made him realize that his position was already taken over by Zachary, which made him even more jealous of him.

 Chapter 213 Sara Left

    "Zachary, there you are! I was just about to send someone to go find you!" Lewis laughed in surprise as he saw Zachary arriving. The man stroked his beard in fascination, as he and the stewards had gotten wind of Zachary''s incredible performance in the Celestial College. He was thrilled at the knowledge that finally, there was a disciple of the Welkin Sect that had set himself apart in the Celestial College. It was good tidings for the future.

    Some stewards in the sect had changed their mind about Zachary. The disciple that they had seen floundering at the bottom rung of the tier turned out to be one of the most noteworthy freshmen that the Celestial College had ever seen. Moreover, he had miraculously surpassed Bruce''s and Elva''s achievements, and both of them had been some of the sect''s most promising disciples for years.

    Herman, however, stood apart from the other stewards, remaining stoic as his eyes flashed in frigid winter''s cold. He had expected, with all logical understanding, that it would be Bruce in this position. Bruce, whom he had worked on so hard to develop and foster, had been the most promising among the sect''s disciples for years. And yet in a few short months, Zachary had upended those plans. Worse still, at the sect''s most dire moment, Bruce was unable to truly give much help. And yet Zachary had managed it, saving the dignity and reputation of the sect. As Bruce''s master, Herman bristled in private, ashamed of Bruce''s ineptitude.

    "Master Sara, are you feeling alright?" Zachary asked the moment he finished paying his respects to Lewis and the stewards, looking at Sara in concern.

    "Everything is alright. Master Sophie, fortunately, had no real intention of killing me, apparently." And Sara was also fully aware that if Sophie really wanted to kill her, she would certainly not be standing here today.

    Zachary nodded at her response before he turned his gaze to Bruce, who was giving him a withering glare.

    "Master Lewis, if I may be so bold, the Zi Clan might not have said anything yesterday as they left, but I sincerely doubt that they''ll give up so easily. After Zachary injured their young master, I''m certain that retribution is in their mind. There won''t be any way to excuse this. Perhaps Zachary should be sent back to the Celestial College, for safety''s sake," Herman suggested. He feigne

    naturally, stepped forward to escort her down the mountain, with an inkling that Sara might have wanted to tell him something in private.

    "Zachary, do us all a favor and lay low this month in the Welkin Sect, alright?" Sara reminded him as she and Zachary stepped out of the entrance.

    "When did you become this personable?" Zachary asked with a grin.

    She glared at him in answer. She always chose her words carefully and was seldom mouthy, but she ended up finding herself becoming a little more social whenever he was around.

    "To be honest with you," she began in a non-sequitur, "I''m wondering if Master Katrina really is having a fight with Master Sophie. Were the two of them to truly fight, there''s no way it would end in just two days." Sara''s gaze flickered as she contemplated the scenario.

    "Does that mean you''re going back to the Celestial College? Or are you going somewhere else to look for Master Katrina?" Zachary asked, puzzled.

    "I think I need to find and speak to Master Katrina first. She needs to be informed of the issue with the Zi Clan and there''s no time to lose. It might be too late if I head back to the Celestial College first." She was deeply concerned that the Zi Clan might pounce and launch an assault on the Welkin Sect, or worse, that they might find Zachary. It was imperative that she find Katrina and ask her to handle the situation.

    "I see. Take care of yourself, Master Sara. I''ll see you again in a month." Zachary nodded and gave her a wave goodbye.

    Sara took a long look at Zachary before finally departing.

 Chapter 214 The Zi Clan

    At the Zi Clan in the Enigmatic Kingdom The Zi Clan used to be one of the very top clans of medium stage in the Enigmatic Kingdom. Three years ago, Armand took over the position as the head of the clan and started to annex smaller sects and clans in the Enigmatic Kingdom. After a year, the clan turned into a sect of premium stage. In the next two years, the clan developed very fast. Although it started at the bottom of the premium stage clans, its power could not easily be underestimated. It was definitely more powerful than the top clans of medium stage.

    In a magnificent hall of the clan, Warren and two warriors half knelt at the center. They looked frightened and anxious.

    A man in his forties sat on the tiger chair at the rear end of the hall. He had sharp eyes, dashing eyebrows and a powerful aura. His face slightly twitched with anger, but he never said a word.

    The man was the current head of the clan, Armand Zi.

    "Master Armand, it''s our fault that the young master has been badly injured. Please punish us!" Warren knew that he failed to achieve the target result from the visit to the Welkin Sect. Additionally, Armand''s son had been severely injured. It was a difficult situation where no excuse could easily be made. Thus, he decided to be honest with what happened and hoped that Armand would be lenient with the punishment.

    "Elder Elijah, how is Nick?" Armand respectfully asked the elder who sat next to him.

    The elder was at least in his sixties and his hair was already all white. He looked amiable and easygoing for someone of his age. He had worked for three leaders of the Zi Clan and he had very high prestige in the clan. He was also the chief adviser of the clan.

    "I have completed the preliminary check up on the young master. He has been severely injured. At least two important meridians have broken. Even if they can be repaired, his future cultivation will still be impacted. And what''s worse, it will be impossible for hi

    s of the Zi Clan all discussed noisily again.

    "Elder Elijah, what do you think?" Armand asked Elijah after he heard the words of the warriors present.

    "I believe that the Celestial College will soon find out about what we have done to the Welkin Sect since Master Sara and Master Katrina were there. If we do something again, there is a high likelihood that they will interfere. So, I think it''s best that we wait and see what happens first," Elijah explained patiently.

    "Elder Elijah, if others find out about what you said, they will think that we are afraid of the Welkin Sect!" one warrior immediately protested. "Of course we''re not afraid of their sect.

    But it brings us no good to provoke Master Katrina of the Celestial College or Master Sophie of the Dignity College. There is no need for us to put our clan into a disadvantageous position out of impulse. Warren has made it clear that Master Katrina and Master Sara are paying great attention to this Zachary. If we just attack the Welkin Sect, I''m afraid that we could easily get into unnecessary trouble," explained Elijah. He was worried for the clan as a whole. Although the clan was at the premium stage, it was not yet one of the most powerful clans. Thus, they had to be very careful in carrying out any action and in making decisions.

 Chapter 215 Destroy From Within

    "Yes, you are right, Elder Elijah. But since Nick has been severely injured, we can''t just leave it at that. Besides, as long as Zachary is with the Welkin Sect, our plan cannot move forward." Armand nodded and seemed to agree with Elijah. However, he loved his only son very much, so he couldn''t let Zachary off so easily.

    "If we want to get rid of the disciple named Zachary and solve this problem once and for all, we don''t have to do it ourselves," Elijah said slowly and with a sinister look.

    "You mean to make someone kill him?" Armand asked immediately as he started to understand Elijah''s idea.

    "Since our ultimate goal is to conquer the Welkin Sect, we can continue to follow the plan and destroy the Welkin Sect from within. We can start with one of their stewards. If we can buy one or more of them, we can destroy the sect easily. As for this Zachary, we just need to wait for an opportunity to kill him," Elijah offered.

    "Good, very good. Elder Elijah, you are truly wise!" Armand turned to Warren. "Warren, you failed miserably this time. But since you''ve made great contributions to the Zi Clan in the past, I''ll give you a month to make up for your mistake. It does not matter what method you use, but you must get the support of someone within the Welkin Sect. As for Zachary, I will need to see his corpse."

    "Yes, Master Armand." Warren accepted the order with a bowed head. In the meantime, at the Welkin Sect

    Zachary, Elva and Bruce came back to the Welkin Sect for two purposes. The first one was to have a break, and the other was to share their skills and experience on cultivation with the disciples of the Welkin Sect. On the third day of their return, Lewis arranged some talented disciples to learn from them.

    Soon, two more days passed.

    Zachary finished giving instructions to several disciples and was about to return to the system, when he suddenly felt a familiar powerful aura approach. When he turned towards the direction of the powerful aura, he saw the alluring and gorgeous Katrina standing in front of him.

    "I suppose that Master Katrina won the battle," Zachary said. H

    dilemma. It''s better to go with the current situation." She knew that Sophie might not agree to help her even if the she took back the marriage contract. Moreover, she was also worried if Zachary was really willing to hand back the marriage contract. Thus, it would be best to let Zachary keep it first. Moreover, she was looking for other ways to make Sophie agree to help her.

    "I''ve got a feeling that the marriage contract isn''t something good to hold on to!" Zachary said with an impish smile.

    "You should be happy to be married to a warrior of Sage Level!" Katrina said as she glanced at Zachary.

    Zachary burst into a loud laughter.

    "I should go back to the Celestial College. Take care of yourself!" Katrina left immediately after saying those words.

    "You left too soon without leaving any treasure for me!" Zachary muttered as he watched Katrina leave.

    "What treasure?" a sweet voice asked from Zachary''s back.

    Zachary turned around and saw that it was Elva who spoke.

    "Elva!" Zachary affectionately called her.

    "Who were you talking to just now?" Elva asked Zachary suspiciously.

    "No one. I was talking to myself," Zachary replied while waving his hand.

    She sensed an enormously powerful aura as she approached Zachary, but it disappeared when she arrived.

    "Were you looking for me, Elva?" Zachary asked and changed the topic when he noticed the skeptical look on Elva''s face.

 Chapter 216 A Studious Cultivator

    "Nothing. I mean, I just thought... Never mind. I think I was just seeing things." Elva quickly shook her head, thinking that she might have mistaken.

    "In that case, I''ll just go ahead," Zachary smiled kindly and gave her a parting nod before he walked off.

    As she watched his retreating form, Elva stood confused. If things were the way they had been in the past, Zachary would''ve taken the chance to flirt with her a little more. But things had changed. After Zachary had to have sex with her in order to save her life, it was as though he was a different person around her. He was far less flighty and seemed to be more serious and composed. And most of all, more distant.

    There was no treasure-hunting quest to be done right now, so as Zachary entered the system, he put his focus on cultivation quests at the challenging level in order to earn more cultivation points.

    About four hours later, Zachary completed his quest and Mimi piped up in a sweet tone, "Congratulations, Zachary! You have obtained 10, 000 cultivation points and earned the title¡ª''A Studious Cultivator.'' Your reward is being a warrior of King Level for one day."

    "I get to be a warrior of King Level for one day? What in the world...?" Zachary blinked, puzzled and deeply intrigued. He hadn''t expected to receive such an interesting reward upon achieving 10, 000 cultivation points.

    "This means that upon receiving your reward, your strength will be elevated to the peak of the King Level for the duration of 24 hours," Mimi explained patiently.

    "Really? That''s something, alright..." Such an uncommon reward was a vast surprise to Zachary. He had never heard of it.

    "Would you like to receive it now?" Mimi asked him sweetly.

    "No, not right now. It''d be useless. I''d rather claim the reward at a moment of need." Such a great reward needed to be handled with great care. He couldn''t possibly waste it.

    Zachary had nothing else to do after this, and so he went to the Peach Blossom Forest to train the Blazing Roc as well as the Thunder Dragon Horse.

    Simultaneously, in a pill refining room in the Welkin Sect, Herman was busying himself in the refinement of the pills. As he did so, he sensed a brilliant aura rising from behind him. Glancing back, he found a figure seated on his chair, gazing bright-eyed at him.

    "What? You''re...!" His eyes grew wide in recognition.

    The figure seated there was none other than the Zi Clan''s famed warrior of Imperial Level, Warren, the same person who came to Welkin Sect a few days ago to stir up trouble.

    "Hello there, Herman. How have you been?" Warren smiled coldly at him.

    "What are you doing here? What do you wa

    f you is quite simple, really. All you have to do is persuade the other stewards to join you in forcibly making Lewis abdicate. If you want the position of sect leader, after all, the position must first be made vacant." Warren shrugged, giving him a genial smile.

    "As to that, well... that isn''t as simple as you imply." Herman hesitated. Lewis was highly revered within the sect and commanded the respect of all the other stewards. It would be hard enough to convince them to make him abdicate, much less find a reason.

    "Don''t overthink it. It''s really quite easy. Let''s say Lewis made a quite a big mistake...a substantial lack of judgment, maybe. If it is egregious enough, it''ll be easy to force an abdication, won''t it? Could you think of anything Lewis might have done?" Warren raised his eyebrows at him

    "A mistake? That''s a stretch. Master Lewis is always so damnably deliberate and prudent in everything he does." Herman shook his head.

    "No one is that perfect," Warren responded patiently. "There must be something that he has done wrong. He would''ve slipped up somewhere, and made a mistake so big that it couldn''t possibly be leaked out to the public. Poke around. See if he has any skeletons in his closet or dirty laundry that needs some airing. I''m sure you''ll find something." Warren waved it away breezily.

    "I got it." Herman nodded after a moment. "If Master Lewis has done anything so serious and covered it up, then he should indeed be made to abdicate."

    "By the way," Warren suddenly said, "when did the disciple named Zachary come to your sect? I don''t think any one of us has ever heard of the Welkin Sect having such an incredibly talented disciple. He may in fact outstrip Bruce and Elva." Warren raised an eyebrow, a little concerned.

 Chapter 217 A Cloth Bag

    "Well, about him, it''s really a long story." Herman hesitated for a moment and then roughly told the whole story that he knew about Zachary.

    "You mean that he was originally a piece of garbage at the Mortal Level before he went to the Celestial College, but since he was admitted by the Celestial College, his cultivation level has been promoted to his current level? How is that possible?" Warren was astounded by what he heard. It was difficult for a warrior, no matter how talented, to upgrade from the Mortal Level to the premium stage of Heaven Level in just a few months. Normally, after a warrior reached the Heaven Level, it would take him at least one month or longer if they wanted to increase one grade. The higher their grade was, the longer it took. A warrior would take at least two to three years to approach the King Level. Even if they had quadruple martial speed, it would still take them at least a year and a half. However, it only took Zachary a few months to completely surpass almost two levels. Such a feat was simply unbelievable!

    "It may sound unbelievable, but it''s true. Anyone in the Welkin Sect can prove it," Herman said and nodded.

    Warren thought for a while and found some possibly useful clues, so he asked further, "It seems that this brat is really unusual. You said that he was brought in by your sect leader three years ago? And he was seriously injured at that time?"

    "Yes, aside from our sect leader, only I know this. When he was seriously injured, I was the one who personally checked his injuries. His martial meridians were seriously damaged, so he could no longer be a warrior. But a few months before the selection test for the Celestial College, his injured meridians were somehow healed!" Herman never understood why Lewis took the seriously injured Zachary to the Welkin Sect. Even Zachary''s origin was a mystery to him. Now he felt that the sudden growth of Zachary was strange. Even, he considered that the whole thing might be arranged by Lewis on purpose.

    "Really? This guy is really odd!" Warren

    uce seemed to have a logical reason to be there. And his attitude towards him was much better than his usual, which made Zachary suspicious. But Zachary didn''t say anything about his suspicion. He asked at once, "So have you found anything useful?"

    "Yes, I found it. I will now go back to Master Herman''s place. Zachary, just wait here patiently!" Bruce said with a pleasant smile and left.

    Zachary also went back to the hall. Not long after that incident, Lewis came in.

    "Master Lewis, you were looking for me. What''s up?" Zachary asked eagerly.

    "I''ve been thinking about it for the past few days, and I think it''s time to give you things that belong to you," Lewis said with some hesitation. He knew that giving these things back to Zachary might make him walk on the path of revenge.

    "Okay!" Zachary replied as he raised his eyebrows.

    "Come with me then," Lewis replied briefly and went straight to the inner chamber.

    Zachary followed him silently. A short time later, they reached the bookshelf where Bruce had been standing. A hidden drawer popped open after Lewis reached for something on the shelf. There was a cloth bag inside the hidden drawer.

    Lewis took the bag and opened it. There was a piece of old white cloth with scarlet characters, an exquisitely carved purple token, and half a piece of ancient jade with its other half missing.

 Chapter 218 The Letter Written In Blood

    "Read this." Lewis handed the white cloth with scarlet characters to Zachary.

    "Was it written in blood?" Zachary felt his throat dried up. Lewis'' silence was unmistakable¡ªit was indeed written in blood. Yet, why? Why would someone take the time to write it in blood? He quickly shrugged all the questions on the back of his mind and took the white cloth.

    "This letter was written by your father. It is the solid evidence that your uncle murdered your parents. Your father''s last wish is that you take back what''s rightfully yours in the Zi Clan and avenge him." Lewis paused, his eyes looking down for a moment as if he was trying to find the right words. "I haven''t told you about the letter because I didn''t want to put too much pressure on you. But now, I think it''s time that I trust you enough to give this to you." Lewis looked back to him.

    Zachary opened the cloth, and just as what Lewis had told him, it revealed the truth behind the accident in the Zi Clan three years ago, as well as the despicable behavior of Armand.

    "Take these three things with you. If you decide to go back to the Zi Clan, the letter, the token, and the jade will prove who you are," Lewis continued.

    Zachary nodded. He bade his goodbye to Lewis and took his leave. He looked around as he made sure no one was around. Then, he kept the bag into the system.

    Meanwhile, Bruce found himself in a bamboo forest. A few feet away from him stood an old figure.

    "Master." Bruce stepped forward and bowed a little.

    "Have you found it?" The old man turned around and his blank eyes stared at him. It was none other than Herman.

    "Yes, I found it," Bruce nodded. "As you ordered, I opened the hidden drawer in the inner chamber of Master Lewis'' place. I found a cloth bag."

    "What''s inside?" Herman asked impatiently.

    "There are three things inside. One is a letter written in blood. And the other two items can prove Zachary''s identity. Zachary is the son of the former leader of the Zi Clan," Bruce reported without even blinking once. Herman''s eyes slit as he was processing what he just found out.

    The truth was, Bruce appeared in the Lewis'' place as he obeyed Herman''s command to look something¡ªanything he could use against Lewis. Herman himself knew about the hidden drawer in the inner chamber wherein Lewis was the only one who had access to it. However, a few days ago, he successfully found out how to open

    at Zachary. Amidst his furious glare, he hoped it would diminish his suspicions but he also knew it was far too late for that.

    "Really? If you want to know something, just tell me. I''ll tell you." Zachary smiled, as he provoked him. He knew there was something wrong when he saw Bruce at Lewis'' place. It was no coincidence and he wanted to know what he wanted, to have gone through this length. Now that he destroyed his tent, his distrust was more than ever.

    "Don''t give me that look. You are just a piece of trash!" Bruce spat angrily.

    "Then leave!" Zachary ordered.

    Bruce huffed angrily and turned to leave.

    Zachary''s eyes turned cold as he stared at Bruce''s receding figure. Although he was not sure what Bruce looked for, he was sure that he could be planning something against him.

    On the other hand, Bruce went to find Herman after he left. He reported about his deduction that the bag had been given to Zachary by Lewis.

    "It''s too late!" Herman''s face twitched in anger. His plan was perfect until this happened.

    "Master, what should we do next?" Bruce asked, searching his eyes.

    "We must find a way to get him to give it to us," Herman answered, his voice filled with annoyance. The letter written in blood was an important bargaining chip. Without it, he could not take down Lewis.

    "I''m afraid it''s not that easy. The letter is the only evidence of his identity, and of his father''s death. If Armand knows about it, he''ll kill his nephew just like how he did to his brother." Above all, Bruce knew that if Zachary wanted to live, he would protect the letter with his life.

 Chapter 219 The Letter Written In Blood

    "We will then find his weakness and force him to hand over the letter," Herman said with a ruthless look. If he could get the letter, he could threaten Lewis and the Zi Clan with it. He could get so much more than what Warren promised him. And becoming the leader of the Welkin Sect was just a minor part of it.

    "His weakness? I see it now." Bruce''s eyes narrowed as a cunning smile crossed his face. He understood how to do it.

    "This is the Five-Incense Wood. If you light it and a warrior below the King Level inhales even a little of it, it will prevent them to use martial energy for an hour. They will become weak and physically disabled. I think you could make use of it," Herman said as he took out a piece of yellow wood and handed it to Bruce.

    Bruce took it and bowed before leaving.

    He waved at a passing disciple after he left. "Go to the training ground and tell Zachary Elva is looking for him. Ask him to go to the Ancestral Hall. Don''t mention me, understand?"

    The disciple nodded with an alarmed look and hurried away.

    Bruce went to the Bamboo Gully to look for Elva.

    "Elva!" Bruce called out. Elva was not too far away. She was giving instructions to a group of female disciples.

    "Bruce, what is it?" Elva had a strange look on her face when she saw Bruce approach.

    "Elva, I need to talk to you about Zachary alone," Bruce said with a serious look. It was obvious that he had something to tell Elva that he couldn''t say in front of the other disciples.

    "Zachary? Talk about it right now?" Elva asked as soon as she heard Bruce mention Zachary.

    "Yes. It''s something very important," Bruce nodded.

    "Okay." Elva left a few instructions to the disciples and then left with Bruce.

    Elva followed Bruce as he led her to the Ancestral Hall. It was a place where the ancestors of the Welkin Sect were honored. The hall was located in a remote area, and very few people went there.

    After they entered the Ancestral Hall, Bruce turned to look at Elva.

    "Bruce, what on earth do you want to talk to me about?" Elva asked with a frown since she noticed that Bruce was being od

    d a little pained.

    "What''s wrong Elva?" Zachary asked immediately when he noticed the disturbed expression on Elva''s face. A hint of concern suddenly masked his face. "Are you okay?"

    "I... I need to ask you something," Elva said after she hesitated for a moment.

    "Sure, go ahead," Zachary replied. He couldn''t shake an odd feeling about the whole situation.

    "What is your relationship with the Zi Clan?" Elva asked immediately. She decided that there was no nice way to say what she had to ask, so she asked it anyway.

    "My relationship with the Zi Clan? Why do you ask?" Zachary''s countenance changed after he heard her question. He never understood why Elva suddenly asked him this.

    "Because someone had just told me that you were a spy sent by the Zi Clan," Elva replied with a stern look on her face. She couldn''t hide what she felt about what Bruce had told her.

    "Someone? Bruce?" Zachary knew that only Bruce would say something like that about him to Elva.

    "Actually, I don''t believe it either. How could you possibly be a spy of the Zi Clan!? Your surname is Zi, though..." Elva shook her head.

    "Elva, I don''t want to lie to you. But I am connected to the Zi Clan," Zachary said after he hesitated and thought about it. He never wanted to hide anything from his beloved woman anymore.

    "What? What are you talking about?" Elva was stunned to hear what Zachary had just said.

 Chapter 220 Five-Incense Wood

    "I''m not a spy. The head of the Zi Clan killed my father!" Zachary didn''t want to explain too much. So he gave Elva a straight answer. His eyes brimmed with anger as he spoke.

    "He killed your father? How come?" Elva replied. She was visibly shocked.

    "I can''t say too much now. But I''ll explain everything to you later. Bruce probably wanted to frame me by fabricating evidence against me. He wanted to drive a wedge between you and me. Just ignore whatever he tells you," Zachary said with a frown. He knew that Bruce wanted to discredit him. However, Bruce didn''t have any evidence to support his lie.

    "Okay. I believe what you have said," Elva answered. She became calmer now. Compared to Bruce, she believed in Zachary''s words more. When she heard that the head of the Zi Clan killed his father, she was convinced that he wasn''t lying to her because his face looked so sad and angry.

    "Let''s go." As soon as Zachary finished his words, he turned around and was about to leave with Elva. But he suddenly smelled a strange fragrance. A mere moment after he smelt the strange fragrance, the circulation of martial energy in his body suddenly slowed down and then stopped.

    At the same time, Zachary heard Elva behind him suddenly shrieking slightly. He immediately turned towards her as she pressed her chest hard with a look of extreme pain.

    "Damn it!" Zachary immediately knew that something was wrong. But when he was about to carry her away, a masked man showed up and stood behind her. He held a dagger against her neck.

    Zachary stared at the masked man and he immediately knew that it was Bruce. Bruce drew him and Elva here deliberately into his trap.

    "If you want her to live, hand over the letter written in blood," Bruce screamed in a threatening tone.

    "How do you know about the letter? Is it...?" Zachary asked as his eyes suddenly reflected the anger that he felt within him. He remembered that he met Bruce at Lewis'' place, and he might have known about the existence of the letter during that time.

    "What is done by night appears by day. You are a spy for the Zi Clan! How dare you sneak into our Welkin Sect and do everything in secret with

    mally, after he smelled the Five-Incense Wood, Zachary shouldn''t be able to use his martial energy.

    "Those who do many wrongs will end up dead! Hear that, Bruce!?" Zachary shouted with a sneer. The next moment, a huge blue shadow rose behind him instantly and an overwhelming power filled the entire Ancestral Hall.

    Bruce suddenly felt a strong pressure coming upon him, which completely suppressed his breath and made him unable to move. He quickly realized that something was horribly wrong. His expression shifted quickly as he stared at Zachary in terror because he really couldn''t figure out what Zachary did.

    Without hesitation, Zachary launched an extremely powerful spiritual skill at Bruce. In an instant, a blue ghost hand rushed out of the Holy Bone Bracer and grabbed Bruce. He was raised high into the air by the hand before he could do anything.

    "Spiritual skill! Demonic Hand!"

    Boom!

    The next moment, Bruce was slammed down hard on the floor by the hand, and the whole floor cracked. The impact sent a shock wave like a stream of invisible force up to nearly ten thousand feet. Then the entire Ancestral Hall trembled violently, threatening to collapse at any second.

    After a time, the Ancestral Hall finally calmed down without collapsing.

    Bruce was down and unmoving. All of his clothes were shredded to pieces, and he was lying face down on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

    Bruce was obviously near death.

 Chapter 221 Zachary Was Framed

    "Zachary." Elva was stunned when she saw Zachary hurt Bruce without mercy. Although she knew that Bruce had gone too far, she thought that Zachary had hit him too hard.

    Zachary stared at Bruce with an emotionless countenance. If Bruce was still alive after taking his blow, he could count himself lucky. If not, he had only himself to blame.

    Zachary was exhausted after he used the spiritual skill. He walked towards Bruce to retrieve the letter written in blood. He wanted to leave with Elva immediately.

    However, just as he bent down to get the letter, he suddenly felt a strong and bitter aura of King Level approach from behind him. When he sensed that it was about to approach him, his countenance immediately changed. Thus, he had no time to take the letter. He rushed to Elva''s side, activated the Treasure-hunting Compass, and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

    The moment when Zachary vanished, a figure came out of nowhere. He said with resentment to himself, "How could he move so fast?"

    "Master! Master!" Bruce exclaimed. He was more dead than alive as he looked up at the figure with his eyes wide opened.

    The figure was no other than Herman.

    He stared at Bruce''s pitiful face and leaned forward to check his injuries. He then shook his head and said, "You are badly injured. Even if I could save your life, I''m afraid that you would be disable for the rest of your life."

    Bruce coughed violently from what he heard. He didn''t want to become a good-for-nothing person, so he pleaded at his master in a stammering voice, "Master... save... me..."

    "I want to save you too, but if you live, I won''t be able to testify against Zachary. For the sake of your master, you better be dead." A horrible smile crossed Herman''s lips as he hit Bruce''s head.

    Crack!

    Bruce spat out a mouthful of blood, and his legs trembled slightly. He lay lifelessly on the floor. In the end, he had paid for all his evil deeds.

    After Herman made sure that Bruce was dead, he took the letter and tore i

    ach other. So, it is useless for you to go back with me. So, just stay here." Zachary went straight out of the system after he spoke.

    "Zachary!" Elva shouted but Zachary was already gone.

    When he got back to the Ancestral Hall, he found that both Herman and Bruce were already gone. Only a messy bloodstain on the floor remained. He stared at it for a moment and then disappeared without a trace.

    At the same time, the entire Welkin Sect was in chaos. The news that Zachary and Elva killed Bruce had spread all over the Welkin Sect, and it shocked everyone. Whatever the reason, killing a disciple was a taboo for disciples of the same sect. They would be killed if they committed such a crime. Moreover, Zachary was the best disciple that the Welkin Sect had carefully cultivated.

    At this time, in the Heavenly Martial Hall, Lewis and the stewards watched Bruce''s corpse that was placed in the middle of the hall. They were serious and silent.

    "Bruce! How could they do this to you?!" Only Herman stood beside Bruce''s body, feigning sadness.

    "Herman, I''m so sorry for your loss!" Lewis said. He frowned and looked puzzled. According to Herman, it was Zachary who killed Bruce, and now Zachary and Elva were nowhere to be found. He felt that it was strange, because he was not convinced that Zachary would kill Bruce for no reason.

 Chapter 222 Confrontation

    "Master Lewis, this is unforgivable! Zachary was so cruel and merciless to have killed his fellow disciple!" Herman accused Zachary.

    "Why would Zachary kill Bruce? There is no motive for him to do so. We must be missing some crucial detail. Didn''t you say that Elva was also present? If she was there, she wouldn''t allow Zachary to kill Bruce," Lewis replied in a calm tone of voice.

    The other stewards were also confused. They also felt that Zachary had no reason to kill Bruce. Moreover, it was a murder where Elva was also present. The circumstance was just impossible to explain.

    "I saw it with my own eyes. Don''t you believe me, Master Lewis? They were aligned together. I was a little late to catch them. Otherwise, I would have taken them here and confront them myself," Herman claimed, discrediting Zachary and Elva.

    "There is no evidence. We can''t know everything that has happened only by your words. I think we''d better find Zachary and Elva as soon as possible and get their side of the story." Lewis could never jump to conclusions just by the words of Herman alone. Moreover, he felt that there was something odd about the whole incident.

    Herman suddenly leaned down and searched Bruce''s body. Then he took out half of the letter written in blood from his pocket.

    Lewis was shocked when he saw the letter. He wondered how the letter that he gave to Zachary ended up with Bruce. ''Did Zachary kill Bruce because he discovered his secret? But I don''t think he is such a cruel man, '' he wondered to himself.

    "Oh, my God! Zachary is the son of the former leader of the Zi Clan! What''s going on here?" Herman shouted out in fake shock after he read the content of the letter in front of everyone present.

    The stewards were dumbfounded. They never expected that Zachary was the son of the former leader of the Zi Clan. The disciple that they had trained for a long time was actually from the Zi Clan.

    Herman then handed the letter to the other stewards. Although they couldn''t be sure of the authenticity of the content of the letter, they all developed a sense of suspicion about Zachary''s true identity.

    "There must be a missing piece of the p

    rom among the stewards. Besides, regarding this matter with Zachary, you must also be the one responsible for it and accept punishment!" Herman finally proposed insidiously and thus revealed his true intention.

    At his words, the other four stewards'' faces immediately turned pale. They never expected that the Herman would be brazen enough to demand that.

    "And what if I don''t?" It was now obvious to Lewis that Herman wanted to take over as the leader.

    "Then we have to ask the two elders in seclusion to uphold justice for us." Herman was obviously prepared for this situation.

    "Master Lewis, Herman is right. You have to give us an explanation for this situation, or else it will be difficult to convince the public of what really happened!" Barton said as he stood out.

    "I already told you that I would explain everything when I find Zachary and Elva." What Lewis was worried about the most at this point was whether Herman had killed Zachary and Elva. If so, he would never forgive him.

    "They have run away. And they won''t come back," Herman claimed immediately. In his mind, now that Zachary''s secret was exposed, and the letter written in blood was with him, Zachary would not dare to come back.

    "Master Herman, why are you so confident of this?" At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the hall. Almost in the blink of an eye, a tall figure entered the Heavenly Martial Hall to the surprise of everyone present.

 Chapter 223 Battle

    "Zachary..." Lewis'' chest swelled with both melancholy and joy when he finally caught sight of Zachary. He couldn''t help but breathe out a sigh of relief.

    The stewards turned to look at him. They never would have expected Zachary to come back after he killed Bruce.

    "You traitor! How dare you come back after killing Bruce!" Herman yelled as he made his way to the front of the growing crowd. His aura began to seethe with rage and hatred, and Zachary immediately took notice of it. He felt that Herman was ready to beat him to a pulp.

    Of course, Lewis would not let Herman get his way. Almost instantly, he summoned his martial energy and blocked Herman from Zachary before he said, "Now that he is here, it must be because his conscience is clear. Why did you attack him without even asking if he really did it? You''re acting like the guilty one here, Herman."

    Hearing this, Herman took a resentful sidelong glance at Zachary''s direction. Of course he knew that he shouldn''t be too impulsive, because if he did, then he might just accidentally reveal everything. This was why he sighed heavily in frustration before he removed his aura.

    Satisfied, Lewis turned to Zachary with an equally pointed look. "What happened? Did you kill Bruce?"

    "No," Zachary replied with furrowed eyebrows. "I did hurt Bruce, but I left him when he was still alive. I didn''t see him die." Zachary glanced towards Bruce''s still body. He knew fairly well that Herman was going to kill someone and pin the murder on him. However, what Zachary never would have expected was that Herman would blatantly kill his own disciple.

    "Did you hear that, Master Lewis? He finally admitted it!" Herman screamed angrily. "I told you! He''s the spy that was sent by the Zi Clan!"

    The other stewards were surprised with the sudden confession, but they still weren''t sure whether to believe that Zachary was the only one who did it.

    Lewis'' eyes turned like cold icicles that threatened to stab Zachary. Zachary must have a decent enough reason to fight Bruce, but openly admitting to killing him still seemed a little excessive.

    "A spy? Please, stop speculating," Zachary scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "Yes, I was a member of the Zi Clan, but that was a while ago. That doesn''t mean I''m a spy. Why would I even be a spy for a clan whose leader is my sworn enemy? Master Lewis didn''t reveal my identity to you out of fear that I might be discovered by the Zi Clan." Zachary was

    p high.

    "Master Lewis!" The other stewards turned to look at Lewis, wondering what he would do.

    Lewis'' brows furrowed as he sighed helplessly. He knew that Zachary didn''t want to drag the sect into this. But he was too impulsive! Herman was at the premium stage of King Level, so there was no way Zachary could win against him.

    He closed his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingertips. It would only get more heated and difficult if he tried to stop them. Zachary had to deal with this by himself. He only hoped that Zachary would be prepared enough.

    "No matter what happens, do not interfere. Understand?" Lewis ordered, glaring at the stewards beside him.

    The stewards nodded.

    Pleased by the stewards'' immediate compliance, Lewis led them out of the Heavenly Martial Hall. Zachary and Herman were standing opposite each other in the very middle of the square.

    When the disciples of the Welkin Sect learned that another fight was going to ensue, they immediately rushed to the square just outside the Heavenly Martial Hall.

    Soon, the whole square was crowded with people. Most of the disciples were still wondering why Zachary had killed Bruce. But no matter what the reason was, they all knew that as Bruce''s master, Herman, would never show mercy to Zachary in any given battle. He would definitely let Zachary pay for what he had done. But if Zachary was to die from this fight, the Welkin Sect would suffer greatly because not only did they lose Bruce, but they were about to lose Zachary as well. Therefore, no matter what the result was, it undoubtedly would be a big blow to the Welkin Sect!

 Chapter 224 Battle With Herman

    Lewis had no intention to stop them. He stood with the stewards at the stairs to the Heavenly Martial Hall and watched Zachary and Herman who were a few meters away. He decided to wait and see.

    "Brat, you''re going to hell!" Herman shouted loudly and instantly released the strong martial energy. In an instant, up to a hundred meters from where he stood, waves of energy surged as dust flew all around.

    A powerful aura surrounded him.

    The disciples who watched the scene burst into an uproar. Herman never revealed his true strength before. It was a dream for the disciples to reach the peak of King Level.

    Zachary had no fear at all as he faced Herman whose cultivation was one entire level higher than his. Instead, determination filled his slightly narrowed eyes. He then raised his hand to touch the Treasure-hunting Compass on his chest.

    "Receive the reward of being a warrior of King Level for one day!" Zachary said to himself.

    The compass on his chest suddenly burst into a bright yellow light that scattered around and instantly covered Zachary''s body.

    The scene stunned everyone. They didn''t know what was going on.

    The spectators soon sensed a crazy aura that constantly increased in power. It became more and more powerful as each moment passed. It surged from the Heaven Level all the way to the King Level.

    A short while later, the light dissipated, and Zachary still stood there. He reached the peak of the King Level, same as Herman''s cultivation level.

    The whole square was abuzz with excitement. No one ever thought that Zachary possessed the power of the King Level.

    "What?!" The stewards were all shocked. They stared agape at Zachary and was unable to say anything in their awe.

    But Herman was the most astonished of them all. He never thought that Zachary could become this powerful. Several months ago, he was just a garbage disciple of the Welkin Sect, but now he had the same strength as he did.

    Zachary also felt the martial energy inside his body was much stronger than before. There was a contin

    Since you obviously want to die, I will be more than happy to help you!" Provoked by Zachary''s words, Herman became mad. His martial energy erupted and covered his body. His aura increased once more. There seemed to be only a minuscule gap between his power and the power at the Imperial Level.

    He stayed at the King Level for almost a decade, because he could not make a breakthrough. The martial energy in his body became stagnant during that long span of time. However, since he never stopped to refine his martial energy, his martial energy became a bit stronger than other warriors of the same level.

    Zachary also released his full strength. He immediately increased his martial speed from triple to quadruple. The martial energy, a shimmering mix of purple and yellow, instantly rushed out of his body and formed a layer of light around him. His martial energy flowed swiftly on this layer of light.

    "Quadruple¡­ Quadruple martial speed!" Everyone in square was filled with shock at this moment. They all stood agape at what they saw. Although Zachary revealed an amazing strength in his battle against Nick, he never revealed his quadruple martial speed. Thus, when they saw Zachary''s quadruple martial speed, they were beyond shocked. For everyone present, quadruple martial speed was almost unattainable. Even Lewis, the sect leader, did not possess it.

 Chapter 225 Safe And Sound

    Just as Zachary displayed his quadruple martial speed, he charged towards Herman like a lightning bolt. This only enraged and infuriated Herman even more as he did not want to be defeated by Zachary, who he believed was just a worthless disciple of the Welkin Sect. Showing not an ounce of fear, he stretched out his arms like the wings of a roc and flew at Zachary.

    The two fighters clashed violently; energy crackled and snapped through the air when they collided, icy black against fiery purple. The martial energy radiated from within their bodies, constantly bumping against each other and bursting with great brilliance. The force of their combined strength could be felt from within a hundred meters from where they fought. It came to a point where all the other disciples in the vicinity had to retreat to the edge of the square to avoid getting hurt by the fierce power.

    Although it seemed as if they had reached a deadlock in the battle, in truth, Zachary''s power had completely surpassed Herman''s in every possible way. Neither his martial arts nor his martial speed came even close to Zachary''s.

    Zachary''s effortless execution of his deadliest skills¡ªthe Ghost Palm, the Lady Swordsmanship, the Shadow Pace and the Flawless Illusion took away Herman''s chance at putting up a decent fight. Zachary left no room for Herman to exploit any errors because he did not make any. Not a single one.

    Herman, however, was no ordinary foe. He was a famous warrior at the premium stage of King Level. Utilizing his wisdom and rich experience, he managed to hold off Zachary quiet well, but he was slowly approaching fatigue.

    The fearsome battle between the two warriors lasted for more than half a day. Through bedazzled eyes, everyone watched the fight as the sun fell behind the horizon, painting the sky shades of red and pink. Silhouetted against the afterglow of the evening, the blurry haze of black and purple colliding against each other looked even more captivating.

    The people from the Welkin Sect stood there in awe of what was unfolding before their very eyes. They would let out startled gasps, and sometimes they were just stunned and at a loss for words, completely immersed in the battle.

    Finally, just as the sun was about to disappear into the night sky, the black light and the purple light tore apart from each other. The two somehow balanced themselves on the ground and stood just a few meters away from each other. Anger churned in their eyes as they stared at each other.

    However, in contrast t

    coughed, and upon looking up, he saw Warren standing on the roof with a cold, arrogant smile on his face.

    "Warren..." Lewis gritted his teeth in anger at the sight of Warren. He thought that the latter had come here just to see two people of the Welkin Sect kill each other.

    Herman howled into the sky like a wounded beast as he tightly held Zachary in his arms. The black flames consumed his body, and it seemed as though they were ready to swallow everything. Suddenly, the black flames started glowing before they transformed into a giant ball. Several curious eyes locked gaze at this ball of black flames before it exploded all of a sudden.

    Bang!

    The black flames shot towards the sky and sparkled. In the blink of an eye, a fierce gale instantly blew hard and the black flames shrouded Herman and Zachary.

    The people from the Welkin Sect widened their eyes, staring intently at the surging wave of flames. They all believed that only one person was capable of coming out of that wave alive, and that person was Herman. After all, they saw that Zachary was tightly held by Herman and he would not be able to evade the latter''s deadly blow.

    "Zachary..." Lewis'' voice faded.

    However, just when everyone had given up on Zachary, a loud bang crackled, breaking the silence and the surging flames began to simmer down. A singular figure slowly walked out from the flames, completely unscathed, carrying a bruised body with his hand. When the smoke and the dust began to settle, everyone saw who the last man standing was, and they were shocked to their cores. It was none other than Zachary, the same person who they thought had perished helplessly in the black flames.

 Chapter 226 Herman Is Crippled

    Zachary threw the half-dead Herman to the ground and squinted at him. The latter lay on the ground like a crippled person. Herman was unable to move. His wide eyes stared at Zachary in mute shock. Although he was unwilling to admit the truth, he knew that he was already defeated completely.

    "All your meridians have been destroyed. I will not kill you because death will be too easy for you. You will live a life of endless regret and guilt. You killed Bruce, didn''t you?" Zachary asked coldly. When he left with Elva back then, Bruce was not dead. Although Bruce had been seriously injured, his injuries were not deadly enough. Thus, Zachary suspected that Herman killed his own disciple Bruce to set him up.

    Herman laughed out crazily as a ferocious and terrible look masked his face.

    Lewis and the rest of the stewards shook their heads as they witnessed the whole thing.

    ''Humph, what a useless loser! He couldn''t even defeat a disciple. However, this lad is really hard to predict. I saw him not long ago and he was only at the premium stage of Heaven Level, but now he is at the premium stage of King Level. But most importantly, he is the son of our clan''s former leader!'' Warren initially thought that even if Herman could not kill Zachary, he could at least beat him badly enough to cripple him. But he never expected that Herman would be the one who''d be crippled, while Zachary was completely safe and sound. Nevertheless, Herman was just one of his pawns, and he didn''t care about him if he was disabled or dead. What he cared about was to find out the true identity of Zachary. He went to the Welkin Sect because he received news that Zachary was the son of the former leader of the Zi Clan, and that he had the key evidence that proved the truth of the murder of the former leader''s whole family. Thus, he went and investigated the news in person.

    Warren was one of the confidants of Armand, the new leader of the Zi Clan. He also participated in the rebellion against Zachary''s father, the former leader of the Zi Clan and he was also one of the murderers who killed Zachary''s father. Thus, he knew that if Zachary was still alive, it would be a huge threat to Armand and the current Zi Clan. Besides, the truth about the dest

    cy that Herman allied himself with the Zi Clan and betrayed the Welkin Sect, his real identity was also exposed. To make it worse, Warren tried to set him up by accusing him of the murder of his own parents. ''The current Zi Clan is certainly despicably sinister!'' Zachary thought coldly.

    "Guards, lock Herman up!" After Warren left, Lewis gave a sign to the guards. He then nodded to the stewards and Zachary and said, "Let''s have a further discussion in the Heavenly Martial Hall."

    "I need to bring Elva back first," Zachary said. Afterwards, he turned into a shadow and disappeared.

    Lewis and the stewards went back to the Heavenly Martial Hall.

    When Zachary reached a deserted place, he entered the system and was teleported into the Peach Blossom Forest.

    "Zachary!" Elva let out a long sigh of relief when she saw him. "How is Bruce? Did Herman trouble you?"

    "Bruce is dead. He was likely to be killed by Herman. However, Herman''s plot has been exposed and I defeated him. He is now a crippled man," Zachary answered calmly.

    When Elva heard what Zachary said, she was shocked and her face changed drastically. Herman was the strongest among the stewards since he had reached the peak of King Level. But Zachary defeated him and even crippled him. Elva was visibly astonished.

    "Let''s go back first. Master Lewis and other stewards are waiting for us at the Heavenly Martial Hall." After he finished speaking, he and Elva turned into two rays of light and left the system.

 Chapter 227 Leave The Welkin Sect

    When Zachary and Elva entered the Heavenly Martial Hall, the stewards were all surprised. Zachary had showed amazing strength during his battle with Herman. Additionally, he was revealed to be the son of the Zi Clan''s former leader. They were eager to know whether he murdered his parents or not.

    "How did you suddenly make a breakthrough again, Zachary? How did that happen?" Lewis asked immediately as soon as Zachary entered the hall.

    "It''s hard to explain. The strength is borrowed," Zachary replied with a shrug and smiled.

    Lewis and the stewards remained puzzled. Whatever happened, he was now at the peak of King Level.

    "But thanks to Zachary, the Zi Clan didn''t succeed this time," Lewis said as he stroked his beard.

    "It is a great loss to our sect that Bruce died and Herman became crippled." The stewards shook their heads.

    "They have only themselves to blame. I think I treated them well. We all did. But unfortunately, they have chosen to take the wrong path. No one else can be blamed for this!" Lewis stated flatly.

    "I didn''t expect Herman could be bribed by the Zi Clan. In that case, Bruce must have acted according to Herman''s orders."

    "The Zi Clan is just so despicable!"

    "I''m afraid that they won''t give up that easily. And about what happened to Zachary, who should we believe?"

    "Master Lewis, you should tell us what really happened."

    The stewards all turned their attention to Lewis. They were anxious to get their doubts addressed.

    Lewis glanced at Zachary. Zachary slightly nodded back at him as mutely understood. Lewis then told them the story of the night that he saved Zachary. He didn''t tell them that Armand murdered Zachary''s parents because the story was sensitive especially without any evidence to support it.

    "So Master Lewis, it was only coincidence that you saved Zachary," Albert said with a frown.

    "Yes. If I didn''t go to visit Zachary''s father, I wouldn''t have been able to save him in time." Lewis nodded.

    "But why would the Zi Clan say that Zachary murdered his parents? And they said they had evidence," Gray asked as he scratched his chin.

    "There is clearly some misunderstanding abo

    ook a brief look at Zachary and walked out of the Heavenly Martial Hall.

    "Even if you go back to the Celestial College, the Zi Clan may not let you go easily since they have now known of your true identity. So always be very careful!" Lewis reminded Zachary seriously.

    "I''m not worried about this, but I''m afraid that the Welkin Sect might fall." Zachary''s eyes narrowed. He had a worried look about him. He knew Lewis'' true purpose of asking him and Elva to return to the Celestial College was to protect them. He knew that Lewis was aware that the Welkin Sect was doomed to be in trouble. Since the Zi Clan had known Zachary''s identity and that Lewis had protected him, they would surely destroy the Welkin Sect with no effort spared.

    "The future of the Welkin Sect is in your hands now." Lewis'' eyes rested long on Zachary, and he noticed his unwavering determination. Zachary was no longer the hopeless loser he used to be. Lewis felt proud, happy and sad all at the same time.

    "Remember to keep this half of the letter written well. The other half should still be in the hands of Herman. But he has lost his mind. I''m afraid he won''t give it to us so easily." He then handed the half of the letter that proved Zachary''s true identity to him.

    "I will think of a way." Zachary nodded and then took the half of the letter. Then he walked out of the hall, and then turned to Elva. "Let''s go!"

    Elva nodded. Soon, both of them left.

 Chapter 228 An Assassination

    "Elva, what did you want to ask me?" Zachary asked Elva, who looked like she was riddled with worry and confusion.

    Elva looked up at Zachary as she bit her lip. She hesitated for a moment before she shook her head and said, "Forget it."

    "What? Why?" Seeing that Elva suddenly avoided his curiosity, Zachary raised an eyebrow at her.

    "Nothing matters more to me than to ensure you''re safe and sound. You know that, right?" The look in her eyes softened. He had secured her in this hideout for quite a while already, and while she was here all alone, she was always worried about Zachary''s wellbeing. She had to admit that he had an unwavering position locked in her heart, and it seemed that it would always beat and flutter whenever he was around.

    "Oh, so sweet! After hearing what you said, I have nothing to regret even if I die." Zachary grinned as he spoke to her softly.

    Hearing him, Elva suddenly blushed bright red. "Don''t talk such nonsense!" She covered Zachary''s mouth with her tiny hand.

    With that, Zachary took Elva''s small hand and held it in his, before he lowered his head and pulled her closer into a deep kiss. Elva was weak in the knees when his lips touched hers, and he pressed into her even harder. She was powerless against him, but she also felt safe and secure. She sank deeper into his kiss as her cheeks blushed furiously.

    It took a while before Elva suddenly came to. She gently pushed Zachary away and she pulled back for air. "We can''t do this," she said apologetically. She turned and left.

    "What''s this now?" Zachary shook his head with a bitter smile. ''She''s sure making it hard for me. I know she loves me. I can feel it. Her pride is only getting in the way, '' he thought to himself quietly.

    Zachary turned the other way and headed for the place where Herman was. When he arrived, he saw a few of the Welkin Sect disciples standing by the door. When he came into view, all of them suddenly stood still.

    "I need to have a word with Master Herman," Zachary said, looking right in the eyes of the Welkin Sect disciples.

    Nodding, they immediately excused themselves and made room for Zachary to enter. After he had defeated Herman in public, they knew better than to provoke the strongest disciple in the Welkin Sect now.

    After Zachary went inside the room, he saw Herman lying motionless in a simp

    ere was a loose end.

    With a loud sigh, Armand put his hands behind his back as he stared out the window of his study.

    "Fortunately, I handled it properly. I said that Zachary was the murderer of his parents, and forced the Welkin Sect to hand him over, so that we can buy time to take action. Besides, I already sent someone to kill Herman. I made sure to cut up all our loose ends. However, I''m not sure if Lewis and Zachary have known what actually happened back then," Warren said as he fixated his eyes on a fluttering bird outside.

    "Only the few of you know the truth of what happened that year. I don''t think Lewis or Zachary knows. Otherwise, they would have exposed it," Armand answered thoughtfully, eyes darting towards Warren''s apprehensiveness.

    "According to Herman''s words, they have the evidence to testify against the murder of the former leader." Warren had failed twice because of Zachary''s interference. If he hadn''t brought this piece of news back in time, Armand would have punished him severely.

    "A sparkle can always set off a big fire. It''s true that we can''t keep Zachary alive, especially with the evidence against us!" Armand said with a murderous look. "Bring a group of warriors to the Welkin Sect. Kill all the members of the sect. Do it as soon as possible. The people of the Celestial College have warned us not to mess with the Welkin Sect. You must not leave any clues behind. You must make it look like Zachary did all of this."

    "Yes, Master Armand. I''ll do it immediately." Warren''s eyes flashed with a sinister smile.

 Chapter 229 Tell Elva The Secret

    When Lewis learned that Herman was killed, he knew that the Zi Clan was going to act soon. He immediately ordered the disciples to guard all paths that led into the Welkin Sect.

    "Zachary, you''d better leave the sect before sunrise," Lewis told Zachary in the Heavenly Martial Hall regarding the matter.

    "Master Lewis, are you really going to fight the Zi Clan for me?" Zachary asked, although he already knew that Lewis had decided to do this despite the danger.

    "The Zi Clan is too ambitious. Even if it is not because of your true identity, they will come for our sect sooner or later. But you don''t need to worry about it. Just go back to the Celestial College. And I thought the Celestial College already warned the Zi Clan. I think they just want you. If they know that you''ve already returned to the Celestial College, they may not attack us anymore." Lewis hoped that a miracle would happen. He hoped that the Welkin Sect could survive the crisis safely.

    "I hope so too." Zachary nodded at Lewis.

    After leaving the Heavenly Martial Hall, Zachary searched for a secluded area and entered the system.

    "Mimi, can I store the remaining time as a warrior of King Level?" Zachary asked Mimi.

    "Well. I''m afraid that it will be a bit difficult. The reward is one-time only," Mimi explained.

    "I need it urgently. If there is a way, I''m willing to pay the price," Zachary said firmly. He was convinced that the Treasure-hunting System was powerful and could do anything easily.

    "Well, if you are willing to pay three hundred treasure-hunting coins, I will make an exception and freeze the remaining time," Mimi offered in the same flat voice.

    "That much?" Zachary thought that Mimi just took advantage of the situation to rob him. Three hundred treasure-hunting coins was equivalent to at least a dozen treasures at the Heaven Level, and that was not a small amount.

    "It is already against the rules of the system to do so. Since you''re in an urgent need for it, I can break the rules for you this time. But you have to pay for it! But it''s also okay

    .

    Elva was surprised to hear what Zachary said.

    "Master Lewis saved my life, and I am not an ungrateful person. I originally planned to send you away from the Welkin Sect. Once you are safe, I will go back to the Welkin Sect and seize a chance to help Master Lewis," Zachary confessed to Elva.

    "If you stay, then I''ll stay, too." Elva also decided to stay when she heard Zachary''s words.

    "No, you have to go back to the Celestial College. Master Lewis did not reveal everything about what happened that night. There is a bigger secret hidden during the night of the murder of my family. Because of this secret, the Zi Clan will never let me, or anyone who knows the truth to live." Zachary shook his head. His countenance immediately changed to one that was filled with anger.

    "So what is this bigger secret?" Elva knew that his secret must be shocking when she saw Zachary''s expression.

    "The person responsible for the murder was no other than the current head of the Zi Clan, also my uncle. I am the only one who survived, and I am the only one who could testify against him." Zachary told Elva the most important secret of all after a brief moment''s hesitation.

    "What?!" Elva was astonished and shocked at the same time. She felt appalled. She never expected that Zachary''s parents were murdered by the current head of the Zi Clan, who was Zachary''s own uncle.

 Chapter 230 Get Framed

    "Aside from me, only Master Lewis knows the truth, so I''m afraid that the Zi Clan will kill Master Lewis," Zachary said in a voice of concern.

    "But you are alone," Elva replied in a concerned voice. She knew how powerful the Zi Clan was. There were many warriors at the Imperial Level. It would be very easy for them to defeat Lewis. And it was impossible for Zachary to win this battle.

    "Elva, you should go back to the Celestial College right away to ask Master Katrina for help. She is the only one who can save the sect and Master Lewis!" Zachary continued. He knew that time was limited. It would take at least two days to reach the Celestial College and then come back. The Zi Clan might attack at any time. Hence, Elva might not be able to make it back in time. However, by sending Elva to the Celestial College, he could at least ensure the safety of Elva.

    "But will Master Katrina come and help?" Elva asked hesitantly. Katrina came to the Welkin Sect before and the Celestial College warned the Zi Clan regarding its actions. But it seemed that they were not afraid of the Celestial College at all.

    "Even if she doesn''t come here herself, she will send someone to help us," Zachary answered firmly. He was still important to Katrina, and she would not let anything bad happen to him.

    "Then you..." Elva said bit her pink lips. She knew that the decision of Zachary was too risky. If the Zi Clan knew that he was still in the Welkin Sect, they would definitely kill him.

    "The safety of Master Lewis and the Welkin Sect depends on you now. Now, go!" Zachary said to Orion as he caressed its neck. He then jumped off from it.

    Orion raised its head and rose to the air and rushed out of the dense forest.

    When the huge hawk hovering above the forest saw Orion, it immediately rushed down towards it.

    But a shadow suddenly dashed out of the forest, grabbed one of the hawk''s legs and prevented it from catching up with Orion. Orion took this opportunity and quickly flew away.

    Almost at the same time, a few figures at the King Level appeared around Zachary.

    "This is the one! Master Warren said if he dared to leave the sect, we must kill him!" One of the warriors pointed a

    dy too late?'' Zachary realized that he was a bit late. But he did not rush inside. Because with his strength, even if he appeared to them now, he could not do much. The only thing that he could do now was save Lewis at the right time.

    "Who are you?" asked Albert. Their opponents were all masked. They obviously didn''t want to reveal their identity. Although there were only four of them, they were enough to eliminate the entire sect.

    "We have come at the bidding of our young master, Zachary!" one of the four warriors declared loudly. He made sure that everyone present would hear what he had to say.

    "Zachary?" All the people present were surprised to hear his words. They didn''t fully understand what he meant. ''Haven''t Zachary and Elva returned to the Celestial College already? Why would this group of mysterious people say that they were sent here by Zachary?'' they pondered.

    "Then what are you all doing here?" Barton asked immediately.

    "Now that you''ve discovered the true identity of our young master, you''ve ruined his plans. None of you can survive!" A masked warrior laughed after he finished speaking.

    "So it turns out that he really is a spy."

    "It seems that we all have been cheated by him!"

    "Damn it, he is such a cruel and cold-blooded man!"

    When the stewards heard this, they were both shocked and furious, and the disciples were filled with anger. They felt that they should not have trusted Zachary, who had them all fooled.

 Chapter 231 The Extermination Of The Whole Sect

    Under normal circumstances, the people of the Welkin Sect would not have easily believed these mysterious people. However, a few days ago, Warren had fabricated a story and said that Zachary murdered his parents. It was hard for them to think logically, and they easily believed what these masked people said.

    Lewis, on the other hand, stayed silent. He knew that none of these people were sent by Zachary, and that they were actually sent by the Zi Clan to exterminate the Welkin Sect. It never occurred to Lewis that Armand was willing to kill the whole Welkin Sect just to bury the truth.

    Lewis knew that it was useless to argue with these people. He knew that the most important thing was to stay alive. Because only if he stayed alive could he prove and testify against the conspiracy of the Zi Clan.

    "Stewards, escape as long as there is a chance," Lewis said. Then his aura increased and reached the medium stage of Imperial Level, which was much stronger than that of the four warriors who were at the primary stage of Imperial Level.

    "You''re a truly worthy leader of the Welkin Sect. Your strength cannot be overlooked." Three of the four warriors at the primary stage of Imperial Level immediately flew upwards and surrounded Lewis. The last one rushed to the four stewards and hundreds of disciples of the Welkin Sect with the other white-clothed warriors.

    A chaotic battle ensued in the square in front of the Heavenly Martial Hall.

    Although the cultivation levels of the three warriors of the primary stage of Imperial Level were slightly inferior to that of Lewis, they did not let him have any advantage when they worked together.

    Although the four stewards and hundreds of disciples of the Welkin Sect outnumbered their enemies, they were still defeated by the warrior and a dozen others with him. Their fierce attacks dealt a severe blow to the morale of the stewards and disciples.

    In less than two hours, one steward was dead and one was seriously injured. The remaining two struggled to fight, but the fierce attack of the white-clothed warriors had drained away their resistance and will. They all seemed to have reached their limits and couldn

    ill going to put up a fight? I wanted you to live longer to watch as we burn your sect, but since you want to die, I''m happy to be of assistance!" When Lewis approached him, Warren''s eyes suddenly turned gloomy. He stomped on the ground with his left foot, and the ground underneath cracked. At the same time, pieces of broken stones flew away as if being sucked by something.

    "Stony Fire Attack!" Warren shouted and summoned his attack. The martial energy was activated immediately. A strong force came out of his body and rushed towards Lewis as loose stones flew closely around it.

    At this moment, Lewis was ready to risk his life. He did not dodge the attack. He forced himself to get to Warren. His body was constantly battered by the falling stones and was immediately bleeding. But he continued to rush forward without hesitation.

    But a huge flame fist shadow appeared with terrifying momentum in the middle of the flying stones. This was Warren''s real killing move!

    Considering Lewis'' current injuries, it was beyond luck if he could survive one hit from this attack. But just as the fist was about to land on Lewis, a figure suddenly rushed at Lewis'' side like lightning and pulled him back. At the same time, the bone bracer on his hand erupted with light and formed an astonishing purple vortex in front of Lewis.

    In the next instant, the huge burning fist shadow collided with the purple vortex and the battle was in a stalemate.

 Chapter 232 Save Lewis

    The strength of Warren made any one of his moves destructive and hard to resist. But now, the mysterious man who seemingly appeared from nowhere unexpectedly blocked his move. In the Welkin Sect, there was no one who could resist the attack of a warrior of Imperial Level other than Lewis.

    Warren was visibly surprised.

    After the flaming fist and the purple vortex collided with each other, the purple vortex immediately took the upper hand and forcefully sucked the fist into it and absorbed it completely.

    A trace of blood flowed from the corner of the figure''s mouth. He was barely able to withstand the attack.

    "You..." Warren was surprised when he recognized the mystery person.

    "Are you looking for me?" As soon as he finished his words, Zachary glared at Warren with eyes full of hatred.

    "So you finally decided to come out. I thought you were a coward," Warren sneered and chuckled to himself.

    "Why are you still here?" Lewis asked Zachary. He was surprised that Zachary was still around.

    The remaining stewards and disciples of the Welkin Sect exchanged puzzled glances with each other. They were confused why Zachary appeared all of a sudden. And he saved Lewis from the deadly attack. Didn''t these mysterious people claim to have orders from Zachary to wipe them all out? If this was true, then why did he save Lewis?

    "It''s lucky that I didn''t leave. Otherwise, I''ll be painted as the culprit for eliminating the whole Welkin Sect." Zachary knew that Warren did this to hide the truth of the murder and have him blamed for it. Even though he could flee now, he would soon become a wanted criminal of the Enigmatic Kingdom. In the end, it wouldn''t matter if he was alive or dead; he would take the blame of the massacre of the Welkin Sect as well as of his parents.

    "Lad, if you leave the sect now, you may have a few days more to live. But now you are seeking death by being here!" Warren expected that Zachary left the sect and went back to the Celestial College for safety, but he was not

    around him. Dust and debris filled the air around him and Lewis.

    "What a stupid, over-confident boy!" A wicked smile appeared on his face as Warren watched Zachary and Lewis engulfed by the turbulent sea of martial energy. He knew that no matter how capable Zachary was, it was impossible for him to resist the joint attacks of more than a dozen white-clothed warriors.

    The warriors in white stood still as they watched. They waited to see the badly injured Zachary and Lewis appear once the dust settled.

    Suddenly, two streams of violent purple martial energy broke out of the dust cloud. The two streams of martial energy turned into ghost shadows and sword auras that filled the sky as they intertwined with each other and moved towards the warriors in white.

    The warriors were startled. They were convinced that it was the last desperately attempted resistance of Zachary. Thus, they did not avoid the attack, but chose to block the attack instead.

    But just when warriors in white thought they could block the strange attack of Zachary, the ghost shadows and the sword auras mixed with each other in the air and instantly turned into a ghost warrior with a sword that immediately rampaged when it was within range of the white-clothed warriors. The white-clothed warriors were in complete shock and immediately retreated from dread.

 Chapter 233 The Illusory Dragon

    Warren and the four warriors at the primary stage of Imperial Level were just as stunned by what they were witnessing. They had never seen such a strange display of martial arts, but unbeknownst to them, they were in for something much worse.

    The next moment, the ghost warrior exploded like a large bomb and devoured the warriors in white in an instant.

    Actually, it was a technique that Zachary created with the Ghost Palm and Lady Swordsmanship. But he had never had the time to use it. These white-clad warriors became Zachary''s guinea pigs.

    Before they realized it, blood spurted out from their bodies. The warriors'' limbs broke and cracked from the pressure before they all fell to the ground. They were all killed in a second by the technique that Zachary had created.

    All the people, including Warren and the four warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level watched in shocked silence. Some of the white-clad warriors were even at King Level, but none of them could even withstand Zachary''s technique. It was executed flawlessly!

    Lewis, who was also severely wounded, seemed to forget his pain as he watched in awe. He was gratified to see that Zachary would be so capable and talented.

    Almost at the same time, Zachary, who had just killed a dozen warriors, suddenly flew to the air and rushed towards one of the warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level who were sealing the exits of the square.

    When the warrior saw Zachary coming over, he braced himself. Even if Zachary had just killed many warriors at the King Level, the warrior was at the Imperial Level and didn''t think Zachary was his match.

    "Whip Tornado!" the screamed, waving his hand in the air before a steel whip flickered with a glowing white and blue light. In the blink of an eye, streams of martial energy turned into fierce whip shadows and rushed directly towards Zachary.

    Even though Zachary didn''t lose his momentum and tried his best to rush just as forcefully, his opponent''s strength was unfortunately still one level higher than his. So, no matter how strong his Shadow Pace was, he was still inevitably hit.

    Crack! Crack! Crack!

    In a flash, Zachary was hit by several torturous whips. His clothes began to tatter into shreds, and his skin was split with the flesh breaking

    hary, however, didn''t plan to give up. In his eyes, everything was possible.

    Seeing that Zachary didn''t seem the least bit fazed by his attack, Warren shouted at him furiously, "Go to hell!"

    In the next moment, Warren put on a pair of flaming gloves. Faint light continued to swirl around the gloves. "I''ll show you the power of my MH weapon of fire element. You''ll die with no regrets, I swear to you!"

    A large, rapidly spinning fireball grew between his hands before it flew upward, followed by several other fireballs. It all rained towards Zachary''s direction. After they fell, a sea of fire formed almost instantly. It was an astonishing scene that resembled the fiery gates of hell.

    "A MH weapon with fire element?" Zachary whispered to himself as he smiled. Suddenly, the Treasure-hunting Compass on his chest lit up brightly. The Illusory Dragon Spine appeared in his hand without a moment''s notice.

    "Come out, Illusory Dragon!" Zachary roared loudly, and the Illusory Dragon Spine in his hand expanded before it flew into the air. The dragon enlarged itself and practically covered the sun above them.

    When the dragon roared, it rang so loudly that it began to shake the mountains and the rivers. It illuminated the entire square in spite of the darkness that the dragon hid the sun with.

    Everyone was so shocked and they found it unbelievable. They couldn''t believe that Zachary, who seemed to be at the end of the road, would suddenly take out a treasure that could summon a large, scorching dragon.

 Chapter 234 The MH Weapon Of Divine Level

    The moment the dragon showed up, all the fire in the sky were drawn to it. The dragon opened its big mouth and absorbed all the fire. At the same time, the Holy Bone Bracer started to shine. Anne had said that if the Illusory Dragon Spine was used together with the Holy Bone Bracer, it would release the great power of the Illusory Dragon Spine.

    ''Master Anne truly knows weapons. The attack from a MH weapon of Divine Level is extraordinary indeed!'' Zachary thought to himself. The dragon turned into two beams of bright flames and fell on Zachary''s palm after it had swallowed all the flames. The two beams then turned into two flaming gloves that looked exactly the same as Warren''s.

    Warren was surprised that Zachary easily counteracted his attack once more and that he had boxing gloves with the same element as his. Although there were many kinds of MH weapons on the Supernal Continent, the boxing gloves with certain element were rare and each pair of them had something special and unique.

    For example, Warren''s boxing gloves were refined from very special red fire and green steel. Thus, the boxing gloves were wrapped in burning red flames and emitted a greenish light. This made it different from other boxing gloves.

    Thus, Warren could easily tell that the boxing gloves on Zachary''s hands were exactly the same as his, which was impossible.

    Zachary''s boxing gloves were copied exactly from Warren''s. This was a unique ability of the Illusory Dragon Spine. But more importantly, the Illusory Dragon Spine not only copied the shape, but also the unique features of the gloves, including the special martial arts or abilities.

    Sometimes, the most terrifying opponent wasn''t a person with powerful strength, but someone who had the same strength and abilities. For if this was the case, the person who needed to defeat such an opponent must know how to defeat himself. And to achieve something like this was close to impossible because no one would treat himself as an opponent that needed

    riors became confused. They had never seen such a strange illusion technique. They then ran towards different directions and chased after each figure. As soon as they caught up with some figures, they realized that they were fake. Almost at the same time, a figure broke through the blockade of the three warriors and rushed out of the square.

    But a figure appeared in front of Zachary and blocked his way. He anticipated that Zachary would run there. Flames constantly burned on the boxing gloves. With a slight wave of Warren''s hand, two streams of fire spread out, as if two huge dragons emitted endless fire. The flame waves swept across the ground in a diameter of a hundred meters that formed a sea of raging fire. The flames quickly devoured Zachary and Lewis.

    When the flames reached Zachary, he stopped and put Lewis down. Although Lewis was badly injured and exhausted because of the violence of the attack, he still conscious.

    "I am sorry, Master Lewis!" Zachary said to Lewis as his brows furrowed.

    Lewis was dazed and thought that Zachary had decided to leave him behind. But he had no complaint. What he really wanted was for Zachary to survive the battle. It was impossible for him to recover from his injuries anyway. Even if he survived, he would be disabled. So he never blamed Zachary if he gave up the rescue.

 Chapter 235 Asking For Help

    Zachary used his fingertips to hit several acupoints on Lewis'' body to produce a calming and energy-redirecting effect, causing the latter to fall unconscious.

    Flames like tongues of fire roared aloud as Zachary fetched two human-sized beast skeletons from the system and threw them onto the ground. He immediately activated the Treasure-hunting Compass, and a bright, flashing light appeared above their heads. The next second, both of them disappeared.

    After a while, when the fierce fire had finally died down, Warren and the others looked around and found that everything had been razed to ground, including two human-sized skeletons.

    "It looks like they got burnt to a crisp! Ha-ha!" Warren burst into laughter upon witnessing the two skeletons.

    "Congratulations, Master Warren. You did a good job again!" The three warriors at the primary stage of Imperial Level immediately showered him with flatteries.

    "You have all done a great job, too. I will be sure to mention this to our leader," Warren replied, nodding his head arrogantly as he looked at the remaining stewards and disciples of the Welkin Sect.

    "We need to kill these stewards and disciples before we return! As for the other disciples who are not around, we can spare their lives and let them go so that they can tell others what happened here today. I firmly believe that Zachary will soon become one of the most despised people in the Enigmatic Kingdom." Warren burst out into laughter again. The man felt incredibly proud of himself as though he had just completed a magnificent feat.

    Right then, the stewards of the Welkin Sect as well as the rest of the disciples finally realized that Zachary had been framed by these insidious people. Unfortunately, by the time they came to learn the truth, it was already too late and they had lost the hope of survival.

    Soon after, the stewards and disciples were brutally murdered and their corpses were left to rot on the ground.

    Meanwhile, Warren left the Welkin Sect along with the rest of the white-clothed warriors who were called back by the three warriors at the primary stage of Imperial Level. He took with him the bodies of all the white-clothed warriors who had been killed by Zachary, making sure that no traces of evidence had been left behind.

    When the disciples of the Welkin Sect who had managed to escape realized that the slaughter had stopped and the group of mysterious people had disap

    k, causing blood to immediately flow down the blade. The scene was gut-wrenching.

    Tania was stunned. She realized that Zachary was ready to risk everything to save Lewis. It seemed that he wouldn''t mind to give his life up, if she refused to honor his request. Needless to say, if this had been before, whether or not Zachary lived or died would have no effect on her. However, ever since he accidentally broke into the forbidden area of the Fairy Island and saw the Fairy Stone, which she thought only she could see, she began to care a little about him.

    "Do you really want me to save him?" Tania gazed at Zachary with a serious expression.

    He nodded.

    "Well, then I''ll trade your life for his. From now on, your soul belongs to me. No matter what I ask you to do, you must obey me unconditionally. Even if I ask you to die, you can''t complain at all." Nancy''s stern expression was an indication of her seriousness.

    "No problem," replied Zachary. In truth, he was actually very happy to hear that, as he had been trying to find a way to get close to Tania so that he would have the chance to finish the apprentice quest. He never thought that Tania would change her attitude towards him after he had risked his own life to save someone else''s. Fortunately, this would certainly be a good opportunity for him to get close to her.

    However, Zachary didn''t have a lot to be happy about since he had agreed to sign his life away to Tania. This meant that his life rested solely in her hands.

    He wasn''t bothered by such an unreasonable deal because he only cared about returning the favor and saving Lewis'' life.

 Chapter 236 Too Late

    "You can go now!" Tania said immediately.

    "What?" Zachary asked. He was visibly stunned.

    "I will save his life. But after I save him, his life will be at my disposal!" Tania elaborated in an emotionless tone of voice.

    "Oh my! Master Tania, you are so devious! Didn''t you just agree to trade my life for his? How could you have his life at your disposal? You are not being fair!" Zachary protested immediately after he heard Tania''s words.

    "Well, if you don''t want to accept my terms, then you can take him back! I would not save him, if it weren''t for your stubbornness," Tania replied in the same emotionless tone of voice.

    Zachary''s brows furrowed as he thought about his options. He thought that it was more important to save Lewis'' life. He stared at Lewis who lay on the ground. He then looked up at Tania, turned around and walked away.

    Tania had mixed feelings as she stared at Lewis when Zachary was out of sight. She waved her hand and lifted Lewis from the ground. She transported him into the bamboo house. As the door closed, everything went back to peace again.

    After Zachary entered the system, he went to the Peach Blossom Forest to heal himself first. The whole process lasted an entire day and night.

    In the meantime, a Wind Turtle rushed to the Welkin Sect. When it landed, a beautiful woman dressed in white jumped off the Wind Turtle in a hurry, her face emotionless but stunningly beautiful. It was Elva. She had rushed back to the Celestial College to get aid and returned to the Welkin Sect. Elva looked around but found no one, and the entire place was as quiet as a tomb. It sent a chill down her spine and made her tremble!

    "What happened here?" Elva was puzzled. She felt that something bad happened while she was at the Celestial College, something that she did not know but needed to find out.

    A figure came down near Elva and a powerful aura emitted from her. A dozen similar people came down in succession. Some of them were the masters of the Celestial College, and the rest were disciples who were above the King Level.

    They were led by Sara and they were here to provide support.

    When Elva had returned to the Celestial College, she immediately went to Sara and asked her to take her to see Katrina. She then to

    ir initial shock, they immediately cried louder. "Elva! Master Lewis, the stewards and many disciples were killed. They all died miserably! It was all Zachary''s fault!"

    "Master Lewis and the other stewards were killed? And you''re saying that Zachary was responsible? What do you mean by that?" Elva was surprised with what she heard. She immediately knew that something was wrong.

    The disciples narrated the whole story. Elva, Sara and the other warriors were shocked by what they heard.

    "You mean Zachary sent those masked people to massacre the Welkin Sect?" Sara asked angrily. She never believed a single word of it.

    Those disciples were intimidated by the power of Sara. One of them answered in a shaking voice, "We heard it with our own ears."

    "That''s impossible! He couldn''t do such a thing!" Elva never believed it either. She shook her head as she felt a keen anger swell within her.

    "Didn''t the Zi Clan say that Zachary killed his own parents? If so, nothing is impossible," a disciple replied bravely after he gathered his courage.

    Sara and Elva stared at each other. They both knew that it was far from the truth. They were now sure that the masked men who slaughtered the entire Welkin Sect intentionally schemed against Zachary. Everything was carefully planned before they came to the Welkin Sect. Unfortunately, Sara and Elva couldn''t prove Zachary''s innocence through mere words. Thus, the first thing that they needed to do was to find Zachary and ask him what really happened.

 Chapter 237 Make The Dead Talk

    "Have you ever seen Zachary?" Elva asked immediately.

    The disciples of the Welkin Sect shook their heads in denial.

    "I don''t believe that those men were sent by Zachary. He should still be in the Welkin Sect, unless he might have already been..." Elva said to Sara, downcast.

    "Let''s search this place first to see if we can find some clues." Sara needed some time for contemplation. The case at hand was too important to be taken lightly, and she couldn''t risk making decision without sufficient evidence to support her conjecture.

    Soon after, Sara led all the other people from the Celestial College and conducted a thorough search of the entire Welkin Sect, gathering as many clues as possible. However, the result of the search was fruitless as there was no sign of Zachary anywhere.

    One day later

    "Elva, since we can''t find Zachary, we should go back to the Celestial College first. I think only Master Katrina can handle this matter. We need to put an end to this before things get out of control!" Sara believed that if Zachary was indeed the real murderer of the Welkin Sect, it would cause a great commotion and also have a great impact on the Celestial College. Therefore, she thought it would be best to report this to her superior before proceeding on the matter.

    Elva showed some hesitation. Although she was sad about the deaths of the sect leader and the sect stewards, as well as hundreds of disciples, what upset her the most was the fact that she didn''t even know if Zachary was dead or alive. Moreover, she was desperate to find him because he was being falsely accused for the murder of all those people.

    "Let''s go. There''s no reason for you to stay here. If Zachary is still alive, he won''t be able to stay here in the Welkin Sect." Sara could read Elva''s mind.

    Elva glanced in Sara''s direction, eyebrows frowning and she nodded her head in agreement.

    Since the disciples who had stayed back in the sect had nowhere to go, Sara arr

    oned Anne on purpose.

    Just as Zachary had expected, Tania''s eyes lit up. After pausing to think, she said, "Okay, but I must have a written agreement. Otherwise Anne will think that I am the one trying to take advantage of her."

    "No problem!" Zachary simply nodded his head. At the same time, he thought to himself, ''Master Anne, I''m really sorry for selling you out like that, but if I don''t find the other half of the letter written in blood, I am going be in a lot of trouble.''

    After that, Zachary quickly wrote a written confirmation of arrangement and left his fingerprint on it.

    "Are you satisfied now?" said Zachary, as he handed over the paper to Tania.

    Tania smiled and took out a bottle, leaning over Herman''s cold corpse. She opened the bottle and poured a single drop of liquid into his mouth. As soon as the liquid touched the dead man''s lips, it suddenly turned into a worm and crawled into his mouth.

    A moment later, Herman suddenly sat up from the ground and opened his eyes as if he had just came back to life. But his eyes were dull and lifeless, indicating that he was still a dead person.

    "You can ask him whatever you want to know, but you only have five minutes. I want you out of here as soon as you''re done!" After saying that, Tania left without even looking back at him.

 Chapter 238 Find The Other Half Of The Letter

    "Hey, you old goat, where is the other half of the letter written in blood?" Zachary asked Herman, who was temporarily alive.

    Herman''s head slowly turned to Zachary like a rusty machine. To Zachary''s surprise, Herman''s blank eyes rotated randomly a few times. Then, HE started to speak slowly as if each word was so complicated for him to say. "In... my... pill-refining... room''s..." Zachary slightly bent his head and strained his ears for he couldn''t hear the last few key words clearly.

    "Can you say it again and clearly? Although you are dead, it shouldn''t be that hard for you to explain yourself clearly!" Zachary said helplessly and narrowed his eyes.

    Herman suddenly groaned, rolled his eyes, fell to the ground and became dead again.

    "The liquid was supposed to last five minutes! Master Tania cheated me," Zachary grumbled unhappily. But since he knew the letter was in Herman''s pill-refining room, he would be able to find it as long as he looked for it carefully.

    Therefore, he took the body of Herman and got out of the system. As soon as he reached the pill-refining room, Zachary laid Herman''s corpse on the ground and rummaged through all the boxes in search of the other half of the letter. Yet, after searching for a long time, he still couldn''t find it.

    ''Where did he hide it?'' Zachary rubbed his chin, glanced at Herman''s corpse. ''Herman was so cunny. The letter should be hidden in an unexpected place, but it might also be hidden at the most obvious place.''

    His eyes then focused on the big furnace at the center of the room. Without any hesitation, he released a strong wave of martial energy force to bombard the furnace. With a loud bang, the lid of the furnace was opened. At the same time, a piece of bloody cloth flew out of the furnace. In the blink of an eye, it fell in Zachary''s hands.

    "Steward Herman, you were really something! You hid the letter written in your refining furnace. The most obvious place is sometimes the safest place to hide. No one would suspect such a hiding place!" Zachary said with a cold smile. He then dropped the corpse of Herman into the furnace, put the lid on it and lit the fire. The flames burst out as the dead body of Herman was slowly devoured by the flames.

    "Since your final resting place is inside your own place, you should rest in peace!" Zachary said and then immediately left without looking back.

    Later, he returned to the system and continued to heal his injuries. Besi

    "The people of the Celestial College will probably deal with the matter of Zachary right away. If nothing goes wrong, he will definitely be expelled from our college!" Sara was not optimistic about the possibility.

    "I will have to intervene to keep Zachary from being expelled," Katrina said in a determined tone of voice as she nodded slightly. Once a disciple, or even a figure above the Imperial Level, was expelled from the Celestial College, it would be difficult for them to get back again. Additionally, she was sure that Zachary was framed by the Zi Clan, so she could never let the Zi Clan succeed in what they wanted. However, since Zachary was still missing, she couldn''t investigate the matter clearly for now. But before that, she must do something for him, lest things should become more complicated later.

    "Master Katrina, if you are willing to help him, I am sure that everything will be fine," Sara said as she breathed a sigh of relief.

    "That''s not necessarily true. Do you think that I financially support those elders in the cabinet of warriors of Sage Level? If the members of the cabinet insist on expelling Zachary out of our college, our dean will have no choice but to follow their wishes!" Katrina shook her head when she contemplated the possibility.

    "Well, at least there''s a fighting chance. Master Katrina, if there is nothing else, I''m leaving now," Sara said as she bowed and left.

    When Sara had left, Katrina muttered with a slight frown, "I''ll find a helper. I don''t believe that we together can''t compete with the Zi Clan. But once the news spreads, it will create a huge storm of controversy."

 Chapter 239 Public Enemy

    A few days after the incident, things had developed.

    Just as Katrina had previously expected, the rumors had swirled throughout the land. Everyone had been unable to stop talking about it: The news was that Zachary was the culprit and he had killed most of the Welkin Sect''s warriors. The Zi Clan reinforced the rumors by announcing that Zachary was also responsible for murdering the clan''s former leader. As a result, Zachary was viewed as the public enemy throughout the Enigmatic Kingdom. He was considered to be maddened by power and a loathsome traitor. What was worse was that he was viewed as one of the guiltiest and most unforgivable of villains to have ever walked the continent.

    The Celestial College summoned the Cabinet members for a meeting almost at once. The dean and the college''s eight warriors of Sage Level, among them Katrina herself, were in attendance.

    In the heart of Sage Hall, an old man with long white hair, shining skin, and a remarkable energy was seated. In spite of his snowy hair, his face was that of a young man, and the aura he emitted was that of someone so obviously at the Holy Level. It surpassed everyone else''s in the room, and made him the focus of the entire assembly. The contrast of his power, against the eight warriors of Sage Level around him, was considerable. He was far and away the most powerful of them all.

    This was none other than the dean of the Celestial College: Barney Bai.

    And here, Barney Bai, Katrina, and the other Cabinet members had gathered in order to pass judgment on a grave matter. They had all assembled to sentence and punish the heinous, unspeakable crime that Zachary had committed.

    "Dean Barney, if I may say what everyone here is thinking," a gray-haired master said, "Zachary is scum, and his reprehensible actions are utterly undeserving of being forgiven in any manner. I propose that he be kicked out of our Celestial College immediately, and that an order for his arrest to be sent out, that he may face our good judgment and be sentenced!" The master was wearing a golden robe and boots, which made him look distinguished, and more as though he were the dean rather than Barney Bai.

    As the most senior Cabinet member, he almost reached the Holy Level himself as well. He was Wesley Wan. His words made their mark¡ªmost masters present nodded to concur with him.

    "I understand your concern completely," Katrina said firmly. "However, there are numerous points to be contested in the bloody case of the Welkin Sect. We still need irrefutable evidence to confirm all of this. Moreover, Zachary''s whereabouts remain unknown, and no one has yet been able to confirm if he is dead or alive. There may be far more to this case than meets the eye." Her tone was firm and commanding, as she looked each of them in the eye.

    There was an offended scoff from Wesley Wan. "What do you mean that there''

    he hall. "Our illustrious college is famous for the pursuit of justice. We are not here to shield criminals and villains, and the truth is laid before us quite clearly. The massacre of the Zi Clan was declared by its own members, and the disciples of the Welkin Sect have given statements. Both of them point to Zachary as the murderer. He is at the very least clearly involved in these bloody cases. Furthermore, should news of this horrific crime were to spread to the rest of the world, the name of our college will be tarnished! We''d become a joke and a humiliation in the field of martial arts. We simply have no choice but to kick Zachary out of this college and disavow him completely in order to defend our good name!" Wesley Wan spoke with such deep fervency and passion that it was almost as though he were calling for Zachary''s execution.

    Barney Bai had been a silent witness to the fierce debate that raged between Wesley Wan and Katrina, and he certainly wasn''t thrilled about what was going on. He wasn''t sure as to whose side he should take. Wesley Wan was, of course, a senior master of great repute and power, commanding great respect. But Katrina was also in a highly revered position in the college. Even though she had recently become one of masters, he had thought highly of her and her good judgment from the moment she had come to the Celestial College, entrusting her with the difficult tasks, believing that she would do the right thing. He wasn''t sure now whose judgment to truly turn to.

    "Well, we''ve listened to these two make their case. What do you think?" Barney Bai then turned to the other masters. He thought it was the best way to get more opinions, letting them decide what should be done.

    But the other masters were also at a similar quandary. It was not an easy decision to make, as no matter who they supported, someone would end up offended. The right thing to do was yet unclear.

 Chapter 240 Protecting Zachary At Any Cost

    "Well, let''s vote for the decision according to the rules, as is the tradition," Barney said right away upon seeing that all the warriors of Sage Level were hesitating. "Those of you who would like to see Zachary out of the Celestial College, raise your hands."

    Wesley, of course, was the first one to raise his hand. At the same time, he also cast a warning glance at the other warriors, many of whom were scared of his power. Therefore, they raised their hands. Finally, four warriors agreed to kick Zachary out of the Celestial College.

    "Now, those of you who don''t agree, raise your hands," added Barney.

    On the other hand, Katrina was in no hurry to raise her hand after she heard Barney''s words. Instead, she cast an arresting glance at those warriors who hadn''t raised hands to show their support for expelling Zachary from Celestial College. Once her eyes fell on those men, they could not help but raise their hands, as they couldn''t resist her charms.

    Katrina finally raised her hand in support of not kicking Zachary out of Celestial College, after the remaining three men raised their hands. Now, four people disagreed with Wesley''s proposal.

    "We have a vote of four in favor and four against. So, I have the casting vote." Barney shook his head. The votes of the eight warriors of Sage Level were even, which meant that his final decision was of great significance.

    "Dean, please think about our college''s reputation, before you take any decision." Wesley tried to convince Barney, pretending to be sincere.

    While Katrina did not say anything. Instead, she looked at Barney quietly.

    Barney, on the other hand, had his own reasons to consider. He knew that with the overall situation factored in, Zachary was bound to be expelled from Celestial College. That was because whether or not he was the murderer, the news, that he had committed the crime, was already common knowledge across the entire Enigmatic Kingdom, and soon it would spread throughout the Supernal Continent too. Therefore, once Zachary was thought to be the murderer, and rumors spread, then even if he later could be proved to be innocent, Celestial College''s reputation would still be damaged. That was why, the college always dealt with such cases by expelling the concerned disciples and consigning the cases to

    e said before leaving.

    All the warriors present looked at one another and followed suit, leaving only Katrina and Wesley staring at each other.

    "Katrina, I''m sure you''ll pay for it," Wesley warned her, and left immediately after.

    "Old bastard, I know that you have a close relationship with the Zi Clan''s current leader. The Zi Clan must have bribed you, since you haven''t spared any efforts to drive Zachary out. I swear that I won''t let it happen." Seeing Wesley fade out of sight, Katrina furrowed her brows, with a glimmer of coolness flickering across her eyes. "But where is Zachary now? He should have shown up by now, if he is still alive."

    The next day, Celestial College announced its decision to punish Zachary to the entire Enigmatic Kingdom. At the same time, Sophie and Katrina also made private statements, expressing their doubts about the murder case as well as their support for Zachary. Such a dramatic change shocked everyone. No one would have thought that the Supernal Continent''s two most famous female warriors of the Sage Level would join hands to protect Zachary and choose to side with him, when he had been universally condemned. Their electing to believe in Zachary, naturally made people feel that there was something fishy going on.

    Even so, Zachary didn''t show up, as if he had a guilty conscience. No one knew where he was after the murder was committed, which made the case even more mysterious. As no one knew the truth, and as Zachary did not appear, he remained a suspect in everyone''s eyes.

 Chapter 241 The Zi Clans Further Slander

    However, the Zi Clan didn''t stop planting evidence against Zachary and framing him, even though Sophie and Katrina, two warriors of Sage Level, had made statements in his favor to protect him. After saying that Zachary was the one who had killed his parents, they even forged many proofs to back their story and unveiled them to the public, as they were desperate to blacken Zachary''s name and make him the worst villain ever in the Enigmatic Kingdom. What was more, they had even placed a hefty bounty on Zachary''s head, and many sects and clans at the medium and premium stage approved of them.

    Very soon, the Enigmatic Kingdom was filled with different kinds of controversies in which people accused Zachary of these heinous crimes. As the Zi Clan had promised considerable bounty to whoever caught Zachary and presented him to them, numerous warriors were looking in every nook and cranny of the kingdom, in their efforts to find him and sever his head.

    Of course, the Zi Clan thought they were merely creating a little distraction and confusion to hide the truth. They believed that Zachary and Lewis were already dead and the truth was buried. They also felt that no one would ever be able to uncover the truth behind the Welkin Sect''s massacre, just like the the death of Zachary''s parents.

    Though Katrina had decided to protect Zachary, she found that there wasn''t much she could do to fight against the slanderous rumors against him that the Zi Clan spread. For the time being, no one knew where Zachary was. Besides, she had no evidence to prove his innocence. All she could do was not let him be expelled from Celestial College. As she had understood that the Zi Clan was trying to hide some dirty secrets through their act against Zachary, she had sent people to investigate Armand and the deaths of Zachary''s parents.

    Among all of the things that were happening, what Katrina most wanted to know was whether or not Zachary was still alive. If the Zi Clan had killed Zachary, then all her efforts would be in vain.

    Just when the entire Enigmatic Kingdom was going crazy because of Zachary, he was healing himself on a mountain''s stone cliff that was behind the Welkin Sect.

    At that mom

    ver, according to some historical records, it was said that there might be other races that looked like humans but were more powerful, on those mysterious continents. Of course, because there was no proof, it could only be regarded as hearsay.

    Zachary was born with a heart full of adventure and he aspired to explore the other continents. Therefore, if the Fairy Island, as Anne said, could go to those mysterious continents, he would be interested in finding out more about these continents.

    "If I can become Tania''s disciple, maybe then I can inherit the Fairy Island, explore other mysterious continents, and search for treasures in this world!" Zachary thought about treasure hunt all the time.

    He wandered around the Fairy Island and soon found out that it was a maze. After he had walked for a long time, he realized that he had finally returned to the bamboo house. However, this time, a figure, as graceful and delicate as an orchid, was standing in front of bamboo house. It seemed that she was waiting for him.

    "Master Tania!" Zachary grinned and greeted her lovingly.

    Tania was disgusted by his expression. Then, very seriously, she said, "From now on, you are not allowed to call me Master Tania. I''m not your master. You are not allowed to call me that."

    "What should I call you then? Aunt Tania? Dear Tania? Nanny Tania..." Zachary teased with a mischievous smile.

    Angered by Zachary''s insolence, Tania glared at him with murderous eyes.

 Chapter 242 To Cure The Wound

    "Don''t take it so seriously. I was really just joking. Relax! If you don''t want me to call you Master Tania, I can just call you by your name, Tania. The meaning of Tania is ''fairy princess.'' I think this works out even better. I''m so clever, huh?" Zachary stood proudly while puffing out his broad chest and lifting his chin with a sense of victory.

    Tania sighed heavily and rolled her eyes in a slow exaggerated motion. She was truly regretting that she had not killed Zachary earlier. Now she didn''t want to kill him because he could see the Fairy Stone.

    Before, she was unsure why Zachary could see the Fairy Stone. She had thought that it might have been a coincidence, but now she knew better. After she found records left behind by the previous master of the Fairy Island, Tania had the answer that she needed. Even so, it was not what she wanted to hear, and was simply unacceptable. She knew that it would be best to have a talk with Zachary about the Fairy Island now that he returned.

    "Well then¡ª" Zachary began before Tania immediately cut in. "Zachary, I have something to ask you." Tania hesitated a moment before she looked up and looked him in the eye.

    "I happen to have something to ask you. As they say, ladies first," Zachary playfully teased her. He felt a bit taken back by what Tania said. He really did not expect her to ask anything from him. Before now she always acted like banishing a beggar out of the Fairy Island when they met. It was a rare treat for her to take the initiative to talk to him. Maybe if he played his cards right, his apprentice quest just might be achievable.

    "What''s your name?" Tania said coldly.

    "Tania, do you want us to make a fresh start? I''m flattered. My name is Zachary Zi. Do you know the meaning of Zachary is ''remembered by God?''" Zachary was certain that Tania had a bit of a crush on him at this point. In the very least, she was curious about him.

    "How old are you?

    What''s your birthday and the exact time you were born?" Tania pressed.

    This continued, and she asked a lot of questions regarding Zachary.

    "Is there anything else you want to ask me?" Zachary started. "For example, are you interested in the measurements of my chest, my waist, or even my hips?" He couldn''t help but tease her a bit. Her questions felt so detailed and personal that he needed to relieve some of the tension he was feeling.

    "Wait here a minute," Tania said suddenly. Completely ignoring anything that Zachary said, sh

    ve been exaggerating his state of pity, but he really did need to find out where Lewis was. It was clear to Zachary that his previously bad impression Tania had of him would be hard to break. If he was honest with himself, he knew it was rightfully so. Unfortunately for Tania, Zachary was not one to give in so lightly. If she wouldn''t tell him today, then he would be there tomorrow to start the begging all over again. It did not matter how many days she refused him; he planned to come every day until she answered his question once and for all.

    After he left, Tania poked her head out of the bamboo house. With Zachary and his shadow fading into the distance, her eyes flickered softly as she mumbled to herself, "Unless he lied to me, he might not be the successor of the Fairy Island. Could it really be just a coincidence that he can see the Fairy Stone? Although I want to find the inheritor of the Fairy Island as soon as possible, letting him become the successor is not an option. I would rather destroy the Fairy Island than let that happen!"

    Although Zachary technically did not lie, he didn''t exactly tell her the whole truth. She only knew information about the original owner of this body, not his own. As a result, she failed to realize that he was indeed the successor of the island.

    After heading back, Zachary continued to heal himself so that he would be ready to go back to the Celestial College. He wanted to be sure that his wound was completely healed beforehand. Upon returning, he would have to sneak into the college instead of heading there directly. Being on the wanted list was quickly becoming a real annoyance to him.

 Chapter 243 Return To The Celestial College

    A month''s vacation had passed in the blink of an eye, and the outstanding new disciples who had earned the break had returned to the Celestial College to continue their cultivation.

    During those thirty days that had neither dragged nor flown, the Welkin Sect''s murder case had everyone in the entire Enigmatic Kingdom shocked out of their wits. What they found especially difficult to swallow was that Celestial College''s new disciple, who had just made a name for himself, was being held responsible for the bloody murder. Consequently, the Celestial College became the scene for a huge uproar, with all kinds of gossip, where people started pointing fingers at the accused.

    Of course, because Katrina and Sophie, Supernal Continent''s two famous female warriors of Sage Level, had spoken in his favor, the discussions that ensued regarding his innocence or guilt kept the people occupied. Each had their interpretation, which always bordered on the dramatic to what could have happened.

    Although Zachary was the principal accused in the Welkin Sect''s murder case, he was not expelled from the Celestial College. That was because Katrina had stood guarantee for him. Therefore, he was temporarily only removed from the list of new disciples. So, except for him, the other five freshmen who were selected to the Elite Zone, enrolled in it, as per the previous arrangement.

    From that day on, the five new students, including Elva, who entered the Elite Zone with Sara, would become a part of the exclusive area, which would make them the objects of envy of countless disciples from the Celestial College.

    "Master Sara, since Zachary was removed from the list of new disciples because of the Welkin Sect''s blood case, is he no longer a member of Elite Zone now?" Colin, a disciple of the five, asked meaningfully. The reason behind his inquiring was that if Zachary''s position was vacant, the Virid Sword Sect''s disciples stood a chance at competing for it.

    Hearing Colin''s words, Elva sneered inwardly. Although she did not say anything, her beautiful face was as cold as ice.

    "I won''t think about it for the time being. The case about the Welkin Sect is still under investigation. We ar

    he scolded him angrily.

    "Rebecca, don''t hit me on the head every time, okay? There are so many people here. I''ll lose face!" Richard immediately complained.

    That beautiful girl was none other than Rebecca, one of the Elite Zone''s excellent disciples.

    "You are the first batch of the new disciples to be selected from the Freshmen Zone since our Celestial College was founded. Therefore, to get you into the Elite Zone at the earliest, Rebecca will take charge of all your arrangements from now on. If you have anything that you don''t understand, you can ask her. Besides, the weakest disciple in the Elite Zone is at the premium stage of Heaven Level. So, you should know that there is a big gap between you and the elite disciples. I advise you to cultivate peacefully in the Elite Zone and not make any trouble!" Sara said sternly.

    The five disciples looked at each other and nodded.

    "Rebecca, I''ll leave them to you." Saying that, Sara turned around and left.

    "Let''s go. I''ll first show you around the Elite Zone, and then I''ll take you to the disciple dormitory. Since the five of you have come here together, I''ll arrange your accommodation in the same disciple dormitory, so that you can take care of one another!" Rebecca kept walking ahead, as she spoke.

    The five followed her, preparing to start their new cultivation journey.

    A few days later, a figure in a shabby hat and thick linen clothes walked into the bustling Celestial City.

 Chapter 244 Queenie

    "Gee, I finally came back. I really miss Orion! I thought it would only take three or four days to get here, but it turns out it has been almost six days. My legs are getting thinner!" Zachary complained to himself, as he slowly raised his head from under the hat he was wearing. Though he was good at finding joy in the face of adversity, he still felt distressed, for he knew that what he would face. But he would not flinch no matter what.

    Although he had arrived at the Celestial City, which was not far from the Celestial College, Zachary did not rush back. Instead, he idled about in the city. He had chosen to bypass the main roads to get to the city in order to avoid people''s attention. He did not know the extent of the effect that the Welkin Sect''s case had caused in the Enigmatic Kingdom, nor did he know that the Zi Clan had portrayed him as a heinous criminal. He decided to gather information before going to the Celestial College.

    Soon, Zachary realized that everyone in the Enigmatic Kingdom regarded him as a disgusting and notorious villain, who had committed heinous crimes. Indeed, he was no less than a "big celebrity" in the kingdom.

    ''I can''t believe that the Zi Clan has smeared my name to such an extent. They even forged evidence to say that I murdered my parents. It seems that they are even planning to ruin my reputation in the underworld!'' Zachary sneered inwardly. He understood why the Zi Clan was bent on ruining his reputation by accusing him of being a murderer. After all, they thought he was dead, so they could do whatever they wanted to do to his reputation, as he wouldn''t be able to defend himself. However, they would sooner or later reap the results of what they had sowed.

    Once Zachary had gathered a fair idea about how "famous" he was in the Enigmatic Kingdom, he went straight to the Celestial College. After reaching there, he snuck into the Freshmen Zone with the Shadow Pace and directly went to the disciple dormitory where he had been assigned, as he intended to see Elva first. But when he reached the dormitory, he found that all the three rooms were empty, and there was no one there.

    "Why is there no one living in this disciple dormitory?" he asked one of the new disciples w

    was flawless and she was like a goddess. Her face was white and smooth, and her eyes flickered with confidence. Her eyebrows were perfect like willow branches, and her mouth was like a cherry. She also had a perfect aquiline nose. Though she was a classical beauty, like the fairy in the painting, yet she looked indifferent. Even Elva, the famous beauty, didn''t hold a candle to her.

    If Elva''s coldness was nurtured, then Queenie''s came from nature. She was cold to the bones, and hers was a heartless coldness with no warmth. There was a significant difference between Elva and Queenie. Although Elva was also cold, she had a warm heart and she just tended not to be sociable. Queenie, however, exuded the coldness of clouds on a snowy mountain, and one could palpably feel her extreme indifference.

    "Yes, there is no doubt that she is a beauty, but I feel that something is wrong!" Zachary rubbed his chin, hesitating, and then clapped his hands as if he had understood something. "Oh, she has no expression. Her face looks paralyzed. I wonder if she has undergone any plastic surgery?"

    As Zachary had spoken loudly, the crowd immediately heard what he said and got buzzing. All the disciples stared at Zachary with extreme hatred in their eyes. That was because his words had defiled the goddess in their hearts.

    Most importantly, Queenie had heard his remarks. Usually, her face remained expressionless, but now a touch of anger became visible, which rather enhanced her beauty!

 Chapter 245 Provoking Queenie

    "Yes, that''s how pretty girls look like! An expressionless face is not pretty at all. We need to show different emotions on our faces..." Zachary continued, ignoring the shocked gasps of the crowd.

    The onlookers were stunned as they thought that Zachary was courting death. How dared he speak to Queenie like that! As Zachary wore a hat that covered most of his face, and he was in Elite Zone, no one recognized him.

    As expected, as soon as Zachary finished speaking, Queenie''s emotionless face contorted with rage, and she ran toward Zachary.

    "The angrier you are, the more beautiful you look. I like it!" Zachary crossed his arms over his chest. The mischievous grin on his face showed the crowd that he was behaving like this on purpose.

    Seeing Queenie stalking toward Zachary, the disciples became concerned. Everyone in Celestial College knew about her personality. Since she was superior to all the others, she was very conceited. She hated being provoked, and would often severely punish the offender for their mistakes. What was worse, she even tortured the one who offended her to death!

    Although Queenie was a woman, she was absolutely merciless.

    Besides, Queenie also hated lascivious men. It was said that once when a senseless guy looked at her lewdly, she damaged his eyes. That guy could do nothing but suffer silently because of her powerful and influential background. She was like a queen in the Elite Zone!

    At this moment, palpable rage rolled off her as she stalked toward Zachary. However, Zachary smiled and waited as if nothing had happened. Once the onlookers saw Queenie''s fury, they were fearful of what would happen to him.

    "Hi, pretty Queenie. Nice to meet you," Zachary greeted as he stretched his hand politely toward Queenie.

    As few disciples in Celestial College would behave so normally in front of her, Queenie was a little surprised by Zachary''s calmness and politeness. Only a few in the top ten of the Elite Zone were known to stand firm in front of her.

    Not only was it strange that Zachary, who

    obody in Celestial College dared to do so. At this moment, many disciples suddenly voiced lewd suggestions. They seemed to wish that Zachary would hug Queenie and do what they could only dream of.

    Queenie, of course, would never let Zachary touch her. She moved her slender legs and deftly avoided the man. Then, she swung her hand, releasing blade-like light that was about to hit Zachary''s left rib. It seemed that she was going to give Zachary a good beating.

    However, the light only hit the ground and created a deep crack. Zachary had disappeared.

    "Where is he?" Queenie looked around, only to find that Zachary was standing not far from her.

    The onlookers were astounded when they saw that Zachary had dodged Queenie''s blow.

    "Wow! Pretty Queenie! You are cruel! Women are indeed the most vicious species!" Zachary cried out exaggeratedly.

    "What did you say?" Queenie''s eyebrows shot up in anger. She couldn''t help but glare at Zachary as she questioned him.

    "Well, I like it. I will definitely take you as my wife. The strongest disciple in Celestial College will be my wife. How awesome that will be! Ha-ha!" Zachary laughed wildly. Apparently, he was not joking. As the Zi Clan was at the premium stage, he could not depend on himself to get revenge. He needed to recruit people and find several wives with powerful backgrounds to support him.

 Chapter 246 Go To Rebecca

    At Zachary''s words, Queenie''s face turned dark and her body trembled with rage. She was outraged and thought that it was extremely arrogant and inconsiderate of him to speak like that in front of so many people.

    All the other disciples present were also shocked. They didn''t know where Zachary had come from, and were at a loss to understand why he was so bold that he wanted Queenie to be his wife. They could see that he was courting death, though he seemed to be oblivious of that fact.

    "Beautiful Queenie, don''t forget that I''m from the Zi Clan. If you want to find me, you can ask the Zi Clan disciples. They know me." After saying that deliberately, Zachary moved away, leaving in the crowd''s full glare, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    "Where do you think you are going?" With undisguised annoyance, taking a big stride, Queenie went after Zachary, and disappeared like a tornado. She was determined not to let him get away with his impudence.

    But after chasing him for a while, Queenie realized that she couldn''t find Zachary anywhere.

    "Where does he hide?" Queenie was surprised that she couldn''t locate Zachary, as most disciples in the Celestial College were no match for her in terms of the movement skill. She couldn''t believe a guy who looked so weak disappeared right before her eyes.

    Disappointed, Queenie could do nothing but return to the training ground. The disciples who were witness to what happened were overwhelmed by the fact that Zachary had outrun Queenie. They were so shocked that they couldn''t express their amazement.

    "Scott, I am not in the mood to spar with you today. Can I take a rain check?" Queenie said to the man in a cyan robe who was still standing motionless in the training ground.

    "Okay." Saying that, he went away indifferently.

    "Which one of you knows that guy?" Queenie looked around the crowd angrily. She was determined not to let Zachary go so easily. She would find out that ignorant guy and teach him a lesson.

    The disciples immediately looked at each other and shook their heads. They had never seen Zachary before, let alone heard that there was such a lunatic in their

    e Zone are living now?" Seeing that Rebecca gave in, Zachary smiled.

    "The new disciples? Why do you want to know where they live? From your tone, you seem not to be a member of the Celestial College," Rebecca said, though she was still confused.

    "So what? It doesn''t matter whether or not I am a disciple here. I will leave without disturbing you, as long as you tell me where they live," Zachary replied calmly.

    "I have no idea what you intend to do. I won''t tell you. You''d better leave as soon as possible, or you will be unable to escape," Rebecca said coldly.

    "It seems that we can''t talk about it anymore. Well then, I will send this brassiere to someone after I leave, and tell him that its owner is the famous beauty named Rebecca Hua, from the Celestial College," Zachary said and took out a brassiere from his pocket, which he had taken not long ago, and dangled it in front of her.

    "You..." She immediately recognized that it was hers, as soon as she saw the brassiere in Zachary''s hand, and became flushed and angry. She couldn''t have ever expected that Zachary would steal her brassiere and threaten her with it.

    "If you don''t tell me, I will leave." With those words, Zachary put away her brassiere and was about to leave. However, after hesitating for a while, Rebecca immediately called out, "Wait." Of course, she didn''t want her brassiere to fall into the hands of some disgusting and obscene man.

 Chapter 247 The Man In A Yellow Robe

    Hearing that, Zachary turned around, and smiled playfully at Rebecca.

    "Give my brassiere back, then I''ll tell you," Rebecca said, as she stretched out her hand.

    "I''d better go." Zachary did not do as she wanted. Instead, he turned around and continued to walk towards the door.

    "Alright, I will tell you. They are now living in Disciple Dormitory 106," Rebecca quickly said as she saw Zachary leave.

    "Thanks." Zachary threw the brassiere to Rebecca, left the room, and disappeared.

    After taking her piece of clothing, instead of chasing after Zachary, Rebecca said with a cold smile, "What a fool he is! Does he really think that I will easily tell him which disciple dormitory they live in? But this guy doesn''t seem easy to deal with. It''s necessary to inform Rita and the others to be careful, and then report the matter to Master Sara." With that, she left the room as well.

    Just as Rebecca walked out of her disciple dormitory and continued to rush forward, a figure suddenly appeared in the dark, stood behind her back, and playfully said to himself, "Beautiful Rebecca, do you really think I will fall into your trap? I wanted you to take me there in person from the very beginning." The figure kept following Rebecca closely, as he spoke.

    It wasn''t long before Rebecca reached Disciple Dormitory 136 in the Elite Zone. She saw Rita and Elva walking side by side, as soon as she entered the gate.

    "Rebecca, why are you here? Is there any notice?" Rita asked in confusion. After staying in the Elite Zone for many days, Rita and Elva were getting along well with Rebecca.

    "Only you two are here? Where are Richard and the other two of the Virid Sword Sect?" The disciple dormitory was very quiet, and it seemed that no one, except for Rita and Elva, was there.

    "They are not here," Elva responded, shaking her head.

    "Okay, I see. I''ll explain it to you two first. Please tell them later." After thinking for a moment, Rebecca continued, "A mysterious man broke into my room a little while ago and asked me where the new disciples se

    ngry that she would want to kill Zachary.

    "Your girlfriends? Are you kidding me? Telling from your aura, you are a mere nobody in the Elite Zone. If you are smart, you should get out of here immediately, and not get in my way." The man in a yellow robe snorted arrogantly. Also, he seemed to have become more confident since he had found that Zachary''s aura was weak and realized he was not strong.

    "Is that so? There must be something fishy here!" Zachary suddenly sneered, and in an instant, he released a strong power, which directly enveloped the man.

    He didn''t know that Zachary had hidden his strength all the time, and suddenly felt something stuffy in his chest. Moreover, a powerful aura, which was much stronger than his, suppressed him instantaneously. That was when the man realized that things were not going well, and wanted to get away as soon as possible.

    "Kneel down!" Zachary shouted suddenly, as he increased his martial energy.

    That was when the man felt more pressure. His legs suddenly became limp, and he knelt on the ground. Zachary stood in front of him, with his hands crossed over his chest and asked, "Tell me, what are you going to do by following them?"

    "I...... I didn''t follow them..." the man denied.

    Zachary smiled and put his hand on the man''s shoulder. Before the man could react, he felt a piercing pain and cried loudly.

 Chapter 248 A Deal

    "Oh, I''m sorry that I accidentally broke your shoulder blade. However, if you don''t tell me the truth, I will break your ribs." Though Zachary pretended to be apologetic, there was a devilish glitter in his eyes.

    "Don''t! I will tell the truth! I''m from the Zi Clan, and I got the order to keep an eye on Elva Han..." The man in a yellow robe winced in pain, and started begging for mercy.

    "The Zi Clan?" Zachary''s gaze turned cold. He hadn''t expected that the Zi Clan intended to deal with Elva. It seemed that they were going to eliminate all their enemies. That thought made Zachary very angry, and he asked, "When are you planning to deal with Elva?"

    "We will take action as long as there is a chance. We have already investigated her background in the past few days, and found that she is an easy target. It will take only three disciples of our clan to kill her," the man answered, and there was fear in his voice.

    "Okay, then let''s make a deal," Zachary said to the man.

    "Deal? What kind of deal?" The man was confused.

    "I am offering a deal to save your life. Do you really think I will let you go back alive, so easily?" Zachary stared coldly at the man.

    Looking into Zachary''s eyes, the man started trembling with fear, as he was convinced that Zachary was not joking.

    "Go back, and tell the Zi Clan guys that Elva will pass here alone tomorrow. Tell them to ambush her here at noon," Zachary said, as he patted the man on the face.

    "Are you asking me to betray my friends?" the man asked unwillingly.

    "Do as I say, and I promise that no one will look into you. Otherwise, I will make your life a living hell as long as you are in the Celestial College. I promise you that, by then, you will beg for a quick death," Zachary said, his voice cold and cruel.

    The man''s face turned pale, as he was obviously intimidated by Zachary''s vibes. He nodded quickly and said, "I will do it. I will... As long as you don''t kill me!"

    "Then take this pill. Just to be on the safe side. I''ll give you the antidote after the job is done." Immediately after that, Zachary took out a pill and stuffed it into the man''s mouth.

    Looking

    Go kill him!" the white-robed man shouted to the other four Zi Clan disciples.

    But the yellow-robed man figured out that was a trap, and retreated as far as he could.

    The other three disciples of the Zi Clan didn''t know what was going on. But they were enraged by the fact that Zachary had disguised himself as a woman to fool them, and even attacked them stealthily. They were convinced that Zachary''s strength was far inferior to theirs, and he only got the upper hand in the fight because he had taken them off-guard. So, on getting the order from the white-robed man, they pounced on Zachary with reckless abandon.

    Even though the three disciples had reached the seventh or eighth grade of Heaven Level, they were nothing compared with Zachary, who had defeated Herman of the Welkin Sect.

    Zachary directly used the Shadow Pace moving among the three disciples like a ghost. At the same time, he performed the Ghost Palm and Lady Swordsmanship. Instantly sword and palm shadows swept in every direction with an overwhelming sense of oppression.

    The three disciples'' faces changed visibly, but it was too late for them to stop.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Before they could make a move, the three Zi Clan disciples were engulfed in the strong martial energy. A moment later, three screams rang out in unison. Then, the three of them were thrown into the air and landed heavily onto the ground, blood spraying from their mouths.

 Chapter 249 The White-robed Man

    The white-robed man was also shocked when he saw Zachary injure three disciples of the Zi Clan. He glared at Zachary with his wide open eyes, as if he could not believe that he was actually at the premium stage of Heaven Level. Moreover, the martial arts he performed, did not allow the three disciples of the Zi Clan to resist his attack in any way. It was evident that the martial arts he used were not at the primary stage, but were at least at the medium stage, or even premium stage.

    "This guy is not easy to deal with. I think we''d better find some more people to come here and help us," the yellow-robed man hurriedly said to the white-robed man after seeing that Zachary had injured three disciples of the Zi Clan. His face became ashen and his legs went limp.

    "You are useless. There is no need to fear him. He is at the ninth grade of Heaven Level at the most. However, my strength is already close to the King Level. In no way is he my opponent," the white-robed man said arrogantly. Apparently, he didn''t take Zachary seriously.

    "Then... Then I''ll call in reinforcements first..." The yellow-robed man was not that stupid. He knew that if Zachary hadn''t been absolutely certain, he would not have let him inform the disciples of the Zi Clan to ambush him. So, he fled after lying to the white-robed man, for he was afraid to die.

    "Loser! I kill this guy first, and then teach you a lesson," the white-robed man said fiercely. Then he looked at Zachary and said, "Bloke, were you to kneel in front of me, kowtow three times, and say that you were wrong, I will spare your life. At the most, I will cripple your hands and feet. Otherwise, you will not die with a complete body!"

    "Really? I''m afraid you''re the one who can''t die with a complete body," Zachary said and smiled coldly, responding to the threat.

    "Since you still don''t admit your fault, then don''t blame me for being ruthless." The white-robed man snorted and suddenly charged at Zachary.

    Zachary made a move towards the man fearlessly, without any hesitation.

    The man was at the ninth grade of Heaven Level, while Zachary was one step away from the ninth grade. In com

    e man''s hands just passed from under Zachary''s armpits. Taking the opportunity, he dropped his arms and clamped the hands under his armpits.

    The man didn''t expect that Zachary would risk his life, and he tried to free himself from his control. However, Zachary had clamped his arms, which enraged him. His anger resulted in the eruption of an astonishing martial energy, and he tried to throw Zachary out.

    Just when his martial energy was emanating substantially, the Holy Bone Bracer on Zachary''s wrist also lit up, and started devouring the martial energy that the man was releasing. When he found that there was something wrong, the Holy Bone Bracer had absorbed enough martial energy.

    "It was almost full. Thank you!" Zachary smiled coldly, waved his arms, and flung the man in the air. At the same time, the Holy Bone Bracer glowed with a dazzling blue light.

    The next moment, a huge ghost palm shot out from the Holy Bone Bracer and caught the man, whom Zachary had flung in the air. Looking frightened out of his wits, he felt that he could not move an inch, and was surrounded by a violent force.

    Bang!

    Without waiting for the man to struggle, the ghost hand directly threw him to the ground. The blue light brightened, the ground was sunk a meter below, and dust billowed. After a long while, the smoke dissipated, and the man was lying on the ground, half dead, with blood all over his body. He kept coughing blood.

 Chapter 250 Looking For Zachary

    "You guys should go to the underworld and keep the Welkin Sect''s dead disciples company. After all, they were killed by your Zi Clan!" At this time, Zachary, whose expression was nothing but apathetic, walked straight towards the white-robed man. The man was vomiting blood.

    "Stop! Please don''t kill me! Spare me..." The white-robed man begged for mercy with a desperate cry plastering his face. However, before he could even finish his words, several streaks of sword radiance flew past the necks of him and the other three disciples of the Zi Clan. The moment the sword radiance vanished, their heads were decapitated and their own blood started pooling underneath their unmoving bodies.

    "I wonder how the Zi Clan will react when they finally receive this ''great gift'' from me? But this isn''t the end. I assume Queenie would have been looking for me at this point. After all, it would be impossible for her not to be mad when I told her I wanted her to be my wife in front of so many people. If she can''t find me, she will definitely create more trouble for the disciples of the Zi Clan. I''m sure those disciples would be very restless starting from today." As his gaze directed back to the four corpses in front of him, Zachary''s lips curled to an evil smile. The very reason why he said that he wanted to let Queenie be his wife in front of so many people was to not only leave a deep impression on her, but also stimulate her anger and force her to commit a handful of irrational actions here and there.

    Just as Zachary turned his heel to leave, two ladies suddenly appeared. Upon seeing the four corpses and Zachary who stood in front of them, the two gasped followed by one of the ladies shouting, "How could you kill people inside the Celestial College?!"

    As she spoke, she rushed towards the man as fast as lighting. The woman uncovered her palm from the glove and attacked a vital part of Zachary''s chest. In an instant, he was engulfed by a strong aura at the ninth grade of Heaven Level.

    As the face of the lady burned into the back of his mind, Zachary''s lips twisted into a smile. The girl was no one other than Rita. The other lady that was with her was Elva.

    ''Rita is far stronger than that man. I will be in trouble if she keeps on attacking me. I''d better retreat for now.'' Understanding that this was no longer a good place to lounge, Zachary turned into a shad

    orner of the room. Afterwards, he turned and said to the other four disciples, "We must go to the scene to have a look first, and then look for this guy separately. The Elite Zone is heavily guarded, and outsiders can''t come in. This guy must be a disciple of the Elite Zone, so he must be in the area somehow. We must catch him by all means!"

    The four disciples stood up straight and nodded immediately. "Understood!"

    ''You''re looking for me? I''m afraid you''ll get nothing from your little treasure-hunting game, '' Zachary, who was lurking in the dark, thought to himself. Suddenly, he felt an extremely strong aura of King Level outside the disciple dormitory. Then, a familiar figure came into his view.

    ''Here she is! A good show is on!'' Zachary couldn''t help but clap his hands and cheer with joy.

    The figure was none other than Queenie.

    There would be only one reason for Queenie to be here: she came to look for Zachary. Although she had offered a reward to whoever who caught him, there was no news about him after a day. She couldn''t swallow her anger that worsened overtime, so she came to the residence of the Zi Clan and decided that she was going to look for Zachary here.

    Upon seeing Queenie, Zachary immediately used his Shadow Pace to hide himself in an inconspicuous corner of the disciple dormitory to wait and watch what would unfold. At the same time, Alger Yuan, who went out of the house with the other four disciples, saw Queenie standing in the yard. They were stunned. They did not expect that Queenie would come to the disciple dormitory of the Zi Clan.

 Chapter 251 A Good Show

    "Welcome, Queen." Alger was furious, but at the sight of Queenie, he instantly changed his tone and tried his best to please the former despite his burning fury.

    The disciples in the Elite Zone had a feeling of awe for her despite her unmatched beauty.

    "Cut the crap. Hand that guy over to me right this instance." Queenie brushed their courtesies off and went straight to the point.

    "Pardon? Which guy are you referring to?" Alger asked with a puzzled look, stunned at the sudden order.

    "The guy who teased me in public yesterday. He mentioned that he is a disciple of your Zi Clan," Queenie replied coldly with growing impatience as the clock continued to tick.

    "Is that true? It would be impossible; the disciples of our Zi Clan have always been taught to be respectful to you, including me. How could they even have an ounce of disrespect towards you?" Alger replied, glancing at the four disciples of the Zi Clan.

    The four men shook their heads in a hurry, acknowledging that they had nothing to do with what had happened yesterday.

    "Then ask all the disciples of your Zi Clan to come here and let me have a look at them myself." Queenie folded her arms across her chest and gave her order.

    "Well, you see¡­ I''m afraid that now is not the right time. In fact, to tell you the truth, four disciples of our clan have been murdered moments ago. We are currently trying to go and find the murderer. As for who disrespected you, please let me check after I come back. If it''s true, I''ll take him to your place to apologize!" Alger responded courteously. He feared that the murderer would run away if they wasted any more time, and thus he wanted to catch the culprit as soon as possible.

    "I have nothing to do with your clan''s business, but that guy must appear in front of me right after, or else..." Queenie''s eyes reflected nothing but apathy. She was bred and raised not to care about others'' feelings. As long as she had to do something, she would never stop until she got what she wanted.

    Alger fell speechless, but even he knew that Queenie was the last person he could afford to offend. Although he was one of the top ten talents in the Elite Zone, his strength was far inferior to her

    purpose could be also achieved, which was to mess with the Zi Clan.

    The case that the four disciples of the Zi Clan were killed hadn''t been investigated yet. The other day, people unexpectedly got the news that another four disciples of the Zi Clan were injured by Queenie. One of them was seriously hurt, and the other three were wounded. It caused a sensation in the area of the Elite Zone. As a result, Queenie became the biggest suspect who had killed the four disciples of the Zi Clan.

    Of course, Queenie was inquired by Winona later on. However, the yellow-robed man from the Zi Clan had proved that the murderer was a man. Only then was Queenie proved to be innocent. However, the fact that she injured the four Zi Clan disciples also became a hot topic in the Elite Zone. Many disciples knew that there was a guy saying that he was a disciple of the Zi Clan and wanted Queenie to be his wife, which triggered this "good show."

    Later, the news that four disciples of the Zi Clan were killed was reported to the masters of the Celestial College, and the dean ordered Katrina to investigate this case as soon as possible.

    At the moment, Katrina was watching the investigation report about the murdered four disciples of the Zi Clan and Queenie hurting the other four Zi Clan disciples. Although the two things seemed to be related, there was a witness who had proved that the murderer was a man. She shrugged and decided that these two things were not related.

 Chapter 252 I Miss You So Much

    "Master Katrina, from what Rebecca has told me, a mystery man is targeting one of the freshmen in the Elite Zone. And four disciples from the Zi Clan were murdered. Do you think there might be a connection between these incidents?" Sara''s face was one of concern as she looked up at her master.

    "I won''t deny that I''ve considered that," Katrina nodded. "After all, witness testimonies have claimed that the murderer did not seem at all like a disciple of the Celestial College. There''s a good chance that the murderer snuck into our college undetected." A contemplative expression was on Katrina''s face as she paced a little, thinking.

    "And beyond that, from what I understand, Queenie made trouble around Zi Clan as someone who claimed to be a disciple from there had challenged her, demanding that she become his wife. It wouldn''t be odd for Queenie to be livid after such impudence," Sara remarked.

    "Thinking about it, these three incidents don''t seem to be related and have nothing to do with the Zi Clan. However, a closer look makes things seem a little suspicious, doesn''t it? After all, it was Elva who had gone into the Elite Zone along with a number of other freshmen. She is most likely to have become the target of the Zi Clan. All things considered...Elva may actually be the one that our mysterious suspect is here for." Katrina''s eyes shone brightly as she saw the connections so clearly the more she continued her analysis.

    "Alright but...why Elva?" Sara asked, confused. "If he''s really the one who killed the disciples from the Zi Clan and started all of this, including the feud between Queenie and the clan, what did he do all of that for? Why was he bringing all that strife to the Zi Clan?" Katrina was confused but she didn''t associate this with Zachary because she believed that he was already dead since he hadn''t shown up for a long time.

    Suddenly, a thought came to Katrina, cutting through the noise of all her contemplation. "I''ll personally investigate all of these three things. You can go."

    That startled Sara somewhat. She had thought that Katrina would leave the investigation fully in her hands. But it would appear that Katrina truly wanted to be involved after all. There must be another angle to this she hadn''t thought of. But she kept these thoughts to herself, bowed politely, and departed.

    "I wasn''t really sure but it has to be that guy. Quite a feat, as I did think he was dead, after all. But he takes one step back into the Celestial College and suddenly all these problems start happening. Looks like

    w so well." Zachary grinned. "Nevertheless, thank you and Master Sophie for the support. Were it not for you, I wouldn''t have a place in the Enigmatic Kingdom." Zachary bowed deeply.

    "All I did was prevent your complete expulsion from the Celestial College," Katrina replied coldly. "You''re treading thin ice. And if you have absolutely no proof of your innocence now, not even I would be able to change how the entire kingdom will look upon you as a stone-faced killer." Katrina frowned, crossing her arms.

    "Well then I''m afraid to tell you that I actually don''t have any evidence that clears my name right now...not even one to justify my actions." Zachary scratched his head slightly.

    But Katrina wasn''t entirely too sure about that. She only raised her eyebrows at him as she noted that he didn''t seem to care at all that he hadn''t any defense. Somewhat disappointed, she thought that the Welkin Sect murder case would stimulate him to cultivate harder and that he must have come to a bitter realization that the world was a cruel, heartless place. Yet Zachary didn''t seem to be expressing the appropriate amount of anger or hatred.

    "But I do have my reasons for coming back." Zachary''s tone changed as he raised his head. He produced two letters, both stained and written in blood, and tossed them to Katrina.

    She immediately picked up the letters and read through them. It wasn''t long before an expression of astonishment crept over her face. "It was Armand who murdered the former leader of the Zi Clan?!" She could not help the shock that bled into her tone.

    "Yes," Zachary nodded. "These letters were written by my father, in person in order to accuse Armand of his crime one day."

 Chapter 253 Casting Weapons

    "But these letters are insufficient. There are several reasons for Armand to shirk responsibility. Besides, these letters can''t prove that you have nothing to do with the Welkin Sect murder case." Katrina was aware that the letters couldn''t prove anything, and they had nothing to do with the Welkin Sect murder case. They only established that Zachary was the son of Zi Clan''s former leader.

    "In that case, I will share that there is a living key witness to the Welkin Sect murder case," Zachary said with narrowed eyes.

    "Who?" Katrina''s eyes widened as she glanced at Zachary.

    "The leader of the Welkin Sect, Lewis Xuan," Zachary answered in a cold tone.

    "Didn''t he die?" Katrina was stunned to learn that he was still alive.

    "No. I saved him and made it look like we are both dead," Zachary explained with a shake of his head.

    "So, the Zi Clan knew that you had died, but they deliberately released evidence to blame you for the Welkin Sect murder case and your parents'' deaths. How cunning they are!" Katrina had to admit that the leader of the Zi Clan was very crafty. By placing all the blame on a dead person, he had ensured that he would be safe.

    "What other reason would I have to kill the Zi Clan disciples? Since the Zi Clan has been unfriendly to me, I certainly won''t sit still and wait for death," Zachary said with a shrug before he crossed his arms over his chest.

    "Where is the leader of the Welkin Sect now? If he is willing to tell the truth, then I''m sure we can establish your innocence," Katrina suggested.

    "As he has been severely injured, he is in a comatose-like state. Although I asked my friend to cure him, I''m afraid he won''t recover in a short time," Zachary muttered. Since he did not want Katrina to know about Tania, he made an excuse.

    "Really? What a pity!" Katrina''s eyes twinkled when she heard the explanation. At least some of what Zachary had said was good news. "So, are you also the mysterious person who was looking for the new disciples in the Elite Zone and provoked Queenie?"

    "That''s right," Zachary answered. He didn''t deny being the person Katrina was talking about.

    "I really don''t know what to say. Don''t you know that you are in a very dangerous situation now? Once people learn your true identity and they find that you killed four disciples of the Zi Clan, you are doomed." Katrina could n

    the most influential disciple," Katrina explained.

    "The most influential one? I''m afraid that would be difficult!" Zachary said with a smile.

    "I believe in you. And it''s for your good. If you want to prove your innocence, you must have the support of many great forces. As for the entire Supernal Continent, there is no force more powerful than four martial colleges," Katrina stated.

    "I see. Then, I will try my best to achieve that." Zachary nodded, admitting that what Katrina had said was reasonable.

    "How long before you can reach the King Level?" Katrina continued her questioning.

    "I am about to break through and reach the ninth grade of Heaven Level," Zachary answered honestly.

    "I have a pill of Heaven Level that can promote your cultivation by one grade directly. Take it. Although I don''t expect you to break through to the King Level in half a month, you should at least approach the King Level. Otherwise, your deception will be noticed when you reach Shura College." With that, Katrina took out a glittering pill and handed it to Zachary.

    Zachary accepted it without hesitation.

    "You can stay at my place to cultivate in seclusion for the next half month. I can assure you that no one is allowed to come there." After saying that, Katrina turned and left.

    "Master Katrina is really nice to me. And she probably has many pills like this! I''m fortunate to have obtained one that will increase my cultivation by one grade. I have everything to start cultivating now." Without wasting any more time, Zachary began his cultivation in seclusion.

 Chapter 254 Ice Needles

    After a few days, Zachary finally reached the ninth grade of Heaven Level after he took the pill that Katrina had given him. He was only one step away from the King Level. Soon enough, he would reach the King Level with the help of the golden pill given by Anne.

    Anne was still cultivating in seclusion. It had been a long time, so Zachary could not help feeling a little worried. He went to check on her in the Living-dead Tomb every day.

    As soon as he reached the ninth grade of Heaven Level, Zachary went to the Living-dead Tomb again. When he arrived, he found the door slightly ajar, which meant Anne had finally finished her cultivation. He hurried into the Living-dead Tomb with a smile.

    When Zachary entered the gate, an Ice Needle was flying toward him. Without thinking, he turned to avoid it, but then he heard Anne saying, "Stand still. Watch it."

    So Zachary stopped and stared at the needle. In the blink of an eye, the needle flew right past his ear. It was so close that he actually heard the needle cut through the air. Cold sweat dripped from his brow.

    "Are you trying to murder your dear disciple, Master Anne?" Zachary yelled.

    "You''re about to reach the King Level. It''s time for you to learn one of my ultimate skills, the Ice Needle Skill. If you want to learn the Ice Needle Skill, you must have extraordinary eyesight. When you are able to catch ten Ice Needles with your bare hands in a row, you will be qualified." Anne''s voice drifted out from behind the door.

    "I see. Then by all means, Master Anne, please don''t go easy on me," Zachary smiled.

    Another Ice Needle shot out. Zachary remained motionless and stared at the flying Ice Needle. It passed his ear before he could react.

    In this way, Zachary improved his eyesight. At first he could not react facing the Ice Needle, but six hours later, he was able to track the Ice Needle. It was not enough, though. If he was to catch the Ice Needle, he had to act before his eyes could see it coming.

    Six more hours passed.

    Zachary had almost touched one Ice Needle, but still...

    Six more hours passed.

    He was now able to catch the needles, but he had to

    swelled when he saw Anne''s rage at what had happened to him.

    "I''m afraid that with your current cultivation level, you''re not yet strong enough to exact vengeance. But as the saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold. It''s best that you bide your time for now," Anne said.

    "Yeah, I know. So, Master Anne, do you have any treasures that can help me with my strength?" Zachary asked, striking while the iron was hot.

    "You have to follow the rules of the system if you want to get treasures from me, which means you must complete quests first. I only bend my rules occasionally. Haven''t you already received the apprentice quest? If Tania accepts you as her apprentice, then you can have whatever you want. She doesn''t belong to this system. She has a special link with the system somehow because of the Fairy Island. She''s not bound by system," Anne explained.

    "But you''ve forbidden me from meeting her." Zachary felt strange that Anne changed her mind and encouraged him to be Tania''s disciple.

    "Things are different now. You have been framed. Your name is as good as mud now, and you are a wanted criminal in the Enigmatic Kingdom. You want to get your revenge and prove your innocence, so you must improve your strength first, but it will take a long time. If you want to take a shortcut, then you must have a master who can collect all kinds of treasures for you. I can''t do that, but Tania can," Anne said softly.

 Chapter 255 Thousand-Face Mask

    "It''s a pity that Master Tania was born heartless. It certainly is a blessing that she doesn''t kill me; she will by no means agree to accept me as her personal disciple." Zachary shook his head.

    "I''ll put in a good word for you the next time I spar with her!" Anne declared after hesitating.

    "Thank you, Master Anne. From the truest parts of my heart." Hearing this, Zachary was ecstatic. He didn''t expect that Anne''s attitude towards him would change so much after her cultivation in seclusion this time around. She taught him a unique skill and even tried to persuade Tania to accept him as her very own disciple.

    "In addition to the Ice Needle Skill, I''ll also teach you three other moves of the Lady Swordsmanship, which will perfectly fit your power at the King Level," Anne said and shot a red flash that originated from her finger into the spot between Zachary''s eyebrows.

    As the red flash forced itself into Zachary''s head, three new moves of the Lady Swordsmanship emerged in his mind, which seemed to be more sophisticated than the previous three moves he had practiced.

    "Go practice, and come to me to claim for new quests when you manage to reach the King level." With that, Anne went straight into the tomb.

    As Anne left him alone, Zachary decided to head back to the Peach Blossom Forest.

    "Congratulations. As Anne is deeply affected by your misfortune as if she had experienced it herself, your friendship level with her reaches level 2," Mimi said in her own sweet voice.

    "Really? I can''t believe it. Wait! What did you mean by that? She is deeply affected by my misfortune as if she had experienced it herself? Does she share the same experience?"

    Mimi just smiled and pretended to be deaf, docking the question and not even offering a single reply against it.

    Zachary''s lips curled into a pout. He decided to drop the subject and focus on his current task¡ªcultivating in seclusion.

    Time flew in the blink of an eye. Soon, it was time for Zachary to leave the Celestial College.

    Zachary was sitting leisurely in Katrina''s chair with ankle on knee, yawning cozily. He was currently waiting for Katrina in her residence. It was hard to think that he was a fanatical killer that was being wanted by the whole Enigmatic Kingdom when he looked similarly to a cat.

    "When will Master Katrina come? Didn''t she say she would meet me in half a month? Today is the deadline. Is she planning on canceling

    a perverted-looking man!" Katrina snarled.

    "Ha-ha, middle-aged men really do have advantages! Young girls today really have a thing for middle-aged men, don''t they?" Zachary laughed with satisfaction as he stared into the mirror once again.

    "Let''s go now." Katrina shook her head in disapproval and headed downstairs.

    Zachary put on his hat and followed Katrina from behind.

    After a short while, Zachary followed Katrina to a square in the Elite Zone. At this moment, the square was filled with many disciples from the Elite Zone. In front of the disciple crowd stood Winona, who took charge of them, some masters, and nine seemingly outstanding disciples. These nine were the elite disciples who would go to Shura College as exchange disciples.

    Among them, Queenie, Rebecca, and Alger, the top three elites at the King Level were all present. The man in a cyan robe he had met before was known as Scott, who was ranked No. 3 among the top 10 warriors at the King Level in the Celestial College. As for the remaining five people, although Zachary didn''t know them, even he could see that they were the powerful warriors at the King Level.

    At this time, Zachary''s eyes once again fell on Queenie and Alger. His face took on a playful smile. ''It seems that this trip to Shura College wouldn''t be too boring. With the two beauties, Rebecca and Queenie, and Alger accompanying, it would be very interesting!'' he thought to himself.

    Of course, he was referring to something that would lead more pornographic, violent and bloody, because he intended to flirt with the two beauties, and murder the Zi Clan disciple.

 Chapter 256 The Confrontation

    As soon as Katrina and Zachary arrived, all disciples on the spot gravitated towards them. They were especially excited to see Katrina. After all, they seldom met her in ordinary settings. If it weren''t for the fact that ten elite disciples had to be sent to the Shura College for study and communication, they wouldn''t have had the chance to see a warrior of Sage Level like her.

    Their facial expressions were a mix of awe and respect and they couldn''t take their eyes off her.

    But soon, everyone''s eyes fell on Zachary. The strange man was wearing a hat and was dressed like a villager. They couldn''t explain it but most of the disciples felt like they had seen him somewhere.

    ''Isn''t he that guy?'' At the sight of Zachary, Queenie became annoyed, while her eyes grew cold and her body trembled. She had not expected Zachary to show up, more so to be accompanied by Katrina.

    Rebecca also recognized Zachary as the obscene stranger who had threatened her half a month ago. He was the one who used her brassiere to pry into the information of new disciples in the Elite Zone. With knitted eyebrows, she couldn''t help but suspect that something strange was going on.

    Alger''s eyes widened in recognition only to narrow in anger. He also recognized the man. Half a month ago, Queenie had injured several disciples at the King Level from the Zi Clan because of him. Until now, they were still in treatment.

    Despite their sudden animosity, nobody rushed over to attack Zachary. After all, he came here with Katrina, so he should not be underestimated. No matter how arrogant and condescending Queenie was in the Elite Zone, she wouldn''t dare to act recklessly in front of Katrina. The same was true for Alger; he didn''t have the guts to get on Katrina''s bad side.

    At that time, the disciples present could not help but guess why Zachary was with her.

    When Katrina and Zachary reached Winona and the other masters, they immediately greeted her with respect, "Good day, Master Katrina!"

    "Have the other nine disciples who will be sent to the Shura College for communication all arrived?" Katrina asked Winona.

    "They are all here, Master Katrina. Is this the tenth disciple you recommended?" Winona asked in return. She took a calculating glance at Zachary because if he was personally recommended by Katrina, it proved that he was stronger than they were e

    evel as Queenie''s pet even if he has the strength at the King Level. Maybe he is no match for her pet!"

    "Although the Nimble White Lion is a treasure beast of Common Level, it is one of the top ten treasure beasts of Common Level. Besides, it has the strength at the first grade of King Level. Even a disciple at the second or third grade of King Level wouldn''t dare to fight it for no reason."

    "This guy is doomed!"

    At that moment, the disciples present began clamoring. Most of them looked at Harley Bai in pity and expected him to be flattened by Queenie''s pet.

    Meanwhile, Katrina narrowed her eyes when Queenie summoned the treasure beast. She raised eyebrows but remained silent. Without any further comments, she stepped aside and motioned for them to go ahead.

    Zachary connected to the system immediately and called his treasure beast, the Blazing Roc. Since it had carried Elva back to the Celestial College last time, it was left there. When Zachary summoned it, it was at rest in a huge nest inside a deep valley of the college. After it sensed the call of its owner, it leaped into the air and rushed towards him.

    "Beautiful Queenie, please wait for a moment. My pet is coming," Zachary said as soon as he felt the Blazing Roc''s approaching presence.

    "Pet? What kind of pet can you have? Stop talking nonsense. Let''s begin the fight!" Queenie demanded coldly with a frown. She thought that Zachary was buying time deliberately. Without any delay, she gestured to the Nimble White Lion to attack. Then, it immediately pounced on Zachary ferociously.

 Chapter 257 Nimble White Lion

    As the Nimble White Lion approached Zachary, the latter stood still as a statue. The other disciples wondered if he was too scared to move. In the blink of an eye, the sharp claws of the Nimble White Lion raised high. Its momentum surged as it leaped towards Zachary, who had not moved an inch.

    Some of the spectators flinched. They expected the Nimble White Lion to tear him to shreds. However, they didn''t expect to see a fiery roc that swooped down at lightning speed.

    It shook its wings, and countless feathers that were ablaze shot out. They gasped as they looked on in awe as it rained fire and blade.

    The Nimble White Lion yowled and jumped back immediately. It looked hesitant to come nearer as it looked at the fire and sharp-looking blades.

    The rumbling and clattering sound the rain made shattered the stillness of the night. The spectators had unknowingly fallen silent as they watched the fiery beast in awe.

    In an instant, the feathers fell and sunk deep into the ground.

    The spectators looked on in shock and terror as the ground turned into a sea of fire. They looked at the fiery roc as it circled, wary in case it attacked them.

    They gasped in surprise as it flew down and settled by Zachary''s side.

    "Orion, long time no see! Did you miss me?" Zachary asked fondly as he glanced at the fiery roc.

    Orion flapped his wings and growled as if to say it was very excited to see its master again. Zachary laughed lightly at this.

    The crowd who had been wary earlier stood confused when the roc alighted beside Zachary. Their eyes widened in realization as their excited buzzing sounded once again.

    "This treasure beast is his?!"

    "Am I seeing things? He looks like a loser. How come he has a treasure beast like this?"

    "The treasure beast seems very strong. Maybe this fellow is a good fighter."

    As the others chattered excitedly, the other eight disciples were a little surprised as well. However, it was not a big deal for them because each of them had their own treasure beast.

    After all, they were elite disciples from Celestial College. They were also outstanding disciples from their own clans or sects. A treasure beast was a necessity.

    Queenie narrowed her eyes. Although it was unexpected that Zachary had a treasure beast, she was confident th

    s she taunted Zachary.

    At the same time, the Nimble White Lion also ran towards Zachary. Its ferocity hadn''t lessened, and it was now intent on revenge for its master.

    "Flawless Illusion!" Several figures suddenly appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the Nimble White Lion.

    When the Nimble White Lion saw that it was surrounded, it immediately stooped and roared warily. It lashed with its sharp claws when the figures came closer.

    It was strong but it was only a treasure beast. It roared wildly and lashed over and over again even when it was obvious that the figures were not real. In its eyes, they were very real threats.

    "Where is he?!" Queenie exclaimed as her eyes also flitted all over the battlefield. The other disciples did the same as they wondered what trick Zachary was playing.

    When all the phantoms had disappeared, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Nimble White Lion. It was so close they were barely touching.

    Meanwhile, the Nimble White Lion thought the figure was still an illusion. It had broken several illusions in succession, so without any strength, it dashed to the figure in front of it.

    However, before the Nimble White Lion hit him, Zachary''s mouth lifted with a shadow of a grin. A strong aura burst out and he broke through to the King Level at once.

    "He has broken through to the King Level only in half a month?" Katrina muttered in complete shock. She didn''t expect Zachary to break through two grades within half a month. He had even broken through to the King Level.

 Chapter 258 Two Treasure Beasts

    Zachary''s break through to the King Level in half a month could be attributed to the pill that Katrina gave him that could promote his cultivation by one grade directly. The golden pill that Anne gave him also helped him survive the Heavenly Tribulation when he was breaking through to the King Level.

    All the disciples present were surprised to see that Zachary had the strength of King Level. His aura showed that he was at the primary stage, but a deeper observation exposed the unusual speed of the martial energy he released.

    "Quadruple martial speed?! He has quadruple martial speed!" someone suddenly cried out. This observation led others to observe more and threw the whole square into an uproar. In the Elite Zone, it was nothing special for a disciple to obtain the quadruple martial speed. However, it was a rare feat to do so at the primary stage of King Level.

    Normally, a disciple at King Level had to be at the medium stage if they wanted to obtain the quadruple martial speed. Therefore, the disciples present were extremely surprised to see Zachary possess quadruple martial speed.

    When Zachary exerted his real power, the Nimble White Lion was caught in the middle of an attack. Without hesitation, Zachary raised his left hand and blocked the attack swiftly. At the same time, a sword shadow flashed in his right hand. He used the Lady Swordsmanship.

    "Holy crap!" Only then did Queenie realize that something was wrong, but it was too late to stop Zachary.

    Out of nowhere, a shadow in the form of a woman with a sword suddenly appeared. She gave off dazzling sharp sword intents towards the lion. Since the Nimble White Lion was too close to the shadow, it couldn''t avoid the sharp sword intents. The Nimble White Lion cried out and limped away in pain.

    Queenie had not expected her beloved pet to get hurt. Shocked and angry, she suddenly stretched her slender body and transformed into a shadow. She hatefully rushed towards Zachary, the bane of her existence. She was empowered by the bitterness she felt towards his inappropriate actions and her precious

    rified of it!

    "Kiwi, come back! You''ve frightened them!" Zachary called the beast back with a wave of his hand. His Holy Bone Bracer had completely absorbed the chill of the Shadowy Cold Palm and he defrosted himself silently while no one was paying attention to him.

    The Thunder Dragon Horse immediately turned around and rushed at Zachary. It rubbed against him with great affection as Zachary greeted it happily.

    The others looked on in amazement. They were so surprised that they momentarily forgot to breathe.

    "Oh my God! Is it also his beast?"

    "So, he actually has two treasure beasts?"

    "How can that be? Only a warrior of Imperial Level can control more than two treasure beasts, right?"

    When they recovered their breaths, the whole square exploded in an uproar. Even Winona and the masters couldn''t believe their eyes.

    "Master Katrina, is there anything special in this disciple? After all, he shouldn''t be able to control two treasure beasts at the same time with his strength, right?" Winona asked in astonishment.

    "Although he is annoying, he is indeed extraordinary. This is just one of the reasons." Katrina smiled proudly even as she stared in amazement like the others. It seemed that Zachary lived up to her expectations. She was pleasantly surprised to see that he could reach King Level in half a month and simultaneously control two treasure beasts.

 Chapter 259 A Rare Genius

    "He deserves to be called a genius. No wonder Master Katrina recommended him!"

    "Yes, you are right. She is so insightful. She saw the talent in him even though he seemed inferior to the other nine disciples. His amazing talent of controlling two treasure beasts is exceptional."

    "I didn''t expect such a talent in our college. If it wasn''t for Master Katrina, we would have missed the opportunity to train him to be an ace warrior!"

    Several masters took the opportunity to flatter Katrina. They hoped to get into her good graces, and the situation was too good to pass up.

    "Are you complimenting him or me? I don''t think controlling two martial beasts is such a big deal," Katrina replied calmly. Despite her words, delight flashed quickly across her face.

    At that moment, Queenie was raging mad. Her Nimble White Lion was afraid of Zachary''s treasure beast. Impotent rage filled her since even her beast would not obey her. She charged at him and wanted to launch an attack. She felt so angry that she could rip him to pieces with her bare hands.

    When the disciples saw Queenie''s rage, they exploded into an uproar. They knew what Queenie was capable of and surmised that Zachary was doomed. They had never seen Queenie so angry before. They all knew that when Queenie got angry, the consequences would be very serious.

    "Stop!" Zachary suddenly shouted.

    At his words, Queenie''s body stiffened all over. It seemed that it was her turn now to be frozen.

    It caused the crowd to erupt in shouts and exclamations. They wondered how Zachary controlled Queenie and transformed her anger into obedience.

    "Cool down, beauty! All this anger would make you look old. You are the goddess of our Celestial College. If you looked like an old woman, a lot of men will commit suicide in despair for losing their goddess!" Zachary said jokingly. In fact, he had shot an Ice Needle towards Queenie when she was about to attack him. The Ice Needl

    was just joking with you last time. It was just a joke. You don''t mind it, right?" Zachary explained at once. He knew that if he didn''t explain, she would not let him go. He carelessly made up an excuse.

    "A joke? I don''t think so! Be honest with me! Why did you want to know where those new disciples in the Elite Zone live? What''s your purpose?" Rebecca asked seriously. Of course, she didn''t believe his lame excuse.

    "Well, it''s a long story. Are you sure you want to know?" said Zachary. He raised his eyebrows and stared at her intensely.

    "If you don''t tell me the truth, I will report this matter to the dean. Your qualifications to study at Shura College will be cancelled." Zachary''s eyes widened at the unexpected threat. Celestial College had zero tolerance for perverted behavior like stealing a female''s brassiere. Therefore, if she reported it, there would be sufficient reason to take away Zachary''s opportunity to go to Shura College.

    "Oh, I almost forget to tell you! I took more than one brassiere last time," Zachary suddenly said with a menacing smile.

    "You..." Rebecca gaped at him, stunned for a moment. Then, her face turned red with rage and her body started trembling. Just the thought that Zachary still had her brassiere made her want to strangle him with it.

 Chapter 260 Weapon Refiners

    "So, I think we''d be better off staying away from each other from now on!" Zachary smiled with nothing but a hint of calmness decorating his features. Fortunately, he had prepared in advance if things turned against his wishes, so he was not afraid if Rebecca decided to start throwing threats to him.

    "Fine. Return the brassiere that belongs to me, and only then will I let this go." After a moment''s hesitation, she ultimately chose to step back; she knew that if she were to push Zachary past his limit, he might show her brassiere in public and make her feel ashamed to even show her face in the Celestial College.

    "If I give this back to you, I would lose my chips during the negotiation. How about this? I will return it back to you once we arrive at the Shura College," Zachary proposed.

    "Alright, but you''d better behave yourself when we arrive there. You''ve stolen my brassieres. If you dare to do anything diabolical to the other female disciples and damage the reputation of the Shura College, I won''t let you go!" Rebecca reluctantly agreed to his suggestion, though not without warning him before floating away.

    "How troublesome it is to piss off a woman!" Zachary shook his head with his usual smile. Then he made his way to Katrina''s house. He found that she was not there once he arrived, so he had to welcome himself in to find a quiet place and swiftly entered the system.

    Zachary had been cultivating in the system for one night. When it was noon the next day, he arrived at the square on time. The square was crowded with people, and most of the disciples in the Elite Zone had come spontaneously to see off the ten renowned ones. Winona and some masters were also present, but Katrina was nowhere to be found.

    And in the center of the square proudly stood a Wind Turtle.

    The other nine disciples including Queenie had also arrived. They were waiting for Zachary to finally present himself.

    In the full view of the public, Zachary passed through the crowd and walked up to the side of the nine disciples. Finally, the ten disciples who were going to study in the Shura College were all present.

    Of course, the moment Queenie''s gaze landed on Zachary, she put on a long face.

    "Let''s go!" Winona called out once all the ten disciples came.

    The ten representatives turned their heel and rode on the Wind Turtle as they set off and left the Celestial College.

    Zachary was the last one to get on the Wind Turtle. He suddenly notic

    There were two purple pills of Imperial Level inside. She gave a side glance at Owen Tian almost immediately, and he nodded in satisfaction.

    "Wow, such gifts are anything but humble! Please show our gratitude to your dean. Come on, let us show you around first." With a big smile that seemed to have been practiced on her face, Tracy packed up the boxes without hesitation. Then she walked in front to lead them inside along with Owen Tian.

    Zachary and the other disciples followed them without a single word.

    The Devil Kingdom was known for its weapon refining skills, and the Shura College was one of the four martial colleges for training weapon refiners. There was a unique training system that was different from that of the Celestial College. The most important point was that the Shura College didn''t have any division in area, nor was there a forbidden area. It didn''t train the disciples according to their own abilities, either. All the disciples were treated in the same way regardless of their qualifications.

    Of course, the reason why the Shura College had such different training system was that a weapon refiner must have enough talent. In addition to that, a weapon refiner must work hard, much harder than anyone else. The training of a weapon refiner was different from that of an ordinary warrior. A lot of practices were necessary in order to promote the skills step by step. Moreover, a weapon refiner had to rely on their own ability to collect the raw materials. Therefore, no matter how talented one would be, if they didn''t work hard and attentively, they wouldn''t be able to become an outstanding weapon refiner.

 Chapter 261 The Coed Dormitory

    Of course, if a warrior''s talent was not that satisfactory, then it would be hard for them to become a qualified weapon refiner. After all, a warrior''s cultivation level was the foundation of their weapon refining level.

    The disciples of the Shura College mainly focused on the weapon refining skills. If they couldn''t refine weapons, they would be laughed at by everyone. So, in the Shura College, most of the disciples could use the skills to make weapons and even regarded such skills more important than the cultivation level.

    Tracy and Owen purposefully introduced the main areas of the Shura College, such as the material room, the weapon refining room, the training field, and so on, to Zachary and the other nine disciples coming from the Celestial College. But apparently, most of its facilities were actually the same as those of the Celestial College. The only difference was that men and women coexisted in the accommodation area of Shura College to the extent that many of them lived under the same roof. They were separated by a wall at most, and some of them even shared the same room.

    "I never expected that the male disciples of Shura College are so lucky!" Zachary couldn''t help but sigh with appreciation. There was a dreamy look on his face.

    "By the way, since our college has limited rooms, we can only arrange two rooms for your group of ten disciples. Fortunately, each room can accommodate five people," Tracy said while turning to Zachary and other disciples.

    Everyone froze on their spot. Considering there were only two rooms, it unmistakably implied that the ten disciples had to share them. Thus, the eight male disciples, including Zachary, whose minds were already miles away, all immediately turned their attention to the only two female disciples, Queenie and Rebecca.

    "No! Absolutely not. I won''t live with them!" Queenie was the first one to protest. She definitely hated the idea of room sharing with these bunch of male disciples.

    Though not saying anything, Rebecca merely nodded to show her agreement. If she had to live with these nasty men, she would rather live out in the wild.

    "Is there no other place for us to live?" Queenie probed immediately, hoping that there was still an option left.

    "It''s customary in our college that males and females live in the coed dormitory. This tradition is in practice to surely eliminate the discrimination between men and women and to exercise equality in treating one another. Besides, our college has

    lso a part of their cultivation. Although you are our guests coming from a long distance, starting from tomorrow onwards, you will also train and cultivate as the disciples of our college." Tracy immediately resumed the posture of a master and firmly emphasized it.

    "We come here for learning weapon refining skills, not for farm work. Do you think we are easy to bully?" Alger murmured but he enunciated every word.

    "Alger, stop talking nonsense!" Scott shortly reproached in a low voice.

    Thus, Alger quit talking at once.

    However, Tracy and Owen didn''t seem to be offended by his grumble. They merely let it pass and Tracy continued, "You can have a rest today. We will come here tomorrow." Then, they left side by side in an unhurried manner.

    As soon as the two masters left, Alger whined, "The Shura College doesn''t want us to learn their weapon refining skills. Obviously, they are deliberately making things difficult for us. They want us to give up because of these difficulties. It''s so insidious!"

    Other disciples nodded in agreement, too. Only Zachary, Scott, and Nelson didn''t say anything. They chose to remain silent.

    "How about that room?" Queenie asked Rebecca as she pointed to one of the rooms in the farmyard.

    "Okay," Rebecca readily agreed without any objection.

    Then the two girls strolled in with their luggage in tow.

    Meanwhile, Zachary was about to follow them into the room. He was also eager to rest for a while. But as soon as he reached the door, Queenie suddenly turned around, pointed at him, and whispered, "Don''t blame me for not warning you. If you dare step into this room, you''ll pay for the consequence!"

 Chapter 262 Demonic Forest

    Having anticipated this, Zachary tried to play it cool. He didn''t want to be laughed at by the other disciples, so he just shrugged, gave them a smile and deliberately said, "Fair ladies, if you''ll excuse me, I''ll have a walk around. Just remember to leave a bed for me." With that, he turned around intending to leave.

    "Bastard, I''m not done with you! Thanks to you, our clan''s several disciples were hurt by Queenie. Do you honestly think we can let you go that easily?" said Alger angrily. Seeing that no one else was around, he decided to stir up some trouble for him.

    "Then what do you want? Do you want to beat me up?" Zachary asked with a sneer.

    "That would be too easy. I''ll make your life a living hell instead!" Alger exclaimed changing his stance.

    "Let''s wait until you can catch up with me," replied Zachary. After casting a disdainful look at Alger, he left with Shadow Pace.

    "Stop!" ordered Alger, running after him.

    However, Alger wasn''t fast enough. As he rushed to catch up, Zachary was nowhere to be found. "What a cowardly bastard! You can run but I''ll find you one day," he murmured in frustration as he went back.

    After getting rid of Alger, Zachary strolled around the Shura College.

    ''Where does Polly live? I haven''t completed my main quest yet. Now I''m at Shura College, this is a good opportunity for me and I have to seize it. Anyway, it''s not like she can recognize me now, '' Zachary thought to himself.

    In that moment, he suddenly sensed some unusual aura following him. He turned around and saw a scholar-like disciple behind him.

    "Bro, how extraordinarily agile you are! Even I almost couldn''t catch up with you." Nelson calmly smiled.

    "But the important thing is that you caught up with me. You''re not bad." Zachary was startled. This was the first time he''d met a disciple who was able to keep up with his speed, though he would expect it of Nelson as he was one of the top ten disciples in the Celestial College.

    "Where are you going?" Nelson asked, adopting a casual tone.

    "Don''t beat around the bush. Get to the point, will you?" Zachary replied. He knew Nelson had followed him for a reason.

    ven while still at the edge of it. He couldn''t beyond his immediate surroundings, so it was hard to say what kind of danger he would encounter once he went deep into the forest.

    "This quest of King Level is obviously more difficult than those that came before it. I have to be careful," Zachary murmured to himself as he went deep into the Demonic Forest. He activated the power of the Dog Soul Ring to enhance his senses and began to look for treasures around the area.

    Although the Demonic Forest was a dangerous place, with the help of the Shadow Pace and the Dog Soul Ring, it was a smooth journey for Zachary all the way inside. He soon found the first item and started to look for the second one.

    Two hours later, he found the second one in a cave.

    "The third one must be nearby." After taking a look at his Treasure-hunting Compass'' radar, Zachary left the cave and went out in search of it.

    In that moment, Zachary suddenly heard a furious roar not far away. It made the ground tremble. He was astonished to sense an aura of King Level coming from somewhere. Curious as to what a disciple would be doing in such a dangerous place, he immediately followed the direction of the sound. Not long after, he saw a delicate figure fighting with a martial beast at the first grade of King Level.

    "Wow, what a coincidence! Why is she here?" Zachary couldn''t help exclaiming. It was Polly, the woman he''d been trying to find.

 Chapter 263 Help Polly

    "This beast looks powerful! Mimi, give me data on this beast." Zachary observed the beast with careful eyes. It resembled a rhinoceros and had six thick feet that looked sturdy and strong. A long, rough horn protruded from its head. It was easy to tell that it was very powerful.

    "It''s a Giant Horned Beast, a martial beast known for its strength and defensive power. It''s currently at the medium stage of King Level. Its high defensive power comes from its tough skin which makes it very difficult to injure," Mimi said in a sweet voice.

    ''No wonder Polly can''t beat it, '' Zachary pondered. At the moment, Polly was at a disadvantage. Although she was struggling to fight with all her strength, she still couldn''t hurt the Giant Horned Beast.

    Still, he didn''t step forward to help her. Instead, he stood aside and watched the show. He noticed during their battle that she was quite powerful. He could tell before they fought, but it was more amazing upfront and personal.

    Now, Polly seemed a little exhausted. It could be because the battle had been going on for a while. Amazingly, the Giant Horned Beast grew more ferocious as time went. It also fought intelligently as it continued to lead her into a corner until it successfully trapped her in a small area.

    Fifteen minutes passed and her martial energy depleted sharply from overuse. Exhausted as she was, she began to let her guard down. She cried out in pain as the sharp horn of the beast hit her thigh.

    Polly hastily limped away, pale and unsteady on her feet. Her face was shadowed and serious as she surveyed the area around her. The huge body of the Giant Horned Beast had blocked her way out completely. With her injured leg, she was in danger''s door.

    Suddenly, a figure swooped down and attacked the martial beast. Sword radiance shone and sword shadows spread in the air. They turned into a fierce sword aura that shrouded the huge beast in the blink of an eye.

    The beast was caught unaware with its full attention on Polly. By the time it saw the attack, it was too late.

    It could do nothing under th

    ound on her right leg. He massaged it carefully with gentle fingers. Polly''s beautiful face contorted in pain. She bit her lips to silence any noise of pain that could escape.

    "It seems that you have a fracture. Let me administer first aid for you," Zachary told her, before he swiftly stood up to look around. He picked up several thick wood branches nearby and pulled a piece of vine from a vine-covered tree. With all these in hand, he walked back to Polly''s side.

    "It might be a little bit painful, but you have to endure it." With firm but careful movements so as not to aggravate her injury, he tied up several wooden branches with the vine and fixed them on her thigh. He tugged it quickly to tie the knot.

    "Aargh!" Polly cried out in pain from the sudden pressure on her wound. She bit her pink lips and looked at Zachary, embarrassed. After all, she had always been strong and independent. She had never been cared for like this by anybody, nor had she been this vulnerable in front of anyone.

    "It''s normal to feel pain unless your body is made of iron," Zachary quipped to make her feel better. He grinned at her in a silly, sunny way and she couldn''t help but smile back.

    Polly playfully rolled her eyes at his lame joke. Thanks to him, she didn''t feel as awkward now. She asked him curiously, "Are you also a disciple of Shura College? I haven''t seen you before."

 Chapter 264 Carry Polly Back

    "So what? Does it really matter? You won''t marry me just because I saved you, will you? You are a beautiful woman, and I know that I don''t deserve you," Zachary said modestly. He looked away from her and refused to meet her curious gaze.

    "Is it because you are ugly? Is that why you''re wearing a hat?" For such a powerful man, Polly didn''t expect him to be humble. She was pleasantly surprised and intrigued by the strange man. However, she couldn''t see what he looked like because his face was covered by his hat.

    "You got me. So next time you see me, you''d better take a detour! Otherwise, I won''t be able to make it up to you if I scare you accidentally," Zachary sighed playfully.

    Polly burst into laughter at the man''s words. Zachary was surprised but delighted by her unexpected charm. Although she wasn''t the most beautiful woman he had met, he believed that if she became more comely and warm or at least lessened her coldness towards others, she would definitely attract countless men.

    "You look attractive when you smile. Why are you always frowning?" sighed Zachary.

    "What do you mean always? You talk like you see me a lot," Polly asked, puzzled. If Zachary saw her that often, then she should have seen him as well.

    "It''s normal to meet a celebrity like you several times." Zachary smiled.

    "That''s right. But do I often frown? I don''t think so." Polly frowned a bit and touched her face in wonder. No doubt, she was trying to recall the times when she was frowning.

    "You can smile more. If you do, you''ll be astoundingly beautiful!" said Zachary exaggeratedly.

    "Liar!" Polly rolled her eyes at him. She knew she was beautiful but she also knew when someone was just flattering her.

    "Okay, it''s done." As Zachary spoke, he adjusted the wooden structure on her leg.

    "But how will I get back?" Polly tentatively moved her right leg. It was stuck on the wooden branches in a way that rendered her unable to move. Even though she could manage to walk, she didn''t know how long it would take for her to get back to the Shura College.

    "I can help you!" Zachary answered with a smile. The reason why he helped

    "You''re a shameless man. Why would I blame you?" Polly was speechless again.

    "Well, you might blame me if your leg cannot be cured. If no one wants to marry you because of the injury, you may even ask me to marry you! I can''t bear such a responsibility!" Zachary explained seriously.

    Somehow, his words were just too absurd that she tended to lose her bearings.

    Zachary went back to the college with Polly in his arms with no trace of subtlety. It shocked all disciples who saw this.

    Even worse, the disciples of Shura College who saw them followed them in great disbelief. They hoped to know more about the mysterious man and the strange situation that had placed Polly in his arms.

    Zachary, of course, didn''t really mind the followers behind them. After they arrived at the healing room, he immediately disappeared. Polly sat speechless for a long time as she tried to digest the day''s events.

    "Who was that guy? Why was he so mysterious?" she muttered to herself.

    The news that Polly was held by a mysterious man in public spread like wildfire through the whole Shura College in less than a day. Many men were wondering who the mysterious man was and how he won the heart of the famous beauty so quickly.

    On her end, Polly didn''t bother to answer anyone''s questions. She knew that in the end, they would believe what they wanted so it would be just wasted effort. Instead, she focused on her recovery.

 Chapter 265 Seedling Planting

    The next morning at dawn, both Tracy and Owen appeared in the farmhouse where Queenie and the other disciples lived. At the moment, excluding Zachary, other nine disciples were all waiting in the farmyard. Zachary, on the other hand, was missing.

    "Aren''t we one person short?" Tracy glanced at the other disciples standing in front of her and noticed that there was something odd with the number of people present.

    "I don''t know where Harley went so early in the morning, but I''m pretty sure that he should be back very soon," Queenie responded almost immediately. In fact, Zachary didn''t come back last night.

    "Queenie, did he come back last night?" Alger asked in suspicion. He saw Zachary yesterday, but the latter managed to slip away in front of him and Alger never saw him since.

    "Yes, he did. Right, Rebecca?" Queenie had a guilty conscience.

    "Yes, he came back at such an ungodly hour last night." Rebecca nodded her head in agreement. If Tracy and Owen knew that they had threatened Zachary not to live with them, they would feel that they were too arrogant and inhuman.

    At this moment, Zachary, who did not return all night, stepped into the farmyard. Upon seeing that the two masters had arrived, he immediately uttered respectfully, "Good morning, Master Tracy and Master Owen."

    "Where did you go this morning?" Tracy asked immediately.

    "I have an old habit of exercising in the morning, so I went for a run before dawn. Not only that, I even managed to go to the famous cliff of the Shura College to watch the beautiful sunrise," Zachary answered calmly. Right after he sent Polly back yesterday, he had quickly searched the terrain of the Shura College.

    Both Queenie and Rebecca felt relieved and their once tense shoulders relaxed themselves. After all, they didn''t want Zachary to snitch on them.

    "Is that so? It seems to me you have a good sense of adaptability. That is not bad." Tracy nodded her head, and then turned to the other nine disciples. "You all should try and be like Harley. From now on, treat Shura College as your own home. Only in this way, you can blend in better and learn with the disciples of our college."

    Queenie and the others glanced at Zachary with different expressions, and they all nodded.

    "Well, from today on, you will study with a group of new disciples

    as going on.

    "Polly, come up here and show them how it''s done." Tracy motioned to the so-called goddess of the freshmen.

    "Alright." Polly walked over, and took a glance at Zachary from the corner of her eye as she made her way in front of him. She then proceeded to pick up a basket filled with black seedlings, and entered one of the empty fields. Then, she used her movement skill and began to take out a seedling from the basket and inserted it into the farmland. Wherever she passed, a black seedling was neatly arranged, and even the heights of all the seedlings were extremely the same. Within less than fifteen minutes, the whole field was filled.

    "Well done." Both Tracy and Owen nodded in satisfaction.

    "Isn''t that simple enough?" Alger uttered dismissively.

    "Then you can have a try." Hearing this, Tracy looked at Alger with a tint of giddiness in her smile.

    "Well, let me present to you the ability of a disciple of our Celestial College!" Alger picked up a basket filled with seedlings from the ground, and stepped into another acre of empty land. He then exerted his movement skill, took out a black seedling from the basket and inserted it into the farmland. When he inserted it into the farmland, he found that the earth was as hard as stone. So he immediately activated his martial energy and tried to push the seedling into the soil with his strong force. But as he used his strength, the seedling broke after a simple smack.

    The disciples from the Shura College broke into laughter, as if they were presented a joke.

 Chapter 266 Plant The Seedlings

    "I thought the disciples from the Celestial College were very powerful. Yet, they couldn''t even plant the seedlings. They''re far weaker than us," a disciple from Shura College grumbled. They made fun of the disciples from Celestial College and laughed at them.

    "It was an accident!" Alger exclaimed heatedly. Blue veins bulged on his temples as his anger flared up. He hated the jerks who were making fun of him, but he had to restrain himself and focus on his task. He quickly took another seedling to plant, but it also broke before he could plant it successfully.

    He tried several times until finally, he inserted one into the field. Yet, it was inserted in a haphazard and skewed manner. Fifteen minutes passed quickly and not a single line of seedlings was planted.

    Alger could not even bring himself to imagine how long it would take to plant the seedlings into one acre of land. It was especially more difficult because of the disciples from Shura College who were laughing at him outright.

    In his anger, he threw the basket of seedlings and stomped back to his team.

    "Master Tracy, is there anything special about the seedlings?" Queenie asked at once when she saw how Alger failed. She knew that planting seedlings appeared easy, but she couldn''t do it well if she didn''t grasp the skill. Thus, she decided to ask for advice before anything else.

    "Yes. These seedlings are special. They will grow up with water and can be used as refining materials when they are ripe. The seedlings can absorb martial energy. They can easily break if they absorb too much martial energy at one time. However, they need to absorb enough martial energy to be planted. Thus, although it looks like a normal planting activity, it''s actually a special training for rookie weapon refiners. To become a weapon refiner, they have to master the martial energy. If they can''t control it, they won''t be able to refine any weapon," Tracy explained immediately.

    "Oh, I see." Queenie nodded.

    "Each of you should give it a try. Don''t worry; nobody can do it well at their first try. Even for Polly, it took her a few days to adapt," Tracy added.

    Except for Zachary, Queenie and the other eight disciples looked at each other in silence.

    "Scott, go and have a try." After a moment of careful consideration, Queenie urged Scott to go. He was always reliable and calm which made him the perfect candidate.

    Scott re

    ble.

    "Which one of you wants to go and have a try?" Tracy looked at the other disciples from Celestial College who didn''t have a try yet.

    The rest of the disciples looked at each other and shook their heads.

    "Hey, you go and try!" Queenie suddenly shouted at Zachary.

    "Me?" Zachary asked in surprise. He could tell from Queenie''s expression that she wanted to see him fail and lose face. After all, he was the weakest among the ten of them. Naturally, his performance would be the worst.

    Polly also perked up in anticipation when she heard Queenie''s proposal.

    "If he tried, he will only bring disgrace to our college. We''d better not let him go!" Alger said with a sneer. He completely forgot that he also failed just a few moments ago.

    Zachary didn''t want to join the competition at first, but when he heard Alger''s words, he changed his idea. He smiled and said, "Okay, I''ll try!" He picked up a basket, carried it on his back and arrived at an acre of empty farmland. Now, everyone was looking at him with great interest.

    The crowd saw he taking out a black seedling from the basket. He weighed it in his hand, and then stared at the empty land in front of him. After a short while, he began to plant the seedlings slowly, without using his own movement skill, the Shadow Pace.

    "Just like I said, he would lose face. He was so nervous that he even forgot to use his movement skill," Alger sneered immediately.

    The disciples of Shura College also jeered and booed loudly.

    However, Zachary just kept planting the seedlings. He ignored everyone and gave the task his full focus.

 Chapter 267 Shocking Performance

    It didn''t take long for Zachary to plant several seedlings in a time-consuming speed. However, he suddenly sped up once he had gotten the hang of it. In the blink of an eye, he was so quick that no one present could see clearly what he was doing. A moment later, several rows of black seedlings were orderly planted.

    Tracy, Owen and Polly stood there shocked. Even if the others couldn''t see what was going on, they could tell even from a glance that Zachary''s movements were swift and accurate. He did not look like a beginner at all.

    In less than half an hour, the whole land was filled with black seedlings, row by row. Their height was equal as well. His skill was almost comparable to Polly''s.

    The onlookers were completely stunned with silence. The disciples of the Shura College, who had laughed at Zachary just now, were all standing dumbfounded, as if they could not believe what they had just seen.

    Even the disciples of the Celestial College including Queenie were surprised. They didn''t expect that the weakest one of them, Zachary, could perform so well.

    "How is that even possible? How did he manage to make it?" Alger was stunned, to say the least.

    "Harley, you have kept your profile low all this time! I didn''t know you were so capable in this!" Nelson laughed loudly with glee.

    "I think being a peasant would suit him perfectly," Queenie snorted with her words, jealousy painting her teeth.

    Even Tracy and Owen stared at Zachary in disbelief. They had never seen a beginner could be so adept at doing such a task.

    Polly''s eyes fell on Zachary as her lips curled in amusement.

    Zachary walked back to them, as if nothing had happened prior to this.

    "Harley, have you received training similar to this before?" Tracy asked immediately once he was within earshot.

    "No, I don''t believe I have." Zachary shook his head with his reply.

    Upon hearing this, Tracy and Owen were even more taken aback. But soon they recovered their composure. "Good. You truly are an excellent disciple from the Celestial College! Amazing!" Owen praised.

    "Polly, Owen and I will leave now. You are in charge of guiding them!" Tracy ordered. Then she turned to Zachary. "You''ve done well. You don''t have to join this training anymore. We will arrange other trainings for you soon." Sh

    ust be lifted up to a certain height.

    Your buttocks are too high!"

    Pak!

    "Why did you spank my buttocks?"

    "Because you are just too stupid."

    "You bastard..."

    "If you don''t want me to teach you, I''ll go and teach Rebecca."

    "Humph! You will be nothing but dead meat once I finish!"

    The scene of Zachary teaching Queenie in such a playful manner made everyone''s heart skip a beat. All the male disciples from both colleges were thrilled and even wished to be Zachary. After all, it was the dream of many men to have such an intimate contact with the most beautiful disciple of the Celestial College.

    When Polly caught that Zachary was teaching Queenie, she furrowed her brows and seemed to be a tad unhappy. But soon she went to guide the other disciples from the Celestial College.

    Under the guidance of Zachary, Queenie made great progress. She finished planting all the seedlings in an acre of land now.

    In addition, after repeated training, Rebecca and Scott also improved a lot. Their talents impressed all the disciples of the Shura College.

    When it was noon, Tracy and Owen came back. They wanted to check on with the progress of the disciples. Satisfied with the result, Tracy announced, "Harley, Queenie, Scott and Rebecca, you can start learning weapon refining skills in addition to the normal training by tomorrow!"

    Shura College''s disciples were surprised to hear that as they didn''t expect that the four of them could learn weapon refining skills that soon. This was absolutely an exception.

 Chapter 268 Learning Weapon Refining

    Normally, it took at least half a year for a freshman in Shura College to start learning weapon refining. The exact time depended on their talent. Although Zachary and his companions were only beginners, they were allowed to learn weapon refining, which was unprecedented and made everyone else jealous of them.

    "Polly, you join as well," Tracy said to Polly.

    Polly calmly nodded her head. In fact, she could have started to learn weapon refining a long time ago, but due to her being a freshman, she wasn''t allowed to do so. Nevertheless, as she had been exposed to weapon refining when she was in her clan, she couldn''t learn anything new in the current training.

    Since the four disciples from the Celestial College were allowed to skip the preparation training, it was now okay for Polly to join, in spite of the fact that she was still a freshman. In the afternoon, they entered a large weapon refining room that looked like a factory, to learn weapon refining, together with other disciples from Shura College, who had just begun to learn its skills.

    There were forty sets of professional weapon refining equipment, which included a furnace, a manual on weapon refining, weapon refining tools, a cold water tank, and so on.

    The master who was in charge of teaching weapon refining was called Samuel Song. He dressed up like an old pedant, his hair half white; his thin eyebrows and small eyes gave him a special aura.

    "When you start to learn weapon refining skills, you must first cultivate energy fire. As it is difficult to do so, beginners usually have to use the energy fire stone." Samuel Song took out an energy fire stone which glimmered with a golden light.

    ''Oh, I didn''t know that there is a kind of energy fire stone in this world. Had I known it earlier, I would not have tried so hard to catch the Blazing Roc, and fuse its natural energy fire with the metal element, '' Zachary pondered.

    "This energy fire stone is a unique treasure refined by our Shura College. You can''t get it outside. An energy fire stone of Mortal Level can last one month, so you can receive it every month. But you must safeguard it. If you lose it, you can''t get another one," Samuel Song stressed.

    "There are thousands of weapon refining skill

    threw the model Queenie had made into the furnace and began refining it.

    "Humph! I don''t believe you can do better than me." Then, she crossed her arms over her chest, and waited for Zachary to embarrass himself.

    Zachary didn''t mind Queenie''s words at all. He poured the melted material into the weapon refining model, and quickly added it to the water to cool it. When it was about to solidify, he took it out and put it on the weapon refining table. Then, picking up the iron hammer, he released his martial energy and started hammering the material. Before picking it up again and resuming hammering, he put it into water to cool. After repeating that process several times, the material looked more like a weapon.

    Queenie was stunned when she saw what Zachary had done. For him, it had seemed to be a piece of cake, whereas, it was so difficult for her.

    Then, Zachary went on to the next step of weapon refining.

    At the same time, most of the other teams had not finished making their model, as half way through the process, the molds would crack, or they couldn''t form the desired shape.

    Only very few groups managed to complete model making, but there was no further progress after that.

    It was four hours since the groups started, but almost all of them gave up after having failed repeatedly.

    Their failure was not surprising, as no freshman could successfully refine a weapon on the first day of learning weapon refining.

    An excited voice suddenly shouted, "We made it!"

 Chapter 269 Finishing Refining

    All eyes present turned toward the sweet voice. Samuel and Polly were as shocked as everyone else in the room.

    It was Queenie who had spoken. At that very moment, she was holding up a newly-refined weapon of Mortal Level, which resembled the one Samuel himself had worked on before.

    One could have heard a pin drop in that room. No one had expected Queenie and her team to accomplish such a feat as this. In fact, it should have been impossible for beginners.

    "You succeeded?" Saying this with a frown, Samuel made his way through the crowd to the weapon refining table which had become the center of everyone''s attention.

    "See for yourself, Master Samuel!" replied Queenie excitedly. With that, she offered him the weapon.

    Samuel dispassionately took it in his hands and took a moment to inspect it. Gradually his eyes widened and his face hardened. When he finally spoke again, he was fighting to keep his voice from trembling. "You really made this?"

    Queenie''s proud look didn''t waver. "Of course we did. Is something wrong?"

    Standing beside her was Zachary, silent and reserved as if it was none of his business.

    "Yes," Samuel said angrily. "In fact, there is something seriously wrong here."

    Queenie''s look of confidence wavered. "What do you mean, Master Samuel?"

    "This is obviously a two-star weapon," he explained, "but you just began to learn weapon refining. What you''ve accomplished is impossible, literally. You must have cheated."

    These words seemed to send the other disciples into an uproar. Angry comments and sarcastic whispers simmered in the air.

    "And here I thought the disciples from Celestial College were really good. Turns out they''re frauds."

    "They said they were masters at this. Masters of cheating, maybe!"

    "What a disgrace! Not only did they cheat, but they''ve been caught on the spot, in front of everyone! How are they going to explain this away?"

    "We didn''t cheat," Queenie retorted indignantly. "We did refine this on our own. How could you say that?" One might have thought twice about speaking this way to a m

    doubt.

    But Zachary himself didn''t speak up. This whole business was child''s play to him. Had he known that it would cause so much trouble, he would have pretended to be a rookie.

    Meanwhile, Tracy''s critical eye was bearing down on him. Somehow her look was far more imposing than even Samuel''s. "Did you really refine this?" she asked.

    Zachary hesitated for another long moment, and then nodded. The last thing he wanted was to draw more attention or stir up trouble, but he had to clear up this whole mess. If he didn''t, it would be a serious blow to Celestial College''s reputation. People would think that all of its disciples were cheaters and frauds.

    Tracy raised her voice then, making sure that everyone present would hear what she said next. "Well then, you may as well refine a new one, and prove that you''re telling the truth."

    At this, everyone stared even harder at Zachary, certain that this demonstration would bring out the truth for certain. Still, they all felt sure that the man had cheated, and there was no way he could actually refine such a weapon.

    Beside him, Queenie nudged Zachary with her elbow. "Well? Show them how good you are!" She had seen him refine the first weapon and had every confidence in him.

    "There''s no need for that," Zachary said.

    As soon as he said that, the crowd thought he admitted that he had cheated, and went berserk.

 Chapter 270 All By Myself

    "Finally, you are willing to admit it?" Samuel sneered with a mocking expression on his face.

    Tracy, who was at the side, couldn''t help looking a little disappointed.

    With a frown, Polly also cast a glance at Zachary.

    "Hey, are you crazy?" Queenie burst out with her eyes wide open, not knowing what Zachary was thinking. She didn''t expect that he would say so.

    "Give that weapon to me." Zachary casually turned to Polly as he signaled to her.

    That made Poly feel a little surprised by his gesture. And with not a hint of hesitation, she readily gave the weapon to him.

    As soon as Zachary got hold of it, he threw the weapon into the furnace without further thinking.

    Everyone around him gasped. They were too shocked at what he did, wondering what he wanted to do. Some also stared at him with annoyance.

    "Does he want to destroy the evidence?"

    "He''s too cunning."

    "But we are all considered witnesses. He can''t deny it."

    Everyone from the Shura College immediately thought that Zachary was going to destroy the evidence, so they were all filled with righteous indignation.

    Tracy felt strange, too. If he indeed wanted to eliminate the evidence, it was meaningless to do then. After all, there were so many people present. If this was his intention, it would be futile.

    Queenie and the others also fixed their gaze at Zachary. Like everyone else, they were all bewildered. They even all started feeling uncomfortable with it, but they continued to look on while holding their breath momentarily.

    Under such a confusing situation, Zachary remained composed as he suddenly reached out and abruptly retrieved the weapon that was thrown earlier into the furnace. All the disciples, who were watching closely, seemed to particularly note that a substantial part of it was already dissolved. And what was severest, it could barely maintain its shape.

    Zachary merely ignored them while he continued throwing several materials into the furnace to smelt them. Moments later, he began to re-refine the weapon. He hammered it repeatedly, and his movements were very skillful and orderly. All the people present were surprised. No matter how blind they were, they could see that it was not the

    deal. Let''s call it a day!" Tracy purposely interrupted. "Okay, let''s continue with the practicing. Harley, come out with me." She then turned around in the opposite direction and started to walk away.

    Then, under the intent gazes of all disciples, Zachary cautiously left with Tracy.

    When they both emerged out of the weapon refining room, Tracy tilted her head to Zachary and casually said, "You said that you had never been trained in weapon refining before. But judging from your performance just now, you have already had a certain foundation of refining weapons."

    "I didn''t receive any training, but it doesn''t mean that I have never studied weapon refining skills," replied Zachary, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.

    "Did you learn that from Celestial College? Although your college also has this training in weapon refining, it should still be impossible for you to be that skillful. Your weapon refining skill must be extraordinary." With her experience, she could naturally see the power of Zachary''s weapon refining skill. She could also see that he still didn''t use his full strength. In her opinion, his weapon refining level should be beyond the Mortal Level.

    "I learned it all by myself," Zachary responded honestly.

    "Self-taught?" Tracy was stunned for a moment. But even if he learned by himself, he still could need some useful references, such as some manuals on weapon refining, or else he couldn''t have achieved it all by his exploring.

 Chapter 271 Is There A Problem

    "Is there a problem, Master Tracy?" Zachary asked with raised eyebrows.

    "No," Tracy replied, shaking her head. Although she had doubts, she did not ask again. She had no business sticking her nose in Zachary''s privacy, and even if she did, he would not tell her the truth. "It seems that the Celestial College is hiding some real talents." "It''s a pity that a talented weapon refiner like you doesn''t come to our college. With your skills and our special training program, you''ll definitely have a brighter future here."

    Tracy offered Zachary an official invitation. She was one of the people in charge of the disciples, and she oversaw the recruitment and training of talents. His extraordinary talent was rare. Any college would kill to enlist him.

    "I''m flattered, Master Tracy, but I don''t think I''m as talented as you believe," Zachary politely refused. His modesty did nothing but make Tracy even more interested in him.

    Before Zachary came to the Shura College, he had promised Katrina that he would become its most influential disciple before returning to the Celestial College. It meant making sure that the college did anything to enlist him. His conversation with Tracy suggested that he had successfully aroused the attention of the Shura College, but it was still far from enough. He still had to best all the disciples of the college.

    "You don''t have to answer me right now. I want you to think about it. You have a good foundation in weapon refining, but you still have to be humble and keep working hard. After all, your weapon refining level hasn''t reached your cultivation level yet. There are many disciples like you in our college, and you have a lot to learn if you want to stand out. Do you underst

    ?" Zachary laughed. He could act like Queenie and Rebecca were imagining things but not for long. He knew very well that he was here for an entirely different reason.

    "Is that funny?" Queenie asked coldly.

    "What are you thinking then, ladies? Assassination? Collecting information? Stealing some treasure?" Zachary mocked further.

    Queenie and Rebecca fell silent.

    "Tell us the truth, Harley," Queenie hissed.

    Zachary sighed and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. The reason Master Katrina sent me here..."

    Queenie and Rebecca leaned in.

    "Is..." Zachary intentionally dragged.

    "Out with it already!" Queenie screamed.

    "To learn," Zachary replied.

    "Is this a joke?" Rebecca growled. "That can''t be it," Queenie said, angrily clenching her fist.

    "Yes, it is. The reason Master Katrina sent me here is to learn weapon refining and take the knowledge back to the Celestial College." Zachary put on a serious look. Of course he would not tell Queenie and Rebecca that he came to the Shura College to hide from the public. He was now a notorious murderer in the Enigmatic Kingdom. Many wanted to take his life for justice.

 Chapter 272 No Free Meal

    "Do you swear that''s the real reason?" Queenie and Rebecca did not believe Zachary even if he made sense.

    "Okay. Just tell me what you want," Zachary conceded. Queenie and Rebecca looked at each other and smiled.

    "I knew it," Zachary sighed in exasperation.

    "Teach us weapon refining, and all will be forgiven." Queenie grinned.

    "You want me to teach you? What do you even need me for? There are so many masters in the Shura College. Why do you need me?" Zachary replied confused. Obviously he was not expecting such a condition from Queenie and Rebecca.

    "You don''t understand. We only have one year to study here. If we keep our current pace, we can only learn so little. The Shura College isn''t being generous to us and it''s impossible for us to learn any profound weapon refining skills unless we''re naturally talented. That''s why we need your help," Queenie said seriously.

    "I think that''s why Master Katrina sent you here with us. If you help us learn the basics, then we''ll have an easier time learning some real weapon refining skills from the Shura College," Rebecca added.

    "I suppose you''re right. Well, I can instruct you, but basic weapon refining skills are not that easy to master, let alone the more profound skills. That being said, I''ll be very strict with you and for a price. There are no free meals in this world," Zachary said seriously.

    "Are you serious? We all come from the Celestial College. We should help one another." The two girls realized what was going on, so they gave him a look of disdain.

    "Ha-ha! You can''t expect me to be altruistic. Besides, you need me more than I need you," Zachary drawled.

    "You sure about that

    was Master Katrina who put him in. If he''s here on her orders, it means that he really has some skills. At least he can help us for now. Besides, we won''t mistreat him," Queenie said proudly like a real queen.

    Rebecca nodded in agreement.

    Zachary found an empty place, entered the system, and teleported himself to the Living-dead Tomb to find Anne and get some quests.

    "Master Anne, you are getting more and more beautiful these days," Zachary said warmly.

    Anne smiled and replied, "You''ve got a collection quest today."

    "College quest again? How about giving me a tracking quest?" Zachary tried negotiating.

    "The tracking quest is randomly assigned, and I can''t decide it. Moreover, the collection quest is for you to collect materials for forging the body for Andrew''s spiritual soul. The region that the Shura College is in is rich in all kinds of weapon refining materials, and there is a wide variety of martial beasts. It''s like a natural hunting ground, so it''s easier to complete collection quests here," Anne calmly explained.

    "I see. You should have told me earlier!" Zachary grinned.

 Chapter 273 Setting Rules

    "You have promised him, so you should keep your promise. You can only cast some simple parts of the body with your current strength, but you can use the casting process to raise your weapon refining level. With the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill I taught you, you are able to cast everything," Anne explained to Zachary.

    "Got it. Give me the quest," Zachary nodded.

    After taking the collection quest, Zachary left the Living-dead Tomb and went back to the system to make some preparations. He then left the system and headed to the designated place to complete the quest.

    The next morning, Zachary went back to the farmhouse. Rebecca appeared out of nowhere and grabbed him. She dragged him to her and Queenie''s room.

    "Easy with the dragging, Rebecca. People may think there''s something going on between us," Zachary protested. Rebecca ignored Zachary, tossed him inside the room, and shut the door behind them.

    "Do I look like I care?" Rebecca challenged. Queenie was inside the room. She threw a cloth bag at Zachary, which he caught easily with one hand. "Those are the treasures we''ve collected. They''re not many, but they should be enough to honor our deal. If you don''t want them, we''ll take them back," she said coldly.

    Zachary smiled upon opening the bag. There were at least thirty treasures in the bag, half of which were treasures of King Level, and the rest were at the premium stage of Heaven Level. It was a great fortune and could be exchanged for a lot of treasure-hunting coins.

    "Very well," Zachary chirped, closed the bag, and turned to leave.

    "Wait, when do we begin?" Queenie called out to Zachary.

    "I don''t have time during the day because I have to attend training and learn all kinds of things. Let me teach you guys at night," Zachary answered.

    "We can''t use the weapon refining room in the evening. How

    ed everything. Take these." He handed Queenie and Rebecca two blindfolds.

    "What? Why?" Queenie and Rebecca protested.

    "Rule number one: you do what I tell you to do," Zachary said. He did not want to explain too much.

    "Is this really necessary?" Queenie asked coldly.

    Zachary just crossed his arms as if telling Queenie and Rebecca to just shut up and put on the blindfolds. The two finally obliged.

    After the two ladies covered their eyes, Zachary held their hands and instantly entered the system. He transported them to his usual weapon refining room.

    The weapon refining room had changed a lot. The original Heavenly Golden Furnace was gone, and there were two sets of weapon refining equipment.

    "Where are we?" Queenie asked after removing the blindfold. "Why is it dark in here?" Rebecca added.

    "Rule number two: no questions," Zachary answered. "Practice what Master Samuel taught you today. I will check your results in two hours. If they''re not up to my standards, you will each receive fifty spanks on the buttocks."

    "How dare you!" Queenie snarled. She shot Zachary a deadly look as if telling him, ''You are so shameless and despicable!''

    "Rule number three: you''re not in control," Zachary said.

 Chapter 274 Weapon Refiner Assessment

    "Why are there so many rules?" Queenie fumed.

    "Would you prefer I stop teaching you then?" Zachary replied casually.

    Queenie bit back her anger. They chose this. They need Zachary to help them improve their weapon refining skills the fastest way possible.

    "There''s no way out of this weapon refining room, so any attempt at escape would be futile," Zachary said as he left the room and returned to the Peach Blossom Forest for his cultivation.

    With Zachary''s words, Queenie and Rebecca were curious about the framework of the room. But as they had asked him to help them, they had no choice but to tolerate his methods however despicable.

    The two walked to their respective sets of weapon refining equipment and began reviewing what they had learned today.

    Two hours later, Zachary was back in the weapon refining room. Because of the heat inside, Queenie and Rebecca were completely drenched in sweat, their clothes clinging to their bodies and almost transparent. He could see through their shirts now even in the dim light. He especially marveled at their plump breasts that he had not noticed before.

    Queenie and Rebecca looked up and saw Zachary looking at them lewdly. They lowered their heads and found themselves almost exposed in their sweat-soaked clothes. Queenie crossed her arms and said, "Like what you see, prick? Look at us like that again, and we''ll gouge your eyes out."

    "Rule number four: never threaten me," Zachary answered remorselessly.

    Queenie fell silent as Rebecca balled her hands into fists. Zachary was being an utter pervert, but they could do nothing at all about it.

    Zachary directed his eyes toward their practice results. He immediately shook his head as if deeming them completely miserable.

    "Horrible. Both of you must be punished. Should you do it to each other, or should I do it myself?" Zachary smirked, crossing his arms.

    "Do

    a genius if they could become a weapon refiner of Earth Level within a year. If you want to achieve that in a month, you must go through training that ordinary people can''t bear," Zachary said seriously.

    Queenie and Rebecca fell silent. What he had said was reasonable. If they wanted to make a great coup in a month, they would have to exert more effort than ordinary people would.

    "After the punishment, you two continue to practice until I am satisfied," Zachary said and left again.

    The two ladies were helpless. But in order to pass the next month''s assessment of weapon refiners of Earth Level, they had to work hard. Of course, they were cursing Zachary in their minds.

    A month had passed, and it finally came to the monthly assessment of weapon refiners.

    The weapon refiner assessment was divided into the star-rated assessment and the level-rated assessment. The star-rated assessment was to determine a weapon refiner''s stars.

    Only those three-star weapon refiners or higher could sign up for the level-rated assessment.

    Compared to the star-rated assessment, the level-rated assessment of the Shura College was more severe. Only warriors of Imperial Level or even Sage Level with strong weapon refining skills were called to judge.

 Chapter 275 Assessment Began

    The Shura College''s level-rated assessment was notorious for low passing rates. Historically, no more than five out of one hundred people could pass the assessment. The higher the level, the lower the passing rate. In fact, a zero passing rate was considered normal for the level-rated assessment of weapon refiners of King Level.

    This was because the Shura College was the best college in weapon refining in the Supernal Continent. Whoever passed the Shura College''s star-rated or level-rated assessment had their abilities acknowledged by all kingdoms.

    Compared to the previous assessments of weapon refiners, this one drummed up much more attention because ten outstanding disciples of King Level from the Celestial College would take the test.

    The ten Celestial College disciples had only been in the Shura College for a month. They were guests, so the high ups of the college allowed them to participate in the assessment. The fact that they did not need to wait a whole year made the Shura College freshmen envious.

    Apart from Zachary, the other nine disciples had made progress after a month''s training. They had begun to show their talents as weapon refiners. Apart from Queenie and Rebecca, the remaining seven disciples of King Level were fairly gifted. The most surprising one was Nelson, who had been allowed to learn weapon refining in advance not long ago.

    Some, for example Alger, were not so promising.

    Considering the time, it was good enough that five of the ten could cut a striking figure.

    The ten disciples, including Zachary, had all signed up for the weapon refiner assessment. Zachary, Queenie, and Rebecca would take the level-rated assessment for the weapon refiners of Earth Level, which caused some uproar. There were no prerequisites. As long as one felt that they could reach the level, they could sign up for the level-rated assessment o

    ment, allowing for ten disciples to take the test at once and therefore shortening the testing time, which varied depending on the type of test.

    The star-rated assessment usually completed in a few hours while the level-rated assessment lasted for a day or even longer.

    The star-rated assessment focused on assessing the finished weapons, which would have to be judged qualified in order for that weapon''s refiner to pass.

    The level-rated assessment was more complicated where both finished weapons and skills employed in the whole refining process were evaluated. Both finished product and skills used should be judged qualified in order for one to pass the entire assessment. Should a candidate fail in either the finished weapon or skills utilized, they would fail the assessment. This was one of the reasons for the low passing rate of the level-rated assessment. The slightest mistake in the casting process could change the final result.

    The atmosphere in the star-rated assessment area was not as tense as that in the level-rated assessment area. Almost all the participants in the level-rated assessment had put on a serious expression as if facing a formidable enemy.

    Queenie, Rebecca, and Zachary, however, were calm and collected.

 Chapter 276 Passing The Assessment

    "In the assessment, just follow my instructions and try your best. Unless something unexpected happens, I''m confident that you will pass the assessment with flying colors," Zachary told Queenie and Rebecca.

    "That goes without saying. But if we fail, I''m going to hold you accountable," Queenie smirked. She had been getting along with Zachary for quite some time now, and her attitude toward him was much better than before. Although Zachary had offended her in the past, she had decided to tolerate him. After all, he had taught them everything he knew.

    Zachary grinned in answer and then saw Polly walking toward them. The crowd stirred.

    Polly stopped in front of them with everyone watching her.

    Queenie and Rebecca looked at each other and then watched Polly with more intensity than necessary.

    "I heard that the three of you signed up for the assessment of weapon refiners of Earth Level. Is that true?" Polly asked coldly, eyeing Queenie, Rebecca, and Zachary.

    "Yes. What about you?" Zachary asked politely. He had only interacted with Polly for a few days after arriving. After that, they rarely spoke. They had just nodded at each other or exchanged brief greetings from time to time.

    "I''m preparing for the assessment of weapon refiners of Heaven Level," Polly replied.

    "The Heaven Level?" With that, Queenie and Rebecca were left with their mouths hanging open. They had not expected that Polly had reached such a high level.

    Zachary, on the other hand, was not surprised at all. He had known that Polly was born in a famous family, which provided a good environment for her. It simply made sense that Polly was at such a high level.

    "Well, good luck to you then," Polly murmured and walked away.

    "Was that supposed to intimidate us?" Queenie said, her voice unhappy.

    "She just came here to wish us luck. It''s not like her to deliberately intimidate others," Zachary said, shooting Queenie a knowing look.

    "So it''s like me then?" Queenie challenged and rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what Zachary was implying.

    "Hey, you said it. I didn''t," he said and grinned, putting his hands in the air. Queenie stuck her tongue out at him. Zachary then decided to stop making fun of Queenie. He was well aware of her temper. She got angry at the littlest comments.

    "That''s enough, both of you," Rebecca cut in.

    Queenie rolled her eye

    impressed. After all, they all knew that Queenie and Rebecca were only disciples of King Level from the Celestial College. They did not think the two would successfully produce the weapons at the first grade of Earth Level considering their short training. But here they were and made it. This proved that the two were extremely talented.

    Despite the building admiration, the judges kept their faces neutral. They then conducted the assessment on the two girls'' weapons. They began to discuss among themselves.

    The disciples from the Shura College also began whispering to each other.

    "Do you think they will pass?" one of them asked.

    "I don''t think so. If they do, then it means the Celestial College is more powerful than the Shura College in weapon refining," another replied.

    "On the contrary, I think them passing can be a good sign. I''m also a disciple of Earth Level, so I can take the advantage of the favorable position," a third disciple commented.

    Then, one of the judges stood up and looked around. He fixed his eyes on Queenie and Rebecca.

    "May I have your attention, please? Now, I''d like to declare," the judge said. He paused for a moment and finally announced, "I''d like to declare that they have passed the assessment of weapon refiners of Earth Level."

    The crowd exploded in mixed amazement and disbelief. They had never expected Queenie and Rebecca to pass the assessment, yet they made it. Only one disciple from the Shura College had passed the assessment in the previous group. Now the two had brought great honor to the Celestial College.

 Chapter 277 The Star-rated Assessment

    With a smile on their faces, Queenie and Rebecca clapped their hands to celebrate their success.

    As they had passed the assessment, they got off the stage first. Seeing Zachary waiting for them at the bottom of the stage, they went up to him.

    "Congratulations," Zachary said with a grin.

    "I bet you were rooting for us to fail," Queenie said abruptly.

    "Why would you think that?" Zachary asked, puzzled.

    "Because if we failed while you passed, then we couldn''t bother you anymore," Queenie replied.

    "I highly doubt that you''ll ever stop bothering me regardless. Besides, with your power, I can never run away from you," Zachary said as he smiled wryly.

    "Well, you''re not wrong," Queenie replied as she stared at him.

    One by one, the other disciples in the same group as Queenie and Rebecca soon completed the refining process. However, their grades were not as good as the two girls, and they all failed.

    "Now it''s your turn to take the assessment. Break a leg, and make our college proud," Queenie added at once.

    Zachary smiled and went up the stage together with the other disciples in his group. The disciples of the Shura College sized him up with hostility in their eyes. Since Queenie and Rebecca had just passed the assessment, the disciples of the Shura College were jealous of their achievement.

    On Zachary''s way to his weapon refining table, he felt that someone from his behind was almost about to knock into him. He then moved slightly and dodged the coming hit in time. Despite that, his shoulder was still rubbed. He frowned, turned around and saw a handsome young man whose cultivation level was probably at the medium stage of Heaven Level. From the young man''s taunting expression and abrasive manner, Zachary supposed he was a young master of some clan.

    "Watch where you''re going, you moron," the young man snarled and stared at Zachary arrogantly. Not surprised that he did not apologize, Zachary just blinked at him and continued to move forward.

    The young man was evidently annoyed by Zachary''s reaction, but because of the coming assessment, he decided to teach h

    won praise from the judges laughed mockingly from time to time.

    It was getting dark. After a short discussion, one of the judges declared, "It''s getting late. You have one more hour to finish the refinement. If you can''t make it, you will fail."

    Yet, at that moment, Zachary was still in the third step, and one hour was obviously not enough for him.

    Many started losing interest in watching his performance. Some even started booing and jeering at him, trying to get him off the stage.

    Then, the weapon that was still being refined in Zachary''s hand suddenly shone with cyan light. The crowd let out a collective gasp. It was known that a weapon could not give off such light before it was shaped.

    Unable to explain such a weird scene, the judges rose to their feet with a puzzled look on their faces.

    After the light flashed, Zachary suddenly threw the weapon into the furnace as if he had just given up the refinement.

    The crowd gasped again.

    "He just gave up, didn''t he? I knew it," the young man smirked.

    Queenie and Rebecca were equally stunned and puzzled.

    Then, Zachary lifted the cold water tank and poured the cold water into the furnace. Immediately, steam hissed out of the furnace, drifted in the wind, and spread around.

    Then, a dazzling cyan light erupted from the furnace.

    As the witnesses of the whole scene, the crowd exchanged shocked glances with each other.

 Chapter 278 Zacharys Weapon Refining Achievements

    Zachary smacked the furnace with his bare hand. The impact caused a cyan shadow infused with some form of magical weapon to rush out. It amazed all the onlookers as they gazed at the beam of light that had just flashed through in front of their eyes.

    Even the judges looked stunned. After all, they had never born witness to such illogical refining steps. There was more to it than they could comprehend. What surprised them most was the weapon that had come out of the furnace. From what they could see, it didn''t look like an ordinary MH weapon of Earth Level.

    Both Queenie and Rebecca looked at each other in confusion. But they immediately collected themselves and let out a sigh of relief. It was obvious that Zachary had completed the refining steps, albeit in an unconventional way.

    The man who despised Zachary was also clearly stunned with his eyes wide and his jaw hanging open. He was rendered speechless, clearly incapable of coming up with the right words, unable to believe what he had just seen.

    The MH weapon Zachary had just summoned from the sky landed in his hand. The cyan light hadn''t receded, but its real body had taken shape. It was a saber twice as large as his palm. While it looked ordinary, it emitted a strong aura, making everyone believe it to be an extremely powerful weapon.

    After that, the MH weapon which was made by Zachary was sent to the appraisal stand, waiting for the assessment from the judges.

    The judges began to examine it. Their solemn faces gave the impression that they were studying some precious treasure. Not long after, they began to argue with one another, their faces turning red. It seemed that they hadn''t reached an agreement yet.

    "I think it''s a seven-star weapon," one of them said.

    "Only a seven-star one? Nah, from my point of view, it''s an eight-star weapon," another one insisted.

    "Why don''t we rank it at six stars? If its rank is too high, people will revolt and refuse our ruling!" a third judge exclaimed.

    Of course, the judges hadn''t cared to lower their voices, meaning everyone present could hear what they were saying.

    There were only dumbfounded expressions on their faces. The reason behind their current states was very simple. It didn''t matter whether the MH weapon was a six-star weapon, a seven-star weapon, or even an eight-star weapon. The most important thing was that Zachary had such a powerful skill as a weapon refiner. He was so talented that he could create such a powerful and high-ranking weapon with such ease.

    Everyone knew that a weapon refiner could break through to a higher level once they obtained three stars in each level. But that usually took a rather long time before it happened. During the process, ordinary weapon refiners would focus on improving th

    o stars and two disciples also passed the assessment of one star. Only three disciples including Alger had failed.

    It was amazing that seven out of ten disciples from the Celestial College had passed the assessments, though.

    The next day, news that three disciples including Zachary had passed the assessment of weapon refiners of Earth Level had widely spread. Meanwhile, the news that many other disciples from the Celestial College also passed the star-rated assessment was circulating all around Shura College. That naturally caused a great sensation. Zachary''s and the two women''s performances were much better than those who had gone to Shura College on an exchange program to study.

    However, Shura College''s management team hadn''t given any official statement. Because, aside for the three people who passed the assessment of weapon refiners of Earth Level, the other seven disciples'' progress was reasonably justified. As for Zachary and the two women, two of them happened to be the most powerful disciples in the Celestial College. Queenie, especially, ranked at number one. So the management team had considered the results rather reasonable.

    The only thing the Shura College couldn''t accept was Zachary''s performance. Everyone knew that his strength was the lowest among the ten disciples from the Celestial College. But he had put on a stunning and excellent performance during the assessment. It was no wonder that the management team had decided to keep a close eye on him.

    Of course, the only reason why Zachary decided to show his extraordinary talent and skills in the assessment was that he had a more ambitious purpose. He was determined to become the most powerful and talented person in Shura College. Yes, he had surprised everyone with his extraordinary skills during the assessment, but that was just the beginning.

 Chapter 279 Flushing Tree Refining Skill

    Once they passed the assessment of the weapon refiners of Earth Level, the three of them had to learn more advanced weapon refining skills, so they were promoted to the class of Earth Level at the same time. This meant that they had been able to skip the class of Mortal Level.

    Generally speaking, after a newcomer received a period of training and passed the star-rated assessment of one star of Mortal Level, they would be promoted to the class of Mortal Level and only then would formally become a weapon refiner of Mortal Level.

    But since Zachary and his companions had passed the assessment directly by skipping a level, they had managed to become weapon refiners at the Earth Level. However, apart from Zachary, Queenie and Rebecca hadn''t learned any formal weapon refining skills. The previous guidance that he gave them had only been nothing more than common basic weapon refining skills.

    For this, Zachary specially went back to seek help from Anne.

    "Master Anne, I have two friends who are quite talented in weapon refining, but they don''t own any weapon refining skills that are suitable for them to learn. Do you have any other weapon refining skills other than the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill?" Zachary asked seriously. He knew that the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill was exclusively given to him, so he couldn''t just give it to Queenie and Rebecca.

    "Oh, I''ve known about it for quite some time. I happen to have two pretty good weapon refining skills, but I don''t know if those are suitable for them to cultivate. If they are suitable, just send these two weapon refining skills to them as gifts from me. Also, it''s good for you to have more friends!" Anne suggested kindly. Then, she materialized two weapon refining manuals and handed them to Zachary.

    Zachary accepted them and took a good look at both. One of them was the Chilly Water Refining Skill, and the other was the Flushing Tree Refining Skill.

    "These two manuals are of the water element and wood element respectively. The martial energy of Queenie is as cold as frost, so the water element should be more than suitable for her. The martial energy of Rebecca leans closer to the wood element in my opinion. I think these two manuals would be quite suitable for the both of them," Zachary concluded.

    "That''s good to hear. But to cultivate a weapon refining skill with an element, you can only double the result with half its effort with the help of the energy fire with the same element. However, it''s not an easy task for one to cultivate the energy fire with an element. I''m afraid that it will take quite some time," Anne reminded him.

    "I know that. I''m going to take them out to see if we are lucky enough to f

    alized in his palms; the two manuals that were given by none other than Anne.

    "Rebecca, this Flushing Tree Refining Skill is suitable for the warriors who have martial energy of the wood element in them. After you succeed in cultivating the martial energy of the wood element in the near future, you can make a weapon with the wood element for yourself," Zachary elaborated and handed over the said manual to Rebecca.

    "Flushing Tree Refining Skill, you say? Isn''t that a very rare weapon refining skill with an element? In the Supernal Continent, there are absolutely no more than twenty weapon refining skills with elements. Even in our Shura College, there are only two secret weapon refining skills with elements. But only those powerful warriors of Sage Level would be able to even reach the qualifications to cultivate them!" Parker shouted, unconvinced. He didn''t expect that Zachary could casually show them such a rare weapon refining skill.

    Every disciple was stunned by his words. They had thought that Zachary was just bragging a moment ago. It never occurred to them that he could be so powerful that he would be able to show them a very rare weapon refining skill.

    "Do you really want to give me such a great weapon refining skill? Wouldn''t it be better for you to have it?" Hearing this, Rebecca was also stunned for a moment. She understood the value of such a weapon refining skill from Parker''s words, but Zachary gave it to her without a moment''s hesitation.

    "Just take it as a gift." Zachary smiled at her.

    "Rebecca, don''t think too much and just take it. If you don''t, he will just give it to some girl we don''t know. Keep the goodies to yourself!" Queenie pushed her in a hurry.

    After hesitating for a while, Rebecca finally accepted the Flushing Tree Refining Skill.

 Chapter 280 Chilly Water Refining Skill

    "Then this manual should be for me!" Seeing that Rebecca had received the secret manual on the Flushing Tree Refining Skill, Queenie grabbed the other one from Zachary. "Chilly Water Refining Skill?" Queenie read the manual''s cover. "Is it suitable for martial energy with the water element? And how do you know that I''ve been cultivating the water element?"

    After Zachary fought with Queenie last time, he surmised that her cultivation method had the water element because of the chilly sense in her martial energy. It was not that hard to guess.

    "Chilly... Chilly Water Refining Skill? Another weapon refining skill with an element." Parker looked at the manual in Queenie''s hand and was in shock. Even in the Shura College, there were only two weapon refining skills with an element. Zachary took two of such skills and gave them away. Being generous was absolutely an understatement.

    Everyone present were completely dumbfounded and desired those skills.

    The young man was also jealous.

    "I don''t need any of these weapon refining skills at the Earth Level. They can choose now," Zachary said, his hands clasped behind his back.

    Parker was stunned for a moment. The fact that Zachary could possess weapon refining skills with an element meant he himself must have practiced some profound weapon refining skill. Surely he would not need the skills at the Earth Level.

    The young man and the other disciple made their choices.

    "The weapon refining skill will help you build an important foundation for weapon refining. You must remember that, and you must practice hard. After becoming a weapon refiner at the Earth Level, you have to start cultivating energy fire. I will teach you how to do it. The cultivation of energy fire depends on your comprehension ability. Some many take a few months or even a few years. Others can''t cultivate it at all. I wish you all good luck. Should you fail to cultivate, you can rely on energy fire stone

    ergy fire can only be obtained through cultivating?" Queenie asked in confusion.

    "The natural energy fire is a kind of strange force. If one is able to fuse with the natural energy fire, they will possess the energy fire without cultivating," Zachary explained.

    "Really?" Queenie and Rebecca were stunned. They had never heard of such kind of fire before.

    Martial beasts or treasure beasts that possessed natural energy fire were very rare, and they were not really common knowledge. Very few weapon refiners knew about fusing with the natural energy fire, so most weapon refiners cultivate energy fires themselves.

    If it were not for the Treasure-hunting System''s record of the Olden World, Zachary would not have known this piece of important information.

    "Yes. You still have a lot to learn," Zachary answered.

    "Why didn''t you tell us about it earlier?" Queenie pushed.

    "What difference does it make, Queenie?" Zachary snapped. "Beasts with natural energy fire are very rare. They''re much harder to find compared to a treasure beast. At this point, we''re relying on luck. I can''t promise anything," Zachary explained.

    "How do you know this horrible place contains exactly what we''re looking for?" Rebecca could not help asking, seeing that he seemed to be very sure about it.

 Chapter 281 Rebeccas Beast

    "I have my ways," Zachary said with a mysterious smile.

    "Could you please not be this secretive all the time? Anyway, why are you always wearing a hat? Is there anything embarrassing that you want to hide?" Queenie asked as she glared at him heatedly. It was annoying how he always showed up in a hat.

    "I think my face looks a little worse for wear. I''m afraid that it will frighten others!" Zachary answered. He sounded too innocent and well-meaning to be believable.

    "Humph!" Queenie breathed harshly like she had given up arguing with him. Then all of a sudden, she turned her hand and stretched it towards his hat.

    Despite her agility, Zachary realized her plan. Light flashed across his eyes and he disappeared from their sight.

    "Why are you escaping? You won''t die just because I see your face!" Queenie complained angrily. She whirled around as if she was trying to figure out where he was.

    "If you keep doing this, I won''t take you to look for the natural energy fire," Zachary said as he re-appeared.

    "That''s enough, Queenie," Rebecca chipped in to ease the tension.

    "Well, I will take off your hat sooner or later," Queenie pouted. Zachary nodded at this. He believed her because from what he could tell, she was someone who became more eager to do something when it was harder to accomplish.

    With a flourish, he led the two girls into the Demonic Forest.

    According to the data, the Demonic Flower Beast lived underground with the nutrients from plants and soils as nourishment. It was a mild martial beast in nature, which was uncommon among martial beasts. Of course, the fact it was mild didn''t mean it was weak. On the contrary, as a kind of elite martial beast, the Demonic Flower Beast was more powerful than ordinary martial beasts.

    There was still the danger that even if they found the Demonic Flower Beast, they could still fail to lure it out. If they could not lure it out, they could not get the natural energy fire.

    Zachary searched for the location of the Demonic Flower Beast earnestly and with laser-like focus. He didn''t bother to worry about the two girls since they were at the premium stage of King Level, and Queenie was even close to the Imperial Level.

    It was dangerous in the Demonic Forest, so they were wary, but they didn''t encounter any big trouble. They easily overcame the troubles that came their way.

    Six hours later, Zachary finally found a curious area. He knelt to touch the dried plants and observed the texture of the soil. It was obviously different from the neighboring areas.

    "It should be here," Zachary whispered as his eyes darted around the area.

    "Are you sure?" Queenie glanced at him.

    "Of course I am. But I don''t thi

    Soon, the wild action of the four beasts seemed to finally wake up the earth itself. The ground rumbled loudly like something huge was about to come out.

    Zachary and the two girls immediately noticed this and recalled the four beasts. Then, they all retreated to a safe distance.

    In the huge pit dug by Elfin, a huge wooden flower suddenly rushed out of the earth and bloomed in an instant. It looked eye-catching with its cyan color that sparkled brightly in the moonlight.

    However, the cyan flower suddenly rose and revealed an unusually large and flat beast. It was white and covered with wooden textures all over its body. It had no limbs, which made it look like a white snail with a cyan flower.

    "Is that the Demonic Flower Beast? Why does it look like a snail?" Queenie wondered aloud. She had heard marvelous things about the Demonic Flower Beast, but its appearance was a bit underwhelming.

    In the next moment, a gust of strong aura suddenly rushed up and spread around. Their faces paled as they sensed its strong power.

    "Let the little guys test its strength first," Zachary said after he thought about what they should do.

    Queenie and Rebecca nodded their heads immediately.

    Under their orders, the four beasts rushed up and took turns against the Demonic Flower Beast.

    All of a sudden, four wooden whiskers as cyan as their owner stretched out from the wooden flower on the Demonic Flower Beast''s back. Each wooden whisker was as thick as a tree trunk but moved in the air dexterously.

    In the end, all the attacks from the four beasts were ineffective. Fire, thunder, lightning and pure physical attacks were dissolved by the cyan wooden whiskers with ease while the wooden whiskers did not incur any damage.

    Before long, the four beasts were all at a disadvantage.

 Chapter 282 The Demonic Flower Beast

    "It''s too strong! A martial beast at the Imperial Level!" Queenie commented as she stared, horrified.

    "This Demonic Flower Beast owns the natural energy fire with the wood element. It is hidden in the cyan flower on its back. If I can approach it, I may be able to take the natural energy fire out," Zachary explained. He thought about the chances of his success and his demise over and over again, but it seemed that this was their only chance to succeed.

    "No, don''t do it! It''s too dangerous," Rebecca immediately protested. She shook her head profusely in fierce disagreement. It was obvious that the Demonic Flower Beast was beyond their abilities. If they took the risk and tried to snatch the natural energy fire from it, there was a chance that the beast would fight back. That would put them in grave danger despite their collective strength.

    "Well, Rebecca, it''s all up to you to decide everything. After all, the natural energy fire with the wood element is only suitable for your use," Zachary said. He also knew how powerful the Demonic Flower Beast was. So if the two women felt that it was too dangerous and decided to give up, then he would support their decision.

    "Are you sure you can take the natural energy fire?" Queenie asked all of a sudden. Her eyes were fixed intently on Zachary like she was trying to see his soul.

    "I''m not one hundred percent sure, but I will try my best," Zachary promised.

    "Okay, let''s do this. I will distract it and you play it by ear," Queenie suggested after careful consideration. She did not want to miss this chance either. She really wanted Rebecca to obtain it.

    "But, Queenie, don''t you think it''s too dangerous? Please, for God''s sake, let''s not do this. I don''t want to see you get hurt," Rebecca said. She looked terrified at the thought of Queenie or even Zachary injured because of her.

    "Don''t worry, Rebecca. I think it''s worthwhile to take the risk," Queenie comforted Rebecca. She smiled at her faintly and squeezed her hand between hers. In the Celestial College, Queenie did not have many friends. Rebecca was probably the only one she got along with.

    Later on, when they stayed at the Shura College, the two women lived under one roof, which provided the chance for them to grow even closer. Now, Rebecca was one of the few close friends that she had. So, if she could help Rebecca gain the natural energy fire, Queenie was willing to take the risk.

    Rebecca''s eyes furrowed as she noticed the determined gleam in Queenie''s eyes. By this point, she knew that no words could change her mind. All she could do now was support her. She took a deep breath and volunteered hesitantly, "Okay! I will also par

    east which had been distracted by Queenie finally realized that it was fooled. It made an angry humming sound that was so loud that it was deafening and headache-inducing. Even the Blazing Roc swayed in the air and nearly fell out of balance.

    In the next moment, the cyan flower suddenly exploded with a blinding light. All the petals lit up and thousands of beams of cyan light shot towards Zachary, determined to destroy him.

    Zachary was caught by surprise because he was too focused on the natural energy fire. He scrambled to get away from the light that was rushing towards him. When he was about to be engulfed by the light, thousands of vines rose from the ground. It slithered and interlaced until it formed a giant net around him that protected him from the beams of light.

    But soon, the light broke through the net and more beams of light rushed towards him.

    Zachary narrowed his eyes in thought and concentration. He urged the Blazing Roc to get to Rebecca as fast as it could.

    While he was in the air, Zachary''s and Rebecca''s eyes met. Without words, they understood each other through a camaraderie that could only be born from a shared life-and-death experience. She nodded and leaped into the air. At the same time, he pushed the power of the Holy Bone Bracer to the limit and threw the natural energy fire towards her.

    Rebecca caught the natural energy fire in midair¡ªwith her chest.

    As it hit her, Rebecca felt a strong and shocking heat spread all over her body. It started from her chest until her whole body was wrapped in cyan flames. Her clothes burned and exposed her white skin that radiantly glowed with cyan light. However, it seemed that the natural energy fire was too great for her body to bear. With a bright, blinding light, she fell from the sky.

 Chapter 283 Rebecca Fainted

    In this bad situation, Zachary''s face turned pale. In hurry, he asked the Blazing Roc to jump down and he held Rebecca before she fell on the ground.

    Unfortunately, another wave of cyan light rushed over and attacked them.

    Amid this dangerous situation, Zachary felt he must release the power of his Holy Bone Bracer once again to protect Rebecca from the powerful attack.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Abruptly, the wave of cyan light exploded around Zachary. It turned into a cloud of blue flowers.

    After that, Zachary fell to the ground and spat out several mouthfuls of blood, holding Rebecca in his arms.

    At the same time, Queenie was also in terrible condition with her clothes torn.

    "How is she?" Queenie asked worriedly while seeing Rebecca fainted in Zachary''s arms.

    "It seems that she cannot completely absorb with the natural energy fire of the wood element. Anyhow, we need to get out of here now," Zachary replied coldly.

    "I''m afraid it''s too late," Queenie replied. Then she turned and looked back in startle because dozens of wood whiskers wildly dropping down and sweeping toward them.

    Meanwhile, other several waves of cyan light followed. It seemed like their death getting closer.

    Then, the cyan whiskers and light shadow fell at the same time. Within a few hundred meters of a circle, a dazzling light suddenly took shape and swallowed everything instantly.

    After quite a moment passed, the light gradually disappeared, and the Demonic Flower Beast slowly moved and disappeared in the ruined land.

    At the same time, as Queenie stared down helplessly, her eyes suddenly opened up. That was when she came back to her senses and realized, they all had arrived at a mysterious room where she and Rebecca used to practice weapon refining skills.

    "Rebecca!" Queenie walked up to Rebecca, who still lay unconsciously in Zachary''s arms. She reached out her hand and touched Rebecca lightly. Unexpectedly, she felt a powerful burning sensation in Rebecca. "How could this even possible?" Queenie asked in awe.

    "I didn''t expect that natural energy fire of the wood element to be this powerful. Rebecca is unable to absorb the natural energy fire completely. If she continues to be in this state, I am afraid she might be swallowed by the natural energy fire," Zachary stated coldly.

    "It''s all because of you, Harley! If it weren''t you, Rebecca wouldn''t be in a dangerous state like now." Queenie stared at Zachary angril

    e-Dragon Meridian, the other Ice Needles also melted in an instant. The restrained martial energy went out of control in Zachary''s body, causing him to be in a crazy state.

    Meanwhile, the martial energy from Anne broke through the last barrier of Nine-Dragon Meridian along with Zachary''s martial energy. Suddenly, the Nine-Dragon Meridian was connected with other meridians and increased in his martial speed. Under the control of Nine-Dragon Meridian, his martial energy flowed in his body like a hurricane passed through the horizon.

    "It''s done," Anne said to Zachary.

    Then, Zachary released the power from the Holy Bone Bracer and began to absorb the natural energy fire of the wood element from Rebecca''s body. In the next moment, he felt all his meridians were trembling and expanding like they were about to explode. His heart beat became faster and his bloodstream increased significantly. Powerful cracks happened to his body and brain, and he was paralyzed for a moment.

    Shortly, Zachary''s consciousness was gradually faded away. His eyelids became heavier. The situation was crucial because once he passed out, all his efforts would be failed.

    Therefore, he immediately gritted his teeth and tried his best to stay awake. Time passed, but he felt like being tortured.

    It seemed like the time passed so long and finally, Zachary''s meridians began to adapt to the raging martial energy and the natural energy fire of the wood element in his body.

    At the same time, as a part of the natural energy fire was sucked out by Zachary and by cause of the restraint of the Ice Jade Bed, Rebecca progressively recovered.

 Chapter 284 The Energy Fire

    Before long, Rebecca groaned and seemed to have regained her consciousness. Upon noticing that she was about to open her eyes, Zachary immediately placed a hand over them to stop her and said, "Don''t open your eyes for now. You might get burnt. I''ll help you fuse the natural energy fire into your body, so stay still."

    Hearing his words, Rebecca decided to listen to him and keep her eyes close. She slowly began to merge the power of the natural energy fire with the help of Zachary.

    About four hours later, a warm feeling started surging inside her. At the same time, she could feel that besides the martial energy, there seemed to be a foreign energy creeping inside her body. It was completely different from the initial martial energy.

    However, at this precise moment, an Ice Needle was shot straight into her neck. With a soft moan escaping her lips, she fell back into unconsciousness.

    It turned out that it was Anne who did this. She had stayed beside them all the time. "Take her away this instant." Anne motioned to Zachary. Then, she turned her heel and disappeared behind the wall.

    Zachary immediately held Rebecca and safely wrapped her in his arms. Soon, he carried her and they both left the Living-dead Tomb to go back to the weapon refining room. There, Rebecca could recover in no time.

    "How is everything? Is she okay?" Queenie asked in a worried tone the moment she noticed Zachary carrying Rebecca back into the room.

    Zachary nodded and handed over the patient to Queenie. "She''s going to be fine. I will take you away from here, and then you can take her to your room so that she can have a good night''s rest. If there is anything else that needs to be discussed, let''s talk about it tomorrow. The most important thing for her is to regain her strength. For now, we shall leave this place. Close your eyes," he ordered in a gentle but firm manner.

    After taking a skeptical look at the man, Queenie closed her eyes obediently. Zachary immediately ushered them out of the weapon refining room and returned to the place where they had fought with the Demonic Flower Beast prior to this.

    When she opened her eyes again, the ruined land in front of her greeted her and she felt a lingering fear running down her spine.

    After Queenie sent Rebecca back, Zachary returned to the system once more. Since he had just merged the energy fire with the wood element into his body, he naturally had to familiarize himself with it first.

    Now, he possessed two different kinds of energy fire burning in his body. They were the energy fire with the metal element and the energy fire with the wood element.

    The most important thing about the energy fire was that it would decide the capability of a weapon. For example, the MH weapon refined by the energy fire with the metal element would usually possess a strong, murderous and destructive power, while the energy fire with the wood element could make the weapon have the great control ability. Thus, it would be very suitable for refining hidden weapons.

    In order to test out the unique features of the energy fire with THE wood element for himself, Zachary brought out some materials and returned to the weapon refining room. He then summoned the Heavenly Golden Furnace and placed the materials into it. At the sam

    he power of the energy fire with the wood element now," Zachary cut in at that time to remind Rebecca of her capability. He was also very excited to see her performance first hand.

    "Oh, is that so?" Rebecca murmured in a hesitate tone as she glanced at Zachary with uncertainty.

    "Just do it according to the cultivation formula of the energy fire. You''ll be fine," Zachary encouraged her as he nodded.

    Courage seemed to have filled her heart the moment after. Rebecca raised her palm, focusing herself solely on this task and began to condense the energy fire. A few moments later, the cyan energy fire immediately appeared in her palm, rising and burning, dancing in the air.

    "Wow, you''re really able to do that!" Queenie exclaimed in surprise upon seeing what had happened. Her eyes were wide open, which suggested that even she was excited from the promising results.

    As Rebecca stared at the burning energy fire, her lips curled into a relieved smile. Being grateful, she turned to Zachary and said, "Thank you very much. If it were not for you, I really wouldn''t know when I could process my own energy fire."

    "There is no need to thank him. He just made amends for his previous faults by making good deeds to you!" Queenie spat coldly at once. She would never let any chance of teasing Zachary go unused.

    Zachary did not rebuked back. He just smiled calmly as a response.

    "The value of the energy fire is no less than that of a powerful weapon. It is extremely important for a weapon refiner such as yourself." Of course, Rebecca was too well aware of the value and importance of such energy fire. Although she had a narrow escape last night, it was also worth it in exchange for the energy fire that every weapon refiner dreamed of.

    "Well, I also want to have my own energy fire," Queenie murmured. She was somewhat envious and wanted to create her own energy fire as well. She turned to look at Zachary. Although she did not ask for it directly, there was an eagerness in her eyes which suggested that she was desperate to gain the energy fire as well. It all seemed that she was implying Zachary that he should also find a chance to earn her the energy fire as well.

 Chapter 285 The Xiao Clan

    It didn''t take Zachary too long to figure out what was on Queenie''s mind. Hoping to save her some trouble, he said, "Don''t get any bright ideas, just because I got the natural energy fire with the wood element. It almost cost me my life, and I might not be so lucky if I tried it again. Besides, to get that kind of fire, you need to find martial beasts or treasure beasts that have the natural energy fire with the wood element, and none of those are here around the Shura College. I''m afraid you''ll just have to wait a while before another opportunity presents itself."

    "Humph! I don''t believe you," Queenie scoffed. "I''ll just figure out a way by myself." Despite her stubbornness, she wasn''t stupid. She was perfectly aware that Zachary, Rebecca, and herself had only survived the previous night by a fluke. Putting others in danger for the pursuit of her own goals didn''t sit well with her. Her own safety was more negotiable, however, and if she thought she had a chance, she would fight for it.

    "It''s up to you," said Zachary, calm as ever. "But as for me, I will keep my word."

    Queenie was speechless at his words. After all the time she''d spent getting to know him, she was confident that Zachary was a good, decent man, though his secretive nature sometimes got frustrating. Even so, it wasn''t easy to forgive him for having announced in public that he wanted her to be his wife.

    "Rebecca," Zachary added, "you can''t tell anyone that you own any energy fire. It must remain secret, at least for now. Understand?"

    Rebecca nodded immediately.

    "Then we''ve nothing more to discuss right now." With that, Zachary left the room.

    A few days passed, and nothing unusual happened.

    Zachary was busy with all kinds of tasks, such as continuing his cultivation and giving guidance to Queenie and Rebecca. Although he seldom had time for rest, he was happy.

    But his peaceful life was soon broken. One day after finishing his class as usual, he left the weapon refining room, intent on continuing the quests assigned to him by Anne. As he went along, however, he soon noticed a few people following him at a distance. They seemed ordinary, but in a way actually too ordinary, as though they were spying on him. This wasn''t the first time, either. Two days before, he had noticed somebody else seeming to show up wherever he went. At the time, he had dismissed it as a coincidence. This time, how

    ered, infuriated yet again.

    At this point, one of his disciples spoke up. "You impudent brat, how can you speak this way to our young master Edward? He is the youngest son of the third son of the first aunt of the second uncle of the leader of the Xiao Clan. Therefore, he is a very influential member indeed. Offending him is the same as offending the entire Xiao Clan."

    "So many twists and turns," Zachary remarked, nodding. "But basically, he''s distantly related to the people in the clan who are actually important. I understand now!"

    Even more enraged, Edward Xiao smacked the disciple who had spoken on the side of him on the head. "You shut up!" he scolded.

    The man put on a plaintive face and said nothing more.

    "All right, enough of this," Edward Xiao snarled, turning back to Zachary. "Hand over your treasures, and be quick about it. I''m not a patient man!"

    "Is that so? Well, neither am I." As he said this, Zachary stared each of the men down darkly, coldly. "You have until the count of three to get out of my sight, or I promise that you''ll need someone to carry you back to the Xiao Clan''s house. And don''t let me find you here ever again."

    Despite themselves, all the men, except for Edward Xiao, shivered with fear and surprise.

    The man they had chosen as a target was as tough as an iron plate, and clearly couldn''t be bullied easily. But Edward Xiao wasn''t quite ready to admit defeat yet. He mastered his voice and said, "Friend, it seems you are refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. Are you so sure you''re not afraid to be an enemy of the entire Xiao Clan?"

 Chapter 286 The Auction

    "Why should I be afraid? Are you planning to eat me alive after this?" Zachary replied with a mocking sneer.

    "You bastard..." Edward was getting even more annoyed by the minute. However, even he had the brain that told them they were by no match for Zachary, so he didn''t dare to make any rash action.

    "What are you doing?" A harsh voice came over and broke the tense suspense.

    Edward turned towards the direction where the voice originated from and saw a beautiful woman, who looked quite impressive just from her physical qualities.

    "Po- Polly..." The moment the two made eye contact, Edward put on a totally different expression and ultimately decided to change the subject. "Polly, long time no see. You should remember me. We met once at the birthday party of Xiao Clan''s leader."

    Polly took a good look at Edward, and then glanced at the other disciples of the Xiao Clan who had circled Zachary. She guessed what had happened prior to her arrival and asked Zachary, "Are you okay?"

    "You should ask them. If you came a second later, they might have gotten injured," Zachary said nonchalantly, a playful smirk dancing on his lips.

    When Polly heard that, she tried to hide the chuckle that twinkled even in her eyes and turned to look at the Xiao Clan disciples. "Why are you still here? You have chosen the wrong person to bully. Do you think you have the right to bully anyone just because you''re from the Xiao Clan? I won''t let you off the next time if I see you bullying people again."

    As Polly scolded him, Edward didn''t dare to say anything. He was rendered speechless before her. He cast a glare at Zachary, and left with along with the other disciples of his clan.

    "Thank you very much for your help." Zachary nodded in gratitude to her.

    "You don''t need to thank me. Even without me, they wouldn''t have done anything to you. Edward is just taking advantage of his relationship with the Xiao Clan to bully other freshmen. Many disciples have been bullied by him, but this time he really is blind. How dare he mess with you! But you''d better be off careful. It''s not easy to deal with the Xiao Clan. You can just ignore them the next time they bother you," Polly reminded gently.

    "As long as they stop bothering me, that''s all I ask of," Zachary sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

    "But you have become a well-known disciple

    ary. It could obviously be seen that she treated him quite differently.

    ''It''s pure luck that I have been given the chance to further strengthen my relationship with Polly. Otherwise, I''m not sure how long it would take for the main quest to be completed!'' Zachary thought and chuckled.

    They soon left the Shura College together. An hour later, they arrived at Zenith City, which stood a few miles away from the college. When they reached the city, they noticed that the street was crowded with people.

    Zenith City was almost as prosperous as Celestial City, in Zachary''s honest opinion.

    "This auction will be held at the Phoenix House in the west of the city. Let''s go there now." Polly was indeed a straightforward woman.

    "Don''t you want to hang around first? Like buying some beautiful clothes, or cosmetics...It''s not every day you get to walk around like this. Besides, you don''t seem to wear any beautiful clothes like the rest of the girls. You''d better buy some brightly-colored ones; that will set off your stunning beauty!" Zachary found a chance to praise her.

    "I like to wearing like this. Don''t I already look pretty in this way?" Although Polly didn''t pay much attention to her appearance like the rest of the girls she knew, she was confident in her appearance being presentable at least.

    "Yes, you truly are as beautiful as a fairy regardless of what you wear." Zachary nodded seriously.

    "Men are all with the gift of a gab. I thought you were a little special, but I didn''t expect you''d be the same," Polly snorted and rolled her eyes.

 Chapter 287 Xiao Clans Young Master

    "I really meant it. I have never praised anyone like this before, even the two ladies from our Celestial College!" Zachary insisted, pretending to be honest.

    "Humph! How can I believe that?" Although Polly said that, her face still flushed with a touch of pleasure. She was somewhat delighted and excited.

    "When will the auction start?" Zachary inquired. There was a hint of eagerness in his tone as he looked at Polly.

    "I guess soon," Polly mumbled while she averted her eyes to look upward, checking the sky to detect time.

    "It''s my first time to come here, and if you are not in a hurry, could you please be my guide and show me around?" asked Zachary, not wanting to sound pushy. He just needed to take the opportunity to visit Zenith City.

    "Let''s go!" Polly immediately said without declining his request. She wore a controlled smile on her face.

    After they readied themselves, they began to wander in Zenith City. Since the Devil Kingdom attached great importance to weapon casting and refining, almost ninety percent of the shops in the city were selling weapons and casting materials. But unexpectedly, these shops were only selling ordinary weapons and casting materials. They were too conventional and had nothing special in them.

    Zachary, who initially was so eager to visit the place, started to look bored as he didn''t find anything interesting along the way. Finally, they reached the Phoenix House, which was in the west of the city.

    It stirred something within him as this house caught his attention. The Phoenix House was a three-story building that was brimmed with glazed tiles and carved jade pillars. Compared with the buildings around, it stood out from the crowd.

    When they made their way into the building, they discovered that the place was quite big. It was the size of more than ten ordinary shops. Everything was placed in order. On the shelves, there were all kinds of weapons and casting materials, which were also complete and more exquisite than those found at the ordinary shops. Particularly the casting materials, many of them were very difficult to be collected.

    At this second, people were packed among those shelves, bustling with noise and excitement. The whole place was indeed crowded.

    "It looks like a mini supermarket. I''ll have one someday," Zachary couldn''t help exclaiming to himself. That was an eye-opener for him. He hadn''t expected that there was such a selling operation l

    The materials he wants are of our premium quality and in large volumes," the accountant replied slowly.

    "I don''t care if it''s expensive. I''ll sell some of my treasures to buy them," remarked Zachary, who didn''t think it was such a big deal. He had planned to do it.

    "Let me pay for you," insisted Polly after thinking for a while. Now that she had promised, there was no way to take it back. On the contrary, she was not really short of money.

    Just when Polly was about to pay the bill, a low voice came from the other side. "You are just a useless man. How could you flirt with girls without a coin in your pocket? Why are you not ashamed of yourself? How shameless of you to ask Polly to pay for you!"

    Zachary quickly turned his head at the direction of the voice and saw a tall, thin young man dressed in luxury clothes, shaking a fan painted with peach blossoms. He looked domineering, followed by four warriors of Heaven Level. Although the young man''s breath was somewhat restrained, his aura at the medium stage of King Level could still be felt.

    "It''s you?!" Polly exclaimed. When she recognized the young man, she rolled her eyes without knowing it.

    A lot of warriors around them, who were also paying the bills in front of the counter, turned frenzy. They whispered and pointed at the young man as if they all knew him.

    After listening for a while, Zachary soon identified who the young man was.

    This young man was notably someone. He was none other than the son of the head of Xiao Clan¡ªthe second most powerful clan in the Devil Kingdom. That was the young master of the Xiao Clan, Anthony Xiao.

 Chapter 288 An Arrogant Man

    ''What a coincidence! I hadn''t expected to meet people from the Xiao Clan again, '' Zachary thought. He had recently met a guy from the Xiao Clan, but he did not expect to meet the young master of the clan so soon after. He instantly knew he was in great trouble.

    "Polly, why are you with this disgusting liar? Is he bothering you? I''ll have someone send him away if you want," Anthony offered smugly. He fixed his eyes on Polly affectionately and then stared at Zachary with a scornful look.

    Everyone around turned to look at Zachary. They all looked down upon him and thought that a pretty boy like him was pleasing to the eye but impractical. ''He is definitely good at deceiving beautiful women like Polly.

    Compared to Anthony, he is a total scum.''

    Anthony was the young master of the Xiao Clan, Zenith City''s ruling family. He was a disciple of the Shura College, and everyone in Zenith City knew of him. Many vied for even a minute of his attention.

    "He''s not a liar. He''s my friend," Polly said seriously.

    "Your friend? Since when did you have such bad taste, Polly? How could you make friends with someone like him?" Anthony retorted.

    "Anthony, please show some respect," Polly said as politely as she could manage.

    "Oh, please. If I wasn''t respecting him, he would''ve been thrown out by now. You''re the only reason he''s still standing here. Just deposit the money he owes to my account." Anthony smirked. He then turned to Zachary and said, "Get out."

    Zachary frowned and bit back his anger. Polly grew furious and said to Zachary, "Just leave him alone. Harley, let''s go attend the auction."

    "You''re to attend the auction on the third floo

    s in good shape with a pretty face and a delicate temperament. He supposed she was a sophisticated lady.

    "Anthony, we never turn away our guests. If you are dissatisfied with anything, just let me know and I will handle it myself," Riley Bai said politely. She was the owner of the Phoenix House, and everyone was welcome here.

    "I want this guy out of the Phoenix House!" Anthony demanded and pointed at Zachary.

    "Oh..." Riley Bai found herself in a dilemma. She meant it when she said she never turned away guests, but the Xiao Clan was a big client of the Phoenix House. She did not want to offend them.

    Everyone was waiting for Riley Bai to oblige and kick Zachary out of the Phoenix House.

    "Anthony Xiao, enough," Polly snapped. She knew that Anthony was making trouble for Zachary on purpose. If it were not for his prominent identity, she would have shut Anthony up in front of everyone.

    "Just do as I say!" Anthony pushed. He did not care anymore if Polly got angry with him. He just made up his mind to humiliate Zachary. He would not let anyone who had embarrassed him get away with it.

 Chapter 289 A VIP

    Riley stared curiously at Zachary. She guessed that he was just an ordinary person, and Anthony was worth more than him in terms of client value. Still, she did not want to turn him away just because Anthony said so.

    Before Riley could say something, Zachary smiled at her. "You must be the owner of the Phoenix House. Tell me, how do I become a VIP?"

    Riley was taken aback by Zachary''s question. The fact that he had been calm and collected and was not even remotely afraid of Anthony roused her interest. "If you want to become a VIP, you must pay thirty thousand gold coins as credit guarantee. Also, you have to spend more than fifty thousand gold coins here every year," she answered.

    "So that''s thirty thousand gold coins upfront?" Zachary clarified.

    "Yes, that''s right," Riley nodded.

    "Then if I pay you eighty thousand gold coins right now and here, can I become a VIP now?" Zachary asked.

    "Of course," Riley assured.

    "What the hell are you doing?" Polly whispered to Zachary.

    Everyone around exchanged glances and wondered how on earth Zachary would produce that amount of money in the next ten seconds.

    "Eighty thousand gold coins here and now? You must be kidding," Anthony said with a cold sneer.

    "I didn''t take eighty thousand gold coins with me, but I can pay it with my treasures," Zachary answered.

    "Treasures? You can''t possibly own treasures with that much worth. Keep dreaming!" Anthony mocked.

    "There are very few treasures worth eighty thousand gold coins." Riley glanced suspiciously at Zachary, thinking that he was just joking. Common people did not possess treasures worth eighty thousand gold coins.

    Zachary smiled and then turned his hand over in the air. In an instant, three Blazing Roc Feathers appeared in his hand. He had just taken them from Orion. There were only ten feathers at most growing on the roc''s body, and it would take a long time before it grew new feathers. So, its feathers were undoubtedly valuable.

    "This is...the Blazing Roc Feathers!" Riley exclaimed.

    ng in suppressed anger.

    "In case you haven''t noticed since you started all this, Polly is with me. She''s my woman," Zachary said, looking Anthony dead in the eye.

    "Your woman? Don''t be ridiculous. You think some nobody like you can have her? Do you even know who she really is?" Anthony droned, mischief sparking in his eyes.

    "What do you mean?" Zachary asked, glancing at Polly.

    "You don''t deserve her. You better give her up now, or you''re going to get yourself killed by being with her," Anthony warned.

    "Oh really? You think that scares me?" Zachary said menacingly, straightening his back.

    "I guess we''ll just have to wait and see," Anthony drawled.

    "Indeed," Zachary sneered.

    "You..." Anthony reined his anger in. Beating the hell out of Zachary here and now would achieve absolutely nothing.

    "Anthony, please stop wasting your time on him. You''re here today to bid for the Antique Crystal Skull. The auction is about to begin. Let''s go," one of the warriors standing behind Anthony reminded.

    Anthony nodded and then led the way to the third floor of the Phoenix House.

    Zachary suddenly heard Mimi''s voice explaining, "The Antique Crystal Skull, one of the main casting materials for Andrew''s body. Don''t miss it."

    "Sounds like something to look forward to," Zachary murmured, his lips curling into a knowing smile.

 Chapter 290 Antique Crystal Skull

    The luxurious auction hall was on the Phoenix House''s third floor. The hall was large enough to accommodate hundreds of people. Rows of mahogany tables and chairs lined the room, giving it a magnificent air. The room was already full of people. Everyone was well dressed and obviously rich, and many of them were famous warriors.

    "There are so many people today."

    "I wonder what kind of treasures will be auctioned today."

    "I heard about a treasure called the Antique Crystal Skull. They say it''s very rare."

    The auction hall buzzed with excitement.

    "Over here," Polly called. Zachary turned to see Polly already seated in a corner and waving at him. He went over to her and sat beside her.

    Zachary noticed that Polly was watching him from the corner of her eye. "What is it?" he smiled.

    "Why do you have so many Blazing Roc Feathers?" Polly asked directly.

    "So many? I only had three. They were from a friend," Zachary smiled.

    "Friend?" Polly prodded. She was astonished. Whoever Zachary''s friend was, they were too generous to give away such treasures. She had seen the Blazing Roc in the Celestial College before. Of course, she wouldn''t know that its master was right in front of her at this moment.

    "This friend of mine, I think you know him. He is the freshman you fought during the group competition in the Celestial College," Zachary said.

    "Are you are talking about..." Polly trailed off.

    "Yes, it''s him. Unfortunately, he is now a wanted criminal of the Enigmatic Kingdom, and his whereabouts are still unknown," Zachary sighed.

    "I''ve heard about him. I can''t believe he''s such a cruel person," Polly said disappointed.

    "Do you think

    hitting two birds with one stone¡ªgetting all the treasures and pissing Anthony off.

    Anthony was so angry that he looked like he was about to murder Zachary right in the middle of the room.

    Zachary did not care. Soon his money was almost used up.

    "And for the finale," the auctioneer announced.

    The lights dimmed as a skull was put on display. It was so majestic that it did not seem real at all. Even under the dim lights, it was shining like the surface of the sea on a sunny day.

    "I''ve heard of the Antique Crystal Skull before, but this is the first time I''m seeing it. It belonged to a powerful warrior in the ancient times. It turned into a treasure over a thousand years of refinement, and it has a peculiar power. It makes weapons come alive," Polly marveled.

    "Really? Let''s get it then." Zachary grinned confidently.

    "The Antique Crystal Skull. Bid starts at ten thousand," the auctioneer announced. Then, the auction for the treasure began.

    The Antique Crystal Skull was very rare and valuable regardless of how it was used. Everyone in the auction hall wanted to get their hands on it.

 Chapter 291 An Amazingly High Bid

    "One hundred thousand!"

    The bid was taking off quickly. Polly was interested in the Antique Crystal Skull too, but she had little cash left. As such, she settled down and watched the ongoing bid.

    Zachary was sitting silently beside her. They watched the ruckus made by the high stakes bidding but made no move to join.

    "Two hundred thousand!" "Wow, I didn''t expect the bid to get this high," Polly commented as she raised an eyebrow at the excited bidders.

    "Good wine needs no bush," Zachary replied calmly. Like Polly, he seemed to have settled for the ride and was casually watching the cacophony made by the enthusiastic bidders.

    "Three hundred thousand." Silence reigned in the hall for a moment. All heads swiveled to Anthony, who had raised his hand and bid an amazingly high price.

    It was a tremendous amount of money! However, if the refiner made the most of the Antique Crystal Skull, the finished weapon would be much more valuable.

    "Who wants to compete with me? I will get this baby today!" Anthony stated confidently.

    Most of the people present only shook their heads in resignation or looked down so they wouldn''t meet Anthony''s eyes. They had no confidence or desire to go against Anthony, especially those who knew him.

    "Four hundred thousand!" A powerful voice reverberated in the hall. The people looked around in search of the bidder who dared to challenge Anthony.

    They started whispering to each other about what kind of person this bidder could be. After all, an ordinary person would not bet that amount of money for the fun of it.

    Polly was also taken by surprise. She looked at Zachary with her eyes almost comically wide.

    "Are you crazy? How can you have so much money?" Polly stared at Zachary in utter disbelief. He was making a fool of himself, and by extension, her as well! She knew that most of his money had been spent on the treasures he bought for her. Even if he still had some money left over, she was sure that it was nowhere near four hundred thousand.

    "Don''t worry about it. I can handle it." Zachary gave her a reassuring smile. She wasn''t reassured, of course. Not when she could see Anthony''s seething face contorted in anger. Anthony was not going to let Zachary just have his way without any retaliation. This was going to be a long and tiring day.

    Meanwhile, Anthony glared at the back of Zachary''s head with all the hatred he could muster. What he just did was a serious insult to his pride. He would have considered what happened earlier and just let him go, but there was no way he would give up the

    Blazing Roc Feathers Zachary had produced earlier were nothing compared to this.

    "Humph, what nonsense fluid? It must be fake. Don''t be fooled by him," Anthony said with certainty, convinced that Zachary was playing a trick.

    "I can guarantee that the Hatching Fluid is legitimate. I can vouch for its efficiency. Besides, after the auction, the buyer can verify it before the payment," Zachary announced in response.

    "Even so, I have never seen this kind of thing before. Something like this doesn''t necessarily end up with a very high price. You''d better have something to prove its efficiency." Frankly, Riley believed in Zachary. However, as the owner of the Phoenix House, she was well aware that such unknown treasures that seemed too good to be true were usually undervalued at auctions.

    Zachary shook his head with a smile. Polly, Anthony, and the others gaped at him as he took out seven Blazing Roc Feathers.

    Riley froze. She hadn''t expected Zachary to have seven more Blazing Roc Feathers.

    "If the Hatching Fluid is a fake, the highest bidder could take the seven Blazing Roc Feathers as a compensation," Zachary announced once again. He looked around the room as he presented the seven Blazing Roc feathers.

    A murmur went through the hall. With the seven Blazing Roc Feathers as collateral, the legitimacy of the Hatching Fluid was assured. The bottle in Zachary''s hand suddenly seemed more tempting.

    "Is that okay? What do you say?" Zachary looked at Riley again.

    "No problem. I''d like to join the bidding on behalf of the Phoenix House. I bid three hundred thousand for the fluid," Riley answered after a moment of hesitation. Everyone could tell that she truly believed Zachary.

 Chapter 292 Riley

    The audience burst into an uproar when they saw that Riley offered a price of three hundred thousand gold coins for Zachary''s treasure. As the owner of the Phoenix House, she really knew how to seize opportunities to make great deals. As a result, everyone was more curious about whether this Hatching Fluid had an astonishing magic effect.

    With a bidding of three hundred thousand from Phoenix House, and seven Blazing Roc Feathers from Zachary as insurance, many were convinced of the value of the Hatching Fluid. Soon, there was a fierce battle for possession of the Hatching Fluid. If it had such miraculous power, its value would far exceed the money itself. After all, a treasure beast''s importance could not be estimated in terms of monetary value.

    Treasures beasts were the rarest creatures in the Supernal Continent. The most people could find were their eggs, if not the beasts themselves. As the eggs were also difficult to hatch, they became useless. But if the Hatching Fluid could ensure successful hatching of a treasure beast, then its value would be unimaginable.

    The bidding quickly surpassed six hundred thousand when an Imperial Level master from the Shura College offered seven hundred thousand gold coins.

    "Eight hundred thousand!" At this time, someone bid a higher price. This person was Riley.

    "Wow, thank you so much!" Zachary chuckled. He had earlier estimated that five hundred thousand or six hundred thousand was good enough. Unexpectedly, the price had reached eight hundred thousand.

    "Is your Hatching Fluid real? You shouldn''t be kidding! You can''t afford to offend the Phoenix House," Polly whispered to him.

    "Do I look like I''m lying?" Zachary pretended to be offended.

    Polly fell silent, but she still didn''t believe him. She felt a little nervous for him.

    No one else dared to bid as the price was too high, and the opponent was the Phoenix House itself, which was really rich. In the end, Riley won the Hatchin

    ing this reaction from Polly. He became curious about what had upset her.

    The Antique Crystal Skull that he had successfully bid for and the treasures that he had bought for Polly were packed and given to him.

    "I hope you will come next time," Riley said with a flattering smile.

    "Maybe. In the meanwhile, I''ll leave the rest of the money here. I will leave now." After collecting the bags, Zachary followed Polly.

    After they left, Riley ordered her servants, "Get two people to follow him and investigate his identity."

    Polly continued to maintain her silence after she and Zachary had left the Phoenix House. This confused him.

    It was not until they arrived at Shura College that Polly stopped abruptly and extended her hand to him.

    Zachary handed the treasures to Polly, which originally belonged to her.

    "Thank you." Without saying another word, she left.

    ''I thought she was going to be silent forever. What''s wrong with her? I don''t think that I did anything to her, '' he pondered. He shook his head and smiled bitterly. However, since Polly was willing to take the treasures he had bid for her, he concluded that she was not really mad at him. As there might be other reasons, he didn''t overthink. He believed that after this trip, he would be closer to completing the main quest.

 Chapter 293 The Return Of Anthony

    The Xiao Clan''s manor was located in the luxurious district of Zenith City.

    Anthony sat on his golden chair in the great hall, his face livid. Four warriors of Imperial Level surrounded him, three men and a woman. They were the seniors of the Xiao Clan and were responsible for some of Zenith City''s important affairs.

    "Why so grim, young master? Has someone upset you? Do you want me to find him and make him kowtow to you?" one of the three men asked. He was not the most handsome or the most intelligent among Anthony''s men. His name was Desmond Fan.

    "Do you honestly think our young master needs you to fight his battles, Desmond? He can take care of himself just fine. Whoever offended him must have a powerful background, and unlike you, we don''t just go around picking fights with everyone who displeases us. We use our brains," retorted the female warrior. She was scantily clad, bare chested, and plump. Her name was Jasmine Yu.

    Desmond Fan whipped his head toward Jasmine Yu. "It''s my duty as a member of the Xiao Clan to seek revenge for our young master. He who offends our young master offends the Xiao Clan. I don''t care if he has a powerful background. Nobody upsets the Xiao Clan," Desmond Fan said in contempt.

    "Our young master isn''t a child. He knows what to do. Cool your jets, brute." Jasmine Yu rolled her eyes.

    "What did you just call me? And did you just roll your eyes at me, bitch?" Desmond Fan''s nostrils flared. He made a step toward Jasmine Yu.

    "You heard me. Or would you prefer something that sounds more like your name? Let''s see. Desmond...oh, right! Demon!" she taunted.

    "You..." Desmond Fan flared up into a fury.

    "Cut it out, both of you!" Anthony screamed. "I don''t know what kind of background that man has, but he was with Polly."

    "What? Polly? Is she Polly Qiu, the one that has come to our head''s birthday party?" The four warriors exchanged glances in surprise. They knew that Polly was not an ordinary woman, so the man she was with must also come from a prominent clan.

    "Young master, Polly is exc

    o he''s powerful after all," Anthony mused. He did not expect Zachary to have reached the King Level. Zachary did not look like it.

    "He''s been doing well at the college. He recently passed the weapon refiner assessment of Earth Level with only a month''s training," Edward said.

    "A weapon refiner at the Earth Level? Not exactly that impressive," Anthony snorted. "What''s his background?"

    "I heard his background is the least remarkable of the ten disciples from his college," Edward replied.

    "A weapon refiner at the Earth Level with a lackluster background dared embarrass me at the Phoenix House. Now I''m really pissed." Anthony fumed with rage. But now that he knew that Zachary did not have a strong background, he could rest assured and deal with him with minimal to zero collateral damage.

    "You must not let this slide, young master. We must make him pay," Edward prodded. "The other disciples of the Celestial College are just as arrogant as him. They don''t take the Shura College seriously."

    "I didn''t plan to go back to the college so soon, but it seems that I''m needed there to get rid of some Celestial College scum," Anthony said menacingly.

    "Indeed you are, young master," Edward agreed.

    The next day, Anthony returned to the Shura College, stirring the usually quiet campus alive. Many disciples ran out to welcome him like crazed fans.

 Chapter 294 A Big Name

    Anthony was quite well known in the Shura College. Even though he was not the strongest disciple in terms of cultivation level, the Influence of the Xiao Clan was enough to make him a big shot. Because of his oppressive nature, he was a local despot in the college. Hence, whenever he returned back to the college, he would cause a sensation in the college.

    However, Anthony didn''t just depend on his clan''s influence. Although he was arrogant and had a domineering nature, he still had strong skills and talents. After all, cultivation level was not given much importance in Shura College. Instead, if someone wanted respect and admiration, it was of utmost importance to have outstanding dexterity as a weapon refiner. Anthony was ranked among the top three weapon refiners of the Shura College.

    Now that he was back, Anthony would first of all meet the three King Level disciples from the Celestial College who had been popular in the Shura College. It was his way of letting them know who the real boss of the Shura College was.

    At this moment, all the disciples in Class Eight, including Zachary, were undergoing a class in their weapon refining room. Suddenly, a few figures came into the room, who immediately drew the attention of everyone present.

    "Is that Anthony? The young master of Xiao Clan?"

    "Yes! It''s really him! Yesterday I heard that he had come back to the Shura College, but I wasn''t sure about it."

    "If only I could get near him! I will automatically have a meteoric rise in my career, leading to a bright future!"

    The disciples in the class were quite excited to see Anthony. They couldn''t help whispering among themselves.

    Anthony was accompanied by three disciples of the Xiao Clan.

    Zachary was wary as he saw Anthony approaching them. He was well aware that Anthony was up to no good by coming here.

    "Anthony Xiao? Oh, this is the first time I am seeing him. It''s said that he is a three-star weapon refiner of King Level and that he is ranked the third among the disciples of the Shura College," Rebecca muttered in a low tone. After staying at the Shura College for quite some time, she certainly had heard about the top weapon refiners of the college.

    "He''s not bad-looking, but I dislike the way he looks at everyone," Queenie commented in a disdainful tone. Of course, in her eyes, every man was disgusting.

    "You two should be careful, because he is a Lothario," Zachary smiled as soon as he heard the girls'' comments.

    "Really? But how did you know that he is a Lothario?" Queenie asked as she looked at Zachary.

    "I can see through him at first glance. I guess he came here for the t

    will be fun to watch the competition between disciples from the two colleges."

    All the disciples of the Shura College were ready to push forward the outsiders¡ªZachary and the two girls.

    Zachary, Queenie and Rebecca looked at one another. They knew that the disciples of the Shura College were trying to embarrass the three of them. After all, the three disciples of the Xiao Clan were weapon refiners of Heaven Level. In comparison, Zachary and the two girls were much weaker.

    "No problem. We are ready to face the challenge," Queenie retorted confidently. She had always been indomitable. There was no way that she would just allow situations to take control of her. It was always the other way round.

    Rebecca nodded her head in agreement.

    Then the two girls looked hopefully at Zachary at the same time. They knew it was impossible for the two of them to defeat the three disciples of the Xiao Clan without his support.

    "I agree to what you girls decide. You can play with them if you want," Zachary said, shrugging his shoulders. In fact, he knew that Anthony had been targeting the three of them. Maybe they could evade the fight for a while, but that would not last forever. What was more, their possible opponents were just three weapon refiners of Heaven Level, so there was hardly any reason to fear.

    Hearing his response, Queenie and Rebecca felt more determined.

    "Today this is just a friendly competition for the purpose of communication. In order not to ruin the friendly atmosphere, let''s do a guessing game," Parker suggested.

    "We have no problem. But those three may not know the rules very well. I''m afraid it''s unfair," Anthony said immediately in a seemingly considerate tone, as he looked at Zachary and the two girls.

 Chapter 295 Guessing Game

    "What is a guessing game?" Queenie asked with furrowed brows.

    Parker then explained the rules of the game. Each side would take turns naming either a weapon or several weapon refining materials, and the other side had to guess the materials of the weapon, or the weapon that could be refined from the materials. The game would end when one party failed to predict correctly.

    The game seemed simple, but it would require a weapon refiner to have considerable knowledge about different weapons. After all, it wasn''t enough for a weapon refiner to be knowledgeable about refining weapons. It was also essential for them to be well-informed about weapons.

    "I see. Let''s get started." A confident smile danced on Queenie''s lips when she understood how to play the game. During their training with Zachary, they had learned to refine at least three different types of weapons a day. As a result, all the materials and steps were engrained in their minds. After such intensive training, they knew more about the weapons than their peers.

    "Remember to go easy on the other team. After all, they are guests from Celestial College," Anthony gently reminded the three disciples of the Xiao Clan before the competition started.

    "There''s no need. Let''s just begin!" Queenie replied with a snort.

    "You are a fearless person. Let me see your real strength." A wry smile appeared on Anthony''s face.

    Then, the guessing game between the Xiao Clan disciples and the Celestial College disciples began. Parker was the judge. Also, to ensure fairness, only weapons or materials under the Heaven Level would be named.

    None of the disciples from Shura College believed that Zachary''s side would win. They were all waiting to see a good show.

    "Ladies first." The first disciple from the Xiao Clan extended this courtesy to Queenie.

    Without hesitation, Queenie named several materials and asked the disciple to guess the weapon that could be refined from them. The disciple from the opposite team answered quickly. As she was only at the Ear

    cca''s knowledge of weapon refining was at par with Queenie''s. Therefore, it was equally challenging for her to beat the Xiao Clan disciple.

    Before long, it appeared as though Rebecca was going to lose.

    The spectators also had a heated discussion as they believed that she was no match for the Xiao Clan disciple.

    Satisfaction reflected in Anthony''s expression as he felt that they would definitely win.

    Just after Rebecca correctly answered a question, she suddenly asked, "There is a kind of martial beast. The materials from the beast can be used to refine a weapon called the Rampageous Poisonous Bead. Can you tell me the names of the materials?"

    The disciple was stunned by the question as he had never heard of a weapon called the Rampageous Poisonous Bead. Neither had he heard of materials from a single martial beast could be used to refine a weapon.

    The audience also exchanged glances of confusion as they didn''t know about this martial beast either.

    Anthony''s eyebrows furrowed. An ordinary weapon refiner at the Heaven Level or higher might not be able to guess because this bead was not a MH weapon, but a rare OH weapon at the Earth Level. It was unique. It was said that the poison released by this Rampageous Poisonous Bead could annihilate all living beings within a ten-meter radius. It was indeed a very vicious weapon.

 Chapter 296 Rampageous Poisonous Bead

    All the refining materials of the Rampageous Poisonous Bead were from the body of a rare elite martial beast. So, apart from a well-trained weapon refiner who knew a lot about OH weapons, it was impossible for someone to know about the Rampageous Poisonous Bead. Therefore, Anthony was surprised that Rebecca knew about the Rampageous Poisonous Bead.

    Obviously, he didn''t know that Zachary had taught her. Had he known that, he would definitely have been very angry.

    "Is this what you taught Rebecca?" Queenie asked, when Rebecca told the name of a weapon even she didn''t know. Queenie knew that it must be the trump card that Zachary had handed over to Rebecca.

    Zachary smiled confidently.

    Since Rebecca had used the trump card Zachary had taught her, she successfully defeated the Xiao Clan disciple. No one had expected that the two disciples of the Xiao Clan both failed.

    Everyone was impressed by Rebecca.

    Someone had spread the news about the guessing game between the Xiao Clan disciples and Celestial College disciples. It was no surprise that a large number of disciples from the Shura College came to watch the guessing game, as did Scott and Nelson, who were the Celestial College disciples.

    Therefore, soon, such a large crowd assembled in the weapon refining room that it seemed that the situation would get out of control.

    Just at this moment, the Xiao Clan''s third disciple appeared. Although he had good looks and gentle appearance, his strength and arrogance were much more than those of the previous two disciples.

    "Eh? Isn''t he Luke Duan? Three months ago, he ranked second in our college''s weapon refiner competition of Earth Level."

    "It was him. I heard that he was nearly the same level as the winner. Although unfortunately he lost the game, the Xiao Clan accepted him and allowed him to become their disciple."

    "It seems that the Celestial College is doomed to failure."

    In a while, all sorts of discussions started about the third disciple of the Xiao Clan. Many students recognized him as the disciple of the Shura College who was not only outstanding but also had great potential.

    At the beginning of the competition, Luke showed his real strength and justified his arrogance as well as his strength. Rebecca could not answer even the fir

    self. So, even if Zachary knew its name, he might not be able to tell all the refining materials.

    So after he had shown the Earth Level spear, everyone thought that Luke would surely win the game.

    Both Queenie and Rebecca could tell that the weapon that Luke showed was definitely not that easy to guess, so they became a little nervous. They could see that Luke had come well prepared.

    But in front of everyone, Zachary looked slowly at the spear Luke was holding, and said with a smile, "This weapon seems to be rare. It isn''t easy to guess its refining materials. Therefore, I''ll guess randomly. The main materials are the Iron Leopard Bone and the Black Light Iron. In addition, the auxiliary materials are the Inauspicious Wood and the Dark Scale Thorn. And the energy fire used is of the wood element."

    Everyone present was dumbfounded as Zachary said that in one breath. However, they couldn''t ascertain whether or not what he said was true.

    That was when Luke''s expression suddenly froze, and he stared at Zachary in disbelief, because he had identified the materials correctly.

    Parker was also stunned. He too had thought that Zachary wouldn''t be able to guess the refining materials of Luke''s high-star spear. Therefore, when he did so easily, he was surprised.

    Anthony also stared coldly at Zachary. He was surprised that Zachary could actually guess the refining materials correctly.

    "Yes, you are right," Parker commented.

    When the audience heard that, they immediately burst into an uproar.

 Chapter 297 Sachet

    "Wow! Harley is right." Queenie and Rebecca were also both amazed.

    "Am I right? It was just a guess. I can''t believe I got it right," Zachary remarked while smiling faintly. He was pretending that it was only a coincidence. Luke, on the other hand, thought he was sure to win.

    "Ahem! You are lucky this time!" he exclaimed. He didn''t expect that Zachary could guess right. So at the back of his mind, he knew he underestimated Zachary. "It''s your turn."

    "Okay." Soon after, Zachary briefly took out another MH weapon. The weapon was just as rubbish but slightly better than the previous one. It was a two-star weapon.

    A gleam of recognition flashed in Luke''s eyes. Obviously, he quickly figured it out.

    Since he guessed it correctly, it was Luke''s turn again.

    Luke and Anthony momentarily shared an exchange of knowing glances. Immediately, Luke reached out a strange weapon from his pocket, which was as beautiful as a woman''s sachet and possessed a strong aroma.

    As expected, none of the people present recognized what kind of weapon it was. Everyone looked perplexed as they watched it intently at the side.

    Even Parker couldn''t help staring at it for a long time. His face clearly showed how amazed and surprised he was.

    "Does the sachet count as a weapon? Are you kidding me?" Queenie murmured in annoyance.

    "I don''t think so. But it surely seemed hard to figure it out," Rebecca countered softly, a bit hesitant.

    "Don''t worry. Indeed, like a master, like a disciple. He could be counted as a half master to us. He absolutely won''t be defeated that easily," Queenie asserted. She held that much faith in Zachary. She didn''t know why, but her womanly instinct told her to.

    "Queenie, I find that you don''t hate Harley so much as before. Although he offended you previously, you have treated him differently of late," Rebecca said out of the blue. On her part, she had realized this a long time ago, but she didn''t spill it. The cold and proud genius, Queenie, would not be easily affected by others. But ever since they were at Shura College, she sensed that Queenie''s attitude towards Zachary was different. Other than showing her cold and stern self, she was more like a stubborn girl than

    beat, he hurriedly asked someone to take a pen and paper for him to write down all the materials used and then carefully handed the paper to Parker as agreed earlier.

    "Okay, I''ll start," Zachary calmly began soon after seeing Parker receive the list from Luke. "First, the sachet is bright colored, and I guess you must have used the skin of the Five-Color Deer. Seven-colored silk from the Rainbow Silkworms must be used in the embroidery. Besides, you must have used the shells of Raging Centipedes. When it comes to the aroma of the weapon, it carries a unique scent. Based on the smell, more than three pollens..."

    Zachary spoke with great eloquence as he reported the materials to them. Luke and Parker were both shocked since Zachary''s descriptions were flawlessly consistent with Luke''s. There were totally fifteen materials listed by Luke, but there was not a single difference, which was mind-blowing.

    If Luke hadn''t told them early on that only he knew the materials, no one would believe that Zachary could figure out all the components only by utilizing his sense of sight and smell. And the worst, some people would even think that Zachary must know the secret beforehand from somewhere else.

    After seeing this dumb expression of Luke, Anthony immediately felt that something was wrong. His face showed a shaded expression.

    Currently, all the disciples present surrendered to silence as they earnestly looked at Parker and anxiously waited for his verdict.

 Chapter 298 Surprise

    Parker was a bit hesitant in speaking, because he knew that everyone would be shocked at the announcement of the result. However, it was an obvious fact and Luke had written down the materials himself. Parker knew that he couldn''t throw dust in the people''s eyes despite everything, so he declared, "What Harley said is unquestionably faultless!"

    All of a sudden, the room fell into a disturbing silence. No one would have expected that Zachary would only need to rely on sheer naked eyes and sense of smell to accurately analyze the casting materials that were used for Luke''s man-made weapon. Anyone with a discerning eye could easily tell that this was not just from sheer dumb luck.

    At the moment, Luke was also struck dumb with amazement. He couldn''t believe that Zachary would be able to do this much single-handedly.

    "This guy is really something else!" Anthony frowned in resentment and the muscles on his face were twitching a little from the sheer annoyance that burnt inside him. However, he truly had to admit that Zachary was really someone completely different, because even he did not have full confidence to accurately figure out the casting materials of Luke''s weapon. To do this, one must have rich and wide enough experience in casting along with some insight into the structures of all kinds of weapons. Otherwise, it was impossible to make a final judgment.

    "It''s your turn now. Come on, I''m pretty sure I can beat you!" Luke shouted at Zachary, not sure if the reason for his burning throat was due to the shouting or his complete self-denial. What he was sure of was that he was not convinced that the other could do so well without any external help.

    With a smile, Zachary materialized a three-star weapon, and Luke immediately went and guessed its casting materials effortlessly.

    After several more rounds, Luke, who was full of confidence prior to this, was now sweating and his face was slightly paler than before. Every round, the weapon that Zachary took out was a star higher than the one before. After these rounds, the weapons he brought out had already reached the seven stars. Luke would not be easily defeated given his cultivation strength, but the weapons that Zachary displayed were of higher stars and an increas

    iron tool." Luke began to question himself as he couldn''t make a final deduction.

    "Let Master Parker check it himself, and you will know whether or not it''s a weapon of Earth Level," Zachary proposed.

    As soon as Luke took the suggestion, he handed the weapon to the master. Parker was quite interested in this weapon, because even he knew that Zachary wouldn''t be driven so bored as to take out an ordinary iron rod to fool the people. Therefore, he seriously examined it the moment it was in his hands.

    "How could this be? This is impossible!" After a moment, Parker shook his head in great astonishment. His hands that held the weapon began to shake violently as if he had been shocked by something electrical.

    All of the people were surprised to hear what he had said. They looked at him, wondering why he seemed so stunned and why he looked so pale.

    There was a cold look reflected in Anthony''s eyes.

    "Master Parker, is this seemingly a junk weapon?" Luke asked in a low, almost growling tone.

    "Yes, and no," Parker replied in a self-contradictory tone, shaking his head.

    "What do you mean by that?" Luke asked, confused.

    "Although this is a weapon of Earth Level, only a weapon refiner of Sage Level would be able to cast it." Parker couldn''t help the obvious quiver in his voice.

    A dead silence befell the scene. The weapon which looked like a piece of scrap iron was actually casted by a weapon refiner of Sage Level. The crowd just couldn''t believe what they had heard.

 Chapter 299 Dark Horses

    "How is that even possible? It''s preposterous for him to have a weapon that was forged by a Sage Level weapon refiner. Besides, this weapon doesn''t fit in to any level. It is not even a weapon. If it''s not a weapon, he has broken the rule of this very competition." Anthony immediately barked back in response. It was impossible for him to watch Luke lose to an outsider like Zachary. Besides, he was sure that Zachary had taken out some strange item to confuse them as a plot for his victory.

    "Anthony, if the weapon were to be assessed individually, it certainly wouldn''t be called a weapon. But once the weapon is implanted into a human body, it will be something that weapons of the same level can''t even bother measure up to," Parker replied, almost hissing at the utter insult.

    Anthony stood there stunned by what he had heard. He certainly wouldn''t doubt the authority of Parker even for a heartbeat. Since Parker was confident with what he had declared, Anthony had nothing else to say against. Therefore, he asked, "What on earth is that thing? Is the junk really that powerful after all?"

    "This weapon is known to be an artificial bone that was forged from imitating the structure of a human''s bone. It can replace human bones, and once it is implanted into the four limbs of a human and replaces the original bones, the four limbs will have superior destructive power. Although this weapon is only at the Earth Level, the materials used for making it are extremely rare and precious. In addition, it can be infinitely upgraded, and to call it a magic weapon would not be overstating its description. As such, it is the reason I noted that only a Sage Level weapon refiner has the refining technique to forge this type of weapon. Moreover, as far as I know, on the entire Supernal Continent, the number of Sage Level weapon refiners that could refine such an artificial bone would be no more than three." Parker''s words sent the crowd to a big uproar.

    All the people present were dumbfounded and seemed to be unable to believe of such a tale. However, since it was Parker who had said it, they had no reason not to believe it. Of course, the most important thing now was that this low-level but highly demanding weapon was actually from someone like Zachary. Regardless of where this weapon had come from, all the people started to look at him in a completely different manner.

    At this moment, Zachary was still very calm. In fact, this artificial bon

    nk of an eye.

    Early in the morning, after Zachary left the system, he went directly to the weapon refining room for classes. As soon as he arrived at the door, he suddenly smelled an enchanting scent like that of a mature woman, one that he was very familiar of.

    "What brings you here, Master Tracy?" The ends of the man''s lips tugged upwards into a smile. He didn''t need to waste time and guess to know who she was.

    At this time, Tracy''s gorgeous figure appeared in front of Zachary. A hint of smile appeared in her beautiful eyes as she said, "How did you know I''m here?"

    "That mesmerizing scent of yours is enough to attract the bees and butterflies ten miles around," Zachary joked and chuckled as he turned to face her.

    "You are such an easy man. I heard you managed to defeat three disciples from the Xiao Clan who have just been promoted to Heaven Level weapon refiners," she said and rolled her eyes at Zachary.

    "It was just a friendly competition, nothing more," Zachary replied, shrugging his shoulders.

    "It''s not easy to defeat the up-and-rising stars of the Shura College. They are all elite disciples of the Xiao Clan. Now the whole college is talking about your competition yesterday and nothing else. It seems that the competition had a great influence to the disciples. But you should keep in mind that the Xiao Clan is one of the biggest clans in the Devil Kingdom. It would be no good for you or any other warriors of Sage Level in the Celestial College if you offended Anthony. You should understand what I mean!" said Tracy in a low voice, warning the other and making sure he knew how severe this meant.

 Chapter 300 The Dragon Peak

    "Oh, I see," Zachary said with a smile. "Is that what brings you here? You came to warn me not to mess with Anthony?"

    "I didn''t come to see you," Tracy pouted. "I''m just passing through; that''s all."

    "Well, have a good day, then." Saying this, Zachary shrugged and strode past her into the weapon refining room.

    Tracy watched as he disappeared through the doorway, absorbed in thought. ''He really is troublesome. More than that, though, he''s powerful enough to defeat Luke, whom our college has attached great importance to. He really must be an extraordinary weapon refiner. It''s no wonder our dean wants him to join us. But he''s as cunning as a fox. He won''t be led by the nose so easily.'' With that, the woman left.

    Meanwhile, things were not quiet in the grand hall of the Xiao Clan''s mansion in Zenith City.

    Anthony pounded the table before him with a fury that matched the thunder in his voice. "Damn it! I didn''t expect Zachary to defeat Luke! He''s made me lose face in front of so many people!"

    "It was a disaster for us, young master," Edward replied, quieter but no less malicious. "I say we should have him killed, and put an end to his meddling once and for all."

    "We cannot let this go unanswered," Anthony fumed, though his anger was now tainted with impotence. "But he is a disciple of the Celestial College. If anything happens to him, they''re sure to investigate it."

    "Not if we cover our tracks properly," replied the other man. "As long as no one learns of our involvement, there will be no need to worry about Celestial College."

    Anthony thought this over for a moment, and his temper receded somewhat. "Perhaps not," he said at last. "Do you have a plan in mind?"

    Edward most certainly did. "This Harley is a warrior at the primary stage of the King Level. That means someone at the premium stage of the same level can kill him easily enough. All we have to do is hire such a man. And after Harley is dead, we simply kill the killer. Then no one will know that we are behind this."

    After hearing his words, Anthony nodded in agreement. "Then we need to make sure we find someone reliable," he pointed out.

    Edward remained confident. "Have no worries, young master. I will take care of this matter."

    Anthony studied him shrewdly f

    on number one: go to the Dragon Peak tonight at midnight."

    "The Dragon Peak?" Zachary murmured to himself. With narrowed eyes, he left the Living-dead Tomb and went to the weapon refining room, where he continued to refine the bone.

    When midnight came, all of Shura College was quiet.

    A trained eye might have glimpsed a lone figure running across and leaping among the walls and ramparts of the college. It was Zachary, swiftly making his way to the south side of the campus, where the Dragon Peak was located.

    As soon as he made it, he found that he was not alone. There were many other figures scattered about the peak, stealthily lying in wait, and still more coming from afar. They all seemed to be warriors of Imperial Level or higher.

    "What are they doing here?" Zachary asked himself, more than a little unnerved.

    Just then, his attention was drawn to a towering hill that stood beside the Dragon Peak, where two more figures appeared, standing opposed to one another. A fierce, sharp wind whipped its way over the darkened landscape, and the atmosphere was pregnant with the promise of violence.

    Most disconcerting was the fact that those two newcomers appeared to be warriors above the Sage Level. Meanwhile, the Imperial Level ones who still lurked around the Dragon Peak started to move. There was sure to be a fight, but Zachary couldn''t guess who was on what side.

    Without warning, one of them gave off a strong, undisguised killing intent, strong enough to strike fear into anyone nearby.

 Chapter 301 The Two Men

    Zachary marveled at the strength of the murderous intent, since he could feel it even while a long way off. Narrowing his eyes, he grew even more alert than before.

    ''I don''t know what''s going on over there, '' he thought, watching the hillside. ''But it must be something very important. I''d better just wait and see how it turns out.''

    Meanwhile, the two figures who appeared to be Sage Level warriors continued to stare at each other down. At any second a fierce battle seemed sure to break out, and yet they waited, face to face.

    Finally one of them spoke. He was clad in a green robe, and despite being a little short in stature, he carried himself with an uncanny air of dignity, or perhaps even majesty. He projected his voice so that it echoed through the night sky, clearly wanting to make sure his voice could be heard. "It is time for this to end. Whatever your grievances, you can settle them with me, instead of taking it out on the people of the Shura College. Over these past few months, we have lost more than a few warriors of Imperial Level. And it was you who killed them, wasn''t it?"

    Concentrating, Zachary took a closer look at the one who had spoken. He looked over a hundred years old, but he had a ruddy, confident face, and was clearly in high spirits. His opponent, apparently middle-aged, looked no stronger than him.

    ''Sounds like he''s some big shot at the Shura College, '' Zachary thought. Turning, he studied the other combatant. This one wore a black cloak, which fluttered and rustled in the midnight wind. His whole manner seemed undeniably sinister. ''This man must be a ferocious and vicious villain, '' Zachary told himself. ''I''d be willing to bet that my tracking quest may have something to do with these two people!''

    The man in black replied with a shout of his own, but one filled with disdain and contempt, "Cut the crap, old man. I am here now, and I''m not going to leave this place empty-handed!"

    "Why are you so stubborn?" replied the older man in a voice that was suddenly torn with regret. "Why torture yourself like this? We both know that you don''t really want to be an enemy of the Shura College. You''re simply looking for a way to vent the hatred that has built up inside you. But shouldn''t that hate be gone by now? Haven''t enough years passed? If not, let me help you to get rid of it, so that it need not haunt you anymore. I would do nothing less for a former disciple such as yourself."

    "You ha

    ent with amazement. "I cannot believe your strength has advanced to such a degree," he said.

    "Enough of that nonsense," the younger man snorted. "I''ve been bored with this fight, and disappointed. I know you''ve been holding back up till now."

    "So have you. Am I right?" asked the old man.

    The man in black glared at him with a new fury. "Yes, you''re right. I didn''t use all of my strength either. That''s because I don''t want you to die just yet. I want you to see how I will destroy the Shura College first."

    The green-robed man did not look perturbed by this. In fact, there was a knowing sparkle in his eye. "Indeed? Why not do it earlier? Why wait until now? You still have feelings for the Shura College. I know it."

    "That''s because I need to deal with the Xiao Clan first," the other man sneered back. "You see, they''re the ones who framed me in the past. Once I''ve gotten rid of them, your precious college will be my next target."

    For the second time, the old man seemed genuinely shocked. "What, the Xiao Clan? You mean to destroy them as well?"

    This new piece of information was just as meaningful to Zachary, as well. ''It seems the Xiao Clan isn''t as moral and upstanding as everyone likes to think, '' he thought. ''In fact, the more I hear about them, the worse they seem. They even set this poor man up. But wait! His experience sounds familiar!'' As he turned this over in his mind, Zachary could not help but sympathize with the figure in black. On first seeing him, he had judged him as a villain. He hadn''t guessed that this man might have gone through the same sort of miserable experience as himself.

 Chapter 302 The Spiritual Soul Reappears

    "I was completely isolated and forsaken by my friends and allies. To add to this misery, I even lost my wife and daughter. Since then I have been planning my vengeance. And it is because of this intense desire that I have gotten my cultivation back. I am much stronger than before. This time I will carefully tread my path and not go easy on the people who had framed me years ago. I will see to it that the people of the Xiao Clan know what it feels like to lose their family," the man in black said, while hatred spewed from his eyes. He clenched his hands into fists as strong resentment consumed him.

    "How can you possibly fight a lone battle against the Xiao Clan with so many masters? They have a total of five warriors of Sage Level and one at my level. It is unimaginable for you to deal with them alone," the old man in green countered as his body trembled.

    "What makes you think I am alone? Do you think all this while, I was merely hiding in some remote mountain or even some wild forest and crying bitterly over my loss?" The man in black laughed. "I am sure you are aware of the Moon Shadow."

    "The Moon Shadow? The group of killers that have suddenly risen in recent years?" The old man was shocked to hear the deadly name. He had an inkling that things were not going in the right direction. If the man in black was a member of the Moon Shadow, it meant that he had taken a path that was against the whole Devil Kingdom and even the Supernal Continent.

    "Ha-ha, let''s call it a day and leave things here. All I say is that do not interfere in my conflict with the Xiao Clan. Otherwise, do not blame me for not warning you when the situation becomes dire. You should know that your Shura College is a conspicuous target. If I want, I can easily make you suffer bitterly by killing the most promising disciples in your college. You''d better protect them well!" the man in black said. Saying this, he waved his cloak and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    After he left, Zachary heard Mimi speak, "Instruction number two: trail the man in black to the designated location."

    "What

    College? You just saved your skin. If you were a disciple of the Shura College, I would have surely killed you," the man said coldly. "But how can I believe what you said is true?"

    "If you know the Celestial College well, you can test me by asking a few questions," replied Zachary, shrugging his shoulders.

    "There is no need for that. If you can survive my single attack, I will spare you. But if you die, I am not to be blamed. After all, this is not a fair world!" As soon as the man finished his words, he began to gather his aura. The invisible aura was rampant like a strong wind, enveloping Zachary into a giant palm.

    Zachary''s face darkened. He was facing a powerful warrior of Sage Level instead of an ordinary opponent. Even if he had the ability to do anything, he seemed to have lost it in front of his opponent.

    He closed his eyes as he knew that it was impossible to resist such a strong blow. Suddenly, a ray of dazzling blue light flashed from his Holy Bone Bracer.

    Soon, countless light beams shot out from the Holy Bone Bracer and kept condensing, until they finally transformed into a tall and strong shadow like a beast. The aura of the shadow was equally strong as that of the man in black.

    The man in black was stunned to see the shadow that suddenly appeared in front of him. He stood trembling in front of the shadow. "Is...is this someone''s spiritual soul?"

 Chapter 303 Five-God Stone Tablet

    The next moment, the shadow that had taken shape suddenly opened its arms, like a beast that opened its mouth to roar at the sky. In an instant, the sky and the earth began rumbling and the wind began howling. An intimidating aura, which was far more powerful than that of the man in black, rushed out from the shadow and spread for a thousand meters. A second later, the strength the man in black had released collapsed and disappeared.

    Although the man in black was facing such a terrifying spiritual soul, he couldn''t help but feel surprised.

    However, a few moments later, the spiritual soul suddenly burst as if its strength had waned. Then, it turned into a blue light and disappeared.

    The sudden changes in the surrounding area stopped, and everything returned to its peaceful state.

    Although the spiritual soul had disappeared, the astonishment on the man''s face did not disappear. He stared at Zachary as if he still could not believe that the person in front of him could summon such a mighty spiritual soul from nowhere. Of course, in normal cases, this was impossible. Judging from the aura released by that spiritual soul just now, it was at least above the Holy Level. As the man''s body couldn''t bear a spiritual soul whose strength was above the Imperial Level, how could Zachary''s?

    So, at this moment, to the man, Zachary was a riddle wrapped in a mystery.

    Zachary breathed a sigh of relief. He was still in a state of shock. Fortunately, Andrew''s spiritual soul had appeared and helped him. Otherwise, if he had faced the strike head-on, he would have been in a lot of trouble. He could have escaped to his system. But if he had chosen to retreat, his efforts to track the man all the way here would have been in vain. Then, he wouldn''t have been able to finish the tracking quest.

    "Kid, it seems that I have underestimated you!" At this time, the man''s attitude toward Zachary changed. There was no intense hostility in his eyes, as before. Rather, both his expression and tone were tinged with curiosity and amazement as he realized that Zachary wasn''t as simple as he appeared.

    .

    "You don''t have to do that. I don''t want to die at all!" Zachary said confidently.

    "The choice is not yours to make!" A strong murderous look flashed in the man''s eyes.

    "If you kill me, you will never be able to find the Five-God Tombs." Zachary used his trump card. Only the Five-God Compass in his hand could help a person to find the exact location of the Five-God Tombs. So the Five-God Compass was indispensable to anyone who wanted to find the Five-God Tombs.

    "What do you mean?" the man restrained his killing intent and asked as confusion coursed through him.

    "If you are interested in the Five-God Tombs, you can''t kill me. It''s that simple!" Of course, Zachary wouldn''t tell him that he had a treasure¡ªthe Five-God Compass¡ªthat would help him to find the exact location of the Five-God Tombs.

    The man hesitated when he observed that Zachary was unafraid and that he didn''t appear to be lying. Moreover, the boy already knew that he had the Five-God Stone Tablet. As none of this seemed to be a coincidence, the man had reason to believe Zachary.

    Thinking of this, the man scrutinized Zachary.

    Now that he had wavered on his decision to kill him, Zachary seized the chance to continue speaking. "You want to kill me because you are afraid that I will disclose the secret of the Five-God Tombs, but I promise that I won''t tell anyone. Moreover, you will definitely need me."

 Chapter 304 Deciphering The Tablet

    "Why should I believe you?" the man in black said with a snort of derision.

    While it was obvious he wasn''t inclined to believe Zachary, his will must have wavered since he hadn''t killed Zachary yet. "It depends on whether you are willing to take the bet or not, sir." Zachary gave him a collected smile. He wasn''t affected by the man''s demeanor.

    "What are we going to bet on?" The man was kind of impressed when he saw that even though Zachary was close to death, he could still smile. After all, he had never seen a warrior at a mere King Level that could remain so calm and unaffected in front of him.

    "As long as you show me the Five-God Stone Tablet, I will give you a reason to believe me," Zachary responded. No matter what, he had to coax him into taking out the Five-God Stone Tablet.

    "Okay, let me see what tricks you want to play!" The man hesitated for a moment, and then his body shook as he opened the Virtual Air Space. Instantly, a white stone tablet the size of two palms flew out and was suspended in front of Zachary.

    In fact, Zachary didn''t hurry to get the stone tablet because he knew that the man wouldn''t give it to him. He stared at the stone tablet at once and found that there were many strange words and patterns on it, which were exactly the same as those on the Five-God Compass. At the sight of these words and patterns, a thought occurred to him. He asked the man, "Sir, do you understand the contents on the Five-God Stone Tablet?"

    The man was stunned for a moment and frowned. "I only recently got my hands on the Five-God Stone Tablet. So I haven''t had the time to find someone who could help me decipher it."

    "If I can decipher the ancient texts on the stone tablet, would that be a reason for you to not kill me?" Zachary''s confidence soared at the thought. He knew this was reason enough for the man to keep him alive.

    "You can decipher it?" The man''s shock was apparent. As far as he knew, very few people on the Supernal Continent co

    aking out.

    "I''m sorry, sir. I am used to living a free life, and I don''t like being restrained. If you want to take me back to your place, I''m afraid that three months will turn into three years," Zachary said calmly. If the man wanted to imprison him, it would be impossible for Zachary to do the translation work for him.

    "Brat, I''ve been very kind to you. How dare you threaten me!" Some of the man''s anger was breaking through his cool, unaffected demeanor. He didn''t like ultimatums or even negotiations of any sort. Unfortunately for him, Zachary was able to decipher the contents on the Five-God Stone Tablet. So no matter how much the man tried to force or tempt him, Zachary wouldn''t easily compromise. This was the only way to set himself free.

    "Sir, if you don''t want to accept my condition, I won''t press you. I''m leaving now!" Zachary deliberately provoked him. Then he turned around, intending to leave.

    "Wait!" the man suddenly shouted.

    "Any other orders, sir?" Zachary turned around, with a wry smile on his face.

    "All right, I''ll do as you say. However, you must promise me to decipher the contents correctly within three months. Then, I will go find someone to verify what you come up with. You should be very clear about the consequences if anything is to go wrong," the man stated coldly.

 Chapter 305 Obtaining The Five-God Stone Tablet

    "No problem. There''s nothing to worry. I am more than willing to accept this stone tablet," Zachary readily agreed. Right from the beginning, he had already expected that the man would say so. Accordingly, he swiftly took the Five-God Stone Tablet without prudence.

    "I have eyes in Shura College, so I will know everything that you do. You can hide nothing from me. If you have any unusual behavior, I will learn it the first time. You''d better behave yourself. And you are not allowed to reveal the secret of the Five-God Stone Tablet to anyone, not even a word. Otherwise, I''ll inevitably kill you no matter whether you can decipher the contents on the stone tablet or not!" the man in black gravely warned Zachary, looking exactly like a devil. His gaze looked calm but eerily piercing. Zachary couldn''t help feeling a pang of nervousness swelling within him.

    "Don''t worry, sir. I have never risked my life doing anything. It was my last resort to trace you this time," Zachary promised helplessly. He acted calmly as he fought hard the panic engulfing him. He wouldn''t have had any dealings with such a ferocious man if it wasn''t for the abnormal tracking quest given by the system.

    "You can leave now," the man in black ordered dismissively, with a brisk wave of his hand. Then his eyes turned heavy.

    Zachary smiled, feeling relieved when he heard those words and speedily left with the Five-God Stone Tablet in his hand. But before he headed out, he specially glanced at the name on the gravestone, which read "Tomb of Elsa Han."

    ''Elsa Han? So similar to Elva Han, '' he thought to himself, but he didn''t take it to heart. Without thinking that much, he exerted the Shadow Pace and disappeared at once.

    A few moments just after Zachary left, a slender figure quickly appeared out of nowhere. She especially looked hot in a feline dress. And with a powerful aura of Imperial Level, her demeanor projected something extraordinary.

    "Logan, aren''t you afraid that he might run away with the Five-God Stone Tablet? After all, the stone tablet is unique in the world," the woman inquired immediately, maintaining eye contact with the man in black.

    "The stone tablet is of no value in reality. What is truly worth is that what engraved on it. I''ve ordered someone to make several copies. That''s why the stone tablet is not of any value in itself. It''s meaningl

    hstanding, Zachary could not utilize all of the treasure-hunting coins for the lottery because it would cost him many treasure-hunting coins to buy a great number of materials from Anne to refine the body of Andrew''s spiritual soul. Moreover, he also needed coins to train the Blazing Roc and the Thunder Dragon Horse. All these being considered and after a moment''s hesitation, he decided to use half of the treasure-hunting coins to try his luck instead.

    So when he reached the Peach Blossom Forest, Zachary immediately made his way towards the Light Wonder Cauldron, where he could draw the Cultivation Boosting Pills. He paused for a bit and then ordered, "Mimi, put five hundred treasure-hunting coins in it."

    "It''s done. Now, you can start drawing the Cultivation Boosting Pills," Mimi quickly responded.

    "Draw lots at one time." Zachary didn''t bother to draw one by one, so he assigned it to Mimi.

    In no time, the Light Wonder Cauldron gave a buzzing sound and emitted a gleaming light. And after a long time, however, it suddenly calmed down. And no pills were coming out from the circular hole of the cauldron.

    "What? I didn''t get even one pill... Are you kidding me?" Zachary goggled his eyes, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry. He was distressed that the five hundred treasure-hunting coins were suddenly gone in vain.

    But Zachary was not the kind of man who would give up easily. Therefore he immediately pointed at the Light Wonder Cauldron and shouted, "Throw another five thousand. Damn it! Dare you swallow these treasure-hunting coins again?"

 Chapter 306 The Gift Bag

    "It''s done. Now, you can start drawing the Cultivation Boosting Pills again," said Mimi.

    Zachary stood with arms crossed, waiting patiently. Time passed and passed, but there was no response from the Light Wonder Cauldron at all.

    As the moments dragged by, his patience began to wear out. He had put one thousand treasure-hunting coins into the cauldron and gotten nothing in return. "No way," he muttered to himself. "Am I really going to get nothing at all out of this? You''ve got to be kidding me!"

    Several more minutes passed, each of them feeling like hours. Unable to keep still, he fidgeted and paced about, occasionally stamping a foot in helpless frustration. Part of him just wanted to smash the Light Wonder Cauldron to pieces and be done with it.

    Suddenly he heard Mimi''s voice again. "Congratulations! Because you have used more than two thousand treasure-hunting coins in total, you have completed an achievement¡ªmany a little makes a mickle! You will be rewarded with a gift bag."

    "A gift bag?" Zachary echoed. "That''s what I get for all this trouble? Somehow I doubt that this will give me much comfort." Having apparently wasted a thousand treasure-hunting coins, he could hardly imagine something more humiliating than being awarded a useless prize.

    Before he could whine any further, a large golden icon appeared in the sky and dropped down before him. Zachary clicked it with a shrug, and it burst like a firework.

    "Congratulations on your harvest of three Cultivation Boosting Pills," said Mimi.

    "Ah, only three?" Zachary scoffed. "That''s it? I should get at least five!" Despite his greed and dissatisfaction, it wasn''t a bad deal he had gotten. After all, three Cultivation Boosting Pills could improve the strength of a King Level warrior by three grades. That was something many others would be desperate to get their hands on.

    Mimi continued, "Congratulations on winning two Strength Pills of King Level."

    "Oh, wow! That''s not actually too bad," Zachary exclaimed, somewhat stunned. He wasn''t quite as disappointed and frustrated as he had been earlier.

    But Mimi kept going, saying, "Congratulations! You have gained one drop of Life-prolonging Liquid. It can prolong your life when you are in serious danger. But beware! It can only be used once. Save it for when you need it!"

    "Life-prolonging Liquid!" Zachary mused. "That sounds like it''ll come in handy." He couldn''t help but laugh in delight. It seemed that his loss wa

    back to get them upgraded. You know that these things are very rare treasures. Any warrior would be greedy for them. But the process for upgrading them is tricky, and there''s always a chance of failure. In fact, you could ruin the weapons unless you really know what you''re doing. So we need someone trustworthy to do the job for us."

    "That''s what you want from me?" Zachary asked. "Why don''t you go and ask the masters of the Shura College for help? Their skills would be far more adequate for this."

    "I know that," Queenie said. "But we don''t really belong to the Shura College. Do you understand? Those masters are not necessarily trustworthy. You''re the only person here we can really count on. If you help us to upgrade our weapons, that will make up for your not training us the next few days."

    Zachary took a moment to think it over. Queenie watched him carefully and knew she had won him over. "All right," he said at last. "Yes, I can help you with this. But I can''t absolutely guarantee that I will succeed. Do you understand? Also, I''ll need to see your weapons first." In reality, though, he expected the whole process to be a piece of cake.

    Queenie nodded happily and said, "We don''t show our weapons to just anyone. Usually we keep them in a well-hidden, secret place in our bodies. You''ll have to meet up with us tonight, and we''ll show you where they are."

    "A secret place, huh?" Saying this, Zachary stole a look at Queenie''s chest. If she had hidden her weapon there, he would be very glad to search for it, but he wisely kept that thought to himself.

    With that, the three headed into the weapon refining room together.

 Chapter 307 The Moon Shadow

    Zachary had planned to cultivate in seclusion for a few days. That way he could completely focus on refining the three Cultivation Boosting Pills. Hence, after class he requested for a three-day leave from Parker by quoting a minute excuse.

    As soon as he finished his request, he heard someone shout out, "Harley, someone''s looking for you!"

    Zachary was curious and wondered who could be looking for him. So he turned back and saw a disciple at the Heaven Level who was from the Shura College waving at him. Immediately he went over to the disciple.

    "Master Tracy asked me to take you to her. She has something important to talk to you," the disciple informed Zachary, as he stood reverently.

    "Alright then. Let''s go." Although Zachary immediately followed the disciple, he observed that the disciple looked nervous about something. However, Zachary decided to stay mum and proceeded on. Soon, he left the weapon refining room with the disciple.

    They walked through several paths, while making a few turns. Promptly, Zachary was brought to a very remote area. A strange building loomed in front of them. The building was unlike any other building Zachary had seen. Apart from the gate, the huge square-shaped building was devoid of any form of windows.

    "Let us go inside." Saying this, the disciple pushed the gate open and stepped inside.

    Zachary nodded and followed the disciple, despite having a strange feeling about the place.

    Right after Zachary followed the disciple inside the building, the gate suddenly slammed shut. Instantly, the room was engulfed in darkness.

    At the same time, the disciple, who was standing in front of Zachary, disappeared.

    Despite the sudden turn of events, Zachary continued to stay calm. He formed the energy fire from one of his palms, and soon the entire building was lit instantly. The place was empty, making it looking like some sort of training ground.

    "This place is ideal for a good bout of jostle. Come out in the open now! No point in hiding!" Zachary called out, while searching around.

    Suddenly, a figure that seemed to have integrated with the darkness appeared on his right side. It stood about three meters away from Zachary. It possessed such a pair of vicious eyes that it seemed like it would instantly swallow him.

    Zachary instantly pushed the energy fire towar

    owerfully blocked the killer''s attack.

    "Looks like you''re not that bad, huh!" Actually the killer was fully aware that it would not be an easy task to bring down Zachary. So before Zachary could take a breather, the killer was already about to attack him again. With his martial energy, a strong cyclone was formed. Instantly, the cyclone became violent by the minute.

    Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, Zachary started to retreat. However, the enclosed building was not large enough, and the power of the killer was increasing by the minute. They had been in a gridlock for a while. Due to the intense suction force of the wind, Zachary''s avoiding speed was largely affected. Soon, he was thrown into the air.

    At this time, the wind stopped, and the killer jumped into the air. While Zachary was in a dangerous situation where he seemed unable to avoid the attack from the killer, the killer swirled his left fist. Soon, the wind took the shape of a horn and directly hit Zachary''s body.

    Zachary was unable to resist the attack and was suddenly sent flying backward.

    Bang!

    As Zachary crashed, a cloud of dust stirred up and everything went eerily silent. For an outsider, it would have seemed the impact killed both the parties.

    "I can knock you down with one single strike!" A sneer appeared on the killer''s face.

    Just when the killer started to walk towards Zachary, Zachary suddenly rushed out of the smoke. Taking advantage of the moment of the killer''s carelessness, Zachary held a sword and went straight to the killer.

 Chapter 308 The Strength Pill Of King Level

    "Lady Swordsmanship!"

    Sword shadows came from Zachary''s sword strike and began intertwining. Soon, they turned into a whirling net of swords. All of a sudden, the sword radiance surrounding the killer in silver shone brightly under the dark light.

    A moment later, the sword radiance disappeared, and the killer''s face paled. He desperately gasped for breath. He knew that Zachary had almost hit him. Had he not been stronger than Zachary, he would have been injured.

    Now, Zachary had distanced himself with the killer. Seeing that his attack had missed, he shook his head with disappointment. He now knew that the perception of a warrior at the killer''s level should not be underestimated.

    On the other hand, the killer was aware that his strength was far greater than Zachary''s, so it would be impossible for Zachary to take advantage of him. Gathering his martial energy, he rushed at Zachary again.

    Zachary hesitated for a moment before he took out a Strength Pill of King Level from the gift bag. As his aura began to soar, he reached a level comparable to the killer''s. In the blink of an eye, Zachary pounced on him.

    The killer was shocked when he realized that Zachary''s aura had become stronger. Earlier, he had perceived Zachary to be at the first grade of King Level. But, he suddenly became as strong as him. It was unbelievable! However, as he was a killer, there was no reason to flinch.

    Soon, the battle between Zachary and the killer came to a deadlock. However, the killer''s strength seemed to have approached the peak of King Level. What was more, as a skilled killer, he had an advantage. He noticed several of Zachary''s subtle flaws and used them to his advantage.

    The protection of the Holy Bone Bracer waned under the continuous attacks as it could only absorb a certain amount of martial energy each time. Zachary had to bear the brunt of the remaining attacks. Severely injured after the fierce attacks from the killer, Zachary never got an advantageous position.

    Despite the unfavorable situation, Zachary brandished his sword and rushed forward. He then used three new moves of the La

    ith a broken mask.

    "Where''s Harley? Did he die, too? Why are you still standing here? Continue searching. We need to ensure that he is dead!" Edward shouted at the disciples with widened eyes.

    The disciples then began to search the ruins again, but they did not find Zachary''s body.

    "Did he escape? Even if he didn''t die, he would be severely injured. He can''t be far away. Two of you, deal with the dead body. Everyone else will help me find Harley," Edward instructed. He was not a fool. Although Zachary might have gotten lucky, Edward knew that he couldn''t let him live. Otherwise, they would be in big trouble. That was why he ordered two of his men to stay and deal with the dead body. Then, he took the other three disciples to look for Zachary.

    At the same time, Zachary staggered into the Living-dead Tomb, soaked in blood. During the fight with the killer, he had consumed the Strength Pill and displayed his spiritual skill. His body couldn''t bear the double burden, so he was a little dizzy.

    After a few steps, he swayed again. Just as he was about to fall, a graceful and petite figure appeared and held him.

    "Why are you so badly wounded? Who attacked you?" Anne asked. Anger flared in her when she noted the wounds on Zachary''s body.

    "Don''t worry about that, Master Anne. Please cure my wounds. I have other things to deal with," Zachary said with a bitter smile and shook his head.

 Chapter 309 Injured

    Anne brought Zachary into the tomb chamber with the Ice Jade Bed. After telling him to sit on it, she immediately began to see to his wounds. She released her martial energy. It blew across his body like a gentle spring breeze. His badly injured body began to recover at an astonishing speed.

    In less than fifteen minutes, most of his wounds had healed.

    "Great! It worked." Anne withdrew her martial energy and got off the Ice Jade Bed.

    "Thank you very much, Master Anne!" Zachary said with a grin.

    "You really are a troublemaker who finds trouble wherever he goes," Anne commented in a somewhat angry tone.

    "What else could I do? Let''s talk about it later. I have to leave now." With those parting words, Zachary left the Living-dead Tomb and disappeared.

    He was back in the ruins in an instant. There were two disciples of the Xiao Clan about to take away the dead body of the killer.

    Seeing Zachary appear out of thin air stopped them in their tracks. It was strange to see he was both safe and sound. Even he managed to find a way to stay alive, surely he should have at least sustained some serious injuries.

    "Leave the corpse behind," Zachary said, his eyes cold.

    Knowing that they were no match for Zachary, the two disciples from the Xiao Clan dared not disobey or fight him. They immediately threw the dead body away.

    "Take off your clothes," Zachary ordered.

    The two disciples hurriedly took their clothes off until they were in nothing but their undergarments.

    "You can go away now," Zachary finally said with a smirk.

    The two disciples fled away, feeling relieved.

    "Anthony, you want to play with me, right? Okay then, I will play with you." Zachary smiled grimly. He used the blood of the killer to paint his own body. Soon, he was covered in blood, as if he had been badly injured. Then, he dressed the killer in the Xiao Clan''s clothes.

    The second he was done, Edward and three other disciples of the Xiao Clan came back in defeat. They froze as they saw Zachary, who was drenched in blood, standing in front of the dead body of the killer.

    "Bastard, I didn''t know you were here." Edward laughed grimly at the sight of Zachary.

    "As I had expected, the Xiao Clan should be responsib

    ruck dumb. It wasn''t until he took a closer look at the corpse that he found the killer was sporting the disciple uniform of the Xiao Clan. He looked up at Zachary. It didn''t take a genius to figure out Zachary must have done it, not with the scheming smile that was still on his face.

    "Master Tracy, he definitely isn''t a disciple of the Xiao Clan. This matter has nothing to do with our clan. Please seek justice for us!" Under the circumstances, there was nothing Edward could do but to assert his innocence. It was obvious to him that framing Zachary was impossible. After all, if he altered his words, Tracy would definitely be suspicious.

    "I will investigate and ascertain this matter. But since he was wearing the Xiao Clan''s clothing, it must have something to do with the Xiao Clan," Tracy stated calmly. Then she turned to the King Level disciples behind her. "Take them back and interrogate them separately. I will come later."

    The disciples nodded their heads immediately.

    "What about him? He''s a murderer! You should at least arrest him first," Edward immediately protested when Tracy told the disciples to take only them away without arresting Zachary as well.

    "Can''t you see that he''s seriously injured? Even if he killed someone, it was in self-defense. The aura emanating from the corpse is obviously at the premium stage of King Level. Do you honestly think he would be able to kill someone whose cultivation level was much higher than his?" Tracy asked Edward.

 Chapter 310 The Assassination

    Edward''s face turned grim. Zachary played him and got him ensnared in his own trap. He had to cooperate now. Otherwise, he would risk arousing Tracy''s suspicion.

    As soon as Edward and the three disciples of the Xiao Clan were taken away, Tracy yelled at Zachary, "Cut it out already. You''re injured, but I can see that your breath is steady and your martial energy is flowing smoothly."

    "It seems that I''m a bad actor then," Zachary said, bursting into laughter.

    "Who the hell was the dead man? If he was not a disciple of the Xiao Clan, why was he wearing their clothes? Was he going to kill you and frame the Xiao Clan for your murder?" Tracy mused. She totally could not understand it.

    "I don''t know if he was a disciple of the Xiao Clan or not, but he claimed himself to be the killer from the Moon Shadow," Zachary replied.

    Tracy''s jaw dropped. If that man was really a killer from the Moon Shadow, then things were obviously more complicated than she had thought.

    "Why did the killer from the Moon Shadow want to kill you?" Tracy asked with raised eyebrows.

    "I don''t know. My best guess is that I offended someone by accident who didn''t want to get their hands dirty in the process of seeking revenge, so they hired him to kill me," Zachary answered. Although he knew that it was Anthony who hired the killer to kill him, he could not tell Tracy without any solid evidence. But he believed that she would know what he meant.

    Tracy''s expression turned cold. Apparently, she also thought of Anthony to be the man behind all this.

    "How about I let you deal with this matter on your own? I won''t interfere. This place is crawling with the disciples of the Xiao Clan. This first clue would definitely lead somewhere. I don''t want to get myself into any more trouble, so I won''t look into it. It''s all yours," Zachary declared. Tracy would definitely deal with this matter seriously. After all, Zachary was an exchange student sent by the Celestial College. If anybody under their roof were in danger of gett

    er side. He was surprised to see Zachary.

    "Oh, it''s you, Harley. Why are you here?" Nelson asked, walking up to Zachary. He had never seen Zachary there at night.

    "Well, I have an appointment with the two ladies. They asked me to wait for them here," Zachary replied and smiled.

    "Wow. You''re a lucky man," Nelson replied with wide eyes.

    "I don''t know about that. I don''t even have a bed in there, so I have to stay here. Poor me," Zachary said playfully.

    Nelson burst into laughter and said, "You promised me something last time. I wonder when you''re going to fulfill it, buddy."

    "Promised you something? Oh, I remember it!" Zachary exclaimed. He had promised to lend Nelson the Thunder Dragon Horse for his research.

    "If it''s too difficult for you, just forget it," Nelson said thoughtfully.

    "It''s not that it''s difficult. It''s just that Kiwi has a bad temper. I''m afraid it''s not happy around strangers," Zachary explained. His Thunder Dragon Horse was obedient to its owner, but it was very wary of strangers.

    "It doesn''t matter. I''ve been dealing with treasure beasts since I was a child. I''ve seen many bad-tempered treasure beasts," Nelson said confidently. He stared at Zachary with expectant eyes, which made the hair on the back of Zachary''s neck stand on end. Zachary got goose bumps as he stared back at Nelson.

 Chapter 311 The Thunder Dragon Horse

    Seeing the eager expression on Nelson''s face, Zachary believed that if he refused, Nelson would be unhappy. They were both disciples of the Celestial College, after all. Besides, Zachary thought that Nelson looked like a nice person except for the strange expression that would reflect in Nelson''s eyes when he looked at Zachary. Other than that, he appeared to be a reliable person.

    Therefore, without any hesitation, Zachary summoned the Thunder Dragon Horse from his system. Now, the Thunder Dragon Horse was stronger and taller than a mature man and as arrogant as a king. The shining electric current encasing the Thunder dragon Horse was very eye-catching, as well.

    "Its size and power are astonishing!" Nelson exclaimed in surprise. The moment he caught sight of the Thunder Dragon Horse, his eyes lit up with joy. He couldn''t wait to hug it passionately.

    "Hey, Kiwi, meet my friend. He wants to play with you. So, be nice to him, okay?" Zachary instructed the Thunder Dragon Horse gently. He had thought that by introducing Nelson to Kiwi, the Thunder Dragon Horse, they would get along well.

    The Thunder Dragon Horse glanced at Nelson before turning its head away. It appeared to be ignoring Nelson.

    Seeing its reaction, Nelson thought for a while. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind. He took out a jade bottle from his pocket, which was the length of a little finger. As soon as he opened the jade bottle, a strong aroma filled the air.

    Unexpectedly, after the Thunder Dragon Horse smelled the strange fragrance, it went closer to Nelson. It seemed to be unable to resist the scent.

    "What kind of treasure is in the bottle?" Zachary questioned at once. He also noticed that there was something unusual about the smell coming from the jade bottle.

    "Well, the bottle is filled with a special nectar called the Beast-alluring Dew. Our clan spent decades researching and extracting it from the secretion of a treasure beast with the wood element. It can attract any beast," Nelson replied.

    "Wow, that sounds amazing. By the way, can a treasure beast be attracted by it?" Zachary asked as curiosity coursed through him. He was surprised to hear about the effects of the Beast-alluring Dew.

    "That depends on the level of the treasure beast. Generally speaking, there is no problem in attracting treasure beasts below the Heaven Level. However, if the beast''s level is higher, then it will depend on luck! That being said, ordinary martial beasts cannot resist it. Even those above the Imperial Level are no exception," Nelson explained patiently with a gentle nod.

    "It sounds like something magical," Zachary commented as his eyes lit up. If he had such a treasur

    know? Anyway, you''d better go away and wait patiently. We will let you know when we are done," Queenie said arrogantly.

    "Look, I am not going to waste my time and wait for you. I have my own business to deal with," Zachary warned. He wasn''t in the mood to waste time on the two women.

    "Queenie, let him in." Then he heard Rebecca''s voice from inside the room.

    Queenie hesitated for a few moments before she finally moved aside and let him in.

    As soon as he entered the room, he saw that Rebecca was sitting on the bed. Her upper body was draped in thin, pink underwear, while the lower part of her body was wrapped in a quilt. Only her lovely feet could be seen.

    "What''s wrong with your weapon?" Zachary asked as he walked toward her.

    "I don''t know. It seems to be stuck," Rebecca replied with a shake of her head. Her eyebrows were furrowed because of the awkward situation.

    "Do you mind it if I examine it?" Zachary asked as he cast a discreet glance at her legs, which were covered by the quilt.

    After thinking for a while, Rebecca glanced at Zachary. Embarrassment from the situation had tinged her cheeks a soft red. A few moments later, she bit her lower lip as if she had reached a decision. Then she slowly pulled the quilt from her legs. His heart beat quickened when he saw her slender and fair legs. However, as the quilt reached the top of her thighs, she stopped.

    At this moment, Rebecca''s face flushed crimson as shyness coursed through her. She couldn''t bear to let a man see her in such a state of undress. However, she knew that she had no other choice.

    "Don''t look at anything else, or I''ll dig your eyes out! Now, stop standing there like an idiot! Check how we can remove the weapon from her leg!" Queenie, who had been observing Zachary, warned.

 Chapter 312 Spiked Cuisse

    Zachary smiled. He carefully looked at Rebecca''s limbs that were covered with a unique armor set. Two very fragile-looking wooden pieces covered the frontal part of her shanks. The curved wooden pieces were tightly pressed together, making it look perfectly integrated. The wooden clasps that fixed the wooden pieces on her legs were as thin as the wooden pieces, and they were made in the form of watchbands. On the surface, they were clasped without a gap and were cast delicately¡ªa perfect piece of art.

    This was the first time that Zachary had seen this kind of MH weapon. Even the booklet on weapon refining that Anne had passed on to him, made no mention about this kind of weapon. He gathered that this would be a special weapon, specially customized for Rebecca.

    "So tell me, how does this MH weapon work?" Zachary asked after carefully scrutinizing the weapon for a while.

    Rebecca got ready to summon up her martial energy. Soon, numerous spikes as thin as needles appeared on the surface of the wooden pieces. Instantly the cuisse transformed into a piece of spiked armor. Then she released her martial energy and the wooden pieces immediately resumed to their original form.

    "Wow! This is definitely an amazing MH weapon. Only a master can make such a marvelous weapon. Am I right?" Zachary noticed something different about the weapon. The wooden pieces were made by very flexible materials. That was why they could change their usual forms and come as a surprise element during battle.

    "My father had asked one of the three best weapon refiners in the Enigmatic Kingdom to make it for me. No one else can use it, except me. What you see is just one of its many purposes. No doubt, it serves as a shield to protect my limbs. But at the same time, it can improve my speed, while using the movement skill," Rebecca explained proudly.

    "Agreed that it is indeed a powerful weapon. But in my opinion, you might get stuck in your cuisse," Zackary concluded, with amusement twinkling in his eyes.

    "What do you mean? How can I get stuck?" Rebecca replied, after she was stunned with Zachary''s observation.

    "What I mean to say is that you ar

    recognize my weapon?" Queenie didn''t expect Zachary to recognize her weapon at the first look.

    "How could I not know the top three weapons of Imperial Level?" Zachary smiled calmly.

    "You have to be very careful about it. Once you damage it, you will..." Queenie warned immediately.

    "Be doomed!" Zachary finished the sentence for her.

    "Keep that in your mind." With that, Queenie took off the Ice Silk Bracer and handed it to him.

    Zachary put away the Ice Silk Bracer and the Spiked Cuisse, said goodnight to the ladies and then left.

    In the meantime, other events were unfolding in the Xiao Clan''s house.

    A loud bang suddenly resounded in the hall. Edward, who had been kneeling on the floor, was thrown away by Anthony''s slap and knocked into a pillar. He fell on the floor and spat out a mouthful of blood. His face was deathly pale.

    "You fool! You failed to finish such a trivial matter! Moreover, you even left a chance for that brat to set me up. I was almost exposed all thanks to you!" Anthony glared at Edward.

    "Young master, please forgive me. Just give me one more chance to prove myself. I promise you he will die a brutal death," Edward begged as he knelt in front of Anthony. He had never expected that Zackary would kill the assassin, who was at premium stage of King Level. And to make matters worse, Zackary had replaced the assassin''s clothes with those of the Xiao Clan disciple''s and set them up.

 Chapter 313 The Phoenix House

    "Give you one more chance? Do you wish for your death? It was because of your failure that our Xiao Clan''s reputation has been greatly affected. Fortunately, the killer was a wanted criminal, so they were able to conclude that the killer wanted to frame our clan. Otherwise, you would not be able to bear the consequences of your actions this time," Anthony shouted furiously.

    Edward bowed his head immediately. He knew that Zachary got the best of him this time.

    "Young master, maybe we shouldn''t be blaming it on him. The killer from the Moon Shadow was defeated by a nobody at the King Level. Nobody will believe it when they hear about it. It seems that you have underestimated that Harley," Desmond said. He was sitting at the left side of the hall and had a very serious look on his face.

    "Underestimated him? He is nothing but a lucky dog that barely escaped his death." Of course, Anthony wasn''t willing to admit that it was his fault.

    "If you really dislike that guy, just say the word and I will go to him myself," Desmond suggested with a sinister smile.

    "Just forget about it. Although I really want to kill him, the Shura College is already getting suspicious towards me and they will not allow anything to happen again. If anything bad happens to him, we will undoubtedly become their first suspect." Although Anthony hated Zachary to the core, he was not the kind of young master who would take advantage of his power to bully others. He knew that he shouldn''t get the Xiao Clan into any sort of trouble just because he had his own selfish reasons.

    "So young master, are you telling me you''re willing to just let it go?" Desmond asked.

    "Definitely not. This guy is utterly disgusting. His relationship with Polly doesn''t seem that simple at all. I won''t let him get in the way of my plans. The only ideal scenario is for him to be removed," Anthony said ruthlessly.

    "What exactly are you planning to do, young master?" Desmond asked.

    "Let him enjoy his life for a while as I think of the perfect way to kill him once he lets his guard down," Anthony said in a very far sighted and sophisticated manner.

    ere bound to meet again.

    "Take a seat." Riley signaled to Zachary.

    Zachary nodded before sitting down on a chair nearby.

    "Why did you come alone? Where is your friend?" Riley asked.

    "Well, I couldn''t invite her," Zachary answered with a smile.

    Riley understood what he meant at once. "Are you here for the auction? Or could be for something else?"

    "I came here looking to buy some materials. I was thinking of taking part in the auction, but on second thought, attending an auction would be too much of a hassle. I decided to save myself the time and came here instead," Zachary explained straightforwardly.

    "Oh, it seems that you are in dire need of my help. Otherwise, you wouldn''t be here right now." Experienced in human relations, Riley could tell that Zachary''s need for the materials was urgent.

    "I am not really in a rush but the sooner, the better," Zachary answered.

    "Now that you are a VIP in our Phoenix House, I will try my best to fulfill your requests." Once Riley was done speaking, she turned to Billy Huang. "Billy, take the guest to the warehouse to find the items he is looking for. Give him a ten percent discount on everything."

    "Understood," answered Billy Huang with his hands still cupped.

    "I owe you a lot for this, Master Riley," Zachary told her at once.

    "Don''t thank me yet. In fact, I do have something I would like to ask you," Riley said in a changed tone.

 Chapter 314 A Deal

    "Oh, what is it?" Zachary questioned with raised eyebrows.

    "Where did you get the three drops of Hatching Fluid that you sold at the auction the last time?" Riley asked straightforwardly.

    "Well, I''m afraid that I can''t tell you." Of course, Zachary would not tell Riley the source of the Hatching Fluid.

    "I understand. Actually, I just want to know if you have a way to get more Hatching Fluid like those three drops. If possible, I''d like to buy the Hatching Fluid at a higher price than the previous auction price," Riley explained. Determination to acquire the precious Hatching Fluid was evident in her tone.

    "A higher price?" Hearing this, Zachary could not help but feel interested. As the Hatching Fluid was an inexhaustible resource for him, Zachary could sell it as a commodity and then buy all kinds of treasures with the money thus earned. Later, he could exchange them for treasure-hunting coins in the system. In this way, he would have inexhaustible treasure-hunting coins, too.

    However, there was a risk as the Hatching Fluid had never appeared in the Supernal Continent before. At the last auction, the sale of the Hatching Fluid had caused a stir. If he continued to sell it, many people would become envious of him. Besides, he was unsure if he could trust Riley. Therefore, he had not decided whether or not to continue selling it.

    "As long as you can provide it and we can afford it, there would be no problem with the price," Riley added hastily when she observed that Zachary appeared indifferent to her offer. Since he hadn''t said that there was no more Hatching Fluid to be sourced, she assumed she could tempt him.

    "Aren''t you afraid that I will demand an exorbitant price?" Zachary smiled as he teased Riley.

    "No, I''m not afraid at all. I don''t believe that you are that kind of person. I have believed you to be an outstanding person ever since our first meeting. And my opinion was confirmed by your actions during the auction," Riley replied with a playful smile.

    "Are you hinting at something suggestive? People who don''t know us might think that you had fallen in love with me at first sight, if they heard what you said!" Zachary teased Riley intentionally. Of course, he knew that she was trying to flatter him and make him less vigilant so that he would tell her where he acquired the Hatching Fluid. Such being the case, he wouldn''t be easily fooled.

    "Are you flirting with me? You are quite bold! No man in Zenith City da

    minded him. She was afraid that Zachary might not be able to supply the Hatching Fluid every month as assured. The Phoenix House always provided information about the goods they were going to sell in advance. If he failed to supply the Hatching Fluid on time, they would not be able to provide it for the potential buyers, either. In such a case, the Phoenix House would ruin its reputation.

    "If you don''t trust me, then the deal is off." Zachary shrugged his shoulders as if he didn''t care about the deal.

    Hearing this, Riley hesitated. After pondering for a while, she agreed, "Okay. We have a deal."

    "By the way, I have another requirement," Zachary said all of a sudden.

    "What''s it?" Riley cautiously questioned as she glanced at Zachary.

    "You must keep my identity confidential. And if I find that anybody learns that I am supplying the Hatching Fluid to you, I will stop the supply immediately," Zachary warned.

    "No problem. Only the three of us know about the arrangement we have agreed to. There won''t be a fourth person," Riley promised without hesitation.

    "Such being the case, please accept these three drops of Hatching Fluid as a gift to prove my sincerity." As he spoke, Zachary took out a small bottle that he had prepared earlier. It contained three drops of Hatching Fluid.

    Riley was dumbstruck when she saw that he was giving her three drops of Hatching Fluid for free. She had never met anybody who was more generous than Zachary. He behaved as though he had an abundance of Hatching Fluid at his disposal. She had gone through many difficulties and seen the world, but now she was once again impressed by him.

 Chapter 315 Some Gifts In Return

    "It''s very kind of you, but I can''t accept it," Riley said. She was interested, of course, but she did not want to take advantage of Zachary. The Hatching Fluid was very rare, after all.

    "There are still a lot of things that I need your help with in the future. This is just a small gift." Zachary''s comely smile made her waver.

    "Since you have shown your sincerity, I will give you something in return. From now on, all the materials you buy from my Phoenix House will be free if the price is no more than one hundred thousand gold coins," Riley offered. She waited to see if Zachary would protest but he relented peacefully, satisfied that she would take the Hatching Fluid.

    "Okay. Thank you." Zachary smiled once more. He would not deny her courtesy to reciprocate his gesture. If she were anything like him, she probably disliked being in debt to someone else.

    "By the way, may I have your name?" Riley asked.

    "Oh? You don''t know my name?" Zachary asked in surprise as he laughed wholeheartedly. For someone of her caliber and position, she probably sent someone to find all they could about him. The fact that she didn''t know his name meant that someone spectacularly failed.

    Amazingly, Riley maintained an immaculate impression. She was not about to reveal that all she found out was that he was an exchange student from Celestial College. She pouted a little and pretended to be put out. "You should at least tell me yourself."

    "My name is Harley Bai," Zachary said.

    "Wow, you and I have the same family name. No wonder I feel so drawn to you. I am a few years older than you, so I would like to call you by your name. If you don''t mind, just call me sister," Riley sweetly said. Zachary''s eyebrow raised in surprise.

    "I can''t call you that. I''ll have no chance of being with you if you look at me like a little brother. I''ll just call you Riley," he said with a mischievous smile.

    "You are taking advantage of me. But you deserve it." Riley giggled.

    "I''m flattered," replied Zachary with a shrug.

    "Billy, take Harley to the warehouse. Let him choose the materials there," Riley said to Billy.

    "This way, please." Billy obediently approached with a respectful nod.

    Zachary met his eyes with an eager smile and nodded his head.

    Billy led Zachary to the warehouse. Although it was supposed to be a storage area, it looked like a museum with all the pills, rare treasures, and materials that were held inside. Everything was meticulously arranged.

    Immedi

    was a big chance that he was about to become a King Level weapon refiner. However, since he wasn''t sure yet, he decided to focus on his errands for now.

    The next day, he brought the two weapons back to their owners, Queenie and Rebecca. The girls were greatly shocked and pleased that Zachary had upgraded their weapons to four-star ones in such a short time.

    "Are you joking? How could the weapons be upgraded so quickly?" Queenie asked incredulously. She eyed him suspiciously as if she was waiting for him to laugh or tease her.

    "Isn''t it a good thing? Did you expect it to take a very long time?" Zachary shook his head at her suspicious attitude. He could not help but smile in amusement when she frowned and hesitated to take the weapon.

    "But isn''t it difficult to collect the materials? We wanted to collect some for you," Rebecca said. They were planning to search for materials the next day so that they could help Zachary, but it looked like they were too late.

    "I just needed a couple of materials but I could afford them on my own. Don''t worry. I have to go now. Bye." After these words, Zachary left quickly. The two girls blinked in surprise. They were not even able to thank him properly.

    "That guy is really..." Queenie trailed off as she shook her head. It rarely happened but she was at a loss for words at that moment. The more that she got to know Zachary, the more mysterious he appeared to be. Her questions about him only led to even more questions that were left unexplained. Without his permission, she was starting to be concerned for him.

    "It seems that we owe him one more favor this time," Rebecca grumbled beside her.

 Chapter 316 Lilian

    After Zachary had left the two girls'' room, he went to the next room to look for Nelson, only to find that he wasn''t there. He asked about his whereabouts and then learned that he hadn''t been back in three days.

    "God knows where he''s taken Kiwi!" He immediately contacted the Treasure-hunting Compass. "Mimi, help me locate Kiwi," he ordered.

    "Locating...

    The Thunder Dragon Horse is now at the southwest side of Shura College," Mimi replied after a while.

    He didn''t hesitate in heading straight there.

    It didn''t take him long to enter a dead wood forest. As soon as he entered, he heard a rumble of thunder from the deepest part of the forest. He followed the noise.

    After walking for a short while, he arrived at a place where the woods were sparse. His eyes caught the Thunder Dragon Horse that was now surrounded by thunder and lightning facing a dead tree. It gathered the thunder force all over its body, gradually formed a light ball and then shot it towards the dead tree.

    However, when the thunder ball struck the tree, it didn''t tear it down. Instead, it spread all over it like an electric current with a loud humming noise. The effect made the tree look amazing.

    "Great! It''s perfect this time." Nelson stood next to the Thunder Dragon Horse, looking extremely exhilarated.

    The Thunder Dragon Horse raised its head proudly, as if it was showing off. But then it seemed to have felt Zachary''s aura and quickly looked at him. Before he could blink, it turned into a thunder shadow and rushed to him uttering a cheerful neigh.

    Zachary smiled and patted the Thunder Dragon Horse''s head. Then he looked up at Nelson, who was slowly approaching him.

    "It''s been three days? How time flies!" It was obvious from the look on Nelson''s face that he was hesitant to leave this place.

    "I heard that you haven''t gone back for three days now. Are you here with Kiwi all this time? I know you like studying treasure beasts, but you shouldn''t forget all about eating and sleeping," Zachary scolded Nelson, noting his obsession with treas

    s away from Zenith City where Zachary had followed his target, the man in black was standing in front of the same tomb. He was drowning in grief and indignation.

    Soon, a woman joined him. She wore a leopard print dress which set off her attractive figure and made her look as sexy as a wild cat. No man would be able to resist such a stunning woman.

    "Lilian, I heard that the Xiao Clan had hired a killer from the Moon Shadow to assassinate Harley Bai. Is that true?" Logan didn''t turn his head, a stony expression on his face.

    "Yes," Lilian answered with a nod.

    "Why didn''t you stop him? You should know how much Harley means to us now," Logan growled angrily.

    "I didn''t know that then. The Xiao Clan had hired the killer way before the new development took place," Lilian replied.

    "Pass on my order. There are to be no more commissions from the Xiao Clan anymore. I also need you to find out the real reason why they want to assassinate Harley," Logan ordered.

    "Okay." Lilian nodded.

    "It seems that the old man has lost his patience. I heard he had secretly been gathering important figures from major clans in the Devil Kingdom. I think he is trying to deal with me. I''ve warned him, but he apparently hasn''t taken my threats seriously. He must think I was bluffing. It appears that I have to teach him a lesson." Logan''s eyes flashed with anger.

 Chapter 317 The Hunting Game

    "What do you want to do, Logan?" Lilian asked.

    "According to the information you sent me, Harley seems to be quite outstanding. It looks like Shura College has also noticed him. Maybe he can be used as a pawn against Shura College. However, his current influence is not enough to attract the attention of the college. I think it''s necessary to give him a little push," Logan answered. He was grinning darkly as he envisioned all the ways that he could succeed.

    "Give him a little push? What do you mean?" Lilian asked, puzzled.

    "The annual hunting game of Shura College will be held in half a month. We should do something to cause chaos and then make Harley show up at the appropriate time. This would ensure that he will gain more fame." Logan grinned widely and rubbed his hands together eagerly. He had a plan, one that would bring Shura College to their knees.

    "But what if he doesn''t cooperate? From my observation in the past few days, he is very low-key. He often disappears for no reason and even I can''t track him down. I''m afraid even if we make such an arrangement, he wouldn''t act according to the plan," Lilian replied.

    "If that happens, then play it by ear," answered Logan confidently.

    "Understood. I''ll go and arrange it." Lilian nodded and left at once.

    Time flew fast like a raging river. Before long, more than ten days had passed.

    Zachary had asked for several days'' leave with various excuses and refined the other two Cultivation Boosting Pills of King Level. His strength also smoothly rose to the fourth grade of King Level. Now, he was not far from breaking through to the fifth grade.

    The last thing he expected was for everything to go so smoothly. He thought that after the failed assassination, Anthony would continue to pester him. Of course, he could not let his guard down. He knew that the quieter the storm, the more violently it could ravage. There was no doubt that Anthony was only biding his time and he would show up and cause trouble soon. So Zachary tried his best to keep a low profile and did not give Anthony any chance.

    The next morning, as soon as he arrived at the weapon refining room, Zachary saw that a large number of disciples were heading to the square in the center of Shura College.

    He asked around and found that early in the morning, the college had asked all the dis

    ht not be in the Cloud Valley anymore," Queenie said.

    "That''s impossible," Polly denied. "When the college discovered the Hundred-Treasure Beast, they sealed the entire Cloud Valley. They would know immediately if the Hundred-Treasure Beast tries to leave the Cloud Valley."

    "So, the focus of the hunting game is to find the Hundred-Treasure Beast. Then, what should we do after we find it?" Zachary asked critically. After all, everyone wanted to have such a treasure beast.

    "It depends on the disciples'' ability to capture or kill it. If they find it but fail to capture it, they can inform the college immediately, and the college will send people to capture it. Of course, the disciples who find the beast will also receive a very generous reward," Polly explained further.

    "It sounds interesting," Queenie muttered with distant eyes. It seemed that she was already planning in her mind what she needed to do to catch one.

    "If the ten of us form a team, we will surely succeed, right?" Rebecca suggested hesitantly. The others nodded immediately. Most of them were already excited with the thought of the treasures and fortune they could have once they captured the beast.

    "Wait, there is something you need to know.

    The rules of the hunting game prohibit the disciples above the King Level from forming a group but they can group with those below the King Level," Polly suddenly said. They felt like ice water was suddenly poured over them, which tempered their enthusiasm. With that fortune at stake, of course, it would not be that easy.

 Chapter 318 The Hunting Game

    "What are you saying? The disciples at the King Level can''t team up? But why? That just doesn''t make sense," Queenie exclaimed, her beautiful eyes opening wide in surprise. She was sure that the so-called rule of not allowing the disciples at the King Level to team up, was aimed at them, who were from the Celestial College. After all, the combined strength of the ten disciples from the Celestial College was likely to make all the disciples of the Shura College tremble with fear.

    "It will be unfair to the disciples below the King Level, if the King Level disciples team up. The sole purpose of this hunting game is to enhance the ability to survive in the wild. What''s more, any disciple of King Level is powerful enough to work alone in the Cloud Valley. It would be really unnecessary for them to team up," Polly explained patiently.

    "Humph! From what I make out, the Shura College sets up this rule only to prevent our Celestial College disciples from working in a team. Am I right?" Queenie retorted back unhappily.

    "This rule has always been prevalent since the time the hunting game was introduced. You can ask others to confirm it if you don''t believe. Anyways, I have explained the rules of the game. I wish all of you good luck. Enjoy, everyone!" Polly announced in a calm tone as she looked at Queenie. Then, casting a glance at Zachary, she left.

    "I am sure the Shura College did this on purpose, so that they could separate us. They must be afraid of the fact that if we discovered the Hundred-Treasure Beast, we would definitely capture it alive!" Alger sulked.

    Others also nodded in agreement.

    "Well, I really don''t care about their malicious attempts. What is more important is that we are given a chance to participate in the hunting game. At no cost we should not miss it. Moreover, Polly only said that we are not allowed to team up. Nowhere did she mention that we can''t compete for the Hundred-Treasure Beast, once we discover it," commented Scott, who had remained silent most of the time.

    "Yes, even if we don''t team up, they can''t refuse us from hunting for the prey. We just have to ensure that one of us finds the Hundred-Treasure Beast. I''m sure the beast is ours," Queenie said as she smiled gleefully.

    "But we have a problem here. There is only one Hundred-Treasure Beast. If one of us manages to capture it alive, how will we divide it?" Zachary asked. It was indeed a sticky situation.

    "Ahh, that''s a good question," Rebecca chimed in as she nodded her head.

    "We will cross the bridge when we come across it. Right now, let us focus on capturing it. We should not allow the Shura College to gain any advantage so easily

    wo female disciples as his personal bodyguards. The truth was he wanted to take the opportunity to flirt with them.

    The two female warriors were sensible and played along with him. That way at least they avoided the risk of killing the beasts.

    ''What a useless fellow! The two women are even not pretty, yet he is having a lot of fun with them. Jesus!'' Zachary, who was the last one in the line, murmured to himself inwardly. He couldn''t help shaking his head as he saw John Wu walking with the two female warriors. He even flirted with them under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

    The deeper they went into the Cloud Valley, the more martial beasts they would meet. Naturally, they felt more pressure pressing against them.

    "How many pieces of materials have we collected?" John Wu then asked a disciple of Heaven Level. He was responsible for counting the numbers of the materials and resources.

    "Sir, we have collected about thirty pieces in total," the disciple replied respectfully.

    "Only thirty pieces? We have so many people in our team. They are not enough at all," John Wu groaned. He seemed to be very dissatisfied with the result. He immediately turned around and scolded, "You are such a group of trash. After such a long time, you have only collected thirty pieces! What? Don''t you want the reward anymore? Everyone stay focused! Pay more attention to the things around you. Get more resources as much as you can!"

    If any disciple or any team had performed well in the hunting game and collected a considerable amount of material, they would be rewarded with a great deal of praises. Therefore, no one was willing to miss this opportunity. Hence it was no wonder why John Wu grew angry when he heard his people only collected a minimal amount of resources.

 Chapter 319 Johns Secret Plan

    The other disciples of the team were too scared to say anything. They even held their breaths because of the previous scolding. But that didn''t deter them from discussing and communicating in private in a hushed tone.

    "What the fuck! He is not even qualified to be our leader at all. He is only good at giving orders. But he doesn''t do anything to help. He is good for nothing and only flirts with those two whores," one of them cursed angrily.

    "If it were not for the fact that he is stronger than us, none of us will obey him," another disciple echoed as he gritted his teeth.

    "Let him kill the beasts himself!" someone hissed furiously.

    As if on cue, all the disciples began to complain and gossip in unison about their grievances. It was apparent that all of them were very unsatisfied with the so-called leader. They all definitely believed that John did not make even a single contribution to the team as their leader.

    John, however, got a good range of hearing. He unmistakably seemed to have discerned the root of their unhappiness. With impatience showing on his face, he immediately yelled out in anger, "Who dares to be dissatisfied with me? Stand out! Let me see what kind of person you are!"

    As soon as they heard this, they all instinctively lowered their heads and quickly put their conversation into a halt. They cautiously avoided eye contact with John and dared not say anything more. They looked helpless and cowardly at that moment since they couldn''t do anything about their situation. They felt heavily oppressed.

    John paused a bit and looked around with a smug expression gleaming on his face. He was more than pleased to see that none of them dared to object him. But right then, he saw someone coolly standing at the end of the team, and it was none other than Zachary. He was too engrossed in his own world, minding his own business. From afar, he seriously gave off an impression of completely ignoring John''s threat.

    "Get that man over here," John barked at his members as he pointed at Zachary with a livid face. Outrage filled his heart in an instant when he saw someone put a deaf ear to his words. That behavior was quite repulsive to him and unforgivable.

    All the disciples looked back at the same time towards Zachary to identify who the person offended their leader.

    "Are you calling me?" Zachary, on the other hand, asked in a calm voice. He sounded casual, and there was no hint of fear in his tone.

    "Yes. Who else could it be? I was teaching you a lesson. Are you playing deaf to my words?" John roared furiously again. His veins on his forehead popped out because of the rage.

    "Ahh, don''t get me wrong. I am listening intently and carefully. Actually what you recently said was so dull and tedious that I even want to go to pee," Zachary unhesitatingly replied in a seemingly serious tone. ''You are talking too much nonsense!'' he thought.

    An uncontrollable roar of laughter reverberated all of a sudden when all the disciples burst out laughing.

    "You..." John stammered as he felt insulted with Zachary''s words. And this outraged him further. He considered Zachary carefully and noted the weak aura surrounding him. So he thought that Zachary was merely a disciple of Earth Level. His face darkened as he scolded him in a cold tone, "You are too weak

    Zachary told himself with a note of relief. He quickly looked around, scanning the area, and soon distinguished some distinct tracks. He followed the tracks shortly to look for them.

    Several minutes later, Zachary could openly see the beast shadows in front of him. There were at least dozens of beasts, and quite a few of them were at the Heaven Level. There were also several beasts at the King Level or above.

    In front of these beasts, there was a small cave. But it had been blocked by a few stones. Zachary could distinctly hear people''s voices coming from the cave.

    "They are quite smart. The team all retreated into the cave, but they are likely to die soon if things happened like this," Zachary commented nonchalantly. Observing that more and more beasts were gathering there, he fully knew that those people in the cave would have no way to escape once those beasts decided to attack them.

    "But it''s strange. Why are all these martial beasts gathering here? It seems that they are being attracted by something," Zachary murmured as he watched intently at the group of beasts. He was confused and thought it was not that simple.

    At that precise moment, Zachary suddenly noticed that a delicate figure flashed out from the left side of the crowd of beasts, which completely covered the shadow from his view, making it hard for him to identify who or what the shadow was. However, he could strongly sense that the figure resembled to be born with some class of demonic nature. And with that intense aura emanating from the unknown contour, he supposed that it was not an ordinary entity.

    ''It''s too late to ask for the masters'' help anyway. I have to find a way to save them, '' Zachary mulled over. But long before he could figure out a solution, several disciples came out of the cave, trembling, including the two female disciples who had been flirting with John earlier. Behind them followed John.

    It was apparent that John had planned to use them as his shield. So when the beasts attacked them, he would then seize the chance to escape. Recognizing that, Zachary once again confirmed that John was a bastard who would drastically devote and sacrifice his members to keep himself safe.

 Chapter 320 The Ferocious Rivals

    "Finally, you are willing to come out!" said the delicate figure among the beasts. It turned out that she was a woman.

    "Spare my life, please!" John desperately wailed. Despite his strength at the King Level, he begged for mercy because of his fear of death.

    "Well, as long as you ask the other disciples in the cave to come out, I will spare you after feeding my pets up with them." Although her tone was soft and sweet, her words carried a hint of menace. She intended to take the team of disciples as the lunch of her martial beasts.

    "Okay, okay. I will call them out," John replied, his voice shaking with fear. Without any intention to disobey the words of the figure, he immediately turned and entered the cave. A few moments later, there was a burst of quarrels and screams inside. Not too long after, several disciples were thrown out of the cave. All were bruised and beaten up.

    The last one to walk out of the cave was John.

    "These are all the disciples," John said respectfully.

    "Really? Well done!" the woman said, pleased with what he did.

    "Can I leave now? I have brought all the disciples here," John immediately asked.

    He barely finished his words when all the disciples glared and spat at him.

    "I didn''t say that I would let you go now. We will talk about that after my babies are done eating." The woman giggled.

    John paled visibly after hearing what the figure said.

    "Well, dear babies, it seems like you can have a big meal now," the woman said while waving her whip. The next moment, all the Earth Level martial beasts rushed at the team of disciples.

    At that moment, the team had lost all their will to fight and didn''t try resisting at all.

    But before the martial beasts could reach them, a man suddenly came out. As soon as his martial energy charged forward, a sword radiance came out like stars flickering at night.

    The martial beasts were caught off guard. They all flew out after they were attacked by the man. Some died on the spot, while the others got injured.

    The disciples were all stunned as they looked at the man who showed up unexpectedly.

    "It''s you..." John''s voice trembled when he recognized the man.

    The other disciples were also surprised when they saw the man''s face.

    The man who showed up to save them was none other than Zachary, whom they had thought to be a rubbish.

    "What are you all thinking? These are just some martial beasts. How c

    surrounded him.

    Snap! Snap! Snap!

    Their strong force instantly ripped Zachary''s clothes. Fortunately, he dodged in time and only his clothes were broken. After the claws missed their target, the beasts fell down with claw marks left on the ground. It could be seen how fierce their force was!

    Afterwards, the remaining martial beasts took turns in killing Zachary. The fighting scene looked extremely dangerous and breathtaking. The team of disciples were also nervous and worried about Zachary.

    After a round of siege, Zachary had killed a few martial beasts which made the other beasts fearful. All the disciples were shocked when they saw he was safe and sound even after being attacked so fiercely. They did not expect that he was so skilled and powerful.

    "You do have some skills," Lilian complimented him. As she saw that Zachary was able to calmly kill the martial beasts under such siege, she was also taken aback.

    Without any intention to give up, she drove the martial beasts to rush at Zachary again. With his strength at the fourth grade of King Level, it was easy for him to deal with the beasts alone.

    The courage that he showed also shocked the small team. Because of that, now they admired him so much. However, none of them dared to come forward to help him. After all, none of them wanted to die for nothing.

    "Bastard, you are really capable. I want to see how many more of the martial beasts you can kill," Lilian snorted coldly. Afterwards, a few King Level martial beasts in the beast group leaped forward. As they were looking ferociously at Zachary, they soon approached him.

 Chapter 321 Strong Enemies

    Fierce growls and fevered shouts echoed as several King Level martial beasts launched frantic attacks on Zachary. Some of the beasts were only at the primary stage of King Level while the strongest of them was at the third grade of King Level. The battle was bound to be challenging since they were only one grade inferior to Zachary and they had the physical advantage as martial beasts.

    Although he was stronger, Zachary saw them as powerful enemies that he could not underestimate and recklessly counterattack. Instead, he buckled down in strict defense and fought back only when he found the chance. He remained resolute and calm as he dealt with several King Level martial beasts despite the aggression and violence of their attacks.

    As time passed, Zachary started to pant and sweat. He was starting to feel the strain of the relentless and aggressive attacks of the King Level martial beasts.

    "Getting tired?" Lilian smirked when she saw that Zachary was out of breath.

    "Men can get tired but never weak!" Zachary suddenly shouted. His aura rushed out from his body with a bright explosion. It fully revealed his cultivation strength at the fourth grade of King Level.

    "Fourth grade of King Level?!" Zachary''s sudden display of his true strength shocked the team of disciples behind him.

    They had thought Zachary was useless and worth less than trash, but when they saw that he was able to contend against the group of beasts and had the upper hand, they started to realize that they were wrong. They realized that he had hidden his true strength, but they did not expect his strength to reach the fourth grade of King Level.

    Some of them were not even that strong. In fact, only elite disciples had that cultivation level. With bated breaths, the disciples vowed to change their attitudes towards Zachary. With their lives on the line, they pinned all their hopes on him. The trash that they dismissed as worthless was now their savior.

    John was one of the people who looked down on Zachary and completely disregarded his abilities before. Now, he trembled in guilt and fear because he knew that if Zachary had wanted, he could beat him to his death. The difference in their strengths was ridiculous.

    "Babies, come on!" On the other side of the field, Lilian chuckled to herself. Zachary finally showed his true strength, but it did not intimidate her one bit. She could take him anytime.

    With that thought, Lilian flicked her fingers and the remaining group of martial beasts beside her rushed out like a riptide. Led by several King Level martial

    he other disciples were in great danger. They stood transfixed, like deer in headlights just before they were driven over their deaths. They wondered if they were already dead and were hallucinating when they saw two figures with powerful auras appear.

    They weren''t, of course. It was the masters who had come to their rescue. They flashed and carefully stood between the disciples and Lilian.

    "Who are you? How dare you hurt the disciples of our Shura College?" one of the masters yelled. He flipped his hands and a strong aura spread in the air. It was at an intimidating Imperial Level that easily split into three parts and rushed towards Lilian.

    "Looks like playtime is over," Lilian jeered. She quickly took out a black round object and smashed it on the ground. Immediately, a vivid white light engulfed them all. At the same time, the three parts formed by martial energy at the Imperial Level that the master had released exploded. The explosive power burst out in all directions and resulted in a whirlwind that swept everything away.

    The disciples stood hunched with their hands over their heads to shield their eyes. Soon, the wind stopped and the debris settled around them, but Lilian was nowhere to be seen.

    "Are you all right?" The two masters looked at the group immediately and checked them for serious injuries. They didn''t chase after Lilian but instead chose to focus on their disciples.

    "We''re all okay thanks to him. He delayed that woman and even killed all these martial beasts on his own." The group promptly turned their focus on Zachary, who was the most injured. However, when they faced his direction, there was no one there. It was like he had disappeared into thin air.

 Chapter 322 The Hundred-Treasure Beast

    "Where is he?" one of the disciples asked aloud, and the other disciples started to talk among one another. Without another word, Zachary vanished into thin air.

    The two masters were astonished to see all the beasts that were killed in front of them, all executed by one single man. After all, it was rather difficult to kill such a large number of martial beasts in the short time that transpired.

    Afterwards, they began to make a detailed inquiry. However, they still couldn''t tell who the mysterious disciple was.

    Tracy, the person who was in charge of disciples, rushed over as soon as she heard the news. She ordered her men to investigate the strange woman that left the scene. It was unfortunate that they couldn''t suspend the hunting game that was happening at the moment simply because no one was injured or killed. This was why she only took the liberty to order all the masters to monitor the whole Cloud Valley to be on the lookout for suspicious persons.

    "Just who is this mysterious disciple that everyone''s been talking about?" Tracy asked aloud, wondering who took the time to save the disciples from danger.

    At the same time, Zachary, who disappeared without a trace, was already thousands of meters away. He stopped by a tree stump and leaned onto it. He breathed heavily to calm himself down. A few minutes later, he pushed himself from the tree and made his way to the places that Mimi had speculated where the Hundred-Treasure Beast might be hiding.

    Although there were numerous powerful martial beasts in the Cloud Valley, they didn''t pose much of a hindrance to Zachary. Given his current strength, he didn''t have to waste his time on such measly beasts that were below the Imperial Level.

    Before he knew it, a day and night had already passed.

    Zachary had traveled to several places where Mimi had told him that the Hundred-Treasure Beast might appear, but in each place he went, he found nothing.

    "It sure is difficult to find the Hundred-Treasure Beast. No wonder the Shura College can''t find it, even after they''ve searched for it for ten years," Zachary muttered to himself. He couldn''t help but wonder if he should give up searching for the Hundred-Treasure Beast and focus on hunting the martial beasts instead. If he did, he would be able to collect the materials he needed anyway.

    But just before he could turn back, the earth beneath him shook violently. From where he stood, he could also see that the entirety of the Cloud Valley was shaking. A strange green light emitted within the cracks of the ground. The disciples, who

    Suddenly, a dozen King Level auras were making their way to them. Sensing this, Zachary jumped up and concealed himself.

    Before long, more than ten disciples at the premium stage of King Level appeared one after another. Some of them were Queenie, Rebecca, and Scott.

    When they saw the Hundred-Treasure Beast, they were astonished by its disgusting appearance.

    None of them knew that Zachary was there, lying on the Hundred-Treasure Beast''s back.

    "So? Is this really the Hundred-Treasure Beast?" Queenie asked, surprised at its large frame.

    "It sure looks like it. But why isn''t it moving?" Rebecca answered as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

    Scott merely shook his head.

    The other disciples at the premium stage of King Level looked at each other worriedly, wondering what they could do about the beast.

    "It''s because it''s still transforming," an excited voice answered behind them.

    Queenie and the others looked back to the direction where the voice came from, and found that Nelson was idly standing behind them.

    "What do you mean, Nelson?" Queenie asked with an arched eyebrow.

    "Well, according to the records, the Hundred-Treasure Beast transforms once every ten years, just like a snake would regularly peel off its skin. After each transformation, the quality of the treasures on its body will also be upgraded. That is to say, the more times it transforms, the more valuable its treasures will be. And according to my speculation, this Hundred-Treasure Beast in front of us is under its second transformation. Judging from its brilliant aura, at least half of its treasures are already at the Imperial Level. Some are even higher," Nelson answered calmly with a stern look.

 Chapter 323 Xuanyuan Clan

    "The Imperial Level? Is that really? This is unbelievable!" Queenie and the others were more surprised when they heard it. The Imperial Level was only a level higher than the King Level, but the King Level was a mere bottleneck for most warriors and martial beasts. On the Supernal Continent, there were countless warriors and martial beasts who had repeatedly failed to break through the said bottleneck and reach the Imperial Level. Therefore, the gap between the King Level and the Imperial Level was similar to that of the sky and the earth.

    As a result, the casting materials at the Imperial Level were far more valuable and rarer when compared to those at the King Level.

    If the Hundred-Treasure Beast in front of them was just like what Nelson had described, then it was, without a doubt, a priceless beast.

    Hearing his words, the other disciples from the Shura College were more than eager to battle to get a chance of claiming the treasures.

    Just at this time, some stronger warriors could be sensed coming from a distance. In the blink of an eye, a new group of warriors approached fiercely, and soon stopped not too far from where they all collectively stood.

    "Isn''t that the young master from the Xiao Clan?" As Queenie looked over, she realized that the group was led by one single man they all knew far too well: Anthony.

    The people stood behind him were none other than disciples of the Xiao Clan. They all possessed different cultivation levels, varying from the early primary stage up to the premium stage of Heaven Level. Judging from their large group, they must''ve met halfway and then come here together following Anthony''s lead. The Xiao Clan was, after all, worthy of being the second greatest clan of the Devil Kingdom as the disciples of this clan were all well-trained and obedient. To Anthony, at least.

    "I''ve finally found the Hundred-Treasure Beast after so many years of searching and failing!" The moment Anthony''s gaze landed on the Hundred-Treasure Beast, he was so overjoyed that his chest and head started to hurt from the excitement.

    Ever since he had enrolled in the Shura College a few years ago, he had been trying to find the Hundred-Treasure Beast but to no avail. He was determined to get the beast this time, no questions asked.

    "Don''t get too far ahead of yourself, Anthony. It doesn''t necessarily belong to you and you alone." Suddenly, another man''s loud voice resounded in everyone''s ears. It was so loud, it made them dizzy.

    With that, another group of people in golden robes appeared from the other side. All of them raised their head in such an arrogant manner and gave off the vibe as if they were from some noble clan. The warriors from the Xiao Clan paled in comparison to them.

    The man that stood as if he was the head of the group seemed about the same age as Anthony. Tall and strong with blazing red hair, he had a square and serious-looking face. Compared to Anthony, who was gentle and feminine-looking, he had more masculin

    . Let''s watch them fight first. It''s better for us to take actions later when things are a little less tense," Queenie nodded.

    Thus, the four of them retreated some distance away to keep themselves from getting dragged in the mess.

    At the same time, more and more disciple teams and King Level disciples arrived, all with what one could expect considerable competence.

    Soon, the place grew more and more crowded. The relatively small place was surrounded by over a hundred disciples, who were greedily staring at the motionless Hundred-Treasure Beast lying in the middle of it all.

    Zachary, who had been hiding on the back of the Hundred-Treasure Beast, decided to remain quiet and wait for the best time to capture the said beast. In the current situation, it was almost impossible for him to do so recklessly under the watchful eyes of so many people. Therefore, he must wait for the best opportunity to bloom.

    Even at this point, the Hundred-Treasure Beast was still in a state of transformation. The disciples of the Shura College surrounding it didn''t sense any threat as the beast didn''t move at all. Every passing second only emboldened them further.

    It wasn''t long before some King Level disciples nerved themselves to rush toward the beast first. On the other hand, Anthony and Truman were not in such a hurry to ask their clans'' disciples to move, because they wanted to see the situation clear itself up first.

    As the King Level disciples approached the Hundred-Treasure Beast, they activated all kinds of powerful martial arts to launch fierce attacks on it. As the dazzling lights of their martial arts charged at it, a strong green light suddenly flashed around the body of the Hundred-Treasure Beast. In an instant, all the powers of martial arts were bounced back. Many disciples were hit by their own martial energy and were thrown back. The others managed to narrowly escape and did not dare to approach any more.

    Such a turn of events astonished everyone present.

 Chapter 324 Join Hands

    "The defensive power of this Hundred-Treasure Beast is unbelievable!" Seeing this, Zachary, who was hiding on the back of the Hundred-Treasure Beast, could not help but sigh. Fortunately, he didn''t act rashly despite being the first to arrive.

    Since the Hundred-Treasure Beast had displayed its powerful defensive capability, everyone present hesitated for a while.

    However, some people, such as Anthony, could not wait patiently. At this time, he was restless as he was afraid that the Xuanyuan Clan would get the Hundred-Treasure Beast first. So, he instructed the Xiao Clan disciples who had gathered behind him, "Listen up. If you can capture the Hundred-Treasure Beast alive this time, you will do me an enormous service, and my father will reward you handsomely. Be brave and do not be afraid of injuries or death. You must help me capture the Hundred-Treasure Beast alive!"

    When the Xiao Clan disciples heard his words, they responded at once, with a majestic momentum.

    "Go!" Anthony ordered.

    Soon, all the disciples of the Xiao Clan approached the Hundred-Treasure Beast. Among them, three disciples, who were at the premium stage of King Level, summoned three treasure beasts in different forms.

    As soon as Truman saw the Xiao Clan make their move, he took action. After all, he couldn''t let the Xiao Clan take the lead. He beckoned the disciples of the Xuanyuan Clan to join the fight. Then, the Xuanyuan Clan disciples also rushed toward the Hundred-Treasure Beast. At the same time, they also summoned four powerful treasure beasts.

    Seeing that the two big clans had acted, the Shura College disciples also followed them into battle. Those who had treasure beasts also directed the treasure beasts to assist them. The scene suddenly became very fierce.

    In contrast, Queenie and her companions were calm and did not rush to join the fight.

    A brief moment later, chaos reigned as other teams of disciples joined the battle.

    At this time, except for Zachary, the nine disciples from Celestial College had gathered, but they hadn''t yet taken any action.

    Two hours later, over three hundred disciples from Shura College had launched a terrifying offensive against the Hundred-Treasure Beast. However, the beast remained motionless. With its strong defensive capability, the disciples of Shura College could not approach it within a meter.

    Meanwhile, in a secret place not far away, a dozen masters led by Tracy appeared quietly. They were so careful that no one noticed their arrival.

    "Here comes the Hundred-Treasure Beast! In the past, we searched Cloud Valley for a whole year. However, we didn''t find any traces of it."

    "I think we''d better get straight to the point. Even if we join hands, we don''t have the confidence to capture the Hundred-Treasure Beast alive, let

    scene turned into a one-sided battle. The Hundred-Treasure Beast had already fallen into a state of madness. It continued to cause significant damage to the disciples, and many of them were severely injured.

    Queenie and the other King Level disciples were also forced to retreat, one after another.

    "Tracy, I think it is time for us to join. If things go on like this, I''m afraid..." At this moment, the masters who were overseeing the battle started to feel nervous. Their expressions changed from curiosity to anxiousness.

    Tracy knew that the situation would get out of control if they didn''t take action. Therefore, she was going to ask all the masters to help.

    All of a sudden, a figure dashed from the back of the Hundred-Treasure Beast and turned into a flash of light, falling to the ground with terrifying momentum.

    "Rebecca, ask Elfin to entangle its tail!" the figure shouted at Rebecca as soon as he touched the ground.

    Hearing this, Rebecca was stunned for a moment, but then she immediately recognized the voice. It was Zachary! So, she asked Elfin to control the roots again and direct them to bind the scaled tail of the Hundred-Treasure Beast.

    "Queenie, freeze one of its legs!" Zachary instructed Queenie.

    "How dare you tell me what to do! I''ll teach you a lesson later." Queenie snorted in contempt before transforming into an icy shadow. As soon as she reached the Hundred-Treasure Beast, its leg froze.

    With the combined forces of Queenie and Rebecca, the crazy Hundred-Treasure Beast was temporarily unable to move. But it would not be subdued for too long. Very soon, it would regain its ability.

    But the limited time was enough for the disciples who had been fleeing in all directions.

    "All disciples, except for those at the King Level, retreat quickly if you don''t want to die!" Zachary commanded everyone like a leader.

 Chapter 325 Serve As A Bait

    Upon hearing those words, those disciples immediately retreated as none of them wanted to die.

    Before long, all the other disciples had safely retreated to the outermost part, excluding those of King Level.

    At the same time, all the people present followed the echoing voice and turned to stare at Zachary with their eyes wide in surprise. None of them could recognize the man who had appeared out of nowhere and suddenly gave orders.

    On the other hand, Truman and Anthony also widened their eyes in shock as they stared at Zachary. There was a strange look on their faces. In their opinion, there were only a few disciples who were as capable as they were in the entire Shura College. Truman and Anthony did not recognize who Zachary was. They just knew that he was not a disciple of the Shura College at all.

    "Who the hell are you? How could you have the same voice as Harley?" Queenie was confused as she turned around and stared at the man. His voice was just a tad too familiar to her. When she first had heard the voice, she thought Harley had finally made his appearance. But the face in front of her was one she had never met before.

    Zachary had been wearing his hat the entire time since they came to the Shura College. No one had truly seen his actual face and thus, it was reasonable for Queenie not recognizing him.

    The truth was that almost all of the disciples from the Celestial College including Queenie and Rebecca were confused as they fixed their eyes on the person they had previously known as Harley.

    "It''s because I am Harley," Zachary replied as he shrugged with a smile on his face.

    "What did you say?" Queenie blurted out without thinking twice. With a stunned look on her face, she suddenly felt sick as she stared at this perverted-looking man. Although she had never seen the man''s true face before, in her imagination, he must have at least been an ordinary-looking man. She didn''t expect him to be a middle-aged one, and that was hard for her to accept even the slightest bit.

    Rebecca, on the other hand, couldn''t help but burst into a fit of laughter.

    "Wow! Harley, never would I imagine that you would turn out to be a middle-aged man," Nelson chimed in, his shoulders shaking from laughter. He had not expected this either.

    As for the other disciples of the Shura College, they were also shocked. It was the first time for them to see the true face of this legendary figure who had been making a splash in the Shura College in recent months.

    "It is him! This guy is nothing but a ghost and he would appear wherever we are," Anthony snorted through his nose and his face turned into a ghastly pale shade.

    "How old are you?" Queenie asked in a trembling voice as the corners of her mouth began to twitch.

    "I think I''m almost at the same age as you. We are peers," Zachary answered without a hint of hesitation.

    "Go to hell! You are far from my peer with that kind of face!" Queenie sneered back in a cold tone.

    "Ha-ha!" Zachary just laughed at the reactions.

    "Well, guys, listen carefully. After this, I will attract its attention so that it will attack me. You concentrate on a

    hary, on the other hand, was elusive. He flashed here and there as he launched the attacks.

    At the same time, after seeing that Zachary had successfully attracted the attention of the Hundred-Treasure Beast, everyone including Queenie and the disciples of King Level of the two clans gathered together and began to violently attack one of the beast''s legs.

    With Zachary keeping the attacks towards the beast, the battle immediately turned into a stalemate.

    On the other side, all the masters who had planned to give a hand, did not do anything but stare at each other as Tracy did not give the order to help them. However, they were surprised to see that Zachary had turned the difficult situation over after he appeared.

    "Tracy, the disciple named Harley is indeed a talent. He is a very capable leader. In such a short period of time, he had convinced all the disciple of King Level to work together," one of the masters commented.

    "I can''t believe that the Celestial College has cultivated such an excellent disciple. To be frank, I feel a tad bit jealous," another one said.

    "I heard that he has a great talent in weapon refining. If he can be a disciple of our Shura College, it will be surely a good thing for us!"

    At this moment, many masters looked at Zachary with a new profound look. Their attitude towards him had changed quite a bit.

    "Everyone, I''m not sure yet. I think maybe they can deal with the tricky situation themselves as they have begun to work together. And clearly, they have come up with a plan. Let''s wait for a bit and see how the situation would go," Tracy said in a hesitant tone. According to her own common sense, in order to prevent the situation from deteriorating, it was time for the masters to make their move and help the disciples. However, after she saw that the situation had changed when Zachary appeared and made all the disciples work together to deal with the Hundred-Treasure Beast, she decided to hold on for a bit more time. This was a very rare moment, so she wanted to continue to see what else Zachary would be capable of doing.

 Chapter 326 Fight Against The Hundred-Treasure Beast

    To field off the violent attack coming from the Hundred-Treasure Beast, Zachary had to use two powerful skills. Combining both the Shadow Pace and the Flawless Illusion, as well as the Blazing Roc''s cover, was the only way to stand a chance against the beast. However, it was so powerful that every time it launched an attack, everything it touched collapsed. Devastation marred the scene all around them.

    As they were surrounded by a three-sided precipice, the space they could move in was rather small. So after an hour of both sides not gaining an inch, that space got smaller and smaller.

    All of a sudden, the Hundred-Treasure Beast opened its mouth, and dark green liquid gushed out. When the liquid touched the ground, the earth swelled and began to solidify.

    Seeing this, Zachary couldn''t risk being careless and immediately used the Shadow Pace to dodge the dark green liquid. While he was dodging it, the Hundred-Treasure Beast abruptly lunged at him. He retreated into a corner with no way out.

    It was then that Queenie and the others had realized that Zachary was in danger. However, they were too far away. By the time they made their move, the Hundred-Treasure Beast was only a few meters away from him.

    Bang!

    With a deafening sound, the beast''s head crashed straight into the hard cliff Zachary was on and the stone wall instantly sank in. Huge cracks formed on the surface, making it look like it was on the verge of collapsing.

    Even a warrior at Imperial Level couldn''t stand such an astonishing crash, needless to say a King Level warrior like Zachary, which made his peers believe that his chances of dying were very high.

    "Harley!" Queenie''s face darkened at this scene.

    "You deserve it!" Anthony sneered, his face beaming with joy.

    However, after the Hundred-Treasure Beast took a few steps back, they suddenly saw lightning flow in the sunken stone wall. It was densely interwoven, just like a shield.

    A beast suddenly rushed out and took several leaps to distance itself from the Hundred-Treasure Beast. Then a figure jumped down from the beast.

    Everyone present was stunned.

    Zachary, who they''d all thought to be dead, was hale and whole!

    All the masters were shocked by the fact that even they themselves didn''t stand a chance against the impact of Hundred-Treasure Beast despite being powerful. However, the fact that Zachary could survive under such an attack blew their minds.

    "Ha-ha, this is

    of nowhere and shot out three flame arrows. When the arrows hit the cage, it immediately returned to its original shape.

    "Truman!" Anthony glared at Truman.

    "This Hundred-Treasure Beast belongs to our Xuanyuan Clan. You, the Xiao Clan, will not lay a finger on it!" Truman said with a determined resolve.

    "If we don''t get to keep it, then neither do you," Anthony snorted.

    "You''re the one holding the Xiao Clan disciples together. Without you, they would fall apart, wouldn''t they? So, if I kill you first, I can easily get my hands on the Hundred-Treasure Beast." As soon as he finished speaking, Truman immediately found his way to Anthony.

    For his part, Anthony didn''t cower and made his way forward as well.

    Soon, the two talents from the Shura College started fighting.

    On the other side, the Shura College disciples, driven by profits, ran desperately towards the Hundred-Treasure Beast, trying to kill it.

    The disciples from both clans were also heading towards the beast, trying to prevent the rest from killing it.

    The change in atmosphere was extremely chaotic.

    "We can''t let them kill the Hundred-Treasure Beast." Nelson suddenly became fierce. His breathing accelerated, as he started to reveal his strength at the premium stage of King Level. He rushed towards the disciples, stopping them from attacking the Hundred-Treasure Beast.

    Seeing this, Queenie and the others exchanged a glance and joined the team trying to put a stop to the fight. They also felt like it would be a pity to kill the Hundred-Treasure Beast.

    However, this state of chaos was undoubtedly a good thing for Zachary!

 Chapter 327 Shadow Of Illusory Dragon

    "Tracy, do we still have to wait?" At this time, the masters, who had been waiting quietly, became anxious when the situation became chaotic. They looked at Tracy for guidance.

    Tracy, however, stared at Zachary as if she was waiting for something.

    ''I don''t know if I can succeed, but I''ll try, '' Zachary, who was in front of the Hundred-Treasure Beast, thought to himself as he took out a Strength Pill of King Level and stuffed it into his mouth. The pill melted right away.

    At first, violent martial energy coursed through his body and accrued in his meridians. In the next moment, his aura surged. The purple martial energy, which was different from the martial energy of ordinary warriors, burst forth from his body and swirled around him, rising fiercely like a flame.

    The onlookers were astonished when they saw Zachary in this unusual state.

    A moment later, Zachary''s aura reached the peak of King Level.

    Amazement coursed through the spectators.

    "Wasn''t his cultivation strength at the primary stage of King Level? How did he reach the peak of King Level all of sudden?"

    "Am I imagining this? Has he been hiding his real strength?"

    "Maybe he''s playing some tricks."

    When Anthony, who was fighting with Truman, saw this, he became suspicious. However, the sight of Zachary''s state reminded him of the time when Zachary had escaped death while battling a killer at the premium stage of King Level. The killer''s death had shocked everyone. They believed that Zachary had gotten lucky. Anthony now knew how Zachary had turned the event around.

    Of course, even Queenie and the other disciples of the Celestial College exchanged glances of confusion. They had no idea how Zachary''s strength had suddenly soared.

    Tracy and the masters stared at Zachary with widened eyes. Apparently, he had surprised them yet again.

    When Zachary''s cultivation level rose to the peak of King Level, the Holy Bone Bracer on his wrist emitted a dazzling light. In an instant, an intense blue light shot out from the Holy Bone Bracer. The light began swirling above the Hundred-Treasure Beast before forming a vortex. It continued to expand, and at the same time, produced an astonishing suction force.

    Astonishment coursed through everyone present. They didn''t know what Zachary was trying to do.

    However, Anthony, whose expression had turned cold, seemed to have guessed Zachary''s plan. He shouted at Truman, "Truman, despite everything, we are disciples of Shura College. We''ve fought each other while other people have reaped the benefits. If others lea

    achary would undoubtedly be hurt and that the power of this arrow could at least severely injure him.

    However, when Zachary saw the arrow covered in golden flames approaching him, a strange smile appeared on his face. In an instant, a weapon suddenly rushed out from the space above Zachary''s head. An intense light blinded the onlookers as it collided with the Golden Flame Arrow released by Truman. The dazzling light burst, and a dragon roar shook heaven and earth. It was so frightening!

    Before the audiences'' shock could wear off, a huge shadow of Illusory Dragon rushed out of the light. Its surging aura filled the air. Truman''s arrow had disappeared by now.

    Everyone was dumbfounded, including Tracy and the masters who were secretly watching the scene. No one knew where the shadow of Illusory Dragon had come from. What was more surprising was that the power of the shadow seemed to have surpassed the normal limit.

    The shadow of Illusory Dragon was created by Zachary''s Illusory Dragon Spine.

    After the shadow of Illusory Dragon rushed out, it charged at Anthony and Truman.

    Both Anthony and Truman could feel the abnormal power of the shadow of Illusory Dragon. Their expressions changed to reflect the horror they felt. They knew that although the shadow was not simple, they couldn''t show their fear in front of the crowd as it would bring shame to them and their clans. Therefore, Anthony and Truman did not dodge. Instead, they released their martial energy, which surged sharply. Immediately, the surrounding air began to whirl, and at the same time, they displayed the most powerful martial skills at the premium stage of King Level.

    "Martial King Spear!"

    "Arrow Energy Rain!"

 Chapter 328 Three Forces

    In the blink of an eye, a gleaming shadow in the shape of a long spear rushed out from Anthony''s body. It darted forward quickly, like a lionhearted man fighting a dragon on the battlefield. Its target was the shadow of Illusory Dragon.

    Concurrently, Truman raised his golden bow and shot multiple Golden Flame Arrows into the air, which exploded high above the ground, in the air, and turned into a rain of arrows that covered the shadow of Illusory Dragon.

    The next moment, the three strong attacks collided with one another. That raised a dust cloud and everyone could hear loud bursting sounds. For a long time, strong air waves moved with great force. Then, a fierce King Level aura spread hundreds of meters in the surrounding area.

    All the people present were shocked as they watched the fight. Those who were relatively close to the fighters, felt that their blood was surging because of the immense pressure they were suffering from the explosion. Consequently, they retreated, pulling themselves away.

    After a momentary stalemate among the three forces, the shadow of Illusory Dragon suddenly suppressed Anthony''s and Truman''s powerful martial arts. It broke through the obstacles that were in its way, and instantaneously approached the two men.

    As neither of them had expected the shadow of Illusory Dragon to be so powerful and strong, they failed to dodge its attack. After its assault, it fell down and exploded near Anthony and Truman quickly. Then, it turned into raging fire and spread all around.

    The audience had not expected that the shadow of Illusory Dragon would defeat the two powerful disciples of the Shura College so badly. And their wide-open eyes and dropped jaws corroborated their shocked surprise.

    Everyone present intuitively knew that it was none other than Zachary, who had summoned the shadow of Illusory Dragon.

    After disappearing, it returned to the shape of the Illusory Dragon Spine, and flew back to Zachary. At the same time, the color of Zachary''s face changed suddenly. He felt his chest tighten, and blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. It was evident that he was overwhelmed, and his body was suffering trauma because of his performance at that time.

    Meanwhile, when the intense flame was burning ferociously in the surrounding area, two very angry figures rushed out all of a sudden. They, then, rushed toward Zachary furiously, as if they were determined to ruin him.

    Seeing the irate men rushing at Zachary increased the tension in the air manifold.

    What Zachary had just done was indeed shocking. Anthony and Truman had the strength at the premium stage of King Level, and were not weak. Were Zachary to defeat them easily with only one blow, eve

    are really that capable, come to the Enigmatic Kingdom. The Hua Clan will not be afraid of you," Rebecca rebuked Anthony back. She was not an ordinary woman. Her Hua Clan was one of the four most famous clans in the Enigmatic Kingdom. Their strength was definitely no less than that of the Xiao Clan. Therefore, she did not fear anyone.

    "Then I have no choice but to beat you," Anthony said. His face turned dark at her threat. He instantly approached her and thrust his spear at her, which turned into many spear shadows.

    Rebecca, on the other hand, performed one of the Hua Clan''s unique skills¡ªthe Flower Pace. In an instant, hundreds of flowers covered her body. She hid in them, and began to fight with Anthony.

    Queenie and Rebecca''s alliance stalled Anthony and Truman, which bought Zachary some time. Although the vortex that he had created with the Holy Bone Bracer''s power, had already reached its limit, it still did not seem strong enough. In addition, the Ice Needles'' effects were gradually fading away. What was worse was that the Hundred-Treasure Beast gradually came to its senses and began to struggle. Strong energy started gushing out of it, and it was about to engulf Zachary. Now, he found himself in a difficult situation.

    At that time, he was unable to either distract or resist the Hundred-Treasure Beast, and his efforts were in vain. Therefore, he could only try and resist the rushing energy from it, which, instantly cut open his collar. As a result, there were blood marks on his body. Still unmoved, he continued to transform the power of the Holy Bone Bracer to the vortex above.

    "I''m close to it! Please help me, Andrew! I need your power!" Zachary gritted his teeth. It seemed that the vortex''s suction force was not strong enough to suck in the Hundred-Treasure Beast.

 Chapter 329 An Enemy Of The Whole College

    "Well, as you wish! I will lend you my power for the sake of your hard work on collecting materials for my flesh body!" Zachary heard a burst of wild laughter in his ears. As sudden as a gust of wind, a strong blue light shot out from the Holy Bone Bracer.

    An astonishing aura swept through the surrounding area. All the disciples were stunned speechless, their eyes widened in wonder.

    A strange blue figure rushed out of the Holy Bone Bracer and rushed straight into the vortex above the Hundred-Treasure Beast. In the next moment, the vortex suddenly went haywire. Its color changed and pulsed as it throbbed with an unknown power. It had contained a weaker pull earlier, but that also changed. It now emitted a shockingly strong pull that pulled even the stones and trees within a few hundred meters around up into the sky.

    The disciples barely stayed upright. It took all their power to maintain pressure on their bodies and feet so that they would not just float up to the vortex. At the same time, the huge towering body of the Hundred-Treasure Beast was lifted from the ground. No matter how hard it struggled, it couldn''t get rid of the strong pull from above.

    When they saw this, the King Level disciples who also wanted to capture the Hundred-Treasure Beast all glared at Zachary furiously. Several of them hurriedly rushed towards him with ill intent. They brandished their weapons at him and unleashed powerful martial arts to subdue him.

    Suddenly, a white figure showed up just in time to help Zachary.

    It was Nelson. With a wave of his hand, numerous palm shadows dashed out with unstoppable momentum. It pushed back the King Level disciples at once and gave them time to talk.

    "Harley, I''ll protect you. I''m counting on you to capture the Hundred-Treasure Beast," Nelson said to Zachary. His eyes shone with a determined gleam as he patted Zachary on his back.

    Zachary glanced at him in surprise. A friend in need was a friend indeed. He nodded gratefully before he concentrated on controlling the vortex.

    The situation continued for another fifteen minutes. Just as the vortex was about to completely devour the Hundred-Treasure Beast, Anthony saw his opportunity. He was in the middle of the battle with Rebecca when he managed to find a flaw in her defense. Without hesitation, he thrust his spear forward and sent a spear shadow that swiftly flew in Zachary''s direction.

    "Damn it!" Rebecca swore when she realized that the attack was actually aimed at Zachary. With a flick of her hand, she ordered Elfin t

    in trouble, she hesitated but eventually chose to help him out.

    Polly''s appearance deterred the disciples from advancing. They didn''t dare to attack Zachary rashly and provoke Polly''s ire.

    Anthony and Truman, who were stopped by Queenie and Rebecca, had varying sour looks on their faces.

    While they were at a stalemate, Tracy and the other masters finally showed up.

    "All of you, stop now. The hunting game is over!" Tracy announced in a firm and authoritative voice.

    Even though the other disciples still wanted to force Zachary to hand over the Hundred-Treasure Beast, they could not disobey the order of the masters. With no choice left, they bitterly put away their weapons as they grumbled in envy and frustration.

    Anthony glared at Zachary heatedly as if he wanted to tear him into pieces.

    In contrast, Truman looked much calmer but his gaze was also filled with hostility.

    Even Tracy and the other masters could not help but stare warily at Zachary as if he was some kind of monster. They were shocked by his amazing performance in succession.

    Since many disciples had been injured during the fight with the Hundred-Treasure Beast and the chaos after that, Tracy ordered all of them to heal their wounds and have a good rest. The closing ceremony would be held off until the next day.

    "Harley, come with me," ordered Tracy before she left. She knew that Zachary was now an enemy of the whole college, so she decided to take him back with her. That way, she could keep an eye on him and make sure he was safe.

    Zachary nodded obediently. He left with Tracy immediately, with no care for the hostile gazes that the crowd bestowed upon him. He didn''t look back.

 Chapter 330 The Key

    On the way, Tracy didn''t talk or ask Zachary any question even if she might have had any. She only shot a glance at him every now and then, with a sense of curiosity and hesitation. In all honesty, she had many questions that were already running around in her mind. For example, why could Zachary, a disciple at the primary stage of King Level, display the strength at the peak stage of King Level? How did he manage to subdue the Hundred-Treasure Beast? In the normal sense, it was impossible for him to do so with his own singular strength. Besides, Tracy also wondered how he could control two treasure beasts at the same time and activate the Illusory Dragon Spine. All in all, she was just as confused as everybody else who had been present to witness such a scene unravel before them.

    Previously, she had only assumed that Zachary was a little special sprinkled with luck, with unique ways of doing things and having such outstanding talents. But when she saw with her own eyes that he was able to subdue the Hundred-Treasure Beast calmly in such a dangerous situation, her opinion of him had changed. In her current opinion, Zachary was not just special. Instead, he was destined to become a powerful and influential man one day.

    Although Tracy could not imagine how strong he would be in the far future, she was certain that the rein of the Hundred-Treasure Beast this time would be a qualitative leap in his desired path. That was because for any weapon refiner, to have a Hundred-Treasure Beast was as if it were a tiger to have a pair of wings¡ªsomething that would be very helpful in the long run. In this way, Zachary''s talent as a weapon refiner would be pulled into a complete play in its full potential.

    It was exactly because of this that Tracy would not ask him any question despite wanting so badly to do so. She knew that there was no reason to ask him. Now, the most important thing was to persuade the boy to join their Shura College. Now that he had successfully subdued the Hundred-Treasure Beast, the senior masters of the college would pay close attention to him soon. Tracy couldn''t guess what instructions the senior masters of the college would entrust to her, but at the very least, the college would definitely try every means available to bring Zachary, who now possessed the Hundred-Treasure Beast, into their own college. They wouldn''t agree to send him back to the Celestial College without putting up a fight.

    Therefore, the situation had taken a change and become quite subtle.

    On the other hand, Zachary was exhausted from overusing his strength earlier. Thus he

    it''s not too abnormal like the last one," Zachary said, waving his hand dismissively.

    "You''ve received a new main quest¡ªDouble Champions. You need to become both number one King Level weapon refiner and number one King Level disciple in the Shura College."

    "It''s an abnormal main quest again, as I expected." After hearing the main quest, Zachary could not help but shake his head, as if he was used to such a thing. It would not be easy to become number one King Level weapon refiner and number one King Level disciple in the Shura College at the same time. Even if he managed to do that, the disciples of the Shura College would mostly likely go mad out of jealousy.

    "Is there a time limit for this quest?" Zachary asked.

    "No, but the next contest of disciples of King Level will take place in about four months."

    "Excuse me? So, you''re saying that I have to become both number one King Level weapon refiner and number one King Level disciple in the Shura College in only four months? That is going to be such a difficult task!" Hearing this, Zachary felt quite agonized by the system.

    "What if I can''t make it?" He asked one final question.

    "Then you will have to wait for one more year."

    "One entire year? How could I even dream to stay at the Shura College for such a long time?!" Zachary was speechless. "So what''s the reward?"

    "The reward for this main quest is the formula of a certain treasure. And the treasure is the key to one of the Five-God Tombs," Mimi replied.

    "Are you serious?" Hearing this, Zachary was immediately interested. The Five-God Tombs was one of his ultimate goals. If what Mimi said were to be true, then it would save him a lot of trouble if he could fulfill the main quest.

 Chapter 331 Grand Martial Hall

    After receiving the new main quest, Zachary went to the Living-dead Tomb to look for Anne, but the place was quiet, and she was nowhere to be found.

    "I wonder if she went to the Fairy Island," Zachary muttered, and decided to go there himself.

    Once there, he started to hear thunderous noise which he was quickly able to recognize as a fight. He knew what it meant: Anne and Tania were having another sparring match.

    Zachary wasn''t about to sit around and wait as they might take days to finish. He decided, then, to head back to the Peach Blossom Forest and do some much-needed recuperation.

    Meanwhile, the news that Zachary had subdued the Hundred-Treasure Beast had made its way to the senior masters of the Shura College.

    At that very hour, they were holding a special meeting in the Grand Martial Hall. More than ten members were in attendance; three of them were warriors of Sage Level and the rest at the premium stage of Imperial Level.

    Tracy was present as well, since she was in charge of the disciples.

    The three Sage Level warriors sat together. One of them, sitting on the left, wore a gray robe. Everything about him was thin and gaunt, from his hatchet face to his bony, almost claw-like hands. It was hard to believe that he was only in his fifties. "Tracy, what the hell is going on? How did it happen that the Hundred-Treasure Beast was subdued by a mere disciple from the Celestial College?" he questioned.

    Tracy answered at once, "Master Corbin, the hunting game was ongoing at the time. According to the rules, neither I nor any other masters would be allowed to interfere in the competition. Besides that, none of us expected that the disciple named Harley Bai would be capable of such a feat on his own."

    Corbin didn''t look satisfied, but he said nothing. Around him, the other warriors in attendance broke into chatter.

    "It''s incredible that someone at the King Level could subdue a beast at the Imperial Level!" one of them said.

    "That''s true. Could it be that someone was helping him secretly?" speculated another.

    "That must be the case," interjected a third. "Even we Imperial Level warriors couldn''t subdue the Hundred-Treasure Beast. How could a disciple at the King Level achieve that?"

    They all quieted down when the middle of the three Sage Level warriors spoke up. Her silver hair contrasted startlingly with the youth of her face. "I see no point in investigating how this Harley did it. The important thing is, how do we deal with him?"

    Corbin looked sul

    king about?" Zachary snapped back, immediately alert. "What do you want?"

    "I''ll make you a deal," said Alger. "Keep the Hundred-Treasure Beast if you want, but you have to give us all the treasures on it."

    "How about another deal?" Zachary sneered. "I''ll just keep everything."

    Alger''s voice lowered, but grew only fiercer. "That''s some imagination you''ve got, boy. If you don''t give us the treasures, you won''t be walking out of here today."

    The other disciples with him, who were all at the King Level, nodded in agreement. They made no effort to hide their greedy, malevolent intentions.

    At this point, Nelson spoke up. "Alger, the treasures that grow on the body of the Hundred-Treasure Beast have a growth cycle. We should let them fall off by themselves. If they are removed prematurely by force, they will never grow again."

    "Too bad I don''t care," retorted Alger, glaring. Normally he might have reconsidered after hearing Nelson''s point, but he had a score to settle here. Now that Zachary had gotten the Hundred-Treasure Beast, Alger''s jealousy and hatred of him had doubled.

    A familiar woman''s voice broke in on the confrontation. "What''s going on here?!"

    Everyone whirled around to see Queenie, Rebecca and Scott, walking side by side into the yard.

    Alger was quick to reply first. "Queenie, you''re here just in time! This guy doesn''t want to share any of the treasures of the Hundred-Treasure Beast. But we''re the ones who helped him! He couldn''t have subdued that thing if not for our protection. Does this seem fair to you?" Alger sounded like he was complaining, and he was waiting for Queenie to step up and say a few words to support him.

 Chapter 332 The Hunting Games Best Prize

    "Wait, what are you talking about? What do you mean he should share the treasures with you?! He was the one who''d worked so hard on subduing the Hundred-Treasure Beast. You have no right to ask for anything at all! And what did you help him with? Just tell me! I didn''t see you save him or even give him a hand when he was in danger." Queenie glared at Alger for his audacity.

    Alger was shocked to find that Queenie was against him and was taking Zachary''s side. But he immediately retorted, "I didn''t save him, but you and Rebecca did, didn''t you?"

    "Yes, we did. Listen, that Hundred-Treasure Beast is none of your business. Even Rebecca and I didn''t say we wanted to take a share of the treasures. So how dare you want to share the treasures?" Queenie replied dismissively, stunning Alger and the other disciples at the King Level.

    "Oh, Queenie, the treasures from the Hundred-Treasure Beast are precious materials. While you may not want them, just think about us and get them for us instead!" Alger attempted to convince Queenie to change her mind.

    "Alger, you are a disciple from a clan at the premium stage. How could you be so spineless? Is that all you''re after? Just some materials? I don''t even see why you need them. I mean, are you really that lacking in those materials? How about I give you some?" Queenie said icily.

    Alger''s face turned livid.

    "You need to listen, if he wants to share the treasures with you, then that''s very well. But if he doesn''t, you can''t force him. If I see you guys trying to force him to do things again, you''ll all be dead!" Queenie wasn''t going to waste more of her time on this conversation and chose to warn Alger and the other disciples at the King Level off from the get-go.

    Upon hearing this, the other disciples stepped back immediately. No matter how much they wanted the beast, they wouldn''t dare offend Queenie. However, they hadn''t expected her to be so fiercely protective of Zachary like that. It made the disciples wonder if there was another reason behind her stance.

    "Hey, Scott, why don''t you stand up and say something? Do you really want that guy to take advantage of us?" Alger asked as he looked at Scott, still not willing to give up the beast. He knew that Queenie and Rebecca were solidly on Zachary''s side in this case. So he fixed his eyes at Scott, hoping that the man could say something to help convince Queenie.

    "Since he was the one to subdue the beast, he should be the one to have final say on it. Besides, I don''t like to force others to do something they don''t want to do, you of all people should know that," Scott replied flatly.

    His words had rendered Alger completely speechless. He could only gl

    result. You don''t think that Harley should receive a supreme award. But I want you to think about this, who of you is able to subdue a Hundred-Treasure Beast alone?" Tracy asked calmly as if she had anticipated such an uproar.

    All the disciples present were silenced right by Tracy''s question. Because deep in their hearts, they really didn''t have the confidence to achieve such a thing, subduing a strong beast like that.

    "Although he did tame the Hundred-Treasure Beast, the best reward for this hunting game is based on the number refining materials and treasures one has collected, right?" Anthony, on the other hand, wasn''t thwarted by her question.

    "Well, don''t you think that the treasures of the Hundred-Treasure Beast are more than enough to beat anyone else here? We all know that a Hundred-Treasure Beast is like a treasure trove with an inexhaustible supply of materials. Anthony, you must know that by now, don''t you?" Anthony''s face darkened at Tracy''s words. However, he didn''t know how to respond.

    "Well, if you have no more objections, I will now officially declare that the winner is Harley Bai." Hearing no more questions from the disciples present, Tracy nodded at one to bring Zachary his award.

    The award prepared consisted of some good refining materials, together with some pills and treasures that could help with his cultivation. Zachary took them quickly without even taking a good look at them.

    "Now, I''m going to invite the disciples who were unfortunately attacked by the mysterious woman during the hunting game to come onto the stage. They are on the lookout for the mysterious hero who saved their lives. Since this mysterious hero''s strength is at the King level, all the King Level disciples, please take a step forward," Tracy requested suddenly.

 Chapter 333 A Medal Award

    Tracy''s words sank Zachary''s heart. He was the one who had saved those disciples himself, but he didn''t want to attract too much attention to him. So he decided to go down first and slip away from the unwanted eyes of the rest of the disciples.

    "Where are you going now?" Tracy asked as she noticed from the corner of her eye that Zachary was to take his leave.

    "Well, I have to go now. What will happen next has nothing to do with me, after all," Zachary replied calmly with a shrug of his shoulders.

    "Are you sure about that?" Tracy asked with a cunning smile. "Just stand here and watch what will happen next."

    Hearing this, Zachary could feel his heart pound violently in his chest. It seemed as if she knew he had saved those disciples. He shouldn''t have meddled in this matter in the first place. On second thought, he knew that Tracy might have planned all of this from the beginning and wanted to help him. She must have had her own intentions.

    While Zachary was lost in his own thoughts, all of the disciples of King Level present stepped to the front of the crowd.

    Those who had been saved by Zachary in the past hunting game came from one side and soon stood in front of the flood of people.

    "Have a look and see who the hero is," Tracy announced to the disciples.

    They glanced at each other for a moment, and then at the disciples of King Level. They all shook their heads, but when they saw their savior, excitement bubbled inside them.

    "It''s him! It''s really him!" They shouted in delight, pointing at Zachary.

    All the people present were shocked to hear such a thing. No one would have thought that the hero who saved the disciples of the Shura College would be one from the Celestial College. What was more, he had subdued the Hundred-Treasure Beast and become the number one public enemy of the college.

    Queenie and her companions were also surprised as they looked at the man in front.

    "I didn''t expect this guy to bother to help the others," Queenie said, her posture proud and straight despite the news.

    "He''s now both a public enemy and a hero to us all. He''s gotten quite busy, I see," Rebecca chuckled with a nod.

    "He really never fails to surprise me!" Nelson exclaimed in his own giddy excitement.

    "Are you sure he is the one?" Tracy asked the disciples for confirmation while glancing at Zachary with her own little smirk.

    "Yeah,

    e hunting game and become a great hero because I risked my life saving others. It would be a lie if you say that you don''t have any ulterior motives behind such," Zachary confessed.

    "I know you''re smart enough to be able to catch that. I won''t beat around the bush any longer, then. You should know that it brings a great deal for you to be able to subdue the Hundred-Treasure Beast, but you have made yourself a public enemy. I''m sure you''ll get a lot of troubles in the future," Tracy elaborated.

    "Of course I know that. I have been ready to accept the consequences of my actions," Zachary responded with a clear head in mind.

    "Good to know you''re aware, at least. But you''re not in the Celestial College; you are under our roof. It''s not a good thing for you. If anything happens to you, you will not receive the fair treatment like the Shura College disciples would," Tracy responded tactfully, taking a step closer as an emphasis.

    "Just get straight to the point," Zachary demanded rather impatiently.

    "I hope you think about joining the Shura College and being a disciple of ours. Then, no one will want to hurt you," Tracy ended frankly.

    "You have devised such a good plan, I''ll give you that. The truth is, you are worried that the Celestial College will benefit after I take the Hundred-Treasure Beast back. Am I correct?" Even Zachary knew what was going on in Tracy''s mind.

    "Yes, it''s good that you are aware of it. If you don''t join us, we will not allow you to possess the Hundred-Treasure Beast or bring it back to the Celestial College," Tracy said seriously.

 Chapter 334 Three Trials

    "What if I don''t join the Shura College?" Zachary asked.

    "Then you must surrender the Hundred-Treasure Beast to us," Tracy replied firmly.

    "What if I refuse to give it to you?" Zachary prodded.

    "Then I can''t guarantee what will happen to you next," Tracy answered, honestly.

    "Oh? Really? Then I''d like to see what the Shura College will do to me!" Zachary exclaimed. He was the kind of person who could be persuaded by reason but not by force. As the Shura College was so desperate to obtain the Hundred-Treasure Beast, he would not give it up so easily.

    "Harley, are you not going to give it careful thought? Now your situation is very precarious. If you don''t handle it well, you will endanger the other nine disciples of the Celestial College. I''m not threatening you. But, you can''t defeat the Shura College on your own." Tracy''s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to reason with him.

    "Is that all that you want to tell me? If there is nothing else, I will leave," Zachary retorted with a smirk before turning around and walking away.

    Tracy could not help but shake her head when she saw Zachary depart. She knew that if he refused her request, his situation would become even more tricky and worrying. The Shura College could take coercive measures to force him to surrender the Hundred-Treasure Beast at any time.

    "I see. I will report this to the college," Tracy mumbled as she nodded and left.

    Zachary returned to the farmhouse. During his conversation with Tracy earlier, he understood that if he refused to relinquish the Hundred-Treasure Beast to the Shura College, they would pursue the matter further. Even if the college did not do anything to him directly, they would cause trouble for Queenie and the others. He didn''t want anyone to get hurt because of him. So he decided to speak to the others as soon as possible.

    As soon as he entered the farmhouse, Zachary saw that Queenie and the others had already gathered. The moment he stepped into the yard, everyone surrounded him.

    "Oh, Harley, here you are! You are a hero now. Congratulations! I am so happy for you," Nelson said to him with excitement. He seemed happier than Zachary.

    "So what?" Alger snorted. His voice was filled with jealousy.

    "What did Master Tracy say to you? Did she try to recruit you for the Shura College?" Queenie asked as she glanced at Zachary. She believed that the Shura College would not sit by and do nothing now that he had successfully subdued the Hundred-Treasure Beast and become the hero who saved the disciples of the college. She genuinely thought that they would have other intentions.

    "You are right," Zachary replied with a calm smile.

    As soon as Queenie and others heard his answer, their eyes opened widen with astonishment. They had n

    sense of unease coursed through him as Anne had been silent all this while.

    "Don''t worry. I will present the rewards to you at a later time. Right now, I want to share some good news with you," Anne said.

    "Good news?" Zachary asked with raised eyebrows. He stared at Anne expectantly.

    "I''ve convinced Tania to accept you as her disciple," Anne said softly. Yet the information contained in her words was astonishing.

    "Really? I thought she would rather beat me to death instead of taking me as her disciple! Why did she change her mind, by the way?" Zachary exclaimed in surprise. He almost jumped with joy upon hearing this thrilling news. Considering that, not long ago, Tania had said that she would never take him as her disciple, not even if she died.

    "It''s none of your business. You don''t need to know this. However, to be her disciple, you have to go through three trials," Anne added as she blinked her beautiful eyes.

    "If a beauty like her is willing to take me as her disciple, I am amenable to her conditions!" Zachary swore confidently. If he could be Tania''s disciple, then he would have two masters. As his first master, Anne had taught him a lot. It would be hard to estimate how much more achievement he would get if he had one more master as powerful as Tania. Most importantly, Tania existed in reality, which meant that he could have someone to rely on in the future. Besides, only Tania knew about Lewis'' whereabouts. If Zachary wanted to learn of his location, he could use this chance to ask Tania.

    "Don''t be so happy now. The three trials given by her are not easy to pass. At least with your current strength, you will be unable to pass them effortlessly. What''s worse, you may put your life in danger," Anne warned as she shook her head thoughtfully. She seemed to have some misgivings about this situation.

 Chapter 335 Trials

    "What trials are they?" Of course, as Zachary knew about Tania''s personality, he could imagine the difficulty level of the trials. He was aware that she would not let him pass the trials easily.

    "For this first trial, she wants you to go to the forbidden area in Shura College. Once there, you have to collect the blood of a very rare treasure beast for her," Anne explained.

    "The forbidden area in Shura College? I thought the college didn''t have a forbidden area! The whole college is accessible by everyone." Upon hearing this, Zachary was confused. He had never heard of an area deemed off-limits at Shura College.

    "It''s possible for such a big college to have a forbidden area. You simply don''t know about it. This forbidden area is located in the abyss at the north end of Shura College. You''ll learn more about it if you speak with other people. But, since it is off-limits, it won''t be easy to enter," Anne said.

    "I see. I''ll investigate it." Zachary nodded.

    Then, Anne handed the rewards that she had prepared for Zachary. These included precious and rare materials that he needed to make a body for Andrew. She was thoughtful to have readied them!

    After accepting the rewards, Zachary left the system. Then, he began asking about the abyss at the north end of Shura College. After some inquiry, he learned that the abyss had a dark and sinister history.

    Although Shura College was located in a valley, many chasms had formed when the bottom fractured. The abyss in the north was the biggest among these. It was estimated to be over one hundred thousand feet deep, and one could not see its bottom. This abyss was also called the Burial Abyss.

    The origin of the name dated back a thousand years. At that time, Shura College hadn''t been founded. This was a turbulent time as various clans and forces in the Devil Kingdom constantly battled with each other as they wanted to rule the Devil Kingdom. Eventually, to determine who would control the Devil Kingdom, over a hundred forces decided to battle it out in a decisive war.

    It was decided that this unparalleled war would take place in a bottomless abyss in the valley to reduce collateral damage to innocent people. Over ten thousand warriors fought to the death in that gorge. The surviving force at the end would unify the Devil Kingdom.

    However, after the war, all the sects and clans were severely injured. Most forces had been annihilated. The remaining forces f

    wo figures stood in front of a solitary tomb.

    "Logan, we were kind enough to let that guy become the hero of the college. However, we didn''t expect that he would subdue the Hundred-Treasure Beast and become a public enemy of Shura College. Moreover, I''m afraid that the senior masters of Shura College will not let him keep the beast without a fight." Lilian glanced at the man in black front of her as she spoke. Helplessness laced her voice. She had worked so hard to scheme in the hunting competition and let Zachary save those disciples. She hadn''t expected him to make such a mess. Now, all her efforts seem to have been in vain.

    "If I had known that he would be so capable, I wouldn''t have bothered to do any of that. But, it''s surprising that he could subdue the Hundred-Treasure Beast by himself. It''s not possible for a disciple at the King Level to do so. He must have some hidden secrets." Logan smiled gloomily.

    "What should we do now? If the senior masters of Shura College target him, it will be disadvantageous to our plan, and we may not be able to spy on him anymore," Lilian said with a frown.

    "It would be best if he willingly leaves Shura College. But I fear that he wouldn''t want to. In that case, we have to try to get him into a place where the senior masters of the college can''t reach him, and at the same time, it must enable us to carry out our plan. After three months, when he deciphers the contents of the Five-God Stone Tablet, he will become useless to us. Then it won''t matter what the college will do to him. Although he is a talent, we must give him up when necessary!" Logan said coldly.

 Chapter 336 The Dark Prison

    "A place where even the senior masters of Shura College cannot reach?" Lilian exclaimed.

    "There is indeed a place called the Dark Prison in the Shura College where those vicious disciples are imprisoned and punished. It is run by an independent management system and hence, does not come under the jurisdiction of the college''s senior masters. The dean is in charge of the system. If Harley could be sent to the Dark Prison, then the college''s senior masters could do nothing to him. Besides, we have spies in the Dark Prison, who can keep a watch over him," said Logan.

    "But the dean of the Shura College has known that Harley subdued the Hundred-Treasure Beast. Then why is he willing to send Harley to the Dark Prison?" Lilian raised a question.

    "That is why I have to visit him in person." The moment he finished speaking those words, Logan disappeared.

    An hour later. A white-haired old man, with his eyes closed, was cultivating with great concentration. He was seated on an exquisite couch, purely made of sandalwood. He was meditating in a huge study of a magnificent building, located at the core area of the Shura College.

    The aged man was the green-robed old man who fought an exemplary battle with Logan. He was Marvin Ku, the dean of the Shura College.

    Suddenly, he opened his eyes and shouted, "Who is that?"

    "Why are you so surprised?" He heard someone sneer. "Afraid that you will be assassinated anytime? Being a dean is indeed a very dangerous position!" Saying these words, Logan appeared in the study.

    "You again? What do you want this time?" His face darkened with anger when he saw Logan. He was furious that Logan appeared in his study without his permission. He despised such actions.

    "Don''t worry. I''m not here to engage in a battle with you. I just came to warn you of an impending danger lurking around," Logan responded slowly, as he clasped his hands behind.

    Marvin Ku ignored his comment. Instead, he asked him, "Since you are here, I have something to clear with you. In the hunting game of my college, some disciples were attacked by a mysterious woman with unknown identity. Was that one of your tricks?" He had always been doubtful about Logan''s intentions. And he was very sure that the incident that happened during the hunting game had everything to do with him.

    "That is exactly what I have come to warn you about. I am well aware that yo

    e of Imperial Level also realized that this matter was getting out of their hands. If they did not deal with it efficiently, they would be in serious trouble.

    "Harley is unwilling to hand over the Hundred-Treasure Beast to us, but we must make sure that the beast do not fall into the Moon Shadow''s hands either. So I suggest we send him to the Dark Prison," Marvin Ku said as he knitted his brows.

    "But wouldn''t he be in greater danger if we send him to the Dark Prison? The Dark Prison is equivalent to the hell. Hundreds of disciples are punished and die there in unbearable ways every year. Even though he is at the King Level, he can''t really protect himself," Dahlia raised an objection.

    "I know what you mean. But of all the options, the Dark Prison seems to be the safest. The enchanted barrier of the Burial Abyss must be destroyed by ten warriors of Sage Level together. No matter how powerful the Moon Shadow is, it is impossible for them to find ten warriors of Sage Level to break it right under our nose." Obviously, Marvin Ku had thought it over before he came to this decision.

    "Well, in a way, it''s a good idea to actually send him there. If we make him suffer, perhaps he''ll be willing to give us the Hundred-Treasure Beast," Corbin suggested with a mischievous smile.

    The other warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level nodded in agreement.

    "Now that you have no objection, it is decided. Let''s send him to the Dark Prison tomorrow in the name of training. If he doesn''t want to, use some means, but ensure that he goes there," Marvin Ku ordered seriously.

 Chapter 337 The Deans Order

    The next day, Tracy received instructions from the Shura College management. She was also shocked when she learned that the dean had been the one to order Zachary into the Dark Prison in the guise of training. She didn''t understand why the dean had done this, but she also couldn''t disobey orders. So she went to the farmhouse early in the morning to inform Zachary of this.

    Tracy arrived at the farmhouse only to see Queenie and other disciples of the Celestial College preparing to go into the weapon refining room. She looked around and realized that everyone was there except Zachary.

    The disciples were wondering why Tracy was here so early in the morning.

    "Where is Harley? I don''t see him around," Tracy asked coolly.

    "He went out early in the morning," Queenie responded.

    "I see. When you see him, ask him to wait for me in the farmhouse before noon," Tracy ordered.

    "If I may ask, is something the matter?" Queenie asked, noticing the tightness of Tracy''s expression. She thought that Zachary was in trouble, given that Tracy had explicitly taken his name.

    Tracy hesitated. But they would know of this sooner or later. So she told them that the Shura College dean had given orders to send Zachary to the Dark Prison for training and toughening up.

    The disciples were surprised at this, unable to understand why the dean had ordered this.

    "Why did the dean order to send him to the Dark Prison for training so suddenly? What kind of a place is the Dark Prison?" Rebecca couldn''t help but ask.

    "You''ve just joined the Shura College, so it''s obvious you don''t know anything about the Dark Prison. This Dark Prison is located in the Burial Abyss, a place at the northernmost end of Shura College. If anyone violates rules or does anything vicious in the college, they are sent to the Dark Prison for training and reflection for a period of time," Tracy explained. Of course, she was not going to explain this in detail. She knew that if they realized that the Dark Prison was a dangerous place and that all disciples sent there were extremely vicious, they would protest against it. If the Shura College was sending the disciples from the Celestial College to the Dark Prison, they would be breaking the agreement they had with the Celestial College. And this had never happened before.

    "Isn''t it a sort of punishment? Isn''t there something wrong? Why are you sending Harley there?" Quee

    protest at least a little, but he wasn''t showing any reluctance. Judging by his words, she knew that he was doing this for the other disciples of the Celestial College. If he refused to go, then Tracy would have to do something to force him.

    "What? You''ll go? Are you out of your mind? We are not afraid of being implicated. What are you worried about? If you go to that hell, we would become more worried about you!" Queenie began to scold Zachary. It was some sight because she rarely showed such strong emotions.

    "Queenie is right. Don''t worry, Harley. You don''t need to worry about us. We will stand by your side no matter what happens. Please don''t go there. If worse comes to worst, we can go back to our Celestial College. It''s no big deal," Rebecca said, trying to convince Zachary.

    "Thank you for your concern, everyone. But I''m afraid things are not as easy as you are thinking them to be. Don''t worry. I''ve already made up my mind. I will go to the Dark Prison as ordered by the dean." Zachary had made up his mind. He would have to be crazy to not take advantage of such a good opportunity. Of course, that was a thought he would not share with anyone.

    "Okay. Now that you''ve agreed, I''ll give you some time to prepare. I''ll ask someone to send you there in the afternoon," Tracy said. Deep inside, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought that it would be difficult to convince Zachary. But she was glad that he was being reasonable and had accepted it.

    "Thank you, Master Tracy!" Zachary said, nodding.

    Glancing at the disciples gathered around Zachary, Tracy nodded and left.

 Chapter 338 His Decision

    "You!" Queenie glared heatedly at Zachary.

    "The two of you should come back to the room with me. I have something to tell you," Zachary said to Queenie and Rebecca. Queenie tried not to be annoyed as he motioned for them to her room as if he owned it.

    After a short pause, the two girls exchanged hesitant glances but ultimately followed after Zachary.

    As soon as they entered, they immediately closed the door to ward off potential eavesdroppers. Privacy secured, they turned back to Zachary and stalked after him intently like a beast with its prey.

    "I''m afraid I can''t come back quickly after I go to the Dark Prison. I''ll give you what you need," Zachary told them calmly. He raised his hands as if to placate the girls who looked even more incensed about what he said.

    "I don''t care! Humph! We tried so hard to support you but you compromised like a coward. I''m so disappointed with you," Queenie ranted. She let out an irritated huff and refused to meet Zachary''s eyes.

    On the other hand, Rebecca didn''t say anything. She stood quietly with a troubled expression on her face.

    "Actually, going to the Dark Prison is exactly what I am hoping for. I have a quest to complete there. It''s not a compromise," Zachary confessed. It was barely a crumb of information but that was all they were going to get.

    "A quest?" the girls repeated together with varying levels of confusion on their faces. He nodded once but made sure to look stern so they would realize that they would not get any more information.

    "That''s all you need to know. You don''t have to worry about me. I can protect myself," Zachary said.

    "Who is worried about you? In fact, I hope you''ll never come back," Queenie huffed again and folded her hands on her chest defensively. She turned her back on Zachary like she was annoyed but inwardly, she was worried about him.

    "I can''t do that. I''m afraid you''ll miss me," Zachary joked.

    "Come on, don''t put feathers in your cap!" Rebecca laughed out loud while Queenie released an exasperated sigh. Despite this, Zachary''s antics seemed to amuse Queenie as much as it did Rebecca.

    "You can''t slack off when I''m not here. I''ll check your progress after I come back. If you can''t reach the goals that I''ve set, I will spank you on the hips," Zachary grinned wickedly.

    The two girls shrank back against the wall. They didn''t want to get spanked. At the same time, thei

    dn''t understand why Zachary suddenly needed three months'' worth of treasures.

    "Yes," Zachary replied with a nod. "I have an emergency that I need to deal with but it will take me at least three months. So if you want the Hatching Fluid, you have to make a one-time deal with me for three months."

    "This is a bit too sudden. As per the agreement, I have to give you thirty treasures of King Level each month. That will add up to ninety treasures for three months. I can''t get that many treasures of King Level in such a short notice," said Riley hesitantly. She studied him for a moment, her concerns written on her face. As a businesswoman, she had seen and experienced a lot of cheating activities in the business world. It was only natural to be worried since the huge value involved was not something to play around with.

    "The Phoenix House is very influential. There''s no way that you can''t take out ninety treasures. You are worried that I will give you fake Hatching Fluid, aren''t you?" Zachary immediately saw through her sugar-coated words and cut to the chase.

    "Since you mentioned it already, then I won''t lie to you anymore. You are right. Your sudden request will arouse suspicion from anyone. As a businesswoman, I cannot just take a risk with no guarantee," Riley said frankly.

    "What kind of guarantee do you want?" Zachary asked with a smile.

    Riley shook her head. The smile that she had earlier had been replaced by a tight frown. "I''m afraid you can''t give me the guarantee I want. You have neither supporters nor connections in the Devil Kingdom, so you can''t reassure me."

 Chapter 339 Burial Abyss

    "Then do you still want to do business with me? I won''t force you if you don''t want to do it. I merely came here in good faith to inform you so that you wouldn''t think I''m a man who goes back on his word," Zachary said calmly.

    "Since you gave me three drops of Hatching Fluid for free last time, I''ll of course agree to doing business with you. It''s risky, but I''ve decided to trust you this once," Riley said after taking a few glances at Zachary and smiled gracefully.

    "Oh, that''s all it would take? Should I celebrate now?" Seeing that Riley had suddenly changed her mind and was willing to trade with him, Zachary had to admit he was a little surprised.

    "Not yet. I have conditions." Riley''s business inclinations had driven her to take advantage of the situation and add her own conditions to this deal.

    "What conditions?" Zachary asked eagerly.

    "I haven''t decided yet. I''ll tell you when you return." Riley deliberately kept him in suspense.

    "Okay. You can take your time thinking about it. These are three bottles of Hatching Fluid. Each bottle has three drops." Zachary took out the Hatching Fluid he had prepared at once and handed it to Riley.

    Riley took the bottles without hesitation. Then she ordered her people to go to the warehouse and gather the ninety King Level treasures that Zachary had required.

    After Zachary had confirmed the goods, he took all of the treasures into the system.

    "I''ll go now then." With that he stood up and was about to leave. Suddenly, he thought of something and said, "When I''m away, please don''t try to find out where I''m going, or else you might get yourself into trouble!"

    "I''m not a three-year-old girl. I know the rules." Riley winked at Zachary.

    Zachary nodded. He left the Phoenix House and rushed back to Shura College. When he returned to the farmyard, it was almost noon. But the people Tracy had sent didn''t appear.

    On the other hand, Queenie and Rebecca, together with the other King Level disciples from the Celestial College were already waiting in the yard. It seemed that they had been planning to see Zachary off, but Nelson wasn''t present to see him off. He apparently had taken the Blazing Roc and the Thunder Dragon Horse to the wild for further study.

    "It''s getting cold. Here are some clothes for you." Rebecc

    smile as he chose to make it easy on her.

    "Generally speaking, ordinary disciples who hear that they''re getting sent to the Burial Abyss would be scared to death. But it seems that you don''t care at all. On the contrary, you appear to be happy that you''re going there." Polly was perplexed, unable to discover Zachary''s real feelings about being sent there.

    "What difference would being afraid make? I have no choice but to go there anyway. Will being scared help me escape my fate? Besides, I''m a lascivious man. Nothing can scare me," teased Zachary.

    Polly rolled her eyes at him. She hesitated for a moment and then said, "I can see that you''re popular, especially with Queenie and Rebecca. You seem to have a good relationship with them."

    "Alas! I''m too charming. In the Celestial College, I''m sort of a star. But sometimes, being too famous means more trouble. So, I have tried my best to keep a low profile after I came to Shura College. Unfortunately, I still attracted a lot of attention," Zachary boasted.

    "I realize now that you''re really shameless," Polly sputtered.

    "You''re not the first one to say that. However, we men being shameless is one of our strong points. Only by being shameless can we win women''s hearts!" Zachary said cheerfully.

    She couldn''t help but burst into laughter charmed by Zachary''s words.

    "You are really beautiful when you smile." Her smile transformed her entirely, making her look absolutely gorgeous. It took his breath away making it hard for him to take his eyes off her.

 Chapter 340 The Heavenly Silk Thread

    "Apart from being shameless, you are also good at coaxing girls with sweet words. It''s really hard to tell from your appearance," Polly commented as she rolled her eyes at Zachary. She was surprised to see Zachary''s real look during the hunting game. She didn''t expect him to look like a middle-aged man. Although she never judged people by their appearances, she was still startled by Zachary''s.

    "Don''t judge a book by its cover!" Zachary exclaimed.

    With a huff, Polly quickened her pace and refused to look at him or walk by his side.

    Zachary laughed loudly and followed promptly.

    It wasn''t long before they reached the end of the cliff of the Burial Abyss.

    Since Zachary had already come to the cliff once, he knew that the end of the cliff was heavily guarded. There was only one path towards the bottom of the cliff. That path was guarded by disciples at the Heaven Level and two Imperial Level warriors.

    "Master Arthur!" Polly shouted in greeting. She pulled Zachary toward the two Imperial Level warriors and bowed respectfully.

    "Polly? Are you going to the Dark Prison again?" asked one of the warriors in a blue robe. He seemed familiar with Polly as if he knew her very well.

    "I was ordered by Master Tracy to send Harley to the Dark Prison," Polly replied at once. Both guards immediately cast wondering glances at Zachary when they heard her words.

    "Oh, I see. This is the one who was ordered to be sent to the Dark Prison to receive training. I heard that he subdued the Hundred-Treasure Beast during the hunting game." Arthur studied Zachary blatantly like he was an interesting new creature.

    The other Imperial Level warrior and the disciples were shocked as well. They didn''t expect that the ordinary-looking man in front of them was Harley. He was well-known in Shura College.

    "Masters," greeted Zachary as he cupped his hands politely.

    "It''s no easy feat to come to the Dark Prison. You are lucky the dean gave you the opportunity to be trained here. Do not waste this chance!" Arthur

    ent.

    Polly hung on him like a koala. Zachary awkwardly tried to ignore the feel of her breasts against his chest.

    "Hey, how long are you going to hold on to me?" asked Zachary when he finally had enough.

    Polly struggled to recover from the scare and hesitantly opened her eyes. She looked around with wide eyes and tried to absorb that they were floating in the air. They weren''t dead! Her joy was drowned by the blush that spread on her face when she felt Zachary''s warmth where they were still pressed together.

    "You seem to be heavier than I thought!" Zachary ridiculed Polly. It was such a typical reaction from him.

    "You!" She hit him on the chest lightly.

    "You''re already very heavy. If you hurt me, we will surely fall," Zachary said with a wry smile.

    "How dare you say I''m fat! You bastard!" Polly spat as she hit Zachary again.

    "I didn''t say that you were fat. I just said that you are very heavy," Zachary clarified.

    "Isn''t that the same?" retorted Polly angrily.

    "No. You have a curvy body and your size is quite big," Zachary said with a snicker.

    "Go to hell!" Polly flushed even more. It was a miracle she hadn''t fainted from the blood that rushed to her face. She pushed Zachary and floated in the air momentarily. Thunder roared and lightning flashed beneath her feet before she fell a hundred meters down.

 Chapter 341 Willisâ€”An Imperial Level Warrior

    Seeing that, Zachary immediately jumped all the way with the help of the Heavenly Silk Thread. And, following Polly, he landed on the ground very soon.

    "What movement skill did you use just now? How could you rush down from such a height?" Zachary asked curiously.

    "I don''t think I have to tell you that." It seemed that Polly was still thinking about how Zachary had called her fat.

    "Do you have to be so angry¡ªonly because I said you were a little heavy?" Zachary said in a somewhat helpless voice. He had always thought that Polly was ordinary in temperament. So, he hadn''t expected that at times she could also be so headstrong and yet so lovely.

    "You say it again!" Polly exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

    Zachary shook his head, smiling slightly. Then he said, "Let''s go."

    Polly continued to walk, leading the way.

    Zachary found that they were at the bottom of the abyss and there were steep cliffs on both sides. He saw a passage of gravel road ahead in the pitch dark. However, he had no idea where it led.

    Although it was daytime, it was very dim and quiet at the bottom of the abyss, and from there it seemed that night had fallen.

    "I used the Thunder Cloud Pace just now. That uses the martial energy with the thunder element to stimulate the air in order to produce suction in the air, which enables me to keep my balance in midair," Polly said suddenly, not long after Zachary had asked her how she could rush down from extreme elevation. It seemed as if she was mumbling to herself.

    "Then why didn''t you use it earlier? What you did just now was really dangerous." Zachary looked up at the cliff that seemed to be reaching out to the sky.

    "With my current strength, I can only use the Thunder Cloud Pace within an elevation of less than a hundred meters," Polly explained, shaking her head slightly.

    "That''s so cool! I also need to improve my movement skill," said Zachary, raising his eyebrows. Although his Shadow Pace had an eye for speed, he still couldn''t cope with the situation as it was then. So, he thought that maybe he could learn something from the movement skill Polly had used.

    Then, the two of them moved forward along the gravel path very quickly. The high cliffs on either side loomed imposingly down on them. Gradually, they could see more, and finally, a network of tall trees that grew very closely and looked like a primitive forest, appeared in front of their eyes.

    Many tents were pitched not far from the jungle, and bonfires were burning among them. It seemed that Zachary and Polly had re

    ounds each, not counting the weight of water. So, it was not surprising that an ordinary warrior of King Level found lifting them next to impossible. Fortunately, as Zachary had undergone high-intensity strength training in the system, he was able to bear the weight.

    Soon, he reached a stream that came from the jungle, carrying the two iron buckets.

    After fetching two buckets of water, Zachary began using Shadow Pace to continue to fetch more water. The first water vat was finally filled, after he had gone back and forth about a dozen times.

    About two hours later, when all the water vats were full, Zachary went back to the previous camp, where he saw that Willis was still scolding the disciples.

    "Master Willis, I''m done," Zachary reported to Willis.

    "Done?" Willis was surprised to hear that. He knew that the iron buckets used to fetch water weighed more than three hundred pounds each, so it was difficult for ordinary warriors of King Level to lift them. It would take at least four hours for a warrior of King Level to fill all the water vats, but it had taken Zachary only two hours.

    "Go and check if all the water vats are full of water," Willis ordered one of the disciples who were jumping with stones on their backs. He could not believe what Zachary had said.

    On hearing Willis'' command, the disciple immediately put down the stone and ran away, as if he had been granted amnesty.

    A few moments later, he came running back and reported, "Yes, all the water vats are full of water."

    On hearing that, Willis looked at Zachary with a strange expression in his eyes. He had started thinking that maybe what Polly had said was true, and that Zachary was competent.

 Chapter 342 The Rules

    "Let me explain the rules in the Dark Prison. First of all, there are three things you must keep in mind all the time. First, you are not allowed to ask any questions. You will do whatever I order you to do. Second, you are not allowed to talk to anyone without my permission as long as I am present with you. Otherwise, you will be punished severely. Trust me, you don''t want to know what the consequences would be like. And lastly, you are not allowed to laugh at any time! If I see you laugh, I will slap you in the face fifty times for every laugh," Willis sternly told Zachary.

    Zachary nodded calmly despite the strangeness of the rules. Deep inside, he cursed Willis resentfully. ''Is this guy crazy? Okay, I am not allowed to ask. But no talking and no laughing? Isn''t that too far? People would go crazy if they stayed here for a long time under all these weird rules.'' He discretely glanced at the disciples who were receiving physical punishment. Their expressionless faces reeked of desperation. Zachary wondered what cruel torture they had endured. With a shudder, Zachary decided to stay low-key for the time being. He did not want to be welcomed by a severe punishment as soon as he arrived. He had not even figured out the rules of survival in the Dark Prison yet!

    "Also, there are three things that you can do. First, you are allowed to fight privately. If somebody finds fault with you, don''t expect me to help. You will fight to protect yourself. I won''t intervene in your private matters. The second thing is you are allowed to team up. The warriors punished here would often team up with stronger warriors so that they would not be bullied. I won''t step in. Lastly, you are allowed to go to the Ghost-crying Forest. The Ghost-crying Forest is a very dangerous place and even the disciples of King Level could get themselves killed if they enter that place. You are free to go if you think you are capable enough, but don''t expect anyone to help you. No one would even help to bury your body if you died there," Willis added.

    Zachary shook his head slightly at all the added rules. As expected, Willis'' thoughts seemed too strange. He could not understand his logic at all. However, Zachary did not only come to the Dark Prison to complete the first trial from Tania. He went here also because he wanted to cultivate in a harsh environment that only the Dark Prison could provide. He decided this was needed if he wanted to raise his strength to the ninth grade of King Level before the King Level contest was held. He also wanted to improve his weapon refining skills. Otherwise, it would be a daydream if he wanted to win the first place during the King Level contest in both the strength and the weapon refining.

    He knew that the moment he decided to come to the Dark Prison, heavy responsibilities were placed on his shoulders. He had a lot of things to accomplish.

    "Do you understand?" Wil

    ested. The last thing he wanted was to implicate Jimmy Chen for his mistakes.

    "He knows very well that I hate being cheated the most, but he still aided you. Do you really think he is innocent?" Willis asked in a thunderous voice. His casual manner wavered as if he was on the verge of exploding in rage.

    With no other choice, Zachary and Jimmy Chen went back to their previous camp and accepted the punishment. Two more disciples were sent to supervise them.

    "I''m sorry, Jimmy," Zachary apologized profusely. He was relieved that Jimmy Chen did not look like he was holding a grudge against him.

    "Well, forget it. It happens a lot here. Everyone wants to relax a little when receiving punishment in such a damned place. When I first came here, I often tried to loaf on the job, but the result was that I was punished even more terribly," Jimmy Chen responded. He had experience and understood Zachary''s behavior. If anything, he should have warned him because he knew better.

    "By the way, how long have you been here? Why were you sent here?" Zachary asked curiously.

    "Well, it''s a long story. I''d rather not talk about it," Jimmy Chen replied and shook his head. "What about you?"

    Zachary noticed that Jimmy Chen was uncomfortable, so he let him change the topic easily. "I was sent here because I offended the young master of the Xiao Clan," he answered. He easily lied because he didn''t want to tell Jimmy Chen that he was ordered to come by the dean of the Shura College.

    "You have offended the young master of the Xiao Clan? Buddy, you are really bold. You are lucky you were sent here. At least they let you live. You have to be careful. There are many disciples of the Xiao Clan in the Dark Prison. If the young master of the Xiao Clan wants revenge, you can''t escape easily." Zachary nodded in understanding. Jimmy Chen seemed like a great guy. He even offered advice despite the trouble that Zachary put him in.

 Chapter 343 Peter

    "I will be careful." Zachary smiled and gladly thought that Jimmy was a nice guy.

    "By the way, what''s the name of the guy who snitched on us just now?" Zachary promptly asked with a cold gaze. He was more than eager to grab useful information about that guy.

    "His name is Peter, and he works for Charley Yu. It must be Charley who sent him to make trouble for us. Charley is extremely dangerous. He is a member of a large sect and currently at the King Level. He is a confidant of our group leader. So, don''t provoke him!" Jimmy explained immediately in a few concise words.

    "Are the disciples in the Dark Prison divided into groups?" Zachary, upon hearing that, probed further in such a way not wanting to sound pushy.

    "Yes. There are three masters in the Dark Prison. So, they are divided into three groups. And these three masters are wholly responsible for the supervising and training of their respective group. Master Willis takes charge of our group," Jimmy casually responded with a hint of indifference in his voice.

    "Who is the group leader you just mentioned?" inquired Zachary, suddenly becoming curious.

    "He is the strongest disciple in our group, named Michael Tu, who ranks fourth among the top ten disciples of Shura College. He was sent into the Dark Prison a year ago. Upon his arrival, he defeated the former leader of our group and consequently replaced him. As he became the leader, he joined hands with disciples at the King Level to bully weaker disciples like me. In our group, strength means everything. Anyone not powerful enough could only fall prostrate to others..." As he spoke fervently, Jimmy couldn''t help clenching his teeth with hatred. It was as if he recounted an unpleasant scene that happened in his past.

    "Really?" Zachary frowned as he digested Jimmy''s words. He could tell from Jimmy''s tone that Charley was by no means kind. At the back of his mind, he had already formed a not so good impression of him, but still, he wanted to see it for himself.

    "But, as far as we know, the former head of our group who was beaten by him was not willing to submit to him. So he swiftly organized some disciples to form a clique and fought Michael. The former leader''s name is Tyson Hei. He is slightly weaker than Michael, but he is loyal to friends and is not as cruel and ruthless as Michael. When he was the leader, our group was full of harmony." Jimmy continued divulging the gossips he knew.

    "Then which side do you belong to?" Zachary seemed more interested now. He felt like he needed to get to the bottom of all this at once.

    "Neither. No matter which side I am with, I am bound to be bullied by p

    to upload the landscape and all other pertinent information about the Burial Abyss. But unexpectedly, Mimi replied, "As Burial Abyss is one of the historical relics of the Devil Kingdom, the only way to unlock the information is to explore it in person."

    Zachary gave a scornful look as soon as he heard Mimi''s unexpected response. Surely, she wanted to put him in danger.

    So left with no choice, he had to search for the treasure beast as was required by the trial Tanya had given him. Consequently, he might as well do it in passing.

    Zachary, now that he had calmed himself, intended to go to the Peach Blossom Forest to see the Hundred-Treasure Beast. But before he made his way, the alarm of the system suddenly rang, alerting him and snapping him out. It seemed someone entered his tent.

    He agilely left the system and stepped outside his tent in a split-second. And for sure, he noticed two sneaky figures scrounging around his tent.

    "Why is here littered with trash? Doesn''t the guy have anything valuable?"

    "Let''s search further. Charley asked us to collect his background information. We should not fail him."

    Unbeknownst to the two unknown figures, Zachary was intently watching them and heard every single word they had exchanged with each other. Frowning, he walked forward shortly.

    The two men in the tent were so engrossed. They seemed not to realize that there was someone behind them, and by the time they realized it, they had already been carried out of the tent and thrown fiercely on the ground.

    "Who the hell are you? How dare you!" One of them was Peter, who had snitched on Zachary.

    Right at this time, a figure, with arms folded in front of the chest, stood before the two guys and said coldly, "It''s me, you bastards!"

 Chapter 344 Jimmys Warning

    The two disciples came to their senses when they heard Zachary''s voice. As they looked up and saw that it really was Zachary, their faces darkened immediately. They stood up with menacing expressions. Peter barked, "Bastard! How dare you disrespect us! Do you know who we are?"

    "I don''t care who you are," Zachary sneered. He glanced at them in complete indifference.

    "You bastard! We work for Charley. You must have a death wish." Peter''s face turned stormy.

    "Oh, you work for Charley," Zachary drawled. His head cocked to the side as if he just realized something.

    "Yeah, so don''t be so cocky!" Peter answered. He suddenly looked smug and confident. He probably thought Zachary got scared.

    "But who the hell is Charley?" Zachary grinned as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. He barely repressed a laugh when he saw how angry they were getting.

    Peter and the other disciple felt their hackles rise. Zachary was obviously making fun of them.

    "You are a jerk. I should teach you a lesson," Peter shouted in anger. In his eyes, Zachary''s weak aura suggested that he was merely at the Earth Level. Confident in his presumption, he nodded at his companion. The two of them stalked towards Zachary, one on the left and the other on the right.

    Of course, Zachary was not afraid of them at all. The most he felt was irritation because they were wasting his time. They weren''t even strong enough to test his skills against.

    "Fuck off!" Zachary''s aura exploded with his martial energy. His opponents could not bear the strong force and were blown away.

    They lay on the ground, eyes wide in shock and fear. They did not expect Zachary''s strength to be above theirs.

    "I just got here and Charley was gracious enough to send you in greeting. I should give him something in return!" Zachary said with a wicked smile.

    The two disciples paled even further. Zachary could almost taste the terror and regret that swirled around them.

    He stepped closer and closer. Every thud of his steps sounded loud in sharp contrast to the way the two were barely breathing in panic. One last step, and the silence was shattered. In its place were loud terrified screams.

    Moments later, one of them had lost an arm while the other had lost a leg. They writhed on the ground, pained whimpers in their throats as Zachary loomed over them.

    "Go back and tell Charley not to provoke me, or I will do something worse to him!" Zachary roared at the two disciples.

    The two disciples nodd

    itive jungle behind the Dark Prison. It was called the Ghost-crying Forest because every night there would be weird sounds like ghosts crying. The martial beasts in the forest were usually at the premium stage of Heaven Level or King Level, much more dangerous than those that occasionally attacked the camp. The Ghost-crying Forest was vast with many mysterious zones. It was said that there were many rare treasures in it but because it was too dangerous, only a small number of disciples dared to explore. Most of them just stayed on the periphery.

    The last area was the innermost part of the Burial Abyss. In that part lived martial beasts above the premium stage of King Level, which made it the most dangerous area in the Burial Abyss. Tens of thousands of warriors died and decomposed there, with no one brave enough to retrieve and bury their bodies. The air in that area was always gloomy and cold, and anyone who came close would hear the call of death.

    However, although the Burial Abyss was terrifying, it was still the best place to train. The brave and fearless warriors who dared to cultivate here found it much easier to improve their strength than in the Shura College.

    So, for Zachary, the Burial Abyss seemed like heaven as opposed to the hell that everyone saw it was.

    As they talked, Zachary and Jimmy arrived at the gathering place of the afternoon training. They were in a place about five hundred meters away from the camp. The disciples who were already there had different levels, from the Earth Level to the King Level. They had automatically formed two lines and were silently talking with the disciples adjacent to them.

 Chapter 345 Charley Yu

    As soon as Zachary appeared, the other disciples glared at him. They knew about the recent event that Zachary had injured two of Charley''s subordinates.

    "Charley, it''s him. He attacked us!" shouted Peter, who had lost one of his hands, to a tall, strong man next to him. The man wore tight, red clothes. He had a square face, a high-bridged nose, and narrow eyes. His face had a sinister expression.

    Jimmy glanced at the man before turning and whispering to Zachary, "He is Charley." His face immediately darkened.

    Zachary turned his head and gazed at Charley. He sensed that Charley''s strength was at the medium stage of King Level, which was a little higher than his.

    Concurrently, Charley glared at Zachary with a cold expression. A malevolent glint flashed in his eyes as he raised the knife in his left hand and swung it in the air as if warning Zachary of imminent danger.

    Jimmy, who was beside Zachary, shivered and stepped aside to avoid being involved.

    Soon, the disciples around Charley stepped forward, intending to surround Zachary. They wanted to avenge their fellowmen''s injuries.

    "Ha-ha..." At this moment, wild laughter burst out. It came from another group of disciples, who were confronting Charley.

    Charley and his men also glanced in the direction of the laughter, only to see a burly disciple with an imposing manner step forward from the crowd. He wore an iron mask and had an imposing manner. In place of his left hand, the man had an iron arm. The strong aura of the premium stage of King Level was enough to frighten everyone.

    "What are you laughing at, Tyson?" Charley shouted.

    "Nothing. I just think that the guy is a newcomer. Why do you have so many people to welcome him? People who don''t know what is happening might think that you are bullying the newcomer!" Tyson said sarcastically.

    "He injured two of my men. It''s clear that he doesn''t take me seriously, which is why he thinks he can disrespect me. There are rules in the Dark Prison. If he hurts others and I let him go unpunished, what will people think of me when they hear about this incident? How can I expect to maintain my reputation," Charley retorted.

    "Your reputation? Do you think the people in the Dark Prison care about such a thing? With your actions, you might

    he wasn''t very strong, then they would have considered him to be a master.

    When those disciples rushed to the wooden statue''s position, Zachary changed his position again. This time, he moved to the center, where he was doing push-ups with only one finger against the ground.

    Seeing that Zachary was prostrate, the disciples thought that he would be unable to escape this time. So, they pounced on Zachary like hungry tigers seeing their food.

    Phew! Phew! Phew!

    In an instant, there was a burst of noise, and the disciples piled up on Zachary''s location like a small mountain.

    "Did you catch him? Punch him hard!" Charley shouted.

    But when the disciples struggled to separate to check, they found nothing under their bodies.

    "Okay, I finally finished warming up." At this time, a mocking voice echoed through the space.

    The disciples turned and found that Zachary had returned to his original position, unnoticed.

    By now, Zachary had completely infuriated Charley and his disciples. They felt that Zachary was taunting them. So they stared at him with ferocious expressions and pounced on him again.

    With a display of their martial arts, the disciples approached Zachary, ready to attack. However, Zachary, who had been still all this while, suddenly moved. Numerous phantoms appeared and overlapped. It was difficult to tell which one was the real Zachary.

    Simultaneously, several needle shadows shot out. Before the disciples could move, they felt their bodies stiffening.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

 Chapter 346 Seckill

    In an instant, a dozen of disciples rushed at Zachary, shouting violently. As the shout subdued, they all fell down either on their backs or on their stomachs and were hurt badly.

    Zachary stood where he was as if he hadn''t moved an inch while the wind swept the sand with dust flying around him.

    The disciples present all stood dumbfounded as they stared at him, as if the cat got their tongue. Never could they imagine that Zachary would so easily beat more than twenty disciples above the premium stage of Earth Level. Even those of King Level might not be able to pull such a trick that easily, let alone Zachary, who was a seemingly weak newcomer.

    "This guy really is out of the ordinary!" A hint of astonishment flashed across Tyson''s face and his eyes glittered with wisdom.

    "Tyson, did you see that? How could he manage to hit so many disciples at the same time with just one attack? And with that damage? How could it be? Regardless of how fast he could be, it''s downright impossible for him to be able to hit them all at once. Not to mention, those disciples were hurt in the vital area. I can tell that the martial skill he launched is anything but ordinary," remarked a young man standing beside Tyson. This was a handsome gentleman in a long robe. He looked like a military adviser and was at the medium stage of King Level.

    It turned out that the young man was none other than Tyson''s military adviser and most capable assistant, Steven Li.

    "If my observations aren''t wrong, he must have injected some sort of hidden weapons like silver needles into the acupoints of those disciples with extreme accuracy and perfection. Coupled with his creepy movement skill, it''s really hard for them to even try and defend themselves. Besides, what he did could easily be assumed something meaningless but actually it was his strategy to provoke those disciples on purpose to lower their vigilance. Apparently, he has planned all these from the very beginning," Tyson stated with a grim look on his face.

    Hearing that, Steven Li turned to look at him in surprise.

    "What''s more, he possesses at least triple martial speed. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to commit such a move," Tyson added in a firm tone.

    "Triple martial speed? Do you mean that he is not a common discip

    couldn''t bring himself to follow their pace. Instead, he went away and started the training alone.

    A moment later, Tyson came to Zachary.

    "Hey, buddy. I''m Tyson. You do know me, right?" Tyson greeted in a friendly way.

    "Yes, I know. You are the one who had been pawned by Michael and got dethroned from your rightfully-owned position," Zachary replied without bothering to look up as he continued his training.

    Tyson''s smile fell from his face as he heard this, immediately thinking that Zachary was rude and insolent. What Zachary had said was a taboo topic to him; how dare he speak it out in front of him! But he did not show his unhappiness.

    "Since you know very well who I am, I''ll get straight to the point. Charley definitely won''t just let something like that go. If it hadn''t for Michael being sent away by Willis to execute a task, you wouldn''t have been safe and sound by now. But if you follow me, I''ll protect you," Tyson proposed.

    "So you''re saying you want me to join you?" Zachary finally raised his head and looked at Tyson''s eyes.

    "Precisely. You see. I know that you''re nothing but extraordinary. Honestly, I want to be friends with you," Tyson said in a friendly way.

    "I guess that you just don''t want me to be your enemy, do you? Of course I know that I''m nothing less than a genius. If you really want to be my friend, you can stop all the disgusting flattery. Well, I''ll consider it as long as you and your subordinates are willing to follow my lead," Zachary proposed instead.

 Chapter 347 Tyson

    Tyson couldn''t help but be stunned at Zachary''s audacity. He hadn''t expected him to be so bold. But he immediately laughed. "Ha-ha, you are so special. However, you need to remember that my position isn''t something that I''ll easily give up. If you want to take it, you''ll have to be able to command others and have them willingly take orders from you. To you, being a leader might sound cool, but that''s not true at all. The position comes with its own responsibilities."

    "That''s my business. Now it''s time for you to make a choice. Don''t keep getting sidetracked!" Zachary said, his dark eyes glaring at him.

    "Buddy, you just got here. You haven''t realized yet how horrific the Dark Prison actually is. You''ll learn that soon enough. When you do, you''ll certainly change your mind." With that, Tyson left.

    "If he is really as righteous as Jimmy said, perhaps I could try to befriend him. But quiet ones are usually the most dangerous. Let''s see what he''s going to do first." Looking at Tyson''s retreating back, Zachary smiled confidently.

    Four times the usual amount of training was a snap for Zachary. He was used to taking pleasure in the cultivation quests assigned by the Treasure-hunting System. Not to mention, his cultivation level was above most of the other disciples. That was why he completed the training very quickly and started to take a rest while the others kept drilling.

    Sometime later, Willis arrived seemingly half-drunk as he was staggering a little.

    "Which team is in charge of tonight''s dinner?" Willis yawned and asked, his eyes bleary as if he''d just gotten out of bed.

    A dozen disciples, including Jimmy, raised their hands.

    "Then you can leave to start preparing it. I am craving Buck-toothed Rabbits, so go out and hunt some. Three rabbits will be enough," Willis ordered. Then he looked at Zachary. "You should team up with them from now on." With that, he stalked off.

    "Harley, let''s go!" Jimmy called out from behind.

    Zachary nodded, and they walked towards the other disciples.

    Most of Zachary''s new teammates were Charley''s men. That was why they tried to stay as far away from him as they could. Zachary could feel them sizing him up like he was some sort of monster. Ji

    "But..." Jimmy hesitated. He had witnessed how powerful Zachary was a few days ago. But this wasn''t something Zachary was used to, even if he''d reached the Heaven Level. He had no experience with the Buck-toothed Rabbits. If he infuriated them, it would be impossible for him to escape. That would be very dangerous.

    However, before Jimmy could warn him again, Zachary had already made his way into the cave. It was wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and it grew wider and wider as Zachary went deeper and deeper.

    A few moments later, Zachary reached the chamber at the bottom of the cave, which was about thirty or forty square yards. A dozen beasts were lying there in the middle of the chamber, seemingly asleep. From his viewpoint they looked like boars, with long grey hair, floppy ears, and a pair of sharp teeth sticking forward out of their mouths. It was a pretty monstrous look.

    However, before he could get any closer, one of the rabbits suddenly raised its head and gazed at him with its bloodshot eyes. They were full of vigilance and hostility. The rabbit then stood up and roared like a boar.

    Awakened by the noise, the other Buck-toothed Rabbits stood up one after another, all staring at Zachary, their grotesque faces more ferocious now.

    "Good kids. I''m sorry for waking you up." Zachary shrugged and smiled.

    Of course, these Buck-toothed Rabbits were very happy to find new prey and rushed forward to welcome Zachary, their new guest.

 Chapter 348 Buck-toothed Rabbits

    Loud noises thundered from the inside as if a slaughter was taking place. Jimmy and other team members stood at the entrance of the cave, bodies tight with watchful tension.

    "Something bad must have happened! He is in danger! Let''s go save him," Jimmy immediately shouted to other disciples. He could tell from the noise that Zachary had probably alarmed a colony of Buck-toothed Rabbits.

    The other disciples glanced at each other but no one took action. Instead, their expression showed their delight in Zachary''s misfortune.

    When Jimmy realized that no one was willing to help, he walked towards the entrance of the cave by himself. However, he was immediately stopped by Benson, the team leader in a yellow robe.

    "Charley told us that if anyone dares to help this newcomer, he will teach him a lesson. Since you helped us a lot in the past, we will turn a blind eye. You''d better stay out of this and mind your own business," Benson threatened. He secretly beckoned to the two disciples behind Jimmy.

    Before Jimmy could do anything else, he was dragged by the two disciples. They were both at the premium stage of Earth Level so he couldn''t do anything else but obey as he was placed at the end of the team. The other disciples stood at the entrance of the cave and waited for the result.

    The sounds inside the cave gradually quieted until it was deathly still.

    The disciples in the team looked at each other, thrilled. "Let''s go and have a look. We should bring his corpse back to give an account!" Benson announced.

    Thus, Benson and several disciples entered the cave one by one.

    Jimmy stood silent at the back of the team, a look of grief painted on his face. He knew that Zachary was most likely dead.

    When Benson and several disciples went inside the cave, what they saw shocked them. There was nothing in the cave, not even Zachary''s corpse which they were expecting. Originally, there was a colony of Buck-toothed Rabbits inside the cave, but now, not even a single Buck-toothed Rabbit could be seen.

    All the disciples gaped at the strange emptiness that welcomed them. They shivered as different scenarios ran through their minds.

    "I think we''d better get out of here first," Benson immediately said. All his instincts were warning him that something was seriously wrong but he could not put his finger on it.

    He looked at the disciples before he led the way outside. Of course, he was the first to exit.

    "Where is Harley? Is

    whispered subtly to each other, exchanging their various speculations about Zachary''s identity. They wondered if he was someone special or if he was affiliated with someone powerful. That was the only explanation they could think of for Willis'' anxiety.

    Charley and Tyson looked surprised too. Charley was happy to see Zachary disappear completely so he did not appreciate this order.

    "Master Willis, Harley did not go away himself. Actually, they..." said Jimmy, who had been silent since they arrived.

    Benson''s and his team members'' faces turned pale. They didn''t expect Jimmy to throw them under the bus.

    "What do you mean? Explain it now!" Willis demanded coldly.

    "He was framed by them!" Jimmy gritted his teeth in distress but told the truth anyway. He knew that this could put him in trouble with the other disciples, but he had no choice.

    When Willis heard his explanation, his face darkened with unspeakable shadows. He glared at Benson and said, "If anything bad happened to Harley, you''re going to die with him."

    Benson immediately went pale with fear and quickly knelt down to beg for mercy.

    "It''s useless to beg me for mercy," Willis said coldly. Zachary was a disciple of the Celestial College. He was sent to receive training in the Dark Prison by the dean. If he died here due to being framed, not only the disciples would be blamed, but it would also land him in hot water.

    Everyone present was astonished by Willis'' threat. It did not seem to be just an empty threat but a promise.

    Right at this moment, a voice suddenly came from the entrance of the camp. "Wow, so many people! What''s happening here?"

 Chapter 349 The Ghost-crying Forest

    Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the direction where the voice came from and noticed a figure slowly creeping up to them.

    "That''s... That''s Harley! Oh my God! He''s still alive!" Jimmy was the first one to get excited to find such great news.

    Willis also let out a sigh of relief as the figure was identified.

    At the sight of Zachary, Benson, along with the other disciples, couldn''t restrain their utter excitement. They could finally put their minds at ease as they didn''t have to die.

    Seeing Zachary come back alive and in one piece, Charley cursed inwardly and frowned.

    "There you are. I was looking all over for you." Zachary frowned after noticing Jimmy and the others.

    "Where on earth have you been all this time? Why did you come back so late?" Willis screamed, taking a step forward after each furious question.

    "Well, at first I lost touch with them, and then I got lost," Zachary answered nonchalantly.

    "What did you say? But Jimmy told me that you got set up by them and that they had sent you to a nest of Buck-toothed Rabbits. Then you suddenly went missing," Willis said, growing strange at such different scenarios being thrown at him.

    Upon hearing this, Zachary took a quick glance at Jimmy. He didn''t expect that he would tell Willis the whole truth, but he immediately calmed himself down and quickly replied, "Yes, that''s true. After I went into the cave, I accidentally alerted those Buck-toothed Rabbits. As I couldn''t defeat them, I escaped from another exit, and then I lost touch with Jimmy and the others."

    "Is that true?" Willis questioned, squinting his eyes at the man.

    Zachary only offered a nod as a response.

    "Well, since you''re back safe and sound, that''s the end of the matter." Willis didn''t want to pursue the matter further considering the victim came back in one piece. Then he turned to Benson along with the other disciples and said, "You have gone too far. I know you wanted to bully the newcomer, but you should at least know when to stop. You are excused from death but you can hardly escape from punishment. Your punishment will last one more month. What''s more, from tomorrow on, all of your training will be doubled."

    All the disciples looked grim, but such a punishment was preferred than death anyway.

    "Since you guys failed to hunt the Buck-toothed Rabbits, your training will also be doubled tomorrow. And you are no exception as well!" Willis said as he pointed towards Zachary. He knew how to separate personal and business related issues.

    "Oh, I almost forgot t

    still acting so stubbornly. All of you, beat him as hard as you can!" Charley shouted to the other disciples.

    Some disciples had suffered a loss the last time they fought with Zachary, so they all had been looking for a chance to take revenge. They soon surrounded him, getting ready to fight. However, just as the team was getting ready to attack, Zachary put on a strange smile and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    Charley and the other disciples were stupefied before they realized that they had all been fooled by the man. He had never planned to fight them from the very beginning.

    "Bastard, I wonder how much further you are able to run!" Of course, Charley would not let go of Zachary that easily.

    However, since they didn''t know which direction Zachary was heading to, they were divided into four groups, each having at least a King Level disciple leading to chase the other.

    Charley headed to the east with five disciples at the premium stage of Heaven Level. As soon as they set out, a ghost-like figure began to follow them.

    Charley ran all the way together with the five disciples, but couldn''t find any sign of Zachary going in their direction, which only added fuel to the fire. But since the Ghost-crying Forest was very dangerous, they didn''t dare to pry deeper. So they decided to return by the way they came and make another plan.

    Just then, they heard a beast approaching them from the jungle not far from where they all had been standing. As the leaves shook, a shadow which stood as tall as a wild horse rushed out. At this scene, they retreated in all directions. When they gazed at the shadow properly, they realized that it was a martial beast of King Level.

 Chapter 350 Screams

    The martial beast of King Level roared as it went mad. It grew angry at the sight of Charley and the other five disciples and didn''t waste time to attack them. It possessed the strength of King Level. However, excluding Charley, the other five disciples were all at the premium stage of Heaven Level. Therefore, they were immediately thrown into passivity.

    Soon, two disciples of the five were seriously injured and couldn''t stand to fight anymore; the other three were barely coming out without any scratches.

    "You go and take them away first." Noticing the situation was being more and more unfavorable for them, Charley beckoned to the other three disciples.

    At his words, the three disciples felt a sense of relief and fled in a hurry along with the other two disciples.

    Just then, Charley suddenly sneered. He took out a white ball from his pocket and tossed it on the ground. Smoke soon rose from the ball and instantly engulfed his entire being.

    This way, the martial beast lost its target. It roared and began to chase after the five escaped disciples.

    After the martial beast had shifted its target and left, Charley walked out of the smoke and chuckled, "They will all get killed."

    At the same time, the five disciples who were running all the way noticed a black shadow flashing in front of them. Then they saw a figure sauntering toward them.

    "Who the hell are you?" Their eyes were wide in shock at the sight of the figure. But then they realized that he looked no different. He looked just the same as an ordinary disciple.

    If people from the Celestial College were present, they would be surprised; the man was none other than Zachary. He was using his own face.

    "You all must be very tired from being chased, right?" Zachary asked, squinting at them with his usual smile.

    "You led that martial beast of King Level here?" Those disciples were far from stupid. They came to such a conclusion as they sensed Zachary was just making fun of them.

    "You people are smarter than I thought." Zachary laughed.

    "Hey bastard, who the hell are you? How dare you plot to murder us! If you want to die so badly, I don''t mind helping you to fulfill your wish!" one of th

    sound, one of the disciple''s legs twisted in an instant. At the same time, a piercing scream escaped from his mouth similar to a pig being killed, startling the birds nearby.

    Bang!

    In the next moment, he was thrown to the ground. With his arms round his leg, he uttered a heartrending cry and looked miserable.

    "I was planning to break your hand, but since you gave me your leg, I decided to break that instead." After casting a glance at the disciple who lost one of his legs, Zachary then turned to look at the other four.

    The other four stood there dumbfounded. The disciple in blue was the most powerful one of them, but he lost one of his legs just after a few strokes. They were so frightened that they didn''t dare to go a step forward, let alone even think about landing an attack on Zachary.

    "Now, it''s your turn," Zachary chuckled to the other four disciples.

    "Don''t... Please... Please spare us. It''s entirely our fault. Please forgive us." Fearing that Zachary would break their hands and legs, the four disciples knelt down and began to beg for mercy.

    "You wouldn''t have become Charley''s men if you had realized your past mistakes. Do you think I would believe you now? I have to teach you a lesson, or you will be stubbornly persistent in staying in the wrong!" At these words, Zachary went straight towards the four disciples.

    The four of them trembled in fear. After a while, their screams were heard throughout the entire area.

 Chapter 351 The Unexpected Attack

    The disciples Charley assigned to search for Zachary stilled in shock when a miserable scream echoed. The terrible feeling that something was wrong invaded their minds and made their hearts jackrabbit in their chests. With one mind, they gathered and decided to withdraw, including the few disciples at the King Level.

    However, while they were returning to their camp, they were caught in surprise by a group of martial beasts. The beasts appeared out of nowhere and attacked the panicked disciples. Like a group of prey caught by their predators, they scattered in a panic and fled back to the camp by themselves.

    Then, something unexpected happened. All the disciples with lower levels were attacked by a mysterious man. They were left with broken arms and legs while only a few disciples of King Level were able to return unhurt.

    The camp in the Dark Prison was filled with wails of pain. Charley''s men were miserable as they nursed their injuries while some disciples were treating the wounded ones. A disciple in a blue robe howled the loudest, which was understandable as his injuries were the worst.

    Many disciples from Willis'' team observed from the sidelines. They whispered to each other curiously as they shared what they knew. They heard that Charley''s men were attacked by a mysterious man who was cruel and merciless.

    "From what I see, they deserve it. They always bully us and that''s their punishment. It''s karma!" one of them said.

    "All of them are wounded terribly. They will never be able to bully us anymore!" another one echoed.

    "Hush! Keep your voices down. You will be dead meat if Charley hears you!" a third man warned.

    Many of the disciples in the crowd took pleasure in their misfortune. For a long time, Charley and his men had ridiculed and bullied their fellow disciples. They behaved boldly because they had Michael''s support. Most disciples from Willis'' group, especially those who worked for Tyson, had suffered because of them. In fact, they decided to join Tyson''s team to seek protection because they could not bear their bullying any longer. The sight of Charley''s men injured and weak was a sweet reprieve.

    Meanwhile, Charley''s veins bulged on his temples as he looked at the pitiful state of his men. He gnashed his teeth and clenched his fists in impotent anger. He was confident that it was Zachary who hurt hi

    m going to find somewhere to solve this problem," Zachary responded naturally. No part of his body belayed his lie as even his heart was beating calmly.

    "Oh, really? Although Charley''s men claimed that the man who hurt them was someone they had never seen before, I think you must be involved in this!" Willis needled him. He was drunk but his eyes were bright with intelligence. He still seemed conscious of his words and actions.

    "Do you have any evidence to prove that, if I may ask?" Zachary asked innocently with a smiling face.

    "Do I need any evidence? Tyson would never dare to confront Michael head-on. Since you came here, so many strange things have happened. Even the stupidest people would know who is responsible for all of this. They don''t know how strong you really are but I do." Willis laughed loudly. Zachary struggled not to show any reaction even when Willis seemed to see through all that he had done.

    "So, are you going to expose me without any evidence?" Zachary asked as he looked at him. Truth to be told, he was a bit scared that Willis would expose him. However, he could not sense any malicious intent from him. Zachary was left with no choice but to ask Willis directly.

    "Expose you? No, that''s not necessary. On the contrary, I think it''s time for my team to appoint a new leader," Willis said. He burst into laughter while Zachary only stared at him warily.

    "Appoint a new leader?" Zachary repeated as he furrowed his eyebrows in bewilderment. He had not expected Willis to act this way, so he was curious about what he was up to.

 Chapter 352 Michael

    "The purpose of the Dark Prison is to train disciples who are sent here, making them reflect on themselves and turn over a new leaf. But as the saying goes, a leopard cannot change its spots. Few people who are sent here actually repent their deeds. It''s good enough as long as they don''t do anything worse. So what we need is a good example if we expect the disciples to change," Willis explained with a sigh.

    "A good example? You weren''t referring to Michael, were you?" Zachary asked sarcastically. He had already understood from Jimmy that Michael wasn''t as good as he made himself to be. If he was, he wouldn''t have allowed Charley to do whatever he wanted.

    "You should know that Tyson was my group''s former leader. He had made a serious mistake, which was why he was sent here. But he is a righteous, principled man. He never bullied the weak. Under his leadership, my group became the best of the three groups. But ever since Michael defeated him and became the new leader, my group declined rapidly. Michael is a cruel, ruthless brat, and his followers are no better than him. They always bully the weak, taking advantage of Michael''s power and influence. As a result, my group has earned a bad reputation, and the other two groups consider us as a laughingstock. I think we need to find a new leader because I hope that someone can bring Michael down!" Willis said bluntly but passionately.

    "Whatever it is, I don''t think it has anything to do with me," Zachary said, indifferent to the matter.

    "That depends on what you will do next. But as far as I can see, you already have a deep grudge against Michael''s men even though you''ve only been here a few days. I believe that you will soon become a thorn in his flesh and he will be eager to get rid of you as soon as possible," Willis said, his eyes glittering, as if he was plotting something.

    "So what do you wish me to do?" Zachary asked straightforwardly, knowing well that Willis could demand it of him.

    "You can do whatever you want. All you need to do is stir things up. As for what should happen next, just let nature take its course. And don''t run about in the middle of the night. Even

    chary in tow.

    "Buddy, you''d better ask for Tyson''s help because I think he appreciates you very much. If you go visit Michael, you might be in great trouble. Michael is well known for his cruelty. When a disciple offended him last time, he sliced his flesh with a knife and threw it to the Ghost-crying Forest to feed the martial beasts in there. Even Master Willis turned a blind eye to his savage act." Jimmy began to try and persuade Zachary the moment they got back to Zachary''s tent.

    "Really? Sounds awesome! I like him!" Zachary said, smiling calmly.

    "Are you all right? It''s not a joke. How about I ask Tyson for help?" Jimmy asked worriedly.

    "No, thanks," Zachary said, shaking his head.

    Before long, he appeared before the two disciples and said, "Lead the way, please."

    The two disciples brought him away.

    It wasn''t long before they arrived at a large tent at the south end of the camp. Compared to the old and worn-out tents scattered around it, this tent was like a luxurious palace. Michael was the leader of Willis'' group, after all. It was obvious that he would be treated much better than the rest.

    Zachary entered the tent to find Michael sitting in a chair at the center. His fat body filled the entire chair, threatening to spill over. Several King Level disciples stood on either side of him. Charley sat in a corner of the tent, and the moment he saw Zachary come in, his gaze turned sharp and cold.

 Chapter 353 Out Of Danger

    Michael trembled in fury and said to Zachary, "You''re a bold guy. You just arrived in the Dark Prison a few days ago, but you have already hurt my men. You should know who I am in the Dark Prison. I offer you two choices. One is to break one of your legs and apologize to us and you will be spared. After all, you''re still a newcomer to the Dark Prison. Your sudden disappearance will be hard for us to explain to Master Willis." He broke out a sinister smile.

    "What''s the other choice?" Zachary asked with raised eyebrows.

    "Well, they will help you if you can''t do that yourself. But you know, they have no concept of degree. They might not stop after breaking your leg," Michael said, gesturing at the King Level disciples next to him.

    They immediately flashed a sinister, bloodthirsty expression on their faces.

    "What if I choose neither?" Zachary asked calmly.

    "Then I''m afraid that''s choosing death." Michael waved his hand, and the flap of the tent was immediately put down. The remaining disciples in the tent surrounded Zachary.

    Zachary looked around and found himself in a nearly impossible situation. Besides Michael himself, the several disciples surrounding him were at the premium stage of King Level. It would not be an easy feat to get out of the tent.

    "You''d better think twice, boy. Otherwise, today is the date of your death," Michael said menacingly.

    A sinister smile flashed across Charley''s face. He gathered that Zachary was doomed this time.

    Zachary furrowed his eyebrows. He would not accept either choice that Michael offered him. He was definitely in great danger because he knew that Michael would not let him go easily.

    The atmosphere inside the tent got more and more tense with every passing second.

    At the same moment, a graceful and charming figure suddenly appeared outside the Dark Prison''s camp, attracting the attention of all the disciples.

    "It''s Master Tracy! She is the most attractive female master in the Shura College."

    "Sh

    hey would not dare provoke Michael by entering his tent while he taught Zachary a lesson.

    "Me. Let me go call him." A voice rang from the crowd. Jimmy forced his way through.

    "Thank you. Hurry up then," Willis ordered.

    Jimmy quickly ran toward Michael''s tent as if he had just received an edict to save his friend.

    The atmosphere was already very tense in Michael''s tent.

    Obviously, Zachary had no intention of making any choice, so Michael soon ran out of patience. He nodded at the disciples who surrounded Zachary.

    The disciples had been eager to fight for a while. They stepped forward one by one, circling around Zachary like vultures over a carcass. Zachary took a deep breath and braced himself.

    Just as they were about to fight, a disciple rushed inside the tent. He walked quickly to Michael and whispered something in his ear.

    The expression on Michael''s face changed dramatically. Then, he gazed at Zachary in surprise.

    Noticing the strange look on Michael''s face, Zachary grew very curious.

    "You can go now." To everyone''s surprise, Michael waved his hand at Zachary.

    The disciples surrounding Zachary were all stunned. They did not understand why Michael suddenly changed his mind.

    Charley asked curiously, "Michael, why did you let him go? If we don''t kill him today, I''m afraid..."

 Chapter 354 The Personal Disciple

    "Shut up!" Michael exclaimed, glaring at Charley with his gloomy eyes.

    "Then I''ll go now," Zachary said. Although he did not know why Michael let him go, he just laughed and walked out of the tent. He found Jimmy standing outside.

    "Are you all right?" Jimmy sighed in relief, seeing Zachary safe and sound.

    "Of course I am. How can I be hurt? Why are you here?" Zachary replied. Of course he had guessed that Jimmy was the reason why Michael let him go.

    "Master Tracy''s here. She wants to see you. You should thank her for coming. If it weren''t for her, you might have..." Jimmy murmured.

    "Oh, perfect timing as always!" Zachary exclaimed. He walked to the camp with Jimmy.

    It was not long before Zachary reached the camp. In front of so many disciples, he walked to Tracy.

    "My master, you are finally here. I thought you''ve forgotten about me. I know I did something wrong, but I''ve already realized my fault. Please forgive me. I know you love me the most," Zachary declared loudly, making sure everyone around heard him.

    All the disciples were shocked to hear Zachary''s words.

    "His master? You have accepted him as your personal disciple?" Willis asked Tracy, fixing his eyes on her.

    The Shura College did not forbid the masters to accept personal disciples privately, so masters usually accepted a few disciples they liked as their personal disciples to educate them with more focus. But everybody knew that Tracy had never accepted a personal disciple. That was why what Zachary said deeply surprised Willis and all the disciples.

    Tracy rolled her eyes at Zachary. She knew that he must have his own intention in calling her his master in public, and it was easy to figure out what his intention was. On a normal day, she would deny it without hesitation, but looking at him at the moment, she decided to neither confirm nor deny his words.

    In the eyes of the disciples, Tracy''s non-response was equal to tacit consent. They thought that Zachary was really her apprentice. Even Willis took a few more glances at he

    refining level and reached the King Level.

    He had planned to upgrade the Illusory Dragon Spine, too, but due to its great potential, it required rare and precious materials every time it was upgraded. It was difficult to collect such materials. They were almost the same as the materials needed to make Andrew''s physical body. He could buy most of the materials from Anne, but they were extremely expensive, so he decided to try and collect the materials himself. If all else failed, he would exchange treasure-hunting coins for the materials he needed with Anne.

    He had also practiced his energy fire with double elements smoothly. He had especially mastered the energy fire with the wood element, which he had employed to cast some weapons he could use when exploring the Ghost-crying Forest. These weapons saved him a lot of trouble.

    He had also cast dual swords for himself, which could be used in accordance with the Lady Swordsmanship. Overall, everything went as planned.

    The only thing upsetting him was the mysterious treasure beast that Tania was looking for. He had not found a clue about it and felt helpless.

    All the disciples in Willis'' team, including Zachary, gathered in the camp. The disciples looked ready to fight because their monthly competition was going to take place today. Every disciple was eager to compete with one another.

 Chapter 355 Mysterious Dark Stones

    Although the disciples of the Dark Prison were cut off from the rest of the world, they were still under the supervision of some masters. They were still expected to correct their mistakes and return to the Shura College. Therefore, every once in a while, a competition would be held in which the winner was awarded with penalty reduction, exemption from a month''s training and hunting, and other treasures.

    The competition was usually held once a month in the form of team competition. The number of disciples per team could only be five at most. Naturally, the weaker disciples were less likely to win.

    "Your mission is to go in the Dark Stone Cave to collect the Mysterious Dark Stone. In two days, the team that collects the most Mysterious Dark Stones will win," Willis announced.

    All the disciples were eager to compete. Collecting Mysterious Dark Stones was the simplest task they could ever expect. It was largely based on luck, so it was a fair game even for the weaker disciples.

    Many disciples at the Earth Level and the Heaven Level were very excited. They had a chance to win the game.

    "The first step is to form teams. The number of people in each team cannot exceed five. Of course you can choose to be on your own but at your own risk," Willis reminded the disciples.

    Soon, everyone started forming teams.

    Birds of a feather flock together. The King Level disciples quickly teamed with one another. The rest of the disciples at the Heaven Level and the Earth Level also teamed up. Then, the four weakest disciples were left, including Jimmy. The last one was Zachary as no one wanted to team up with him.

    "It seems that no one wants us again." Jimmy shook his head. It was really no surpris

    ok his head. If they were strong enough, they could just muscle their way into the good hunting spots. Unfortunately, all they could do now was watch.

    Soon, Zachary and his team reached the end of the tunnel.

    "It''s the end. Let''s go look for another one," Jimmy told Zachary.

    "This is the place," Zachary suddenly said.

    "Here?" Jimmy and the three disciples looked at Zachary in confusion.

    "Harley, no Mysterious Stone Crabs would come to this place. Let''s look for another tunnel," Jimmy retorted.

    "Listen to me. Let''s dig. The deeper, the better. Take these for your hard work," Zachary said, taking out four fourth-grade white cultivation-aiding pills.

    Jimmy and the three disciples were stupefied for a moment, but they took the pills. It was a worthy deal.

    Jimmy and the other three disciples worked very hard.

    Zachary found a corner and sat down, relaxing himself.

    The four dug a hole deep enough to see an underground tunnel with the size of two palms. Still, no Mysterious Stone Crabs were seen.

    "Should we keep digging?" Jimmy asked, raising his head.

    "Yes," Zachary answered without opening his eyes.

 Chapter 356 Black Demonic Bug

    Jimmy and the three disciples at the Earth Level glanced at each other helplessly and continued digging.

    After another hour, the hole they dug had reached three meters deep and one meter wide. They eyed the five or six tunnels that had appeared in the hole.

    By this time, Zachary opened his eyes as if he knew the progress that they had made. He stood up and walked to the crater to peek at their work. "Well done, guys. You can climb up now."

    After the four disciples climbed up, Zachary took out the Beast-alluring Dew from his pocket and dripped a single drop in the large crater.

    Jimmy and the other three disciples were confused, but were too tired to ask what he was doing. Instead, they all sat down to rest. Meanwhile, Zachary sat with them silently as if he was waiting for something. But soon, they felt the ground beneath their feet began to rumble, as if something was about to come out. They looked at each other and realized that they were equally confused. Their heads swiveled to Zachary, who had walked to the huge crater and was now staring at it with a pleased smile on his face.

    They ran towards him, about to ask him what was happening, when the scene in front of them made them pause. They gaped in surprise at the unexpected scene.

    Numerous palm-sized Mysterious Stone Crabs were gathering into the huge crater as if they were attracted by something. They were coming from the various paths that circled the huge crater.

    Jimmy and the other disciples stood speechless and astonished as more and more Mysterious Stone Crabs gathered. This was the first time that they saw such a large number of Mysterious Stone Crabs. Zachary stood calmly beside them as he watched the crabs emerge from the tunnels one by one.

    After about fifteen minutes, Zachary figured that the number was enough. He used his Ghost Palm to explode the huge crater and immediately knocked out the gathered Mysterious Stone Crabs.

    "Jimmy, go and count how many Mysterious Stone Crabs we have!" Zachary ordered.

    Still bewildered, Jimmy shook away his thoughts and promptly jumped down the crater to count the knocked out beasts.

    "How many?" Zachary''s voice echoed from above.

    "More than forty..." Jimmy stuttered and almost swallowed his tongue. He licked his dried lips as he stood in front of the Mysterious Stone Crabs. He still couldn''t believe how many there were.

    The collection of Mysterious Dark Stones was a routine contest and involved a lot of luck on the winner''s part. Generally speaking, one could capture four or five Mysterious Stone Crabs in two days at th

    ought to himself, ''Isn''t this Dark Golden Stone the treasure that I am looking for?'' It seemed that he was not the only one who was interested in the Dark Golden Stone.

    Thankful that he finally seemed to find a good lead, he followed the disciples into a wide tunnel which was wider than all the others he''d seen. He followed inside as they walked the straight hallway until finally, a strange scene appeared in front of him. At the end of the tunnel, there was a huge black stone flower formed by an unknown special ore. It shone brightly in the dim light of the tunnel.

    More than ten teams had gathered around it. All of them had varying strengths above the premium stage of Heaven Level while the strongest two teams were led by Michael and Tyson.

    "Are these people enough?" Michael asked as he looked around at the people that gathered.

    "Michael, now that we summoned many people to catch the Black Demonic Bug, there is only one Dark Golden Stone. What are you planning to do?" Tyson looked intently at Michael. His arms were bulging and intimidating as he crossed them over his chest.

    "You know, I am always fair. Whoever kills the Black Demonic Bug gets the Dark Golden Stone! How about that?" Michael announced to the group. Those who heard it enthusiastically nodded as they planned how they could kill the beast. Meanwhile, Tyson noticed that despite the announcement, Michael did not even look at him. In fact, his voice was quieter than normal as if he forced himself to say it.

    "What you said sounds good, but why do you sound so uneasy?" Tyson said critically. He wore a fake smile on his face as he stared at Michael intensely. It was obvious to Tyson that Michael had no plans to keep his promise.

 Chapter 357 Tyson

    "Tyson, do you really need me to say it? Besides myself, you are the only one who is capable of killing the Black Demonic Bug with a single blow. You have nothing to worry about. Don''t you have confidence in yourself?" Michael said, squinting at Tyson.

    "You kidding?" Tyson laughed. In an instant, the aura at the peak of King Level exploded, and the energy surged.

    Michael told the people behind him, "Although we''ve forced the Black Demonic Bug to hide behind the stone flower, it will be difficult to find if it escapes. We can''t let it get into the ground."

    The crowd bellowed their agreement.

    "Go!" At the order, the disciples rushed to the stone flower.

    A shrill, deafening scream erupted from the stone flower. Then, an elephant-like beast appeared behind it. Its six giant legs stood straight like pillars and supported its body in midair. It was dark in color and had a pair of black wings on its back. It looked like a beetle or a giant turtle carrying a cluster of stone flowers. It was ugly, but its strength of the Imperial Level was enough to shake everyone to their core.

    Above the beast''s head, a palm-sized stone flashed with dark golden light. It was the Dark Golden Stone.

    "It''s a martial beast at the first grade of Imperial Level. No wonder so many people are sent to deal with it," Zachary, who was hiding in the dark, sighed. He waited patiently to see what would happen.

    Even though the Black Demonic Bug was a martial beast of Imperial Level, it was nothing compared to the previous Hundred-Treasure Beast. Zachary knew that he did not have to deal with it. He just had to wait and see.

    The disciples grew more excited at the sight of the Dark Golden Stone. They surrounded the Black Demonic Bug and displayed their martial arts.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Exploding sounds were heard, and smoke filled the air.

    However, the Black Demonic

    ht that he already got the Dark Golden Stone in the bag.

    But Tyson would not let him. If the Dark Golden Stone was not his, then it would not be Michael''s either. Tyson gritted his teeth and went after Michael. He stretched out his hand and grabbed Michael forcefully.

    Michael was surprised to see Tyson grabbing him despite his injury. He dealt a punch with his fist again. All of a sudden, Tyson''s martial energy burst out and collided with Michael''s shining fist with a deafening noise.

    The battle came to a deadlock once again.

    Seeing this, the other disciples looked at one another in surprise. The Black Demonic Bug stirred and was about to jump up again. If they did not strike now, they would probably lose their chance.

    Many disciples could not resist the temptation of the Dark Golden Stone. With Michael and Tyson engaged in a fight, they rushed to the Black Demonic Bug and tried to kill it.

    However, the Black Demonic Bug suddenly rolled over, spread its black wings, and started spinning like a top, sending all that charged at it flying in different directions.

    Then, the Black Demonic Bug retreated into the crater again. It was going to successfully escape this time.

    "It''s time," Zachary murmured and disappeared.

 Chapter 358 Wrath Wave Thorn

    "Enough! We will both lose if the Black Demonic Bug escapes!" Michael growled at Tyson.

    "Then I might as well beat the hell out of you," Tyson hissed. He was sure he would not let Michael have what he wanted anyway.

    Michael''s face darkened, and he glared at Tyson. His martial energy suddenly surged. He took the opportunity to push Tyson away with the impact of his martial energy and then rushed toward the Black Demonic Bug. His martial energy gathered at this right fist, and swirled before it charged forward.

    "Soil Stone Seal!" Stones flew into the air, and dust gathered and rushed to the Black Demonic Bug. In a heartbeat, the bug was placed in an earthen seal with only its black iron head exposed.

    Michael cackled with satisfaction. He wasted no time in sending his shining black fist shooting into the air, leaving a trail of tremendous energy and billowing dust. It seemed to pierce through everything. It was a unique skill at the premium stage of King Level.

    "Wrath Wave Thorn!"

    Seeing this, all the disciples knew that Michael was going to kill the Black Demonic Bug.

    However, in a flash like lightning, a ghost-like figure suddenly appeared in front of the Black Demonic Bug. The figure stood in front of the bug, as if to announce to everyone present that no one could take the bug away from him.

    "Huh!" the figure growled. With the figure''s flick of a wrist, a huge palm shadow collided with Michael''s strike. The impact was so great that Michael was sent flying a few meters back. It created an enormous dust cloud and a blinding flash of light.

    All the disciples present were shocked. They could not believe that someone was able to shatter Michael''s attack straight on.

    What was more astonishing was that Michael''s energy wave was devoured completely. Before Michael could react, the figure had turned and aimed at the Black Demonic Bug. Then, the figure turned into a frightening ghost hand. The ghost hand was blue all over like a monster''s arm. It came down to cover the Black Demonic Bug wholly, and dazzling blue light shone in all directions.

    At the same t

    ones we collected would be taken away, so we hid," Jimmy said helplessly.

    "It''s just a few stones. They are not that important. How many in total do you have?" Zachary asked.

    "Forty-two," Jimmy responded.

    "How many should each of you collect to complete the task?" Zachary asked, his eyes narrowed.

    "Normally five will be enough. But if we want to win, I''m afraid we need more," Jimmy answered.

    "Then let''s hand ten stones in to Mater Willis. Each of you can take five. I''ll keep the rest." Zachary assigned without hesitation.

    Jimmy and the three Earth Level disciples did not disagree. In fact, they were happy because not only could they complete the task but also take five Mysterious Dark Stones each for free. They gained more than they deserved. It was a profit. One Mysterious Dark Stone was worth 20, 000 or 30, 000 gold coins, and with five Mysterious Dark Stones, the amount of gold coins they could earn was enormous, which could help them make a small fortune. Of course they also knew that Zachary should take all the credit, so they were totally okay with the way Zachary divided the Mysterious Dark Stones.

    "The three of you, take your share and leave. Remember not to tell anyone about this, okay?" Zachary told the three disciples at the Earth Level.

    The three Earth Level disciples nodded and happily took their Mysterious Dark Stones with them before they left.

 Chapter 359 A Reduced Sentence

    "Jimmy, take five Mysterious Dark Stones for your use. I''ll join you later," Zachary said with a wave of his hand.

    Jimmy nodded as he put away five of the Mysterious Dark Stones before leaving.

    Shortly after, Zachary placed twelve Mysterious Dark Stones into the system. He then deposited ten in the bag for the task before catching up with Jimmy.

    The two-day deadline ended less than an hour later.

    Willis opened the entrance to the Dark Stone Cave. Since the mysterious man who took the Dark Golden Stone away was nowhere to be found, most of the disciples had no choice but to leave the cave in despair. Many others continued their search, but soon, they also gave up.

    "Is anyone still in the cave? Tyson, count the number of disciples," Willis instructed Tyson when he saw that almost everyone had come out.

    A short moment later, Tyson finished counting and reported to Willis, "Everyone is accounted for."

    "Well then, let me see what the teams have collected. The teams that successfully gathered Mysterious Dark Stones need to nominate one member to bring the stones to me," Willis instructed.

    Soon enough, many teams swarmed around Willis to hand over their Mysterious Dark Stones. However, most of them had collected just one or two stones, three at most.

    A commotion was caused when Tyson''s team presented five Mysterious Dark Stones. The disciples began debating with one another as they were convinced that, given the quantity, Tyson''s team would win.

    "Get out of the way! What''s the big deal about getting five Mysterious Dark Stones?" At this time, an arrogant voice was heard. Michael walked toward the crowd with a heavy bag. Seven Mysterious Dark Stones were revealed when he opened the bag.

    The disciples were shocked by this sight as they had never thought that Michael''s team would gather so many.

    The moment Michael took out the Mysterious Dark Stones, a few disciples curled their lips in disapproval. They knew that the seven stones had been forcibly taken from the other teams.

    "Good job! Michael, you''re the winner again." Willis nodded to Michael. As t

    our sentence. As for other prizes, I''ll distribute them after my return," Willis said.

    Jimmy and the three disciples of Earth Level were surprised to hear Willis. They couldn''t believe that they had won the competition. But Zachary looked very calm.

    The other disciples began to clamor as they couldn''t accept that the weakest team had secured the victory in the competition.

    After a heated debate, people''s astonishment settled, and all was forgotten. Soon, everyone returned to the camp with Willis and began to rest and heal themselves.

    Zachary also retired to his tent. Jimmy entered as soon as Zachary had sat down.

    "Harley, I have bad news!" Jimmy said. Worry laced his voice as he stood in front of Zachary.

    "What''s wrong?" Zachary glanced at Jimmy.

    "Michael''s men have taken our teammates," Jimmy stated.

    "Really?" Zachary''s face darkened.

    "If they are made to suffer bitterly, they may tell Michael how we got the Mysterious Dark Stones." Jimmy was aware of that possibility.

    "Doesn''t matter now." Zachary didn''t care about this. "You may have to find Tyson. Let him protect you, or you will be the next one to suffer."

    Jimmy nodded. He had already thought of this. After a pause, he asked, "What about you?"

    "Michael wouldn''t dare to do anything to me now. Don''t worry about me. If he dares to hurt me, he will have to pay a high price," Zachary said proudly.

 Chapter 360 Entering The Burial Abyss

    Jimmy was speechless. He wondered where Zachary''s nerve to constantly piss Michael off was coming from. He was still a newcomer but still managed to make enemies of the wrong people. Zachary was indeed very bold, which Jimmy found both admirable and unsettling.

    "Okay, I''m leaving then," Jimmy said. It was useless trying to convince Zachary not to do this. Zachary would not take his advice anyway. In order to save his own life, Jimmy thought he had better go and find Tyson.

    "Wait a second," Zachary called.

    Jimmy turned around to look at Zachary. Zachary took out three Mysterious Dark Stones and handed them to him. "Here. Give these to Tyson as your protection fee if necessary."

    "It''s fine. I have my own stones," Jimmy said and politely refused. He was really surprised by Zachary''s gesture. Three Mysterious Dark Stones were quite precious, yet Zachary was willing to give them to him to buy Tyson''s protection. Jimmy was quite moved.

    "Keep your own stones. Don''t give them to Tyson. Use these three stones. I caused all this trouble after all. This is my way of making up for it. It won''t be long before you leave here. I don''t want anything bad to happen to you," Zachary urged. After handing the three Mysterious Dark Stones to Jimmy, Zachary waved his hand and said, "You can get out now." He then deliberately yawned and pretended to want to get some rest.

    Jimmy trembled slightly and turned around with the three Mysterious Dark Stones in his hand. He was truly grateful for what Zachary had done for him.

    After that, Zachary entered the system and went to the Living-dead Tomb. He was going to claim the quest reward from Anne. After that, he continued to focus on his cultivation.

    The next day during his morning training, Zachary saw the three disciples of Earth Level who were on his team yesterday. There were bruises all over their bodies. Even with clothes on, it was easy to spot all the wounds on their bodies. As soon as the three disciples saw Zachary, they immediately ran away like mice coming across a cat. There was something more. Those three disciples were not the only ones who avoided Zachary but also the other disciples.

    Zachary did not think much of it. He just surmised that Michael was threatening them to stay away from him so that he would be isolated. Michael wanted Zachary to be alone in this dangerous place.

    "Hey, Harley!" Jimmy, who suddenly appeared beside him, g

    after hesitating for a few moments.

    "Is it more dangerous than enduring the Heavenly Tribulation?" Zachary smiled. As far as he was concerned, the Heavenly Tribulation was already horrible. He seriously doubted that Anne''s shortcut could compare.

    "Yes, way more dangerous. If you want to enhance your strength through this shortcut, you have to pay an unimaginable price. There are only two possible outcomes. One is spiraling into madness, and the other is total annihilation," Anne said seriously.

    "It sounds quite terrifying, but I have no choice. I can''t enter the deepest parts of the Burial Abyss with my current strength, and it''s the only place left where I can find the mysterious treasure beast. I need that beast to pass the trial, and I need to pass the King Level contest to complete the main quest," Zachary said helplessly. The next journey to the Dark Prison was of great importance to him. If he could not complete his task and get through all these missions, he would face much more trouble in the future while fixing the problems he left behind.

    "A warrior only has one chance to take advantage of this shortcut. I just think that it might be a pity if you use it at this time," Anne said. It was not that she did not want to tell him about the shortcut. She was actually pleased that he desperately wanted to find the mysterious beast and pass Tania''s trial. But every benefit came with a price. Anne simply thought that he could save this chance for graver ordeals in the future. But seeing the mixed anxiety and determination in his eyes, she felt that maybe this ordeal was grave enough.

 Chapter 361 Explosive Mysterious Claw

    "Why?" Zachary asked curiously.

    "You can quickly enhance your strength through this shortcut by opening up the Energy-absorbing Acupoint, which is a warrior''s core source of martial energy control. It''s hidden deep inside one''s body and it''s a taboo acupoint, so it''s not easy to open up. Once the Energy-absorbing Acupoint is opened up, it will allow you to absorb any power between heaven and earth freely and make it your own, including the essential energy of heaven and earth, warriors'' martial energy, and the strength of martial beasts. So, if one opens up the Energy-absorbing Acupoint, they could improve their strength in a short period of time through absorbing all kinds of power. Anyway, it will impact your body immensely. You must be strong enough to withstand the effects. Otherwise, you will either spiral into madness or be annihilated completely. According to past experience, it''s impossible to close the Energy-absorbing Acupoint when opened a second time. So you only have one chance," Anne said seriously.

    "Really? Then it will be a pity if I use the shortcut too soon." Zachary could not help hesitating, but he really needed to improve his strength as soon as possible.

    "You should think about it carefully," Anne reminded.

    "I''m done thinking. I''ll do it," Zachary snapped. He did not have time to think. He just wanted to finish everything he needed to do.

    "The Energy-absorbing Acupoint can only stay open for forty-eight hours. If you exceed that limit, you may not be able to close it," Anne warned.

    "So I have two days at most." Zachary narrowed his eyes.

    "That''s right. In two days, how much you can improve your strength will greatly depend on your efforts. Also, you have to come back here to close the Energy-absorbing Acupoint before the time limit and before your physical body collapses. Otherwise, even I won''t be able to save you," Anne explained.

    "I understand. I''ll go get ready." With that, Zachary left the Living-dead Tomb.

    Getting out of the system, Zachary went to the camp immediately to look for Willis. Willis was lying on his

    his Holy Bone Bracer suddenly glowed. In a heartbeat, the huge claw shadow turned into streaks of light that were sucked into the Holy Bone Bracer.

    Everyone present was stunned by what just happened. They had no idea how Zachary had broken Charley''s martial skill at the medium stage of King Level.

    Rage turned Charley''s face into wild crimson. He did not expect that his martial skill could be broken so easily by Zachary. Charley made a fool of himself in front of everyone. He would not tolerate it.

    Charley charged at Zachary once again. Zachary did not bother hiding his strength. He emitted the aura at King Level.

    "King Level! He has the strength at the King Level!" Everyone watched with wide eyes as Zachary displayed his power.

    Zachary didn''t fight his opponent head-on. In the blink of an eye, he brushed past Charley and then stopped behind him.

    Charley was stunned. Everything just happened so fast that didn''t have time to react. When he turned, he saw Zachary heading toward the camp''s gates.

    "Where do you think you''re going, brat?" Charley yelled at Zachary and ran after him. He thought that Zachary wanted to take the opportunity to slip away.

    He then heard some slashing sounds and found himself standing in the midst of his cut-up clothes as if somebody had sliced his clothing into little ribbons from his body while leaving his skin intact and unscathed.

 Chapter 362 Dragon-headed Lizard

    "What? What happened?" Charley exclaimed in surprise, dumbfounded.

    All the people around him were equally shocked. They stood around with wide eyes and mouths agape.

    "How awesome the swordsmanship is! Charley was lucky to escape it! He almost died there!" Tyson was speechless as he watched the wonderful performance. He didn''t even see Zachary''s attack. All he could see was the shadow his sword had made as it flashed against Charley at that crucial moment. It was amazing for Zachary to perform such a wonderful and marvelous sword skill without being noticed by everyone. To top it off, it was pure physical skill as attested by the lack of martial energy in the air. It was not something an ordinary warrior was capable of.

    "What swordsmanship? Did he just perform any swordsmanship? Why didn''t I see him use the sword?" asked Steven, who was next to Tyson.

    "That''s because the sword skill he used is at the premium stage," Tyson explained as he watched the receding figure of Zachary. "Superficially, he seems weaker than Charley, but his performance just now proved everyone wrong. He is actually more powerful than Charley. I wonder how strong he truly is. Is this all his real strength or is he still hiding something?"

    As Tyson said this, the people who heard him nodded in agreement. They too had similar thoughts after they watched Zachary show his true colors. Even those who had no thoughts like these were now suspicious of him.

    After Zachary left the camp, he went to the Ghost-crying Forest. There, he entered the system. As soon as he stepped foot at the Living-dead Tomb, he saw Anne who was already standing in the hall. He wondered why she was just standing there and was about to ask when several needles suddenly shot towards him and entered his body. The next moment, he felt as if something was awakened in his chest. His martial energy surged as he felt all his pores open. He groaned as invisible energy from all directions rushed into his body.

    "You can use the God-slaying Formula and the Holy Bone Bracer to balance and transform the power you are absorbing. In this way, not only can you reduce the impact of the absorbed energy on your flesh body, but it would also buy you more time. You have to remember this. If you can''t hold on any longer, you must come back for my help. You can''t delay even for a moment. Remember, the time limit is forty-eight hours from now," Anne warned him. As soon as she finished her words, she turned around and walked back into the chamber.

    Time was precious, so Zachary immediately left the Living-dead Tomb. Once he was out of the system, the essential energy and the evil energy that filled the whole Ghost-crying Forest began to rush into his body.

    martial beasts of Imperial Level in the Ghost-crying Forest. Even though Zachary had searched the forest for a long time, he had only seen three martial beasts of Imperial Level. It was quite unlucky that the moment when his body was barely hanging on and he was ready to retire would be the time that he encountered such a strong beast.

    "Mimi, what kind of martial beast is it?" Zachary contacted the Treasure-hunting System at once, eager for more information about the monster in front of him.

    "It''s a Dragon-headed Lizard, an elite martial beast. It uses poison to paralyze its prey. The effect of its poison can last for two hours," Mimi replied at once.

    When Zachary heard this, he knew that he couldn''t defeat it. He needed to enter the system immediately or he would be killed and all his hard work would be in vain. However, when he tried to enter the system, he heard Mimi''s voice again. "Access denied. The identity verification failed. You have to tap the Treasure-hunting Compass close to any part of your body. Otherwise, you won''t be able to enter the system."

    Zachary immediately twisted his head and found that his Treasure-hunting Compass, which was on his chest earlier, was now hanging in the air. What terrible luck he had! "Oh, fuck!" he whined miserably. He immediately tried to pull the Treasure-hunting Compass closer to him, but he couldn''t move his arms and legs. He couldn''t even feel them. ''No, no, no! I can''t be doomed like this!''

    His mind raced as he tried to figure out what he should do. If he couldn''t get into the system, he would be slaughtered by this Dragon-headed Lizard. Zachary tensed further when their eyes met. It was staring at him intently as saliva oozed from its open mouth. It looked like he was about to become its food unless he thought of a solution fast.

 Chapter 363 immune To Toxins

    "Is there any way to detoxify me?" Zachary questioned immediately.

    "Yes, there is. But you will need to make the antidote. Unfortunately, we don''t have enough materials now. Besides, it takes some time to make the antidote," Mimi quickly answered.

    "Then we are running out of choices," Zachary dejectedly exclaimed as he worriedly furrowed his eyebrows. Obviously, he was in danger. If he couldn''t remove the poison and detoxify himself as soon as possible, he wouldn''t be able to escape.

    "There is another way," Mimi blurted out.

    "What is it? Say it," Zachary urged at once. Her sudden outburst made him feel a spark of hope.

    "If you enter the bloodthirsty state and the martial beast instinct wholly dominates your mind, maybe you will be immune to toxins. But you should know that your memory will suffer. You will completely lose your mind. If you can''t close your Energy-absorbing Acupoint in time, the consequences will be unimaginably terrible."

    "It''s better than being killed by this monster! I will do this," he mumbled under his breath. And without wasting another second, he immediately stopped employing the God-slaying Formula. And soon, he turned down the Holy Bone Bracer.

    The beast''s violent energy filled Zachary''s body like an arrow from a bow and began running wildly. And soon, the beast instinct completely engulfed Zachary''s mind. His original purple eyes turned into the color of red. His gentle face grew ferocious like that of a beast. To describe him now, he had shifted into something quite fierce and bloodthirsty.

    While his conscious mind was entirely dominated by the beast instinct, Zachary had subsequently entered the bloodthirsty state. His arms and legs finally recovered from the anesthesia in a flash. And he burst out the martial energy, consequently, he had already broken free from the restraint of the Dragon-headed Lizard. At this time, he had lost his mind altogether and solely behaved by mere instinct. Staring at the Dragon-headed Lizard, he could sense that he was now considering the beast to be his prey.

    On the other side, the Dragon-headed Lizard angrily whined when it recognized that Zachary was immune to its venom. Of course, it would unquestionably not let its prey run away like that. It instantly turned into a green shadow and rushed towards Zachary in no time.

    Zachary surprisingly showed no sign of weakness as he skilfully waved his sword. Like the Dragon-headed Lizard, he didn''t waste time as he stood his ground and began fighting fiercely with it.

    In terms of strength, the Dragon-headed Lizard was a lot much more powerful compared with Zachary. So even though he was immune to its poison, he was at a disadvantage facing the mighty beast. It was visible that the gap between their strength was way too large. Time flew, and soon he was covered all over with wounds.

    But at any rate, the longer they fought, the more courageous Zachary became. He charged towards the Dragon-headed Lizard like a hungry beast over and over again.

    It was precisely four hours that had passed in a twinkling, and Zachary, who was in the state of bloodthirsty, was wholly covered with blood all over his body. However, this time, it was not the blood of the martial beast, but his blood. There were dozens of ugly wounds all over

    is eyes shut, he tried hard to recall again, but still, he could not figure out a name of who might have possibly provided timely help to him. Shaking his head, he dropped all the mental impressions nagging him. He had something more urgent to take care of for the time being. ''Never mind! I will surely figure it out when the time comes, '' he mused inwardly.

    "Your wounds are very serious, but the internal injuries are not that severe. So, as long as you take the rest on the Ice Jade Bed for two days, you will be able to recover in no time," Anne explained thoughtfully.

    "I see," Zachary replied simply while he simultaneously channeled his strength. Soon surprise engulfed him when he found that his force had already broken through to the eighth grade of King Level. That was generous of significant progress.

    "You are lucky. You have already improved by three grades in a mere two days. It seems that you must have tried your best to achieve that. I originally thought you would only last one day at most," she said, the meaning of the words more seriously than they sounded. She was so pleased with his excelling progress.

    "Ha-ha. I''m kind of feeling flattered," Zachary countered with a smug smile on his face.

    "I''m not going to say that you are safe to search the depths of the Burial Abyss with your current strength. But you can give it a try at the least. However, even if you find the mysterious treasure beast, I''m afraid it won''t be easy for you to pass the trial," Anne added after a moment''s reflection. She knew very well that people couldn''t pass Tania''s trials, and she was also worried that Zachary would lose his life because of trying too hard. But she would not prevent him after all this hardship he had gone through.

    "Let me find it first. As for what would happen after that, I am not one hundred sure about my strength as well. Even if I can''t pass the trial, I still have you to assist me at any time. Master Anne, I know you will help me," Zachary prodded, acting shamelessly despite his sorry state.

    "Take good care of yourself. That is your priority for the time being," Anne merely said in a seemingly angry tone before she turned around and left.

 Chapter 364 Shock

    After a day''s treatment, Zachary felt that he had recovered enough, so he left the system.

    After getting out of the system, he went back to the place where he had fought the Dragon-headed Lizard only to find some parts of the beast''s body as if it had been dismembered. Obviously, it had been eaten by other martial beasts passing by. Despite being an elite martial beast, it had eventually become food for other martial beasts.

    Zachary wanted to know who saved him. He checked the body of the Dragon-headed Lizard and found the same shocking claw prints he had found on many martial beasts before.

    He then released the power of the Dog Soul Ring. After searching the auras around, he was sure that whoever saved him was a warrior and the owner of the strange aura he had tracked before.

    Zachary had been out for three days. Now it was time to return to the camp.

    As soon as Zachary arrived at the camp, Jimmy walked up to him and asked, "Buddy, where have you been?"

    "I went to do something for Master Willis." Zachary made up an excuse.

    "Really?" Jimmy was stunned.

    "Has something happened?" Zachary asked.

    "No, but you have to be careful. I heard that Charley is looking everywhere for you," Jimmy answered.

    "Thanks. I will." After patting Jimmy on the shoulder, Zachary went to see Willis.

    "There you are. I thought you were not coming back," Willis said coldly.

    "I met an accident, so I came back late," Zachary responded.

    "Did you make any breakthrough?" Willis asked.

    "Yes, I did. Thank you for asking." Zachary nodded.

    "Go get some rest then," Willis said and then waved Zachary off.

    Zachary then went back to his tent and entered the system.

    He was just one step away from the Imperial Level, so he wasted no time to draw the lottery with treasure-hunting coins. Fortunately, he had good luck. Using five hundred treasure-hunting coins, he got a Cultivation Boosting Pill of King Level. He was much luckier than last time.

    He was never a greedy man. This very pill was enough to bring him to the ninth grade of King Level. He also knew that it was not that easy to reach the Imperial Level, so there

    into a tree. He fell on the ground like a broken doll. Silence fell.

    "Leave and keep your lives, or stay and end up like him," Zachary declared, suddenly appearing.

    The disciples only felt a strong power coming at them, and they trembled.

    "Kill him!" Charley ordered, his dark eyes blazing with anger and vengeance. He did not expect Zachary to launch an attack first.

    Soon, all the disciples, except Charley and the four flanking him, rushed toward Zachary''s direction.

    "Wild Kick!"

    "Devouring Fist!"

    "Incessant Palm!"

    More than a dozen martial arts were unleashed at once. Martial energy filled the air and rushed to Zachary.

    Zachary fiercely stomped his left foot and began drawing a circle with his hands.

    Then, the whole space seemed to stop. Only Zachary was still moving his hands. In a heartbeat, a dozen vortexes appeared.

    Then, something astonishing happened. When the martial arts collided with the vortexes, they were bounced back toward the disciples who unleashed them.

    The disciples were dumbfounded. They did not know what sort of martial art Zachary used to do this.

    Charley and the four disciples at the primary stage of King Level looked at one another in confusion.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    The bounced attacks cut through the many disciples at the premium stage of Heaven Level like a dagger through paper. Those who managed to avoid the strikes were left flustered and frightened.

 Chapter 365 The Medium Stage Of King Level

    Zachary had disappeared into thin air.

    A few seconds later, two screams echoed in the cavern. One of the two disciples at the premium stage of Heaven Level was writhing in pain, his arm broken. The other disciple was rolling on the ground, unable to stand with his now broken leg. It seemed that Zachary had attacked them so fast that nobody even saw what he did. The other disciples shivered in fear.

    "Go away if you don''t want to die!" A deep throaty voice thundered suddenly. A strong momentum permeated the air around them.

    Several disciples gasped and hurried to obey the imposing voice. They had no problems with Zachary anyway. They were only there because they were forced to do so. If they didn''t come, they would lose the protection that the stronger warriors provided. However, if they continued to fight, they would lose the very thing that they wanted to protect.

    The first reaction of the other disciples was anger when they saw Zachary. They wondered where he got the gall to be so arrogant. When they witnessed Zachary defeat so many people with one strike, they almost swallowed their tongues in surprise.

    These disciples at the premium stage of Heaven Level thought differently. They placed themselves higher than the others. That was why nobody thought to surrender to Zachary. In fact, they decided that they could defeat him with the advantage of number. After all, there was no way Zachary could win against all of them.

    And so, the remaining disciples at the premium stage of Heaven Level exchanged looks and swarmed towards Zachary again. They intended to overwhelm him with their number.

    With a cold smile, Zachary turned his palms up and down. His hands moved like lightning as he created countless palm shadows. In just a few seconds, ghost shadows began to appear in between his palms.

    Although the disciples at the premium stage of Heaven Level were numerous, they were far weaker than Zachary. It was like a battle between a beast and numerous flies.

    Zachary shook his hands and a ferocious ghost shadow rushed out and roared fiercely. It hit one of the men with a loud crack. The man wheezed as he fell to the ground and blood spurted profusely from his mouth.

    The other disciples grew more frightened by this display but persevered. They attacked Zachary jointly, careful that they would not have to fight him alone.

    Soon enough, two of the disciples attacked and were thrown back by Zachary. The rest of them looked at him with hesitant expressions now that they realized that he was way more powerful in strength, speed, and martial arts. There was a large gap between their levels.

    They looked at him like a ghost, disbelief written on their faces each time he countered an attack by more than two disciples at a time. Each grunt of pain was like a flame that

    d already won.

    Suddenly, something unexpected happened. A shadow dashed out of the sand storm like infrared light and swept towards the four men. His speed was too fast to be observed by the naked eye.

    The four guys were taken aback, but they quickly rallied together to stop Zachary. They approached the figure but they were met by a terrible aura that overwhelmed them and brought them to a stop like frightened deer. They saw a figure that shone vividly in purple light. For a moment, they thought it was a killing god.

    The purple figure was none other than Zachary. He hit the ground with his arms and the impact made the ground tremble and stones fly apart. Streams of strong martial energy at the medium stage of King Level emitted from the ground.

    The four disciples of King Level paled with fear. They tried their best to withstand the martial energy, but the martial energy they were faced with was so much stronger than their power. As soon as Zachary''s martial energy broke through their defense, the four men spat out blood like they had been hit by an invisible force. Under the impact, the rocks and stones around them seemed to come to life as they flew and hit them all over their bodies. They fell to the ground with groans of pain, unable to even lift their heads.

    Charley had been watching the fight closely from a safe distance. To be honest, even he could not identify Zachary''s location when Zachary moved so quickly. When he saw that all his men were defeated so easily, his breaths started to come in shallow pants.

    "He has reached the medium stage of King Level?" Charley exclaimed in shock. His entire body shook in fear as his eyes darted around to look for Zachary. Unfortunately, he moved too fast to be seen. Before Charley could do anything more, Zachary appeared in front of him. Charley drew back in fear as if he had seen a ghost.

 Chapter 366 Fiery Claws

    Of course Charley had not expected that there would be such a strange thing. But the next moment, he slapped Jimmy''s back with his right hand and sent him flying into the air. Jimmy blacked out as blood started gushing out of his mouth.

    Zachary''s face darkened. He kicked hard against the ground and leaped into the air to try and catch Jimmy.

    At the same time, Charley had gathered all his martial energy, which was peculiar to a warrior at the fifth grade of King Level.

    "Fiery Claws!" Charley launched a martial art at the medium stage of King Level. The effect was immediate and remarkable. The space was filled with claw shadows, and cracking sounds rang through the air. The attack came as quick as lightning.

    Zachary did not slow down and caught Jimmy midair. In the blink of an eye, they were engulfed in Charley''s claw shadows. Unchecked martial energy of King Level savagely rushed all around them, leaving deep claw marks in its wake.

    "You are asking for death!" Charley bellowed, thinking that Zachary was biting off more than he could chew.

    Soon enough, to Charley''s surprise, a purple figure broke through the claw shadows and charged at him. Jimmy was long gone.

    Charley was amazed that Zachary still had the strength to fight back. He was too close to Zachary that he did not have time to dodge Zachary''s strike. But with his martial energy armor, he was not afraid. Zachary was only at the medium stage of King Level, the same level as him. Zachary could not possibly injure him fatally, so Charley stood his ground, watching with amusement and curiosity as Zachary attempted to pierce his armor.

    Zachary waved his hand, and in a heartbeat, several needles flew out and fell to the ground behind Charley.

    "You can''t hurt me," Charley laughed mockingly. He had expected another trick up Zachary''s sleeve, but it seemed that he was out of trump cards.

    "Really?" Zachary flashed an evil smile.

    Charley froze. Suddenly, he could no longer keep hi

    was left.

    A moment later, Zachary''s body radiated a thick purple light, and a strong streak of martial energy swirled all around him. The disciples present were dumbfounded.

    It did not take long for the purple light around Zachary''s body to disappear. He pulled back his hand from Charley''s chest. The Holy Bone Bracer on his wrist was completely clean while his hand was covered in Charley''s blood.

    Charley fell to the ground, a look of contempt frozen on his mummified face.

    Zachary took a glance at Charley''s corpse and turned to the disciples, who were now watching him. With one hand covered in blood and an evil look on his face, Zachary looked like the devil, and the disciples trembled in his presence.

    "I should kill you all, but I take no pleasure in killing. So here''s the deal¡ªI will spare your lives today, but from now on, you must change for the better, straighten yourselves out. Take no orders from Michael, and no more bullying others. Forget what happened here today. I assume you all know how to explain Charley''s death. If you ever tell anyone about this, you will end up just like him. Now get out of my face!" Zachary stared at these disciples with a hint of wickedness and cruelty in his eyes.

    Trembling, the disciples took one last glance at Charley''s dead body and scrambled away.

 Chapter 367 Becoming A Heterodox Warrior

    Afterward, Zachary entered the system and arrived at the Peach Blossom Forest. There, he saw Jimmy collapse on the ground, his body covered all over with cuts and bruises. His breath and pulse were too weak. Zachary could see that he was heavily injured as he looked over Jimmy carefully.

    "He is hurting too badly. I need to seek help from Master Anne to cure him," Zachary murmured. He was attacked by guilt when he thought that Jimmy got hurt so badly because of him.

    At once, Zachary took Jimmy to the Living-dead Tomb.

    As soon as they entered the Living-dead Tomb, Zachary shouted, "Master Anne, help! I need your help! Someone is dying!"

    It was only a moment later that the scent of perfume was blown in with the wind. A delicate figure in a white dress appeared in front of Zachary. She stood coolly as if Jimmy was not dying in front of her. Anne asked coldly, "Why did you bring an outsider again?"

    "He is badly hurt. I had no choice! Master Anne, please check whether you can save him or not," Zachary begged helplessly.

    "I''ve broken the rules for you too many times. I won''t do it again. I''m not going to help him, so get him out of here as soon as possible," Anne said dismissively. There was no hesitation in her voice at all.

    "Please, Master Anne. The wise men of old said that saving one life earns more merit than building a pagoda of seven stories. He is hurt so terribly. Please give him a hand. He got hurt because of me. If he died, then I would be at fault. Do you really have the heart to see your beloved disciple stew in guilt for the rest of his life?" Zachary said earnestly. He hoped that his honesty would touch Anne''s heart so she would help them.

    It seemed to help as Anne glanced at Jimmy once again. This time, there was hesitation in her movements. With a sigh, she told Zachary, "Put him down first."

    Zachary readily laid Jimmy down on the ground.

    Anne flipped her hand and immediately, four Ice Needles appeared in her hand. Zachary was alarmed when he saw the Ice Needles. He asked immediately, "Master Anne, are you going to save him or kill him?"

    "It depends on whether he is lucky enough or not. His energy is running in reverse inside his body, which means that he has stepped into the gate of hell. Whether he can survive or not depends on whether he wants to live or not. Of course, I can choose to do nothing to him. In that case, he will surely die," Anne said with an expressionless face.

    Her words did not soothe Zachary. He frowned deeply at the tricky situation that he found himself in. With a deep breath, he moved away and let Anne work on Jimmy. He trusted her that much.

    Anne waved her hand and the four Ice Needles flew into Jimmy''s body. The next moment, Jimmy suddenly screamed as his body

    unfortunate situation into words.

    "What is it?" Jimmy couldn''t help but stare at Zachary with a curious look. He could see that whatever was in Zachary''s mind brought him pain. He wanted to help in any way he could.

    "You were hurt too badly. It caused a disorder in you that reversed the energy in your body. Although you are lucky enough to survive, the circulation of the martial energy in your body can no longer follow the normal pattern. You may not be able to use it anymore. You cannot fight anymore!" Zachary looked down as he talked. He was unable to meet Jimmy''s eyes and see the grief that he felt.

    "What?" Jimmy trembled as he absorbed the news desperately. Although he was not very talented, it was his dream to become a strong warrior. He worked hard to enter the Shura College for that dream. Now, the cruelest fate had been thrust to him. He could no longer be a warrior and thus, could never fulfill his dreams.

    "I can never be a warrior?" Jimmy asked after he swallowed hard a few times.

    "Theoretically, you can''t do that unless..." Zachary hesitated.

    "Unless what?" Jimmy hurriedly looked up at Zachary. Hope peeked from his mournful eyes.

    "Unless you break the rule and cultivate in the heterodox way. However, that would make you a heterodox warrior. You will be the enemy of all the orthodox warriors," Zachary answered him.

    Jimmy was stunned. He had never dreamed of becoming a heterodox warrior. He didn''t want to be disabled but he was a coward. It required a lot of courage to become a heterodox warrior.

    "What should I do?" Jimmy asked dejectedly.

    "If I were you, I would never give up on my dream, even if I have to go against the whole world!" Zachary said passionately. He looked at Jimmy sincerely so he could convey how serious he was. Nothing was more important than his dreams, after all.

 Chapter 368 Disappearance

    "But if I become a heterodox warrior, I''m afraid I will be expelled from the Shura College, and decent forces might hunt me down." Jimmy was aware of the fate that befell heterodox warriors.

    "I think, there should always be room for heterodox warriors in this big world. Anyway, it''s all up to you," Zachary said, taking out the Evil Cultivation Formula that Anne had given him. "This is a heterodox cultivation method. If you decide to cultivate as a heterodox warrior, then, go ahead, and practice doing it."

    Hearing Zachary''s words, Jimmy took the Evil Cultivation Formula and nodded at him.

    "Well, I''ll send you out of the Ghost-crying Forest right away. Then you should be able to find your way back," Zachary added.

    "What about you?" Jimmy asked out of curiosity.

    "I killed Charley, so, by no means will Michael let me go. Also, I have something else to do and will be absent for some time. If they inquire about me after you get back, tell them that you found me already missing upon waking up. I would also advise you to pretend to have no idea regarding what happened to Charley," Zachary said. Then, he took Jimmy and together they strode towards the entrance of the Ghost-crying Forest as fast as they could.

    About an hour later, Zachary and Jimmy arrived at the entrance of the Ghost-crying Forest.

    "Keep these pills with you," Zachary said, as he took out and handed some more pills to Jimmy. Patting his shoulder, he turned around.

    "You will be my brother, henceforth. In the future, I will do anything for you if you need me!" Jimmy said, overcome with emotion. Although he had been in trouble and was almost disabled because of Zachary, he could figure out that Zachary felt extremely guilty for him and had been trying his best to make up for that. Therefore, he didn''t blame Zachary for his suffering.

    "Thank you! I won''t forget what you have said just now. See you, brother!" Saying that, Zachary disappeared in a flash.

    Soon after, Willis appeared with a group of disciples, and all of them were surprised to see Jimmy so badly injured.

    "Jimmy, why are you injured so badly? What happened?" Willis asked him immediately.

    "I..." Jimmy didn''t know how to respond to his question.

    "It seems that the mad martial beasts of Imperial Level also attacked him, just as they did to Charley," Willis said to the disciples as soon as he saw that Jimmy wore an uncanny expression, as if he was confused and not in his right mind.

    "Yes..." Jimmy took that opportunity and concurre

    Willis calmly and coldly. Obviously, things were not that simple, with one dead and one missing.

    "This..." Willis also thought that a mystery might underlie Charley''s disappearance. However, the disciples who had fled back all asserted that Charley had been attacked and killed by martial beasts of Imperial Level. Moreover, there was no direct evidence to prove that they were not telling the truth.

    "Bring the dead body of Charley here to me. I need physical proof," Tracy said.

    Willis had no choice but to order some disciples to bring Charley''s corpse to him, which would have rotted. Therefore, it would smell foul, and approaching it would be a challenge too.

    However, Tracy was able to stay calm in front of Charley''s corpse and begin checking it. Initially, she felt that the wound in Charley''s chest looked like a result of attacks from martial beasts. But after examining it carefully, she could tell that it was caused from inside to outside, rather than from outside to inside. In other words, Charley had not died from martial beasts'' attack. Besides, the degree of dryness of the corpse looked strange too.

    Tracy told Willis to summon the disciples who had dealt with Zachary together with Charley, as soon as she reached her conclusion and had gathered solid evidence to support her claim.

    Simultaneously, all the other disciples in Willis'' group came to watch and find out what would happen.

    "Tell me the truth. How did Charley die? How did Harley disappear? What happened at that time?" Tracy shouted in an emotionless tone, and her cold eyes were wide open.

    With a guilty conscience, the disciples'' faces turned deathly pale at Tracy''s aura.

 Chapter 369 The Cause Of Death

    The disciples turned to look at each other, all of them with their mouth shut as they did not dare to spill the truth. They knew that once they did, a punishment would definitely be awaiting them.

    "So you don''t plan on telling me? Alright, let''s put it like this, then. If you don''t tell me, I can only assume that it was you guys who were trying to murder both Charley and Harley. If so, you should pay with your lives. An eye for an eye. You killed Charley, and you dared to raise a sword to Harley as well. He is nothing less than my disciple! Or did you people get tired of living? Planning on courting death so soon?" Tracy screamed at them, her throat burning the longer she talked.

    Hearing this, the disciples'' legs felt like jelly as their faces drowned into deadly pale.

    Upon seeing Tracy so angry, all of them who were present understood that she was greatly attached to the Zachary.

    Even Willis didn''t expect that Tracy would be so emotional over the loss of Zachary. He had always thought that Tracy was someone rational and unmoved by meaningless emotions.

    "Now considering it''s obvious that you are accomplices, it''s meaningless to continue this interrogation. All of you are banished to the Ghost-crying Forest. I''ll make you die by yourselves instead of doing the dirty work myself. Complete bastards..." Tracy threatened them without an ounce of care in the world.

    Those men dropped to their knees and broke down at such news. They knelt on the ground, facing Tracy''s feet as they cried out, "We weren''t the ones who killed Charley, it wasn''t us. He deserved it, because Charley intended to kill Harley in the first place."

    "Then who killed Charley?" Tracy asked immediately, her tone still an icy cold.

    "It was Harley." At last, one of the disciples of King Level spilled the truth.

    Everyone stood stunned in their places just from his words. They didn''t think that Harley would be able to kill Charley just with his current strength.

    "Tell me more with all of the details. Why did Charley intend to kill Harley in the first place?" Tracy''s face darkened, and her hands balled into fists.

    Hearing this, the other disciples couldn''t help but to look towards Michael''s direction. They were afraid to tell the whole truth when someone like him was present. Even if Tracy did let them go, Michael would not let them get away with something like this so easily.

    And now, Michael was also feeling dejected. He did not expect things to be so troublesome.

    However, he was a smart man and knew that these people would get him involved if things got worse or out of control. He walked over to Tracy and started, "Master Tracy, as far as I know, Charley was Harley''s foe for a long time. He harbored grudges against Harley, so he might have initially planned to take a

    quickly.

    The one following Zachary didn''t expect that he would be noticed by the other so soon, but he jumped into the only tree nearby to avoid the silk net. He was about to turn around and planned his retreat.

    Just then, a number of needles shot into the body of the unknown figure without a sound, and he suddenly felt that his body became stiff and the martial energy flowing inside him stopped working in an instant. He fell directly from the tree and onto the ground in an instant.

    At this time, Zachary saw the person lying in front of him and was immediately frightened. The person had a face that was of a wolf, but he was far from one. He had long red hair, the upper part of his body covered in red fur, and the trousers he was wearing seemed to be worn out. He looked like a strong man with strong waist and a wide back. The muscles were bulging, making him look similar to a giant. His four limbs were huge, and his hands were as sharp as blades as they were full of dried blood.

    "Who are you? Are you human, or...?" Zachary couldn''t help but ask, but a thought flashed through his mind right after. ''He is a werewolf!''

    At this time, the other party immediately let out an ear-piercing roar. The birds who were perched gracefully on the trees around them were frightened and went flying in all directions.

    "Calm down. I know you''ve been following me for a while now. It was you who saved me that day," Zachary said patiently, though he could tell that the werewolf was bad-tempered and his current mood was anything but a good one.

    Hearing what Zachary had said, the werewolf finally calmed down.

    He stared at Zachary with his sharp red eyes, wary of any silly games the warrior might have up his sleeve. "Do you mind having a short talk with me while you sort your feelings out first?" Zachary shrugged and flashed a friendly smile.

 Chapter 370 The Demonic Blood Wolf

    "What...did you... come here... for...?" When the werewolf spoke, his voice sounded hoarse and scraped as though he hadn''t made use of his voice for ages. He kept vigilant around Zachary.

    "Look, all I want to know is why you followed me. You were the one that saved me last time, weren''t you?" Zachary raised an eyebrow, keeping his eyes on the ragged form.

    "All of this... was merely a coincidence. I was following you... because you shouldn''t... have come here..." The werewolf''s words were a slow drawl, like a predator that paced around a prey.

    "Am I? And why shouldn''t I be here?" Zachary asked, his would-be relaxed countenance designed for feigned interest as he raised his eyebrows.

    "This place... is not for... you. You nearly got yourself killed last time. And yet here you are...without having learned your lesson..." Glowing red eyes, like molten rubies, bore into Zachary, unblinking and eerie.

    "Actually I didn''t want to come. Unfortunately, I had no choice. I''m seeking out a treasure beast. As you''d been living here for quite some time, I wonder if you may have an idea of where I could find it." Zachary''s eyes gleamed sharply, meeting the gaze of the werewolf. He was almost certain that there was something here that the werewolf refused to talk about. He certainly didn''t know who this werewolf might be, exactly, but the werewolf was hiding something, and he needed to find out.

    "A treasure beast, you say? You wouldn''t happen to be looking for... the Demonic Blood Wolf, would you?" The werewolf''s tone was strange, almost excited.

    "You know of it? Have you seen it?" Zachary asked quickly, suddenly excited. This was the biggest break he had yet.

    "Of course. I''ve not only seen it. As a matter of fact, the Demonic Blood Wolf... is what turns me into what you see before you!" the werewolf howled in rage, and appeared to grow in size with its cresting anger.

    "Wait. You mean this isn''t what you used to look like?" Zachary stared at him, surprised. But perhaps he shouldn''t be; after all, humans typically weren''t supposed to look like this.

    "It was three long years ago. In order for me to gain more power, I strove to reach the Imperial Level. So off I went to the Burial Abyss to cultivate myself. At first, nothing too out of the ordinary happened. As a matter of fact, things went quite well. But after I reached the Imperial Level, a wolf arose before me. I had thought it to be merely a random martial beast. But as it turned out, it was a Sage Level treasure beast. I fought it to the end of my skill, but its claws closed upon my flesh, biting me and infecting me. I nearly lost my life. It was by pure luck that I had survived at all. It was not long after that I realized my body had changed dramatically. And that I was now beholden to drink blood to sate my unquenchable thirst. Time passed and my body physically began to change as well...to what you see now." The werewolf wove his tale in a tone wrought with anger and misery. He was accursed, and he felt the toll of it in both body and spirit.

    "I didn''t realize it had g

    using it. And because the Demonic Blood Wolf hardly ever bleeds, it''s incredibly difficult to obtain some of the blood to begin with." Anne crossed her arms, brow furrowed in contemplation.

    After a few thoughtful moments himself, Zachary finally asked, "If that blood is so potent and so difficult to get in the first place, then why did Tania send me to get some? I imagine she''s been well aware that it''s well-nigh impossible."

    "That''s where you''re wrong." Anne shook her head and took a few pacing steps. "It''s not entirely impossible, because the Demonic Blood Wolf has a habit of producing offspring. Descendants."

    "It...creates descendants?" Zachary stared, baffled.

    "According to the legend, the Demonic Blood Wolves'' ancestors were actually powerful, ancient warriors. They began their transformation when they were bitten by wolves. Their mutation into Demonic Blood Wolves becomes their final form. However, in this form, they are sterile and cannot bear descendants. If they want to pass down their power, they have to create offspring in some other way."

    "So...the werewolf I''d met. The reason he became what he is now is that the Demonic Blood Wolf chose him to be its descendant?" Zachary stared, somewhat appalled by this realization.

    "I assume that''s the case." Anne nodded.

    "Wait. So Tania asked me to try and find the wolf so it can bite me, and transform me, and that way I can obtain the blood?" The whole plan started to come together in Zachary''s mind.

    Anne nodded in confirmation of his thoughts.

    "If you knew that was her plan, then why didn''t you just tell me that?!" Zachary demanded, realizing that he''d been led around.

    "I promised Tania that I wouldn''t tell you," Anne replied in that obstinate way of hers. She had always been of firm principle.

    "Yeah? Then how come you''re telling me all of this now?"

    "Because you''ve already found a descendant of the Demonic Blood Wolf. Even if I didn''t tell you or confirm your thoughts, you would''ve found out anyway," Anne said with a nonchalant shrug.

 Chapter 371 Descendant

    "This descendant definitely has Demonic Wolf Blood in his body. Does that mean I will only have to hand over this descendant to Tania?" Zachary asked, as he rubbed his chin.

    "Yes, but in all probability, this descendant might have fully merged with the Demonic Wolf Blood. In that case, we will have to kill him first, draw all of his blood, and refine it, in order to get the Demonic Wolf Blood," Anne explained.

    "I might as well offer myself to receive a bite than face him!" Zachary was fully aware that the strength of the werewolf had reached the Imperial Level and that was not something he was ready to deal with, right now.

    "Then you will have to make this descendant help you find the Demonic Blood Wolf."

    "But he himself does not know where the Demonic Blood Wolf is! How could I expect him to take me to find it?" Zachary said with a determined look.

    "Since he has been chosen to be the descendant, he must have some connection with the Demonic Blood Wolf. It just depends on whether he''s willing to take you to find it or not," Anne reminded him.

    "He may not be willing to help me to find the wolf, unless I give him something that he desires. He might want my help in regaining his original appearance," Zachary said as he considered the situation. He realized that the werewolf seemed disgusted with his appearance, to the extent that he thought he was cursed.

    "I''m afraid we will require Tania''s assistance. Maybe she can help us," Anne suggested.

    "Fine. I will ask her right now."

    Zachary immediately left the Living-dead Tomb and rushed to the Fairy Island. When he entered the Fairy Island and reached the bamboo house, he saw that Tania was already at the entrance. It seemed like she was aware about his coming and waited for him.

    "So you knew I will come to you?" Zachary asked as he approached her.

    "Since the time you stepped inside the Fairy Island, I knew about it. You found the Demonic Blood Wolf, didn''t you?" asked Tania, as she stared intently at Zachary.

    "Not really, but we did find some clues."

    "Oh is it? Pray, tell me the details."

    Quickly, Zachary briefed her about his encounter with the werewolf.

    "According to your experiences, you seem to be quite lucky. You actually met a descendant chosen by the Demonic Blood Wolf! Very few have managed to achieve such a feat. If you take advantage of him in the right way, you should be able to find the Demonic Blood Wolf." Tania seemed surprised about this information.

    "But he may not be willing to help me. Hence, there has to be something to help me

    r you," said Zachary with certainty.

    When the werewolf heard this, his brows furrowed. Then, with a determined expression, he asked, "What is it that I should do?"

    "Use your heart to feel it," Zachary said.

    The werewolf immediately closed his eyes. Soon, he heard the howl of a wolf, deep in the Burial Abyss. The howl was like a call to him, which made him open his eyes, as he looked around strangely.

    "Did you sense it?" Zachary asked hopefully.

    "It should be in that direction," the werewolf said, as he pointed to the direction, from where the moon rose.

    "Let''s go." Zachary nodded.

    "Are you sure you want to go there? It could be a dangerous place." The werewolf looked at Zachary with concern.

    Zachary nodded positively.

    "Then follow me closely." As soon as he finished speaking, his appearance changed back to werewolf and charged towards the place where the moon rose.

    Zachary also followed closely behind.

    With the werewolf leading the way, Zachary didn''t meet any obstacles after he entered the depths of the Burial Abyss. Besides, the werewolf was familiar with the terrain of the depths of the Burial Abyss. So if there were any Imperial Level martial beasts, he would be able to avoid them easily.

    After following the werewolf for nearly six hours, Zachary came across the entrance of a hidden natural cave.

    "It must be inside this cave." The werewolf stared at the natural cave and grinned.

    "You can go in first. I''ll follow you and see what''s going on," suggested Zachary.

    The werewolf nodded and then proceeded towards the natural cave cautiously. Meanwhile, Zachary used the Flawless Illusion to make himself invisible and quietly followed the werewolf.

 Chapter 372 The Natural Cave

    Zachary followed the werewolf into the natural cave. As soon as he set foot inside, a strange and powerful force struck him and sent him stumbling back out.

    Taken aback, he studied the mouth of the cave with narrowed eyes. "Is this cave forbidden for some reason?" he wondered aloud. Not one to give up easily, he called upon all his strength from the ninth grade of King Level and charged back into the cave, only to be bounced back out like before.

    ''It seems that the Demonic Blood Wolf is well-prepared, '' Zachary thought to himself. ''Maybe it''s already predicted that its descendant will come to find it, so it''s taken precautions against intruders.'' Considering this, he started to worry about the werewolf, and feared that he was setting him up to go through hell.

    At that moment, the werewolf had already disappeared into the cave. Zachary wanted to call out to him, but couldn''t risk alerting the Demonic Blood Wolf to their presence.

    Still, he couldn''t let the werewolf face that monster alone. "Mimi," Zachary said to the system. "Tell me if there''s another way into this cave. I need to know right now."

    Meanwhile, the werewolf was so focused on getting into the cave quietly that he didn''t notice Zachary was no longer with him. After traversing a dozen meters, he came to a very spacious hall, walled with roughly hewn, grotesque-looking rocks. A shaft of moonlight fell from the opening in the roof.

    The light was cast upon the hulking form of a wolf, apparently sleeping. Its coat was blood red, trimmed with black in places, and it gave off a terrifying aura that equaled that of a warrior at the Sage Level.

    It was none other than the Demonic Blood Wolf.

    The werewolf trembled at the sight, but not only out of fear. Rage boiled inside him as well, for it was this creature that had turned him into a half-human, half-beast monster.

    The moment went on until the Demonic Blood Wolf gave a little moan and slowly raised its head. Its scarlet ey

    s now undergoing the last transformation. Once it was completed, he would completely lose his human nature and truly become the descendant of the monster before him.

    The horrendous scene went on and on, with the werewolf unable to resist, until suddenly a section of one of the walls burst inward with a titanic crash.

    A very furious-looking beast stood before the new entrance.

    When the cave at last stopped shaking, a mocking voice from behind the creature said, "Thank you, Hundred-Treasure Beast." With that, the beast was swallowed up by a flash of light, and a man stepped inside.

    It was none other than Zachary, who had been unable to enter the cave before.

    He had asked Mimi to find another way inside, but had gained nothing. Later, upon hearing the scream of the werewolf, he deduced that something was wrong and decided that he needed to hurry. Suddenly he''d gotten an idea and asked Mimi to find out whether the spell protecting the cave''s entrance was extended to any other part of it. On finding out it wasn''t, he''d summoned the Hundred-Treasure Beast that he hadn''t tamed. Being locked up so long had given the creature a very bad temper, leading it to take Zachary as an enemy. Lured by Zachary, it had crashed through the thinnest section of the cave''s wall and given him a new way inside.

 Chapter 373 Defensive Restriction

    "Who are you?" The Demonic Blood Wolf hadn''t expected that anyone would break through the defensive restriction it set and intrude in its lair. What surprised it more was that the intruder was a weak warrior. The Demonic Blood Wolf released an astonishingly strong aura as it glared at Zachary.

    "His friend," Zachary replied calmly as he turned to the werewolf, who was at the last stage of transformation. Zachary frowned when he recognized the situation. Without hesitation, he shot several Ice Needles into the werewolf''s body.

    The werewolf shivered once as if he had woken from a nightmare. In the next instant, it appeared as though his transformation had begun to slow down. He straightened up and gasped as he turned to Zachary. Gratitude reflected in his eyes.

    "I''m sorry that I''m late. You should leave now. I''ll take care of the rest," Zachary said. He knew that if the werewolf continued to stay here, he would be unable to control the transformation. The Ice Needles Zachary had just shot had slowed the speed of the werewolf''s transformation, but not for long.

    The werewolf also knew that if he stayed, the Demonic Blood Wolf would control him. Moreover, he already achieved what he had promised Zachary, and the rest of the matter was none of his business. Therefore, he turned and planned to leave the cave as soon as possible.

    "No one can leave without my permission!" Irritated by Zachary, the Demonic Blood Wolf roared. The red light around its body spread in an instant, and a blood-red barrier appeared to cover the whole cave.

    There was a strong chance that this blood-red barrier was an enchanted barrier.

    Zachary frowned. It seemed that this Sage Level treasure beast was indeed powerful. Moreover, he could perceive that the Demonic Blood Wolf had the strength of a beast at the peak of the Sage Level. The gap between Zachary''s power and the beast''s was too large!

    Unable to leave, the werewolf stopped and turned to glare at the Demonic Blood Wolf. His eyes were full of intense hatred.

    "You broke into my lair without my permission and destroyed my cave. Death awaits you now!" Irritated and frustrated, the Demonic Blood Wolf roared as it continued to glare at Zacha

    "It seems that I have underestimated your talent. Since you want so eagerly to become my descendant, I''ll help you. But, he has already merged with my Demonic Wolf Blood. I can''t take back the power of the Demonic Wolf Blood, so if you want to become my descendant, you have to kill him first," the Demonic Blood Wolf said coldly.

    The werewolf''s expression changed instantly. He stared at Zachary with widened eyes.

    "No problem. But his strength is stronger than mine, and he possesses the power of the Demonic Wolf Blood. It seems unfair to me!" Zachary glanced at the werewolf as he spoke.

    "Then I will give you the power of the Demonic Wolf Blood. After the battle, only one of you will survive. That being the case, I will have the strongest descendant from among you. Come to me!" the Demonic Blood Wolf said with a steady voice.

    Zachary approached the creature without any hesitation.

    "Is it worth it? If you want to obtain its power, you have to pay. And the price is terrible," the werewolf commented. He thought that Zachary wasn''t aware of the pain of being half-man and half-beast. The werewolf, however, had suffered this torture for three whole years.

    "Being able to obtain such power is worth any price. The terrifying thing is that you don''t have any power at all," Zachary answered coldly.

    At this moment, he already stopped in front of the Demonic Blood Wolf, rolled up his sleeve, and extended his right arm towards the beast''s mouth.

 Chapter 374 Beast Power

    The Demonic Blood Wolf looked at Zachary and opened its large mouth, revealing razor sharp big white teeth and bit into Zachary''s arm. Zachary felt an excruciating pain as his arm bled profusely. The Demonic Blood Wolf''s fangs were embedded deep inside his muscle tissue as immense blood continued to flow out.

    That was not all. Soon, Zachary could see some kind of liquid, discharging from the fangs of the Demonic Blood Wolf. The liquid instantly merged with his blood. His blood began to boil with such intensity that he was filled with unimaginable power.

    "Howl!" Zachary raised his head and let out a wolf like cry. As he continued to howl, bodily hair began to grow all over his body, and his limbs began to transform and resemble those of a wolf''s. His muscles were continuously contracting and changing its form underneath his skin. Soon his outer body began to expand.

    The Demonic Blood Wolf withdrew its fangs from Zachary''s arm and muttered, "Are you satisfied now? Although he''s more powerful and can assimilate more power of the Demonic Wolf Blood, there is nothing to worry about. The Demonic Wolf Blood can stimulate your potential and if you are talented enough, you can even defeat him. What''s more, it also means that you will be suitable to become my descendant."

    Zachary did feel a strong surge of power gushing through his body. He had already reached the Imperial Level and his strength was continuously increasing. Of course, he knew that this was not his real strength, but the potential power that was brought out after he was fused with the Demonic Wolf Blood. Zachary was also aware that he couldn''t keep the Demonic Wolf Blood in his body for too long. Otherwise, it would be difficult to get it out. Hence he must finish the fight as soon as possible.

    "Come on!" provoked Zachary, who had completely turned into the beast state. And he turned to the werewolf instantly.

    "What? Are you out of your mind? For the sake of power, you are ready to turn into a monster?" the werewolf exclaimed in anger. He stared coldly at Zachary, his face full of rage. He cursed himself for being so vulnerable and believing Zachary.

    "In this world, the more power you possess, more chances are there to survive. It i

    e could even reach the ground, the werewolf jumped up again and grabbed him by his neck.

    Boom!

    With another deafening sound, Zachary was pushed onto the ground by a great force, and the ground caved in. Although Zachary was badly mangled all over, it was not over yet. The werewolf, in a furious state, picked him up again and started smashing him onto the ground a few times. Finally, he hurled Zachary towards the rock wall.

    Under the werewolf''s rampage attack, Zachary''s flesh body had reached its limit, but the Demonic Wolf Blood in his body was still constantly bursting out, making his body unable to withstand. But he still held up his body and sneered at the werewolf, "So, that''s all you have got? I thought you would kill me with one punch! Looks like you are no match for me!"

    "As you wish." The werewolf was so irritated that he immediately roared and transformed into a blood red wolf shadow, dashing directly to Zachary, as if to tear him into pieces.

    Zachary used his last strength to launch the Lady Swordsmanship.

    Bang! Boom! Bang!

    Instantly, the sword shadows overlapped and surrounded the blood wolf shadow, but he didn''t retreat at all. Relying on his strong power, he forcibly broke the sword shadows one by one and in a flash, he was less than half a meter away from Zachary.

    "Come on!" All of a sudden, the Holy Bone Bracer on Zachary''s wrist was bright blue. The next moment, a strong blue light burst out and engulfed both of them in an instant.

 Chapter 375 Demonic Wolf Blood

    Seeing this, the Demonic Blood Wolf glared at Zachary and laughed coldly. It was as if it already knew who would win the fight.

    At that time, under the blue light, the werewolf''s claw had already approached Zachary''s chest but he still didn''t do anything to resist it. Instead, he took the initiative to face it as he let the werewolf''s claw penetrate right into his chest.

    The werewolf was a little surprised because he felt that there was something wrong with Zachary''s reaction to his attack. Right at that time, Zachary smiled and whispered something to the werewolf''s ear. After that, Zachary closed his eyes and stopped breathing.

    The werewolf suddenly looked at Zachary in surprise. It seemed that he was just starting to understand everything.

    By that time, the blue light had already disappeared. When the Demonic Blood Wolf saw that the werewolf was able to claw deeply into Zachary''s chest, he tried to check Zachary''s body and saw that he had no signs of life left in him.

    "You definitely did not disappoint me! I believe you are the only one qualified to inherit my power." The Demonic Blood Wolf howled proudly as it seemed very excited with its discovery.

    At that time, the werewolf was able to regain his calmness. He turned around to take a look at the Demonic Blood Wolf and said, "Either way, he was still my friend. I wish to bury him with my own hands."

    When the Demonic Blood Wolf heard this, it hesitated at first. It was afraid that the werewolf would never return.

    "Are you afraid that I will run away and never show myself again?" said the werewolf as he sneered.

    "As long as you have my Demonic Wolf Blood in your body, you will never be able to get rid of me. Even if you are not willing to become my descendant today, you will be eventually. It is inevitable and you would only waste your time trying to resist it." After saying that proudly, the Demonic Blood Wolf deactivated the enchanted barrier he used earlier to seal the entire cave.

    After the Demonic Blood Wolf put down Zachary''s corpse, the werewolf picked his body up and walked out of the cave without looking back. Only when he was already standing out of the cave did he glance at the cave before finally disappearing with Zachary in his arms.

    After about fifteen minutes, the werewolf had already taken Zachary far away from the cave. He found a sa

    od has been stored in your body for quite a long time and has been integrated with your blood, it might be impossible to completely eliminate it. What we should do is to seal it up instead. But once it is sealed, you will return to your original strength which is much worse than what you have now. Are you sure you would be okay with that?" Tania asked him coldly.

    "This power does not belong to me. As long as you can help me return to normal, I do not care about its consequences," the werewolf answered firmly.

    "Okay, we''ll discuss it more later." As soon as she finished her words, she waved her hand as a golden light hit the werewolf''s chest.

    The werewolf did not even get the chance to give any response. In an instant, he was lying on the ground motionless as if he was asleep.

    "Tania, why did you knock him out?" Zachary asked Tania with a puzzled expression on his face.

    "It will take some time to remove the Demonic Wolf Blood from your body so it would be better for him sleep for a while. It also helps in making sure he doesn''t break the rules and run around," Tania replied. "Follow me." After saying that, she turned around and entered the room.

    Zachary shook his head as he saw the werewolf lying on the ground before following Tania into the room.

    Zachary had never entered Tania''s room before, so he was a bit excited to finally get a glimpse of what her room was like. This way, he might be able to develop a closer relationship with her! Moreover, he had passed the first trial pretty smoothly. He might soon have Tania as his master!

 Chapter 376 A Pill Refiner

    The moment Zachary stepped into the room, he immediately realized that it was not a girl''s bedroom at all; it was a lab. There were various shelves of different sizes standing against the walls, on which a variety of bottles of herbs were placed neatly. There were two large tables in the middle of the room, with simple equipment and tools on them.

    In the far corner of the room, there was a big furnace connected to a chimney. The furnace was covered with peculiar lines which were shining brightly as they emitted a very strong aura. It was easy to know that it was by no means a mere common furnace. Upon seeing that, Zachary could tell that Tania must have been refining pills during her free time.

    Because of this, he couldn''t help but blurt out, "Oh wow, Tania, you are actually a pill refiner!"

    "Didn''t Anne pass the message to you?" Tania asked as she turned to look back at the other with a puzzled look.

    "What message?" The sudden question took Zachary by surprise. As far as he could remember, his dear master Anne didn''t mention anything about Tania''s job to him.

    "Never mind then." The pill refiner shook her head. Then, she walked towards one of the many shelves in the room.

    Zachary pursed his lips, dissatisfied. Maybe he should ask Anne about Tania''s background later!

    Soon, she took a semicircle-shaped instrument and placed it on a table located in the middle of the room. A moment later, she motioned towards Zachary and said, "Show me your wound that you got from the Demonic Blood Wolf."

    "My wound might have healed by now," Zachary protested.

    "The wolf''s bite can''t be healed that easily. Show it to me, Zachary." Tania shook her head, pressing the matter further.

    Reluctantly, Zachary rolled up his sleeve and indeed, the wound did not disappear and it still looked obvious and ugly in his arm.

    Tania pointed her finger at his wound. As soon as she did, a stream of golden light spilled from her fingertip and directly shot straight into the wound. At that moment, Zachary suddenly felt a strange tension force itself into his body, drawing the Demonic Wolf Blood out of him. However, as the power of the blood was very strong itself, it soon fought against the power from Tania.

    Zachary could feel the violent impact of the fight between the two different kinds of power in his body. His face turned pale and he had trouble breathing, almost as if he was being suffocated from the inside.

    Noticing this, Tania immediately put her hand on Zachary''s chest. In the next moment, he felt a shudd

    werewolf lying on the ground. After it flew over the werewolf, the diamond stone immediately kept hovering in the air and became bigger and bigger. At last, it turned into a diamond stone about one meter high, emitting the golden orange light.

    "Tania, what is this stone?" Zachary asked curiously, taking a step closer.

    "This stone is called the Evil Sealing Stone, which is able to seal off any evil power that exists in the world." Tania gave a simple reply, not bothering to look at the other as she explained.

    "Wow, that sounds awesome," Zachary responded greedily. He thought to himself, ''Tania truly is a great master. She could throw away something as valuable as that without any form of remorse.''

    "This is a unique ancient treasure from the Supernal Continent. However, when I got it back then, the stone was badly damaged. I visited countless famous experts, hoping they could repair it, but none of them could. Later, fortunately, I met Anne, and she was the one who replenished this ancient treasure for me," Tania elaborated, rolling her eyes at Zachary.

    "Tiana, it turns out that you can also turn to my master for help," Zachary said and laughed.

    "However, she also took many things from me in return, such as the pills she had given to you. In fact, some of the things she took from me were especially made for you. I don''t understand why she is so kind to you. After all, you are nothing more than her mere disciple. You have nothing special about yourself whatsoever," Tania said in a low voice, which would make one assume that she was jealous of Zachary.

    "I see, so that''s how it is." Zachary had never expected Anne to be so kind and considerate to him.

 Chapter 377 Evil Sealing Stone

    At this moment, the Evil Sealing Stone suddenly shone brightly and emitted countless rays of light, similar to chains, and penetrated into the body of the werewolf. Immediately, dense patterns appeared and spread all over his body. Gradually, the werewolf returned to his original appearance and shape.

    About an hour later, the werewolf finally regained his full human form, and the patterns on his body had fully disappeared at the same time.

    Upon seeing that, Tania withdrew the Evil Sealing Stone. At the same time, she shot a familiar ray of golden light straight into the body of the werewolf, forcing him to immediately wake up. He looked at Tania and Zachary in complete surprise and then he realized that his body had completely returned itself to the shape of a human body. He was so excited that he began trembling. Immediately, he stood up and knelt down in front of Tania. "Master, thank you very much for saving my life!"

    "You don''t have to thank me. If you wish to express your gratitude, thank him instead. If you did not cross paths with him, you would have been destined to become a descendant of the Demonic Blood Wolf. While we''re on the subject, although the Demonic Wolf Blood power in your body has been sealed, the power will burst out once again and become even more fiercely than before if the seal were to be broken by force. If that happens, there will no longer be any room for remedy. In other words, never break the seal unless you''re at the crucial moment of life and death. Otherwise, you will have to face the consequences yourself!" Tania reminded. Then she turned around and returned to the bamboo house.

    Zachary walked to the werewolf''s side. "Congratulations on getting your human form back!"

    "Thank you so much. If it weren''t for you, I..." The werewolf was very grateful to Zachary.

    "Don''t mention it. If you really want to thank me, we can be sworn brothers. You can help me if I were to be in trouble in future." Zachary shrugged as he smiled. Of course, having a brother with the strength at Imperial Level would be a very good thing for him.

    "Alright, then we''re brothers from now on. My name is Pollard Qiu," the werewolf replied, agreeing to Zachary''s suggestion without the least bit of hesitation.

    "Ha-ha, that''s great to hear! And my name is Harley Bai," Zachary responded.

    Once they became sworn brothers, Zachary helped Pollard Qiu out of the system and returned to the place they had been before.

    "Pollard, what do you plan on doing next?" Zachary asked.

    "Oh, I plan on returning to the college. In the past three years, I only sent back a number of messages

    .

    "It seems so. Otherwise, she would not have made this pill specially for you. It is quite difficult to make such a pill and succeed, as the possibility of failure is quite high. Moreover, it usually takes as long as forty-nine days to make such a pill. And every material needed to make it is very rare. The most important is that there are only less than twenty people in the entire Supernal Continent who are qualified enough to make the Imperial Mystery Pill," Anne added, nodding her head.

    "So this means the pill would give a huge advantage for me, huh?" Zachary immediately beamed in complete joy.

    "In fact, I had planned on asking her to help and make the Imperial Mystery Pill. Now that she has already made one for you, I won''t bother to ask her for help. Otherwise, I would owe her one more favor," Anne chuckled.

    "By the way, Master Anne, what''s her background? And how old is she? Is she in her seventies or her eighties?" Zachary asked almost immediately.

    "I''m not exactly sure how old she is now, but I''m sure that she is not that old yet. She is a little older than you at most. As for her background, you''d better wait for her to tell you herself. Besides, it doesn''t make any sense for you to find out about it now," Anne replied.

    "She''s a little older than me? You''re kidding!" Of course, Zachary couldn''t believe such a thing. "Master Anne, could you at least disclose a little information to me? Please? Is she one of those big shots?"

    "Of course she is, what did you expect? Moreover, she is not just a big shot, but also a super figure of great importance in the Supernal Continent. Even the warriors of Sage Level in the Supernal Continent have to regard her with reverence," Anne answered in a serious manner.

 Chapter 378 Reaching The Imperial Level

    "Really? Is Tania that strong?" Even Zachary couldn''t help but be stunned on hearing that. Of course, he knew that there was no reason for Anne to lie to him. This news was just too shocking to be true. Tania was so strong that even the whole Supernal Continent would be in awe of her. How amazing she was!

    But when he really thought about it properly, he found that being Tania''s disciple could bring him a lot of benefits in the future.

    "You''ll learn more about her later. For now, the most important thing for you to think about is how you''re going to break through to the Imperial Level. The Imperial Mystery Pill is not enough for you to do so. Although the Imperial Level is only one level higher than the King Level, the gap between the two is extremely large. You need to put more effort to succeed," said Anne firmly.

    "That''s what I just heard from Tania. However, with the help of the Imperial Mystery Pill and your guidance, I believe that I''ll be able to break through to the Imperial Level soon enough," Zachary said confidently as his eyes sparkled.

    "With your talent, my guidance and the Imperial Mystery Pill, I estimate that it will take you at least half a year to succeed," Anne told him.

    "Half a year? That''s too long." Zachary shook his head at once upon hearing this.

    "Breaking through to the Imperial Level in half a year is already an incredible accomplishment for any warrior. How long did you expect it to take?" Anne asked seriously with her brows slightly furrowed.

    "I need to reach the Imperial Level in a month, before the King Level contest is held. That way, I can be confident enough to complete the main quest," he announced as he weighed up the situation.

    "A month? That''s impossible." Anne immediately shook her head. It wasn''t just that she didn''t think Zachary could do it. It was that she thought no one could.

    "I don''t think it''s impossible with you around to help me, Master Anne. How about you open up my Energy-absorbing Acupoint again?" Zachary proposed with excitement. Once again, he pinned his hopes on Anne.

    "No, I told you before that the Energy-absorbing Acupoint cannot be opened up a second time. In fact, if it weren''t for the system restricting it, I would transfer the power to you directly. It would help you make your way to the Imperial Level!" Anne bit out in frustration. Deep down, she hoped that Zachary would reach the Imperial Level and

    ly intrigued. Zachary was brimmed with excitement.

    "It''s called the Energy Perception Technique. As its name indicates, it can help people discern the energy circulation of everything in the world," Anne replied.

    "Discern the energy circulation of everything in the world? That sounds quite profound," Zachary asked, raising his brows.

    "Everything in the world emits an aura that surrounds it, whether ordinary human beings, ordinary animals, martial beasts, or treasure beasts. Even plants such as flowers, grass, and trees have their unique energy circulations. If you can master the Energy Perception Technique, you''ll be able to clearly see the circulation of the energy of everything in the world. If you can see that energy, you''ll know where the Life Acupoint and the Death Acupoint of the energy circulation are," Anne explained. "The Life Acupoint is the source of the energy. It can control the flow of energy. The latter is the endpoint. It controls the release of the energy. If you can pinpoint the Life Acupoint and the Death Acupoint, then you can defeat your enemy and win."

    "It sounds quite easy," Zachary commented. He got the general idea of what the Energy Perception Technique was and how it worked. However, he knew that although it sounded easy, it would be very difficult when he practiced and used it.

    "Yes, it''s very easy. If you are faced with ordinary people, animals or plants, you can easily pinpoint their energy circulations because theirs aren''t complicated." Her tone then turned serious. "But if you are faced with a warrior, things would be completely different."

 Chapter 379 Energy Perception Technique

    After that, Zachary began to cultivate according to Anne''s instructions.

    During this time, Tracy led a few people into the Ghost-crying Forest to search for Zachary. But several days passed and they hadn''t found a trace of his whereabouts. So they returned empty-handed.

    Tracy reported the result of the search to the dean of the college.

    "With his strength, it would be hard for him to survive in the Ghost-crying Forest. And now that you conducted a thorough search without finding him, I''m afraid we should be prepared for the worst," Marvin said, his brows furrowing.

    "What should we do now? Should we inform the Celestial College first?" Tracy asked.

    "No, this has to remain a secret because the King Level contest is coming soon, and you know how important it is. I also intend to arrange for other King Level disciples of the Celestial College to participate in the contest. This way, we can test the strength of the King Level disciples of our own college. I don''t want anything to go wrong. What has happened has happened. Let''s announce this after the King Level contest is done," Marvin said seriously, shaking his head.

    "Got it." Tracy nodded.

    "Dean Marvin! Pollard has returned from the Burial Abyss," a guard reported as he hurried into the dean''s office. Pollard was the best disciple of the Shura College and had gone to the Burial Abyss for training.

    "He''s back? Good! Very good!" Marvin''s body trembled with excitement at this, his face beaming with joy.

    Three years ago, Pollard had taken the initiative and asked to go to the Burial Abyss for cultivation in order to reach the Imperial Level. Given that he was widely recognized as the most talented disciple in the history of their college, Marvin had approved his request without any hesitation. But he hadn''t expected Pollard to disappear with

    there," Tracy explained.

    Marvin and the other masters turned to look at him. Zachary going missing was a serious matter and they were hoping to get some clue about his whereabouts.

    "To tell you the truth, I did find a disciple who appeared in the Burial Abyss a few days ago. But he was dead when I saw him. A miserable death, to be honest. It looked like he had been attacked by some Imperial Level martial beast," Pollard said, after pretending to think about it for a while.

    "Dead?" Everyone paled collectively, including Marvin.

    "Yes. I buried him myself," Pollard said, nodding gravely.

    "Looks like he has really..." Tracy trailed off, her beautiful face dimming. She bit her lip, looking downcast, unable to conceal her sadness.

    Marvin looked grim. He had been planning for the worst, yes, but it was still difficult to hear it. He now had to think about how to explain Zachary''s death to the Celestial College.

    "I''ll excuse myself if you don''t mind," Pollard said and left the Grand Martial Hall.

    As he walked out, Pollard thought to himself, ''I had to lie since Harley doesn''t want to be disturbed. But I''m looking forward to his return. Ha-ha!'' Thinking thus, he disappeared from the spot.

 Chapter 380 The Energy Flow

    On the other side, Zachary, who was thought to be dead, was in the Peach Blossom Forest. He continued to wave his dual swords towards a large tree, leaving deep marks on the trunk.

    But his mind was elsewhere. He shook his head discontentedly as he continued to wave the swords. He had been doing this for one whole day and night.

    "Is Master Anne teasing me on purpose? But no matter how I cut, I can''t bring down such a big tree without my martial energy!" Zachary practiced for quite a while before he slumped to the ground, out of breath.

    He had thought that it would be difficult, but he later found that it was not just difficult. He couldn''t cut down such a huge tree without using any martial energy! It was impossible, at least at his current cultivation level.

    But he knew that there was a reason Anne had asked him to do this, however much that reason hid from him. It was similar to having to catch ten Ice Needles in a row before studying the Ice Needle Skill. The cultivation of the Energy Perception Technique was obviously more challenging than the cultivation of the Ice Needle Skill. But he could also see that it was more powerful than the Ice Needle Skill.

    Zachary was just descending into a pit of depression when a voice sounded behind him. "How''s your cultivation?"

    Zachary turned to find Anne looking expectantly at him. It was the first time he was meeting her in the Peach Blossom Forest. He replied plaintively, "Master Anne, I don''t think it''s that easy to break a tree with just one slash."

    "What''s the problem?" Anne said, walking slowly up to the big tree. Her white sleeve fluttered, and a sword light flashed suddenly.

    The tree split into two halves. The crack was visible, but it didn''t seem to be deep. Zachary''s cut was much deeper, but the tree was torn apart at Anne''s light sword attack.

    "Did you

    ou can see the aura and the energy flow of this tree, you can also see the aura of warriors or beasts. I''ll come and see you tomorrow." Saying thus, Anne left.

    Zachary smiled wryly. It seemed to him that this skill was really hard to master, despite the fact that the process of cultivating the skill was simple.

    Zachary then sat down cross-legged in front of the tree and tried to see the aura and the energy flow of the tree carefully, putting aside all other thoughts.

    Zachary stared at the tree for almost a full day and night. He at last felt that the tree had split into two, like a double shadow. But strangely, when he looked at the double shadow, it seemed that something was flowing from the bottom to the top.

    He suddenly came to his senses and rubbed his eyes. When he looked again, he was dazzled at the sight of two different trees overlapping each other.

    "Is this the energy flow of this tree?" Zachary said in wonder, looking at the tree''s shadow and the energy flowing through it.

    But to make sure that he had seen it, he walked up to the tree and stretched out a hand to touch the energy flow. He felt the air flow. It was weak, but he had succeeded in seeing the aura and the energy flow of the tree.

 Chapter 381 Protective Martial Energy

    "It seems you can see it. It''s faster than I expected. I initially thought you would need at least two days, or even longer." Out of a sudden, Anne''s voice came through. She was standing right behind Zachary.

    "Ha-ha, Master Anne, you looked down upon me!" Zachary exclaimed with a self-satisfied smile. He felt pleased.

    "The tree is growing from the ground, so its energy would move from the bottom to the top. Since it is merely an ordinary tree, it is hard for it to grow and expand its energy. Accordingly, as the tree grew bigger physically, its energy flow doesn''t change. As a result, the aura it possesses is quite thin. And for warriors, as they cultivate, their aura will become thicker. However, the thicker the aura is, the more likely there would be flaws," explained Anne in a soft but firm tone.

    "Why? I think the thicker the aura is, the harder it is to see through the aura." Obviously, this was totally out of Zachary''s expectation. He stared at Anne with a deep frown, seemingly confused.

    "It''s quite simple. If you have a piece of paper and a stack of paper in front of you, which one do you think has more obvious gaps?" Anne asked.

    "Of course, it''s the stack of paper. There''s no gap with a piece of paper!" Zachary confidently claimed without even giving it a thought.

    "That''s right. Therefore, the thinner the aura is, the less likely people would find its flaws. Likewise, the thicker the aura is, the more likely people would find its flaws. The same applies to martial arts. A skill of premium stage may look powerful but not necessarily useful. Sometimes, a simple one may help you defeat the opponent because it is less likely to have flaws in martial energy. If a skill is too powerful, once the opponent finds its flaws, the consequence would be lethal!" Anne considerately explained. "In an energy flow, there will be inevitable flaws. Remember, sometimes, there is no need to comprehend an opponent''s Life Acupoint and Death Acupoint. If you can easily spot the flaws in the opponent''s energy circulation, then undoubtedly, you can also defeat the opponent."

    "I see. Master Anne, you split the tree with just one slash yesterday. You must have done it by targeting the Death Acupoint, right?" Zachary prompted inquisitively.

    "That''s right.

    in the test," Anne said and stared at him intently. "I have told you before that you shouldn''t learn the Energy Perception Technique. And comprehending the technique before you reach the Imperial Level is nearly impossible. However, you''re able to see the energy flow in merely two days, which is unbelievably exceptional. Most warriors can''t even see it for their whole lives. And ordinarily, it takes at least ten years to comprehend the Energy Perception Technique."

    "That long?" Zachary couldn''t help exclaiming. Surprise overwhelmed him after she honestly disclosed this new understanding to him without holding back.

    "It''s not considered long. If you know the Energy Perception Technique, you can surely take the upper hand among the warriors of the same level. Even if the warriors are more powerful than you, they will undoubtedly lose if they carelessly expose their weaknesses. Therefore, as long as you use the Energy Perception Technique properly, the skill will be more deadly than any martial skill or spiritual skill," Anne asserted reassuringly in a stern voice.

    "Then, do you have any methods to speed up the cultivation of the Energy Perception Technique?" Zachary asked without sounding unduly curious as he raised his eyebrows, looking earnest.

    "A lot of real battles can help you improve your perception of energy. So, do you know what you should do next?" Anne suggested.

    "Got it." The corners of Zachary''s mouth slowly curled up into a smile. Then he quickly left the Living-dead Tomb.

 Chapter 382 The Death Arena

    Zachary returned to the system looking a little the worse for wear, to put it mildly. He was dragging himself, and his clothes were spattered with dried blood. He''d spent a whole day and the following night in the Ghost-crying Forest, hunting martial beasts. Though he''d killed all the ones he could find within a mile''s radius, he didn''t feel that his Energy Perception Technique had improved very much. Only his general sense of energy showed a sign of improvement. Even with eyes closed, he could tell how an opponent was about to attack based on the flow of energy.

    After reaching the Peach Blossom Forest, he cleaned himself up, took some energy-replenishing pills, and rested for six hours. When it was done, he felt at the top of his game again and was ready to accept his test.

    "Mimi, I''m ready," he said calmly, his eyes slightly narrowed.

    Mimi''s response was immediate. "The test begins now. I am sending you to the Death Arena." With no other warning, a strong beam of dazzling white light slashed through the forest canopy and enveloped Zachary. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

    After a short while, he found himself in a square, enclosed space. Around him, the walls and ceiling were covered in nasty-looking black thorns, each one big enough to impale a human.

    "Welcome to the Death Arena," said a voice. "I''m in charge of this place. Please call me Shadow. I will serve you from now on." Zachary shuddered as a ghost-like figure appeared before him. The figure was shadowy and indistinct, and no details about him could be discerned, beyond the fact that he had the shape of a man.

    Despite this, Zachary was curious about this new area. "I didn''t know there was actually such an arena in the system," he commented, studying his threatening surroundings.

    Shadow said slowly and matter-of-factly, "Once you reach the Imperial Level, the Death Arena will be opened to you. However, since you want to enter the Pilgrimage Space in advance, you are being given a chance to experience the Death Arena now. First of all, let me explain the rules of this place. Here, you can fight with any kind of weapon and any strategy, including the use of poisons or traps, without any restrictions. Also, there is no time limit. To win, you have to kill your opponent. But if you

    for breath. Although this clone was only at the first grade of Imperial Level, the strength gap between them was huge.

    As a matter of fact, though, this wasn''t the first time that Zachary had fought against a powerhouse of the Imperial Level. When the Welkin Sect was exterminated, he had fought with the enemies at the Imperial Level, such as Warren. Back then, he had been much weaker than he was now.

    Of course, he was also aware that Warren and the others he''d fought at that time had underestimated his strength, so they hadn''t been trying their hardest. However, the clone in front of Zachary clearly wanted to kill him, and was holding nothing back.

    Knowing that he was no match for the clone in a standard contest, Zachary didn''t dare to make another move rashly. While stalling for time, he tried to sense the clone''s energy circulation. His only chance of victory was to find out his opponent''s weakness and exploit it to defeat him as quickly as possible. Otherwise, he was sure to die in the Death Arena.

    However, the clone had guessed what Zachary was thinking and had no intention of giving him a chance. Using the Shadow Pace, the clone began to circle around him.

    For his part, Zachary was not going to just wait for death. He also used the Shadow Pace, trying to catch up with the clone. Yet no matter how much he tried, he couldn''t match his enemy''s speed or sense his energy circulation.

    Still keeping his guard up, the clone renewed his assault on Zachary, trying to put him back on the defense.

 Chapter 383 The Clone

    Although the clone had only displayed the simplest and most common martial skill, Zachary still didn''t stand a chance against him. He was at a disadvantage and at this rate, defeat was inevitable. Focusing all his strength, he tried to scan the circulation of energy and the weakness in the clone''s body by applying the Energy Perception Technique. But unfortunately, it just as Anne had said before, if the opponent''s speed was far greater than his, it would be impossible to perceive the enemy''s energy circulation. Moreover, the martial skill displayed by the clone was effortless and without any flaw, rendering Zachary clueless as to how to fight him.

    Before long, Zachary had reached his limit. Sweat dripped over the wounds on his body as he gasped for breath. This was the first time he had felt such unbearable pressure when facing a more powerful opponent than him. It was as if he was spiraling down into an abyss of despair.

    However, Zachary was not the type of person who would sit and wait for death. He still had one more trick up his sleeve he had yet to use. Since he could not break the energy circulation of the clone or his martial skill, Zachary had no choice but to take the plunge and fight to the death.

    With his eyes wide with renewed fervor, he released the power from the Holy Bone Bracer. In a flash, his arm turned into a ferocious ghost hand and stretched towards the clone, intending to use his spiritual skill to take down his foe.

    However, just as Zachary had displayed his spiritual skill, the clone also materialized a red ghost hand. As mighty as the blue ghost hand was, its red counterpart was even more devastating due to the sheer ferocity of its nature. Some believed it to be the actual hand of the Devil himself.

    The moment the two ghost hands collided, the sound of a loud thunder clap reverberated, igniting a ball of pure energy, billowing outwards and escaping through the sections destroyed by the blast wave. When the dust settled, the fight continued as both ghost hands were locked in a deadly battle.

    However, as time went on and Zachary''s strength waned, the red hand started to gain more dominance, passing over the blue hand and grabbing Zachary by the neck.

    Bang!

    An immense martial energy of Imperial Level exploded with dazzling red light, throwing Zachary to the ground like a ragged doll. As he spat out a mouthful of blood, it was becoming painfully obvious that he was at the end of his journey.

    "You really are just a good-for-nothing fellow!" Just then, Zachary saw the f

    e state mentioned in the legends?" Staring with awe at the sudden change to his body, Zachary believed it to be the Sacred Body-protecting Technique that Andrew had mentioned earlier.

    When the clone realized that Zachary survived the attack unscathed, the expression on his face became vicious. As if he had been humiliated, he charged forward with mad rage. The originally one red hand turned into two and grabbed Zachary, trying to force their way through the red stream of light and tear him apart.

    The clone''s irritation at Zachary''s escape from his previous attack was fervent. As he tried to break through Zachary''s invincibility, Zachary released the power of the Dog Soul Ring to help him fully exert the Energy Perception Technique and improve his five senses to the maximum limit, because he knew that he had only one shot at this. That shot would determine whether he was either to live or die.

    Fifteen minutes had passed by so quickly, and it felt like it had gone by in the blink of an eye.

    The red light protecting Zachary''s body started to dim and fade away. It was clear that the effects were starting to wear out. The clone exerted more force, slowly piercing through the force field. The two red ghost hands were about to reach Zachary''s body, and if they really hit him, he would be torn in half immediately.

    Zachary, however, was still motionless, immersed in his own world and unaware of what was happening to his body. Shortly after, the red light withered and died out.

    The clone shrieked with murderous joy as he clutched at Zachary''s chest with two ghost hands. Blood oozed from Zachary''s wound and it seemed as though nothing could stop the inevitable tragedy.

 Chapter 384 The Ice Needles

    Zachary''s face cracked into a smirk as he watched the clone gradually split into two parts and slowly take shape. One part became the real body, and the other was the physical embodiment of energy circulation. Fortunately, this allowed Zachary to see through the clone''s energy circulation in the nick of time.

    Just as the clone charged at Zachary, ready to tear him apart, he pulled out two Ice Needles in the blink of an eye and thrust them into the clone''s reddened ghostly hands, quickly transforming them into human ones.

    When Zachary fell from the air, the clone, not knowing what else to do, threw a punch at his opponent, forming a huge shock wave that almost engulfed Zachary''s body.

    In a last-ditch attempt to save himself, Zachary launched an Ice Needle, using it to cut through the force and destroying it with an explosion. He followed up his attack by shooting two additional Ice Needles at the clone''s feet, rendering it immobile and incapable of fighting back.

    However, the clone wasn''t going to give up without a fight. He immediately tried to summon the Lady Swordsmanship and Ghost Palm, but both were broken by Zachary.

    After he showered the clone''s body with a few more Ice Needles, Zachary eventually gained full control of the clone.

    "I don''t want to kill you, but only one of us can make it out of here alive and it''s not going to be you!" With one clean strike, Zachary beheaded his opponent without even using his martial energy.

    However, as soon as he separated the clone''s head from the body, it turned into a shadow and vanished into the air like the wind.

    "Congratulations! You have passed the test of the Pilgrimage Space. You deserve to be chosen by the system," said Shadow, floating in the middle of the area.

    "Didn''t you say that the arena would change? How come I didn''t notice any changes?" Zachary asked Shadow.

    "You were getting your ass kicked out there, and that was why I didn''t think there was any need to change the arena. To be honest, I don''t think you would have survived if I had changed the arena. Besides, this was just a trial run, something to help you gather some experience. You''ll have plenty of time to learn about the horrors of the Death Arena in the future," answered Shadow.

    "So, I guess I should thank you." Zachary smiled, expressing his gratitude. There was som

    tial energy with elements. It will be very difficult for you to reach the second grade, because you will have to cultivate it through actual combat. The bigger problem is finding a warrior who possesses martial energy with elements as there are only a handful of such warriors around. Cultivating the next grade is going to be much more difficult than it was with the first."

    "All right. It sounds like I will have to take my time with this one," Zachary said.

    "Now that the Pilgrimage Space is open, why don''t you make some preparations and go inside to see what you can cultivate?" Anne continued.

    "Master Anne, aren''t you going to give me some sort of treasure for protection? After all, the Pilgrimage Space sounds like a dangerous place." Zachary had no intentions of going back empty-handed.

    "I knew you would say that." Anne took out a sachet and gave it to Zachary. "Here are some protective articles I''ve made just for you. They should be enough to keep you safe from anything inside the Pilgrimage Space."

    A sense of relief came over Zachary as he gladly took the sachet.

    However, Anne wasn''t quite done yet as she took out a golden token from her sleeve.

    "Once you enter the Pilgrimage Space, you will have to spend quite a long time there. Keep this Summoning Token with you at all times. If you are in danger and can''t come out, use it to summon me. I will come to your aid as fast as I can, but it will only work once, so don''t use it unless you have no other choice," Anne explained, expressing her words with the utmost eagerness.

 Chapter 385 Summoning Token

    "This is more useful than any other treasure I''ve seen before!" Zachary exclaimed as he immediately put away the Summoning Token. He knew that it was the kind of treasure that could save his life when the time came.

    "Whether you will make a breakthrough and reach the Imperial Level or not during this period of time in the Pilgrimage Space depends on your own efforts. However, even if you fail to make it, a month of training in the Pilgrimage Space is equivalent to a year of regular cultivation," Anne said and waved her hand. "Go ahead."

    Zachary nodded and smiled. He then left the Living-dead Tomb to return to the system.

    "Because you were able to comprehend the unique skill taught by Anne, your friendship level with her also increased to level 3," Mimi said in a sweet voice.

    "Wow! Level 3! I need to work harder!" Zachary sighed as he began to prepare himself before going to the Pilgrimage Space.

    Before night came, he was ready to go.

    "Mimi, it usually takes a lot of treasure-hunting coins to enter the Pilgrimage Space, right?" asked Zachary.

    "Yes, the amount is based on how long you plan to stay inside the space. The base unit is half a month. For every half a month you stay inside the space, you would have to pay five hundred treasure-hunting coins," Mimi replied.

    "That is quite expensive. I have only over a thousand treasure-hunting coins left but I guess it would be enough for an entire month," Zachary calculated and said. "Tell me more about the Pilgrimage Space."

    "Once you''re inside the Pilgrimage Space, you will be teleported to a random area. You would have to stay there for at least half a month. You will then be teleported to another area. In the Pilgrimage Space, your cultivation speed will be doubled. Moreover, based on the nature and the strength of the martial beasts you kill, you will get a certain amount of Exp points that can be accumulated over time. Once you leave the area, these Exp points will be converted into treasure-hunting coins based on their set rates."

    "I didn''t know I can earn back my treasure-hunting coins by killing beasts in the space. T

    se don''t say that. It''s okay to say it in front of me but not near anyone else. Although you are from the Celestial College, you can''t disrespect our dean like that," Tracy said in a serious tone.

    "But you are not showing any respect to us either!" Queenie had no intentions of sparing her. "Anyway, I don''t care. If you still refuse us to let us see Harley, we also refuse to just sit and watch."

    Her statement gave Tracy a headache. She was afraid that Queenie would inform the Celestial College about everything that happened. Perhaps she had already done it and the Celestial College was waiting to see what happened next. Once things went out of control, she wouldn''t be able to hide any of it anymore.

    "Master Tracy, we don''t mean to make things difficult for you, but the least you can do is to let us see him." Though Rebecca softened her voice, there was still a hint of strength in her tone.

    "I cannot promise you anything. I will try my best to arrange a meeting for you and Harley before the King Level contest. Just wait for another month. In addition, our college is inviting you to participate in the King Level contest and I hope you have enough time to prepare for it. If you can get good results in the contest, it will bring honor to your college. We should deal with Harley''s situation at a later date. You don''t need to be distracted by any of it." Tracy tried her best to calm them down.

 Chapter 386 The God Worship Island

    Queenie and Rebecca looked at each other immediately, silently exchanging their opinions on the matter.

    "All right. We choose to believe you this time, Master Tracy. If Harley doesn''t show up before the King Level contest, we won''t participate in it either," Queenie told her before nodding at Rebecca. After saying their goodbyes to Tracy, they left together.

    After they left, Tracy couldn''t help but shake her head and sigh. She also had no idea what to do.

    Queenie and Rebecca began discussing where things now stood as soon as they left Tracy''s place and went on their way back to the farmyard.

    "Queenie, I feel like Master Tracy is hiding something from us," Rebecca announced.

    "I think so too. Does she really think that it''s so easy to fool us? When they sent Harley to the Dark Prison, I felt like something was wrong. Now it seems that my feeling was right. If I''d known it earlier, I would have stopped Harley from going there." Queenie clenched her fists.

    "It''s no use saying that now. The most important thing is to find out whether Harley is safe or not," Rebecca said, her eyes flickering.

    "I went to check on the place a few days ago. The entrance to the Dark Prison was heavily guarded. They even put an enchanted barrier there. I think not even a fly can find its way inside. Therefore, we can''t enter the Dark Prison with our strength," Queenie said, shaking her head.

    "Then we have no choice but to report the matter back to the Celestial College," Rebecca determined. In fact, they had planned to send the message back to the college from the start, but they had been too afraid that they would cause an unnecessary fuss if Harley was back soon. So they had decided to wait and see. But they had already waited for two months now.

    "That''s the only thing we can do right now. But I''m afraid that even if the Celestial College knows about this, they won''t take any immediate action. At most, they will negotiate with the Shura College, and the Shura College will surely find excuses to stall them off. If that happens, it will take too long for the matter to be resolved," Queenie said in worries.

    "How about sending the message directly to Master Sara and asking her to tell Master Katrina? Master Katrina personally commended Harley. Once Master Katrina knows about it, she won''t turn a blind eye," Rebecca suggested enthusiastically.

    "This sounds like a good idea. Let''s do it." Queenie nodded her head in approval.

    Then the two girls left the Sh

    o catch up with Zachary''s clones. All of them were soon eliminated. The group of Black Spiders chasing Zachary''s real body was only a few meters away from him. At the same time, the Black Queen Spider also lunged at him.

    In any other circumstance Zachary would enter the system to get rid of those chasing him. However, once he entered the Pilgrimage Space, he wasn''t allowed to leave until half a month later. In other words, he had to stay here for at least half a month before he could leave.

    Therefore, now he had nobody to rely on but himself.

    "Damn it! I won''t run anymore!" Seeing that he couldn''t outrun them, Zachary stopped running. He activated the Lady Swordsmanship in an instant. Before he knew it, an endless sword radiance rushed towards the group of Black Spiders chasing him.

    Caught off guard, they were all annihilated by the powerful martial energy of King Level.

    However, the Black Queen Spider had already caught up with him. In front of Zachary, its big mouth kept moving like a scorpion''s claw. It stared at him with a pair of eyes full of hostility, as if it was ready to pounce on him at any moment.

    Zachary''s eyes were also fixed on it, trying to detect its martial energy circulation. However, although he had already comprehended the Energy Perception Technique, it was still impossible for him to detect the martial energy circulation of a martial beast of Imperial Level quickly. Its cultivation level was far above his.

    Besides, the Black Queen Spider wouldn''t give Zachary any chance to do that. In the blink of an eye, it spat out a few long and thick white threads. They came at Zachary from different directions.

 Chapter 387 The Black Queen Spider

    Zachary used his Shadow Pace to dodge the attack. At the same time, he channeled his Energy Perception Technique to identify the Black Queen Spider''s flaws. After several exchanges, the spider realized that it couldn''t do anything to harm him at all. It immediately tried to manipulate its six strong legs as it rushed towards him. Its two sharp front limbs then crashed on the ground as it moved forward. In an instant, deep holes appeared on the area where it landed. It was obvious that it exerted almost all of its strength.

    Zachary also gave everything he had to dodge the blow. Judging from the huge holes its fore limbs had created, he could tell the strength of the Black Queen Spider shouldn''t be underestimated. He could be gravely injured with a single hit.

    It would be totally wrong to think that the Black Queen Spider could only use brute force. It was also quite intelligent. Just as Zachary was busy dodging, a white spider web suddenly formed under his feet. It was a trap set by the beast to try and catch him. Being distracted a bit, he couldn''t react fast enough to the white spider web.

    The Black Queen Spider took the opportunity and dashed towards Zachary, leaving him no chance to escape the trap.

    But just as the spider was about to hit Zachary, three Ice Needles shot out and flew towards its hard shell. With a loud bang, its huge body lost its balance and fell backwards with its legs in the air. It then struggled to get back on its feet. It continued to spin around, but it couldn''t get up no matter how hard it tried.

    "Although I haven''t completely analyzed your energy circulation, I can still spot your weaknesses," said Zachary as he curled up his lips.

    But the Black Queen Spider''s strength was at the first grade of Imperial Level which meant it shouldn''t be taken lightly. So even though Zachary was able to find its weak spots and make it lose its balance, it would not just sit and watch while he took its life. A white thread was immediately shot out of its head which then surrounded a tall tree in the swamp. The thread then pulled its huge body up as it hung in the air. It created a significant distance between the Black Queen Spider and Zachary.

    "Do you really think you''ll increase your chances of surviving by pulling yourself away from me?" Zachary said with a grin on his face. A golden flame suddenly rose from his palm. He then threw it towards the Black Queen Spider hanging in the air.

    It was impossible for it to dodge the flame because it was still stuck in midair.

    Bang!

    The moment the flame touched the Black Queen Spider''s body, a stronger flame burst out and enveloped it in an instant due to the dense marsh gas that surrounded it. The Black Queen Spider had been living in the marsh all year round, causing it to accumulate a significant a

    aze was before he could try determining its rules. On the other hand, Zachary began to recall everything he had been through on his way there. Although he had been moving forward, he doubted that it was just an illusion. In fact, it was very likely that he had been walking around in circles without even realizing it.

    In order to confirm his speculations, Zachary used his treasure hunting experience to carry out a position test. He used some of his auxiliary tools to measure the distance between the two black stone walls. As a result, he was able to conclude that the two black stone walls were seemingly parallel to each other. However, they became smaller and smaller as they extended south and bigger and bigger as they extended north, which meant that the maze was either a triangle or a polygon.

    It also meant that if Zachary went north, it was more likely for him to find another entrance.

    He decided to continue moving north. After about half a day, he successfully found the next entrance. Similarly, after passing through the entrance, the entrance behind him disappeared once again. He then used the same method to decide which direction he should go next. This time, he knew he had to walk south.

    After walking south for about six hours, he finally found another entrance. With the positioning test, he headed north next. In less than two hours, he found another entrance.

    After another hour, he was able to pass through another entrance. What appeared in front of him this time was not a black stone wall anymore, but a cave-like stone chamber instead. It was dark and the ground was covered with thick dust. Many lifelike sculptures were carved on the stone wall.

    At the center of the stone chamber was a crystal jade tablet. In the jade tablet were faint lights that constantly flickered. It was giving out a strange aura he had never felt before.

 Chapter 388 The Stone Chamber

    Zachary walked up to the jade tablet and studied it carefully. There seemed to be no exit to this stone chamber, but it was obvious that it was the core of the maze, so there had to be a way out. And the tablet was the only thing in the room that looked like it might do something.

    Having a close look at it, Zachary found an interplay of light and shadow moving silently and slowly across its surface. The strange image took the form of a dragon, displaying its fierce claws and teeth.

    After hesitating for a moment, he reached out and gingerly touched the jade tablet with just the tips of his fingers. The artifact reacted immediately, emitting a dazzling green light that filled the entire stone chamber. The walls, ceiling, and floor all trembled violently. After a few seconds, the green glow pulsed, and the stone chamber itself disappeared, and so did the previous layers of black walls. All of Zachary''s surroundings were gone, except for the jade tablet itself.

    Mimi''s sweet voice eased his sense of alarm somewhat. "You have triggered the ancient puzzle: the death of the Jade Dragon. Please discover why the Jade Dragon died on the God Worship Island within three days. After that, come back to the jade tablet to solve the ancient puzzle, and you will obtain many Exp points and treasures as rewards. If you can''t solve the ancient puzzle within the allotted time, you will receive the punishment from the God Worship Island."

    "What? Why do I have to get punished if I can''t solve the puzzle? It doesn''t make sense!" Zachary complained. Still, he couldn''t really say he was surprised that the system would set things up so unreasonably.

    "Mimi, you should at least give me some hints. There should be some clues about the death of the Jade Dragon." The ancient puzzle was sure to be a headache. He knew nothing about the God Worship Island, let alone the death of the Jade Dragon.

    Mimi answered him at once, "It is said that the humans living on the God Worship Island were very talented and had supernatural strength. They had to use that strength to fight against all kinds of fierce birds and beasts on the island, in order to survive. An

    ." If he wanted to solve the ancient puzzle of the Jade Dragon''s death, he had to clear up all his doubts.

    After hesitating for a moment longer, he approached the center of the altar, carefully stepping across the field of smaller animal bones.

    Soon he reached the dead dragon and ventured inside, stepping between ribs as tall as houses. Alert and ready for anything, he went deeper into the beast''s remains, seeking the source of the miasma. The place felt like a forest of bones. Eventually, he came to something that looked like a fossilized heart, surrounded and tightly braced by a cluster of sharp, tooth-like bones. Its core seemed to be the source of the miasma.

    "Mimi, help me identify what this is," Zachary said.

    "Identifying...

    Identification completed. This is the heart of an ancient diabolic beast, formed and sustained by its resentment even after death. It has absorbed the essential power of heaven and earth and turned it into the miasma, to confuse the mind of anything that draws near."

    "Ancient diabolic beast?" Zachary echoed, frowning. "Shouldn''t the Jade Dragon be a legendary beast?" If the Jade Dragon was only an ancient diabolic beast, then he now knew why it was suddenly killed. In fact, it was very simple. Such a creature could only have been killed by something stronger than itself, and the only one who possessed that kind of power had to be one of the Five Gods, the God of War himself.

 Chapter 389 The God Of War

    "Let me assume this. If the Jade Dragon didn''t die just like that and all of a sudden, but was killed by the God of War, then that could explain everything. The God of War appeared suddenly just as the humans on the God Worship Island were about to be annihilated. The God of War then defeated the beasts and imparted his cultivation methods to the humans. He killed an ancient diabolic beast that had provided power to the humans living on the island. So the humans lost their power to protect themselves and couldn''t survive. So he had to make it up to the humans by teaching them all the skills he knew. That could explain everything!" Zachary murmured, analyzing the situation as he went. His brows cleared as he gradually came to his senses. But this conjecture would amount to nothing if there was no solid evidence.

    It meant that he had to find actual evidence that could prove that the God of War had killed the Jade Dragon.

    But even the humans on the island hadn''t been able to gauge that the God of War, who they worshiped all the time, had actually killed the Jade Dragon. And the God of War must have already destroyed all evidence, leaving no trace of what had happened.

    Zachary couldn''t help but shake his head at these thoughts. He was close to the truth, but if there was no evidence, everything would be in vain.

    "It''s a pity the Jade Dragon had no brain remaining. Or I could have asked Mimi to try and read its memory and find out what happened," Zachary said to himself. His gaze shifted to the Jade Dragon and he started, an idea springing to his mind as his eyes fell on the Jade Dragon''s heart that had turned hard. "Mimi, can you read the dragon''s memory through the heart?"

    "Theoretically, I could do that. But it can only be achieved through the system''s advanced identification mode. However, with the current repair degree of the system, the advanced identification mode can''t be activated," Mimi replied.

    "Then you can''t do it," said Zachary, pursing his lips and trying to quell his disappointment.

    "There is another way. I can provide a connection between your brain and its heart. The memory the heart carries can then be directly transferred into your brain. But this kind of connection is very dangerous, and it may cause damage to your brain. What''s more,

    the human beings.

    But at the God of War''s words, he realized that the truth wasn''t as simple as he had thought it to be. It was obvious to him now that the God of War wasn''t as righteous as he looked.

    "I won''t let you take the God Worship Island, and I won''t let my people get involved in conflicts of interest among the humans," the Jade Dragon said furiously.

    "Your people? Ridiculous! Are you saying that you, an evil beast who feeds on human beings, want to control the humans on the island? I advise you to give up. We human beings will never be controlled by an evil beast like you," the God of War sneered coldly. He then pointed his flaming ax at the Jade Dragon.

    "It''s better than being ruled by such a hypocritical villain like you! You are just using the weaknesses of the human beings to satisfy your ambition," the Jade Dragon sneered back scornfully.

    "My ambition?" the God of War snorted. "You know me well. My ambition is to make humans the strongest race on this continent and not be threatened by evil beasts like you. Is there something wrong with that?" And the God of War burst into raucous laughter.

    "So do you think it is alright to sacrifice thousands of people''s lives to satisfy your ambition?" the Jade Dragon shouted.

    "If blood needs to be shed in exchange for unity and peace in the future, everything will be well worth it," the God of War shouted back.

    "That''s your own business, but I will never allow you to dig your finger into the God Worship Island," the Jade Dragon swore.

 Chapter 390 Solve The Ancient Puzzle

    "Then don''t blame me for this," said the God of War with a ferocious stare. The next moment he was in the air, waving his gigantic ax. As the ax grew bigger and bigger, a blazing fire landed on it, and then fell down toward the Jade Dragon like a meteor.

    Not to be outdone, the Jade Dragon raised its head and opened its mouth, which emitted a dazzling beam of emerald light. When it collided with the fire of the ax, an eruption of energy spread through the sky over the God Worship Island.

    The whole island shook like it was the beginning of the end of the world.

    Zachary suddenly returned to his senses and looked around. His eyes burned. To his horror, he found that the miasma had surrounded him and was invading his body. It was too late to hold his breath. He could feel it devouring his will and sending his mind spiraling toward the depths of madness.

    But just when he was about to lose himself for good, the heart of the Jade Dragon suddenly cracked, and then turned into dust. In mere seconds, it was nothing more than a memory. At the same time, the miasma around Zachary¡ªin fact, all of the gas there at the center of the God Worship Island¡ªdisappeared without a trace.

    When his wits had come back to him, Zachary heaved a sigh of relief. "No wonder the Jade Dragon was so resentful after its death," he murmured. "It was killed by the God of War in order to protect the people on this island from being involved in war with other humans. Even though it was an ancient demonic beast, it showed pity and compassion for mankind."

    The reason why the Jade Dragon''s heart had remained petrified for thousands of years was that it wanted someone to unravel the mystery of its unjust death and to bring about its vindication.

    "I have discovered the truth. Rest in peace," Zachary said solemnly. With that, he pressed his hand against the nearest of the creature''s giant bones, and then turned away.

    Since the miasma was now gone, the martial beasts that lived in the center of the God Worship Island had come to their senses and stopped fighting one other. Thus, Zachary had a safe and uneventful journey back to the jade tablet.

    "All right, Mimi, I''ve discovered the truth. Now how do I solve the ancient puzzle?" he asked.

    "Just put your hand on the jade tablet," Mimi instructed.

    Zachary nodded and did as he was

    cted forms on one''s opponent.

    The martial arts with elements were also divided into primary, medium, and premium stages. But in the entire Supernal Continent, there were only a few martial arts at the medium stage of Imperial Level, let alone at the premium stage.

    Because of that, knowledge contained by the manual in Zachary''s hand was invaluable.

    However, he hadn''t mastered the martial energy with any element, and the Ice Dragon Skill had to be practiced with the water element, so he decided to keep it safe in the warehouse of the system for the time being.

    After classifying the other treasures that had been found on the God Worship Island, he converted some of them into treasure-hunting coins and put the rest into the warehouse as well.

    When that was done, he returned to the Pilgrimage Space to continue his cultivation.

    This time, he was sent to a very strange room. At first glance there was nothing peculiar about it, because it resembled a weapon refining room. The strange thing was that there were at least one hundred MH weapons there, all of them identical.

    "Mimi, where am I?" Zachary asked.

    "This is the mission mode of the Pilgrimage Space. After completing the quest in this level, you move on to the next one, until you complete them all."

    "Mission mode? That means this is the space created by the system, not the real world, right? No wonder it looks so strange," Zachary murmured. The Pilgrimage Space combined the real world and the virtual space, so it was normal for such things as the mission mode to appear.

 Chapter 391 King Level Weapon Refiner

    Suddenly, all the MH weapons in the room came to life and flew out of the wall, swirling in a vortex.

    "You have two hours to find the perfect MH weapon. If you complete the quest successfully, you will be allowed to enter the next round. If you fail, however, you will be given a severe punishment." Mimi''s habitual sweet voice sounded unusual as it carried a sense of urgency.

    "The perfect weapon? How am I supposed to know which one is the perfect weapon? Every one of these looks exactly the same. I can''t even tell the difference." Zachary shook his head in confusion as he stared at the weapons swirling in the air.

    The fact that he only had two hours made things even harder for him. Examining each weapon, one by one, was certainly not a practical option and as such, he would have to rely on experience or some other means.

    "Let me try to heat the weapons using my energy fire." He flipped his palms and golden flames arose, turning into countless flame shadows as they flew towards the weapons. In an instant, the weapons were surrounded by the energy fire with the metal element.

    Before long, a few weapons began to wither and fall down as the power of the energy fire intensified. Shortly after, a large proportion of the weapons were filtered out. Whatever weapons remained unaffected by the energy fire, managed to stay afloat in mid-air.

    He then released energy fire of the wood element and continued to refine the remaining weapons, filtering out a few more as they fell to the ground.

    With only an hour left to go, he still had twenty more weapons to sift through in order to find the perfect weapon.

    "Although their shapes are the same, the hardness of the materials is different. I guess the perfect weapon would be the one made out of the strongest material." He tapped his finger on chin pensively. Then he used his Heavenly Silk Thread and wrapped it around one of the weapons, making it fly towards another one.

    The collision created a loud buzzing sound.

    However, he managed to spot the difference in the

    ttention, I would have been fooled very easily," Zachary exclaimed angrily. Although the two materials were similar, they had different functions, which was why he couldn''t repair the weapon.

    After finding the source of the problem, he immediately separated the two kinds of weapon refining materials that were similar to each other. In less than an hour, he managed to repair the weapon without a hitch.

    "Congratulations on completing the quest! You are now going to enter the next level."

    Zachary was magically teleported to another room.

    One round after another, even though he had lost track of the levels he had passed. He knew that he had gained invaluable knowledge and experience through these quests.

    Finally, after passing another level, Mimi''s sweet voice suddenly announced, "Congratulations! You''ve made a breakthrough and reached the King Level in weapon refining!"

    "What? I''m a King Level weapon refiner now? How come I didn''t realize it earlier?" Zachary was dumbstruck. Perhaps it was because he was so absorbed in completing the quests that he didn''t even notice just how much he had improved.

    Suffice it to say, an improvement in weapon refining level was equivalent to an improvement in energy fire. Since Zachary was close to the Imperial Level as a warrior, it was plausible that his energy fire had reached the King Level.

 Chapter 392 The King Of Weapon Refining

    This breakthrough, however, was not at all surprising for Zachary. If he hadn''t made such improvements, winning the contest would just remain a pipe dream. He was smart to seize the chance to improve his weapon refining level when the opportunity presented itself to him.

    Without any reluctance, he entered the next level of the challenge.

    As time went by, half a month passed.

    "Congratulations on having completed all the quests in less than a month. You will have the opportunity to accept the challenge of the King of Weapon Refining. If you pass the test, you will be able to obtain a lot of Exp points and treasures. In addition to that, your weapon refining level can go up by three stars." As soon as Zachary finished another mission, Mimi''s delicate voice rang in his ears.

    "Three stars? Really?" Zachary''s eyes lit up.

    "That''s right! If you pass the test of the King of Weapon Refining, you will assume his experience in weapon refining," Mimi explained.

    "Then what are we waiting for? Send me there now!" Zachary could hardly contain his excitement. After reaching the King Level, he made another improvement and reached two stars. However, in order to win first place, he would have to make further improvements.

    All of a sudden, Zachary was surrounded by a strong white light that engulfed him in a matter of seconds. Moments later, he was teleported to a thatched cottage. The cottage was located in a desolate and remote mountain, enveloped in dead silence. There were only a handful of stars scattered in the night sky, but the light inside cottage was shining brightly.

    "Anybody there?" Zachary shouted in front of the cottage.

    After a while, when he didn''t receive any response, Zachary walked up to the door. Before he could get any closer, however, a strong incandescent light burst forth from inside the cottage and enveloped him.

    When Zachary fluttered his eyes open, he found himself surrounded by a lig

    the urge to knock himself on the head. Why did he have to choose such a powerful weapon?

    "Rest assured. No matter what kind of injuries you suffer in this domain, you won''t die. At most, you will only become handicapped," the man said.

    "That''s good to know!" Zachary replied, not sure whether to be happy about it or not. He whispered to himself, ''Being handicapped can be worse than death!''

    The King of Weapon Refining waved his hand, and the Heavenly Flaming Wheel flew out in an instant and stopped just five meters away from Zachary.

    "Fight!" Zachary gritted his teeth and launched the attack first. He used his Shadow Pace, and the Lady Swordsmanship. Multiple sword shadows appeared out of thin air and dashed towards the Heavenly Flaming Wheel.

    However, when the sword shadows met the Heavenly Flaming Wheel, they couldn''t even cut through the flames of the wheel. In an instant, they disappeared without a trace.

    Zachary''s eyes turned cold. He immediately fished in the sachet Anne had given him and pulled out the scissors-shaped weapon. He gathered his strength and used his power to will the scissors to cut the Heavenly Flaming Wheel.

    Clung!

    Unfortunately, the scissors-shaped weapon broke into pieces just as it came into contact with the Heavenly Flaming Wheel.

 Chapter 393 Scissors-shaped Weapon

    It almost pained Zachary when he saw the scissors-shaped weapon. It was a very useful MH weapon and had been much help to him on the God Worship Island.

    Almost at the same time, the Heavenly Flaming Wheel suddenly spun incredibly fast, out of which a bright flame in the shape of a snake immediately shot out and directly rushed towards him.

    Seeing that the situation was getting worse, Zachary took out a shield again. However, as soon as he took it out, the flame reached him. The shield immediately burned a blazing red, changing its form into a mere scrap of iron. Even his hand was burned in the process, giving off a smell of burning flesh.

    "Damn it! It''s too powerful!" Zachary threw away the useless shield and shook his burning hand to douse the fire.

    Of course, the Heavenly Flaming Wheel didn''t stop there. It circled around Zachary once. Wherever it went, the flame fell and instantly it burst into a bright light and rose towards the sky. It shot up dozens of feet high, forming into a thick flame cover. Soon it began to compress, thereby leaving Zachary with no way out.

    Zachary immediately took out a few body protective weapons to defend himself, but unfortunately, they were all completely useless. They were either damaged all completely ruined because of the flame.

    By now, the range that the flame covered had been reduced to less than one meter in diameter. Zachary soon began to feel so hot that he knew he would soon be grilled. He estimated that it wouldn''t be long before he would be roasted alive. Although the King of Weapon Refining promised that he wouldn''t die, his life would be meaningless if he became an invalid!

    Therefore, no matter what, he was not going to just sit by and wait for death. His eyes flashed and he immediately summoned Illusory Dragon Spine. Even though he knew that Illusory Dragon Spine couldn''t be a match for the Heavenly Flaming Wheel, he could at least solve the burning issue.

    In an instant, the Illusory Dragon Spine shot out. The flame cover that had enveloped Zachary was instantly attracted by the Illusory Dragon Spine. It gathered itself and rushed towards the Illusory Dragon Spine. In the blink of an eye, the Illusory Dragon Spine absorbed all its power, and soon the flame cover disappeared.

    At the same time, the Illusory Dragon Spine suddenly burst into flames and r

    sory Dragon Spine and the Heavenly Flaming Wheel, dimmed and dropped to the ground one by one.

    "What?" The man was also shocked as he witnessed the scene. He just could not believe his eyes. His power was completely useless in front of this mysterious shadow.

    Just then, the blue light expanded, out of which appeared an ice shadow. A surging aura filled the whole space in an instant.

    "Master Anne..." The man was flabbergasted and even faltered when he recognized the form.

    Of course, the ice shadow was none other than Anne.

    "Master Anne, he bullied me and even wanted to take away my Illusory Dragon Spine," Zachary accused, pointing at the man.

    Anne glanced at the man with her beautiful eyes, and said coldly, "What my disciple just accused you of, is it true?"

    "Well... that''s a misunderstanding! You know I would do nothing of that sort!" The man suddenly changed his attitude and immediately smiled.

    "A misunderstanding?! Where is that arrogant King of Weapon Refining? You''ve changed so quickly because you are afraid of my master, right?" Seeing his changing colors, Zachary immediately disdained him. However, he felt something amiss. The man should be very powerful since he had so many Divine Level weapons. Then why did he falter after seeing Anne? No matter how strong Anne was, she was still only at Holy Level.

    The man''s face darkened when he heard what Zachary said, but he dared not to say anything. It was obvious that he was very afraid of Anne.

    "Did my disciple pass the test?" Anne enquired as she continued to glare.

 Chapter 394 Pass The Test

    "He has passed, of course!" The King of Weapon Refining swiftly nodded his head after hesitating for a while. He reluctantly admitted the positive result achieved by Zachary.

    "Well, if there is nothing else, I will take him back," Anne announced before turning to Zachary, gesturing for him to proceed.

    "Master Anne, I haven''t gotten the rewards yet," Zachary coolly reminded her, without taking his gaze from the King of Weapon Refining.

    Hearing this, Anne gracefully turned to the King of Weapon Refining.

    "Oh, sorry. I will give them to you right away." At his words, the King of Weapon Refining instinctively snapped his fingers with traces of fear and trepidation.

    "Congratulations! You have passed the final test of the mission mode and gained ten thousand Exp points," Mimi cheered in a sweet voice.

    "Here are your rewards: an Imperial Level casting material, an Imperial Level treasure, and the casting formula of an Imperial Level weapon!"

    "Are you satisfied now? Bye, Master Anne." The King of Weapon Refining glanced back at Anne and eagerly wanted to send her away. He was becoming uncomfortable now. Her presence was just too much for him.

    "You forgot something, the three, no, the weapon refining experience of six stars," reminded Zachary, grinning wickedly at his expense.

    "Six stars? Why? Isn''t it three stars?" The King of Weapon Refining''s face darkened with anger. This guy sure was capable of brewing silent fury within him.

    "Master Anne, he doesn''t show any respect to you. I think you''d better kill him!" Zachary trained his gaze to look at Anne, feeling aggrieved.

    Anne discreetly gave him a knowing smile. She raised her hand and stared at the King of Weapon Refining. Although she didn''t say anything, the expression in her eyes had already made the man''s face turn ashen.

    "Yes, you''re right. It should be six stars. I''ll give it to you right away." The King of Weapon Refining trembled and soon viciously declared, "Pass on experience!"

    At his words, he immediately released a powerful peculiar light before turning it into wisps of light. Moments later, it floated undeviatingly towards Zachary, and then spread deep into his body.

    "The weapon refining level is being upgraded.

    Three stars. Four stars.

    Five stars. Six stars. Seven stars. Eight stars!"

    "Ha-ha, I''m now an eight-star weapon refiner!" Zachary couldn''t help laughing and complacently gazed at the King of Weapon Refining.

    The King of Weapon Refining, on the other hand, had a resentful look on his face, but he still managed to

    that it was merely an influence by his inner demon.

    Another two days had passed, and less than one-third of the Imperial Level power was left, but he had almost reached his limit. At the same time, under the influence of the inner demon, he could no longer restrain the evil in his heart. He felt he was going to go crazy at any time.

    ''If this continues, I''m afraid I can''t hold on any longer. But Master Anne said that mastering the Energy Perception Technique is half the battle. But when do I need the Energy Perception Technique?'' Zachary mulled over and over, his heart racing wildly.

    Soon time passed like flowing water, and Zachary became weaker and weaker in his mind every second, but there was still a long way to go before he successfully made a breakthrough.

    At this precise moment, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have been sucked into a whirlpool. There was this tremendous feeling that the sky and earth were spinning in such force. And simultaneously, the remaining Imperial Level power in his body also surprisingly sped up. He could barely hold on. He was already mentally and physically exhausted, and under such an impact, he was on the verge of collapse.

    But of course, he would not give up. He immediately pulled himself together. He knew it was time to display the Energy Perception Technique, so without wasting another second, he quietly meditated and calmly enhanced his five senses.

    In no time, he sensed that he was in an energy whirlpool, and the big waves rotated around him. He couldn''t get out of it, as if he was drowning and going to be swallowed up.

    He perceived very well that he had needed to get rid of the energy whirlpool, or else he would fail.

 Chapter 395 Martial Energy Of Imperial Level

    To break out of the energy vortex, Zachary had to penetrate the Life and Death Acupoints. However, the flowing air''s high speed as well as the unpredictable and formless energy had greatly increased the penetration difficulty.

    But he had no other choice but to take that chance!

    For the remainder of the time, he focused all of his effort into the penetration process until he could almost see through the energy vortex''s pattern. While his effort had shown some success, it wasn''t nearly enough.

    After a few hours, he''d made more progress. He had already seen through the energy circulation''s path. But if he wanted to really get through it, he had to clearly see the path and observe the density of the energy to find the position of the Life and Death Acupoints.

    However, he was almost driven to the extreme. He was exhausted physically and mentally, and affected by the inner demon, he was nearly collapsed. But the more tired he was, the stronger his willpower would be aroused.

    Suddenly, he felt a strong restlessness in his body. His blood was boiling as a very violent force instantly filled him up.

    He was shocked. He was very familiar with this power. It was that of the Demonic Wolf Blood.

    ''But the Demonic Wolf Blood should have been taken out. How come traces of it remain in my body?''

    At the same time, in the Fairy Island''s bamboo house, Tania was staring at the container with the Demonic Wolf Blood sealed in it. Its container was shaking non-stop. The blood inside it seemed to be restless.

    "Did he activate the Demonic Wolf Blood''s power? It seems like he''s at a critical moment right now. He is on the verge of making a breakthrough and reaching the Imperial Level. He should have found out by now that I haven''t completely taken out the Demonic Wolf Blood inside his body. It''s very valuable. Even if a warrior''s body contained a small part of it, it would go a long way in helping them out. But if he can''t reach the Imperial Level, all my efforts will have been in vain. Why am I even trying to help him? It''s weird. I don''t understand it myself." Tania blinked. It was strange for her to want to help Zachary, so she didn''t know why she was doing it. She waved her hand and the container with the Demonic Wolf Blood''s seal returned to a cabinet. Later, she left in a

    reaching a stalemate, the saber and the iron arm parted for a bit, but they collided again in the blink of an eye.

    Both weapons crisscrossed, constantly flashing in the air. Their movements were too quick to be clearly visible.

    Of course, this kind of confrontation was only a test. It was a warm-up for two disciples at the ninth grade King Level in order to find out each other''s weaknesses.

    The goal was to see who could find out their opponent''s weakness first.

    It was apparent that Michael was stronger than Tyson as a whole. However, Tyson''s iron arm was made of very rare Black Steel and century-old Ironwood. His iron arm was at a higher rank than Michael''s saber. Therefore, even though Michael was stronger, it wasn''t that easy for him to get through Tyson''s strong defense.

    But Michael was known for his cruelty. So, he''d do anything in order to win. It didn''t take Michael long though to find Tyson''s vulnerable point. He hit Tyson with his saber as a strong martial energy of King Level rushed out from it.

    "Wild Saber Attack!" Wild martial energy rushed out from the saber, like a lion wildly thrashing in all directions.

    The power wasn''t one to be underestimated!

    As soon as he saw the scattered and ferocious saber shadows'' aggressive approach, Tyson fearlessly waved his iron arm in the air.

    "Hundred-Arm Strike!" Tyson waved his iron arm in an instant and rushed out like a shadow.

    The arm and the saber collided with each other. The light flashed through the sky blinding everything in sight.

 Chapter 396 The Punishment

    Before Tyson could retreat, Michael dashed in front of him all of a sudden and hacked at him. He seemed to want to attack Tyson by surprise. Tyson, on the other hand, had already assumed that Michael would strike while the iron was hot. So he agilely stepped in the air and jumped one meter higher. When he passed over the head of Michael, he skillfully stretched out his arm and hacked at Michael from the top of his head.

    Michael''s face changed in an instant. Anticipating the assault, he adeptly hoisted his saber to ward off the attack.

    Roughly, Tyson''s iron arm had knocked directly at Michael''s saber, causing a buzz of vibration. And the two streams of martial energy continued to fight against each other in the air. Since Tyson was in a condescending position, he had a definite advantage. He kept his legs up while at the same time pedaled forcibly in the air. As a result, his martial energy turned into the spiral force, aiming at Michael''s face.

    As soon as he realized that the situation was not good for him, Michael immediately waved his other hand to resist the attack. But unfortunately, he was not that prepared well. He was directly sent to the ground, under the strong leg force from Tyson. With a loud bang, he slipped back for a few meters before he steadied himself, causing the dust flying in the air.

    Similarly, Tyson landed on the ground, standing with his hands behind his back.

    Watching all this, Tyson''s followers cheerfully exclaimed and applauded with excitement all of a sudden.

    "Ha-ha..." But moments later, a peal of loud laughter suddenly reverberated, causing all the other people to be stunned. They all turned their gaze at the direction where it came from, only to recognize that Michael appeared from the dust that had not yet dissipated. Although he looked a little messy, it seemed that he did not suffer any damage. He was indeed pretty strong with the strength at the ninth grade of King Level.

    "Good, good. It seems that you have improved your strength again," Michael mockingly grunted with a dark face as he stared at Tyson rather coldly.

    "It''s not too late if you yield to me now," Tyson responded. He was still very calm, seemingly unaffected.

    "Yield to you? You must be kidding me. Do you really think you don''t have to pay anything for hitting my leg?" Michael groaned with a vicious expression on his face. He was furious, wearing a contorted expression.

    Hearing Michael''s provocation, Tyson grew more serious. But then, he realized that his leg which had hit Michael earlier felt numb. And it gave him an uncomfortable sensation.

    "Let me see how you can show off without one of your legs!" Michael sneered. Then in a split-second, he sprinted forward as he waved his saber in a quick, fluid motion. As a result, saber shadows began to emerge in the air.

    Michael''s figure soon outran his saber shadows as he ferociously launched his attack. Tyson, in response, swiftly dodged sideward. But since his right leg was numb, he failed

    tingly divided into three parts. So the attacking power could not be underestimated.

    However, Zachary just smiled and adeptly waved three palm shadows in a row to fight against the three moon-shaped auras as if flicking his fingers against a fly.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Loud bangs were heard the next moment they collided in the air. Generally speaking, Michael''s saber auras would have the upper hand. But what surprised everyone was that Zachary''s three palm shadows completely destroyed Michael''s auras.

    Michael also widened his eyes and stared keenly at Zachary. It was hard for him to accept what had just happened.

    "Do you still want to continue the fight?" Zachary asked indifferently with a smiling face.

    Of course, Michael wouldn''t give up. He suddenly let out a loud yell and charged straight in front of Zachary. He then used the two skills that had made him famous in succession to hit him. Unfortunately, he couldn''t even touch his clothes.

    All the disciples fixed their eyes on the fight with their mouths ajar in shock. They stood motionless.

    "You''ve made three moves. If you continue to fight back, you will be humiliating yourself," reminded Zachary with his hands casually clasped behind his back.

    But at that point, Michael had been infuriated to the extreme. For him, turning back was not an option. All he wanted was to use his martial skills without hesitation to hit Zachary. But unfortunately for him, the latter didn''t plan to waste his time anymore. Unexpectedly, Zachary turned into a shadow in the blink of an eye and brushed past him.

    Bang!

    Long before he could even grasp what had happened, Michael had unknowingly knelt on the ground, with his hands down. What was more, he couldn''t feel his legs anymore.

    "I''ll take your legs. From now on, you''ll be confined to a wheelchair. Consider this to be the punishment for the evil things you have done all the time!" Zachary concluded in a cold voice while standing less than a meter away from Michael.

 Chapter 397 Tyson

    The other disciples present couldn''t believe their own eyes. They couldn''t believe that Zachary was able to break Michael''s legs before he even had the chance to fight back.

    Tyson was also surprised. He did not expect the improvement in Zachary''s strength to be this huge after only several months.

    "I will kill you with all I''ve got!" As a man who had lost his senses, Michael was exasperated. But no matter how hard he tried to move his legs, they wouldn''t respond to him at all.

    Zachary looked disdainfully at Michael before he looked around and announced, "Listen up, guys. From this point forward, Tyson is the new leader of Master Willis'' group. Anyone who disagrees with me will have to fight me to the death."

    When the disciples heard him, they all trembled in fear as their faces turned pale. It was difficult for them to move, and none of them had the guts to go against Zachary. It seemed that they were completely paralyzed by his tremendous power.

    "If you have nothing else to say or do, you can all leave now. Do not forget to take him away with you..." Zachary waved his hand as he pointed at Michael.

    Michael''s followers immediately walked up to him and carried him away as fast as they could.

    "You brat, I will never forget what happened here. You will regret this, just wait and see!" Michael shouted with resentment as they carried him away.

    At that moment, Tyson came up to Zachary with his hands cupped and said gratefully, "Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it!"

    "Don''t mention it. I didn''t do any of it for you. I just hate his guts. I''m sure you will be a great leader in the future!" Zachary smirked. ''I''m not doing this for you at all, '' he thought to himself.

    "If that''s the case, I still owe you a favor. If you need any help in the future, don''t hesitate to ask me!" said Tyson sincerely.

    "I will once you return to the college." Zachary did not refuse. Making a new friend was way better than having another enemy.

    "We haven''t seen each other in months. I can tell that you have improved a lot!" exclaimed Tyson with admiration in his eyes. Although Zachary''s cultivation level didn''t really change, Tyson clearly felt that his strength was much more intimidating now. He was able to kill Charley back then, and now he was able to cripple Michael without exerting much effort. This showed how

    ntrance of the Burial Abyss, they saw a beautiful figure standing right in front of them.

    "The timing of your arrival is perfect!" Queenie remained very calm as she saw the beautiful figure.

    It was Polly.

    In fact, Queenie and Rebecca already discussed beforehand when they decided to go to the Burial Abyss. Considering that they were not familiar with the place and that it would be difficult for them to go through the heavy guards, they decided to ask help from Polly. They were hoping that she could go to the Burial Abyss ahead of them to see what it was really about.

    Polly also felt strange when she heard that Zachary had been missing in action for such a long time. Although it was she who had sent him to the Burial Abyss, she didn''t know about the succeeding situation because she was preoccupied with her own cultivation. She had been paying close attention to Zachary, so the moment she heard their request, she immediately visited Tracy to tell her that she planned to go to the Burial Abyss. However, Tracy didn''t allow her to do so and she immediately felt that she was hiding something from her.

    On the previous day, after Queenie and Rebecca finally decided to go to the Burial Abyss, they tried to ask for Polly''s help once again. They were hoping that she could lead the way for them. They didn''t expect her to agree at first, but if she could help them, it would take a lot of burden out of their hands.

    "Are you sure you want to push through with this?" Polly asked with a frown as she stared at the four people with her beautiful eyes.

 Chapter 398 Going To The Burial Abyss

    "Now that the Shura College won''t let us see Harley, we need to find a way ourselves. It is our only option. If you are willing to help us, I will never forget it and we will be eternally grateful. Besides, I know that you have a good relationship with him. I have a feeling that you also want to know what is happening to him," Queenie said. They had never seen her behave so gently.

    "I think you should take this seriously. The Burial Abyss is a forbidden and dangerous area within the Shura College. The consequences you will face once they catch you breaking into a forbidden area would be very heavy. I highly advise you to ask Master Tracy first before you make any rash decisions," Polly said. She was hesitant to go with them to the Burial Abyss without permission.

    "I''m afraid that Master Tracy has been hiding something from us and deliberately dragging us on," Rebecca said as her eyes grew solemn. "If she really had plans to let us go there, she would have done it a long time ago. Why did she keep on delaying us with all her excuses? She doesn''t even give us any updates on the situation. We are all very worried about Harley and we can''t just sit and wait."

    "What you just said makes a lot of sense. I already asked Master Tracy about this. But she was a bit hesitant and refused to tell me anything. She just said that it would take some time to arrange everything," Polly responded as she shook her head. She also found it strange that Zachary hadn''t returned after being gone for several months. The training there wouldn''t usually last longer than three months unless it was a special case. He shouldn''t have been gone that long since he was in the Dark Prison which was known to be a very dangerous place. The fact that they hadn''t heard from him in a while was definitely out of the ordinary.

    "We have no other choice!" Queenie replied coldly.

    "Why don''t you go back first? I will ask Master Tracy again. If she tells me anything, I will tell you right away. The King Level contest is only a few days away. I don''t think it''s the right time to be causing any trouble!" Polly suggested. She did not want anything bad to happen to them while the contest was just around the corner.

    "We appreciate your kindness. But if we don''t see Harley soon, we won''t take part in the King Level contest unless Master Tracy finally gives us an explanation," Queenie said in a serious tone.

    Hearing Queenie''s decisive words, Polly could not help but shake her head helplessly. She then thought for a while and said, "Fine. Let''s do this. I will be right behind you. If you can break through the first area, I will go to the Dark Pris

    the others. As a result, the gray wolf became timid and dared not to start the fight as it was faced against their four treasure beasts.

    The two masters weren''t cowards. As the wolf held the four treasure beasts in play, they took the opportunity to rush towards Queenie and others. They wanted to catch them first before they could react.

    Of course, Queenie and her companions weren''t simply waiting for their deaths. They were also prepared to fight.

    A fight with great disparity in strength was about to begin. An orange-golden shadow suddenly flew over them. The strong energy at the Sage Level instantly filled the air and shocked everyone!

    At the same time, everyone present couldn''t help but look at the falling figure. As soon as her true body was exposed, everyone was speechless. They all felt thwarted compared with the figure.

    "Master Katrina!" Queenie and her friends were overjoyed to see the beautiful golden figure.

    As for the two masters from the Shura College, their expressions changed the moment they heard Queenie cry out the woman''s name. They had never thought that the famous woman from the Celestial College would suddenly appear in their territory. Katrina was a name they had been hearing for the longest time.

    At that moment, Katrina was silent. Normally, it would be hard for people to read her emotions. But apparently, she was not in a good mood as well. She went straight to Queenie and said seriously, "You''re too presumptuous! How dare you try to break into the forbidden area of the Shura College! You''re going to make people think that disciples from our Celestial College are extremely rude. They would say that you have no respect towards the seniors. If you continue to mess around, you''ll be in great trouble!"

 Chapter 399 Katrina Shows Up

    "It was them who forced Harley¡ª" Queenie tried to defend themselves.

    She might have said something then, but a fierce glare from Katrina reduced her to silence.

    "Take all the treasure beasts back," Katrina shouted.

    Queenie and the others did as they were told, not daring to protest.

    Seeing this happened, the grey-robed master also took his treasure beast back. Katrina''s sudden appearance had brought the chaotic scene to a halt, but the stillness and quiet were uneasy. Even the two masters were wary of breathing too loud.

    Katrina turned to them. "Masters," she said, "please forgive them for offending you."

    The two masters were of a moderate temperament, neither imperious nor humble, and they had to respect her. They cupped their hands before them in a gesture of respect, and one of them said, "Of course, Master Katrina. We realize this must be just some misunderstanding."

    "That''s good," Katrina replied with a nod. "Now please get out of my way!"

    "What?" one of the masters sputtered. Both were too stunned to react.

    Katrina''s conciliatory smile had completely evaporated. "I''ve been informed that the Shura College sent a certain individual into the Dark Prison for cultivation: Harley, who is from the Celestial College. Since then there''s been no news concerning him. So I''m here on behalf of Celestial College, in the hopes that Shura College will have an explanation for this. Of course, before that, I''d like to see Harley myself to make sure he is all right."

    The two masters felt a chill go through them that set their hands and feet trembling. They were in a dilemma now. If they let Katrina go over, they naturally wouldn''t be able to provide an explanation for the higher authorities. But if they tried to stop her, they''d be taking their lives in their hands, and, most likely, they would lose.

    Meanwhile, Queenie and the others felt considerable relief after hearing what Katrina had said. They knew there would be hell to pay if Katrina didn''t get what she was after, so surely the Shura College had to give an explanation.

    Just then, though, Tracy came over with two other masters in tow. As soon as they came in, they understood that someone at the Sage Level was present. Katrina''s aura was too immense for anyone to miss. Seeing the new arrivals,

    h her tears. "The Shura College must be trying to deceive us. I''ve long felt that they have some plans about Harley!"

    Her reaction and particularly her show of concern for Zachary surprised more than a few of those present. Queenie was generally cold, detached, and as aloof as a queen. Hardly anything could faze her. However, things with her were different after the time she had spent with Zachary. Although she hadn''t talked about it, her relationship with him, and for that matter with Rebecca, was now much more friendly than before. Very few people ever got to see her soft side, and she was not ready to believe that Zachary was dead.

    "Is this how things are done at the Shura College?" demanded Katrina, her voice low but dangerously livid. "It seems that you want to be our enemy. In that case, I can promise there will be a fight!" The next instant, the power of her aura surged, and everyone present flinched in alarm.

    No one was more on edge than Tracy, who perfectly understood what kind of disastrous consequences could be caused by this incident. Still, part of her was impressed with how highly Katrina thought of Zachary.

    Katrina''s threat seemed to have shocked the whole room into paralysis. Nobody of Shura College knew what to do.

    When the situation seemed totally out of control, a new voice cut through the awful silence. "Man, is it lively in here?! Are you all here just to welcome me back? I''m a little embarrassed!" The voice was familiar, as was the good-natured chuckle that followed these words.

 Chapter 400 He Is Still Alive

    At the sound of the voice, everyone present turned their heads in time to see a figure emerging from the entrance of the Burial Abyss. At first glance, he looked like a beggar, with ragged clothes, disheveled hair, and thick stubble on his face. Yet he exuded a strong aura that nobody could miss. Even his haggard face shone with a mischievous, unpredictable charm.

    "Harley..." Polly shouted, and then covered her mouth in disbelief.

    Queenie trembled beside her, no less shocked.

    Their companions could not help but be similarly affected.

    Katrina visibly relaxed, and her fury over Zachary''s apparent death quickly drained away.

    Nelson darted over to Zachary and threw his arms around him. Laughing in hysterical joy, he shook his friend and exclaimed, "Harley, you''re not dead. That''s so great!"

    Excitement swept through the spot. Tracy and the other people from the Shura College could hardly believe their eyes. During the months that Zachary had been missing, he was regarded to have been killed by some diabolic beast, only now to show up alive and well. It was truly incredible!

    "Hi, Nelson!" Zachary said, shaking his head as he struggled against the other man''s bear-hug. "It''s good to see you too, buy just tone it down a little, all right? Otherwise, people will start thinking we''re gay."

    "What does ''gay'' mean?" Nelson asked with great puzzlement. He did not understand such a modern term, but released Zachary all the same.

    "You''ll learn about it later," Zachary answered simply as he patted Nelson on the shoulder. With that, he went up to Katrina and Tracy.

    He greeted Tracy with a nod, then said, "What brings you here, Master Katrina?"

    "I heard that you''d disappeared after being sent to the Burial Abyss of Shura College. That''s why I came here in person. If I had known that you were all right, I wouldn''t have come in such a hurry." Saying this, Katrina glared at Zachary irritably. But from the tone of her voice, it was plain that she wasn''t really that angry with him. If anything, she was genuinely concerned and even affectionate.

    All the disciples present could not help but guess as to exactly what sort of relationship they had. If

    ''s dangerous. But not nearly as dangerous as you might think," Zachary replied, waving his hand dismissively.

    "By the way, Harley, I heard that you killed a disciple, right?" Nelson asked curiously.

    "Yes! But it was only in self-defense," Zachary explained with a slight grin.

    "Then why did you disappear?" Queenie asked, no less confused than before.

    "I felt that I had committed a terrible crime, so I decided to go off and reflect on my sins alone," he answered in a ridiculously solemn tone of voice.

    Even the stupidest person alive knew better than to believe that. His four companions were left speechless at the joke. It seemed clear to them that they weren''t going to get any straight answers yet.

    They continued the rest of the way to the farmyard, chatting about other subjects.

    Meanwhile, at their destination, Alger and the other Celestial College disciples gathered together. When they saw that the five had come back, they surrounded them.

    "Harley? Why are you still alive?" Alger mocked. He had thought Zachary''s chances of surviving the Burial Abyss were slim. Seeing his rival back, alive and well, put him in a very ugly mood.

    Zachary didn''t respond to Alger. Instead, he waved his hand, and around twenty to thirty treasures of King Level, including weapons and pills, abruptly appeared nearby.

    "These are the spoils I collected from the Burial Abyss," he said, gesturing at the pile. "You can take them all."

 Chapter 401 Generosity

    Not only Queenie, Rebecca, Scott, and Nelson, but also Alger and all the other disciples opened their eyes wide in shock. That was because all the treasures, weapons, and pills that Zachary had taken out were pretty good. They all stood there in quiet amazement as they continued to appreciate them inwardly.

    Surely, they were all surprised by the generous act of Zachary. They could not help looking at him in a new light. The goods he brought over were simply too good to be true.

    "Wow! You turn out to be so deep-pocketed after taking a trip to the Burial Abyss!" Queenie sneered slightly. "But all these things are too common. If you want to give something to Rebecca and me as gifts, we won''t accept anything ordinary."

    Hearing her said that, Zachary couldn''t help shaking his head and beaming at her. Still, she hadn''t changed till now, he mused. After a moment of reflection, he eased his way to Queenie and whispered something by her ear.

    "Are you serious?" Queenie gasped as she asked. She looked stunned after hearing Zachary''s words.

    "Queenie, what did he say?" Rebecca probed her out of curiosity when she noticed the looks on Queenie''s face. She looked like she was dying to know what it was.

    "Let''s go inside first," Queenie suggested and didn''t answer her query. She pulled Rebecca along instead, back to the room with a slight urgency.

    Similarly, Scott also turned around and left without uttering a single word.

    "Hi, Nelson, let''s find a place to have a chat!" Zachary invited Nelson, giving him a hint with his eyes. Then he casually took the lead to walk out of the farmyard.

    Nelson silently followed him immediately.

    Now that Zachary and his friends all had gone, the other disciples, excluding Alger, who was trying to refuse the desire, immediately began to divide up the treasures, weapons, and pills that Zachary had given them for free. But in the end, even Alger could no longer stand still. He joined the others. Like them, he gave in and couldn''t resist the tempting treasures.

    On the other hand, after leaving the farmyard, Zachary and Nelson both went to a secluded place with nobody else present.

    "How are Orion and Kiwi?" Zachary asked anxiously.

    "They are both fine. I''m calling them now to get here," Nelson replied while he immediately took out an instrument. He then gracefully played it between his lips, but there was no distinct sound produced, only a very faint whine.

    But before long, a red roc flew in the air towards their direction, and a beast, with thunder light, stood on the back of the roc. They were none other than the Blazing Roc, and the Thunder Dragon Horse, respectively.

    As soon as the two beasts landed on the ground, they were so exceedingly excited to see Zachary that they hugged him tightly as if they were old friends who hadn''t s

    cused of fleeing to escape punishment?" Tracy questioned suddenly, coming straight to the point as she closely watched him.

    "I believe that a clean hand wants no washing. And I also knew that you would unquestionably prove my innocence," Zachary answered calmly with simple directness.

    "But this can''t explain the reason why you went on missing," Tracy probed further, not convinced with his words.

    "Who said I was missing? I was certainly not. I just attended training in the Dark Prison under the instructions of the dean," Zachary corrected her.

    "But even so, you should not have disappeared completely without leaving any message. You made us all think that you were already..." Tracy gave him a scornful glare as she knew that he was still hiding something from her.

    "Somebody met me. Didn''t he tell you?" Zachary countered as he was also quite surprised to hear what Tracy said because Pollard had come back to the college long ago. In the normal sense, he should have mentioned that he had met him. However, from what Tracy said, he could tell that obviously, Pollard hadn''t told anybody in the college that he had met him.

    "Somebody? Is it Pollard?" Like a blow, Tracy soon realized that Pollard had lied to them. Zachary was still alive, but Pollard said that he was dead. However, his words were quite ambiguous at that time. Consequently, she could not assert that he had lied to them. They had come to the conclusion all by themselves.

    "It seems that Pollard is really good at keeping secrets!" Zachary stated jokingly. He couldn''t suppress his lips curling up.

    Tracy could do nothing but force a smile on her face. Now, it seemed that Zachary''s being missing was just a misunderstanding from the beginning to the end. Fortunately, he came back in time. Otherwise, it would be a bad thing for the college if Katrina was provoked because of his death.

 Chapter 402 Watching A Fight

    In fact, Tracy was surprised to hear that Zachary and Pollard were good friends.

    "Well, there is nothing more I can say to you now. The King Level contest is just around the corner. Since you were able to return, you need to prepare right away. This time, Master Katrina will also be around to supervise the contest. You should all be in your best behavior throughout the event," Tracy advised as she looked at Zachary sincerely.

    "Master Tracy, aren''t you afraid that the disciples from our Celestial College will steal the spotlight from your Shura College''s own disciples?" Zachary said with a smile on his face.

    "Let''s see if you are truly capable of doing that. The original number one disciple from our school has just reached the Imperial Level. Not long ago, he has been named a master of the Shura College. Despite that, the Shura College is full of other talents and I am certain we won''t be defeated by your Celestial College even if you have the strongest disciple," Tracy said with confidence. She wasn''t going to show them any signs of weakness, "I wonder if the number one disciple from the Shura College was Pollard. Is that correct?" Zachary asked because he immediately thought of Pollard after hearing Tracy''s words.

    "Yes," Tracy replied as she nodded.

    "I think it''s fortunate that he is a master now. Otherwise, I would have to fight him and I don''t want to be his enemy," Zachary commented. He knew that Pollard was extremely talented. He had suffered a lot during his fight against him. He was afraid to face him again.

    "You should never take the Shura College''s disciples lightly or it will cause you suffering. I have to leave now. Goodbye," Tracy said before she turned around and left.

    With a smile on his face, Zachary walked towards the room where Queenie and Rebecca were staying. He knocked at the door but got no response from the inside.

    "That''s strange. I wonder where they went," said Zachary as he curled his lips.

    "They probably went to the east yard five hundred meters away from the farmhouse to cultivate." He suddenly heard a man''s voice out of nowhere.

    As he turned around, Zachary saw Scott coming out of the other room.

    "I see. Thanks, buddy," Zachary answered with a big smile on his face.

    "Don''t call me that," Scott responded indifferently. There wasn''t any expression on his face at all, as if he was a dead m

    was training in the Dark Prison for a few months, there was no way he could have exceeded the fourth grade of King Level. They knew it was unlikely for him to be at the same level as them when it came to strength. It was surprising that he was able to identity their weaknesses with ease.

    For him, the fight between Queenie and Rebecca was like a game being played by children. He could easily see through their every move without even using his Energy Perception Technique.

    "Well, I was just guessing as I watched," Zachary replied awkwardly. He also noticed that he probably behaved so arrogantly that it caught their attention, so he shook his hands hastily.

    "Don''t lie to us! How did you do it?" Queenie asked firmly. Of course, she didn''t believe Zachary''s lame excuse.

    "I don''t feel so good. Maybe I should leave now." Zachary made up another excuse in an attempt to dodge the question.

    "We won''t allow you to leave!" Seeing that Zachary wanted to escape, they both swung their bodies towards him. They both tried to block his way and capture him.

    But before they could even grab him, Zachary suddenly disappeared from where he was. He then appeared right behind them with one hand on each side before finally disappearing with both of them.

    By the time they reacted, they were already in the weapon refining room of Zachary''s system.

    "Are you ready for the upcoming examination? If you fail to pass the examination, you shall be severely punished!" Zachary said with a grin on his face.

    Hearing what he said, Queenie and Rebecca looked at each other with fear.

 Chapter 403 The Rare Level

    "Wait, a test? What do you mean? I don''t want to take a test!" Queenie put her hands on her hips, her expression hard.

    Zachary kept his cool. "No? Then I won''t upgrade your weapons."

    "You''re such a liar," Queenie spat. "You told me before that you''d help us with this, but now you go back on your word and use some test as an excuse. I think you never want to upgrade our weapons at all. Well, if that''s how it''ll be, fine. I don''t need you anyway."

    Zachary crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Well...how about this? Suppose even if you don''t take the test, I''ll still upgrade your weapons. But if you take it and pass, I''ll upgrade them to the Rare Level."

    The two girls'' eyes widened. "The Rare Level?" they echoed in unison. A King Level weapon of Common Level could be easily upgraded to the Rare Level. However, if the weapon in question had some element, the chances of success were very low.

    "So make up your minds, then," Zachary went on, grinning subtly. "Do you want to take a test or not?"

    The two girls looked at each other, and then nodded in one accord. "Yes!"

    "Good girls," Zachary said, satisfied.

    After that, he gave each of them a test paper to complete. The questions he set were not too difficult, nor were they out of the ordinary. The purpose was to show their weapon refining attainment. Once he had a good sense of that, he could enhance their training so that they could perform better in the King Level contest.

    The two girls didn''t let Zachary down. A few hours later, they had passed the test with hardly any effort. Judging from their results, their progress turned out to be quite amazing. Their prowess was approaching the Heaven Level.

    "Excellent job!" Zachary said happily. "It seems that you haven''t been slacking off in the past three months."

    "Of course not," Queenie answered proudly.

    Rubbing his chin, Zachary went on, "With your current level, though, you''re still a bit too weak to compete with other weapon refiners in the King Level contest. You will have to reach the Heaven Level, at least."

    "Th

    l with that. If I don''t actually launch an attack, no one will notice," said Zachary. His martial energy had changed a lot, so once he attacked, any observers could easily discern his real strength.

    "True, you don''t need to make a move in the weapon refining contest. But you will have to fight in the strength contest," Pollard pointed out, shaking his head.

    "That won''t be as difficult as you might think," Zachary answered with his trademark smile.

    "Well, if you''re so confident of success, of course I''ll help you," Pollard said in a determined tone.

    While they were still talking, a slender figure walked into the dormitory. She was surprised to see the two of them chatting happily with each other.

    "Hi, Polly!" said Pollard, catching sight of her. "Come here. Let me introduce my good friend to you."

    "Good friend?" Polly repeated dubiously. She looked at Zachary, who was still smiling fondly, and wondered where and when he''d gotten to know her brother. Was it in the Dark Prison, perhaps? That wasn''t what surprised her the most, though.

    Pollard had always thought highly of himself, and had been obsessed with martial arts even as a child. Although he was loyal to his friends, he didn''t actually have many of them, nor was he very good at being a decent friend himself. Hearing him talk so fondly about Zachary, then, was more than a little perplexing.

 Chapter 404 Zachary And Pollards Relationship

    "I''m a little surprised to know that Polly is your sister. What a coincidence!" Zachary said with a gentle smile. In truth, he had guessed about that earlier, so he was actually not that surprised.

    "Do you and my sister know each other from the very beginning?" Pollard prompted. His interest was piqued as he detected such information from Zachary''s words.

    "Polly helped me a lot when I first came to the Shura College," Zachary admitted honestly.

    "I see. Then I don''t have to introduce her. We will be as intimate as a family since now," Pollard sighed with a note of relief as his voice sounded with burgeoning excitement.

    "Well, a family? Then, I can consider her to be my sister, as well!" Zachary asked deliberately, making fun of Polly.

    "Of course, you can!" Pollard chuckled. He was rather pleased with the turn of events.

    "What are you talking about? Don''t get me involved in all the mess," Polly replied with displeasure at once. She suddenly felt a little bit awkward.

    "Polly, Harley saved my life, so you have to be kind to him," implied Pollard. He meant every word more seriously than they sounded.

    "He saved you?" Polly repeated in surprise. She was even astonished to hear his words because she perceived that her brother was not joking. She had never imagined that Pollard, who was already quite powerful, would have been saved by Zachary.

    "Oh, don''t listen to him. He is exaggerated. I just did him a small favor," Zachary replied modestly.

    At this moment, a strange feeling began to surge in Polly''s heart. She suddenly realized that she had been related to him unknowingly. This time, her brother got to know him, and they even became good friends. It seemed that the relationship between her and Zachary would become more complicated. She just felt a bit confused.

    "Hey, Polly, don''t pull a long face all the time. You may not be able to get married! I think Harley is a good man, and I intended to introduce him to you. But now that you guys have known each other, he must know what kind of personality you have. It seems that making him my brother-in-law would be quite impossible!" Pollard continued to add fuel to the fire unintentionally. It was noticeable that he was trying to bring Zachary and Polly together.

    After hearing his words, Zachary put on a meaningful smile as he trained his gaze at Polly.

    Polly, who was standing next to Pollard, was a little embarrassed being stared at by Zachary, and she said hurriedly, "I''m not talking to you." Then she quickly spun on her heels and left in a hurry. Panic engulfed her, but she fought hard to remain calm. She could not let others notice her strange feelings for Zachary.

    "Wow, I never knew that she could be so shy!" Pollard blurted out. Pausing for a bit, he mulled over her reaction. When he observed how Polly behaved, he cou

    the Burial Abyss to cultivate in seclusion to break through to the Imperial Level. But later, he was suddenly nowhere to be found, and he disappeared for three long years. One reason I came to the Shura College was to search for him, and I even entered the Burial Abyss several times, but I had never found him. At that time, I began to suspect that something terrible might have happened to him. No matter what I did, I couldn''t get in touch with him. Although he finally came back a few months ago, I also noticed that he had changed a lot. Sometimes he is totally another person, and he looks very lonely. So when I saw you two talk and laugh happily just now, I felt very strange. It is very unusual. Are you sure you didn''t hide anything from me?" Polly disclosed her confusion after a short hesitation.

    "Really? Then I''ll talk to him more often so that he won''t be lonely and you won''t be so suspicious. Even if something dangerous had happened to him when he was in the Burial Abyss, it''s all over. You can''t change that fact. Sometimes, if you care too much about what happened in the past and try to dig something more, you may get other people hurt even though you don''t mean to," Zachary seriously revealed with a solemn look after he heard her words.

    Polly, observing his seriousness, began to carefully think because what he just said did make sense to some degree. Maybe, leaving the past in the past was a better idea. The most important thing was that her brother returned safe and sound. ''Zachary was right, '' she mused to herself.

    "Is there anything else you want to know from me?" Zachary prompted her further.

    "Nothing else. Thank you!" Polly gracefully came round after hearing what he said. She gently shook her head and was a little grateful to him.

    "Then I''ll leave now." Zachary spun around. And with a wave of his hand, he left, leaving Polly lost in thought.

 Chapter 405 Weapon Refining Skills

    It was already late when Zachary returned to the farmhouse. He thought that Katrina was still dealing with the warriors of Sage Level from the Shura College. He assumed she would just come tomorrow. He then decided to return to his system and supervise the two girls'' training instead. The next morning, he let the two girls who were both physically and mentally exhausted return to their room and rest.

    When the two girls got back to the farmhouse, Scott, Katrina, and the others were already there waiting for them.

    "Master Katrina," the two girls greeted Katrina with utmost respect.

    Zachary also nodded at her to show his respect.

    Seeing that Zachary and the two girls came back so early in the morning, the disciples, including Alger, were quite surprised and began to guess where they were the previous night.

    "Since everyone is finally here, I have something I''d like to say." Katrina''s eyes flickered gently as she continued softly, "The King Level contest of the Shura College is about to begin. This time, they have invited the disciples from our college to participate in the contest, which has never happened before. Since they have shown us sincerity, we should not disappoint them. I hope all of you try your best during the contest."

    "Master Katrina, even if you didn''t say so, we would give it our all. We are planning to show them our real strength," Queenie answered confidently.

    Alger and the other disciples all agreed with her excitedly.

    "I know you are all confident but I hope you don''t make the mistake of looking down on the Shura College. Yesterday, I learned about the rules of the King Level contest. The contest is composed of a weapon refining contest and a strength contest. Obviously, the weapon refining contest is meant to showcase the skills of weapon refiners. Of course, as you have only been studying in our college for a few months, it would be impossible for you to obtain ideal results against your opponents. I hope you don''t end up getting skinned alive. But you have to try your best and show your edge in the strength contest, especially Queenie, Rebecca, and Scott. I know that the three of you are the be

    ing.

    There was not much time left before the King Level contest began so all the disciples who were at the King Level in the Shura College had to make their final preparations. Not only did they try their best to achieve breakthroughs in their strength, but they had to store a large number of pills, cultivation-aiding treasures, casting materials, weapons, etc.

    The King Level contest would go on for a long time. Both the weapon refining contest and the strength contest would not end in a short period of time. Therefore, the disciples who participated in the contest would have to prepare themselves very well in order to compete until the end.

    For that reason, they would trade valuables among one another before the contest. These would include pills, treasures, materials, weapons etc.

    To facilitate the trades among the disciples and to allow them to get what they needed, the Shura College offered a specific venue where they could get together and negotiate.

    At that moment, on a large round platform situated on the southeast of the Shura College, almost all of the disciples of King Level from the college gathered for that purpose. In addition, there were also many others at the Heaven Level and the Earth Level. They also took the opportunity to do business and join the fun.

    For the vast majority of disciples who were at the King Level, the primary choices for trading were pills, casting materials, and weapons.

 Chapter 406 Treasure Of Equal Value

    Cultivation-aiding pills were usually the most popular during the final stage of the King Level contest. However, the energy-replenishing pills were usually the most needed. In the competition among weapon refiners, whether they cast weapons with energy fire stones or with energy fire they cultivated themselves, both required them to consume martial energy. The refining of King Level weapons had always been both time-consuming and energy-consuming. Without enough martial energy, one would certainly be unable to last until the end. This made the energy-replenishing pills become one of the most sought for items during the trade.

    As for the refining materials and weapons, as the saying went, "Rarity decides its value." This meant that the better items were usually the most wanted, but the price people had to pay for them was also quite high.

    Since there weren''t any restrictions on the transactions among disciples, the entire venue was very lively. A lot of the disciples traded among one another for hours.

    However, it was still pretty early. The most important part had yet to come. The ordinary King Level disciples gathered around the platform at the center to complete their trades but what they could offer were merely ordinary items.

    Although they were just ordinary items, there were still a lot disciples who were at the primary stage of the King Level willing to exchange their gold coins or other treasures for them. To them, the more they were prepared, the better chances they had of getting good ranks.

    Of course, in comparison, the disciples who were above the medium stage of King Level didn''t care too much. They were all just waiting for the outcome. After all, those ordinary items failed to catch their attention that much.

    A disciple whose strength was at the medium stage of King Level suddenly walked up towards the center of the stage and took out a fifth-grade green cultivation-aiding pill. As soon as they saw the pill, they couldn''t help but get more excited.

    What used to be a noisy and boisterous atmosphere got even hotter in an instant as the disciples around were also attracted by the pill. They all immediately gathered around the round platform.

    "I have three of those pills. And I''m willing to exchange them for five fifth-grade green energy-replenishing pills, or refining materials of the same value. Who''s willing to trade with me?" The disciple at the medium stage of King Level immediately looked around the platform to see if anyone was willing to bid.

    "I have a fifth-grade Cyan Dragon Wood

    sitate to talk to me if you want to trade with me!"

    His words silenced everyone present.

    All the disciples present looked at one another in confusion. If Zachary hadn''t taken out a fourth-grade martial beast core just now, they would have looked at him as if he was a maniac. They never thought that a disciple would be rich enough to buy all their treasures.

    However, even if Zachary surprised them just now, most of the King Level disciples still didn''t believe that he had such strength. They decided to just watch and wait until he embarrassed himself. But the Earth Level and Heaven Level disciples who came here to have fun and do some business by the way suddenly felt the itch to give it a shot.

    "I have a bottle of Lily Dew of Scarce Level. What are you willing to trade for it?" a disciple at the Heaven Level shouted.

    "What do you want?" answered Zachary.

    "Some fourth-grade green cultivation-aiding pills," replied the Heaven Level disciple.

    "What if I give you ten?" said Zachary.

    "Ten? Are you serious?" The Heaven Level disciple swallowed.

    The other disciples present also thought that they misheard what he said. The value of ten fourth-grade green cultivation-aiding pills was no less than that of a bottle of Lily Dew of Scarce Level. In fact, it was obviously an unfair exchange.

    Without any more words, Zachary waved his hand and a pill bottle flew towards the Heaven Level disciple. The latter opened the bottle and counted the pills inside. There were indeed ten pills in the bottle. He was overjoyed and happily handed over his Lily Dew to Zachary with both hands.

    As the disciples around saw that Zachary was true to his words, they all became restless.

 Chapter 407 A Purple Cultivation-aiding Pill

    Soon, a group of disciples at the Earth Level and the Heaven Level took out their own treasures to trade with Zachary for cultivation-aiding pills. For them, these were highly prized items indeed.

    Seeing this, the King Level disciples who were observing no longer kept themselves aloof.

    They also opened up their inventories and started exchanging pills and weapon refining materials with Zachary. There wasn''t a man there whom he didn''t make a deal with.

    Before long, everybody present held him in high regard, because he was like a treasure house. It seemed he could offer anything they might possibly need.

    For Zachary''s part, he didn''t think much of all the things he was giving out. Thanks to all the quests from Anne that he''d completed, he had many more pills than he needed. As for the weapon refining materials, he''d gotten a surplus of them from the Pilgrimage Space.

    There were two reasons for his sudden appearance at this auction. One was that he wanted to collect more treasures to exchange for treasure-hunting coins. The other was that he simply wanted to clear his collection of everything that he didn''t actually want or need.

    Soon all the disciples were talking excitedly and looking at Zachary in admiration. But all of a sudden, a certain few individuals entered the crowd. Everyone who saw these newcomers moved aside for them.

    A gloomy voice raised itself above the general chatter. "I have a treasure of Scarce Level, a Magic Turtle Jade. It is at the King Level. What can you offer in exchange for it?"

    Zachary turned toward the speaker and froze. It was none other than Anthony, the young master of the Xiao Clan.

    "Anthony!" Zachary called out. "Long time no see!"

    The other man glared at him. "So you''re still alive, aren''t you? I thought you''d never make it out of the Dark Prison!"

    Anthony meant what he said. Indeed, he''d been very happy the past few months, since he''d heard of Zachary being sent to the Dark Prison by the dean.

    It had come as a shock yesterday when he suddenly heard of Zachary''s safe return to Shura College. Anthony had refused to be

    d her eyes. "Don''t talk nonsense. Besides, I can''t accept a gift for nothing."

    "Oh, why not? We''re all family, aren''t we?" Pollard went on.

    Annoyance leaked into Polly''s tone. "I won''t talk to you anymore if you keep going on like this."

    "Okay, I won''t say it again." Pollard smiled.

    In the meantime, the tension in the crowd started to ease. People were thinking less about Anthony''s spat with Zachary and more about the value of the pill that was on display.

    It was especially attractive to the disciples at the premium stage of King Level, and many of them started speaking up.

    "Bro!" one of them shouted. "I have three King Level treasures! Would you like to exchange?"

    "Are you making a fool of yourself?" barked someone else. "I can offer five!"

    "Five? Give me a break! This purple pill is worth at least eight, and I''ll pay eight!"

    And yet more offers came, so quickly that it was hard to keep up. The King Level disciples were very eager to bid.

    Zachary grinned down at his challenger. "Anthony, do you still want this? If not, one of these gentlemen will get it."

    Anthony stared back up at him with gritted teeth. Much as he hated Zachary, he also wanted that purple pill. With it, he thought that he''d be able to reach a higher level in time for the King Level contest.

    He decided to bite the bullet. "I offer twenty treasures at the King Level," he said at last.

 Chapter 408 Twenty King Level Treasures

    Everyone present was shocked when they heard how much Anthony had offered: twenty treasures at the King Level! It was hard to estimate the value of such a bundle. The observers were also impressed with Anthony himself for apparently being able to pull out so many treasure at the drop of a hat. No wonder he was the young master of the second-biggest clan in the Devil Kingdom!

    ''Twenty? He really is a Mister Moneybags!'' Zachary thought, smiling slyly to himself. Though he didn''t care much for Anthony, he also wouldn''t mind having those treasures. And despite the considerable rarity of the sixth-grade purple cultivation-aiding pill, it hadn''t been hard for him to get his hands on it. Moreover, the amount of the treasure-hunting coins he could get after exchanging those twenty King Level treasures was quite remarkable.

    Just as Zachary was about to make a fortune, a soft voice suddenly said, "I''ll give twenty-five treasures!"

    The startled crowd looked about until they found the one who had spoken. It was none other than Polly, a genius disciple of the Shura College.

    However, she stood alone at that moment, for Pollard, who had just been beside her, was suddenly nowhere to be seen.

    The next moment, the crowd around the platform burst into an uproar. Polly was very determined indeed to get that pill from Zachary. The fact that she was seriously trying to outbid Anthony of all people was even more incredible.

    However, Anthony was not about to be trifled with. When he saw how eager this newcomer was to get the pill, his eyes darkened. He hastily shouted, "Thirty treasures!"

    The disciples were even more clamorous when they saw him shout out that sum without so much as batting an eye. Any one of the thirty treasures of King Level would be expensive if it was sold outside. In fact, many of them also felt that such a sum wasn''t worth the exchange of just one sixth-grade purple cultivation-aiding pill.

    Of course, most of the disciples of Earth Level and Heaven Level couldn''t feel the pain of the King Level disciples when they had to increase their strength. The higher one''s grade, the tougher and more arduously difficult it was to advance. This was especially true at the premium stage of the King Level, where the disciples had to rely on pills to support their bre

    made up her mind. "Of course I can help you," she said gravely. "But you absolutely cannot ask me to do anything illegal, or indecent."

    Zachary raised his eyebrows and smiled. "No problem. I may be interested in you, but I would never try anything nasty."

    Polly stared at him with a reproachful look, but her cheeks were a little red. For the sake of the sixth-grade purple pill in Zachary''s hand, she decided not to blame him for teasing her.

    "Well...then I accept," she said, reaching out her hand.

    With everyone watching, Zachary put the purple pill on her palm.

    "Thank you," Polly said mildly, and then left.

    As soon as she was gone, the disciples gathered went crazy again. Even after hearing everything Zachary had said, none of them had actually believed he would just give the pill away until the moment he did just that.

    Seeing all that had gone on, Anthony went livid with jealousy and frustration, and raged at Zachary. "You brat! How dare you break your word to me! You''re asking for death!"

    Zachary crossed his arms. "Since when have I broken my word?" he asked mildly.

    "I gave the highest price for the pill, so you should have exchanged it with me!" Anthony thundered. "And now you just gave it away for free! How can you deny that you''ve broken your word?"

    "You forgot what I said before. Who says that was the only pill I had?" Saying this, Zachary took out another box and opened it.

    Inside, as if everyone hadn''t been shocked enough for one day, was a second sixth-grade purple pill.

 Chapter 409 Forty Treasures Of King Level

    "Here is the pill. Give me forty treasures of King Level!" Zachary exclaimed to Anthony.

    "I''ll have people fetch them," Anthony snorted and then immediately instructed his men to get the forty treasures.

    During that period, Zachary traded his pills and weapon refining materials for many treasures with other disciples of King Level.

    Soon, Anthony''s men arrived with a big chest. Then they immediately opened the chest. It was full of treasures of King level, which were blinding.

    "Good." Zachary approvingly nodded. He threw the six-grade purple cultivation-aiding pill to Anthony soon after taking a look at the treasures in the chest.

    Anthony took the pill at once, as he let out a snort of contempt. But, he didn''t mean to let him go that easily. After all, Zachary had traded for more than one hundred treasures, which were enough to make him green with envy.

    He immediately gestured to a few disciples of King Level standing next to him. And then under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they suddenly rushed up to the round platform and swiftly surrounded Zachary.

    "Anthony, what do you mean by this?" Zachary glanced at him and grunted in a low voice. He had already expected that Anthony would definitely do this.

    "We have finished this deal. But I''m afraid we are still not done yet," declared Anthony as a sinister smile emerged on his face.

    The disciples around did not dare to make a sound. After all, Anthony was the one they couldn''t afford to offend. They all knew that in Shura College, offending him was just like insulting God, and they would undoubtedly die.

    Of course, Zachary didn''t care about these disciples. With his current strength, if he took action, they would at least be seriously injured if not dead. But he didn''t want to cause any trouble to ruin his plan before the King Level contest.

    "Let''s find a place to talk now," Anthony suggested. He was not so stupid to attack Zachary in front of so many people watching them.

    "I don''t think we have anything to talk about!" Zachary laughed, with his hands crossing over his chest. He indeed found this rather amusing.

    "If you refuse, then don''t blame me for being rude to you," Anthony threatened with a ferocious expression on his face. He couldn''t help feeling annoyed.

    "Then, let me see how rude you will turn out to be,"

    ately kicked up a fuss. Although Anthony, who hadn''t gone far, entertained great hatred, he could only leave like a rat crossing the street.

    "Nothing more. You may all leave now!" Pollard exclaimed and dismissively waved to the disciples around him.

    The warriors also turned and left without having some thoughts.

    "Thanks, Pollard. Otherwise, I might have lost my temper. He is really an ass kisser!" Zachary gratefully remarked as he beamed at him.

    "When I was a disciple, I''ve heard about his bad reputation. As the young master of the Xiao Clan, he makes trouble everywhere. He''s not powerful, but he''s talented as a weapon refiner. If you take part in the weapon refining contest, he''ll inevitably become one of your strong opponents," Pollard explained as he scorned Anthony with so much disgust.

    "He is not a threat to me. But I heard that two disciples in your college, who have been cultivating in seclusion one year ago, are planning to break through to the Imperial Level. It is said that they will also participate in the King Level contest. I believe they are my real opponents," Zachary disclosed as he furrowed his brows.

    "You mean Cole and Joan, right? Cole is the most talented disciple in martial arts. It is said that he is now a seventh-star weapon refiner of King Level, but unfortunately, he has not broken through the Imperial Level. So his weapon refining level is still unchanged. Otherwise, his current achievements should be comparable to mine." Pollard nodded in agreement as he thoughtfully revealed his thoughts.

 Chapter 410 Lucky Treasure Combination

    "The one named Joan should be a girl, right?" Zachary asked with his eyebrows raised.

    "Yes, her strength was only second to mine. If it wasn''t for the fact that she has been undergoing closed-door cultivation, she would''ve already been the top disciple by now."

    "Is she a beauty?" asked Zachary with his eyebrows still raised.

    "Comparable to Polly. But don''t try to get your hands on her. She is my confidante," Pollard answered and smiled.

    "Oh, I don''t know that you are such a flirt. Don''t worry, I already have more than enough women around me." Zachary laughed.

    "Anthony will not give up easily. You better be careful and come to me immediately if you encounter any problems," Pollard told him.

    "I understand. I should be leaving now." Zachary nodded and left after he put away his treasures.

    After leaving the trade fair, Zachary had the intentions to go back to the farmyard first. But he soon found out that someone was following him.

    "Could it be someone sent by Anthony?" Zachary narrowed his eyes. His figure suddenly flashed as he turned into a dust shadow and disappeared.

    Just after he disappeared, another figure also showed up. Seeing that Zachary had disappeared completely, the man shook his head.

    "Hey, Jimmy, why are you following me? Is it because you have a secret crush on me?" Zachary then showed up silently in front of the figure as he recognized who it was.

    "Ha... Harley..." Jimmy was caught off guard.

    "You coward! We haven''t seen each other for months. How are you still so easily frightened?" said Zachary as he patted Jimmy on his forehead.

    "You scared me." Jimmy smiled embarrassingly. "When did you come back? When I saw you at the trade fair just now, I thought my eyes were fooling me."

    "I just came back. Have you fully recovered?" asked Zachary.

    "I''m doing great. Besides, since I cultivated in the heterodox way, I''ve already reached the Heaven Level. I''m currently at the third grade of Heaven Level," Jimmy answered excitedly.

    "That''s great. But you must be very careful, and don''t let other people know that you cultivate in the heterodox way," Zachary warned in a serious tone.

    "I know, thank you for reminding me." Jimmy nodded.

    "Take these pills with you. If you need anything, don''t hesitate to tell me." Zachary then took out several bottles of Heaven Level pills and handed them to Jimmy.

    "These..." Jimmy was too embarrassed to accept them.

    "Don''t worry about i

    ower than the treasure that was drawn.

    It meant that if the treasure drawn was a King Level treasure, then only Heaven Level materials were needed to forge it. In other words, the Lucky Treasure Combination offered opportunities to use low-level treasures in creating high-level treasures.

    Although it sounded attractive, if one didn''t have the materials to forge the treasure, it would still be useless. Apart from that, the time allotted to finish the entire process was only a day which meant that if you didn''t have the materials, you must collect them within that same day. If you failed to do so, the chance to create the treasure would expire. This was one of the reasons why Zachary collected as much materials as he could during the trade fair.

    With Zachary''s current level of strength, he could only play the Lucky Treasure Combination mode once a day.

    At that moment, Zachary was standing in the exclusive space of the Lucky Treasure Combination. In front of him was a virtual lottery machine with a big screen in the front. The moment he pushed the red button in front of the machine, the machine would begin to draw random treasures.

    "I drew a precious Imperial Level treasure before I returned to the college. But because I didn''t have enough materials to forge it, I lost it. I hope I could draw a rare Imperial Level treasure today. I believe the materials I brought this time would be more than enough to make it," Zachary muttered to himself and rubbed his hands before pressing the red button.

    All of a sudden, the huge screen in front of him formed images of all kinds of treasures that constantly changed.

 Chapter 411 A Treasure Of Scarce Level

    After a while, the pictures of treasures on the huge screen gradually stopped changing.

    "Congratulations! You received an Imperial Level treasure of Scarce Level¡ªthe Bright Moon Stone. The materials needed to make it are..." Mimi''s voice came through like a formula as it stated the names of several treasures at the King Level.

    "Mimi, browse my warehouse and tell me if I have enough materials," Zachary said.

    "Searching... Search completed! The required materials are available. Do you want to use the materials to make the treasure now?"

    "Don''t mind if I do!" Zachary said without hesitation as he beamed with joy. He could then obtain a treasure at the Imperial Level with the King Level materials he had. He thought it was extremely worth the exchange.

    Several treasures at the King Level were then taken out of his warehouse to make the Bright Moon Stone. After a while, the Bright Moon Stone appeared right in front of his eyes.

    "It seems that I would be able to get treasures at the Scarce Level without difficulty from now on," Zachary said with a grin on his face.

    He then went to the Living-dead Tomb for Anne. When he saw her, he realized that there was a strange change in her eyes the moment she saw him. She was no longer as calm as she had been before. Instead, she had a glimmer of emotion which was very faint but could still be perceived.

    "Master Anne, I have made a breakthrough and reached the Imperial Level. I guess my future quests would be different from the previous ones now, right?" he asked her.

    "You''re only one step away from being an Imperial Level weapon refiner. However, it won''t be easy breaking through and becoming a weapon refiner at the Imperial Level. Its level of difficulty would be the same as the breakthrough you have just made. Next, I will teach you some real weapon refining skills. I will help you comprehend these skills by giving you quests. This will help you break through and finally become a weapon refiner at the Imperial Level. Of course, there will also be a wide range of rewards you can obtain by completing these quests," Anne said. "But the random tracking quest is still reserved."

    "That would definitely be the best." Zachary nodded in agreement. "If you don''t mind me asking, what''s Tania''s second trial? Didn''t you say that I could begin with the second trial the moment I reached the Imperial Level?"

    "In order to pass the second trial, you need to have certain level of strength in weapon refining. The first thing you need to focus on is breaking through and becoming

    ent, a delicate female figure rushed into the Phoenix Hall. Of course it was none other than Riley herself. As soon as she saw Zachary, she trembled excitedly and ran towards him that she almost sat on his lap. "Thank God you''re finally here. If you didn''t come today, I was planning to offer a reward for anybody who can find you for me!"

    "Luck for you, I''m here now. If I didn''t come, I would have been famous in Zenith City with the landlady of the Phoenix House offering a reward just to find me. It''s a pity that I don''t like being popular," Zachary said with a smile.

    "Anyway, it''s great that you found the time to drop by. Otherwise, I''m afraid that my Phoenix House will be destroyed by angry buyers who always want the Hatching Fluid." The moment Riley saw Zachary, she behaved as if he was a life-saving straw. She might look like she was exaggerating, but that wasn''t the case. She had been selling the Hatching Fluid for three consecutive months. As a result, countless warriors from the Supernal Continent came to the Phoenix House as soon as they heard the news. The entire Devil Kingdom was crazy about the Hatching Fluid. Even the influential clans and sects came too just to buy the Hatching Fluid from Riley. Needless to say, its price had been constantly rising.

    The nine drops of Hatching Fluid that Zachary had given to the Phoenix House had already run out last month. Since they were out of stock for the month, the Phoenix House had been trying to find all kinds of excuses to buy some time until Zachary arrived. However, the end of the month was approaching and if they failed to supply the Hatching Fluid, many warriors would be angered and could cause them a lot of trouble.

 Chapter 412 The Hatching Fluid

    "Well, that''s just what I expected. It seems that the Hatching Fluid has become very popular!" Zachary heaved a sigh despite understanding it very clearly.

    "Of course it is very popular. That''s why I was wondering if you could provide more Hatching Fluid. We would really appreciate every drop you could give," Riley said at once. She did not want to miss her chance. Generally speaking, three drops of Hatching Fluid were needed to let a treasure beast''s egg hatch. However, for the eggs that were about to hatch very soon, they required less. Only a single drop of Hatching Fluid would be enough. The Hatching Fluid was truly valuable to anyone.

    "It shouldn''t be a problem to provide more but..." Zachary answered in a hesitant tone. After breaking through and reaching the Imperial Level, he had more methods to gain treasure-hunting coins. As a result, he was no longer in dire need of money like he used to be in the past. Plus, the coins he needed to buy the Hatching Fluid was not that much. Offering more Hatching Fluid per month wasn''t a problem for him at all.

    "As long as you can provide us with more Hatching Fluid, we''ll try our best to satisfy your needs. Don''t hesitate to make any request," Riley proposed as she sensed Zachary''s hesitant tone.

    "I can''t think of any. I think the transaction should be done like this. You need to give me thirty King Level treasures for every three drops of Hatching Fluid. Twenty of those treasures must be at the Scarce Level," Zachary proposed. He decided to raise his price a bit. But truth be told, the price he gave was quite reasonable knowing that a single drop of the Hatching Fluid could be sold at the price of two million gold coins. They should be more than satisfied with his request.

    "That shouldn''t be a problem. You have yourself a deal!" Riley agreed as she nodded happily. Even if they would have to exchange for three drops of the Hatching Fluid at the price of thirty treasures at the Scarce Level, they were still happy to oblige. It was a great deal in her head.

    "If you don''t mind, I have another request," Zachary added as he squinted his eyes.

    "Is that so? What is it?" Riley asked.

    "I hope that if I ever need any assistance from the Phoenix House in the future, you''d be willing to help me," Zachary replied. The truth was he could have proposed a higher price but he wasn''t in dire need of treasures at the moment. If possible, he would prefer if the Phoenix House gave him a hand in sticky situations. That way, he would be able to get more bene

    lanning to go back to the Shura College. However, a delicate figure suddenly appeared in front of him. She asked him in a very attractive voice, "Do you still remember who I am?"

    Zachary took a closer look and saw the woman in front of him was wearing a sexy fur coat. She had big breasts and long legs. She was as sexy as a dangerous wild cat.

    "It''s you!" Zachary exclaimed in surprise. He recognized that the woman was none other than the woman who manipulated the beasts to attack the disciples from the Shura College during the hunting game. It was Lilian!

    "If you truly have the guts for it, come with me!" Lilian cast a flirtatious glimpse at him and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

    If it was in the past, Zachary would not have easily followed her. But now, he was at the Imperial Level. If he was scared of such provocation, then he should be deemed a coward. The corners of his mouth lifted as he immediately ran and followed her closely.

    He tracked her scent to avoid losing her. Before long, he was outside of Zenith City. He finally stopped in front of a ruined temple far away from downtown. At that moment, Lilian was inside it. Apart from that, a figure in a black robe was standing beside her with his back facing Zachary. He immediately recognized who the man was.

    Once he entered the ruined temple, he immediately said to the man in black, "I had no idea that she works for you!"

    "You''ve been in the Dark Prison for a few months and it already seems that you''ve become more courageous," the man said as he turned around to face Zachary. It was none other than Logan who gave him the Five-God Stone Tablet which recorded the secrets of the Five-God Tombs.

 Chapter 413 Weapon Refining Contest

    "You can leave now," Logan said to Lilian.

    She nodded and left.

    "I thought you wouldn''t come!" said Zachary as he calmly looked at Logan. They previously made a deal that Zachary must finish the translation in three months, but four months had already passed.

    "Are you done translating the text on the stone tablet?" Logan asked immediately.

    "Yes, it''s all done." Zachary nodded.

    "Great, now hand me the Five-God Stone Tablet and the translated text," Logan told him.

    "I can give it to you, but how can I be sure that you won''t kill me the moment I do?" asked Zachary. Of course he wouldn''t easily hand over the Five-God Stone Tablet.

    "If I wanted to kill you, I would have already done it. Why would I wait until this moment?" Logan answered with confidence.

    "Because you needed me translate the contents of the Five-God Stone Tablet first," replied Zachary.

    "A few months ago, you subdued the Hundred-Treasure Beast and enraged the Shura College. If I didn''t help you, you would have been in huge trouble," Logan said coldly.

    "It was you who sent me to the Dark Prison!" Hearing this, Zachary realized that Logan was the reason why the dean of the Shura College sent him to the Dark Prison.

    "I did it to protect you. They would have given you a hard time if I didn''t do it. They would absolutely do everything they could to force you in giving them the Hundred-Treasure Beast. I know them too well!" exclaimed Logan.

    "Thank you for that," Zachary answered.

    "You don''t need to thank me. All I need from you is the Five-God Stone Tablet and the translated text."

    "I can give you the translated text, but I would have to keep the Five-God Stone Tablet for myself."

    "Why is that?" Logan asked in a serious tone.

    "It is the only way I can make sure that you won''t kill me. Apart from that, I know that this is only the half of the stone tablet. If you don''t have the other half, there are parts of the text that we won''t be able to translate." Zachary made up an excuse at once. The truth was he already translated all the contents of the Five-God Stone Tablet that he had.

    "The other half?" Logan was obviously surprised.

    d Scott joined the contest. Since they had only been studying in the Shura College for less than six months, no one really believed they could win.

    Therefore, their focus of the weapon refining contest was on the Shura College''s disciples.

    Among all the disciples, the most promising was Cole who just finished his cultivation in seclusion. He was said to be the most talented disciple in weapon refining ever since the establishment of the Shura College. If nothing went wrong, he would definitely be the winner of the competition.

    Ranked second and third were Truman and Anthony respectively. There were also many other excellent disciples from the Shura College, including Polly.

    The weapon refining contest was divided into three parts. The first part would be a ten-day elimination series. Disciples would be grouped randomly and would be sent to their designated areas for the competition on weapon refining.

    After being sent to their areas, the disciples must collect weapon refining materials in the area as fast as they could. They would then refine weapons at the Heaven Level or higher. The disciple who spent the longest time refining would be eliminated.

    But that would only be the beginning because other disciples from the same group who were not eliminated would continue to compete and be eliminated one by one until only three of them remained. These three disciples would then qualify to enter the second round.

 Chapter 414 The Elimination Series

    The elimination series began after noon.

    More than a hundred King Level disciples were divided into twelve different groups, and each group was brought to a different area in the Shura College.

    The twelve competing areas had been arranged in advance. The strongest martial beast was at the peak of the King Level. Even so, it was still a great challenge for King Level disciples since all of them would be competing with each other after entering the area. There was absolutely no safety. If anyone were to encounter a strong martial beast, other disciples would take advantage of the situation. This was also a reason why they needed allies. One lesson from the history of the King Level contest was: fighting alone would yield no good results.

    After their preparations in the morning, almost all the King Level disciples had found allies. It was best to form small teams of three, since only three disciples could enter the next round. Two disciples per team meant that they would be disadvantaged in terms of strength. Four or more disciples meant that they would still have to fight for quota.

    In the morning, Joan had publicly demanded to ally with Zachary and Queenie. This news had spread and now, everyone knew about it. Most people of the Shura College didn''t understand what she was doing, and why she had chosen to ally with their opponents.

    There were some people who believed that Joan was cheating Zachary and that she would find a way to sabotage him and make them lose.

    The entire Shura College was buzzing with guesses and anticipation before the elimination series began.

    When the twelve teams of King Level disciples had gathered in their respective areas, Marvin and the masters of the Shura College arrived in the square. Katrina, an influential figure in the Celestial College, was also present.

    She e

    good results in the weapon refining contest. However, they have only been studying at our college for a few months. Although they have shown great talents, their weapon refining levels can''t increase overnight. You should be very clear about that," Marvin replied with a smile. Marvin knew that Katrina had said that on purpose and as the dean of the Shura College, he was not going to haggle over every ounce.

    "I know that. But there are rules in this weapon refining contest and you''d better stick to them, in case people say that our Celestial College has any unfair advantage in the contest," Katrina said.

    "All right," Marvin said, nodding.

    The square was surrounded by disciples of the Shura College, who had come to watch the contest.

    A huge wooden board was now erected on the east side. It was divided into twelve boxes, each box representing a group. Within each box were nine number cards, representing all the disciples in the group. The board was set up to inform the spectators of how each group was faring.

    The elimination series would continue to take place until only three disciples remained. As a result, the competition would become fiercer and more attractive as it inched towards the end.

 Chapter 415 Enough Materials

    Zachary, Queenie, and Joan stood before the entrance of their contesting area, a rugged, rocky terrain. All they could see were stony cliffs. Numerous ravines crisscrossed through these cliffs, forming a complex pattern.

    As they stood looking upon this scene, three masters from Shura College appeared before them, led by Parker, who had tutored Zachary in the class of Earth Level.

    "There are two weapon refining rooms in the center of the area. Once you collect enough materials, you can go to one of the weapon refining rooms and refine your weapons. We will supervise and record your performance. The one who performs the worst in each round will be eliminated, until three of you remain." Parker reeled out the basic rules of the contest. "More importantly, you are not allowed to use any refining materials from outside this area. All the materials you use to refine weapons must come from this area. If you don''t heed this, you will be disqualified. Do you understand?"

    "Got it."

    "Good. Then let''s begin the contest," Parker said, his voice commanding.

    The other six King Level disciples looked at Zachary''s team and then at each other. All of a sudden, three disciples rushed towards the distance while the rest re-positioned themselves so that they surrounded Zachary, Queenie, and Joan. They stood there, motionless, as if they were waiting for them to make a move.

    Zachary, Queenie, and Joan exchanged glances, quickly figuring out what was going on. The six other disciples had obviously banded together to compete against them.

    "Joan, we don''t want to make things difficult for you. If you agree to join us, we will try our best to help you make it to the second stage." One of the three disciples who was dressed in white, started to try and persuade Joan.

    "Do you think I need your help to make it through?" Joan asked, frowning.

    "That''s not what I meant. We don''t want to be enemies with you. Don''t team up with them," the disciple in white hurried to explain.

    "What if I say no?" Joan asked.

    "Then I''m afraid we have no choice but to follow you," the disciple said, gritting his teeth. They knew they weren''t a match for Zachar

    rehouse?" Zachary continued asking.

    "Searching now... Searching completed. Yes, you have."

    "That''s great. Please take all of them out for me," Zachary said, nodding.

    A while later, a pile of refining materials appeared before him.

    As the elimination series included six rounds, Zachary prepared six sets of materials to refine six pieces of weapons.

    "Mimi, send these materials to the weapon refining room and refine six weapons with them. Inform me when it is done," Zachary said, pointing to the materials he had selected. He put the rest of the materials in a big bag and then left the system.

    He reappeared before Queenie and handed the bag to her.

    "What''s this?" Queenie asked, peeping into the bag.

    "Enough materials for you to refine six pieces of weapons," Zachary answered.

    "What? How did you get so many?" Queenie was stunned.

    "Take it. You can enter one of the weapon refining rooms once I attract the attention of the two disciples," Zachary suggested with a shrug.

    "They are both at the medium stage of King Level. You can''t face them alone. You should get inside and finish refining first and you should be the one to make it to the second stage," Queenie said, shaking her head. She cared more about Zachary''s performance than that of her own. She wouldn''t have felt this if it was someone else. After all, she was like a queen. Perhaps Zachary was the only one that she would put before herself.

 Chapter 416 Queenie Being The First One

    "I have my own plan, and I don''t plan to fight with them. All I need to do is distract them. What''s more, it takes more time for you to make a weapon, considering your current strength. I will make you the fastest one of the twelve groups to finish the casting," Zachary said in an enthusiastic tone.

    "Why?" Queenie demanded, confused. She realized that she rarely understood what was on his mind.

    "Because if I don''t want them to find my real strength in such a short time, you must do me this favor and distract their attention away from me," Zachary pleaded, looking afar.

    "You are so naughty!" Queenie pouted at once after she got to know his real purpose. But still, she was pretty worried about him. "Are you sure you can make it by yourself? How about this? Let''s wait for a while. If that woman shows up later, then no one will dare to hurt you."

    "That''s not necessary. Don''t worry." Zachary smiled as he comforted her.

    "Okay, if you insist. If anything happens, call me. I''ll come and save you right away," Queenie advised, her voice still filled with so much worry.

    "Am I that weak? Just trust me. I can do that!" Zachary helplessly stated as he shrugged his shoulders.

    "Yes, you are weak in my eyes," Queenie declared, looking serious.

    Hearing that, Zachary only shook his head, and then, he flew out and approached the weapon refining room.

    There were two disciples at the medium stage of King Level, who were guarding the weapon refining rooms at that time. When they regarded the appearance of Zachary, they suddenly grew alert and seriously waited as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

    "We have already booked these two weapon refining rooms. You''d better find other places to refine your weapon," one of them yelled arrogantly.

    Without saying anything, Zachary immediately used the Shadow Pace and quickly rushed to one of the weapon refining rooms.

    As soon as the two disciples perceived that, they instantly sped up to Zachary, intending to stop him. But right then, Queenie quickly approached another weapon refining room, making it impossible for the two disciples to stop her.

    They grew furious and wanted to chase after her right after realizing the trick, which was well-played by Zachary and Queenie. But suddenly, they couldn''t help turning their heads as they felt a chill coming from behind. They found Zachary standing still and calmly looking at them. Now, the aura emitting from him was remarkably more powerful than before, making them feel equally frightful and hard to breathe.

    "What? You..." The two disciples'' legs shivered with fear. They also sensed that something was wrong, so they could not help but t

    reacted quickly and rushed into two weapon refining rooms respectively. The remaining four only stood there and stared at each other. They were not worried because they knew that Zachary hadn''t finished the weapon refining yet. As long as they made sure that he did not enter the weapon refining room, they had confidence that he would be the first one to be knocked out.

    "What about you?" Queenie turned to Zachary and inquired. She also remembered that he had not completed the weapon refining yet.

    "Have you forgotten? I have my own weapon refining room," Zachary whispered in her ear.

    "You mean..." Queenie immediately understood what he meant. She had almost forgotten that he owned a very special weapon refining room where he could enter at any time.

    At the thought of this, Queenie felt relieved. She was worried for nothing.

    At the same time, the news that Queenie was the first one among all to finish the weapon refining in the first round soon spread. People at the square all heard about it. This news caused a stir among the crowd. Everyone was startled and shocked, including Katrina.

    Generally speaking, no matter how strong Queenie was, if she did not possess prominent refining strength, then she would not be able to collect the materials and complete the weapon refining at such a fast speed. What was more, according to the rules, a weapon refiner must produce a weapon of Heaven Level in this round. The fact was that Queenie had made it. That meant that her weapon refining level had reached the Heaven Level.

    She had thoroughly improved her weapon refining level into the Heaven Level in just a few months. Such speed was remarkably fast and one of a kind.

    Of course, no one knew that, in reality, it was Zachary who had helped her to succeed.

 Chapter 417 The Seductress

    After Queenie had completed the first round of refining, a few disciples from other groups had also finished ahead of the others. Most of them were regarded as the best disciples in this year''s weapon refining contest, including Cole, Anthony, and other powerful King Level disciples with excellent weapon refining levels.

    The elimination series employed the lowliest place elimination principle, and a disciple from every group would be eliminated in each round. In general, the faster one finished refining, the better it would prove their strength. This also pressured the other members of the same group to keep the pace.

    Besides, the sooner they finished refining, the more time they had to prepare for the next round in the contest. Each weapon refiner needed sufficient physical strength and martial energy to make use of either the energy fire stone, or the energy fire they had cultivated.

    The consumption of physical strength and martial energy was obvious as they had to collect materials to finish refining. This was also the reason why the elimination series became more intense with each passing round. As the number of the participants decreased, the interval between two rounds decreased as well, and there was less time for them to rest and recover.

    At this moment, the atmosphere in Zachary''s group became intense after Queenie finished first place. None of the four allied disciples wanted to fall behind. All of them cast wary eyes on each other. Although they were certain that Zachary would be eliminated in the first round, they didn''t want to rank second from last or third from last, because they would still be in danger of elimination in the following rounds.

    The four King Level disciples waited outside the weapon refining rooms and glared daggers at each other. They were on high alert and it seemed that they were ready to bolt for the weapon refining rooms the minute they were available.

    "I should be the first to use one of the weapon refining rooms," the disciple with the most powerful strength said.

    "Why should it be you? I''m stronger than you in terms of weapon refining level, so it''s reasonable for me to go in first," another disciple immediately argued.

    "Stop bickering, both of you. I am the most qualified to go first!"

    "Are you

    on series, Joan would become their opponent, so Queenie would be able to fight her all she wanted. Besides, he knew that Joan wouldn''t mind that at all.

    Not long after, a disciple emerged from one of the weapon refining rooms with a triumphant look and a Heaven Level weapon in his hand. All heads turned to the empty room.

    "Joan, please be the first to use it!" None of the four other disciples rushed in. They all looked at Joan with respect, waiting for her to enter.

    Joan nodded, then turned to Zachary and said, "Go on ahead!"

    The four disciples were shocked when they heard this. They didn''t expect Joan to give Zachary the opportunity to refine before her. Why should she help someone from a different college?

    "Joan, we agreed to concede the weapon refining room to you, not him. If you honor that agreement, we will have nothing else to say. But if you hand this over to that boy, we might have a problem." The four disciples all looked sour.

    "What if I am bound to help him?" asked Joan, her eyes darkening with an aura of calmness and determination.

    Immediately, the four disciples looked at each other, their eyes conversing of their next move. In a flash, they blocked the entrance to the weapon refining room. "Then the agreement is off. We''ll have to be rude to you!"

    "Rude? Then let''s see how rude you can be!" Joan shouted. All of a sudden, her strong aura at the ninth grade of King Level rushed out and spread all around. The disciples felt a strong pressure and their faces turned pale.

 Chapter 418 Shock

    Of course, the four King Level disciples hadn''t expected Joan to fight against disciples from her own college for someone from the Celestial College. This made them wonder what sort of relationship they had that would make her care so much about Zachary.

    Zachary broke their stalemate as he walked up to Joan and said with a faint smile, "I appreciate your kindness, Joan. But since the weapon refining room has been left for you, I don''t want to take advantage of this. You can go in yourself!"

    "But I''m afraid that someone with your strength wouldn''t be able to get a chance to use the weapon refining room," Joan said matter-of-factly.

    "I can take care of myself. Don''t worry about me, Joan," Zachary said seriously.

    Seeing that Zachary had made up his mind, Joan said nothing more. She hesitated for a moment, glanced at the four King Level disciples, and went straight to the weapon refining room.

    "You were smart to do that, boy! But don''t think that we''ll have mercy on you simply because you have Joan''s support. You will be the first to be wiped out. " All the four disciples glared at Zachary, blaming him for being the reason they''d offended Joan.

    Hearing this, Zachary smiled indifferently, then walked back to Queenie''s side.

    "The seductress is so kind to you!" Queenie sounded a bit jealous.

    "We are her allies, aren''t we? She''s supposed to care about us," replied Zachary with a shrug.

    "I''m not her ally. Besides, she didn''t let me in. You''re the only one she cares about! What''s your relationship with her, really?" Queenie couldn''t help but ask. She felt like there was something going on between Joan and Zachary.

    "I''m not exactly sure where we both stand. Anyway, we are related." Zachary grinned.

    "Humph! All men are bad." After giving Zachary a disdainful look, Queenie turned her head and stopped talking to him.

    With nothing to do, Zachary found a flat rock, laid on it and dozed off.

    Seeing that Zachary had given up made the four King Level disciples feel relieved.

    A few mome

    he''d spent in the Dark Prison. So it''s obvious there''s no hope for him at all," Katrina said meaningfully.

    Marvin smiled sheepishly.

    Of course, even Katrina thought Zachary''s success was hopeless, and more so the rest of the people present from Shura College. They certainly all thought that there was no hope for him to win.

    Those from Zachary''s group, the three masters and the seven disciples including Queenie, Joan were also standing outside the two weapon refining rooms, waiting for the final result.

    "The warrior who''d entered the weapon refining room earlier should be almost done with his casting. It seems that the winner has been decided," Parker said.

    The other two masters nodded in agreement.

    Sure enough, as soon as he was done saying these words, a figure came out from one of the weapon refining rooms.

    Everyone present was in complete shock, as the one to walk out first wasn''t the disciple who''d entered before Zachary. In fact, it was Zachary himself!

    "He''s already done with his casting?" Joan muttered with a perplexed expression on her face.

    Of course, she wasn''t the only one taken aback by this turn of events. Everyone present, including the three masters, wore similar expressions on their faces. They couldn''t fathom how Zachary could finish casting in such a short period of time. It was unbelievable!

 Chapter 419 Make Zachary Yield With Force

    "Have you finished the weapon refinement?" Parker asked Zachary with a serious expression on his face.

    Instead of answering, Zachary casually flipped his hand with his palm out, and a Heaven Level weapon instantly materialized on it.

    Parker raised an eyebrow at the flashy gesture, but Zachary only smirked unapologetically. He took the weapon and looked it over, then passed it to the other two masters when he was done. The two masters checked it carefully as well and then nodded to Parker.

    "I can''t believe you finished refining a Heaven Level weapon in an hour!" Parker exclaimed with a peculiar look on his face, as Zachary ascended all their expectations once again. They knew that not even a disciple whose weapon refining strength was at the King Level could confidently refine a Heaven Level weapon in just an hour.

    "I''m just lucky," Zachary said with a shake of his head. "This weapon is probably the easiest to cast among the Heaven Level weapons. Its formula just fell into my lap, and I didn''t even think it would be this useful to me."

    Hearing that, Parker and the other two masters didn''t ask any more questions. After all, Zachary was right. The Heaven Level weapon that he had refined was indeed very easy to be cast. It only took three steps to complete it, so it required less time than other Heaven Level weapons.

    As they were talking, the last King Level disciple sauntered confidently out of the weapon refining room. He sneered when he saw Zachary, who was still standing outside, and said proudly, "Boy, you gave up, didn''t you? That''s the smartest thing you could do, or else you will just make a fool of yourself."

    While he was busy insulting Zachary, he didn''t notice that the other King Level disciples were casting him pitying looks. It was obvious to everyone, except him, that he was going to be eliminated.

    Meanwhile, Zachary gave a cold smile in response to his insults. He couldn''t wait to see his face when he realized that he was eliminated. Zachary casually turned away from him and looked at Parker with a grin on his face.

    "Now, I declare that the first round of Group 8 is over. Disciple No. 25 is eliminated," Parker announced at once.

    "What?" the disciple sputtered in surprise. "Disciple No. 25?! Isn''t that me? Why am I eliminated?! Shouldn''t he be eliminated?" The disciple pointed at Zachary. The triumphant smile on his face had been wiped clean, and in its place was a look of horror.

    "That''s because he came out earlier than you did," Par

    fishy was going on.

    This time, instead of dispersing to collect materials, the four disciples lingered in front of the weapon refining room. They weren''t even subtle, as they watched Queenie and Zachary suspiciously.

    "Go ahead," Zachary said to Queenie.

    "Are you sure?" Queenie hesitated. She felt awkward, as the four were still staring at them suspiciously, bitter frowns engraved deeply on their faces.

    "It''s okay. We didn''t break any rules." Zachary nodded reassuringly at Queenie.

    Finally, Queenie gave in and entered the weapon refining room.

    Once Queenie was inside, the four disciples targeted Zachary and said, "No wonder that woman was always the first to finish the weapon refinement. You two didn''t collect any materials. You must be cheating!"

    "Cheating? Do you have any proof?" Zachary quirked an eyebrow at his accuser.

    "Do I need any proof? How can you possibly refine a weapon if you didn''t even collect the materials? You must have used some tricks to cheat!" the four disciples insisted.

    "Who said we didn''t collect materials? Don''t forget, we have three people here. Joan is in charge of collecting materials," replied Zachary nonchalantly.

    It irked the four disciples that Zachary insisted on denying and weren''t even paying attention to them. They viewed him as a weakling, and since he wouldn''t tell the truth, they intended to make him regret it.

    "You brat! Admit that you cheated, and we will let you go. You better tell the truth, or we will make you suffer!" In a blink of an eye, the four disciples threw themselves towards Zachary. If they couldn''t make him confess by talking, they would make him yield with force.

 Chapter 420 Ice Needles

    As soon as the four King Level disciples surrounded Zachary, his aura instantly changed. Following that, the four felt like they had bumped into an invisible wall. They all had the similar sensation of the air around them getting compressed. Soon they felt an unimaginable pressure forming in their chests and developed shortage of breath.

    But despite these obstacles, they did not give up. They all thought that Zachary must be deliberately disillusioning them, so they all took a deep breath and calmed their minds. Soon after they recovered, they continued to attack Zachary.

    This time, the four disciples didn''t meet any obstacle. They respectively exerted their best skills to attack Zachary together. But despite all their efforts and bravery, none of their skills was able to inflict any damage on Zachary.

    Seeing this, the disciples were too stunned beyond words. It was impossible that Zachary could remain unhurt after the four of them attacked him together with their combined strength.

    Before the four disciples could come to their senses, Zachary suddenly turned into a shadow and moved around them. The next moment, he was standing back at the place where he had been earlier.

    Immediately, there were ear piercing screams, raging among them. The disciples suddenly fell to the ground. They curled up and rolled about, writhing in pain.

    Looking at the writhing disciples, Zachary nonchalantly sat down nearby.

    An hour later, Joan came back, with all the collected materials. She was stunned to see the four disciples rolling on the ground. "What''s wrong with them?"

    "I have no idea. One moment they were alright and the next, they are rolling on the ground," Zachary replied with an innocent expression.

    "So you are not responsible for their agony?" Joan pointedly asked, as she stared at him suspiciously.

    "Of course not. I am aware of the limits of my own strength. How can I possibly deal with all four of them alone?" Zachary replied, as he smiled and tried his best to appear innocent.

    Joan simply continued to look at Zachary. Obviously, she didn''t believe a word he said.

    At that moment, three masters, including Parker, showed up. They were also surprised to see the scene. They were hardly gone for a few moments and were shocked to see such a drastic situation happen to the four disciples.

    "What''s going on? What happened to them?" Parker inquired immediately.

    "They might be sick. Perhaps they ate something that was not right," Zachary said, as he pretended to look concerned.

    The three masters turned to look at each other for answers. Then they checked u

    her bedroom.

    "What were you two talking about?" Queenie asked curiously.

    "Nothing serious. She just told me to be careful," Zachary answered, as he shrugged.

    "She''s right. You''d better be careful. You went too far as to disable those four disciples. I''m afraid you have upset everyone from the Shura College. If they plan to take revenge, you would be in serious trouble," Queenie said, frowning.

    "I have no fear about that, as long as you are around to protect me!" Zachary said as he laughed.

    "Humph, that is the least you can expect from me! I''m going to watch Rebecca''s match." Saying this, Queenie left, but not before glaring at Zachary.

    Zachary walked out of the farmyard and went to a secluded place, where he entered the system. Since he was yet to fulfill Anne''s quest, he could not afford to waste any more time.

    A few days later, the matches of the other eleven groups came to an end. At each level, the top three disciples from every group were selected. A total of thirty-six disciples of King Level were qualified for the second stage of the contest.

    In addition to Zachary and Queenie, Scott and Rebecca also entered the second stage with their own strength, by collecting materials faster in the elimination series during the first stage. This feat greatly astonished the members of the Shura College. None of them had ever imagined that the disciples from the Celestial College, who had just joined the Shura College since a few months ago, would perform so remarkably well in the King Level contest.

    However, all the other disciples of King Level who could enter the second stage were the elites from the Shura College. Therefore, the second stage would be a true test for Zachary and his companions.

 Chapter 421 A Middle-aged Man

    The rules of the second stage was a little more complicated than the first stage''s. There were a total of two rounds, but they were quite different.

    The first round would have the thirty-six disciples at the King Level fight in pairs, and eighteen of them advance to the second round. The second round would be different from the first. Those who survived from the first round would be divided into two groups. Disciples would compete with each other from the same group, only two from each group would advance to the third stage also known as the finals. Compared to the first stage, the two rounds of the second stage would be more fierce and cruel.

    With such rules, it was apparent that strength was everything. The higher the level of a disciple''s weapon refining, the higher chances they got to the finals. They could easily gain an advantage.

    Before the first round started, everyone from the Shura College predicted who the eighteen disciples would be able to enter the second round. According to their predictions, well-known disciples from the Shura College like Cole, Anthony, and Truman would advance to the second round without a doubt. They thought that luck would have to play a big role for the rest of disciples who wish to advance to the next round. Matchups on the first round were chosen randomly. If one went against someone who was significantly weaker during the first round, they could advance to the second round without exerting much effort. If one went against someone whose strength was on par with them, they would have to try harder to secure their spot in the second round. However, if one went against someone who was obviously stronger than them, it could be quite terrifying and their chances of entering the second round would be more scarce.

    No one predicted that the four disciples from the Celestial College, including Zachary, would be able to enter the second round. After all, all the disciples who entered the second stage were all elites from the Shura College. Among them, even the weakest one was a two-star Heaven Level weapon refiner. He was much more powerful than Zachary and the other three disciples.

    Due to the unexpected injuries of the four disciples from Group 8, Zachary and Queenie were able to enter the second stage sooner than expected. However, this also caused a heated discussion in the Shura College. Everyone felt that things were too easy for Zachary and Queenie since they only competed for two rounds during the first stage before immediately ad

    irer. The importance of displaying the weapon refining foundations of the disciples had become more apparent.

    Even though the competition was merely at its second stage, many famous and noble people from different clans of the Devil Kingdom had arrived to watch the battle.

    Right before the competition began, three figures suddenly appeared on the other side of the battle watching platform. Two of them were from the Shura College and everyone present knew who they were. One of them was a new master, Pollard, while the other was the talented goddess in their minds, Polly.

    A man walked right in front of them, he was graceful and gentle. He wore a blue robe. A very strange badge hung on the back of his robe and he looked no more than fifty years old. There was a strong aura emanating from him and it was powerful enough to make everyone present stare at him.

    As soon as Pollard, Polly, and the middle-aged man appeared, they immediately aroused a lot of speculation around them. They were more interested in the middle-aged man. Some of the people at present were able to recognize the badge on the back of his robe; it was the clan badge of a mysterious weapon refining clan from the Devil Kingdom. However, that clan had secluded themselves and cut ties with the Devil Kingdom a long time ago. People could easily recognize that this middle-aged man was not someone ordinary since he was with Pollard and Polly who were also from a famous clan.

    At the same time, all the masters from the Shura College who were sitting in the exclusive area next to the watching platform also noticed the middle-aged man. They were all surprised and Marvin was no exception.

 Chapter 422 Jace Qiu

    The sight of the middle-aged man caught Katrina off-guard. She turned awestruck eyes at Marvin and said, "Dean Marvin, you are quite influential. I can''t believe that you were able to invite Jace, the famous Sage Level weapon refiner!"

    "I didn''t invite him here. I am not capable of doing that!" Marvin denied vehemently, his hands listlessly gesturing beside him.

    The middle-aged man, who made both Marvin and Katrina feel astonished, was none other than Pollard and Polly''s father. He was Jace Qiu, the head of the Qiu Clan, which had been in seclusion for more than three hundred years. He was also one of the few Sage Level weapon refiners in the Supernal Continent.

    Almost everyone in the Devil Kingdom had heard of him. It was said that he reached the Imperial Level in weapon refining when he was thirty, and he reached the Sage Level at the age of forty-five. He was known to be the youngest Sage Level weapon refiner in the entire Supernal Continent.

    There were also many stories about him, but they were rarely shared since he kept a low profile and his clan was in seclusion. Very few people had laid eyes on him. Among all the people present, only Marvin, Katrina, and the eldest warriors knew his face.

    "I didn''t expect that the master of the Qiu Clan would personally come to watch the contest. I can''t believe it!"

    "I''m sure it''s because of Polly. She''s taking part in the contest, so her father came to observe her."

    "No wonder the Qiu Clan is the top clan in the Devil Kingdom. Their bloodline is truly compelling, and the heirs of the master are so talented!"

    The murmurs of the masters of Shura College could easily be heard, as they marveled over Jace Qiu''s presence.

    The Qiu Clan was the most ancient in the Devil Kingdom and specialized in weapon refining. Its history could be traced back to when the Devil Kingdom was established, and since then, it had always had a distinguished position in the Devil Kingdom. However, three hundred years ago, the clan isolated themselves due to unknown reasons. They had quickly cut their connections with the outside world, and they were rarely seen since then.

    The Xuanyuan Clan and the Xiao Clan were known as the most powerful clans in the Devil Kingdom in terms of weapon refining, and they had countless weapon refiners. However, these two clans were not comparable to the Qiu Clan in terms o

    ergy fires.

    And Zachary''s weapon refining level was only at the Heaven Level. At most, he could have just successfully cultivated one energy fire. There was no way that he could already have two kinds of energy fires at his level.

    "He does! I''m afraid that I''m the only one here who can see this!" Jace Qiu shook his head in amazement and disbelief. "He is quite special!"

    "It seems that Harley knows how to keep a low profile! He has two kinds of energy fires, and we didn''t even know about it," said Pollard, shaking his head.

    "However, even if he has two kinds of energy fires, he is still not a match for Adam, who is already a six-star weapon refiner at the Heaven Level. Generally speaking, a weapon refiner at the Heaven Level couldn''t defeat Adam," Polly remarked. Although she could see that her father found Zachary interesting, and she agreed that he was indeed strong, she still believed that Adam was much stronger.

    "I think Harley will be more likely to win," Pollard disagreed immediately.

    "No! Pollard, are you siding with someone that doesn''t belong to our clan?" Polly pouted at him sulkily, as she folded her arms on her chest.

    "Ha-ha, I''m just telling the truth," Pollard replied. He shook his head in amusement when Polly glared at him and laughed in her face.

    "Dad, who do you think will win?" Polly asked with doubt.

    "You will find out later." Jace Qiu''s answer was both cryptic and completely unsatisfying for Polly. However, her frown was replaced by curiosity when she noticed that her father seemed truly interested in the contest.

 Chapter 423 The Qiu Clan

    The first round of the second stage of the competition started at this moment.

    Zachary stood at the weapon refining table with Adam, a disciple of the Qiu Clan. He was casual and looked absent-minded, unlike Adam who was well-prepared and serious for the coming competition.

    Zachary was merely pretending because he didn''t want to expose himself even before the competition. If he wanted his opponent to be caught off guard, he would have to continue pretending to be weak.

    But soon, Zachary found that his opponent was quite powerful. The materials that he had gathered showed that Adam was ambitious. Although there were only four kinds of materials available, the materials that Adam had chosen were very rare.

    ''He is likely to refine a six-star weapon. Things are getting complicated now!'' Zachary thought to himself, frowning. If his opponent was going to refine a six-star weapon, he had to refine a seven-star weapon at least. But at the same time, he had to preserve his strength. It was not an easy thing to achieve the two goals at once.

    He thought about this for a while and asked Mimi to search through his treasure warehouse. He then selected four inconspicuous refining materials.

    Many people who were paying attention to the materials that Zachary had prepared shook their heads. Based on their knowledge, they thought Zachary''s materials were inferior to his opponent''s. The result of the competition seemed obvious.

    Even those who were cheering for Zachary could clearly see that he was at a disadvantage.

    "Pollard, I don''t think Harley will win," Polly remarked, shaking her head.

    "It''s too early to jump to the conclusion," Pollard said with a gentle smile.

    "Judging from the material he has, I don''t think Harley will win. Why are you disagreeing with me?" Polly said, miffed.

    "Dad, what do you think?" Pollard cast a glance at his sister, and then at his father, Jace.

    "Polly is right. Judging by the materials he has, he has no chance of winning. But it is also highly possible for a highly talented and experienced weapon refiner to turn ordinary materials into treasures. Of course, this is very rare. No more than thr

    e''s own energy fire. Once performed, these skills would cause people to go blind if they stared at them. But only a few people could grasp such skills at the premium stage in the entire Supernal Continent. Only the weapon refining clans like the Xuanyuan Clan and the Xiao Clan had grasped such skills. The top weapon refining skills were just part of a legend. Not many people had seen them so far.

    The manuals that Zachary had given Queenie and Rebecca were all about weapon refining at the premium stage.

    It was evident that Adam''s weapon refining skill was at the medium stage. This was proof that he was very powerful since he could show such a skill at the King Level contest.

    Some people soon recognized that Adam''s weapon refining skill had a powerful background.

    "Is the weapon refining skill he''s practicing the Solid Earth Refining Skill?"

    "Really? Such a skill is supposed to be a weapon refining skill at the medium stage, exclusive to the Qiu Clan!"

    "Is he actually a disciple of the Qiu Clan?"

    The surrounding crowd erupted into uproar again, speculating about Adam''s identity.

    Zachary''s chances of winning were almost zero. Right from the preparation of the materials to what they were currently doing, he was far behind Adam. And the crowd knew it. What was more, Adam had his own energy fire and was practicing the unique weapon refining skill of the Qiu Clan, making it almost impossible for Zachary to win.

 Chapter 424 Zacharys Seven-star Weapon

    Four hours passed, and a loud noise was heard from somewhere As everyone looked, white smoke slowly billowed upwards from that place, like clouds on a clear sky. It appeared that one of the weapons that were being refined had exploded.

    The spectators in the nearby vicinity descended into a chaos of shouts and questions.

    It was fairly common for a weapon to explode during the refining process. It was usually caused by disciples who fell victim to their anxiety and consequently became careless in their haste to win the competition. Weapon refining, however, was a process that should be done in a systematic and careful manner, and patience was a key ingredient for its success. Disciples who acted carelessly usually committed mistakes that led to their failures, and explosions were bound to happen.

    For the disciples of King Level who entered the second round, they were experienced, so there was only a small chance for them to make this mistake.

    The atmosphere had already been tense earlier, but after the explosion, the disciples were even more aware of the mistakes they could make. It made them tenser, which could only lead to more mistakes.

    In the competition area where Zachary was in, Adam had reached the fourth step of weapon refining. He was going to proceed to the final step of quenching soon.

    Meanwhile, Zachary had barely progressed. He had just thrown the four materials, which had been cast, into the furnace. A moment later, the furnace was filled with thick smoke, and then it began to vibrate.

    The buzzing sound it made grew louder with every passing second. The spectators around the arena shook their heads in dismay, as they all thought that Zachary was just refining indiscriminately, and he was about to make a big mistake.

    All the disciples from the Celestial College, including Queenie, watched with bated breaths. They were terrified that Zachary would make a mistake.

    "He is making a mess!" Polly, who was standing on the viewing platform, chimed in.

    "His refining order is totally different from normal. I haven''t seen anything like this," Pollard muttered. The deafening sound that was coming from the furnace was worrying him as well.

    It was becoming louder, and it was echoing all over the place as if the furnace was about to explode.

    Some of them jumped in surprise when Zachary banged on the furnace, but to their complete astonishment, it fell silent.

    It was like magic to them. The furnace which was about to explode was silenced by him with a single gesture. They wondered what he did to calm the furnace down.

    Another two hou

    re," said Marvin. He was quiet, but no less surprised than the people around him.

    "Amazing! He always surprises everyone," Katrina murmured and laughed quietly in amusement. Although she had been used to Zachary''s brand of surprise, she had not expected him to cultivate his own energy fire.

    The three judges, who had planned to announce the result of the competition, exchanged looks and instantly decided to hold their words. The circumstances had changed, and Adam wasn''t the clear winner anymore. Instead, they opted to wait and see what would happen since it was obvious that Zachary had made a breakthrough.

    Meanwhile, the audience was watching in anticipation, eager to see what Zachary had been up to for the past hours.

    With the constant slap from Zachary, the furnace began to crack and disintegrate. Surprisingly, the liquid in the furnace had been dried up.

    Just as the furnace disintegrated completely, a beam of colorful light spread out from it and blinded those who were looking on. The spectators were dazzled by the blinding light, and when they opened their teary eyes, they found a staff-like weapon on the ground, along with the remnants of the broken furnace. Judging from its aura, it was even stronger than the six-star weapon of Heaven Level made by Adam.

    "What? It''s a seven-star weapon!" someone cried in astonishment.

    "Oh my God! He used ordinary materials to cast a seven-star weapon! That''s incredible!"

    "Is this a dream? This is just too good to be true!"

    "That''s impossible! How could he do that?" "You must be kidding me!"

    Once again, the spectators and even the masters were like fish caught in the storm. Their mouths flapped in bewilderment, dumbfounded by Zachary''s skill.

 Chapter 425 Heaven Level Weapon Of Rare Level

    Of course, this was also the reason why everyone present was so surprised. No one had expected Zachary to use common materials to forge a seven-star Heaven Level weapon. In fact, if this had not been a serious competition with such an enormous audience, everybody would have thought that Zachary had cheated.

    Every single member of the audience looked on with baited breath. The air seemed charged with excitement. The masters of the Shura College and Katrina looked shocked. Even Jace looked surprised.

    "He actually used the Thaumaturgic Refining Skill! Everyone thinks it has been lost since antiquity in the Supernal Continent!" Jace said in an astonished voice.

    "Thaumaturgic Refining Skill?" Pollard and Polly were also surprised to hear about it. Even though they had heard of the Thaumaturgic Refining Skill, it was one of the oldest refining skills in the world, and to see it used was great rarity. It was similar in essence to modern refining skills, but what set it apart was that it could help one refine common materials into high-star weapons. However, the refiner had to be highly talented and possess unique knowledge and insight to use this skill to its full potential, and few had the patience to train to make themselves worthy of it. Thus, it had slowly become forgotten over the years.

    It was no wonder that everyone was surprised to see this ancient technique resurface like this, in none other than Zachary''s hands.

    "Dad, is it just a coincidence?" Polly asked, looking at her father with wide eyes, unable to contain her curiosity. She couldn''t fathom how Zachary had learnt and mastered this ancient skill that everyone had thought long lost.

    "I have no idea about that," Jace said, shaking his head. Even though he could not prove it, the Thaumaturgic Refining Skill was the only explanation he could provide for what had just happened.

    "It seems that I''ll have to ask Harley about it later," Pollard said enthusiastically.

    Zachary''s use of the Thaumaturgic skill had essentially decided the outcome of the contest. Having just refined a seven-star weapon of Heaven Level, there was no questioning that he was to be the winner.

    Finally, one of the masters entered the arena and walked to the center. Coming to a halt, he looked around, and his gaze finally settled on Zachary.

    "The winner of this round is..." The master paused dramatically. "The winner is Harley Bai from Celestial College!"

    The

    you," he replied.

    "What does that have to do with me?" Hearing this, Pollard was at a loss whether to cry or to laugh.

    "It has everything to do with you! If she wants to defeat you, she must break through to the Imperial Level. Otherwise, it is impossible. That will infinitely stimulate her potential. The most important thing is speed. In order to break through to the Imperial Level, she need to do it instantaneously..." Pollard obviously had a deep understanding of the process.

    "But isn''t breaking through to the Imperial Level during the contest very dangerous?" Zachary questioned, scratching his chin.

    "It is, but it is necessary to take risks if she wants to get power. Besides, I have you here. I don''t believe that there is anything you can''t do. I would trust you with my life." Pollard obviously had faith in Zachary.

    "Please, Pollard. You are overestimating me. I''m just an ordinary disciple," Zachary said, waving his hand.

    "Ha-ha, ordinary indeed!" Pollard chortled sarcastically. "If you are an ordinary disciple, the disciples from my Shura College can all just give up on weapon refining and become farmers."

    Zachary felt very uncomfortable. "Isn''t your sister competing? Why don''t you go back and watch her? Isn''t that why you came?" Zachary reminded, desperate to change the subject.

    "Ah, I almost forgot! See you later," exclaimed Pollard, waving to Zachary and turning to leave.

    ''Pollard wants to use me to stimulate his woman''s potential to reach the Imperial Level. How could he think of that?'' Zachary wondered, shaking his head. Then, with a puff, he disappeared into thin air.

 Chapter 426 Strength

    The following day, as the first round of the second stage finished, the list of the eighteen disciples of King Level who were advancing to the next round was announced. Out of the four disciples from the Celestial College, only Zachary''s name was called out. While the other three might have been talented, they had only been training for only a couple of months and were no match compared to the elite disciples of the Shura College. These elite disciples had spent years honing their skills; it was no surprise that they had passed onto the second round. After all, strength and skills were the key to win the contest, not luck.

    Those who were eliminated in the first round started to talk amongst themselves. Naturally, the school was brimming with gossip, especially what with the interesting talents shown in the first round. One of these talents was Rebecca, who had unexpectedly chosen to perform a weapon refining skill with an element and energy fire of the wood element. Everyone who witnessed it was astonished. Rebecca was the second Celestial College disciple who could use energy fire, after Zachary. It was a remarkable feat, which greatly impressed the disciples of the Shura College.

    Of course, the performances of both Queenie and Scott were also noteworthy, as they were able to exhibit their talent as weapon refiners. Queenie had been cultivating a weapon refining skill with an element all the time and attracted a lot of attention during the contest.

    Initially, no one paid heed to the four nobodies from the Celestial College. However, at the end of the first round, they had become the talk of the town, having given wonderful, jaw-dropping performances.

    Nevertheless, Zachary was the sole name called that day. Although he had performed impressively in the first round, many whispered amongst themselves, claiming it was by sheer luck. They couldn''t imagine that a weapon refiner of Heaven Level could use several seemingly ordinary materials to create a seven-star weapon at the Heaven Level.

    Little did they know that the materials Zachary had chosen were actually from the el

    it to the next stage," Pollard said confidently.

    "It''s just a King Level contest, I wouldn''t take it too seriously..." Jace paused. "Speaking of which, I''m really interested in this Harley. I''d like to see what tricks he''ll pull today!" Yesterday, Zachary had performed Thaumaturgic Refining Skill. As this was an ancient skill, almost no one knew about it. Consequently, Jace''s curiosity was piqued.

    "Actually, I was planning to ask him to join our clan after the King Level contest is over. I think that, with his talent, he will definitely become a rising star in the Devil Kingdom should he choose to train with our clan," Pollard said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

    Jace threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh. "It seems we share the same sentiments. Seriously though, the fact that he can perform the Thaumaturgic Refining Skill shows that he is very talented. We can''t let a talent like him slip. Actually, yesterday after you left, Polly said something similar to me." Jace paused, deep in thought. "As a matter of fact, I''ve never heard Polly speak so highly of a man..." He nodded with a smile.

    "Dad, it''s kind of obvious, isn''t it? Before I got to know Harley, Polly had already met him, and they were quite familiar with each other at that time." Pollard rubbed his hands against each other in an almost sinister fashion, as he seized the chance to snitch on his sister.

 Chapter 427 A Weapon Refining Aid

    "Seriously? Now I have to pay even more attention to him!" Jace and Pollard exchanged an evil smile.

    Meanwhile, Polly had entered the competition arena. She suddenly felt her eyelids twitching and she couldn''t help rubbing them.

    "Are you feeling unwell?" Just then, a figure appeared beside Polly.

    Polly turned around and found that Zachary had been standing next to her. She shook her head and said, "I''m fine. I just didn''t expect us to be opponents so soon."

    "Please show some mercy on me later," Zachary joked good-naturedly.

    "Stop pretending to be scared. I''m afraid that your weapon refining level is higher than mine." Polly, of course, was not to be fooled by him easily. After the battle she had witnessed yesterday, she knew that the man in front of her was not how she had imagined. There were too many mysteries hidden in him that she could not see through.

    "So do you still want to compete with me?" Zachary provoked Polly teasingly.

    "Of course! I want to know how strong you are," Polly replied firmly. In fact, after seeing Zachary''s performance yesterday, she was eager to fight with him. She was fiercely competitive and wanted to defeat him. Yesterday, her father also appreciated his performance and said that he was more talented than her and her brother. This really bothered her. It was easy to see that Zachary was an outstanding weapon refiner. Moreover, she also knew that he had mastered two kinds of energy fire, which made her want to combat with him to see if he was really more talented than her as her father said.

    "All right, go ahead then," Zachary said with a nod.

    They walked toward the center of the competition arena.

    The eighteen disciples of the King Level were divided into two groups. They were grouped according to their strength to ensure that everybody had a fair chance in the competition. As a result, the strength of the two groups was basically the same¡ªall the strongest and the weakest ones were in one group.

    Among the nine members in Zachary''s group, Truman was the most powerful one as he was a five-star wea

    t go to waste," Marvin commented.

    "Well, there is no doubt that the disciples of our Celestial College attach great importance to the contest. Harley, too, has used the rare materials in the contest," Katrina agreed.

    "Yes, you''re right. The performance of those disciples from your college in the weapon refining contest was truly impressive," Marvin praised. Zachary''s performance was beyond his expectations.

    The competition was already in full swing. After careful selection, the candidates in the two competition arenas had begun to use their chosen materials to cast models.

    The steps for casting were the same, so after yesterday''s competition, the audience was not so excited. They watched on quietly.

    But the weapon refining contest always revealed some surprises.

    All of a sudden, Truman, who was in Zachary''s group, took out a sparkling plate-shaped OH weapon. After he injected the energy fire into it, it immediately flew over the furnace and started releasing a beam of light. The next moment, the furnace began to boil violently.

    "Look! Isn''t that a weapon refining aid?"

    "It''s said that it is very difficult to refine it because a lot of rare materials are needed. Moreover, only those weapon refiners who are above the Sage Level can refine it. But generally speaking, only those weapon refiners of the Imperial Level have a real shot at refining it."

 Chapter 428 Truman

    "That''s right. It looks like Truman prepared himself well!"

    "He is definitely the worthy disciple of the Xuanyuan Clan as he even has a weapon refining aid!"

    The spectators were just as amazed to witness the display and they immediately burst into an uproar.

    The weapon refining aid was in fact a special kind of weapon. Its purpose was to assist the refinement of a weapon. Moreover, only the weapon refiners could use it, as it must be controlled by energy fire. Therefore, general speaking, only weapon refiner of Imperial Level would use weapon refining aids.

    At that moment, Truman displayed his weapon refining aid, which went on to prove his high weapon refining level. He could control the weapon refining aid, even before reaching the Imperial Level.

    Seeing that Truman made such a remarkable progress, the other disciples of the same group were not willing to be outdone. By now they were aware that it was hopeless to fight for the first place. Nevertheless, they still had a chance to fight for the second place so that they could enter the third stage.

    Although they didn''t possess any particular weapon refining aids, they did prepare some rare treasures for the weapon refining contest. The treasures could save their time and even improve their efficiency in the refining. That was why, they were very confident to join the contest.

    As the other disciples of King Level used their rare treasures in their weapon refining, Zachary still continued to utilize the three materials.

    "He even took out some rare materials! How could he forget to prepare some rare treasures that would enhance his performance? In that case, even the rare materials are wasted. Is he not aware about it?" Polly murmured. Although she was focusing on her refining, occasionally she would spare a glance at Zachary.

    Polly was not alone to feel this way. Even the spectators had the same thought. But they hardly bothered about it, as they believed that Zachary was new to weapon refining. Hence, they found it quite normal, that Zachary didn''t know how to use some rare treasure to help his refining.

    "Pollard, do you remember the formula I taught you to mel

    an. More than three hundred years ago, it had disappeared with a master of our clan," Jace explained seriously with a serene expression. Since the Ghostly Fire Furnace had been missing for more than three hundred years, he had never thought that it would appear again in the possession of a nobody.

    Although the furnace was created three hundred years ago, Jace was very familiar about it. He had tried to create a new one, with the formula passed down from generation to generation but he kept failing at the task. That was why, he was able to recognize the Ghostly Fire Furnace, immediately.

    "But it looks like the aura of this furnace is only of the Imperial Level, and it is not yet at the Sage Level," Pollard said after observing the furnace carefully.

    "That''s because someone had deliberately sealed it, keeping it within the Imperial Level," Jace replied.

    Just like Jace said, the furnace that Zachary displayed was indeed the Ghostly Fire Furnace. He borrowed it from Anne to conceal his real strength. Therefore, if he won, everyone would think it was through the help of the treasure.

    "It seems to be a weapon refining aid at the Imperial Level."

    "I didn''t expect that this disciple form Celestial College was so well prepared. He also brought his weapon refining aid, which is at the Imperial Level."

    "Does he plan to use this treasure to refine an incredible weapon? But it seems to be such an impossible feat!"

 Chapter 429 The Ghostly Fire Furnace

    Anyone who had the slightest knowledge of weapon refining could see that there was something special about the Ghostly Fire Furnace. It was no ordinary weapon refining aid. Everyone quickly realized that Zachary would choose to use this Imperial Level furnace to forge his weapon. Many tools were too inferior to be used on high-grade weaponry, and so all who were present coveted the Ghostly Fire Furnace. They stared at the furnace with greedy expressions.

    "It looks like that''s a precious weapon refining aid in and of itself. I''ve never seen anything like that before. The aura it''s emitting makes it clear that it''s an weapon refining aid of Imperial Level or higher. Katrina, did you give that to Harley in order to win the competition?" Marvin asked. He had been quite surprised at the casual, easy way that Zachary brought out a weapon refining aid that was a treasure in its own right. Naturally, he thought Katrina had been the one who prepared this for Zachary. He did not believe Zachary was strong or powerful enough to obtain something so precious on his own.

    But Katrina also looked surprised. She had not suspected that Zachary owned anything like the Ghostly Fire Furnace. She had no idea where he had gotten his hands on such a treasure. But she was hesitant to admit that when Marvin had put her on the spot. She said, trying to sound nonchalant, "Yes, I asked him to use it when he reaches the finals, but I believe he may have decided to use it now because he is not confident of winning here in the second round. I apologize if it''s not allowed."

    "It is clear that you are determined for him to succeed," Marvin replied. He had previously thought that Katrina had no interest in the weapon refining contest. After all, the King Level disciples from the Celestial College were no match for the disciples of the Shura College. But it seemed he had been wrong¡ªhe had underestimated Katrina''s ambition. For her to prepare an Imperial Level weapon refining aid for Zachary was something out of the ordinary. It meant she truly wanted her people to win the competition.

    Still, Marvin was not unduly concerned. No matter how powerful the tool Zachary was using, Marvin was confident he wouldn''t be able to beat the disciples of the Shura College. Even with his special furnace, Zachary would likely manage to craft only a Heaven Level weapon, at most. In their group, almost everyone''s strength was at the King Level, and any one of them would probably defeat Zachary with relative ease.

    "Dad, what do you think is Harley planning with the Ghostly Fire Furnace? It shouldn''t be ne

    ally, one nervous King Level disciple made a mistake. In an instant, his weapon exploded, and he was knocked out of the competition.

    The explosion rattled some of the other disciples. Within a few minutes, another disciple met the same fate, with his weapon exploding and ending his chances of victory.

    There were only sixteen disciples left. Only Zachary and Polly had Heaven Level strength. Everyone else was at the King Level.

    Polly knew her chances of making it through were slim. Still, she was determined to do her best. This competition was a chance to improve herself even if she didn''t win, not to mention the fact that she couldn''t stand the thought of Zachary beating her. Indeed, she cared less about all the others than about Zachary. To her, he was the only opponent that mattered.

    It was the final round now. The atmosphere grew almost unbearably tense. Even the spectators were holding their breath, staring at the disciples as they refined their weapons.

    Everyone wore expressions of utmost seriousness and concentration as they focused on the tasks at hand. Some made mistakes, but were able to fix them in time. Almost every disciple was working steadily, but becoming tenser as well.

    Zachary alone looked calm and relaxed. His weapon model was still burning in the Ghostly Fire Furnace, and had not moved on to the next step of refinement. No one could tell if he had thrown in the towel, or if he was deliberately being mysterious. He was not following the same steps as the others.

    Watching Zachary, Queenie and her companions had grown worried and impatient. They stood in the crowd, fidgeting.

    "What the hell is he doing? He hasn''t even begun the refining yet!" Queenie muttered irritably.

 Chapter 430 Beating The Model

    "Look, the other warriors are almost done!" Rebecca said worriedly.

    "He must have given up. He is no match for those guys after all," Alger said. He didn''t think Zachary stood a chance.

    "Don''t worry. I think he has his own plan," Nelson said calmly.

    "Even so, he has to do something!" Queenie said.

    "Maybe it''s not the right time to make a move," said Nelson thoughtfully.

    "Even if he has the Ghostly Fire Furnace, he can''t cast the weapon if he does nothing, can he, Dad?" Pollard asked, looking at Zachary in bewilderment.

    "Theoretically, yes. But he can skip the process of casting if he uses the Thaumaturgic Refining Skill," Jace responded.

    "Do you think he is going to use the Thaumaturgic Refining Skill at the last minute?" Pollard asked.

    "I think so. But it''ll be too risky. Any carelessness will lead to failure at any time," Jace said seriously.

    "It looks like he has put all his eggs in one basket," Pollard said, his eyes gleaming.

    Jace nodded. "It all depends on his luck."

    There was not much time left. Time seemed to have slowed down for the candidates in the competing arenas. Every time they beat the weapon in their heads, they trembled with fear. They were afraid of accidents.

    But Zachary was still standing before the Ghostly Fire Furnace without doing anything.

    Four hours had passed.

    Some candidates had finished casting the weapons, which were in line with their own levels. Cole, the strongest weapon refiner from the Shura College was the fastest to finish casting among them. The six-star weapon at the King Level he had made was so amazing that it stunned the audience and caused quite an uproar.

    Truman, who was in the same group as Zachary, had also completed the casting of a five-star weapon at the King Level. This was enough to make him stand out in his group.

    Polly wasn''t far behind. She had soon made an eight-star weapon at

    able. If there really was such an amazing weapon refiner in the college, he should have been found a long time ago.

    The disciple who had cast the six-star weapon at the King Level left the competition arena quietly and waited for the final results.

    It was not long before the other members of Zachary''s group completed their casting. But their weapons weren''t as impressive as Truman''s and the unknown disciple''s. By now, the results of Zachary''s group were pretty clear. Zachary was the only one left.

    But everyone felt that Zachary''s work wouldn''t change the results. Casting a weapon was one thing. It would be a whole another matter if he could shape the ugly model that he had refined.

    By now, the results of the other group had already come out. As expected, Cole and Anthony had topped the results and entered the third round of the competition.

    Only Zachary hadn''t finished his casting yet, and everyone''s eyes were focused on him, waiting for him to make a show of himself.

    Zachary was still beating the model, but it didn''t take any shape. Everyone seemed to lose their patience a few minutes later and began to boo and hiss at him.

    Zachary pounded heavily at the model with his hammer again, and the model broke into pieces of various sizes.

 Chapter 431 Enroute To The Finale

    After witnessing the scene, everyone was stunned and speechless. But a few seconds later, they recovered and began to laugh mercilessly. All kinds of ridiculing comments started to arise among the crowd.

    "Ha-ha, what a fool! He actually led everyone to believe that he was strong. After creating such suspense, all he did was break his own model! Well, I seriously doubt that if he would even complete an ordinary weapon now without the model," one of the crowd teased.

    "He is just a green hand. It was a mere stroke of luck to get to this level," another one echoed.

    "Look at him standing with his head help up high! Not even a look of remorse on his face, despite losing so badly in front of a huge crowd! He only brought dishonor to our Celestial College," one disciple from the Celestial College said angrily.

    "Dad, it seems that Harley failed," Pollard said dejectedly, as he looked at Jace.

    "No, things are not the way others are looking. Pollard, look at these pieces carefully!" Jace excitedly said, as he shook his head.

    Pollard, confused with Jace''s reaction, took a closer look at the broken model. He soon found a weapon that was as sharp as an arrow. Since it was smaller in size, everyone missed seeing it.

    "So, does this mean that Harley won?" Pollard exclaimed in surprise. His once remorse-looking eyes, all of a sudden, lit up in jubilation.

    "Trust me, my boy. It is much more than that. He has successfully superseded the intricate refining process and extracted the essence of rare materials with the help of the Ghostly Fire Furnace and the Thaumaturgic Refining Skill. Even though it is not a very impressive weapon, if I am not wrong, it can transform automatically and freely," Jace said with mixed emotions. He was truly amazed with Zachary''s capabilities. He was looking forward to witnessing his boundless talents.

    Right now, everyone else continued to regard Zachary as a loser, as they rained leering comments on him. Zachary, ignoring the crowd''s taunts, walked over to the debris of his broken model and picked up the sharp weapon. Then in a casual tone, he announced, "I''ve made it." After saying that, he swiftly threw the weapon into the air.

    As soon as the weapon shot out, it rose and expanded in the air instantly like a magic weapon and radiated a dazzling color. It created ripples that spread quickly, emitting blue light. Everyone could feel the energy vibrating from the weapon. In an instant, the surroundings shone with brilliance.

    The spectators across the arena were awed as they s

    Zachary''s astonishing performance, stunning everyone in the crowd.

    At the same time, Marvin announced the list of the four people who qualified for the third stage. The names were Zachary, Cole, Anthony and Brandon Chen¡ªthe low-key guy who surprised everyone with his strong weapon. By now he was well known to everyone.

    The third round of the competition, that was also the finale, would be held in three days.

    Zachary put away the Ghostly Fire Furnace and left the competition area. Soon, he was surrounded by Queenie and other disciples. They seemed to be more excited than him. His victory had absolutely brought honor to the Celestial College.

    After talking to Queenie and the others for a while, Zachary left. He decided to return to the system. However, before he could walk out of the field, he saw two beautiful women appear in front of him. They seemed to come here specifically for him.

    ''I just won a game. Then why are they here?'' he murmured inwardly as he looked at the two figures in front of him. Soon his expression cleared as he realized they were Polly and Joan.

    "Joan?" Polly called out in surprise. Polly and Joan were acquaintances. She even considered Joan to be her future sister-in-law. Seeing Joan also come to talk to Zachary, Polly was surprised

    "Oh, it''s you, Polly! Do you know him?" Joan asked. She was also surprised. She didn''t know that Zachary and Polly actually knew each other.

    Polly nodded.

    "What can I do for you, ladies?" Zachary asked, as he crossed his hands over his chest.

    "I have something to ask you!" Joan and Polly replied at the same time.

    They were both stunned when they spoke at the same time and asked the same question!

 Chapter 432 An Imperial Level Weapon Refining Aid

    "You two can decide who speaks first. Don''t worry, I''m all ears." Zachary shrugged and cracked a smile.

    "Forget it. It''s no big deal. You guys just go ahead," Joan said after some hesitation. She then nodded at Polly and went straight away.

    "How did you know her?" Polly asked with a perplexed expression on her face.

    "It''s because of your brother," Zachary grumbled with a wry smile.

    "My brother?" Polly became more confused.

    "Let''s stop discussing that now. What did you want to ask me?" Zachary inquired, changing the topic.

    "Oh, I was wondering whether the weapon refining aid you used just now is the Ghostly Fire Furnace," Polly responded. She breathed deeply and pushed forward. The Ghostly Fire Furnace that Zachary used was very familiar to her, but she couldn''t think of its name for a while. After the competition was over, she remembered seeing the illustration of the Ghostly Fire Furnace in the Book of Weapons at home. She likewise knew that it was once one of the three major treasures of her clan, so she wanted to confirm it with Zachary.

    Needless to say, if she went to her father and brother first, maybe she wouldn''t have to ask Zachary.

    Zachary narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He never expected that Polly knew about the Ghostly Fire Furnace. All the while, he believed that no one would know about the treasure from Anne. Clearly, he would never admit the truth. So he explained with a smile, "No, it''s just a regular furnace and not the Ghostly Fire Furnace."

    "But the furnace is obviously a weapon refining aid at the Imperial Level." Polly could tell that Zachary was lying.

    "Even if it''s at the Imperial Level, it''s definitely not the Ghostly Fire Furnace like you said," Zachary denied with certainty.

    "Really? I guess so even though they look exactly the same. You know, the Ghostly Fire Furnace was one of the three treasures of our clan. It was gone for a long time, but it would be impossible for you to get a chance to get it," Polly agreed after a moment''s hesitation.

    ''One of the three treasures of the Qiu Clan?'' Zachary thought to himself. ''It tu

    Hearing Zachary mention the Qiu Clan, Anne stopped what she was doing. Her hand holding the honey bottle trembled, but she shortly recovered and calmed herself down.

    "If you don''t have anything else to say, you can go and cultivate yourself," Anne ordered Zachary to leave.

    "Okay," Zachary answered, looking at Anne''s back with suspicion. He guessed that the girl must have something to do with the Qiu Clan, or she wouldn''t have owned their precious treasure. But he didn''t know what had happened between them.

    Just after Zachary left, Anne abruptly spun around, and her delicate face showed a trace of sadness. "How time flies! Hundreds of years already passed by in a flash. Things have changed considerably in the Qiu Clan!"

    Three days of rest remained before the third final round. The Shura College granted its disciples a vacation, so many of them went to the Zenith City to have fun, like caged birds that were just released from captivity.

    Originally, Zachary wanted to utilize his three days to continue learning the self-made weapons. But he was dragged to the Zenith City by Queenie and Rebecca. They were also on holiday like all the disciples of the Shura College.

    It was a massive pleasure for him to go shopping with two lovely girls because he would draw covetous stares from other guys. But generally, these two ladies couldn''t restrain themselves when they were shopping.

 Chapter 433 Enter The Xiao Clan

    Zachary followed Queenie and Rebecca, the two women shopping their hearts out in Zenith City.

    "Rebecca, this blusher is good. Buy two more boxes."

    "Okay! And this mirror is very beautiful too! Let''s take it too!"

    "This comb looks nice."

    "Ladies, haven''t you ever bought anything in your lives? People who don''t know you will think you''re coming from some poor place and have never seen all these before!" Zachary interrupted exasperatedly as he watched the two girls become excited about everything they saw.

    "Shut up!" the two women said in unison as they turned to look at him.

    Zachary smiled placatingly, taken aback a little by the bite in their voice.

    "Okay then. Can I walk around for a while?" Zachary asked, bored of accompanying them on their shopping quest.

    "Go ahead. See you at the tea house later." Queenie and Rebecca waved their hands benevolently, signaling to him to leave.

    Overjoyed, Zachary turned and left immediately, wanting to go far away from them.

    "What should I do? Go to the Phoenix House to have a chat with Riley? But I think it would be better to have a drink with some beautiful girls in the brothel." His eyes lit up as the idea crossed his mind.

    He was deep in thought when a familiar figure walked past him, catching his attention. The person seemed to be in a hurry, looking around every few feet as if on guard against something, which looked suspicious.

    ''Isn''t he the King Level disciple who entered the third stage in the same group with me? He is even stronger than Truman, '' Zachary thought. He turned around to look at the figure, his eyebrows furrowed. He remembered Brandon being strange that day. Zachary had never heard of Brandon before, but the latter had strong strength. Obviously, he had hidden his strength. Zachary concluded that Brandon was only pretending to be weak and was about to launch a surprise attack at any time.

    Suddenly, Zachary spotted Brandon entering a conspicuous building. He thought for a moment before following him, unable to contain his curiosity. When he arrived at the building, he saw that it looked like a commercial house that specialized in delivering goods, where people came and went all the time.

    "What

    ix House.

    But he didn''t expect to run into Joan there, who was just emerging from the Phoenix House.

    "What a coincidence!" Zachary said, by way of greeting.

    "Are you here to buy materials?" Joan asked, looking unsurprised.

    Zachary nodded and asked, "What about you?"

    "I was here to visit a friend," Joan replied.

    "Friend?" Zachary raised his eyebrows.

    "Yes. I''m leaving now." She walked past him saying thus, leaving Zachary with the feeling that there was a sense of urgency around her demeanor.

    "What day is it today? Why does everyone I meet look so mysterious today?" Zachary said, feeling strange. He then turned to a servant, asking him to direct him to Riley.

    Before long, he was brought to Phoenix Hall, where Riley was checking accounts.

    "Harley, you''re here just in time. I heard that you showed extraordinary talents in the King Level contest of the Shura College. Even the outstanding disciple of the Xuanyuan Clan is not a match for you. I intended to ask Billy to send you a gift to congratulate you," Riley greeted him warmly.

    "You are truly well-informed!" Zachary said with a smile.

    "Of course I am. We are business people. It would be impossible for us to survive if we weren''t well-informed. You''re here today to pick materials for the next competition, aren''t you? All the materials you choose today will be put on my tab, as a way to support you. I hope you get a better result in the competition," Riley said generously.

 Chapter 434 Beyond Expectation

    "You''re too kind, Riley, but I won''t refuse your kindness. Thank you," said Zachary. He nodded at Riley with a grateful smile.

    "You''re welcome," answered Riley. She was quiet for a while, but sudden light flashed across her eyes, and she asked, "By the way, do you know anything about the Phoenix Pavilion?"

    "I haven''t heard of it. Is it a sect or something like that?" Zachary shook his head and frowned, but Riley looked bewildered at his answer.

    "It is the third largest force in the Devil Kingdom, only after the Xuanyuan Clan and the Xiao Clan. I can''t believe that you haven''t heard of it," she explained and rolled her eyes at Zachary''s confused look.

    "Have you forgotten that I''m a newcomer here?!" Zachary burst out in embarrassed laughter.

    "The Phoenix Pavilion is a sect famous for training female warriors. They are considered influential in the Devil Kingdom with thousands of female disciples. They are also involved in business operations all over the Devil Kingdom, and they have countless properties under their name. Phoenix House is one of them."

    "So, you mean that you''re also a member of Phoenix Pavilion?" Zachary''s eyes immediately brightened in understanding, and Riley smiled at him, impressed.

    "That''s right." She nodded her head, but Zachary could tell that she still had more to say.

    "Why, exactly, are you telling me this?" Zachary probed when she didn''t volunteer any information, and she smiled at him pleasantly at this.

    "Oh, you are truly intelligent. I told the leader of the Phoenix Pavilion everything about you, and she is also very interested in you, so she wants to meet you," Riley finally answered frankly, and Zachary''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "The leader of the Phoenix Pavilion wants to meet with me in person? Don''t you think too highly of me? I''m a nobody." Zachary shook his head in disbelief because he couldn''t see the reason why the leader would want to meet with him.

    "Our leader has a great appreciation for talented people, especially those who are low-key yet very capable like you."

    "Really? But I''m not talented!" Zachary instantly declined, and he flailed his hands awkwardly like he could wipe the whole conversation away.

    "Don''t be so modest. I have been paying close attention to you these days, and I know almost everything about you. You and I are fully aware of just how much talent you have!" Riley said with a shrewd look on her face.

    "It seems that I can''t deny my talent or refuse to meet with your leader. So, when do you want me to meet with her?" Zachary sighed in defeat and finally agreed. He could tell from her face, that sh

    gful glance at Zachary, and then she turned around and walked away.

    Zachary obediently followed her with his Shadow Pace, and they soon arrived at a beautiful place in Shura College. Hills were covered with green grass and clear water sparkled and rushed in the river. A fresh breeze blew gently along the mangrove forest and gently caressed their skin.

    "You did great in the weapon refining contest, and you have exceeded all of my expectations," Katrina started, as they strolled along the mangrove forest.

    "There will be something more unexpected," Zachary said as he smirked behind her, which made her stop in her tracks.

    "You want to win first place in the weapon refining contest?!" she exclaimed in surprise. Although she knew that he was extremely talented, she didn''t think that he was that ambitious. However, she expected him to do something astonishing, and she wouldn''t put it past him to accomplish this goal.

    "You are brilliant, Master Katrina!" said Zachary, an amused smile on his face.

    "You call me brilliant, but if I didn''t find out, you would be laughing at me now, right?" Katrina''s expression was glacial, and her eyebrows were knitted in a deep frown. It seemed that he had offended her, so he immediately shook his head while his hands were raised in a pacifying way.

    "I would never dare to laugh at you, Master Katrina. If it were not for you, I wouldn''t have come to Shura College, and if I hadn''t come here, I would never have improved so quickly," Zachary said honestly. He had always thought that the astonishing progress he had made once he left Celestial College and came to Shura College was not a coincidence, and he knew now, for sure, that it was his destiny that was unfolding right before his eyes.

 Chapter 435 Choose Anthony

    "I know you haven''t told me everything. I know it is your nature to hide things. I wanted to know your secrets, because I thought it would help me understand you, and to guide you to do as I wanted. And yet...the more I observe you, the more I realize that it is the wrong way to approach you. No matter how much I learn, there''s more that you keep hidden. Since I can''t control you or your future, then you are free to develop as you wish. I will put an end to the matter involving Sophie and the marriage contract. I won''t use you to threaten her any longer. Focus on improving your strength in the Devil Kingdom, and when you are ready, you can return to the Enigmatic Kingdom and do as you please," Katrina said. She sighed and looked at Zachary with a hint of regret.

    "It sounds like we won''t be seeing each other anymore. To be honest, I don''t mind you using me. It''s not like I lose anything from it," said Zachary honestly. He had known from the beginning that Katrina was using him, but he soon saw that she never actually forced him to do anything. She just used him as an excuse. He had come to realize that although Katrina looked fierce and intimidating, she was quite soft inside. Moreover, he sensed in her a kindred spirit, someone with secrets of her own.

    "You are such a fool!" Katrina said, smiling. He had said just the right thing to put her at ease after her long speech.

    "Only with you, don''t worry," Zachary teased.

    She sighed again, and gazed at Zachary. After a moment, she looked away and said, "You said you wanted to win first place in the weapon refining contest, so you must be well-prepared. However, your opponents are not weak. Don''t take them lightly. To help you win, I can give you some weapon refining materials that may be useful to you."

    With that, Katrina waved her hand, opening the Virtual Air Space. In an instant, various items poured out. They were all materials for weapon refining. There must have been hundreds of items, and they were all rare items. Moreover, many seemed to be at the Imperial or Sage Level.

    "There are so many! I

    ised of a Sage Level weapon refiner and four Imperial Level weapon refiners.

    "Harley, since you refined a higher-star weapon in the last round, the decision is yours. Whom do you choose as your opponent?" asked the Sage Level weapon refiner.

    Zachary''s gaze swept over Anthony, Cole, and Brandon. Without hesitation, he said, "I choose Anthony."

    "A brave choice! You''ve got guts, I''ll tell you that," said Anthony with a sneer. He had been sure Zachary wouldn''t dare to challenge him directly. He thought contemptuously that this would be a good opportunity to humiliate Zachary.

    "Let''s go, Anthony," said Zachary, motioning for his opponent to go to the competition zone.

    Anthony raised his chin and marched into the competition zone on the left side. Zachary followed.

    When Zachary said Anthony''s name, the crowd burst into low chatter and whispers, eager to discuss this latest development with each other. The consensus had been that Zachary should choose Brandon. Of the four competitors, Brandon seemed like the least skilled weapon refiner¡ªwell, apart from Zachary, of course, whom many believed had only reached this stage through sheer luck.

    In the previous round, Zachary had made use of an Imperial Level weapon refining aid to craft a seven-star King Level weapon. It seemed that he and Anthony had similar cultivation levels. This would be an interesting battle!

 Chapter 436 Katrinas Decision

    Anthony''s high weapon refining level would be a great challenge for Zachary. Although Anthony was also a five-star weapon refiner at the King Level, it was well-known that the Xiao Clan had a secret method for refining a weapon that was a star level higher than one''s own weapon refining level. Therefore, in fact, Anthony was capable of refining at least a six-star weapon at the King Level.

    In other words, most people gathered that it would be unwise for Zachary to choose to compete against Anthony.

    "Who is Anthony''s opponent?" Jaxon asked, clearly concerned.

    "Master Jaxon, young master will compete against a King Level disciple from the Celestial College. His name is Harley Bai," Edward immediately responded respectfully.

    "Oh, a disciple from the Celestial College, I see. The Celestial College doesn''t teach weapon refining, but Harley himself can actually enter the third stage of the King Level contest. He isn''t a simple disciple!" Jaxon commented back, with a stern look on his crisp features.

    "Master Jaxon, Harley is in fact a mediocre person. He''s definitely not a match for young master." Edward immediately offered a flattering response.

    The rest of the Xiao Clan echoed his answer positively with a nod of their heads.

    "Don''t judge a book by its cover. Never judge a person by their looks! Standing here would be completely impossible unless he has a certain level of strength," Jaxon added. He was a rational man. Even more importantly, he was old enough to genuinely understand the entire situation.

    As Edward heard Jaxon speak, he chose to hold his silence.

    "I think you''d be better off admitting defeat. Otherwise, you''ll only bring disgrace upon yourself!" Anthony said arrogantly as soon as he and Zachary entered the contesting area.

    "Really? In fact, I''d actually really like to discover what your true strength is," Zachary replied calmly with a provocative smirk on his face.

    "You''re so arrogant. I''ll make you pay for this!" Anthony shouted back, a ferocious look washing over his expression.

    "Please, don''t get your panties all tied up in a knot," Zachary shot back with an attitude.

    Seeing that Zachary hadn''t changed his expression in the least, Anthony grew even angrier.

    The tense conversation was interrupted as a gong rang across the contesting area. The competition could finally begin!

    Both Anthony and Zachary took out the materials they had

    Harley can study at the Shura College, thus allowing him to continue improving his weapon refining skills here. Of course, I know it''s a pretty unreasonable request. But if you agree, then we''ll return the favor when you need it," Katrina said as she furrowed her brow.

    "Really?" Marvin didn''t expect that Katrina would offer such a proposal. After all, the longer Zachary stayed at the Shura College, the more beneficial it was for them. Perhaps after such a long period, Zachary would change his mind and become willing to join the Shura College. At that point, it would be too late for the Celestial College to regret anything. After quickly deducing the latter to himself, he immediately responded, "Of course, no problem. We will spare no effort to train him for the sake of your college."

    "Thank you, Dean Marvin," Katrina replied with a faint smile. Nonetheless, she had expected Marvin to say yes. In this way, even after the exchange days came to an end, Zachary would be capable of continuing his stay at the Shura College. After all, with his current strength, Zachary was far from strong enough to go back to the Celestial College.

    At the same time, two wonderful competitions were still ongoing in both contesting areas. It was safe to say that Cole was the most concerned. In the eyes of the watchers, anyone who met Cole throughout the competition could only face one result: definite defeat. That said, there was clearly no suspense surrounding the competition between Cole and Brandon.

    To everyone concerned, the more interesting competition was taking place between Zachary and Anthony!

 Chapter 437 Forge A Regular Hammer

    It seemed that the current stage of the competition had nothing amazing to offer compared to the previous ones. It might have had something to do with Zachary''s outstanding performance in the second stage that people just assumed the next one would be much better.

    Polly and her brother Pollard were also watching the competition.

    "Pollard, that man never told me the truth. That day I asked him if his weapon refining aid was the Ghostly Fire Furnace, but he lied to me," Polly grumbled as she stared daggers at Zachary. After she asked him the question the other day and got his answer, only to have her father point out that she''d been fooled by him.

    "It''s because you believe whatever he says. You''re too easily fooled! I''m worried Harley may fool you into agreeing to be his wife one day. Ha-ha!" Pollard chortled.

    "Dad, did you hear what Pollard just said?! He''s making fun of me, his own sister!" Polly''s face turned bright red at her brother''s teasing.

    "He''s right. You are too naive. But you should learn from your mistakes in the future. Your mother would despair of her luck in not giving birth to a smart daughter if you do end up being fooled into becoming his wife," Jace said, pretending to be serious.

    "You two are so bad. I''ll tell Mom you bullied me once I get home." Polly knew that they were merely teasing her, so she pretended to be mad.

    "Well, and I will tell her that you have feelings for Harley!" Pollard countered with a cunning smile on his face.

    "What are you talking about? I''m not the least bit interested in him!" Polly shot him a glare.

    "If you''re not interested in Harley, why do you care that he lied to you? Didn''t you always ignore all men? I''ve never seen you care so much about a man. I''m your brother. I know you quite well. Don''t lie to yourself!" Pollard''s tone turned serious.

    His words stunned Polly. If she really thought about it, then she''d have to admit that yes, she did care a little about Zachary.

    Jace smiled at his daughter and said nothing, lost in thought.

    On the other side, the battle between Zachary and Anthony wa

    ion also appeared on Anthony''s face as he stared at Zachary. Yet, he soon became composed. A weapon that could be done in such a short time couldn''t possibly be of good quality. There was no way it could be anything but rubbish.

    Just as the weapon cracked open, Zachary instantly smashed it directly into the other one. Bang! The sound of objects colliding with each other echoed in the air. Sparks could be seen.

    The weapon was completely torn apart. But strangely enough, it turned out the weapon was a hammer. It was rather an ordinary one at that, definitely not on any star level.

    "It''s... What kind of weapon is this? It is actually a zero-star weapon."

    "It doesn''t look like a weapon. It''s just an ordinary hammer."

    "Why did he forge a hammer for no reason at all?" The crowd roared.

    No one had expected Zachary would end up refining such an ordinary hammer.

    "Humph! He is just trying to appear mysterious and enigmatic. His strength is just so-so," Anthony snorted coldly. He put the completed weapon in the cold tank. Once it hit the water, a loud hiss floated through the air as smoke diffused around it.

    Suddenly, with a loud bang, the cold water tank burst into pieces, water splashing everywhere. A cool sword-shaped weapon fell out, flashing and eye-catching, emitting a strong aura. The energy coming from it proved to everyone that it was not an ordinary weapon.

 Chapter 438 Nothing Is Impossible

    "Oh my God! It''s a seven-star sword!" someone in the crowd exclaimed in astonishment.

    "He is indeed quite strong as the young master of the Xiao Clan. He can cast a seven-star weapon at the King Level while he himself is a five-star King Level weapon refiner. He is awesome!" another echoed in agreement.

    "It looks like the winner of the battle has been decided."

    "The outstanding disciples from the Shura College are so capable. Producing a high-level weapon at the King Level is a piece of cake for them!"

    Once the seven-star sword at the King Level that Anthony had created emerged from the furnace, it sent everyone into a tizzy. In contrast, the hammer in Zachary''s hand had gotten no stars and seemed useless.

    Anthony enjoyed the praise coming his way. He smiled proudly before turning to sneer disdainfully at Zachary. He thought he had defeated Zachary and that Zachary had finally met his Waterloo.

    "Don''t embarrass yourself with your crap weapon. Keep it to yourself and just admit defeat now!" Anthony said arrogantly, pointing a finger at Zachary.

    "My crap weapon?" Zachary said flatly, but his smile was calm and meaningful.

    He clenched the hammer tightly in his hand and continued to beat down upon his weapon mold. Every time he hammered, the weapon mold cracked a little, stripping away pieces of debris.

    Several minutes later, a red crutch-shaped weapon formed.

    After the last strike, the hammer in Zachary''s hand turned into fire-like energy. It was absorbed deep into the red wood crutch, which then emitted an astonishing aura, dimming the seven-star sword in Anthony''s hand.

    "What? He is using the Energy Refining Skill!" Jace exclaimed in surprise, his eyes wide and staring at Zachary.

    Jace was not the only one who was shocked. Pollard and Polly exchanged surprised looks as well.

    All of them recognized that the weapon refining skill Zachary had performed was one of the most powerful secret weapon refining skills of the Qiu Clan¡ªthe Energy Refining Skill!

    The Energy Refining Skill meant that one would separate the energy from the weapon before refining the weapon. But they would be integrated together in the end. This way, both the energy and the physical weapon would be refined to their limits to achieve the best status, which would make the completed weapon more delicate and powerful.

    So, when they saw Zachary use the Energy Refining Skill that belonged to the Qiu Clan, Jace, Pollard, and Polly gasped in astonishment.

    The Energy Refining Skill was a premium skill belonging to t

    hony and qualified to compete in the final, everyone was yet again sent into an uproar. The winner had been decided in the competition between Cole and Brandon too. Brandon had won, something that nobody had expected. He had successfully produced an eight-star weapon of King Level while Cole had only made a seven-star weapon of King Level.

    Anthony and Cole used to be considered big shots. But now, Cole had been defeated by a low-key disciple whom people rarely knew, and Anthony was knocked out by a disciple from the Celestial College who had only been in the Shura College for months. This was beyond everyone''s expectation.

    Even Marvin looked on at the proceedings sullenly. He had realized that Zachary had made it to the final, which meant that it was highly possible that Zachary would win the weapon refining contest. If that really happened, it would be a disgrace to the Shura College, because according to him, the winner was supposed to be a disciple from the Shura College.

    Jace, who had been watching the events unfold in the auditorium, suddenly jumped up into the air and turned into a beam of golden light. A few seconds later, he landed in front of Zachary.

    "Dad? What are you doing?" Pollard said, astonished. But Jace had already pulled himself away from him. Pollard and Polly stared nervously at their father and Zachary. They had no idea what their father was going to do to Zachary.

    The crowd was also shocked when they saw Jace approach Zachary. They merely exchanged puzzled looks with each other, wondering what had happened and what might happen.

    Katrina and the senior leaders of the Shura College, including Marvin, were also surprised at Jace''s behavior.

 Chapter 439 An Olive Branch

    "Who are you, exactly?" Zachary asked curiously. He had never met Jace before, let alone know that he was the head of the Qiu Clan. From his temperament and his Sage Level aura alone, however, Zachary could tell that he was a significant figure.

    "You don''t know me yet. We haven''t had the chance to meet. I''m Jace Qiu, the head of the Qiu Clan," Jace answered in a firm, almost stern voice.

    "Ah, then you''re Pollard''s father," Zachary said, clearly shocked. He had never expected that the famous head of the Qiu Clan would suddenly appear in front of him.

    Of course, Zachary wasn''t the only one feeling quite shocked at this time. For anyone sitting in the audience area, silence had overcome them the moment they heard about Jace''s identity. They too, had never imagined that the famous, legendary head would appear at the King Level contest, and even less that he''d suddenly come for Zachary. This entire situation could only be described as unbelievable and even slightly bizarre!

    "I simply can''t believe that you have such a high talent for being a weapon refiner! Seeing a rare, talented disciple like you is so rare. It only occurs once in a thousand years!" Jace acclaimed loudly, in a cheerful and pleasant voice for all to hear.

    As the spectators listened to the ongoing conversation, they became even more surprised, because Jace was actually praising Zachary in the public''s full view. What an honor it was!

    Even a blind man could deduce that this was obviously a sign of Jace''s appreciation toward Zachary. Obtaining Jace''s recognition was something many weapon refiners yearned for. For Zachary, this was more than enough to ensure his promising future!

    "Master Jace, you''re overpraising me! I''m afraid that I''m not good enough for you to entitle me as such a talented individual," Zachary replied calmly. Although he remained curious about Jace''s approach, he still tried to keep a low profile, despite the fact that after this battle, the latter would be completely impossible.

    "I have nothing more to say, in fact. All I want to know now is if you''re willing to accept me as your master..." Jace stated without warning. No one had expected this, including Zachary.

    What Jace had just said was like a thunderclap to the crowd. Everyone was completely shocked and stunned, wondering if they had heard him wrong. A few seconds later, the whole audience area boiled up in an uproar and all the spectators'' voices rose like waves.

    "The head of the Qiu Clan,

    r will always be open to you," Jace said, as positively and as patiently as he could.

    The audience was rather taken aback to see Jace acting so persistent and eager. They couldn''t understand what was going on, and even Zachary hadn''t expect him to be so persistent in his reply.

    "Do you think we could talk privately, just the two of us?" Zachary asked in a low voice.

    Jace nodded, and pulled out a treasure in the shape of an alms bowl. The alms bowl suddenly leaped into the air and flipped upside down. In the blink of an eye, a strange ray of light began to spread out, almost like a shield. The light took no time in completely enveloping both Jace and Zachary.

    "It''s okay now, we can''t be heard." Jace hinted to Zachary.

    "Did you really just want to take me on as your disciple just for Pollard''s sake? I''m sure you must be his father!" Zachary asked directly. He believed that with Jace''s identity and status, trying to accept him as his disciple in such a humiliating manner, and especially in front of so many people, just wasn''t necessary. For this reason, he had reason to think that this was all mainly for Pollard.

    "No. The reason why I want to accept you as my disciple is because you''re a clear talent. With just a little more proper training, you''ll have the brightest futures." Jace replied with absolute honesty. His purpose of coming to the Zenith City and watching the Shura College''s King Level contest was to prepare for Qiu Clan to reappear in the Devil Kingdom. Once they made it, they would recruit more disciples and build up their own force. What was more, a talented disciple like Zachary was also worth cultivating.

 Chapter 440 Honey Trap

    "I know, but I will still have a bright future even if you aren''t my master. Why trouble yourself to do so then?" Zachary said, voiced laced with pride.

    "Ha-ha. Well, as Pollard said, you have a unique personality. There are countless others wanting to be my disciples, but you are the first one to directly question me like that. You''re very confident in yourself." Despite being somewhat disappointed at the rejection, Jace managed a laugh. After all, he was appreciative of Zachary not playing up to anyone.

    "Ah! Unless you have a reason to persuade me," Zachary exclaimed suddenly, as if he had just changed his mind in that instantaneous moment.

    "So you will reconsider?" Jace considered Zachary''s words. He stopped for a moment, gathered his thoughts, and then said, "The Energy Refining Skill you just performed belongs to the Qiu Clan''. I have no clue where you, an outsider, acquired it. But if you become my disciple, I promise that I will teach you all the secret weapon refining skills in my clan. I assure you that includes the ones at the premium stage."

    "The Energy Refining Skill belongs to the Qiu Clan?" As Zachary heard Jace say such things, solemnity spread across his face. It was Anne that taught him the Energy Refining Skill he had just performed. If it indeed belonged to the Qiu Clan, then the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill certainly had something to do with the Qiu Clan too.

    "You didn''t know?" Jace found Zachary''s unmasked astonishment. How could he have no idea of the origin of the weapon refining skill he had learned?

    "No, I didn''t. The weapon refining skills I know are...complex." Zachary shook his head, deciding that the best way to go was to feign ignorance.

    "Really? Then how did you learn the Energy Refining Skill?" Jace asked.

    "I was looking for a treasure and happened upon it, so maybe it was left by a master of your clan," Zachary said quickly. He looked at Jace to see if he believed the excuse.

    "Really? That''s possible, but..." Jace could tell that such a thing was too simple and convenient.

    At this point, Zachary began to observe Jace intently. He decided then that it would be troublesome if Jace found ou

    d be discredited. And so, to deal with the situation, the senior leaders held a secret meeting.

    "Dean Marvin, shall we talk with Katrina and let the Celestial College cooperate with us?" Corbin suggested.

    "I''m afraid she''ll likely refuse. Brandon making it to the weapon refining contest''s final shows no reason for their subsequent cooperation. This is instead a good chance for the Celestial College to make a name for itself. If I were Katrina, I''d never miss the opportunity."

    "Exactly. What''s more, we may even win. We may not have known Brandon prior to this, but need I remind everyone that he defeated Cole? This suggests he''s more powerful than Harley, so why the worry?"

    "We''re talking in hypotheticals. It would be too humiliating if we do lose."

    "Well, it''s no use to argue. We are unlikely to procure the Celestial College''s cooperation. Additionally, we can''t do it as we like, but we still have to maintain our college''s reputation. As such, which one of you is willing to guide Brandon before the final?" Marvin had a plan of his own. Although tricks were out of the question, secretly helping Brandon wasn''t.

    "Let me do it," Corbin replied.

    Being one of the strongest weapon refiners in the Devil Kingdom earned him a high position in the college, even setting him up to become the next dean. For him, such an arduous task was necessary to maintain the reputation of Shura College.

    "Thank you then." Marvin nodded.

 Chapter 441 The Nether Dark Energy

    Shura College''s Corbin provided Brandon with secret training. On the other hand, Zachary was staring at Anne in her Living-dead Tomb, with a steep frown on his face.

    "Master Anne, what sort of connection does the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill I''ve learned have to do with the Qiu Clan?" Zachary inquired as he looked at Anne, who remained silent. Recently, he discovered from Polly that the Ghostly Fire Furnace Anne lent to him was from the Qiu Clan. He suspected a vague relationship linking Anne and the Qius. He further learned that the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill he gained also belonged to the said clan. This revelation made him extra suspicious.

    "It''s not the right time to tell you some things yet. However, I can tell you, the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill is indeed related to the Qiu Clan, but it''s not the same relation as you think. All the weapon refining skills of the Qiu Clan originated from the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill," Anne explained roughly.

    "All the weapon refining skills of the Qiu Clan originated from the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill? No wonder why!" Zachary tilted his head. Obviously, Anne was hiding something from him. However, he didn''t press more questions about the issue. He just said, "I can''t use the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill from now on. I don''t want to be the target of the Qiu Clan. Master Anne, could you teach me a different and more advanced weapon refining skill at the premium stage?" I hope to win the final competition with this latest skill!"

    "Yes, I can train you with another skill. But you mentioned that your current opponent also refined a unique weapon of the King Level during the crucial encounter. This meant that his strength could be exceptional. If you don''t use the Heavenly Weapon Refining Skill when competing against him, I''m afraid you''d lose," Anne pointed straight out.

    "Master Anne, I know you must have a secret skill! Please help me!" Zachary whispered, his voice breaking with emotion as he pleaded for her guidance. He knew her well and reckoned that she had a hidden skill. He also perceived that she wouldn''t teach him her secret skill unless she had no other alternative.

    "Actually, there is a weapon refining skill that can guarantee your victory, but I''m afraid it will bring you some trouble," Anne murmured with a frown.

    "What trouble?" Zachary asked curiously as his brow raised.

    "The weapon refining skills are divided into two kinds, each with their own distinctions. The first is the orthodox weapon refining skills that are more popular and don''t cross the border. The heterodox weapon refining skills, on the other hand, are the unusual cultivation method according to the eyes of ordinary warriors. But in existence, they are absolutely extra powerful to a certain degree. They can also achieve the effect that the orthodox ones can''t reach. But since th

    "This could not be true." Zachary tried to calm himself down and make the vision fade. Yet, the more he resisted, the more he thought that the Elva in front of him was real. Her every single move, every smile, and twinkle in her eyes, all attracted his attention.

    "Zachary, I miss you... I really miss you so much!" Elva suddenly cried out emotionally, and she quickly jumped into his arms. Her plump breasts brushed against his chest, and she kept moaning tenderly. This made him feel excited and aroused, unable to restrain himself at all.

    If it was a different woman, Zachary could deal with them and resist their seduction. But with Elva, he couldn''t help but respond to her with dominant passion. He held her close in his arms, and his kiss began softly, slowly gaining passion. Then, he shifted and slid his hand from her white neck to cup her plump bust. He buried his head deep into her chest, smelled her sweet scent, and eagerly bit the cherry on her breast. She moaned and arched backward, a sudden rush of pleasure coming out of her mouth, filled with ecstasy and pleasure...

    Just when he was enjoying his fantasy and couldn''t liberate himself, his eyes suddenly fixed themselves on Elva. He could only see emptiness, and not the slightest trace of light or emotion. This made him instantly sober up. At the same time, the woman in his arms also disappeared.

    "Oh, I was almost fooled by that illusion!" Zachary breathed a great sigh of relief and regained his composure.

    After that, all kinds of strange fantasies appeared to him. No matter how beautiful the women were, or how terrifying the bloody scene was, Zachary always stayed calm and quiet.

    After one day and one night, Zachary, who had taken in enough of the energy, returned to the Living-dead Tomb.

    Seeing that Zachary was all set and qualified to learn, Anne started to teach him the essence of the heterodox refining skill.

 Chapter 442 The Final Round

    Two days later, the stand in the open-air field became crowded with spectators. Loud chants and cheers from the audience echoed throughout the field.

    Since it was already the final round of the weapon refining contest, it naturally attracted everyone''s attention. The match would determine whether the Shura College could maintain their glory, or the miraculous disciple of the Celestial College could become the only outer disciple who won the champion in the King Level weapon refining contest. Everyone was speculating about the final result even before the final round started.

    Of course, there were already many surprises that happened in the former rounds of the contest. Everyone''s expectations were greatly surpassed by the talents that were displayed. Therefore, everyone was looking forward to seeing what amazing things would happen in the final round.

    However, back at the performance of the winners in the last round, although Zachary and Brandon both had refined an eight-star weapon at the same time, they still fought different opponents. Brandon''s opponent, Cole, was more powerful compared to Zachary''s. So naturally, Brandon''s weapon refining level might be better than Zachary''s.

    However, in a battle where the two competitors'' strength was about the same level, victory or defeat was always decided in a short time. As such, no one could guarantee who would definitely win. Moreover, Zachary was always able to turn the tables at critical moments. From that point, the final battle was full of suspense and excitement.

    The Shura College specially set up a reception area for the final round. The designated area was next to the region where Marvin and the senior leaders of the Shura College were seated. It was especially used to receive the high ranking officials from all the major clans and sects who came to watch the battle. Among the honored guests were some influential figures who held the reins of power. Additionally, the number of such influential figures were more than that in the last round.

    Except for the absence of the master of the Xuanyuan Clan, several famous figures in the Devil Kingdom were present at the match. Notable warriors like Jaxon of the Xiao Clan and Holy Phoenix, the leader of the Phoenix Pavilion, had all come.

    Jaxon didn''t seem to feel sad about his son''s defeat. With a callous expression, he thought that such a King Level contest wasn''t a game worth going all out. Moreover, as the saying went, "The losers are always in the wrong." It was a rather normal situation for someone to lose in a competition. If there was someone to blame, Jaxon could only blame it on the fact that his son''s talents were not good enough. Additi

    ll win." Katrina made a rather bold declaration as she narrowed her eyes and put her feet down.

    Marvin was also stunned as he did not expect Katrina to be so straightforward. She actually said that a disciple of her college had a higher chance of winning. However, he could not refute her remark. In a rather casual tone, he simply replied, "It looks like you have great confidence in Harley!"

    "Of course. Since he has entered the final round, I naturally have confidence in him. However, I think if he actually wins this tournament, I''m afraid it will embarrass the Shura College!" Katrina added in a proud voice.

    "What? How could that be! If Harley really wins, it will be a great encouragement for the martial artists of our Shura College. It will teach them to work even harder and improve themselves!" said Marvin in a pretentious tone.

    "That''s good. I was worried that the atmosphere would be awkward if that really happens," said Katrina as she gave a meaningful smile.

    Marvin became speechless. All he could do was smile back at Katrina.

    On the other side, Pollard, Polly, and Joan remained to watch the battle. However, Jace was not with them as he had already returned to the Qiu Clan.

    "Pollard, do you think that Harley will win?" Joan asked Pollard with knitted eyebrows.

    "I certainly wish for Harley to win. However, from yesterday''s battle with Cole, it seems that Brandon''s weapon refining level is very high. It''s absolutely a challenge for Harley!" said Pollard in a curious voice.

    "Polly, how about you? What do you think about this match?" Joan then turned to Polly.

    "I don''t care who wins. It''s none of my business," Polly replied with a carefree expression.

    "Polly, I know you really hope that Harley can win," said Pollard in a meaningful tone.

 Chapter 443 Weapon Refining Array

    "Why? I never said that!" Polly said, shaking her head frantically in denial.

    "Really? If you didn''t hope he could win, why did you go to their farmyard in the morning, then? Didn''t you go there because of Harley?" Pollard teased with a sly grin.

    "What?" gasped Polly, shocked. "How did you know that?" Polly felt tricked. She had never expected Pollard to find out.

    "Because I went there too," he replied matter-of-factly.

    "I didn''t go there for him! I went there to..." Polly dithered, frantically searching for an excuse. To her dismay, she could think of no suitable reason.

    "Polly, do you have a crush on Harley?" Joan asked kindly, tuning into the conversation.

    "Stop being ridiculous! I am not going to continue this stupid conversation," Polly seethed, standing up and storming out of their booth. Her face glowed red with anger and embarrassment as she looked for a quiet place from which she could watch the contest alone.

    "It seems that Polly really does have a crush on Harley," said Joan wisely. As a woman, she could understand Polly''s feelings.

    "I am not surprised. She is an outstanding weapon refiner. I would even go so far as to say she is one of the best refiners in the Devil Kingdom, and perhaps even in the entire Supernal Continent. There is no doubt that she has inherited our father''s talent. But Harley turned out to be even more talented than her, so naturally she is attracted to him. She wants to know how talented he really is, and the more curious she becomes, the more she will get attached to him," Pollard explained. He seemed very confident in his understanding of Polly''s feelings.

    "Sounds like you are very experienced in women," Joan snorted, teasing him.

    "Yeah, because I used to have the same feelings for you! Don''t you remember? When I first started at the Shura College, your strength was superior to mine. By the way, I''m planning to talk to the leader of the Phoenix Pavilion about our marriage as soon as the King Level contest ends. I will ask her for permission to marry you," Pollard said earnestly.

    "No! I forbid you to do so!" she said, blushing immediately. She hadn''t expected him to announce about his proposal now, like this. However, in a few seconds, she had regained her previous composure.

    "Why not?" Pollard asked, confused. Her refusal was a blow to his conceit. He had been confident that his affection for Joan was mutual, and that it was about time they got married. There was no social impediment to overcome, either, because they came from families of equal status.

    "The reason is irrelevant. All you need to know is that you cannot do it. I forbid it. Besides, our leader wouldn''t give me permission to marry you anyway, especially not at such a critical moment," Joan replied, avoiding Pollard''s gaze.

    "How can you be so sure? The only way to find ou

    o the contest. The match they had all been looking forward to was likely to end with no fighting at all.

    Every single person''s eyes were fixed on the incense stick. With every minute, it shortened. Soon, only a small stub remained.

    "I don''t think he''ll come," Brandon said, smiling grimly. Although he maintained his professional facade, he was overjoyed to be able to complete his mission without as much as lifting a single finger.

    "I''m so sorry for being late!" Suddenly, a shadow appeared in the far right corner of the arena.

    The crowd murmured excitedly as they recognized Zachary. It was typical of him to make such a dramatic, last-minute entrance.

    Naturally, Brandon was furious. "How could he come?!" he grumbled under his breath, glaring at Zachary.

    Meanwhile, Katrina, along with the disciples of the Celestial College, as well as Pollard, Polly and Joan all let out a sigh of relief.

    As Zachary and Brandon prepared for battle, the sound of a gong rumbled through the arena. The final match of the weapon refining contest had officially began.

    "Now that the final match has begun, there is no need for me to hide any longer. I will show you what true refining genius is!" Brandon seemed to have finally shown his true colors. He looked extremely arrogant. Almost immediately, strong King Level martial energy suddenly surged outwards from his body. It had already reached the premium stage.

    Within a second or so, a number of energy fires had spread around Brandon, rippling like waves, interlaced with each other and lengthening rapidly. Soon, these energy fires had formed a pattern not unlike a magic array, sparkling and mesmerizing.

    "Weapon Refining Array!" exclaimed a few people in the audience.

    As soon as they realized what it was, the entire audience exploded, cheering and shouting with excitement. This uproar did not cease and raged on for a while.

 Chapter 444 The Weapon Refiners Secret Skill

    Everyone was aware that only the weapon refiners of Imperial Level could display the Weapon Refining Array. This powerful array helped them condense the energy fire in a better way. Furthermore, it also created a protective shield around it, so as to prevent the chaos prevailing outside from interrupting the refining process.

    In short, the weapon that was forged through the Weapon Refining Array, was in no way any ordinary weapon.

    Hence, everyone was left stunned when Brandon, a King Level weapon refiner, could display the Weapon Refining Array. That feat alone showcased Brandon''s remarkable strength and talent.

    Because of this, the audience started to randomly speculate about the battle.

    "Looks like the suspense about the decisive battle is over! There is no doubt that Brandon will emerge as the winner!"

    "He is able to use the Weapon Refining Array! That itself is such an amazing feat! With such a powerful assistant, nobody can defeat him now!"

    "When a weapon refiner of King Level is capable of using the Weapon Refining Array, nobody will be in a position to defeat him, unless his competitor is also able to use the Weapon Refining Array to help him refine a better weapon. But such a situation seems very unlikely!"

    On the other hand, there was still a handful of people, who held very high regard for Zachary. After all, Zachary already had an experience of launching a weapon refining aid of Imperial Level. Hence, even if Zachary had limited knowledge on the performance of the Weapon Refining Array, he would be still in a better position. He could always use his Imperial Level weapon refining aid too.

    By now the audience was divided into two groups, one supporting Zachary, and the other supporting Brandon.

    At the competition field, Brandon took out his prepared materials. There were huge piles of materials, varying in different types and sizes. At least half of them were very rare materials. Seeing them created quite an excited stir among the audience supporting Brandon. Judging from the way Brandon prepared, it was obvious that he wanted to refine a weapon of King Level with only the top notch quality. Moreover, with his Weapon Refining Array, he might be able to refine the most advanced weapon of King Level.

    While Brandon showcased his refining materials, Zachary, on the other hand, waved his hand. Suddenly, a huge rock-like shadow, loomed across the sky. Soon, corpses of two huge martial beasts fell from the sky and landed directly on the competition field.

    The two corpses of th

    ressively performing his tasks? It doesn''t seem like he considers this as an important game! Look at how casually he is going about performing his tasks!"

    "Yes, he must have gone crazy after he realized he is losing!"

    "I think he already knows he is no match for Brandon! That is why he is deliberately doing it!"

    Soon sneering comments were coming from all directions. Everyone now looked down upon Zachary.

    It was natural for everyone to think so low of him. They could clearly see that Zachary was not following the common refining procedure at all. Everyone felt that he would be unable to produce any decent weapon.

    Just at that moment, Zachary took out two martial beast cores at the King Level.

    "What? Martial beast cores at the King Level? How is it even possible? Where on earth did he get these rare martial beast cores from?"

    Everyone was surprised to see Zachary''s martial beast cores. The martial beast core could only be obtained from elite martial beast, which in turn was very rare. It was even rarer than the treasure beast. But Zachary just took out two martial beast cores at the King Level with such ease, as if they were two random stones.

    After crushing the two martial beast cores into powder, Zachary took out the nectar made by Anne and poured it into the powder. Then, he mixed both the nectar and the powder.

    An hour later, Zachary plucked the Buddha statue from the Ghostly Fire Furnace and applied the mixture of the powder and the nectar on the statue.

    At this moment, everyone was dumbfounded. None of them had seen such a weapon refiner who would add more material during the process of refining. This was totally against the nature''s law!

 Chapter 445 Energy Fire With Two Elements

    Energy fire with the metal element then rose from Zachary''s body. It was very dark in nature as if it was enveloped by a gloomy atmosphere. He continued to use this energy to burn the statue.

    It didn''t take long for the statue to gradually change its shape and turn into what seemed like a real Buddha that had a strong malicious aura.

    Just as it gradually took its shape, another cyan energy fire burst out from Zachary''s body. It was the energy fire with the wood element.

    "Energy fire with metal and wood elements! Amazing! He has actually mastered the energy fire with two elements!"

    At that moment, the crowd''s jaws dropped in disbelief. They all thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. They couldn''t believe that Zachary, a King Level weapon refiner, was able to master the energy fire with two elements. Usually, this could only be done by Imperial Level weapon refiners.

    The senior leaders of the Shura College, including Marvin, were all surprised. They couldn''t believe what they were seeing. If the strength that Zachary displayed before was already beyond their expectations, then this feat had once again shown them that he had more to offer. Even in the Shura College that was famous for cultivating excellent weapon refiners, there had never been a weapon refiner at the King Level who was able to master the energy fire with two elements before even breaking through to the Imperial Level. Moreover, no one in the entire Devil Kingdom and the Supernal Continent had ever heard of such a genius.

    Not only the senior leaders from the Shura College, but also the leaders and representatives from all the sects present were in disbelief. Even the big shots like Jaxon and Holy Phoenix were also caught off guard by what they saw. They soon displayed strong selfish desires as they were deeply impressed by Zachary''s amazing performance that they wanted to draw him over to their sides.

    "How many secrets does he have left? He''s always like this. It''s getting harder and harder for me to judge him." Katrina was wearing a bright smile on her f

    ence, Zachary and Brandon then stood face to face as they wielded their own weapons.

    "I advise you to just throw in the towel. Otherwise, it would be a disgrace to see that your weapon doesn''t stand a chance against me!" Brandon reminded Zachary.

    The corners of Zachary''s lips curled into a smile. He then placed the Buddha statue on the ground and took a few steps back.

    Seeing that Zachary placed his weapon on the ground just like that, Brandon was curious but he did not hesitate at all. With the Spectral Wolf Claw in his hand, he immediately rushed towards the Buddha statue in a flash. All of a sudden, the claw with immense strength broke the air as if it was going to tear everything into pieces. It then pounced on the Buddha statue aggressively in an attempt to destroy it.

    A moment later, the claw hit the Buddha statue''s surface and strong shock waves were created. The force continued to create a huge amount of friction with the Buddha statue. For a moment, sparks burst out and strange lights shot in all directions.

    At the same time, the Buddha statue trembled violently as its flexible limbs moved more intensely. It seemed like it was struggling and on the verge of death.

    Seeing that the Buddha statue refined by Zachary was so weak that it couldn''t even counter the attack, the audience shook their heads. In their eyes, the outcome was obvious.

 Chapter 446 Spectral Wolf Claw

    Just as the Spectral Wolf Claw was about to land a deathly blow, the Buddha statue suddenly stood motionless. Caught by surprise, Brandon hesitated for a split second, dumbfounded at what was happening before him: the Buddha statue was growing! In the matter of seconds, it stood as tall as Brandon, resembling a living person. A collected gasp came from the audience as they witnessed this amazing feat.

    In the blink of an eye, the Buddha statue''s massive palm violently shoved the Spectral Wolf Claw backwards. As Brandon recovered from the blow, the statue crossed its arms on its chest, muttering incoherently as though it was chanting. Suddenly, an ominous black light emanated from its body, filling the atmosphere with a chilling aura of killing intent. The Buddha looked like a devil straight from hell!

    The Spectral Wolf Claw, which originally seemed intimidating, now looked like a pipsqueak next to the Buddha statue.

    Everyone in the audience sat motionless, stunned by what was happening. They had not expected such a dramatic match to take place. The events unfolding before them was just beyond their wildest imagination!

    "What kind of weird weapon is that?" Brandon blurted out in astonishment, eyes widening at the sight of the Buddha, which kept on growing larger in size before him. He had never seen any living weapon like this, let alone a weird weapon refining skill that could produce such a thing!

    Of course, he refused to sit still and accept defeat as the Buddha doubled in size. There was no possible way this statue was stronger than his Spectral Wolf Claw. Mustering all his strength, he summoned martial energy to the extreme and injected it into his weapon. The Spectral Wolf Claw burst with light, as though completely rejuvenated.

    The claw had shone so brightly that everyone was temporarily blinded. As Zachary blinked for his vision to return, he raised an eyebrow in surprise. Before him, the claw had transformed into a shadow and had sunken its talons into the heart of the statue.

    Everyone in the audience gasped, but not because the claw had finally landed a blow. Much to everyone''s surprise, the Buddha statue stood motionless, deliberately allowing the claw to attack it.

    The crowd burst into an uproar. Finally, they had a winner!

    "Ha-ha, I know it was all a farce. Your statue was just pretending to be strong!" Brandon burst into hysterical laughter. Unlike before, he wasn''t as calm and reserved. Turning confidently to the audience, c

    king sure the audience could overhear their conversation.

    Sure enough, when the audience caught wind of what was happening, chaos broke out again.

    "Heterodox refining skill? Isn''t that forbidden?" "Yes, it is considered evil.""It is said that using it would affect the weapon refiner''s mind, causing him to lose control of himself!"

    Everyone knew that if Zachary truly did use the heterodox refining skill, he would be doomed. Not only would he have lost the competition, but also the Shura College would definitely rain terror on the Celestial College.

    ''Heterodox refining skill?'' Katrina repeated in her heart. Watching Marvin berate Zachary so harshly, she felt something was not right. Still, she remained calm outwardly, and didn''t speak a word. She silently decided to wait and see how things would turn out.

    Meanwhile, the disciples from the Celestial College sat down uneasily. Thinking the dean of Shura College was deliberately making things difficult for Zachary, they shook their heads in frustration. They knew Marvin was just ashamed that a disciple outside their college had managed to win first place.

    "Pollard, did Harley really use the heterodox refining skill?" Polly rushed to her brother.

    "I am honestly not sure. But I did feel like the fire energy he used was strange..." Pollard trailed off, hesitant to say anything for sure.

    "Did he really use the heterodox refining skill?" Joan absentmindedly echoed, discontent with how things were turning out.

    At this point, the energy of the crowd had gone from red hot victory to a chilling cold as they pondered whether Zachary had cheated. "So, who is the real winner?"

 Chapter 447 A Heterodox Refining Skill

    "Listen, young man. Admit what you did and I won''t make things difficult for you. Refuse to confess, and I have no choice¡ªI must cancel your scores. As the dean of the Shura College, I can''t let you win the final round by using your heterodox refining skill. I''m sure you know it is regarded as a heterodoxy, and as such, it is considered evil and barred from the whole Supernal Continent. Any weapon refiner who practices this skill will incur severe consequences, and bring shame upon himself and his community. Please understand that refusing to confess will bring disgrace to both Shura College and Celestial College," Marvin said in a serious, earnest tone, trying to get through to Zachary staring at him with a defiant face. He had been impressed by the talent Zachary had shown so far, and believed he had the potential to be a great weapon refiner. This belief was what spurred him to try and steer Zachary towards a righteous path. Marvin thought it would be an enormous disappointment for a talent such as Zachary to ruin his own future by relying on some heterodox refining skill. Therefore, Marvin saw it as his duty to convince Zachary to confess, and make him swear a solemn vow never to use the heterodox refining skill again. Zachary must be taught right from wrong.

    But, far from being repentant, Zachary wore a mulish expression. "Dean, you have repeatedly accused me of using a heterodox refining skill. What is your basis for that? I challenge you to show me proof, because accusations are not evidence." Zachary sounded calm, but there was anger in his tone.

    Marvin started to get angry as well. "You want evidence? Fine! The use of the heterodox refining skill leaves traces on the weapon. We will carefully scrutinize the weapon you have just refined, which I observe looks strange. It is not common to see weapons like this one," he said. He bent down to check the Buddha statue placed on the ground.

    "Please check the weapon as soon and as thoroughly as possible. A clean hand wants no washing. Let my work speaks for itself," Zachary said in a determined voice.

    Marvin squinted his eyes at Zachary''s decisiveness. For a moment, he felt surprised, and a bit unsure of himself. He mentally reviewed everything that had happened. Well, honestly, he still did not think he had made a mistake. He was experienced in the study of the heterodox refining skill, and he was confident that Zachary had clandestinely used a heterodox refining skill.

    But Marvin was not unjust, and as Zachary had said, he would not convict someone without clear and convincing evidence. Despite his expertise and his status as the dean of the Shura College, his opinion alone was insufficient. He would obtain solid proof before denying Zachary''s achievement. It was

    onsider a different way of doing things.

    Zachary was relying on people''s lack of knowledge of disposable weapons and basic heterodox refining skills to conceal the fact that he had actually used a heterodox refining skill. The traces Marvin warned him about would only come from the higher-level heterodox refining skills that scholars studied. The simple heterodox refining skill Zachary had utilized would not leave any evidence that Marvin could find.

    Meanwhile, as the three great Sage Level masters studied Zachary''s Buddha statue, they started to look confused. They couldn''t find any clue. There were no traces that could prove Zachary had performed a heterodox refining skill. Moreover, the statue did not seem like it was a rare nine-star King Level weapon at all¡ªand yet all of them had seen it in action. They knew how powerful it was.

    "Dean, are you absolutely sure you saw him perform the heterodox refining skill?" Corbin asked. He hadn''t expected this. He thought Marvin would never have called them in unless he was one hundred percent certain.

    Marvin frowned. He was frustrated and puzzled. Why couldn''t they find any traces of the use of a heterodox refining skill on the Buddha statue? He knew what he had seen, and even now he still believed he was right. He just didn''t know how to prove it.

    Marvin and the other judges did not recognize the statue as a disposable weapon. That knowledge had long been forgotten by the people of the Supernal Continent.

    Jace was one of the very select few who might have been able to recognize the weapon, and understand what Zachary had done. Although Marvin was very knowledgeable, he could not compare with Jace, whose experience far surpassed his own.

    Marvin sighed, looking unhappy. Despite his conviction, without evidence, there would be no way to deny Zachary''s victory.

 Chapter 448 Championship

    "Dean Marvin, have you found any evidence?" Zachary asked with an evil smile on his face. Seeing that Marvin and the other two Sage Level weapon refiners couldn''t find any clues, he was very calm and complacent.

    Marvin''s eyes flashed with confusion. He looked hesitantly at Zachary, and then at Corbin and the other master. Seeing the latter shaking their heads, he thought seriously for a moment. He turned to Zachary and said, "I don''t know how you hide the traces of the heterodox refining skill. Since I can''t find any evidence, I can''t prove that you''ve displayed it, but I still want to warn you that if you continue to use it, you will get killed. The heterodox refining skill is an evil technique, and you should never use it again. I''ll let it go this time, but heed my words. I''d stop using that technique if I were you."

    It was obvious that even if Marvin couldn''t find any direct evidence, he was very sure that Zachary had used the heterodox refining skill. However, since he had nothing to back his suspicions up, it was useless. It wouldn''t change the final result of the weapon refining contest nor would it subject Zachary to disqualification.

    In other words, after a series of twists and turns, Zachary''s victory was finally recognized and he became the first outer disciple to win the first place in the history of the Shura College''s King Level contest.

    Despite hearing Marvin''s warning, Zachary remained collected.

    Shortly after, Marvin announced to the watchers that Zachary had won the first place in the weapon refining contest.

    Since he had gotten the first place, there were multifarious rewards including precious treasures, pills of premium stage, rare weapons, and many other special items that everybody would be jealous of.

    But for Zachary, these treasures were not so precious at all. They were only useful for expanding his collections and exchanging treasure-hunting coins.

    Although there had been some mishaps and suspicions concerning his refining technique, it did not hinder the strong interest of those sects in him.

    As soon as the weapon refining contest was over, majority of the representatives of the sects rushed to Zachary, one after another, before he walked out of the contesting area. They introduced themselves fervidly and

    ial to change the future of their clan.

    Everyone was surprised to hear that the head of the Xiao Clan was so humble to apologize to Zachary for his son. And it was also clear how intensely he wanted to invite Zachary into the Xiao Clan!

    "Actually, I don''t have a grudge against Anthony. But I''m afraid that he thinks differently. I don''t want to see you getting caught in our misunderstanding," Zachary explained, rejecting him subtly.

    "Is that so?" After thinking twice, Jaxon began to realize that the grudge between his son and Zachary was not that simple. Otherwise, Zachary would not be so scrupulous. He frowned and thought for a while before he suggested, "How about I call Anthony over and clear up this feud once and for all? What do you think?"

    "But..." Zachary''s eyebrows drew together. He knew that it was impossible for Anthony and him to just become friendly with each other at the moment.

    "Master Jaxon, don''t force him if he doesn''t like it!" a sweet voice said, coming from the other side of the room.

    The crowd looked over and saw a group of graceful women led by the head of the Phoenix Pavilion, Holy Phoenix. Riley followed her closely.

    As Holy Phoenix rarely appeared in public, the crowd couldn''t help but stare in awe. They wondered whether the head of the Phoenix Pavilion was also interested in Zachary. They weren''t even surprised anymore. With talent like Zachary, it was only a matter of time before they came to recruit him as well. The question was, how would Zachary respond?

 Chapter 449 Holy Phoenix

    Soon, the people''s guess was confirmed. Holy Phoenix went straight to Zachary and said as if no one else could hear, "I planned to see you after the King Level contest, but when I saw your unique talent today, I couldn''t help but wish to see you as soon as I could."

    A hush fell across the place as soon as she spoke. She acted so intimately as if she had known Zachary for a long time.

    "How are you, Holy Phoenix?" Zachary greeted her with a smile, which she immediately returned. He didn''t know who she was at first, but when he saw Riley beside her, he instantly realized that he was addressing the head of Phoenix Pavilion, the third most powerful force in the continent.

    Jaxon''s brows crumpled when he realized that Holy Phoenix came for Zachary as well. He casually turned to Holy Phoenix and said with a smile, "It''s nice to see you, Holy Phoenix. It''s been a year since we last saw each other."

    "Master Jaxon, I''m impressed that you''ve become more robust with age, and you still do everything yourself. But you know, you are not young anymore. It may be time to retire. I heard that your son is a handsome and talented young man, so you can hand over your family business to him without worry." Zachary refused Jaxon not because he hated him, but because he wasn''t in good terms with Anthony. And now, Holy Phoenix had just said something ironic and embarrassing to Jaxon.

    The people around them couldn''t help but laugh. It seemed that Anthony had completely screwed his father over.

    "Anthony is still young and inexperienced. It''s not the right time for him to take over our clan''s business, but I''m glad that you care about him so much. I thought only a talent like Harley could win your admiration," Jaxon retorted to save his face, although he was incredibly embarrassed at that moment.

    "That''s for sure. Anyway, your clan is an example for my Phoenix Pavilion. If one day, we get ahead of you, I''d have to thank you for your guidance," Holy Phoenix said casually, but there was a determined glint in her eyes that shone like fire.

    Zachary was awed as he listened to their exch

    ster Jaxon has shown his sincerity. Now, it''s up to you," Holy Phoenix said without taking off her eyes from Jaxon. She wasn''t insisting but instead, she put the situation entirely into Zachary''s hands. Unfortunately, he didn''t want to tell them his decision.

    ''Maybe I should leave first, '' he thought.

    "It''s great that the Xiao Clan and the Phoenix Pavilion, which are well-known in the Devil Kingdom, are both so interested in a disciple of Celestial College. As the representative of the college, I am truly honored!" Because everyone had been absorbed with Zachary''s decision, they were startled when a woman''s voice suddenly interrupted. She appeared from the air and landed gracefully by Zachary''s side.

    Zachary breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he laid eyes on the woman.

    Jaxon and Holy Phoenix expected Katrina to come because they knew that Katrina, who enjoyed a great reputation in the Supernal Continent, had also come as a representative of Celestial College together with Zachary.

    "I am flattered, Master Katrina. Since you are here, why don''t you come with Harley to my house? I''ve been wanting to invite you since I heard that you were coming too. I think now is the right time for us to go," Jaxon immediately said with a smarmy smile. He was smart to do so, and in one shot, he could get to talk with two of the best representatives of Celestial College into his sect.

 Chapter 450 The Holy Phoenix

    "Master Jaxon, you may treat Master Katrina, but Harley has to come with me." Perhaps Holy Phoenix had an enmity towards Katrina because they were both top female warriors, and she felt competitive towards her. Anyway, Katrina''s opinion wasn''t important. The only thing that mattered was Zachary''s choice.

    "Holy Phoenix, please stop making things so difficult!" exclaimed Jaxon, his face turning red with anger. He couldn''t help but think that Holy Phoenix had gone too far, for she was obviously messing with the Xiao Clan.

    "Am I?" Holy Phoenix retorted.

    "Calm down. Harley belongs to the Celestial College. He also has a clan already. He won''t be able to join another clan or sect so easily. Besides, he is our rising star. So unless we let him go, no one else can get him," Katrina said calmly.

    Jaxon and Holy Phoenix immediately realized that Katrina was correct. They had all but forgotten about the Celestial College. Of course, as a disciple and a future star of the college, Zachary couldn''t just walk away. If the Celestial College refused to let him leave, then Zachary wouldn''t be able to join any sect or clan in the Devil Kingdom.

    "Harley, please get some rest now. We need to speak privately," Katrina told Zachary.

    "Understood," he said. Zachary nodded at Jaxon and Holy Phoenix, then left immediately.

    The two of them would have preferred for him to stay, but they didn''t interfere as he left.

    "Let''s go! I know where we can speak without being disturbed," Katrina said, motioning towards Holy Phoenix and Jaxon.

    The pair exchanged a glance and followed Katrina as she walked away.

    Zachary had been gone a long time. Everyone was starting to wonder if some new trouble was brewing. But as soon as he emerged from the competition area, the disciples of Celestial College immediately surrounded him, looking very excited.

    "I thought something had happened to you!" Queenie said. Her tone was annoyed but her beautiful face was full of interest and enthusiasm.

    "Hey, what was up with the dean saying you performed some heterodox refining skill?" Reb

    sure everything goes as it should," Lilian replied immediately, wearing an abashed look on her face.

    "Then go. This time, be careful not to make any more mistakes. If you fail again, I won''t be able to intercede with our leader to stop him from punishing you. When he is displeased, not even I can dissuade him," warned the man.

    Fear entered Lilian''s eyes. Without saying another word, she disappeared.

    Meanwhile, Zachary was drinking with Pollard in a tavern in Zenith City. They talked mostly about unimportant things. Only when they''d had their fill of food and drink did Pollard begin to look serious.

    "So, Pollard, what did you want to say to me?" Zachary asked with a faint smile. Throughout their conversation, he had sensed that Pollard was holding something back, waiting for the right moment to speak.

    Pollard hesitated. "Have you considered my father''s proposal?" he asked. There was no use beating around the bush, and he much preferred to speak frankly.

    "Yes, I have considered it. What do you think?" Zachary asked, looking amused.

    "I''m not sure! I know that many people would be eager to become one of my father''s private disciples." Pollard thought there was no reason for Zachary to reject his father''s proposal. He was a man of great statue, and to be his disciple was something that many weapons refiners across the Supernal Continent could only dream of.

 Chapter 451 Elope With Her

    "I''d seize every opportunity to secure an apprenticeship under your father. That would be exciting!" Zachary admitted ardently.

    "You plan on having my father as your master?" Pollard furrowed his brows upon hearing Zachary''s words. He knew fully well that if Zachary became his father''s disciple, his plan to marry Joan would be ruined.

    "Do you have any problem with me being under his tutelage?" Zachary glanced at Pollard, finding the latter''s tone rather unusual.

    Letting out a sigh and with a defeated look across his face, Pollard tipped his head back to gulp down the glass of wine before slamming it on to the table in front of him. He should be happy that Zachary was so willing to become his father''s disciple. After all, he would be a great addition to the clan and would be a more than capable assistant to him once he inherited the position of the Qiu Clan''s head one day.

    However, with every gain came a loss¡ªand this loss would be his happiness with Joan, a woman who loved him deeply. He never wished to hurt her or be unfaithful. Pollard found himself in quite a dilemma.

    "Pollard, talk to me," Zachary said. "We''ve gone through hell and high water together. It''s safe to say we''re like brothers now. Don''t you think so? You can tell me anything." He squinted as he fixed his gaze on Pollard.

    "You know I''m a straightforward man, Harley. It''s just that, well, you''ve placed me in quite a dilemma this time!" Pollard shook his head helplessly.

    "Tell me!" Zachary begged him.

    "Alright. Joan told you that the Phoenix Pavilion''s head was very interested in you and wished to recruit you, right?" Pollard reminded him.

    "Yes, I remember. Once the contest ended, she came over to talk to me," Zachary replied and nodded his head to confirm.

    "I saw that too. I had overlooked the situation and thought that it wouldn''t affect me. But now that everything has been decided, I guess it does," Pollard said. "I was planning to talk to her after the King Level contest to ask permission for Joan''s hand in marriage."

    "That''s great news, Pollard. I''m happy to hear that!" Zachary exclaimed as he raised his eyebrows. He was delighted to hear of this news, especially since he thought that Pollard and Joa

    ds too. Throughout the entire history of the Shura College''s King Level contest, only a single disciple has ever won the two first places during the same contest. That was many years ago." Pollard knew that Zachary''s tremendous strength would cause a great disturbance after the King Level contest. By then, all the clans and sects would scramble to recruit him.

    "Really? I was unaware of that," Zachary sighed. It was not until now that he knew someone had successfully won the two first places during a King Level contest in the past.

    "Although he was peerless, he was also quite a genius for his time. He possessed both great strength and incredible weapon refining skills. Also, he kept the record for being the youngest Imperial Level warrior¡ªuntil I became one. To be fair, I was only about a dozen days younger than him by the time of becoming an Imperial Level warrior," Pollard pointed out in admiration.

    "I assume he''s a current big shot at Shura College, right?" Zachary inquired out of curiosity.

    "No. As far as I know, he conspired together with a band of heterodox warriors and slaughtered not a few orthodox warriors. As a result, he was hunted down throughout the entire Devil Kingdom. Ever since his whereabouts have been a mystery. But rumor has it that he returned to Shura College and caused quite a stir," Pollard explained.

    Zachary was momentarily dumbstruck. Suddenly, a figure came to his mind. He wondered if the person Pollard mentioned was Logan.

 Chapter 452 Apologize To Him

    "What''s his name?" Zachary asked immediately.

    Pollard thought for a while, scratching his chin. "If I remember correctly, his name is Logan Leng," he finally answered.

    "Logan Leng?" Zachary repeated, narrowing his eyes. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. The man in black was very likely Logan.

    "I feel better now after I''ve told you these things. I''m very lucky to have a good friend like you," Pollard said, managing to force a smile.

    "If you have any troubles, don''t hesitate to come to me. It does you good to get things off your chest." Zachary paused for a second. "Does your father know that you are going to propose?"

    "No, I haven''t told him yet," Pollard replied, shaking his head.

    "If I were you, I''d talk to him about it. I will also try to help you get some information from the Phoenix Pavilion. Don''t worry. I promise that you will marry Joan," Zachary said confidently.

    "Really?" Pollard trusted Zachary, and his promise gave him hope.

    "Of course. But I''m afraid it will take some time. As for the proposal, I think you should put off it," Zachary suggested.

    "That''s exactly what I was thinking about, too." Pollard knew that now was not the time to be impatient. Eager as he was, he decided to at least wait and see what would happen in the Phoenix Pavilion and what information he could obtain there.

    Finally having a plan made him feel calm and reassured. He sat back and drank a jar of wine almost all at once. Warriors had control over the way their body responded to alcohol. If they wanted to remain sober, they could drink wine like water and never get drunk. However, if they wanted to get drunk, then they could, at will.

    It was obvious that Pollard was trying to get drunk. After having downed several jars of wine, he was completely inebriated.

    "Come on! Let''s drink! Keep drinking!" mumbled Pollard, bending over the table, his speech slurred.

    "We should go now," said Zachary with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

    After paying the bill, Zachary took Pollard to the Shura College.

    Arriving at the door to Pollard''s room, Zachary was about to go in when he saw a slender figure standing in the moonlight.

    "Joan? Is that you?" Zachary recognized the figure immediately.

    "You are back, at last! He''s so drunk!" Joan''s eyes fell on Pollard, so drunk that Zachary had to hold him up, and she frowned.

    "You should k

    if Jaxon recruited Zachary, that would put him in a very high position, and any chance Anthony had of defeating him would be lost.

    Jaxon, on the other hand, remained completely calm. "I have seen his true strength. What''s more, you are the reason why he keeps refusing to join our clan. You offended him in the past, and he still holds a grudge against you. In fact, I plan to take you with me to visit his house to apologize to him after the King Level contest. Hopefully he will see that we are sincere," Jaxon said in a calm, measured voice. He was a wise man, and chose his words with care. When he spoke, he exuded authority. Anthony, however, could not believe his ears.

    "What?" he exclaimed, outraged. "You want me to apologize to him? There is no way I am doing that!" Anthony was furious. In his mind, he had done nothing wrong.

    "This is not a request. This is an order," said Jason. The gravity of his words was almost palpable. "You must do as I say, whether you like it or not. This is not about you, or about petty arguments and ego. This is about the future of our family. We need a talent like him. Don''t ruin my plan." Jaxon''s face was calm and determined. No one would dare to challenge him.

    "Father..." Anthony trailed off into silence. He didn''t know what to say. No one dared challenge his father. Even though Anthony knew Jaxon loved him, he knew he would suffer dire consequences if he disobeyed him.

    "That''s it. You may leave," Jaxon said, waving his hand in dismissal.

    All Anthony could do was snort under his breath in frustration before turning to leave.

 Chapter 453 Enlisting

    The Xiao clan wasn''t the only one who started to take action. In the Phoenix Hall, at the backyard of the Phoenix House, there seemed to be an important meeting that was happening. Holy Phoenix sat with her back ramrod straight, while Riley and several female warriors of Imperial Level were sitting on the two sides of the hall. There were also several female disciples of the Phoenix Pavilion that were standing by the door.

    "Master, what did you and the leader of the Xiao Clan talk about with Master Katrina yesterday?" Riley asked curiously. She was inquiring about the time that Holy Phoenix and Jaxon talked with Katrina. She figured that it must have been important since all three of them stayed until late that night.

    "Ugh, I don''t want to talk about it. Master Katrina fooled Jaxon and me! She just led us in circles all night, but we didn''t make any progress," Holy Phoenix answered with a pout.

    "So, Master Katrina doesn''t want us to enlist Harley?" Riley asked, although she already had an answer at the back of her mind. Katrina definitely didn''t want Harley in their sect. That was the only explanation why she was standing in their way.

    "It doesn''t matter what she thinks. At most, she''s just a master of Celestial College, so she doesn''t have any power to decide for Harley. If he were to leave Celestial College just to join us, they couldn''t do anything about it. The most important thing we need to do now is try every possible means to get close to Harley, so we can win him over. And we need to succeed before the Xiao Clan does," Holy Phoenix outlined with a shrewd smile. She made eye contact with every female warrior in the room, just so she could be certain that they all realized how important this plan was.

    "You''re right. But as far as I know, Harley won''t be easily lured. He even has rare treasures like the Hatching Fluid. It won''t be easy to entice him to join our ranks," Riley replied with the knowledge she got from dealing with Harley multiple times. Although they weren''t close, she could at least tell how he would react, based on his previous actions that she had witnessed.

    "Since ancient times, the hero''s downfall had always been caused by beautiful women. He''s so young and energetic, so I think he would be especially susceptible to this rule," Holy Phoenix said as she cast a meaningful look at Riley.

    "You are right. When I saw him for the first time, he was with the daughter of the head of Qiu Clan." Riley agreed immediately.

    "Oh, really? Why didn''t you tell me? I didn''t know that." Holy Phoenix suddenly turned serious at this piece of information. She narrowed her eyes at Riley because obviously, she didn''t

    ade the Shadow Pace, Flawless Illusion, and Ice Needle.

    As for the weapons, his main weapon was the Holy Bone Bracer. Therefore, it should be the first weapon to be upgraded, and then the Illusory Dragon Spine. But it wasn''t necessary to upgrade the treasure-hunting aid, so instead, he prepared to upgrade the Holy Bone Bracer and the Illusory Dragon Spine.

    After he had won the championship in the weapon refining contest, he had been rewarded with many valuable treasures. Besides those, he had also received a lot of materials from Katrina. So now, he took some time to rearrange the Treasure-hunting Compass, classified all kinds of materials, and prepared the materials to upgrade the Holy Bone Bracer and Illusory Dragon Spine.

    Once that was done, Zachary went to the Peach Blossom Forest to check on the three beasts. The Hundred-Treasure Beast had been successfully enrolled in the treasure beast system after he tamed it when he had suddenly broken through to the Imperial Level. It was in good terms with the Blazing Roc and Thunder Dragon Horse. But because the Hundred-Treasure Beast was a special treasure beast, and it specialized in producing refining materials but didn''t have strong combat power, it didn''t need any special training. He just needed to constantly improve its cultivation level. The higher its cultivation level, the better the refining materials it produced.

    He fed the three beasts with some Growth-promoting Pills. Then he proceeded to the weapon refining room to upgrade the Holy Bone Bracer and the Illusory Dragon Spine. He also explored his self-made weapons since he was there already. All in all, it was a productive time for him, where he had surprisingly accomplished a lot, while he waited for the day of the strength contest to come.

 Chapter 454 Upgrading The Weapons

    There were enough materials for upgrading the Holy Bone Bracer and the Illusory Dragon Spine, but the odds of success in increasing a weapon''s grade and increasing its level were quite different. The former had a higher probability of success, while that of the latter was much lower.

    It was just like the difference between the Cultivation Boosting Pill and the Martial Speed Boosting Pill, and in this way, Zachary didn''t know whether he should increase his weapons'' levels grade by grade, or go straight to the source and raise the levels directly. Increasing the levels grade by grade would consume a large amount of materials, but it was otherwise a relatively safe method. If he chose to raise the levels directly, the probability of failure was huge and omnipresent. Moreover, if he didn''t excel at the task, he even risked destroying the weapons and turning them into nothing but useless scrap. On the other hand though, if he succeeded, the Holy Bone Bracer and the Illusory Dragon Spine would reach the Imperial Level. And at that point, he would be capable of defeating any opponent at the Imperial Level.

    Will all that racing around in his mind, Zachary stood in front of the Heavenly Golden Furnace, hesitant about what to do next.

    "What should I do? Increase their levels grade by grade or raise their levels directly?" he asked out loud to himself. Zachary touched his chin and paced back and forth. He suddenly stopped at random and asked Mimi, "Mimi, are there any treasures in the system that can optimize the success rate of increasing a weapon''s level?"

    "Yes," she replied at once. Mimi didn''t dare to deny a thing.

    "What?! Are you serious? There''s really something? Why the hell didn''t you tell me earlier?" asked Zachary, feeling quite unsatisfied.

    "Well, you didn''t ask me," Mimi replied concisely, in a matter-of-fact tone.

    Zachary was rendered speechless. His mouth fell slightly open in awe, but not a sound came out.

    "Well, I''m definitely asking now! Tell me more. How can I get my hands on this treasure?" Zachary, of course, had no reason not to surmise that obtaining the treasure would be a difficult task.

    "Ah! Simple enough! All you need to do is go to the Treasure Cave," Mimi replied, to Zachary''s absolute surprise.

    "The Treasure Cave, huh? That does sound simple enough. Isn''t that just like the shopping mall where treasures are sold in the treasure beast system?" Zachary asked with a bright smile. He felt encouraged.

    "That''s right. The Treasure Cave specifically sells such treasures in order to help Imperial Level cultivation. That said, the price tag is quite hefty. If I remember correctly, it''s at least a thousand treasure-hunting coins, if not more," Mimi explained rationally.

    "What?

    so once said that she couldn''t do anything against the rules. It sounded that he couldn''t afford to offend the Lord because it was the core of this entire system. He thought he needed to fawn on it in the future.

    "I understand. Please thank the Lord for his dearest kindness for me," Zachary said with a wide smile once again spreading across his lips.

    "Now, let me open the Treasure Cave for you.

    Open the Treasure Cave! The first floor!

    The second floor! The third floor! I have opened three floors of the Treasure Cave for you, so that will cost four thousand and five hundred treasure-hunting coins. You are now left with two thousand and seventy-two treasure-hunting coins."

    "These treasure-hunting coins were earned through my own hard work..." Zachary uttered in a sad voice, but he was soon thrilled again. "Send me to the Treasure Cave!"

    A beam of golden light fell from the sky in the blink of an eye and covered Zachary completely. Less than a split second later, the beam of light was gone and he had disappeared in the system.

    A short while later, he found himself standing in front of an arched cave with the words "Treasure Cave" written on the roof.

    "Doesn''t look like anything special if you ask me," he murmured. Following such, he went confidently into the cave.

    As soon as he entered, however, he immediately noticed that it was a world of its own. All sorts of rare treasures were floating in the air, shining and glistening like stars. At the same time, they rotated slowly in a circle, which allowed him to appreciate each piece without moving from where he stood.

    "Each of these treasures is a scarce one, above the Imperial Level. Any one of them would be invaluable to the outside world. This cave really lives up to its reputation," Zachary sighed as his eyes twinkled with amazement.

 Chapter 455 The Supernal Continent

    Zachary had only reached the first floor of the Treasure Cave. He continued walking forward, relishing in the fact that he was surrounded by all kinds of treasures. Not long after, he saw a disk floating in the air at the end of this floor. As soon as he walked onto it, the disk immediately went down. It took him through to the second floor. It was almost the same as the first one.

    "I would like to head directly to the third floor," Zachary said.

    In the blink of an eye, the disk went through the second floor and finally stopped in the third one.

    Compared to the treasures the first and second floors had held, the third floor didn''t have as much. Even with that, all of them were of no grade, and most of them were in odd shapes, different from normal ones. But the aura they gave off gave Zachary the impression that they were some kind of divine treasures.

    "Mimi, why can''t I tell what levels the treasures here are?" Zachary asked, intrigued.

    "Because the treasures here don''t belong to the Supernal Continent. The system collected them from other continents but they remain beyond its database. Therefore, with your current strength, you won''t be able to distinguish their levels," Mimi responded.

    "Oh, I see. No wonder they all look strange to me. By the way, which of them could help me increase a weapon''s level?" Zachary inquired further.

    Suddenly, a beautiful peach-shaped item fell from the sky and landed in front of him.

    "This treasure item is called the Weapon Refining Fruit. It can increase the probability of increasing a weapon''s level under the Imperial Level. The only negative thing about it, however, is that you can only use it once per weapon. In other words, you can''t use it a second time whether you succeed or fail the first time around," Mimi explained.

    "It''s unbelievable that I only get one chance," Zachary pouted as the corners of his mouth twitched. With this Weapon Refining Fruit, he might be able to directly raise the levels of the Holy Bone Bracer and the Illusory Dragon Spine.

    With that in mind, Zachary spent his last two thousand treasure-hunting coins on two Weapon Refining Fruits. After he returned to the weapon refining room, he began to upgrade the Holy Bone Bracer''s and the Illusory Dragon Spine''s levels.

    In the blink of an eye, two days and two nights had passed. Zachary, who had been guarding in front of the Heavenly Golden Furnace, was quietly waiting as he cultivated.

    Without n

    f opponents who might launch sudden attacks at any time. Obviously, this was going to be a chaotic and challenging stage. Standing out in the first stage would require a whole lot of efforts from the disciples.

    Not only that, there were no rules for the first stage, meaning all sorts of underhanded and despicable acts were allowed in order for the participants to knock out their opponents. Of course, there was one stipulation¡ªthey weren''t allowed to kill their opponents. Despite this stipulation, many King Level disciples had died in the hands of their opponents or by accident over the years.

    But the world of warriors was a cruel one, so no one could complain.

    What was more, there were no teams allowed in the first stage, meaning each opponent had to do it on their own. However, there were designated areas where they were allowed to fight together in order to defeat other King Level opponents. With such a set-up, predicting who would stand out was no easy task.

    Relatively speaking, King Level disciples from large clans were at an advantage. After all, there were at least three King Level disciples from large clans like the Xuanyuan Clan, the Xiao Clan, and the Phoenix Pavilion. Once they teamed up in the competition, their fighting scope would be very terrifying.

    Of course, even if some disciples weren''t from the same clan, they could team up for the same interests as well. In short, the first stage of the competition revolved around taking advantage of what was available to strengthen their chances. It was also about covering up their shortcomings in order to defeat their opponents and save their own lives.

 Chapter 456 The Beast Valley

    Once the first stage was completed, only four disciples of King Level could enter the second stage to fight. Hence, it was a tough competition for two hundred disciples of King Level.

    In other words, the strength contest was far more competitive than the weapon refining contest.

    Right now, all the participants for the strength contest had gathered outside the Beast Valley. They were all set to enter the valley, to participate in the first stage.

    Katrina, Marvin and other high-level officials of the Shura College were waiting outside the Beast Valley, awaiting the result of the first stage. Similar to what they had done in the first stage of the weapon refining contest.

    Although both the contests appeared to look same, there were huge differences between them.

    During the weapon refining contest, the candidates could interrupt others, without adopting any kind of foul methods. On the other hand, the strength contest was a competition that invited the devil itself. It was a perfect opportunity to take revenge on the offending ones.

    Anthony and Zachary were excellent examples.

    "Are you ready?" Anthony asked his followers, standing beside him.

    "Yes, we are awaiting your signal. Once they set out, we will separately track them. But can''t we just kill Harley? Why do we have to catch Polly instead?" the confidant asked in confusion.

    "By any chance if we fail to defeat Harley, he would become even more alert. After that, it would be difficult to get any opportunity to take him down. Hence, we have to be absolutely sure to break him down. Another matter that we must keep in mind is that, he is very close to Polly and her brother, Pollard. Hence, if anything happens to either of them, he is not the one to merely sit by and watch," said Anthony.

    "Young master, you are absolutely right!" the confidant said, as he tried to impress Anthony.

    The first stage of the strength contest was officially declared. A horde of two hundred King Level disciples quickly rushed towards the Beast Valley and spread across. Some were on the lookout for the most advantageous terrains, to make it easier for them to attack as well as defend. While others who were confident about their physical strength, decided to hunt and launch direct attack.

    As per his strength, Zachary could have chosen the latter option. But that would lead to his exposure. Hence, he went about choosing a suitable terrain.

    However, before Zachary could chose a spot, he realized that he was being followed by

    stage?" Polly shouted. Even though she was talented, she lacked the skill to strategize and the experience to overcome such situations. And there was also her rage, which led her to this situation. Now she was sure that this trap was specifically set for her.

    "Conniving rat? No, that''s not the case. You are trapped in this situation, only because you''re too naive! First rule of any game is to beat all the opponents, in order to secure the winning place. Being kind and merciful will only lead to your defeat!" the other disciple in a green robe retorted before he burst into laughter.

    "You can keep your trap shut! I can always beat the entire lot of you!" Polly angrily countered. She would never quit a battlefield like a coward. She immediately took out a therapeutic pill and swallowed. After a moment of rest, she posed to fight.

    "You think you alone can defeat all of us?! Your meridians are injured and your strength has been weakened considerably! At the most, you can exert the strength of Heaven Level. Anyone of us can easily defeat you," the man in green sneered with a disdainful look. He then beckoned the other two male warriors standing next to him, to deal with Polly.

    The two men immediately started to approach her, intending to attack her from both the sides.

    Meanwhile, there was no way Polly was going to give in so easily. She immediately summoned her treasure beast to fight. Her plan was to stall them for a while, till her martial was restored back.

    The two men were not of mediocre level either. They immediately lashed out their martial energies. The next moment, their overwhelming power enveloped Polly and her treasure beast.

 Chapter 457 The Demonic Thunder Fox

    The two male King Level disciples approached Polly with an air of confidence. Polly, however, looked unfazed. As they drew closer, her treasure beast¡ªthe Demonic Thunder Fox¡ªbegan emitting a bright radiance. The shining light spread outward and formed a shield around three meters wide, with Polly inside it. The fox was protecting her.

    The two King Level disciples began blasting their energy at the shield. Because the Demonic Thunder Fox was only a treasure beast at the Heaven Level, the light shield was quickly broken.

    As soon as the shield fell, the two disciples rushed forward to launch an attack on Polly. But she had another trick up her sleeve. She raised her hand, and a beam of dazzling light shot from her waist. A shining object rose up in midair. It grew larger, forming into a magnificent halberd about two meters long. The enormous dragon-shaped blade emitted a howling sound, releasing a strong aura that shrouded Polly and her two opponents. Polly reached out and grasped the halberd, looking even smaller in comparison to the huge weapon. She projected an aura of heroism and strength, and wore an expression of bravado, as though she was possessed the God of War.

    Polly raised her halberd. With a shout, she launched her attack, waving the blade forcefully at the two disciples. Rumbles of thunder sounded, and flashes of lightning crackled in the air, sending the two men into an immediate retreat. They were at the second or third grade of King Level at most, and they quickly recognized that they were outmatched by Polly''s weapon. They returned to their two companions.

    The four disciples¡ªthree men and a woman¡ªall looked surprised at the powerful weapon Polly had summoned. They couldn''t identify it, but they knew enough to understand that it was an extraordinary item.

    "Where did she get such an amazing weapon? It must be because she is from the Qiu Clan," said the woman, sounding envious.

    Another one in a green robe laughed maliciously. "It doesn''t matter! After we win, it will belong to us," he said, his eyes glinting with greed.

    "Hey, what''s taking so long? Go on and fight! Make it quick! Don''t tell me that you can''t even deal with a single opponent, and she''s only at the first grade of King Level," taunted the woman, looking flirtatiously at the two male disciples who had originally gone to fight Polly.

    Her goading worked. The two disciples who had retreated decided it was time to approach Polly again. Maybe she had an extraordinary weapon, but they were still stronger and more experienced. They glanced at each other, coming to an unspoken agreement. Then they launched coordinated attacks against Polly.

    In t

    was scattering bolts of lightning and thunder.

    Bolts of lightning filled the air, crashing down like a rainstorm over her three opponents.

    They were soon completely immersed in the energy storm, each trying their best to throw up shields to withstand the attack. But the thunderstorm was a unique and powerful skill. Even if they had been fully prepared, it would have been difficult for warriors at their levels to defend themselves against a thunderstorm of this magnitude.

    Two of the disciples eventually succumbed to the storm. As their frail shields collapsed, unable to bear the brunt of the energy bolts, they turned and ran, deciding the only way out was to escape the thunderstorm attack.

    Only the disciple in green stayed to fight. He stood still and fought to maintain a barrier against Polly''s attack. He focused on protecting his body, leaving his clothes in tatters.

    Polly, meanwhile, had collapsed on the ground upon launching her final attack. She spat out a mouthful of blood. The thunderstorm had sapped almost all her remaining energy, but she still looked resolute and fearless. She had managed to defeat three out of four, and while she was badly injured, she hadn''t surrendered yet. She could only hope that the disciple in green had expended all his energy in resisting her thunderstorm attack. If he still had energy left, she would be doomed.

    "Amazing! What a fantastic battle that was! Polly, that was awesome, and your skills are very, very impressive. You are quite skillful at wielding that weapon, which is supposed to be far above your level!" said a loud voice. A man with a sinister smile suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He clapped slowly and mockingly as he stepped towards the two remaining combatants, but he had eyes only for Polly.

 Chapter 458 A Rat In The Hole

    "It''s you!" Polly exclaimed in surprise as recognition dawned on her. He was none other than Anthony.

    "You know you have exhausted your energy. You will just injure yourself if you carry on. Wouldn''t that be a pity? Do the reasonable thing and surrender now! I promise you I won''t hurt you. I just need you to do me a small favor," Anthony said, a triumphant smile on his face. He knew that Polly was too hurt to continue the fight.

    "Do you a small favor? Why would I do that?" Polly scoffed, narrowing her eyes.

    "Well, I''ll be honest with you. I want to take advantage of you to deal with Harley. As long as I have you in my hands, he will obey me like a trained circus dog!" said Anthony insidiously. He was so confident that his plan would work that he didn''t even bother concealing his true intentions.

    "You dirty rat!" Polly taunted him, tears forming in her eyes.

    "Ha-ha, dirty rat? Fine. I am a dirty rat! Call me all the names you want, but you know as well as I do that you don''t have a choice. If you don''t do as I say, I have something even worse in store for you," Anthony sneered lewdly. Polly was a beautiful woman and Anthony had been lusting after her for a long time. Unfortunately, the feeling was anything but mutual. Polly despised him, and her heart belonged to Zachary, whom she adored. This made Anthony even more determined to get back at Zachary.

    "Cut the crap. Let''s fight!" Polly yelled, even as she struggled to support her own weight on her legs. With a heave, she raised her arm and pointed her halberd at Anthony.

    Anthony snickered. "You look like you are about to fall apart. You won''t withstand a single blow from me." He was arrogant and condescending, but what he had said had some truth to it. Polly''s chances of surviving, let alone winning, were close to none.

    "I''ll give it a try and see if you are really that capable, you windbag!" Polly replied bluntly. Risky as it was, she would not allow such an obnoxious man degrade her in this way.

    "Fine, as you wish!" Anthony retorted, his expression haughty as ever. Without even taking a single step towards Polly, he clenched his left fist. With a bright flash, an intense martial energy burst out of it, hot as fire. It circled around his left fist like a vice.

    "You say you want to see if I''m capable. Well, why don''t I show you the most unique skill of our Xiao Clan!" With that, he raised his left fist and smashed it onto the ground. Immediately, the flame-like martial energy split the earth and sank deep into it.

    Polly felt the earth shake beneath her feet. All of a sudden, a looming shadow, shaped like a dragon, leaped from the

    She was so stunned. Her lips moved but no sound escaped them. "It''s...you!" she exclaimed in a weak voice.

    "I know I''m handsome, but you don''t need to be so surprised!" Zachary answered with a shameless smile.

    Hearing this, Polly spluttered, laughing and snorting with anger simultaneously. But the breath caught in her lungs and she coughed, spitting out blood.

    "You are badly hurt. Let''s find a place to heal you first," Zachary said gently, frowning. Polly''s condition was deteriorating quickly. He had not expected her to be so seriously injured.

    "I''m fine. Put me down," Polly said, blushing and shaking her head. "You cannot hug me like this. It''s inappropriate!"

    Zachary snorted sarcastically. "You are so full of yourself. Do you seriously think I like hugging you? You look very thin, but you are actually quite heavy!" he panted theatrically. "I am really curious where all that weight comes from!" As he spoke, he glanced at Polly''s plump breasts and thought to himself, ''Probably that is where the weight come from.'' He chortled at that thought.

    Polly''s face, already red, blushed, an even deeper shade of scarlet appearing on the face. Weakly, she punched his chest with her fist. "I''m not heavy! How rude of you! How can you say such a thing to a woman? My weight is not the problem. You are such a weakling that you cannot even lift a skinny thing like me!"

    Zachary sighed. "Since you know you are a woman, you don''t have to work so hard. Moreover, they just wanted to use you to deal with me. All you had to do was pretend to cooperate with them. You didn''t need to put yourself in such a dangerous situation. Look, you are injured so badly." For all his jokes, Zachary knew that if he had not arrived in time, she could have died.

 Chapter 459 The Philter

    Polly didn''t know how to retort, so she simply rolled her eyes at Zachary. But she was well-aware of the fact that if it were not for him, she would have surely been captured by Anthony. And it was not difficult to imagine the consequences. Zachary taking advantage of her was better than facing this consequence.

    After coming to this conclusion, she stayed in his arms without saying a word. Zachary ran at full speed all the way, carrying Polly in his arms. Soon, she found that her own body began heating up, as if a flame was lit in her chest. She could not help but tremble slightly.

    "Are you all right?" Zachary asked, lowering his head to look at her.

    "Yeah!" Polly gently bit her pink lips and shook her head. She knew that the philter Anthony had given her was beginning to take effect, but she was too embarrassed to tell Zachary the truth. So she could only try her best to endure it.

    It didn''t take long for Zachary to take Polly to a remote place among some stones, where it seemed relatively safe.

    "This place looks good!" Zachary looked around before he put her down.

    "You can go now," Polly said. By now, her face was flushed red like a tomato. Her body felt like an overheated oven. Her throat was very dry, longing for moisture.

    "You want me to leave?" Zachary was confused, glancing at Polly who was behaving increasingly strange. He felt that she was being weird. Besides, he also sensed that her body was hot, but he thought it was due to her injury.

    "They will find us soon. And I don''t want to get you into trouble," Polly said. She knew that Anthony would not give up so easily. He and his men must be tracking them down.

    "No, you''re wrong. The fact is that I have gotten you into this predicament. I won''t leave you until I''m sure that you''re safe," Zachary assured her. Anyway, Polly was the younger sister of Pollard, who was like a brother to him. He would not leave his her alone here in a dangerous situation.

    "I... When I ask you to go, just go! Just cut the crap! Go... Or I will..." Polly knew that she couldn''t hold on any longer. The desire in her body was overwhelming, which made she feel embarrassed. Her eyes, which were fixed on Zachary, began to fill with lust. Like a hungry lioness, she measured his lean and strong bo

    want to take advantage of women. Although I''m not a decent man, I don''t want to pounce on women every time with the excuse of rescuing them. It affects my self-esteem! I want to sleep with women only if they admire me."

    If the disciples of the Shura College heard that the only reason he was unwilling to sleep with Polly was because of his self-esteem, they would beat their chests and stamp their feet in jealousy. They might even want to jump off a tall building!

    While Zachary was lost in thought, Polly let out a light groan. Maybe it was because the effect of the philter had reached its limit that she writhed and squirmed restlessly in Zachary''s arms. Her hands began to caress his chest and moved upwards. Then she put her arms around his neck and continued to breathe heavily. Her eyes were filled with lust. She looked at Zachary helplessly, as if she was eager for something.

    "Oh my God! Is she seducing me? But it''s a sin! I''ll admit even I want to commit this sin but I think she might hate me for a lifetime if I go ahead" Zachary could hardly control himself when he looked into her eyes. But he knew her very well, so he understood that even if he did it just to save her, he would get into a lot of trouble with her. On the other hand, he couldn''t just stand still and not do anything to help her.

    "I cannot think about the consequences right now. I''ll do it. Maybe she will take the lead to pounce on me!" Zachary didn''t ruminate any more. He turned to Mimi and ordered, "Mimi, get me a room!"

 Chapter 460 A Closed Space

    Soon Zachary teleported himself into a closed space, carrying Polly in his arms. For a while they continued to float in air.

    Polly, at the moment, was driven by pure lust. She intertwined her limbs around Zachary and started to rub erotically against him. Soon, she was getting more and more aroused.

    With a cry, she ripped apart Zachary''s clothes. She desperately parted aside his shredded clothes and started to grope his lean and taut body.

    "Wow! You should look at yourself now!" Zachary shook his head as he saw Polly''s state.

    Just then, Polly suddenly pushed him down with a strong force. Luckily, they were floating in the air. Otherwise, the push would have really hurt his back.

    Polly gave in to her animal instincts. She continued to grope him, until she slid her hands in between his legs.

    "Hey, easy!" Zachary exclaimed, as he grimaced with pain. Polly was strong. If she used some more strength, he would suffer terribly.

    Somehow Polly understood and moved her hands back to his upper body. Soon she cradled in between his thighs and started to ride. Her eyes rolled up as waves of passion surged through her.

    Zachary was equally enjoying himself and he chose not to interrupt her. But soon, with the strong effect of the drug, Polly still seemed to be craving for more. She grabbed his hands and placed them on her ample bosom.

    A surge of heat rode through Zachary as he struggled to control himself. Blindly, Polly began to take off her clothes and threw herself into Zachary''s arms, pressing closer to him and feeling his smooth skin.

    After feeling and tasting each other, Zachary began to guide Polly to detoxify her. Of course, this process was quite intense and time consuming.

    When Polly woke up, she felt a sharp pain shooting all over her body, as if she was in intense phy

    gged and turned to leave.

    Realizing that he was actually leaving her, Polly trembled and shouted, "Don''t leave me!"

    "I have to, or else you will kill me." Zachary stopped and looked back at Polly.

    "I won''t kill you. For now," Polly promised. Whatever Zachary had done, it was to save her. Besides, she had no idea where she was now. If he just left, she would be at a loss.

    "Really? As long as you keep your promise, I''ll get you out of here." Zachary''s eyes flickered.

    "I''ve made up my mind. I''ll kill Anthony first, and then you." Polly was not a fool. She knew, of course, what was favorable to her.

    "Very good. After you kill him, I will surrender myself to you," Zachary promised.

    Polly was speechless at his words. She thought that he was merely being too honest. But she could tell that he had no other choice. In her opinion, what Zachary did to her was absolutely unacceptable. But if she were in his place, she also would have incorporated similar action. Anyway, right now her mind was too muddled to make sense of anything.

    "Let''s go." Zachary walked up to Polly, put his hand on her shoulder and led her out of the space. They began their journey back to the competition area.

 Chapter 461 Anesthetic

    "If your plan is to get rid of Anthony permanently, well...I think I can help you with that." Zachary took a sidelong glance at Polly, ignoring the rage in her expression.

    "I''d rather not, thanks!" Polly replied almost instantly as she tossed her head, annoyed.

    "Fair enough, but are you really sure that you can kill him all by yourself?" Zachary tilted his head slightly as he looked at her askance.

    "I don''t think that''s any of your business!" Polly retorted, eyes blazing with stubbornness. He''d hit a nerve and she knew it; there was just no possible way that she, in her current level of strength, would be able to kill Anthony by herself.

    "Is it?" Zachary raised his eyebrow, smirking at her. "I''d think about it, if I were you. I''m sure that Anthony''s out there just rearing to take the chance to nail me first. What I didn''t expect was that he''d try to trap you and dangle you as bait. It''s a little insulting, isn''t it? If we work together, you''d get the opportunity to get back at him the same way, you know." Zachary grinned, a cunning gleam in his eye as he waited for her reaction.

    Polly stared for a moment before she stamped her foot in frustration. "What are you talking about?! I don''t get it!" She knew he was up to something, but just what that something was remained elusive to her.

    "We were there for less than an hour, Polly," Zachary explained patiently, like he was talking to a child. "And I''m pretty sure that they''ll reach us soon. Now, what do you think their reaction will be if they see you, poor, hurt Polly, recuperating all on your own? Are you getting what I''m saying?" Zachary smirked at her, his gaze meaningful.

    "You want to use me to catch them off guard and get them with their defenses down!" Polly said, divining what he had in mind.

    "Exactly. Look, you haven''t fully recovered yet. You better make most of whatever time you''ve got left to heal up. We''re going to be up to our eyeballs in fighting later." Zachary quickly urged her, nodding. He was well aware that he was more than powerful enough to take care of Anthony''s group on his own, but he couldn''t expose his true strength right now, especially not in front of Polly.

    "Hang on a minute. If I''m just the bait here, then it doesn''t matter to you one bit if I heal or not!" Polly suddenly snapped, indignantly staring at him.

    "Well, alright then! That''s up to you. I''m just saying that if you''re not up to full capacity, I''m not going to be around to look after you. I mean if they catch you again, I''m not taking the time to save you for a second time. I don''t help people who don''t help themselves." Zachary rolled his eyes, smiling at her.

    "Excuse you, but don''t you dare think for one second that I need to be saved by you!" Polly snapped back, rolling her eyes right back at him as she drew out two green therapeutic pills. She resolutely swallowed them and put her complete attention to healing her wounds.

    As Polly focused on rapid healing, Zachary also began h

    lied no mercy. "Anyone who dares to hurt my woman will end up like that waste of space there. And that''s only the beginning." He bestowed a hard, cold glance at the green-robed disciple.

    "I''m not your woman!" Polly cried indignantly, her voice shrill as she scowled at him.

    "Oh come on, I just said that to look cool..." Zachary grinned as he winked at her. "Give me a break, doll face."

    Polly gaped at him, torn between relief and the unadulterated urge to slap the smirk off his face.

    "You spineless little ingrate, you''re dead!!" In spite of his injury, the disciple still found the strength to glare balefully at Zachary. He struggled to get up and lunge at him, but he barely took two steps before the world around him spun and his legs gave out from under him.

    "Did you really think I was going to give you a chance to get back up?" Zachary raised an eyebrow with a calm smile. A thin layer of green liquid gleamed ominously from the tip of the spear.

    "You...!" Choking the rest of his words in a rattling gargle, the green-robed disciple collapsed completely.

    At this, the remaining disciple immediately fled from Polly''s side as fast as his legs could take him.

    "What did you do?" Polly couldn''t help asking, curiously staring at the unconscious disciple.

    "Nothing serious, really; just little bit of my home-made anesthetic. Want to give it a try? It''s quite effective. The only problem is that it''s a paralytic too. You won''t be able to move for at least a day and a night with this thing." Zachary waved the spear tip at her.

    "What the hell, no! Get that thing away from me!" Polly shuddered, cringing away from the spear and realizing that there was just no understanding the way Zachary''s mind worked.

    Anthony, having listened to all of this, only felt his rage grow further by the second. Zachary had taken down two of his men without even breaking a sweat. Livid, he roared, "You must be tired of being alive, you worthless worm! You''ll pay for this!"

 Chapter 462 A Risk Of Being Eliminated

    "It is you who is courting death! How dare you drug my woman!" Zachary glared at Anthony. "Now it''s your turn! The time has come to settle accounts between us once and for all."

    "Bah! You are no match for me!" Anthony said arrogantly with a sneer.

    "Ha-ha, did you forget about Polly? She will help me!" Zachary pointed to Polly with a smug smile.

    Anthony became serious. It was true. Polly was standing nearby. He hesitated and asked, "Weren''t you drugged? The drug should have worked. Why didn''t it react on you at all?" Polly''s face turned red with anger and humiliation at his comment.

    She had been distracted by Zachary and forgotten all about their passionate experience. It made her feel embarrassed. However, when Anthony brought it up again, she couldn''t help but recall the scene where she had wild sex with Zachary.

    "Ha-ha! She was only drugged with an aphrodisiac, not poison!" Zachary told Anthony as he noticed the change in Polly''s expression. He couldn''t help chuckling.

    "Hey! Don''t underestimate me. She was not drugged with an ordinary aphrodisiac. It was an incredibly powerful one. Once drugged, one will be obsessed with their lover until death. It took me a lot of effort to get this drug for her. Moreover, there is no antidote to it. The only cure is to have sex." Anthony squinted his eyes. Everyone present was stunned by what he said.

    Zachary and Polly looked at each other with mixed reactions on their faces when they heard the words.

    Zachary was speechless! If what Anthony said was true, then Polly was destined to be his woman for life!

    Polly''s body couldn''t help trembling. She also understood the subtext in Anthony''s words. She not only lost her virginity to Zachary, but she also was likely to fall in love with him now. An inexplicable feeling rose in her heart at this realization. Strangely, she didn''t feel angry. Instead, she was overcome with a sense of relief, perhaps because she felt lucky that it was Zachary who saved her by having

    dashed ahead, intending to fight. He didn''t believe that Zachary could play tricks.

    Zachary and Polly were also in position, ready to take him on. However, just when Anthony was about to get close to them, a beautiful figure floated over. It was a tall and slender female figure. She stood in front of Anthony and said in a low voice, "Anthony, you can bully them easily with your strength. They are just newcomers of King Level. It''s too much for them. Let me be your opponent."

    Anthony recognized her and was taken aback. His expression changed instantly. He never expected this beautiful figure to be Joan, the number one among all the disciples of King Level in the Shura College.

    "Joan?" Polly let out a sigh of relief when she saw Joan. She knew that she and Zachary wouldn''t have been able to beat Anthony if he really used all his might against them.

    "Great timing!" Zachary said with a grin.

    Anthony never expected Joan to show up, and he did not dare to offend her. If she wanted to, she could eliminate him immediately. He made a wise decision. Anthony pointed at Zachary and said, "Hey, you brat, I''ll let you go today. And we''ll fight next time." After that, he stretched and left.

    "This guy really times it right and is good at changing his attitude." Zachary was not surprised at Anthony''s reaction.

 Chapter 463 Joans Proposal

    "Joan, you came just on time! I don''t think we could have defeated him, even if the two of us worked together," said Polly. Her eyes were flickering excitedly. She knew she was not strong enough to kill Anthony alone though she really wanted to. So she was just happy to see Joan come here.

    "Are you guys all right? You look a bit weird," Joan asked them, as she turned to look more closely at Zachary and Polly. Suspiciously, the two of them tensed almost at the same time.

    "No!"

    "Yes!"

    Polly and Zachary answered in chorus, but their answers were out of sync. Polly grimaced at their dissonant answers, while Zachary remained impassive.

    Meanwhile, Joan was surprised to hear two different answers. She immediately narrowed her eyes at them, and turned to Zachary who replied positively. "Tell me what happened. Did you get hurt?"

    "No, it''s not me. It''s her," Zachary replied at once as he pointed at Polly, who glared at him in return.

    "Me? Don''t talk nonsense!" Polly immediately denied but refused to meet Joan''s eyes.

    "I think you have to quit the strength contest right away," said Zachary seriously all of a sudden.

    "What? No way! I will not quit unless I am eliminated!" Polly protested. There was no way she would give up, not when she believed that she could still fight.

    "If you don''t quit, Anthony might take revenge on you," Zachary insisted. His eyes narrowed in concern, as he wondered what sinister plan Anthony would come up with this time.

    "That''s none of your business," Polly huffed at him.

    "How could it be none of my business? Have you forgotten what happened before? Do you want that kind of thing to happen again? Of course, I don''t mind it. I''m just worried that you may not want that," said Zachary with a wicked smile on his face, his eyes fixed on Polly.

    Polly was rendered speechless. Zachary''s concern was reasonable because she also believed that Anthony wouldn''t give up that easily, and he was probably planning his revenge at that moment.

    "Look, guys. I don''t know what happened before, but I think Harley is right. You''d better quit the strength contest, just to be careful. I also think that Anthony will come for you, and if he hurts you, Pollard would be furious," Joan said. She thought that Anthony was fighting with Zachary because of Polly, but the truth was that Anthony was just using Polly to threaten Zachary, and in fact, Anthony had almost succeeded.

    "No, Joan! How could you support his proposal?" Polly complained when she heard Joan agree with Zachary, a sullen look etched on her face.

    "I''m just telling the truth. It will be difficult for you to pass the strength contest at this rate, especially since you are being targeted by a troublesome character like Anthony

    hest. His face was serious and calculating.

    "All I want is the egg of this treasure beast. As for the rest of the treasures and the beast itself, they will all belong to you," Joan said earnestly.

    "What if we only find the beast''s egg?" Zachary asked. Of course, he wasn''t stupid to promise his cooperation without a guarantee. What if there wasn''t any treasure except the egg?

    "Then I will give you the beast''s egg," Joan answered without hesitation.

    "Great! It''s a deal," Zachary replied energetically.

    "Then, let''s go and get started. We''re not the only ones who want to find that treasure beast. Many disciples at the premium stage of King Level are also searching for it. After all, it''s a treasure beast with the ice element. You should know how valuable its egg is," said Joan.

    Zachary shrugged his shoulders but didn''t say anything more. Without further fanfare, the two of them set off and headed for the depths of the Beast Valley.

    Just as Joan had said, disciples at the King Level were scattered in Beast Valley, and they were beginning to advance into its depths. They, too, were looking for the treasure beast with the ice element.

    However, it wasn''t easily found. Even the Imperial Level warriors of the Shura College, who frequently searched for it in Beast Valley, got nothing in return.

    Besides the rare beast, there were other martial beasts at the premium stage of King Level that loitered in the depths of Beast Valley. If weak people entered the valley, they would never be able to get out alive.

    Despite that danger, there were still fearless disciples at the premium stage of King Level that gathered in the depths of Beast Valley, and all of them wanted to give it a try. They thought that, maybe, they would be lucky enough to survive and locate the treasure beast with the ice element.

 Chapter 464 Protective Martial Energy

    Ice covered the depths of the Beast Valley. Around a thousand meters of space was frozen cold. As warriors entered the valley, piercing cold would welcome them.

    Zachary and Joan cautiously navigated the frozen area.

    "It wasn''t this cold earlier. The temperature only dropped as soon as we entered this place," Zachary complained. In fact, he was not cold at all, but to conceal his true strength from Joan, he was forced to maximize his protective martial energy to resist the cold like she did.

    "That''s why I''m asking you to join me. Even if I find the beast with the ice element on my own, I won''t be able to deal with it in such cold," Joan explained.

    "But it seems that other disciples of King Level have also come here." At that moment, Zachary became aware of the auras around him. The disciples of King Level were approaching.

    "Luck is our best bet here. The beast we are looking for might even have power that prevents it from being discovered. Otherwise, it would have already been found," Joan said.

    "Just like the Hundred-Treasure Beast." Zachary was no stranger to the power of treasure beasts.

    "Any ideas?" Joan turned to look at Zachary and waited for an answer. She knew he was a man of great ability, so she decided to work with him. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been powerful enough to defeat the Hundred-Treasure Beast alone.

    "Yes, but I have to leave now," Zachary answered.

    "Where are you going?" Joan looked at him with puzzled eyes.

    "Nature''s calling," Zachary answered with a shy smile.

    "Alright, go ahead!" She rolled his eyes at Zachary.

    Then Zachary disappeared.

    He entered the system.

    "Mimi, check whether the treasure beast is in this area," Zachary instructed.

    "Checking..."

    A huge screen flashed in front of Zachary. On it, the one-thousand-meter area was displayed. Red dots blinked on the screen.

    Then, t

    ened it. Then, he floated to the stone mountain using Shadow Pace.

    "Hey, where are you going?" Joan screamed as she followed Zachary promptly.

    Zachary''s speed surprised Joan. He was agile and swift, and Joan was barely keeping up.

    After some exploration, Zachary went down the mountain. After a short while, Joan also returned. "What''s wrong with you?" she asked in between short breaths. "Are you trying to make fun of me?"

    Zachary gestured for her to keep quiet.

    Joan was stunned then did as ordered.

    Then, a strange noise came from the stone mountain. It was as if the mountain was about to break. Suddenly, ice wind blew fiercely and cold air surged like a tide. Zachary and Joan found themselves amid a thick ice fog.

    Bang!

    A loud noise came from behind the stone mountain. Suddenly, the two felt a violent chill rushed over from the stone mountain at an amazing speed.

    In an instant, a giant ice lion with a tiger head stood fiercely at the peak of the stone mountain. It roared a loud and majestic roar.

    "The Ice Liger! It''s the treasure beast that we''re looking for!" Joan looked at it with admiration. She couldn''t believe it. They had actually found the scarce treasure beast with the ice element in the Beast Valley.

 Chapter 465 Ghost Shadow Blade

    "This beast is very good at hiding. It was actually hiding under the mountain. Fortunately, I have a sharp sense of smell so I detected its excrement," said Zachary, curling his lips in disgust.

    It turned out that this particular mountain was the preferred hideout of the Ice Liger. However, since the mountain was huge, it concealed the aura of the liger. No one expected the Ice Liger to hide in such a conspicuous place.

    Just now, Zachary smelled a strange odor, which seemed to be emanating from the direction of the mountain. He immediately became alert. The aura was easy to conceal, but not the smell, especially when he was there, who had the nose of a bloodhound.

    "But this beast is quite powerful!" said Zachary, turning around to look at Joan. Apparently, this Ice Liger had already reached the Imperial Level, and was not weaker than the Hundred-Treasure Beast he had subdued.

    "I''m afraid we can''t deal with it, given our current strength." Joan looked depressed because the Ice Liger was so close, but it was obvious that they couldn''t deal with it even with their strength combined.

    "It''s easy! Let''s lure it away and let the other interested King Level disciples fight it, and then we can take the advantage and reap the final benefit," Zachary said with a wicked snicker.

    "Do you think the other King Level disciples are fools? They won''t be fooled so easily. Moreover, I''m afraid they won''t be able to hold on for long either." Joan stared at Zachary. She felt it was a bad idea.

    "So then what are you going to do?" Zachary inquired.

    Joan became silent. She really didn''t have a concrete plan in mind.

    The two were staring at each other when suddenly several auras wafted over from not far away. It must be the King Level disciples who had heard the sound and come over.

    "Speak of the devil and he will appear! It looks like some people are coming to help us." The corners of Zachary''s mouth lifted into a grin. "Let''s find a place to wait and watch!"

    After some hesitation, Joan nodded. They made their way to a huge ice stone, which was not far from the mountain, and hid behind it.

    Before long, five King Level disciples appeared in front of the mountai

    undred steps at a time. In a flash, he was in front of the Ice Liger.

    The Ice Liger opened its mouth and spewed out an ice bomb and hurled it at Goliath.

    Goliath casually waved his hand without even looking at it. A ghost shadow appeared in a flash and turned into a blade. It cut the ice bomb into two pieces, and they exploded in the air.

    "Ghost Shadow Blade! He is from the Ghost Clan," Joan yelled suddenly.

    "The Ghost Clan? Is it a famous clan in the Devil Kingdom?" Zachary turned to ask Joan when he heard of this new clan.

    "Sort of. But it is the most notorious heterodox clan in the Devil Kingdom. It is impossible for the disciples of the Ghost Clan to enter Shura College. So how did he mange to get in?" Joan speculated.

    "Sure enough, this man has some history..." Zachary was surprised to learn this but he appeared very calm. He didn''t care where this Goliath came from. What really mattered was how strong he was. Maybe this Goliath guy would be a hindrance for him when he tried to win the championship in the strength contest.

    As he was talking, Goliath, who had just broken the powerful ice bomb of the Ice Liger, turned into phantoms which encircled it.

    "This is one of the Ghost Clan''s unique skills¡ªthe Ghost Shadow Kill! Oh yeah, he is definitely from the Ghost Clan." Joan''s expression changed again.

    "Well, you seem to be very familiar with the Ghost Clan?" Seeing how excited Joan was acting, Zachary was curious too.

 Chapter 466 Phoenix Pavilion

    "Three years ago, there were devastating battles between the Phoenix Pavilion and the Ghost Clan. During that time, I was called back to the Phoenix Pavilion to fight the Ghost Clan. That is how I know about them," Joan said, her eyes glittering.

    "Oh! So that is how you seem to know so much about them!" Zachary said. His eyes narrowed as he noticed that the skill Goliath adopted was a special movement skill. Otherwise, it was impossible to create so many phantoms at the same time. Soon it became evident that Goliath''s movement skill could even compete with his Shadow Pace. Obviously, the Ghost Clan was a force to be reckoned with.

    In the meantime, Goliath already deployed the Ghost Shadow Kill. Instantly, all the phantoms rushed towards the Ice Liger. It was hard to tell which phantom was real, so the Ice Liger could only wave its claws furiously. As soon its claws came in direct contact with the phantoms, the phantoms vanished. But many still tried to attack the Ice Liger from different directions.

    The phantoms began striking Ice Liger with different attacking techniques. Soon there was a deafening bang! Bang! Bang!

    Martial energy with great intensity exploded around the Ice Liger. Instantly, a blinding light filled the space and the martial energy was surging in every direction.

    The Ice Liger roared furiously.

    Soon all the phantoms disappeared and Goliath stood as if he never moved from his position.

    Although the Ice Liger seemed as ferocious as before, it had been grievously injured by Goliath''s martial energy. Now it appeared even more agitated. As it collected its breath, it continued to glare at Goliath with its enormous burning eyes.

    "He should have reached the Imperial Level," Zachary murmured. He was certain of it, although it couldn''t be told from the martial energy of the Ghost Shadow Kill Goliath had just performed. Still Zachary saw through Goliath. This man was holding back, as he tried to hide his real cultivation level.

    A warrior of Imperial Level from a heterodox clan pretended to be a disciple and secretly slipped into the Shura College. What was more, he even participated in the King Level contest. Obviously, he was up to something!

    ''Does it have something to do with Logan?'' Zachary

    Ice Liger lunged at them and sent them flying backward into the air. They fell onto the ground with such intensity that blood sprayed from their mouths.

    "If we want to subdue the Ice Liger, we must work together. That is the only way to succeed!" Goliath said in a commanding voice. Naturally he took up the position of a leader.

    The rest of the disciples, including Truman and Anthony, looked at one another. None of them knew who Goliath was, but his aura and commanding presence indicated he was a man of importance.

    "That''s right. It''s a rare opportunity to meet this scarce treasure beast with the ice element. What a pity if we return empty-handed!" Truman chimed in at once.

    "Let''s do it together!" Anthony also agreed.

    Soon after, the other disciples seemed to agree with Truman and Anthony. Both of them were from great clans and their voices carried a lot of weight among the disciples. So a temporary alliance was instantly formed. All the disciples began to attack as one force.

    Truman and Anthony, however, stood rooted to the spot as if they were waiting for a signal.

    At the same time, Goliath who had acted heroically a moment before now flashed a malicious smile. What happened before him was something he had predicted.

    It all happened too fast. The instant those disciples pressed in on the Ice Liger, its huge body suddenly gave out a brilliant light.

    "Oh, no. Something terrible is going to happen," Joan whispered as she hid in the dark, her face turning pale.

 Chapter 467 Ways To Subdue The Ice Liger

    "He who''s unjust is bound to become undone. They''re being deceived by Goliath," Zachary sneered. He already suspected that there was something wrong with Goliath. If he wanted to hide his strength, then Goliath would''ve never provoked the Ice Liger¡ªwhich was the opposite of what he had just done. Earlier, he summoned a skill that was unique to the Ghost Clan even though he knew this would expose his identity. Obviously, he wanted to cause a stir to attract the attention of the disciples at the premium stage of King Level who were also searching for the Ice Liger.

    There was only one reason why he did this¡ªto indirectly kill any powerful disciple who was his potential competitor.

    Of course, he wasn''t the only one who thought if this. Truman and Anthony had the same idea as well, which was why they connived with Goliath to lure these disciples towards the liger and attack the beast together.

    As a result, their joint attack irritated the beast.

    Instantly, the liger counterattacked. It burst out intertwining ice thorns like blooming flowers in the area fifty meters around it. It was such a beautifully terrifying scene.

    The disciples who approached the liger were all hit by the ice thorns. Most of them were trapped with cuts all over their bodies and their hands and feet pierced into place, immobilizing them.

    These elites from the Shura College were trapped by the liger with ease. It became obvious how truly powerful it was!

    Goliath, Truman, and Anthony gloated at the scene before them, pleased with the results of their plan. Now they''d have fewer opponents to deal with.

    "They''re surely not afraid to get their hands dirty!" Joan exclaimed in disdain once she realized what was happening, unable to restrain herself.

    Within the next moment, the liger cleared the icicles with a wild swipe of its claws and was ready to attack the trapped disciples.

    "I have to save them." Joan was unable to hold back her anger, as she didn''t want to see so many disciples slaughtered by the vicious beast in front of her.

    "You''re asking for death if you go near it."

    cer by its spiritual soul, thus making the bracer more powerful. If the bracer is refined by any beast or human''s spiritual soul, it will become more powerful. Of course, you can also use its spiritual soul to refine your own spiritual soul," Andrew replied with great familiarity.

    "Sounds great." Zachary''s lips curled into a light smile. He had already absorbed the souls of the martial beasts before and managed to turn the Holy Bone Bracer into a soul weapon. Thus, he knew his brace had such a function. He asked Andrew just to confirm it.

    "In fact, you''ll be more than capable of subduing the beast with your strength. Why bother with such an unnecessary move?" Andrew asked immediately.

    "Normally, I would want to subdue it. However, I can''t use my true strength at the Imperial Level for the moment since this is the King Level contest. Although the spiritual soul of such a scarce beast was quite rare, it appears I have no other choice," Zachary said in a helpless tone. He needed to consider the overall results of his choice very carefully.

    "In fact, after you get the Ice Liger''s spiritual soul, you could put it into that of another treasure beast, if you currently possess one. That way, you can control the liger by the spiritual soul of another beast," Andrew explained slowly.

    "Are you certain?" Zachary asked, his eyes lighting up with the new bit of information.

 Chapter 468 The Ice Liger

    "Were it another warrior, even a Sage Level warrior, they might not be able to do it. But you are different. You have the Holy Bone Bracer and you''re cultivating the God-slaying Formula. Using the method I mentioned should be easy for you to do in order to deal with the Ice Liger," said Andrew with certainty.

    "Got it." Zachary had a hearty smile on his face.

    Meanwhile, Goliath, Truman and Anthony were taken aback by Queenie''s sudden appearance as she rushed to save those trapped disciples. Their good humor was gone now that she''d ruined such a good plan.

    "Since the Celestial College''s strongest King Level warrior has shown up, chances of the Ice Liger being captured has just risen up," Goliath said, taking advantage of the situation.

    "I want to subdue this treasure beast. If you also have your eyes on it, we''ll just have to see who can manage to take it down first," Queenie disclosed, showcasing her intentions to pursue the Ice Liger straight away.

    Right before the strength contest started, Queenie had heard that there was an ice-attribute treasure beast living in the area where the first stage of the competition was taking place. Naturally, the news had intrigued her. She''d been looking forward to getting energy fire with the ice attribute from this treasure beast. Originally, she''d wanted to ask Zachary for help. However, she wasn''t really one to take the initiative and do that. Not to mention, she felt like she was getting too close to him ever since she went to Shura College. She had unknowingly developed feelings for him. That, in turn, had made her put her guard up and feel like she could no longer rely on him. That was why she hadn''t told him about her plan and chose to come here alone. Little did she know that he was already here, watching her from the dark.

    Queenie summoned her treasure beast, the Nimble White Lion. She released it and charged at the Ice Liger with great momentum, trying to see if she could subdue it. Of course, she knew that chances of this succeeding were small.

    Seeing Queenie make the first move, some of the brave disciples who''d just escaped disaster decided to follow her and wait for their own chance.

    A fierce fight took place as she and her Nimble White Lion attac

    , a figure jumped up from out of nowhere and flew directly to the Ice Liger''s head.

    In a flash, blue light shone brightly from the Holy Bone Bracer on Zachary''s wrist. It was dazzling. In turn, a ray of light resembling a spiritual soul was slowly sucked out from Ice Liger, flying towards the Holy Bone Bracer.

    All the people present, including Goliath, were stunned by what was happening. What was more surprising was that the aggressive Ice Liger hadn''t put up any resistance at all. Of course, none of them were aware that Zachary''s real strength had reached the Imperial Level. The newly updated Holy Bone Bracer was much stronger than before, so even the Imperial Level treasure beast couldn''t resist it.

    "What is he planning on doing?" Goliath immediately got a sinking feeling about what was going on. However, he knew that he couldn''t let Zachary have his way. He made use of his special movement skill, hoping to silently approach Zachary and stop him.

    Truman and Anthony shared the same thought as Goliath. Last time, Zachary had subdued the Hundred-Treasure Beast in front of them, which had already pissed them off and made them very upset. They would not tolerate it if Zachary obtained this treasure beast.

    So in the blink of an eye, they were both darting towards Zachary.

    The three figures approached Zachary who was facing the Ice Liger head-to-head at an alarming speed. At the same time, the fierce King Level martial energy surged in droves and swept over Zachary.

 Chapter 469 Three Powerful Strikes

    Upon noticing this, Queenie and Joan knew that Goliath and the two others wanted nothing else but to cause Zachary harm. Both Queenie and Joan rushed over as quickly as they could with the intention of helping, but it was already too late. Would they be able to do anything at all?

    The trio launched their attacks simultaneously, tripling their danger. Three martial skills at the premium stage of King Level were deployed in no time at all. The light was shining brightly above them, causing morbid shadows. The blinding light flashed at great speed towards Zachary, as if it was going to devour him alive.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    The strikes exploded in succession in close quarters with Zachary. Within seconds, the explosions morphed into raging winds and huge waves of energy, rampaging in all directions like an unimaginable natural disaster.

    All the disciples who were watching nearby also felt stunned, so much so that they couldn''t utter a single word, nor could they tear their eyes away from such a ferocious fight. Only one thought was on each of their minds: If they were to be attacked by these three guys, they would have no chance at survival whatsoever. In the same way, they all believed that Zachary was doomed to die this time. Doubtlessly, a certain few felt sorry for him while others thought Zachary was getting just what he deserved.

    Both Queenie''s and Joan''s facial expressions suddenly changed, for the worse. All they had wanted to do was give Zachary a hand. Clearly, they hadn''t come to his rescue on time.

    It wasn''t before long that Zachary''s body was swallowed whole by the light created by the three warriors'' near simultaneous strikes. And there wasn''t a single sign of movement on Zachary''s behalf.

    Quickly noticing that Zachary wasn''t reacting as they had expected, the three warriors took their success for granted. Of course, they were so utterly confident about their strikes that they believed Zachary had no chance of surviving anyway. For this reason, none of them bothered to chase him or get closer in order to confirm his death. Instead, they pulled themselves several feet away and kept a safe distance. They were still a little afraid of the Ice Liger.

    Just when everyone was certain Zachary was going to die, a wave of strength burst out unexpectedly and dispersed the light that had devoured him earlier at once. At the same time, Zachary reappeared, showing no sign of injury on his body.

    As they observed the scene playing out before them, all the disciples held their mouths open in shock. It was hard to imagine that Zachary wasn''t hurt at all after the three had worked together to strike him fiercely.

    The three warriors were equally rendered speechless and had even less something to say at the moment! What had just happened was simply beyond their imagination. No one had planned for this.

    It was then that the Holy Bone Bracer on Zachary''s wrist began to shine brightly. With that, it became obvious that the greate

    ng their heads, a regretful expression on their faces.

    "Your name is Harley, I presume?" Out of the blue, Goliath suddenly appeared beside Zachary. He stared at Zachary with sharp eyes and an overwhelmingly strong sense of evil spirit.

    "How could you be so rude! You should introduce yourself first before calling my name! You should know better," Zachary sneered. He had been very interested in Goliath as well. He knew this man had hidden his strength, keeping it as a surprise for the final battle. Thus, Zachary doubted that his biggest opponent was probably this guy.

    "Ah! Well, you can call me Goliath!" Goliath replied, informing Zachary of his name at once.

    "Oh, actually, I already knew your name. I just want to confirm it," Zachary said promptly.

    "You!" Goliath shouted angrily. Realizing that Zachary was obviously messing with him, Goliath glared at him with angry eyes, lack of having something to retort back. He was rendered speechless.

    As they noticed his silence, both Queenie and Joan couldn''t help but laugh. Goliath''s face twitched, seemingly regretting having introduced his name again when everyone obviously already knew it.

    "Harley, you said, right? I''ll remember your face, trust me!" As soon as he finished speaking, he transformed into a phantom and vanished.

    "How impolite of you to leave so suddenly!" Zachary called out to the emptiness, in a seemingly pitiful tone. As he shook his head, he turned to Truman and Anthony and said, "I''m sorry to have disappointed the two of you! You can''t just defeat me that easily!"

    Truman and Anthony glared at Zachary with daggers in their eyes, as if they wanted to tear him into pieces. However, now that Zachary had two top disciples, Queenie and Joan, to aid him at all times, they wouldn''t dare attack in such a situation, no matter how arrogant they were and how confident they felt about themselves. All they could do was shoot a hateful glance at Zachary before they left sulkily as a group.

 Chapter 470 A Treasure Beast With The Ice Element

    As soon as Truman and Anthony left, the other disciples looked at one another and tacitly agreed to leave too. Now that they hadn''t obtained the treasure beast, they didn''t want to be targeted. After all, the first stage of the strength contest was still in progress. Beast hunting involved nothing more than a little bit of random luck. For them, the most important thing was to survive the first stage of the strength contest. Nonetheless, they were facing a very difficult goal, because only four disciples could enter the second stage. The cruelty of the strength contest''s first stage could only be imagined.

    More importantly, one couldn''t neglect the fact that when the number of eliminated disciples reduced to a certain number, the remaining disciples would gather together in one area where they would fight against one another violently. The true battle took place at that time, and before that, the disciples at the premium stage of King Level would choose to conserve their strength as much as possible. While the King Level disciples at the primary and medium stage killed each other with all their strength, those at the premium stage would benefit from the situation instead.

    Nevertheless, the disciples still felt regretful that they didn''t have the chance to subdue the treasure beast, which they had never seen before and only heard of in legends. However, they also knew that if it was so easy to subdue such a treasure beast, someone else must have already succeeded in doing that. The treasure beast was subdued by the number one disciple from the Celestial College. In other words, they couldn''t help but envy her terribly. But this wasn''t the first time this kind of thing had happened. Last time, in fact, Zachary had subdued the Hundred-Treasure Beast in a similarly chaotic situation. The difference this time was that he seemed to act even more directly than last, as he had helped Queenie subdue the treasure beast, regardless of his own safety. Zachary came off incredibly generous and dedicated to Queenie, so that the disciples wished they were Queenie themselves.

    Envious as they were, the disciples dared not stay here any longer, seeing the number one King Level disciples of both the Shura College and the Celestial College were present. They dashed away in different directions in order to continue the competition.

    In the matter of a few seconds, nobody was left standing on the rocky mountain''s chilly, icy land except Zachary, Queenie and Joan.

    "Why are the two of you together?" Queenie asked before she could even stop herself, figuring that Zachary and Joan seemed to be from the same group. She glared at the two of them in confusion. She couldn''t help but wonder why he was so close to the number one King Level disciple of the Shura College, which made her feel nothing but rather annoyed.

    As s

    ifferent from the Queenie she had always heard about.

    "You''re right on that one. She''s definitely a lot like a queen, but she treats me in a different way...a special way, you know?" Zachary answered honestly. The only way he could explain it was that he was Queenie''s master, kind of. No matter how cold and arrogant she was, she would never behave negatively or badly toward him. Besides, he also felt that Queenie treated him differently than other men. Of course, that was because she had no reason to tread on him like she did to the others, either.

    "Yeah, I''ve noticed that. To be honest, you don''t look very handsome in appearance, but you are very good at dealing with women. Not only Queenie, but also Polly, whom I know much better. She treats you differently too," Joan said, well aware of the situation between the two.

    "I can''t tell. Are you complimenting me or mocking me?" Zachary burst into laughter, a wide smiling wrinkling his features.

    "Ha-ha! You tell me. I''m just speaking my mind." Much like Pollard, Joan was very straightforward and couldn''t keep anything to herself. This explained why the two were so congenial toward each other.

    "Okay, in that case then, I''ll just take it as a compliment," Zachary said, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "If you don''t have any other thing for me to do, then I''ll be on my way now. See you in the final match!" He stalked off slowly, never taking a second look over his shoulder.

    ''He must have some hidden secret. I''m sure of it! I''ve never seen the skill he used to subdue the treasure beast. And the strength of that beast with was obviously above his own. I wonder how he managed to subdue it so easily?'' Joan though to herself. There was still a bit of astonishment on her face when she looked at Zachary''s receding back in the distance. She didn''t watch him a second longer though, and she went on her way as well.

 Chapter 471 The Beast Valley

    The Beast Valley was alive with the sound of battle.

    Marvin and Katrina gathered with other senior leaders and disciples in the square of the Shura College. Together, they paid close attention to the news.

    About four hours later, the group gasped in shock from the news that came out. It was announced that Queenie had subdued a scarce Imperial Level treasure beast with the ice element in the Beast Valley.

    This was bad news for Shura College. Queenie was the most outstanding disciple of the Celestial College and she was nearly at the Imperial Level. She had remarkable strength, and defeating an Imperial Level treasure beast with the ice element just made her even more difficult to beat.

    Joan, who was being groomed to compete with her, definitely fell behind. The senior leaders of the Shura College were definitely displeased by the news.

    "Katrina, it seems like the disciples of the Celestial College are all quite good at defeating beasts. Last time, Harley tamed the Hundred-Treasure Beast. This time, Queenie subdued a scarce Imperial Level treasure beast with the ice element. I''m sure they won''t stop here," Marvin said to Katrina. He was starting to feel defeated. He knew that their disciples were nowhere nearly as competent as Zachary and Queenie.

    If he knew that it was Zachary who tamed the treasure beast for Queenie, he would have more surprised.

    "In defeating a beast, one does not simply need strength. You also need luck. They are not masters. They are beginners who got lucky. In comparison, the Crane College works hard to cultivate talents

    had formed an alliance and, once they cooperated, no disciple stood a chance against them.

    The contest rules observed that if candidates stood within the area where an alliance was permitted, it meant they were cooperating.

    More disciples rushed over and stared in awe of the sight. They did not dare to approach the three. They knew that as soon as they entered the area, they would be as good as dead. The only chance they had was that they all joined hands together.

    However, only four places remained and there were still thirteen disciples left. They had to fight with each other and, even if they joined hands, it wasn''t sure that they were a good match. They would not risk losing both the contest and against the three. Everyone waited for someone to step up and fight them.

    Goliath, Truman and Anthony stood as they waited for anyone to challenge them. Suddenly, three figures with imposing auras appeared in the area, looking directly at the three.

    The rest of the disciples gasped in surprise, but they also saw a glimmer of hope.

 Chapter 472 Three Versus Three

    The three figures who showed up were Queenie, Scott and Rebecca, and they were all from the Celestial College. As King Level disciples, all three undoubtedly possessed strength not inferior to that of Goliath and his companions.

    "You know, at this point, I expected Celestial College to have only one participant left. Having three is very impressive!" Anthony sneered at the three, his voice laced with provocation.

    "We only had ten participants start out for the strength contest. Having three left is actually acceptable. Shura College, however, only has three left, despite practically throwing every possible participant''s hat into the ring. I can also point to those guys who can''t even come out of their hiding place, but the point is...well, we''re much better than you." Queenie smiled with pure vitriol as she contradicted Anthony.

    Anthony trembled with anger.

    "Let''s cut the crap and begin. We''ll be making sure nobody from Celestial College will pass the first stage of the final," Truman replied.

    Goliath, meanwhile, was the only one to remain quiet, and yet his eyes gleamed with raw ferocity.

    Queenie and her companions summoned their treasure beasts without hesitation. As they did so, the Ice Liger came to the ground, emanating pure, almost indiscriminate bloodlust. Naturally of course, with an Imperial Level treasure beast such as this one, Queenie needed to consume more martial energy than usual. Doing so meant a time limit, which subsequently meant she had to end the battle as quickly as possible.

    A serious expression spread among Goliath and his companions upon the presence of Queenie''s treasure beast. The Ice Liger was very powerful, and yet such fact only drove them to become even more focused. In response, Truman and Anthony each summoned their own treasure beasts.

    Queenie and the others had seen their respective beasts beforehand. They were, in all honesty, pretty good. There was one problem, however: they had no chance against the Ice Liger.

    On the other hand, Goliath went against his surroundings once more as the only one who summoned nothing. Given his previous performance against the Ice Liger, Goliath should already be an enigmatic warrior at the ninth grade o

    pressively, but since then, he''s never showed even a flash of brilliance," one of the masters of Imperial Level explained.

    "Is that so?" Marvin mumbled as he stared even more intently at Goliath.

    "It seems I am right about some disciples in Shura College hiding their talents," Katrina said.

    "Well, to see if he really is as talented as we think, we have to wait until both battles settle which warriors proceed to the final''s second stage," Marvin said, despite already putting expectations on Goliath''s ability to stop the two Celestial College disciples.

    Meanwhile, Zachary, who hid quietly under a tall cypress tree, also silently watched the intense battle.

    ''Three versus three? Queenie and her companions certainly have an advantage in terms of strength. However, Goliath has already reached the Imperial Level and is more than capable to take on Rebecca and Scott. Not knowing this, they are pushed to a one-on-two battle that merely puts them in dire circumstances. On the other hand, Queenie can take on Anthony and Truman even if they work together, but she''ll be forced to fight passively under the current situation. The need to manipulate the Ice Liger at the Imperial Level further compromises her position. Time is working against them. Therefore, once the battle comes to a stalemate, Queenie and her companions will probably lose!'' Zachary thought as his eyes followed and analyzed every movement, every strike, and every expression in the battlefield.

 Chapter 473 The Reason

    As soon as he finished his analysis, a beautiful figure appeared behind him like a ghost. It was none other than Joan. "Why are you still standing there? Aren''t you going to give your friends a hand? If they get eliminated, then you will have to fight alone and no one will help you," Joan said.

    "Hey, Joan, here you are!" Zachary greeted her immediately, seeing her behind him when he turned around. Truth be told, her appearance didn''t come as a surprise at all. She would enjoy watching the fight. Moreover, if things went smoothly to her advantage, her slot on the second stage of the contest would be a sure shot. Therefore, there was no need for her to hide her whereabouts anymore.

    "Aren''t you going to help them at all?" Joan asked, surprised to see his calm reaction.

    "There is nothing I can do to help them. Besides, this is a three-versus-three battle. It will be unfair if I suddenly step in there." Zachary made up an excuse at once. Of course, he had his own reason on why he stayed back and simply watched.

    "What if I join the battle?" Joan asked. Her proposal was deliberately made to provoke Zachary. She wanted to know if he would jump in if she decided to get involved in this battle. As a matter of fact, she had been looking forward to a chance to fight him ever since she had known him.

    "Are you serious? Are you with those people?" Zachary asked. He, of course, could tell that Joan was merely testing him. If she really wanted to help Goliath and his companions, she wouldn''t waste her time chatting with him peacefully from the side.

    "Of course not. I have no interest in joining them. What''s more, I''ll definitely be one of the four candidates who will survive the first stage. So there is no need for me to make any unnecessary move for the time being! Besides, I find that guy called Goliath a little weird. I just don''t like him, and I don''t know why," Joan said, chuckling. Upon noticing that Zachary didn''t take her bait, she finally stopped pretending that she wanted to join the fight. She got a bad feeling just by watching Goliath. It was the same terrible feeling that surged in her heart when the Ice Liger was subdued earlier. She also discerned that Goliath was more complicated than his looks.

    "Oh, really? I think he is just fine," Zachary answered flatly. In fact, he thought that Joan would find it greatly surprising if she learned that Goliath was at the Imperial Level.

    "Anyway, I don''t feel good about him. I really hope that Queenie and the others can defeat Anthony and his companions," Joan commented. If the authorities of the Shura College such as Marvin were to hear Joan''s shocking commentaries, they would probably be speechless. They didn''t expect that the strongest King Level disciple of the Shura College was actually supporting the side of the Celestial College.

    Of course, Joan only s

    d she realized that he might be right. Her own strength seemed to be nothing compared to his.

    "Now you should believe me!" Zachary stated, his expression looking calm as usual. In fact, he intentionally provoked her to launch an attack towards him. He needed Joan to see and believe. Actions speak louder than words.

    "What? You!" Realizing something all of a sudden, Joan became defensive and alert.

    "Pollard told you about my real strength not because he wants you to know more about me. He wants me to stimulate your potential and help you to break through and reach the Imperial Level during the strength contest. As his friend, I naturally agreed to it. But the situation suddenly changed a bit now, so I want to help you but in another way. You have to willingly give up the strength contest," Zachary advised, finally speaking his thoughts out.

    After finding out that Goliath was also at the Imperial Level, he knew that the final battle of this strength contest would definitely take place between him and Goliath. But he recalled promising Pollard that he would help Joan in breaking through to the Imperial Level when they fought. The fact, however, was that he might not cross paths with Joan in the second stage of the contest. She might have to face Goliath instead. Zachary was sure that Goliath would defeat her anyway. And once she got hurt, it would be very difficult for her to break through to the Imperial Level in the future. The same logic applied to Queenie. With that being said, Zachary had to prevent such tragedy from happening. The best way he could think of was for them to quit the contest, avoiding a possible fight against Goliath. That way, Zachary and Goliath would automatically enter the final stage of the strength contest.

    That was why he decided not to help Queenie and the others. He would rather they lost the battle now to avoid greater suffering later on.

 Chapter 474 A Sudden Appearance

    Of course, Zachary''s words astonished Joan, as if she hadn''t realized what he meant. However, after she saw with her own eyes and felt his strength, which she could by no means resist, she realized that there was a sizeable gap in strength between them. Therefore, she was naturally interested in his proposal. After all, compared to the victory of a contest, the breakthrough to the Imperial Level was much more irresistible for any warrior of King Level.

    "How do I know if you''re lying to me? Maybe you said those words deliberately, only to make me give up the strength contest so that your ambition will be satisfied," Joan stated matter-of-factly. She found it hard to consider what he said. She also noticed that he seemed determined to win the first place of the strength contest.

    "I would never lie to my own people! Anyway, you would soon become Pollard''s wife. If I lie to you, then he would call me to account." Zachary chuckled as he shook his head.

    "What do you mean? Whose wife? Don''t talk nonsense!" Joan wailed, her face flushing bright red from shyness.

    "I can send you there as long as you agree. Considering your present strength, I believe you can break through and reach the Imperial Level in a week or two," Zachary continued. He would send her to the Pilgrimage Space to cultivate her skills and attain a higher rank. Since her strength was close to the Imperial Level, she only needed the last step. If she stayed in the Pilgrimage Space for a while, it would be enough for her to break through and reach the Imperial Level.

    "Where exactly?" Joan inquired, her pulse racing. Zachary''s words sounded clear and logical, but Joan still felt doubtful.

    "You''ll know when you get there. But if you decide to go, you need to give up the strength contest," Zachary responded.

    When Joan heard what he said, she became very hesitant.

    "Don''t hesitate. Let me send you there now." Zachary never intended to give Joan any time to think about the condition. With a wicked smirk on his face, he carefully placed his hand on her shoulder. In an instant, he took her into the system.

    In the blink of an eye, Joan found herself in a place with beautiful scenery. There in the garden full of peach trees were three treasure beasts, and they stared at her with their asymmetrical eyes. In reality, they belonged to Zachary. Although Joan had already gathered that he had possessed two treasure beasts and subdued the Hundred-

    the ice thorns and could only fight with all their strength to dodge hard.

    The senior leaders of the Shura College, including Marvin, were all astounded to see this unfold. They had never expected that the Ice Liger had such a compelling skill. No wonder it was a scarce treasure beast with the ice element.

    While Truman and Anthony remained trapped by ice thorns, Queenie promptly stretched out her body and soared up. In an instant, she flew over the sky above the two men. Then, as she twisted her body, the ice radiance went shining.

    Ice Ripple Dancing!

    The ice energy turned into sharp-edged ice pitons, rushing down and enveloping Truman and Anthony, like a sudden heavy rain. At this moment, their faces changed into darkness because the ice thorns trapped them. Under siege, they fought head-on.

    Queenie''s strength proved more powerful than theirs, so it was not long before Anthony was hit by an ice thorn. His protective martial energy broke, and severe stab wounds could be found all over his body.

    Though still alive, Truman struggled as well, and he was about to collapse too.

    While Truman and Anthony were almost overpowered by Queenie and the Ice Liger, Goliath, who had been fighting against Rebecca and Scott, suddenly disappeared on the spot.

    Both Rebecca and Scott were caught unaware, but then they noticed something. They peered at Queenie, who was still in midair. "Be careful, Queenie!"

    Almost at the same time, Goliath emerged from behind Queenie. Since she busied herself trying to activate her skills, her weak reflex stopped her from responding fast to Goliath''s sudden appearance.

 Chapter 475 Severe Injury

    Goliath suddenly smiled insidiously. He raised both of his hands as a potent energy shadow immediately surrounded Queenie and began invading her body to attack her meridians.

    "What is this? Wait..." Queenie felt the martial energy in her body turning sluggish as a sharp pain filled her insides. It was as if something was constantly biting her body that the pain grew more violent and went straight for her meridians.

    Since she just fought Truman and Anthony, she was getting closer to her limit. She originally planned to use her ultimate skill to defeat Truman and Anthony before going against Goliath with her companions, which she thought would be able to reduce some of the pressure. However, she did not expect Goliath to take the opportunity to attack her and inflict significant damage while she let her guard down.

    After a while, she lost consciousness due to the overwhelming pain and fell from the sky towards the ice thorns on the ground. It terrified everyone present to watch the battle.

    Seeing this, Rebecca and Scott immediately rushed towards her to try and catch her. But just at that moment, Goliath who had flown down from the air thumped the ground with his hand where a strange mark suddenly appeared.

    The next moment, the mark flashed and produced a mass of smoke. A giant beast that looked like a toad was summoned on the ground. It spat out jets of dark green gas that came towards Rebecca and Scott.

    The two were focused on catching Queenie so they weren''t able to react as they were smothered by the dark green gas. A moment later, they felt weak and lost their ability to move. At the same time, the beast turned into smoke and disappeared.

    At that moment, Queenie who was falling down from the sky was less than half a finger away from the ice thorns on the ground. Just when she was about to be pierced by them, a figure suddenly flashed in front of her and disappeared in an instant.

    Everyone was shocked.

    It happened

    e of doing such things.

    However, to their surprise, Zachary saved the three disciples all by himself and was the last glimmer of hope for the Celestial College. It was totally unexpected and unbelievable!

    What made them more surprised was that he was walking alone towards the center of the area where forming alliances was allowed.

    By that time, Truman and Anthony already freed themselves. Although they looked very awkward, they were still capable of fighting.

    On the other hand, Queenie was still unconscious while Rebecca and Scott couldn''t move yet. Hence, if Zachary failed to withstand his three opponents with his own power, the Celestial College would have to face defeat.

    "You brat, you''ve come to face me again!" The moment Anthony saw Zachary, his face twisted in fury. In his eyes, Zachary was a bane. Whenever he was around, nothing good ever happened.

    Zachary tilted his head and glanced at Anthony with an empty expression on his face. To him, Anthony was just a jerk. Seeing this, Anthony became more furious as he tightly clenched his fists. If he wasn''t seriously hurt by Queenie earlier, he would have done something already.

    Anthony was not alone. The faces of Goliath and Truman were also beaming with fury when they saw Zachary. Their eyes were filled with resentment.

 Chapter 476 A Fierce Battle

    "I don''t think it''s the best idea to challenge the three of us alone. You won''t survive. You won''t even be able to manage if it''s just one of us, much less all three of us at the same time. I advise you to step away and call it a day or else your Celestial College will lose," Truman said arrogantly. If it were not for Zachary''s intervention, the battle would have already been concluded. The Celestial College would have been declared losers.

    "You don''t know what you''re saying. Just give it a shot first. I might surprise you," Zachary said and dared the three guys. "Do you wish to fight one after the other, or all at once together?"

    Goliath, Truman, and Anthony exchanged glances as they heard Zachary''s provocative words. None of them expected that much confidence from him. They waited on each other, silent in their own thoughts. Truman and Anthony, still hurt from Queenie''s attack with the Ice Liger, did not budge, while Goliath was afraid of Zachary''s strength. For a moment, they stood in a deadlock.

    The crowd waited tensely. They all expected the three to launch an attack without hesitation. Everyone thought they could easily defeat Zachary. Instead, they were taken aback by the three''s hesitation.

    "What''s wrong with them? Harley is only at the primary stage of King Level! But why do they look afraid of him? They could easily defeat him with one strike. Come on! Don''t let the Celestial College win!" one warrior at the premium stage of Imperial Level from the management team of Shura College complained. He was rooting for Goliath, Truman, and Anthony and was eagerly wishing that the Shura College disciples would once and for all defeat their enemy. This would bring back the honor they had lost during the weapon refining contest.

    The other members of the management team nodded in agreement.

    Katrina smiled at the sight of the deadlock. She fixed her eyes on the battlefield and prepared

    in surprise. Then, they furrowed their eyebrows and glared at Zachary with piercing stares. They gathered momentum, preparing to fight with all their strength. They only needed to work together to defeat Zachary and his treasure beasts.

    "Let''s do it together!" Goliath motioned to Truman and Anthony.

    As he spoke, Goliath had already turned into a phantom and was approaching Zachary. Truman and Anthony were relieved to see Goliath first launch the attack. They took their treasure beasts and followed behind him. In an instant, they surrounded Zachary.

    Zachary narrowed his eyes and watched Goliath approach him. He did not want to fight with him and risk exposing his true strength. But Zachary knew that Goliath would not be too happy about that too. He was merely inviting Truman and Anthony to participate.

    Zachary''s speculation proved to be correct. As Goliath neared, he lost momentum. It was as if Goliath was merely taunting him.

    ''What a scheming guy! He was just baiting Truman and Anthony to attack!'' Zachary thought to himself. Then, his lips curved into a sly smile. From behind him, the Hundred-Treasure Beast flew to block Goliath''s attack.

    The Hundred-Treasure Beast was a treasure beast at the Imperial Level. Goliath had no choice but to fight back.

 Chapter 477 Ice Storm

    Truman and Anthony were watching Goliath''s encounter with the Hundred-Treasure Beast, the strongest among Zachary''s treasure beasts. For a moment, they both were slightly relieved. Zachary''s other two treasure beasts, the Blazing Roc and the Thunder Dragon Horse, were at the King Level and the Heaven Level respectively, whose strength were obviously weaker than their two treasure beasts. Hence they were relieved to realize that their treasure beasts were enough to deal with Zachary''s. More importantly, they got the opportunity to deal with Zachary together. It was a two-to-one combat. There was no way they would miss such a golden opportunity!

    Truman''s and Anthony''s treasure beasts battled violently with the Blazing Roc and the Thunder Dragon Horse.

    At the same time, they approached Zachary. Their intention was to combine their strengths and ambush him.

    Suddenly, a circle of ice formed around Zachary. Its chilly cold power was as strong as Queenie''s martial energy. His entire body was surrounded by a swirling thick icy fog, pulsating menacingly to create a storm.

    "Martial energy of the ice element? How is this even possible?" Everyone was shocked to witness Zachary''s sudden display of martial energy of the ice element.

    The martial energy of the ice element was acquired from the martial energy of the water element. Both its attack and defensive techniques were very powerful. Anyone using this kind of martial energy possessed remarkable efficacy. However, only those who had a special constitution could cultivate the martial energy of the ice element. That was the reason for very few warriors throughout the entire Supernal Continent to acquire this kind of martial energy.

    "I can''t believe that there are two King Level disciples, who could cultivate the martial energy of the ice element from the Celestial College!" Marvin commented, with obvious envy in his tone. His current emotion was mainly because of the fact that not a single King Level disciple in the whole Shura College possessed this special martial energy.

    Katrina was also taken aback by this astonishing feat. She stared at Zachary in amazement.

    The sudden release of Zachary''s martial energy caused Truman and Anthony to feel suspicious. They strongly felt that all this while Zachary was merely playing around with them. When in fact he was preparing a trap for them and they walked into it.

    H

    ivated the martial energy of a special element, their power was too weak before Zachary.

    Of course, they didn''t know that Zachary''s martial energy of the ice element was released by the beast soul of the Imperial Level treasure beast, the Ice Liger. How could Truman and Anthony resist such strong power? In fact, even some ordinary warriors of Imperial Level might not be able to withstand such strong power of the ice element.

    Therefore, it was obvious that they were defeated by Zachary so effortlessly.

    "Alright! I admit defeat!" Truman hesitated for a moment, before finally giving in. He knew there was no way to surpass Zachary''s strength. And if he continued to behave stupidly and refuse to face the reality, he would only suffer further more.

    When the audience heard Truman admitting defeat, they let out an uproar. Since Truman chose to admit defeat, Anthony would be left with no choice, but to follow suit.

    As expected, Anthony glared back at Truman furiously. He didn''t expect him to give up so easily.

    As soon as Truman admitted defeat, Zachary waved his hand. The ice around his body instantly dissipated, and Truman finally returned back to normal. He retreated from the area silently, with his head bowed down.

    Zachary glanced at Anthony but did not say anything further to persuade him. He just turned around and went straight towards Goliath. He was done dealing with other opponents. Now was the time to face his fiercest opponent. Although it was much earlier than expected, it would be better to end the battle as soon as possible, before situation turned awry.

 Chapter 478 Dominating The Battlefield

    "Hey, don''t leave. I... I surrender too," Anthony stammered. He couldn''t stand the cold any longer. Seeing Zachary so intent on leaving made him cry out in desperation. He hoped that Zachary would stay and give him a hand.

    However, Zachary just turned a deaf ear to the man''s miserable shout. Instead he dashed towards his Hundred-Treasure Beast and landed atop it. The beast was still fighting Goliath.

    Zachary''s appearance made Goliath withdraw his attack and take a few steps backwards, trying to put some space between him and Zachary.

    "I didn''t imagine that you''d have hidden your strength. Conquering the Ice Liger was clearly no accident. You are more than capable of at least that," Goliath said with conviction. At first, he presumed that Zachary''s ability to subdue the Ice Liger was due to nothing but sheer dumb luck. But now, after witnessing his performance firsthand, Goliath had to admit that Zachary''s extraordinary strength had played a huge role in it as well. Now that he was finally giving him his due, he wasn''t going to underestimate him anymore. He grew alert as he thought of how strong his opponent really was.

    "Subduing the Ice Liger happened by chance. I only have one goal here, and that is to win this strength contest. You won''t be able to stop me," Zachary exclaimed boldly as the crowd watched him closely. He was no longer at the bottom of the barrel as he once was. Instead, his ambition and pride were out there for all to see. He was no longer holding back his strength.

    The Shura College masters, including Marvin, had been certain they would be able to hold their heads high during this competition with so many of their strongest disciples participating. They had been convinced their disciples would put on a brilliant performance that would make them proud. But now, with Zachary''s arrogant proclamation, it looked like things weren''t going to go the way they had planned. They shook their heads as they sighed in disappointment. While his boldness and defiance irked them, they didn''t dare underestimate his confidence and ability to see his words through. What he had just displayed was indeed quite impressive, and beyond anyone''s imagination.

    In fact, of the remaining disciples, only Zachary could claim such a victory. After all, he was able to defeat both Truman and Anthony at the same time without even using any martial arts. No ordinary King Level disciple would have been able to do that.

    That was why no one dared to fight his claim. He had earned the right to it.

    Another eye-opening reality for the Shura College was that the three people, including Queenie, who were almost eliminated from the contest, the ones Zachary had saved, were now recovering their strength. On the other hand, Goliath''s team, which had been on the verge of winning, was badly injured. Only Goliath was in a relatively better state as he hadn''t received much damage. Bu

    be true," Katrina emphasized.

    "Wow, you''re so thoughtful! I''m impressed!" Marvin breathed a sigh of relief. He felt lucky that Katrina had been so considerate. Otherwise, the Shura College would have been a laughingstock in the Supernal Continent if things had continued that way.

    However, Zachary asking them to give up didn''t mean that the three would necessarily obey him. Marvin knew that the apprehension wouldn''t leave him until they agreed.

    Everyone around stared at Queenie, Rebecca, and Scott, uncertain if they would agree to quit. After all, an opportunity like this one didn''t come so often and it would be a huge thing to give up.

    All three of them were looking at one another. Although they didn''t know what Zachary had planned, they knew they would quit for him. They had only made it this far because of him anyway. So they didn''t really feel upset at Zachary''s request. They were already very satisfied that they got this far. Besides, they knew he must have had a good reason for this request, and they trusted him. They were confident that he would ultimately win the final battle.

    They nodded at one another with determination before they announced loudly, "Okay, we will quit!"

    The loud uproar from the viewers shook the air. They had all assumed that Queenie, Rebecca, and Scott would be angry at Zachary''s seemingly unreasonable request.

    Most importantly, the three of them quitting meant that Zachary would be the only disciple from the Celestial College remaining in the contest. If all of the Shura College''s remaining disciples came at him together, Zachary would be in a very tough spot.

    Now that they had a better chance, the disciples outside the battlefield began to prepare themselves to fight. Entering meant that they had one last chance to make it, but would they survive if they didn''t?

    After all, how could they possible face Zachary, the man who had dominated the entire battlefield?

 Chapter 479 Quit

    A few King Level disciples knew how extra difficult it was to defeat Zachary. But they summoned all of their courage to launch an attack. They flew towards the area that allowed alliances. It looked like they were planning to execute the ultimate blow and compete for the possibility of entering the next stage.

    "They are so annoying!" When Zachary saw this, he climbed up from the Hundred-Treasure Beast like a wind shadow and leaped into the air. As he rushed down, the violent martial energy at the ninth grade of King Level surrounded his whole body, which formed dazzling light waves.

    Bang!

    Zachary, like a magic weapon descending from the sky, plunged straight down. Before his entire body could touch the soil, he managed to place one of his palm on the ground to support his weight. The next moment, the surface trembled like an earthquake tremor and collapsed, creating a crater around him.

    Upon witnessing this, Goliath, who stood nearest to Zachary, fled instantly.

    However, Anthony was not so lucky as he stood frozen in his place.

    In a moment, all the other areas within a radius of twenty meters sank, except the portion where Zachary''s hand was planted. A gigantic hole developed and Anthony, who was within the ice cavity, got swallowed as well.

    The King Level disciples who desired to surround Zachary grew horrified. They dared not to go any further. They could only watch Zachary in fear, who was standing solo on a rock in the center of the sinkhole. Their courage got totally destroyed at this moment because they knew that even if they joined forces, they would not be a match for Zachary.

    "I... I quit!"

    "I also quit!"

    "This guy is full of monstrosity. I will end up dead fighting him!" "Quit! Quit!"

    Soon, all the other disciples who had already been in the area shook their heads in dismay. One by one, they began to leave.

    Not long after, the remaining King Level disciples who were still within the proximity also appeared. They raised their hands to pull back because they ruled it

    ry, thinking the person could be Joan or Queenie. It didn''t matter to him after all since the most valuable thing was to defeat Zachary in the last encounter. He couldn''t bear failing to Zachary.

    Marvin found himself in a quandary, as he didn''t foresee the strength contest to progress into such a situation. Nobody anticipated that these two disciples would end up in the final battle.

    Since there were two disciples left and all others had departed, it was now impossible to continue the second stage competition. However, canceling the second stage and starting the final battle next was unprecedented. It wasn''t an easy decision to make.

    "Whether the final battle will be carried out directly or not will be decided after the discussion by the masters of the Shura College. For now, I announce the end of the first stage of the competition! Tomorrow I will announce the final decision!" Marvin proclaimed after a moment of contemplation.

    Zachary cut it short and didn''t say anything more, because he was aware that the final battle couldn''t happen right here and now.

    Suddenly, Marvin and the masters of the Shura College left in a rush. They needed to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the situation and how it should be dealt with. After all, their resolution would affect the reputation of the college, so they must be extra cautious!

 Chapter 480 Suspense

    Eventually, the other disciples at the premium stage of King Level began leaving one by one. Truman was one of the first to go. Goliath cast a glance towards Zachary, and then left as well.

    Meanwhile, Katrina went to speak with Queenie, Rebecca, and Scott. The four of them stood together as Zachary flew towards them.

    "What magical opportunities did you encounter in the Dark Prison?" Queenie demanded. She had mostly recovered from her injury.

    "You''ll see for yourself once you go to the Dark Prison," Zachary said with a grin.

    "Great job! The big shots at Shura College were all shocked by your performance!" Katrina told Zachary. She looked very pleased.

    "Sure, sure," Zachary said indifferently. He found it hard to take the praise seriously.

    "I think Harley will win the strength contest too. Goliath is quite strong, but I''d say Harley is just a tad stronger than him," Rebecca said. Having fought against Goliath earlier, she was familiar with his level of strength, and knew he was quite powerful. But she had also watched Zachary defeat Truman and Anthony in a single move. She had seen the disciples at the premium stage of King Level withdraw from the contest due to Zachary''s strength. He was perhaps the strongest among the disciples at the King Level, and thus, even Goliath might be no match for him.

    "I wouldn''t say for certain whether I can beat him or not. Goliath seems to have some hidden strength of his own," Zachary said, looking thoughtful.

    Queenie, Rebecca, and Scott all turned to look at him with surprise.

    "What do you mean by that?" Katrina asked, frowning. She was surprised too, and curious as to what he meant.

    "You''ll know when the time comes," Zachary said mysteriously. With that, he left them.

    "Master Katrina, it seems that Harley is becoming more and more enigmatic. He just loves to keep secrets," Queenie complained, looking after Zachary''s receding figure.

    "That''s who he is," Katrina replied. By now, she was used to Zachary''s perplexing way of doing things.

    With Zachary gone, Katrina and the three disciples left as well.

    When everyone had gone, something stirred in the ruins. It was a figure covered with blood, crawling out of the pile of messy stones on the ground. He looked disheveled and seemed to be seriously injured. He had a ferocious expression on his face. Blue veins stood out on his temples as he cried, "Harley Bai! I will kill you! You''re doomed!"

    The news of Zachary''s strength spread quickly throughout Shura College. Everyone whispered abo

    turned out to watch the contest. The members of senior management were there as well, including Marvin.

    Representatives of major clans and sects were also present to watch the battle. Many of them were Sage Level warriors. Jaxon and Holy Phoenix were in the crowd, having arrived early to secure good seats. They sat in separate sections of the audience, wearing looks of anticipation.

    Most of the people in the audience had already made their predictions about the outcome of the battle. Zachary''s outstanding performance had won him a dedicated and vocal fan base, who told anybody that Zachary was going to win it all.

    Unlike Zachary, Goliath had not made any waves in the contest. Because he was a relative nobody. Everyone believed he was just one more obstacle for Zachary to conquer on his way to victory.

    As a matter of fact, before the strength contest had started, there was nobody in the audience who had thought that Zachary and Goliath would end up being the final two competitors. There was an air of suspense in the crowd as everyone waited excitedly for one of the most anticipated battles in recent memory.

    Zachary and Goliath stood face to face in the arena, sizing each other up.

    "I never thought you would be my final opponent," Goliath admitted. He studied Zachary. From the moment he first saw him, he had sensed that there was something different about him; still, he had been as surprised as everyone by Zachary''s unexpected display of power in the first stage of the strength contest.

    "Same to you. You must be stronger than you look," Zachary said, smirking.

    "I won''t show any mercy," Goliath warned. He wore an arrogant and confident expression.

 Chapter 481 Heavenly Shadow Pace

    "That''s good. I also want to experience just how powerful the unique skills of the Ghost Clan are, especially the Ghost Shadow Kill you used last time," Zachary suddenly said, sneering.

    "You..." Zachary''s words wiped the grin clean off Goliath''s face. He had not expected Zachary to know him to be a member of the Ghost Clan. He could not risk revealing his true identity to the Shura College.

    "Don''t worry," Zachary said, noticing Goliath''s anxious expression. "Nobody else knows this about you, and I do not intend to tell anyone, at least not for now. I need you as a stepping stone." This caught Goliath off guard.

    "I''ll make you take back what you said." Outraged at Zachary''s arrogance, Goliath''s face darkened.

    "Please," Zachary said politely, gesturing with his hand.

    Goliath''s gaze hardened. In a flash, he disappeared on the spot, leaving behind him only a shadow. Almost simultaneously, he reappeared in front of Zachary. He had moved so quickly, it was all over by the time any of the onlookers realized what had happened.

    "The Ghost Clan disciple is so skilled. His Heavenly Shadow Pace is truly impressive!" Zachary exclaimed. Having spent the past two days thoroughly studying all the martial skills of the Ghost Clan, he was perfectly familiar with the technique Goliath had just used. It was the Heavenly Shadow Pace, which, in essence, was similar to the Shadow Pace, but it was a little inferior to the latter. Nevertheless, it was still a very powerful movement skill in the entire Supernal Continent. Moreover, it focused more on actual combat, and if combined with the other martial skills of a warrior like Goliath, could produce immeasurable power in combat.

    Meanwhile, on the other side, Holy Phoenix looked at Zachary with great interest.

    "Master, what do you think of Harley''s chances of winning?" Riley asked her.

    "Judging by his performance in the first round of the strength contest, it seems like the chances are very high," she answered pensively, pausing for a moment to think. "But at the same time, this disciple, Goliath, is no ordinary opponent. So if he wants to win, he will have to work hard." Riley nodded in response, also deep in thought.

    "I''ve done some research on Goliath. He doesn''t seem suspicious, but I do suspect that he is somehow connected to the Ghost Clan. He might even be part of it," Riley said.

    Holy Phoenix seemed rather taken aback by this. "Why do you think so?" she asked, shooting Riley a puzzled glance.

    "A number of disciples of the Phoenix Pavilion were present at a battle the day before yesterday. According to them, Goliath used martial arts that are kn

    as soon as Goliath had displayed the Ghost Shadow Kill, Zachary immediately mirrored him, also transforming into an array of shadows.

    The audience erupted, cheering and exclaiming in surprise. Two opponents both using the same martial skill was a hitherto unseen phenomenon.

    "He can actually use the Ghost Shadow Kill! That''s a Heaven Level unique skill of the Ghost Clan!" Even Katrina was a little surprised.

    As the two had both used the Ghost Shadow Kill at the same time, the competition field became engulfed in dark shadows that overlapped and collided fiercely, as if performing a strange dance.

    Soon, the fierce martial energy of King Level grew in intensity, and lights began to flash across the arena. This was the excitement the audience had been waiting for. They were ecstatic, and this was just the beginning!

    About ten minutes later, the shadows in the competition field gradually began to dissipate. As the last shadow vanished, Zachary and Goliath came into view. They were still standing in the same place, but their expressions were completely different. Zachary was still calm, while Goliath looked livid. His strength was superior to that of Zachary, but he couldn''t display the skill explicitly for fear of revealing his true identity. Thus, he was unable to completely suppress his component. He was thus livid that Zachary had blind-sided him by using the same skill.

    It seemed to Goliath that Zachary''s intentional use of the same martial skill as him was meant as a provocation.

    He was right. That had indeed been Zachary''s intention all along. He wanted to provoke Goliath into showing his real strength at the Imperial Level. Then, he would defeat Goliath with his own Imperial Level strength and win the strength contest.

 Chapter 482 A Heterodox Clan

    "Dean Marvin, if my memory serves me right, the Ghost Clan is a heterodox clan in your Devil Kingdom, right?" Katrina asked Marvin with narrowed eyes after she saw that the skill that Goliath and Zachary both used was the Ghost Shadow Kill, which was at the premium stage of King Level. All colleges were forbidden to recruit disciples from heterodox clans. Since Goliath could use the Ghost Shadow Kill, he must be connected with the Ghost Clan.

    "That''s right! Why do you ask?" Although Marvin was a warrior of Sage Level, he had poured his whole life into the study of weapon refining instead of delving into martial skills or other aspects. Therefore, he did not recognize that the martial skill that Goliath was using was from a heterodox clan.

    In fact, most of the heterodox martial skills were about the same as the orthodox martial skills. However, a small number of the heterodox martial skills were very vicious and they were considered devious, thus being rejected by the orthodox forces.

    The reason Katrina knew about them was because she had done a deep study of martial skills of all sects and clans in the Supernal Continent, including the heterodox ones. Therefore, as long as the martial skills didn''t exceed the Sage Level, she could recognize them at a glance.

    "If I''m not mistaken, what the disciple of your Shura College used just now seemed to be a King Level martial skill of the Ghost Clan," Katrina observed.

    The senior leaders of the Shura College, who were sitting around, looked at each other. They were surprised and shocked at what she said. They didn''t expect Katrina to question Goliath''s identity in public. Moreover, it was a sensitive matter so she should not be airing her doubts so casually. After all, the reputation of the Shura College was at stake.

    "But didn''t Harley also use the same skill? So going by your logic, even Harley is a suspect!" Corbin, who was always protective of his disciples, retorted harshly.

    "Any sensible person can tell that Harley was deliberately copying his opponent''s martial skill. Moreover, the reason why I dared to voice my doubts is because what Goliath displayed was the Heavenly Shadow Pace of the Ghost Clan. Although he has tweaked it a litt

    feet. It hit Zachary''s chest like a giant hammer.

    Zachary knew that Goliath couldn''t stand it anymore and therefore he had decided to make a serious move. However, he knew that he had not done enough to force Goliath to use his Imperial Level strength, so he immediately crossed his hands and collided with the fast-approaching hammer-like shadow.

    Bang!

    Zachary fell several meters away with a dull thud before he managed to stand still.

    The audience immediately burst into an uproar seeing that Zachary was kicked by Goliath without warning. Apparently they were all astounded.

    ''Not only does his speed increase, his strength also becomes greater, '' Zachary thought in his heart. He also felt his hands go slightly numb. The power hidden in the kick from Goliath just now was almost equal to Imperial Level. If it were not for the fact that Zachary had already reached the Imperial Level, his hands would have been broken.

    Goliath was also a little surprised to see Zachary block his kick with his bare hands. He had just kicked with all his strength, and it was enough to smash a thousand-pound boulder to pieces. But Zachary resisted his kick without even changing his countenance.

    "It seems that you are going to make a real move now." Zachary smiled, keeping his composure. Goliath seemed to rise to the bait.

    Goliath was infuriated by his taunt. But he believed that Zachary was just lucky. In the following round, he did not intend to give Zachary a breather.

 Chapter 483 The Imperial Level Strength

    Without his boots, Goliath seemed to be reborn, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. He immediately launched a fierce attack on Zachary likened to an angry bull charging at a matador. While Goliath''s speed and strength increased, Zachary, on the other hand, failed to improve his. He gradually fell behind, and soon Goliath took the upper hand.

    The people who were watching the fight around were quite astonished to see that Zachary had lost the ability to counterattack under the assault from Goliath. They had thought Zachary would at least fight back a bit. Now, they also noticed that Goliath''s strength seemed not to be as weak as they had imagined earlier. Perhaps, like Zachary, he had also hidden his real power.

    Half an hour later, Zachary felt flustered after getting caught in an awkward position. The attacks from Goliath accelerated and became more aggressive.

    ''It seems that I have underestimated his willpower and endurance. I didn''t expect that he could reach such a speed and have so much strength, '' Zachary murmured inwardly. He saw himself entirely at a disadvantage, which didn''t surprise him at all. Even then, he already foresaw this fight to be challenging, and he struggled to deal with Goliath. Zachary assumed that he could end this fight into a standstill. He had expected that Goliath would display his real strength which was at the Imperial Level. Unexpectedly, however, Goliath took the upper hand through a more enhanced movement skill and intensive footwork techniques, thus steadily gaining the upper hand.

    But none of it mattered since Goliath already took in the trap that Zachary had set up.

    ''He already consumed most of his martial energy since he still has not displayed his full force. Well then, I must make him use up his full energy until he reaches the limit. The Imperial Level strength he has suppressed inside his body will surely be exposed. By that time, he will have to reveal his real power!'' Zachary continued deliberating in his mind with a stern look on his face.

    By this time, Goliath''s aggression remained deadly. His pace sped up, and his versatile leg skills enabled him to encircle Zachary. Though still not in a bad case, Zachary continued to face Goliath''s attacks, but he stopped eluding using his movement skill. Instead, he stood still and made an unusual defensive pose while the martial energy rose around his body.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    As he surveyed the circumstances, Goliath didn''t show any mercy and continued to attack him with a triple shot. The three overlapping legs with sickle-like shape smashed towards Zachary. Because of the impact of the uncontrollab

    unknown.

    Goliath wondered what had just happened. He felt that the martial energy he released had vanished into thin air. Seeing the strange blue light shimmering in Zachary''s left hand, Goliath was taken by surprise with the unexpected transformation.

    Instantaneously, the blue light released by Zachary''s right hand also glittered, and Goliath felt the martial energy inside his body began to accumulate uncontrollably towards his right hand. Then it was sucked into Zachary''s left palm.

    "You..." Goliath opened his eyes wide in disbelief. It seemed that he did not expect Zachary to suck up all of his martial energy directly.

    At the same time, the crowd did not know what transpired between Zachary and Goliath. They just glimpsed Zachary''s left hand suddenly grabbing Goliath''s right hand. Then, Goliath''s intense energy that he expanded suddenly vanished without a trace.

    Although none of the people present knew what went on, they could see that Zachary tried his best to reverse the trend of events and reclaim the advantage.

    At this time, Zachary already consumed Goliath''s strength, and the enemy was losing his stamina. As a result, Goliath began to amplify his martial energy at the Imperial Level, which he had hidden, to preserve his life.

    "Damn it!" Then Goliath realized at warp speed that something went wrong. He lifted his head and noticed that Zachary was looking at him with a meaningful smile, as if he already expected for that situation to occur. Goliath eventually understood that Zachary knew about his hidden strength at the Imperial Level even before. Right from the very start, Zachary intentionally allowed him to take the upper hand to weaken his martial energy until he could no longer conceal his secret skill.

 Chapter 484 The Battle Was Over

    "When did you find out?" Goliath asked, casting a suspicious glance at Zachary.

    "I found it when you were fighting the Ice Liger. You hid your real strength well, but I saw the truth," Zachary said seriously.

    Goliath''s eyes were cold. "I have underestimated you. You are a schemer yourself, and so you are quick to recognize deceit and secrecy in others. However, you have met your match in me. Whether or not you are able to force me to reveal my Imperial Level strength, the result will still be the same¡ªyou will lose!" he spat.

    "How are you going to explain your Imperial Level strength to everyone?" Zachary observed. Goliath snorted, "There''s nothing to explain.

    As long as I defeat you, the college will not punish me. They will definitely not be stupid enough to drive a new Imperial Level warrior away." Indeed, Goliath had given the matter some consideration, and he truly believed that there was no need to worry about getting into trouble once his strength was exposed. The masters of Shura College were very eager to defeat this unexpected upstart from Celestial College. If Goliath''s strength was revealed, they would have no choice but to let it go because nothing was more important than the honor of Shura College.

    Goliath decided the time had come to use his full strength. He glared at Zachary, and released the seal in his body. A powerful aura immediately emanated from Goliath, surrounding his whole body with a bright, orange light that dazzled everyone in the audience.

    "He must be... an Imperial Level warrior..."

    The spectators stared at Goliath, dumbfounded. No one had expected this. How could Goliath have reached the Imperial Level already? And what was an Imperial Level warrior doing in this competition? Many in the crowd quickly perceived that there was a question of cheating. If he had reached the Imperial Level before the King Level contest, then he had broken the rules. But if he had somehow reached the Imperial level during the contest, then that was well within the rules, and very, very impressive.

    At any rate, now that he was at the Imperial Level, his victory was certain. It was impossible for any King Level disciple to defeat a warrior at the Imperial Level. Goliath''s strength far surpassed Zachary''s.

    In other words, the battle was over.

    "This guy is so despicable! He must have hidden his strength until now," Queenie said indignantly, not caring who overheard. All the other disciples of Celestial College shared her o

    ed back.

    "Very well. Then you will die today!" Goliath sneered.

    Zachary snorted, "Come on!" He was deliberately goading Goliath.

    Goliath gave him an angry look, and transformed himself into ghost shadows. He moved so rapidly, that it was difficult to see him with the naked eye. Zachary was quick to respond. He used his movement skill to evade Goliath, whose attacks were increasing in ferocity.

    Soon, the two figures were moving so fast that most disciples in the audience could no longer distinguish one move from another. They came and went like the wind, and wherever they passed, dust rose and surged around their whirling figures, completely obscuring the view of the audience.

    But this couldn''t last for too long. The huge gap in strength between the two opponents was insurmountable. Moreover, Zachary was still struggling with his injuries from Goliath''s previous attack. Eventually, Goliath saw an opportunity and blew past an opening in Zachary''s defense, attacking with all his strength.

    Once more, Zachary was lifted off the ground by the force of the blow. He hung suspended in the air like a kite without a string, and everyone gasped as he began to fall, landing with a massive impact that raised another cloud of dust and fragmented stones.

    The audience groaned. Zachary would rather die than admit defeat! Some of the members of the audience turned away, for they did not have the heart to watch him lose his life out of pride. Zachary was strong beyond all expectations, but after all his opponent was an Imperial Level warrior, and it would be wise to concede defeat. It was not a time for pride¡ªthe battle was already over.

 Chapter 485 Reaching The Imperial Level

    "Ahem!" Zachary''s hacking cough broke the silence, as he spat out the blood and sputum that pooled in his mouth. He struggled to get up, and everyone''s eyes gravitated to him in concern. There was no doubt that his deep wounds and gashes were in display, for all the world to see, but he determinedly locked his knees, so he could refrain from falling once again. His eyes were burning with determination, a desire to fight until the end, even if it meant his death.

    His opponent Goliath eased up on his attacks, as genuine astonishment flashed across his face. There was no need to attack because Zachary''s body was too broken to even move, but where was his strength coming from? ''How is he able to stand up despite the battering that his body had received?'' he thought in wonder.

    The people around them looked at Zachary with pity. They all thought that the battle was over, and he was just being stubborn. At this point, no matter what he did, it wouldn''t make a lick of a difference.

    "Harley, stop it. Just surrender," Queenie cried out from the sidelines, while her other companions also echoed in agreement. They didn''t have the heart to watch Zachary suffer so much, and at this rate, his opponent might kill him! Even though they didn''t want to come to that situation, none of them could dissuade Zachary when he was this determined.

    "No, I will never surrender!" Zachary roared in reply, as he raised his head, and everyone could see the fire that was burning in his eyes and the determined set of his jaw. With shaky hands, he took a pill from his pocket and crushed it into powder, and a vivid beam of light erupted from it. Then, his body was suddenly enveloped by a strong icy mist.

    All around them, the people felt unusually cold, and the dramatic fall of temperature had turned the ground into ice. Surprised gasps echoed as the battlefield transformed into an icy tundra. In the next moment, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled over the arena as if something unexpected was going to happen.

    The people marveled in wonder at the fantastic display. They didn''t understand what was happening at first¡ªnot until a voice cried out, "What!? Is he going to break through to the Imperial Level? At this time?"

    This cry caused an eruption of scattered gasps from the other spectators, as they all realized what Zachary was trying to do. None of them thought it was possible to break through to the Imperial Level during the competition. It seemed like he was asking for death!

    At this time, the air around Zachary started to thrash around violently, as if a great power was struggling to break through. A hoarse cry was pulled from his throat, in tandem with the icy wind that whistled and screamed around him.

    "Katrina, aren''t you going to stop him? If he continues like this..." Marvin hesitantly and threw a cautious look at Katrina. Everyone could tell that Zachary was risking his life to do this.

    "There is no need to stop him. This is his choice, and we should respect that. A

    rapped around each other, like snakes in a primitive dance. They formed an icy column that was so tall that it could be seen from miles away.

    Everyone gasped in silence at the scene. It was impossible to break through to the Imperial Level so quickly, but it was clear that the icy column''s strength had reached the Imperial Level. That meant that Zachary had reached the Imperial Level as well.

    As the audience watched in astonishment, the lightning dissipated, and a strong figure with Imperial Level aura walked out of the icy light column. His aura was breath-taking, and those weaker spectators felt the urge to fall to their knees in surrender. Despite his overwhelming power, his posture was calm and light, as he casually strolled nearer to his opponent.

    "Imperial Level! He has broken through and reached the Imperial Level!" someone screamed in astonishment.

    "How is that possible? Oh my God! How did he break through to the Imperial Level so quickly?" another voice asked.

    "Breaking through to the Imperial Level in the middle of a battle! This is unheard of!" a third one screamed.

    The audience exploded into a commotion. They were expecting to witness Zachary''s death, and instead, they were gifted with this very rare occurrence. This had never happened before, and they were probably the only ones who had seen it happen in person.

    The senior leaders of the Shura College had similar expressions of shock and fear. It was an unbelievable feat, to break through to the Imperial Level in the middle of a battle against a fierce opponent. Here in front of them was a unique and rare talent, but unfortunately for them, he wasn''t from the Shura College.

    To describe the people as shocked was an understatement, and there seemed to be no words that could describe what they were feeling at that time.

    They wondered if they were dreaming, but the pain they felt when they pinched their arms proved them wrong. It was a reality, one that was even more fantastical than a dream.

 Chapter 486 Acting

    After a moment of stunned silence, the other disciples from the Celestial College, including Queenie, went into an uproar. They shouted, hooted and jumped for joy! Their worries were swept away.

    "It''s incredible that Harley made it to the Imperial Level in such trying circumstances. He''s really awesome! But he actually made it before me. It look like I have to work harder now." Queenie gave a coquettish smile. Her heart was flooded with excitement. She wanted to win only because Zachary had reached the Imperial Level.

    "Harley sure lived up to everyone''s expectations! If I were a girl, I would definitely fall in love with him right now!" Nelson remarked with a cheeky grin.

    "However, even though he has reached the Imperial Level, he might not be a match for Goliath," Rebecca said worrying about Zachary.

    Hearing this, Queenie and the others glanced at each other and fell silent. Her words fell like cold water on their enthusiasm, but it was an undeniable fact. Even if Zachary had broken through to the Imperial Level, he might not gain the strength of that level in such a short time, so it was almost impossible for him to defeat Goliath, who could use the Imperial Level power at will.

    "Pollard, did you already know that Harley would reach the Imperial Level in this battle?" Polly now understand why her brother was not worried about Zachary.

    "Actually, he has reached the Imperial Level a long time ago. He was just acting before," Pollard revealed the truth with a smile.

    "What? He has already reached the Imperial Level?" Polly was shocked to hear this.

    "But this is a secret. Please don''t let it out by telling others!" Pollard smiled wickedly.

    "You both actually colluded with each other and pre-planned this?" Polly finally realized that she had been fooled by her brother and Zachary!

    "Ha-ha!" Pollard burst out laughing.

    Meanwhile, Goliath had no time to admire his opponent''s breakthrough. After all, it was bad news for him. Without hesitation, he released a malicious aura and all of a sudden, the ghost shadow that was encircling him zoomed over to Zachary.

    Not one to

    cause of Logan.

    "Well, I don''t need your pity!" Goliath roared. It seemed that he was offended by Zachary''s mercy.

    "I didn''t have pity on you. Since it bothers you so much, you can be my slave from now on to repay me for my kindness," Zachary said arrogantly with a manic laugh.

    "Why, you...! Would you believe me if I say that I will kill you now?" Goliath was furious. He felt that Zachary was insulting him. He had reached the Imperial Level before Zachary. How dare he try to make him a slave!

    "No, I don''t believe it! I hope you know that if you gather your martial energy forcibly, your heart will explode and you will die. But if you really want to die, I won''t stop you." Zachary shrugged his shoulders and laughed, as if he was certain that Goliath wouldn''t take his own life.

    Goliath was rendered speechless. He looked around and found that the audience was still looking on confused. His eyes turned dark. Although he was unwilling to accept this, he knew that he had lost. Utterly and completely lost!

    "Which martial art did you use just now? It outshone even the secret skill of Imperial Level of my Ghost Clan," Goliath asked curiously. He wanted to know how he got defeated.

    "It''s only a martial art at the medium stage of Imperial Level," Zachary answered indifferently with a shrug.

    "What''s it called?" Goliath pressed. He was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.

 Chapter 487 Ice Dragon Skill

    "Ice Dragon Skill!" Zachary shouted as wisps of ice and mist circled him. The dirt beneath his feet was covered by ice, and even the blades of grass were frozen white.

    "What? Ice Dragon Skill?! Isn''t that one of the most powerful martial skills in the medium stage of Imperial Level? How could he learn something as advanced as that?" Goliath growled in frustration. He had thought earlier that Zachary would not be easy to defeat, and he was right. He kept on pulling tricks right out of his sleeves every time he was cornered, and it was difficult to put him down because he refused to stay down. How could he win this fight? The secret skills of the Ghost Clan weren''t comparable to the Ice Dragon Skill at all. His shoulders drooped, as he deliberated his situation. Right now, there was nothing left for him but to surrender.

    "I surrender!" Goliath shouted and raised his hand.

    His declaration pushed the people into an uproar, so much so, that the sound around them was painfully deafening.

    None of them had ever expected that Goliath would surrender! What a surprising turn of events!

    Of course, no one had any idea that the battle had gone as long as it did, only because Zachary wanted it that way. They had no idea that Zachary could have killed Goliath right from the beginning. After all, the Ice Dragon Skill was a very powerful skill at the medium stage of Imperial Level.

    The martial skills of the acquired realm were different from those of the innate realm. In particular, the strength of the martial skills of the innate realm depended on the skills themselves. Their power had been predetermined, and thus, the higher the level of the skills, the stronger they would be.

    On the other hand, the power of the martial skills of the acquired realm was dependent on the warriors'' comprehension. The warrior''s comprehension could be divided into different grades, and normally, the weakest skills had at least three grades, while the highest had nine. The skills at the primary stage usually had three, and rarely four grades, while the skills at the medium stage usually had six, and rarely seven grades. As for the skills of the premium stage, they normally had nine grades.

    And the Ice Dragon Skill was a martial skill at the medium stage of Imperial Level. It was one of the rare skills that could reach the seventh grade, and it wa

    ry. "You two had put up a spectacular performance today, and in my opinion, you are both winners in this. So, even if you win or lose, you have to continue to be diligent, because you have just entered the acquired realm. There is still a long way to go."

    Goliath and Zachary glanced at each other before they nodded in agreement.

    "The winner of the King Level strength contest is Harley Bai from Celestial College!" Marvin''s announcement rang true on the battlefield.

    And then, as if an invisible permission was given, a round of thunderous applause broke out among the spectators.

    Under the watchful eyes of the public, Marvin handed the boxes filled with all kinds of pills and treasures of King Level to Zachary. For a warrior who had already reached the Imperial Level, these rewards were no longer useful, but Zachary still accepted them politely. And although Goliath didn''t win first place, he was also awarded plentifully.

    Once the rewards were given out, Marvin flew straight back to his original place and left with the masters of Shura College.

    A few seconds later, Katrina left as well.

    Zachary and Goliath gave a last bow to everyone present, then left as well. It was the conclusion of the King Level contest of Shura College. For Zachary, this was a new chapter in his life, because he would soon become a well-known warrior in the Devil Kingdom. All forces in the Devil Kingdom would try their best to get him. It was a start for him to grow his power, and get ready for his revenge on the Zi Clan when he got back to the Enigmatic Kingdom!

 Chapter 488 Change Of Plan

    All eyes were fixed on Zachary as he began to leave the arena. In a remote corner of the arena, Logan stood with his hands on his back and his eyes focused on the latter.

    "This man never fails to surprise me. I suspect that he only pretended to reach the Imperial Level at this critical time. Did he keep this power under the radar in order to qualify for the King Level contest? Why would he join such a meaningless competition if he''s been a long-time disciple at the Imperial Level? Does he know something that we don''t?" Logan uttered to himself, going over the details with a serious look on his face.

    Suddenly, a delicate figure appeared beside him. It was Lilian.

    With a look of displeasure on her face, she said, "He keeps messing up our plans over and over! He''s getting on my nerves! Can I kill him now?"

    "No, it''s too late for that. If I wanted him dead, I would''ve killed him long before. But you''re right, he''s a danger to our plan. If only I had known earlier, I would''ve taken action instead of allowing him to fight in the battle of the strength contest. Who would''ve thought that he could hide the Imperial Level strength so well without anyone noticing? What''s more, he''s defeated this recent decade''s most outstanding disciple of the Ghost Clan. It seems as though it''s the will of Heaven," Logan sighed.

    "What do we do now? We''ve already lost both the weapon refining contest and the strength contest. It''ll be no easy feat getting our men into the Xiao Clan now," Lillian expressed with a frown on her face.

    "Yes, there might''ve been a change of plan. But that doesn''t mean it''s a bad thing. In fact, I''ve got another plan figured out that will allow me to recruit a genius who''ll help us make sure our plan won''t fall through this time," Logan revealed, confident in his newly found wisdom.

    "Do you plan on recruiting him to the Moon Shadow? That''ll be quite difficult. Because he won the first place in both the weapon refining contest and the strength contest, all the Devil Kingdom clans and sects will want to recruit him. Why would he want to join the Moon Shadow if a bright future like that awaits him? We are, after all, a

    ents.

    "That''s right," Rebecca agreed with a nod. "After this battle, Harley will surely become famous not just in the Devil Kingdom but in other places as well." She was aware that the King Level contest was the highest level competition of the Shura College. And it was uneasy to win in it. So after the news spread, Zachary would be widely known, which made other colleges jealous.

    "Congratulations!" said Scott sincerely.

    Other disciples of King Level also congratulated Zachary in succession.

    But Alger muttered unhappily, "What''s the big deal? I think he is just lucky. If he hadn''t broken through to the Imperial Level suddenly at the critical moment, he would have lost the battle!"

    Although everyone had heard what he said, no one paid attention to him because they knew that he was green with envy.

    Just then, Pollard and his sister also showed up.

    "Buddy, you have done a good job! I''m so proud of you! Ha-ha!" Pollard praised Zachary in public, ignoring his own identity.

    "I''m flattered. If I failed, I''d be thrown out of the Shura College," Zachary said jokingly.

    "Congratulations!" Polly congratulated Zachary as well, but her tone was weirdly a bit off. Perhaps it was because she''d been kept in the dark for so long and it made her uncomfortable. Because of their brief sexual relationship, she wanted to distance herself from Zachary. But she hesitated, knowing that she couldn''t avoid him any longer.

 Chapter 489 An Important Meeting

    "You haven''t forgotten about our previous plan to meet up, have you? Come and meet me in the woods a mile away from the farmhouse," Zachary said to Polly all of a sudden.

    Polly was struck dumb for a few seconds. She had forgotten that Zachary had promised to help her become a King Level weapon refiner.

    "Let''s go," Zachary said to Queenie and others, casting a glance at them. Then they left together.

    "Polly, you have a plan to meet up with Harley? It seems that you two get along well in private," Pollard said in a meaningful tone.

    "Don''t overthink it. There''s nothing special going on between us," Polly said in a low voice. Since she didn''t know how to explain things to her brother, she chose to turn away and leave instead.

    On their way back to the farmhouse, Queenie asked Zachary, "Why do you have a plan to meet up with Polly? It seems so mysterious."

    "There''s nothing to it. I just want to do her a favor," Zachary answered with a mysterious smile. "I have something else to do now. I have to go." In the blink of an eye, he disappeared, as he always did.

    "What the hell is he doing? How could he just up and leave like that? I was going to hold a celebration party for him," Queenie grumbled.

    Scott and Rebecca looked just as confused as she was. It was obvious none of them had a clue what Zachary was up to.

    After parting with Queenie, Rebecca and Scott, Zachary didn''t enter the system immediately. Instead, he went to a remote place empty of people and waited. Not long after, a graceful female figure flew down from the sky and landed right in front of him.

    "I knew you would come to me." Zachary looked at Katrina, who was standing in front of him.

    "I didn''t expected you to manage to accomplish what I asked you to do in such a short time. You''ve made it in just half a year. Not only that, but you''ve already become the focus of attention of everyone in Shura College. You''ll definitely become the most popular Imperial Level warrior in the Devil Kingdom!" Katrina sighed with pleasure. She thought that it would take Zachary at least a few years to make it happen. She had wanted him to stay longer in Shura College. But now,

    ed for that," explained Katrina.

    "It seems that you have achieved your aim." It was not until he had heard Katrina''s explanation that Zachary understood why she had wanted to make it up to him. And she had achieved her goal.

    "In the past, she would have preferred to be threatened by me rather than comply and cooperate. However, once I told her that you are still alive, she suddenly had a change of heart. She said that she wanted to know your whereabouts and was willing to do anything to make it happen. Although it might sound a bit strange, I think your death might have affected her," Katrina continued.

    "Really? Should I feel happy then?" Zachary said with a bitter smile. Sophie was such a tough nut to crack.

    "I don''t know. If she comes to you one day, just give her the marriage contract. I don''t think she will want anything else from you," Katrina replied.

    "What if she kills me to keep the secret?" Zachary asked casually.

    "That will be your fate. I''m leaving now. Take care of yourself!" After she said that, Katrina turned into a ray of dazzling golden light and floated away.

    "After all, I am still the one at a disadvantage and Master Katrina has achieved her goal. But that''s not entirely bad. At least, I have the marriage contract as a trump card. Should I be looking forward to seeing Sophie?" With an evil and attractive smile lifting the corners of his mouth, Zachary disappeared as he entered the system.

 Chapter 490 Double Champions

    Mimi''s sweet voice rang out as Zachary entered the system.

    "Congratulations! You have completed the main quest of ''Double Champions, '' and now you will get your rewards. The formula of a Divine Level treasure, the Wooden Spiritual Wand..."

    As Mimi spoke, a sealed golden scroll appeared in midair in front of Zachary. He reached out to take it. He unrolled the scroll and found the formula for forging the Wooden Spiritual Wand, including the materials needed and the specific forging process. He studied the scroll. Of course, since this was for a Divine Level treasure, all the materials listed were rare, expensive, or otherwise difficult to obtain. Even the lowest-level materials could only be attained by a warrior at the premium stage of the Imperial Level. He noted with interest that the forging method used was almost completely different from the ones used to forge ordinary weapons.

    "Mimi, is this Wooden Spiritual Wand very powerful?" Zachary asked as he rolled up the scroll and put it away for safekeeping.

    "It''s said that this Wooden Spiritual Wand is one of the most powerful weapons possessed by the God of Wood, one of the Five Gods. The wand has the special ability of controlling the wooden spiritual power," Mimi replied.

    "What is the wooden spiritual power?" Zachary asked again.

    "All the plants which exist in the world contain the wooden spiritual power," Mimi explained.

    "If I understand you correctly, does that mean the Wooden Spiritual Wand can be used to control plants? It sounds very similar to Elfin, the treasure beast of Rebecca, but I''m sure it must be much stronger than Elfin," Zachary mused, looking thoughtful.

    Mimi continued, "In addition, the Wooden Spiritual Wand can absorb the life energy of plants, allowing its owner to extend their own life. That''s one of the reasons why the Wooden Spiritual Wand is so precious and sought after by warriors all over the Supernal Continent¡ªit is said to be a way to achieve immortality. But the wand was destroyed by a warrior five hundred years ago."

    "Destroyed? Why would that warrior do such a thing? What advantage could there be in destroying such a precious Divine Level treasure?" Zachary was deeply distressed at the idea of such malicious destructiveness.

    "Because there is one more power the Wooden Spiritual Wand possesses: it is the key to open the tomb of the God of Wood. A person who successfully forges the Wooden Spiritual Wand would have not only the power of the wand itself, but also be able to enter the tomb of the God of Wood, and take ownership of whatever valuable treasures are within."

    "I see. Then, since the Lord has given me the formula instead of an actual Wooden Spiritual Wand, then I assume it is very difficult to follow the forging formula. Perhaps even impossible. The Lord can be mean," said Zachary, pursing h

    room, intending to continue his study of his self-made weapon.

    In the blink of an eye, darkness blanketed the forest of Shura College as night fell over the continent.

    A beautiful woman was rushing through the forest, moving at a very fast speed. Eventually, she stopped and looked around.

    "Strange. He should be here by now," she said to herself. That beautiful woman was Polly. Polly walked around, keeping a sharp eye on her surroundings. There was no one there. She mused, "Is he playing a trick on me? In fact, I don''t have to care about his words at all. But I wonder if he ever really intended to help me or not..."

    She was clearly in a complicated mood.

    "Hey, don''t talk about me behind my back," said a voice behind her.

    Polly was startled, but recovered quickly. She turned. Zachary stood behind her. He had clearly heard what she said, so she blushed. She snapped, "Don''t you know it''s a bad manner to eavesdrop?"

    "It''s not my fault. You spoke so loudly that I couldn''t help but overhear," Zachary said with a shrug.

    "Maybe I''d better go," Polly said irritably. She tried to hide her embarrassment. Whenever she saw Zachary, she found herself recalling what had happened between them, and she decided that she had made a mistake coming here. It was time to leave.

    Polly started walking, but Zachary grabbed her arm.

    "What are you afraid of? Do you think I''ll eat you up?" Zachary said lightly. He smiled at her.

    "Let go of me!" Polly said, trying to pull her arm free. She rolled her eyes at him. She hadn''t expected him to dare stop her.

    "Or else what? You''ll kill me? You''ve already had your chance, so I don''t think you''ll go through with it this time," Zachary teased. He understood that she was trying to deceive herself.

    "You..." Polly trailed off. She felt that he knew what she was thinking, and she blushed again, feeling exposed and uncertain.

 Chapter 491 Discount

    "Just stop bothering with this. We''ve got other things to do. Let''s go!" Before Polly could react, Zachary whisked her off into the system and into the weapon refining room.

    "Where am I? What is this place?" Polly was obviously puzzled to see that they were in a place that looked like a weapon refining room, but the space was completely empty. On top of it all, she felt there was something incredible about it.

    "This? Ah! This is a place that can help you become a King Level weapon refiner in a very short time. A unique place all of its own." Zachary smiled mysteriously as he spoke.

    "Huh? There''s nothing here except a furnace! What do you even expect me to do here?" Polly looked around the room again and found that there really wasn''t anything else here, other than a seemingly unremarkable large furnace in front of her. Even if Zachary wanted her to cultivate in seclusion here, she figured she should at least have a few special tools for weapon refining.

    "You don''t have to do anything at all, in fact, aside from speaking." Zachary shook his head.

    "What do you mean? I''m not sure I understand." Polly was confused and yet, too curious not to ask questions.

    "Mimi, place one King Level martial beast core, two pieces of crimson wood, and..." Zachary quickly glanced at Polly before speaking to Mimi as a demonstration.

    "And done!" All of a sudden, Mimi''s voice came from somewhere behind them.

    "Huh? Did you hear that? Who is she?" Polly was startled by the unexpected voice. She turned her head from side to side, but she couldn''t figure out where it was coming from.

    "It doesn''t matter who she is. Just wait and you''ll see. Trust me." And with that, Zachary sat down on the ground with his legs crossed and his eyes closed.

    Polly took another glance at Zachary, and then at the Heavenly Golden Furnace in front of her. She had no choice but to sit with her legs crossed too, and meditated along with him. About two hour later, a noise sounded abruptly and startled her once again. From her meditative state, she immediately opened her eyes and saw a flash of light coming from the Heavenly Golden Furnace. At the same time, a scarce King Level weapon fell out from the groove below.

    "What is this? And what''s going on?" Polly was

    ''s quest will be reduced by thirty percent. We want you to complete it as smoothly as possible." Shadow offered his discount in the most flattering manner.

    "Good. I like the sound of that." Zachary would never refuse a discount, but he also knew that he''d still have a certain price to pay.

    "Please, after you." Shadow motioned with his hand.

    Zachary nodded, and then entered the Death Arena. As soon as he set foot inside the arena, the scene began to change, and heat waves began to come from all directions instantly. Seconds later, streams of hot flames were spurting out from the four walls as well as the floor, spreading throughout the entire Death Arena. The flames were hot enough to scorch someone to death, and Zachary wasn''t willing to test this hypothesis.

    "Today, your quest is to kill an Imperial Level beast of the third grade that possesses the fire element. However, seeing as the difficulty has been reduced by 30%, the beast''s strength has been reduced to the first grade of Imperial Level. In other words, you can defeat this beast with ease!" Shadow chuckled.

    As these words came together in his mind, Zachary realized that he had been fooled. Lowering the difficulty by 30% was actually a trick, because what he was now facing was still a beast with his same level of strength.

    However, before he could become overwhelmed with regret, a huge fire shadow appeared out of nowhere and with a strong wave, it rushed wildly towards him. Its huge, flame-covered paws tore at him.

 Chapter 492 The Death Arena

    Zachary knew it was a death sentence when one entered the Death Arena but didn¡ät commit to full strength. With that thought in mind, he drew upon his martial energy at the first grade of Imperial Level. He released the beast soul with the ice element to form an ornate, circular shield in front of him.

    A clang rang throughout the arena.

    The sharp claws of the Imperial Level beast struck the ice shield with such force that it caused the form to vibrate. However, the attack failed to destroy it. Angered by the offending shield in the way of its prey, the beast roared in fury and swung its other claw downward as if it were swinging a deadly blade.

    Another deafening crash rang throughout the arena, only this time the ice shield could not withstand the force and fissures splintered along the surface before it shattered and fell to his feet. Without missing a beat, the flames shrouding the beast thrust forth towards Zachary.

    With wide eyes, Zachary thrust his forearms in front of his face, using the Holy Bone Bracer to absorb the powerful flames. When the flames dissipated, he immediately called upon the Ice Dragon Skill. Two sharp and fierce ice dragons materialized on each side of him before soaring into the sky and then spiraling down towards the beast. At the last second, they merged together to form a massive sword in an attempt to cut the beast in half.

    Despite the beast''s cultivation base being very similar to Zachary''s, its power was still terribly strong and difficult to deal with. It snatched the ice sword mid-air and snapped it between its claws like a rotted piece of wood.

    "This beast''s power is exceptionally strong!" Zachary exclaimed, glancing at Shadow who floated on the edge of the Death Arena with a sinister smile on his face. He knew without a doubt that Shadow wanted to see him meet his end.

    A second after dismantling his attack, the Imperial Level beast raced across the arena floor, turning into a massive ball of flames. The fire ball barreled towards Zachary so fast that it was a blur of orange and red.

    With the situation so far out of his favor, Zachary did the only thing he could do and cast Shadow Pace to dodge the enemy. However, the space in the arena was limited, and the size of the beast made it practically impossible for him to escape the onslaught of flames.

    It took no time at all for Zachary to find himself being backed into a corner. The beast had taken solid form once more and stalked him, a dangerous, hungry glint in its eyes. Anxiety coursed through Zachary''s veins as

    he''d found them, he used the Ice Needles to penetrate the weak points. The power contained in the needles had dug their way into the meridians of the beast, spreading throughout its entire body. When the environment had changed to that of ice, the powers in the needles had strengthened. Then, when the environment had changed back to the field of flames, it caused an adverse reaction with the ice power and the beast became paralyzed.

    Shadow listened to the explanation and was amazed at this turn of events. He smiled wickedly and said, "You have defeated it by careful thought and wisdom. Congratulations."

    "It''s such a pity I have to kill such a magnificent beast, though," Zachary muttered to himself in a low voice, casting a sad glance at the still beast. With a wave of his hand, an icy blade shadow formed in the air and crashed into the beast. It fell apart quickly, and transformed into rays of radiance that danced across the sky before disappearing in death.

    Sighing softly, he slowly returned to the edge of the arena.

    "You won yet again. You never fail to amaze! I have emailed your reward to your system. That will be all for today!" Shadow said, nodding in satisfaction.

    "Well, I thought you wanted me to lose!" Zachary complained. He couldn''t be sure if Shadow''s intentions towards him were good or not.

    "That''s not possible! The best result for me in these battles is you coming out alive and on top. If you lose and die, the Death Arena will disappear along with you. And I will no longer exist either," Shadow explained.

    Zachary thought for a moment as he digested what Shadow said, but he said nothing in response. He simply nodded and waltzed out of the arena.

 Chapter 493 Become A Big Shot (Part One)

    As soon as Zachary returned to the system, the first thing he heard was Mimi''s sweet voice. "Congratulations! You''ve survived the Death Arena. You can now obtain the promised rewards!" said she.

    When she finished speaking, three treasures magically appeared in front of Zachary. The three treasures were a material used for forging the Wooden Spiritual Wand, a cultivation-aiding pill at the Imperial Level, and a treasure fragment.

    "Although fighting in the Death Arena is somewhat dangerous, the rewards are rather worthy. Hmm, in fact, I would even say that the rewards are quite generous. Apparently, I should be fighting in the Death Arena more often in the future if I want more of these rewards," Zachary murmured to himself, delighted at the treasures before him. Once he stored the three treasures inside his treasure house, Zachary headed out for the Peach Blossom Forest.

    There, he exchanged a few pills for treasure beasts with his treasure-hunting coins and fed the three beasts with the pills. Afterward, he went to take part in the Lucky Treasure Combination. With chance on his side, he successfully produced a scarce material at the Imperial Level. When he finally returned to the weapon refining room, he noticed Polly sitting in front of the Heavenly Golden Furnace with her eyes closed.

    "Hey! How''s it going?" Zachary asked as he approached her, interrupting the silence.

    "It seems that I''m close to a breakthrough. But I still have something I need to do. In fact, I''m working on it right now. Let''s just wait and see where this goes. It shouldn''t take long," Polly quickly replied in a gentle voice, opening her eyes and turning her head to look at him.

    "Ah, well, that''s great news. Go ahead, please. Don''t mind me," Zachary responded approvingly as h

    ets and lanes of the Devil Kingdom in the matter of few days. After all, the appearance of a warrior with such brilliant performance in the King Level contest held by the Shura College would probably only occur once in dozens of years!

    As a result, Zachary would also be the focus of the entire Devil Kingdom. Everyone and every force paid close attention to him, each with different intentions.

    Of course, the clans of the Devil Kingdom were probably the most excited of all because they all wanted to recruit such a talent into their clans. That said, Zachary was exactly the talent they were all looking for. If they missed out on this opportunity, they would certainly regret it.

    Hence, in the next few days, many clans in the Devil Kingdom submitted their applications to the Shura College, hoping that the college would arrange a meeting so that they could have a conversation with Zachary face to face. In this way, they would have the opportunity to take practical action in convincing him.

    Ultimately, so many clans had made the same request that the Shura College had to consider it seriously. Of course, this was equally what the Shura College wanted to happen as well.

 Chapter 494 Become A Big Shot (Part Two)

    At that moment, Marvin, the Shura College''s dean, was summoning the college''s senior leaders in order to discuss how to deal with the applications for the meeting arrangement requests raised by the those clans.

    "As many of you may know, many clans have asked us to help and arrange a meeting with Harley. However, because there are too many clans, I''m afraid we just can''t fulfill everyone''s requirement. If we are to arrange the meetings one by one, then it would take forever to get through them all. Even if we don''t get annoyed by all this, Harley will certainly be upset, which none of us can afford. Does anyone out there have a good idea on how we can solve this problem? Feel free to speak out your thoughts," Marvin said, inviting, as he looked pleadingly at those senior leaders.

    The senior leaders also looked at one another, whispering with desperation in their eyes. They had never met such a problem before, and therefore, no one could provide any good or concrete suggestions right away.

    "I think it''s better if we arrange for certain clans with high strength to meet Harley. Even if the others were to meet him, I''m afraid it would be in vain anyway because they are too weak to be considered important by him. I don''t mean any offense to anyone, but it''s the truth all the same," Corbin proposed in a calm and assured tone.

    "I agree with you. As the old saying goes, man struggles upwards and water flows downwards. With what Harley accomplished at the King Level contest, he has the strength and qualifications to choose to enter whatever big clan in the Devil Kingdom he would like," echoed another Sage Level senior, getting on board with Corbin at once.

    "Nonetheless, this kind of arrangement will surel

    As for what will happen next, we can only wait and see. No one can predict the future at this point," Marvin said. He knew that this decision was like a gamble, and the end result could go either way. If the Shura College won, it would be a good thing for them. But if the Shura College lost, the worst result would be a little embarrassment on their behalf. Ultimately, it wouldn''t cause extreme physical loss for the Shura College anyway. In other words, he thought it was worth the risk.

    "Wait! Shouldn''t we ask Harley first? We don''t know his opinion on all this just yet," Tracy asked.

    "Yes, you''re right. Tracy, please go and talk to Harley yourself. Let me know what he thinks about our decision," Marvin said. He knew that Tracy had been responsible for taking care of Zachary and other disciples from the Celestial College in the past. Due to such, he thought she was in the best position to inform Zachary of this matter. If he didn''t agree, she could still try her best to convince him.

    "Okay, I''ll be on my way, then." As soon as she finished speaking, Tracy bowed down low before leaving the room to follow the orders she was given.

 Chapter 495 Mix Honey

    Bang! Clang!

    An object glowing red and blue crashed on the groove, just at the base of the Heavenly Golden Furnace.

    "That ought to do it." Zachary waved and it levitated towards him, the glow slowly fading. By the time it fell in his hand, the light had faded, and all that was left was a strange, translucent item. It felt soft like mud but simultaneously elastic like rubber. As he examined further, he saw two different colors inside.

    "It''s done. I''d like to see if Master Anne is satisfied with my new self-made weapon," Zachary murmured, his smiling eyes shining with amusement. Then he set off to the Living-dead Tomb, grasping his creation.

    As soon as he entered the hall of the Living-dead Tomb, Zachary caught a whiff of honey-like aroma wafting through. It mesmerized and overwhelmed him as if it were magic, and as he closed his eyes, he could just imagine himself floating. Almost reflexively, he followed the scent and eventually entered the chamber where Anne usually mixed honey.

    There he saw his master, intensely focused as she mixed different liquids in a bowl. Every move looked graceful and skillful¡ªclearly, someone who had mastery at the craft. The tempting scent that had reached the hall emanated from her concoction.

    "Master Anne, what''s this? The smell is powerful and inviting. Is this some kind of aphrodisiac?" Zachary couldn''t help but wonder.

    "You can smell it?" Anne looked up at Zachary, a surprised look on her face.

    "Yes, of course. It''s quite strong," Zachary replied.

    "I thought I was the only one who could smell it. You seem to have a natural talent for this, then," Anne said, a smile of relief on her face.

    At that very moment, Mimi''s voice boomed in Zachary''s ear. "Your friendship level with Anne is now at level 4."

    "Hold on! What happened? Why did it level up so quickly?" Zachary felt baffled and dumbstruck for a few moments. As he thought about it, however, perhaps it had something to do with the ability to pick up the scent of Anne''s special honey.

    "Do you want to learn how to mix honey? I can teach you," Anne asked, looking inspired.

    "Mixing honey? What benefits will I get out

    arder task than repairing an OH weapon.

    "Just have a try and you''ll know." Anne smiled meaningfully.

    Zachary accepted last quest''s rewards and took the damaged weapon. After that, he left the Living-dead Tomb. After doing so, he stayed in the system for a while before leaving to check the situation in the farmyard.

    As soon as he entered the farmyard, he saw Tracy talking to Queenie and a few other people.

    "There you are, just in time." Tracy let out a sigh of relief as she noticed him. She was afraid that she might not be able to inform Zachary in time.

    "What can I do for you, Master Tracy?" Zachary asked, smiling.

    "I''m here to let you know that the Devil Kingdom''s sects and clans want to know more about you, so Shura College is going to hold a large-scale meet and greet. we would like to know your opinion first," Tracy explained.

    "It''s okay with me," Zachary replied airily.

    Tracy had to process her confusion for a few moments. She certainly didn''t expect Zachary to agree so fast.

    Queenie and the others exchanged glances. They all knew why Shura College would arrange the meeting. They felt that Zachary shouldn''t participate. After all, he was now a member of the Celestial College. However, if he was going to participate in the meeting, it only suggested that he might have some other thought in his mind. Since Tracy was present, they could only bite their tongues to keep themselves from asking.

 Chapter 496 A Meeting

    "Are you sure about this? Do you know the real purpose behind the meeting?" Tracy wanted to be sure that Zachary understood what she meant. If he didn''t, she was more than willing to explain it to him.

    "Don''t worry. Of course I understand. So many clans and sects in the Devil Kingdom have shown me the greatest hospitality, and I won''t let them down. You can tell them that," Zachary said, smiling.

    "That''s quite agreeable of you. Since that''s settled, I will report to Dean Marvin immediately, and we can arrange the meeting as soon as possible." Tracy was relieved at how quickly Zachary had agreed to meet with the clans and sects of Devil Kingdom. She had been worried that it would be difficult to explain the situation and persuade him to cooperate.

    "Thank you, Master Tracy," Zachary said politely.

    Eager to update the dean, Tracy bid them goodbye and hurried from the farmhouse.

    "Why did you agree to that meeting? It makes no sense!" Queenie said, looking perplexed.

    "It can''t hurt to show up at the meeting. I don''t have to say or do anything if I don''t want to," Zachary replied. Actually, he thought his course of action was a sensible one.

    "But it''s obvious what the clans and sects want. They''ll use the meeting to recruit you. They''ll try to invite you to join them in a way you can''t refuse," Queenie said, frowning.

    "So what? The final decision is still up to me!" Zachary said with a shrug.

    "Well, and what if they succeed in persuading you? Isn''t Celestial College good enough for you?" Queenie asked, giving Zachary a cold glare.

    At Queenie''s words, Rebecca and the others exchanged worried glances. If Zachary did indeed want to leave Celestial College, it would be bad for the college and its reputation.

    "I''m a warrior of Imperial Level now. Maybe it''s no longer appropriate for me to be content with any college. Maybe the time has come to join a powerful clan or sect," Zachary said loudly, making sure everyone heard him.

    "Fine! If that''s what you think, you may as well join the Ying Clan. I can take you there right away," Queenie snapped back. She did not hesitate to invite Zachary to join her own clan. She would prefer he stay at Celestial College, but if he was dead set on leaving the college anyway, then it would be a great honor if he chose to join her clan.

    "You also can join our Hua Clan," Rebecca said quickly.

    "Harley, it''s not always the large clans that are the best. If you join my clan, you''ll have more freedom and less responsibilities," Nelson chimed in, looking cheekily at Queenie and Rebecca.

    "I don''t want to return to the Enigmatic Kingdom in the near future," Zachary said. He glanced around at everyone''s eager expression and shook hi

    o choice but to wait and see," Pollard said, sounding a bit helpless.

    "I''m going to meet the chief of the Phoenix Pavilion. I can sound out her opinion for you," Zachary suggested. He knew that Pollard found it difficult to deal with Holy Phoenix.

    "Thanks. Let me know if you get any good news," Pollard said, accepting his offer.

    "To be honest, I don''t think there will be good news," Zachary admitted. He was not optimistic about the result.

    Pollard shook his head, smiling bitterly. He said goodbye to Zachary and left him.

    Zachary left Shura College after his conversation with Pollard. His next stop was the Phoenix House in Zenith City. As soon as he arrived at the door of the Phoenix House, Riley appeared.

    "Are you waiting for me?" asked Zachary curiously. Riley''s appearance seemed to be a coincidence, but he thought that she must have known in advance that he was coming here. He supposed he would have to get used to it. Now that he was famous, it would be a long time before people stopped watching and gossiping about his every move.

    "What do you think?" Riley said, giving him a soft glance.

    "I think you miss me so much that you''ve been waiting for me to arrive for a while now!" Zachary teased, laughing.

    Riley smiled back. "What a smooth tongue you have! Come in. Our chief is waiting for you," she said. She guided Zachary through the entrance hall and into the Phoenix Hall, where Holy Phoenix was seated in a chair at the center of the room. She looked solemn and important, and there was an air of the sacred about her, like her person was inviolable. Even the male leaders of primary stage or medium stage clans and sects would pale in comparison to the strength of her aura. She was definitely worthy of being the leader of the third largest force in the Devil Kingdom.

 Chapter 497 Fulfilling The Promise

    "Master Holy Phoenix." Zachary took a few steps forward and bowed down in reverence to Holy Phoenix.

    "No need to be too formal. Please take a seat," Holy Phoenix welcomed Zachary with enthusiasm. The eagerness to have Zachary displayed on her classically noble face, and she acknowledged his attendance with a radiant smile.

    Zachary smiled back and gave a quick nod. Riley sat directly opposite him behind a chunky wooden table.

    "I thought we would only see each during the meeting, but I didn''t expect you to come to me first." Holy Phoenix flashed a warm smile. Since their last encounter, when Katrina helped Zachary block her, she restrained herself from looking for him again. She perceived it was best not to rush, so she waited until the end of the King Level contest. However, due to the exceptional performance of Zachary in the strength contest, she found it tough to sit still without doing anything. The Shura College arranged for a large-scale meeting, and if not for this, she would have ordered someone to encourage Zachary for a short and informal small talk soon. The sudden and bold appearance of Zachary seemed like a sign to her.

    "I have always been a man of my word. Since I promised to meet you, I could not break my commitment now," Zachary sincerely replied, his tone exuding kindness.

    "I''m so delighted to hear this, and it''s my pleasure to meet you face to face finally! Although it''s not appropriate for us to come together before the meeting, obviously you went here with a purpose. Surely I won''t refuse to make your acquaintance." Even if she longed to kidnap Zachary and force him to stay in their sect, she still tried to be friendly and mask her eagerness.

    "I came here to fulfill my promise. I also wanted to have a small chat with you so we could know each other better. What we have now is still a collaborative relationship," Zachary responded at once, trying to evade the topic.

    "I almost forgot if you haven''t mentioned it. Riley told me that in recent months, due to the help of the miraculous Hatching Fluid formulated by you, the business of the Phoenix House grew a lot. The Hatching Fluid became the most popular treasure in the whole Devil Kingdom. I was wondering where the fluid is from. It should be extremely scarce, but from what I see, you seem to have plenty of it. Do you have a special treasure beast that could produce the magic liquid?" Holy Phoenix pursed her lips after asking

    expectation is that? It could be superficial.''

    "It''s about time. I''ll leave now. See you at the meeting!" Seeing that he had attained his goal, Zachary stood up and was ready to leave.

    "You''re leaving so soon. Why don''t you stay a little longer? I initially wanted to discuss with you about the partnership," Riley uttered suddenly, obtaining an excuse to stop Zachary from leaving.

    "Let''s talk about our collaboration after the meeting. If I stay here for an extended period, I''m afraid that people will gossip about it. I''d better go now. You don''t have to send me back!" After saying these words, Zachary turned around and left.

    "Why did Harley ask about Joan?" Riley wondered aloud.

    "I don''t know his purpose, but I realized that Joan might be the key for us to recruit him," Holy Phoenix expressed adamantly. "Have you gotten in touch with her yet?"

    "Not yet, and I find it unusual. Even if Joan went to cultivate in seclusion, she would at least tell us in advance. It''s not her style to disappear suddenly." Riley also felt strange. "But I heard that she went to cultivate in seclusion after Harley defeated her. I have a feeling that there is something we don''t know."

    "Continue sending more people to look for her. It would be best if we can find Joan before the meeting. Anyway, we have to enlist Harley and make him work for us." After Holy Phoenix said that, she took off.

    "This is the first time I''ve seen Master Holy Phoenix eager for a talent so severely. I bet she is not the only one! It seems that the peace in Devil Kingdom would be disturbed again." Riley breathed heavily and disappeared.

 Chapter 498 A Question

    At dusk, the abandoned manor outside the Zenith City was shrouded in a pale red afterglow that made it seem a bit desolate and miserable.

    Right in front of the isolated tomb were two standing figures.

    "I''m really sorry that I failed to complete the task. I am willing to accept any punishment you deem necessary," apologized one of them who was thin and had a sharp face and fine eyebrows.

    He was Goliath who recently lost to Zachary in the King Level contest. The one he was talking to was none other than Logan.

    "Your punishment is inevitable. However, you might have failed to complete the designated task but you are still useful. I made a plea with our leader to let you make amends for your mistakes," Logan said as he narrowed his eyes.

    "Make amends for my mistakes?" Hearing that, Goliath was surprised. He was still trembling in fear.

    "Although you have been defeated by Harley and failed to complete your task, it was understandable. After all, even I didn''t expect him to have such strength. And just because of my carelessness, he was able to ruin our plan. It was also my responsibility to make sure everything went as planned. Although you failed to do your job, you still did great in the strength contest and it made a lot of clans and sects think highly of you. As for whether the Xiao Clan is interested in you or not, we are unable to tell right now so you would have to try your best to gain more opportunities," Logan continued in a frigid voice.

    "What opportunities?" Goliath asked. He was confused.

    "Get close to Harley and befriend him. If he joins the Xiao Clan, maybe he can introduce you to them in the future," Logan answered.

    "What makes you say that he will join the Xiao Clan?" Goliath asked in confusion. He knew that the Qiu Clan and the Xiao Clan had the highest chances of acquiring Zachary. The Xiao Clan had another rival, the Phoenix Pavilion so it was really hard to predict which clan he would choose.

    "You don''t need to worry about that. You should just focus on doing your part,"

    e direction of the strange aura. Soon, he saw a few sculptures in a building similar to an ancestral hall, all in different positions. He could tell that the prototypes of those sculptures were some of the famous figures from the Shura College. The people greatly admired them so the Shura College ordered to carve their sculptures for the disciples of the college and the world to see.

    "Come out." Zachary stood in the hall with his hands clasped behind his back.

    As soon as he stopped, a figure in black came out from behind one of the sculptures. He stared at Zachary with his sharp eyes. His indescribable aura, coupled with his gloomy look, could make people tremble in fear.

    "Long time no see!" Zachary was not surprised to see Logan because he already expected him to come to him and he already knew why.

    "It seems that you are not surprised to see me at all. Were you waiting for me?" asked Logan as he stared at Zachary''s calm face.

    "Yes. But does it matter?" Zachary laughed.

    "If you know why I''m here, I''m expecting that you have prepared for it and I won''t talk any more nonsense," Logan said.

    "I don''t like talking nonsense either, but before that, I want you to answer my one question," Zachary asked calmly.

    "A question? What is it?" Logan asked as he narrowed his eyes.

    "Well... are you Logan Leng?" Zachary asked bluntly.

 Chapter 499 Logans Identity

    Logan''s brows furrowed at his question. He didn''t think Zachary would know his name, but since Zachary had followed him before, it was reasonable that he figured it out on his own. At this point, there was no use to deny, so he just shrugged and replied, "Yes, I''m Logan Leng."

    "Well, I guessed right. I heard that you were a genius disciple from Shura College back in the days. Later on, you became a fugitive, hunted by Shura College and the Devil Kingdom, because you colluded with some heterodox warriors and murdered orthodox warriors. Nobody knows where you disappeared to after that. Is that true?" Zachary asked once more, but Logan just smirked at him.

    "That''s your second question, so I don''t have to answer that. It''s my turn to speak now." Their eyes met, as the tension ratcheted up. It was obvious that they were both intelligent, and it wouldn''t be easy to outsmart the other.

    "Okay, go ahead then." Zachary nodded. It wouldn''t work if he pushed too hard, not while Logan was willing to play with him. He inadvertently ruined Logan''s plans, when he won first place in the two competitions of the King Level contest, so Logan had a motive against him.

    "I should have killed you from the start. Then I could have avoided all these troubles. You ruined the plans that I painstakingly arranged. But we made a deal before, and I think you are talented. It will be a pity to just kill you, so I decide to give you a chance." Zachary''s eyes narrowed, and an eyebrow quirked up in bemusement at his words. He folded his hands against his chest intimidatingly and answered, "Really? Should I be grateful to you? But I''m not as afraid of death as you think." Zachary knew that Logan was just intimidating him, in hopes that he''d fall right into his trap, but he was going to be disappointed if he thought it would be that easy. If he wanted to kill him, he could''ve done that from the start, but instead, they were chatting like old friends.

    "I know you''re not afraid of death. If you were, you wouldn''t have come to see me," Logan answered lightly as if he was consoling a child.

    "Then, why did you say you would give me a chance? That''s unnecessary anyway because I will not fall into your trap," responded Zachary with a dangerous glint in his eyes. His eyes were blatantly challengi

    iao Clan and wanted to cultivate his own force, then he would need to help Logan fight against the Xiao Clan. At the same time, he would cultivate his force to replace them. That was the only way.

    Finally, after he contemplated his choices and their consequences thoroughly, Zachary raised his head and looked at Logan. "Okay, I promise you, I will choose the Xiao Clan. But I also have one condition."

    "What is it?" Logan asked, a frown spreading on his features, as he didn''t expect Zachary to have his own condition.

    "If possible, make me the head of the Xiao Clan," Zachary proposed directly.

    Eyes wide in surprise, Logan burst into laughter once again. "You are quite ambitious!" It seemed to Logan that Zachary was keen on surprising him at every turn.

    "Just as you want to eliminate the Xiao Clan, I also have my reasons. We are cut from the same cloth, and we have the same experiences. I don''t think you are a bad person at all, Logan. Everything you do is necessary for the sake of revenge," said Zachary honestly. He hoped that he wasn''t being too honest, to the point that he was offending Logan. After all, he was just being truthful.

    "Really? Why are you so sure?" Logan could tell that Zachary was being sincere when he said those words, and it sounded like he also had an incredible backstory, one that intrigued Logan to no end.

    "As I said earlier, Logan, we are cut from the same cloth." Zachary''s voice was low but sincere, and Logan could tell from his eyes the deeper story beneath his words.

 Chapter 500 The New Imperial Level Warrior

    "In fact, I, too, am curious about your true identity. I know you are not this person in front of me. Although you have changed your look flawlessly using the Thousand-Face Mask, a real disguise expert can still notice some mistakes." Logan wanted to get things straight.

    "My true identity doesn''t really matter to you, does it? The most important thing is that we share the same goal now, which is to destroy the Xiao Clan. So let''s cooperate." Zachary tried to deflect Logan''s attention away from his identity.

    "As I told you, you''re not my man, so I don''t trust you. I want you to join the Xiao Clan, and that''s all! I don''t care what you want and I won''t help you. You will have to attain your goal on your own." Logan took a stand.

    "I can''t count on you. But I know there will never be enmity between us because we are very alike." Zachary smiled in confidence, waved his hand at Logan and vanished.

    Just as he disappeared, a beautiful figure appeared next to Logan.

    "Logan, your strategy is very dangerous. If he has other thoughts, I''m afraid that our previous efforts will be in vain," Lilian remarked with knitted eyebrows.

    "This young man seems to be smarter and more ambitious than we imagined. If he really works for us, it won''t be a bad thing. Moreover, to deal with the Xiao Clan, which has a strong foundation, it indeed needs a force that can turn the whole clan upside down. Perhaps he is the force that I need. But at present, we can only wait and watch. We can''t make a decision until he joins the Xiao Clan, but we still need to investigate his identity. I feel that his hidden identity might be more interesting than we expected." Logan smiled gleefully.

    "I''ve never s

    Jimmy didn''t expect Zachary to return. When he was about to call Zachary by his name, the latter signaled to him to stop with his eyes.

    "Yeah, I am bored as I have nothing to do. Let''s fight," Zachary provoked them with a mischievous smile.

    The disciples looked at each other in disgust as if there was a cockroach in their midst. They immediately surrounded Zachary. A fierce fight was impending. However, just as they were about to attack, Zachary suddenly vanished on the spot.

    Crack!

    A disciple''s arm was broken with a nasty snap.

    "Aahhhh! My bloody arm!" He held his arm and rolled on the ground, his face ashen.

    Before the other disciples could react, their hands and feet were twisted in a painful manner, and their miserable screams echoed in the air as they crumpled to the ground in a pathetic heap.

    "Who! Who the hell are you?" one of the disciples cried. The pain was so agonizing that he was sweating.

    "You don''t even recognize me. I am the new Imperial Level warrior. I think you''d better go back to the Shura College, or you will lose your lives because of your ignorance!" Zachary said scornfully.

 Chapter 501 The Meeting

    "What? It''s you." The disciples shared confused looks. They looked at the man in front of them and recognition flashed in their eyes. They recognized him as the super genius who had just won first place in the two competitions of the King Level contest. He was now a warrior of Imperial Level.

    "Get out of my sight!" Zachary ordered.

    The disciples scattered and ran for their lives.

    "Harley, why are you here?" Jimmy asked.

    "I have something to tell you. In the future, make sure you don''t tolerate them. Don''t hesitate to teach them a lesson," Zachary said in response.

    "I''m afraid of being exposed," Jimmy said cautiously.

    "Then outsmart them. Tolerance won''t do them any good. Play dirty if you must. Just observe me and pick up on what I do by following me." Zachary smiled.

    "What do you mean by following you?" Jimmy was taken aback.

    "The Shura College will be holding a meeting with all the clans and sects in the Devil Kingdom. They want to recruit me. I have a plan, but I cannot mobilize it once I join them. I need someone to help me," Zachary explained. He didn''t plan to share his plans with Jimmy, but he needed him there. He might also be a useful spy, if ever.

    "Just say the word. It will be an honor to work for you," Jimmy responded earnestly.

    "Really? You''d better think it over. I wouldn''t want you to regret it," Zachary teased.

    "I''m sure of it. I would gladly lay down my life for you." Jimmy looked determined.

    "Okay, it''s a deal then." Zachary nodded with a chuckle.

    After that, he left.

    ''The next step is to persuade Queenie and Rebecca, '' he thought to himself. He knew he was being ambitious. The two girls would never agree with him joining any clan or sect in the Devil Kingdom. But he at least had to try. They would be very useful to him. In the future, he could return to the Enigmatic Kingdom with the power of the Ying Clan and the Hua Clan at his disposal.

    He headed to the farmhouse with that in mind.

    that his reasons were valid. However, she was still in the dark about his real identity.

    "Are you still angry?" Zachary asked with an apologetic smile.

    "Angry? When did I get angry?" Queenie blinked innocently.

    "By the way, I have prepared a surprise for you, Rebecca, and Nelson," Zachary continued.

    "A surprise? What is it?" She looked dumbfounded.

    "I will tell you after the meeting." Zachary replied ominously.

    "Send me away. I have to practice," she remarked pouting her lips.

    Zachary shrugged and smiled. Then, in an instant, they were back where they were. Queenie turned her head away and started walking with her head held high.

    Rebecca came out of the room and noticed Queenie and Zachary. Upon looking at their faces, she already guessed what had transpired between them.

    "It seems that you and Queenie have reconciled. How did you persuade her?" Rebecca asked as she walked up to Zachary.

    "I confided in her some secrets," Zachary answered honestly.

    "Why don''t I know about that? Care to tell me?" Rebecca folded her arms across her chest and looked at Zachary.

    "Say please?" Zachary said with teasing eyes.

    "Never mind. The less I know about you, the better. I can''t risk jumping into the rabbit hole like Queenie did." Rebecca rolled her eyes and quickly walked out.

 Chapter 502 A Talent Every Force Wanted

    The following morning, the Shura College officially announced to the public that a big meeting would be held three days later. All the forces who were interested in talking to Zachary were invited to attend the meeting.

    The Shura College had always been proud of their primary principle, that of being fair and equal to all. In order to avoid unfairness in such a situation, Imperial Level warriors from the Shura College who also wanted to attend the meeting were equally permitted to do so. Thus, they too had the opportunity of possibly being recruited into the Devil Kingdom''s clans or forces for a better and more promising future. The college wouldn''t prevent them from pursuing a better chance at changing their fates.

    In general, this kind of grand meeting was only held once every three years in the Shura College, which offered Imperial Level warriors from the college the opportunity to enter other forces. On the one hand, it could strengthen these forces'' power, as well as balance the strength among them. On the other hand, it also provided an opportunity for all the forces to interact with each other and share their most important experiences and insights. Certain warriors from such forces wanted to concentrate solely on cultivation, and the Shura College was undoubtedly the best place for doing so. Overall, these individuals could leave their forces and enter the college in order to restart the cultivation. This grand meeting would offer them a one of a kind opportunity.

    That explained why the four martial colleges were so important to the four kingdoms. In addition to keeping the balance among all the forces, the four martial colleges also took charge of training talents for all the forces. That said, even the warriors of Imperial Level would be trained in one of the four martial colleges.

    Last year, the Shura College had held one of these grand meetings. Theoretically, a meeting of such size and importance wasn''t supposed to take place for at least another two years. In other words, it was clear that this meeting was deliberately held just for Zachary. The college had made a one-of-a-kind exception for him. Furthermore, everyone was well aware of this particular situation.

    Without a doubt, nearly every force would come for Zachary in the first place. What they didn''t know was that the Shura College would specially allow Imperial Level warriors who wanted to attend the meeting to do so, for the sake of fairness. In many ways, the meeting was something great for all the forces involved.

    For this reason, Zachary wasn''t as eye-catching as he had been when other Imperial Level warriors weren''t attending. After all, the truth remained that he was still a new Imperial Level warrior himself. Although he was very talented and capable, he was inexperienced. Even if he chose to join a force, taking over certain important affairs would still be difficult for him. In comp

    ster didn''t show up. However, they should still have sent a representative here, at the bare minimum. I just don''t see anyone from the Xuanyuan Clan. Is he really not interested whatsoever? I''m surprised," Corbin, who was sitting next to Marvin, asked, his voice curious. He obviously didn''t understand how the clan master could miss out on such an opportunity.

    "The Xuanyuan Clan''s leader has always been a person out of the ordinary. Perhaps, in his opinion, this meeting is only to make others happy and won''t bring him any personal benefits," Marvin answered with a straight face, his voice flat. Of course, he too, could only presume.

    "In fact, I also don''t really think that Harley is that powerful. And yet, he''s so popular. That''s all because those forces think highly of him," Corbin said in a displeased tone. He seemed to dislike Zachary very much. He had personally supervised and guided Brandon before the weapon refining contest''s final battle. He had never expected Brandon to be defeated by Zachary though, and that left a bitter taste in his mouth. In other words, it was equivalent to humiliating him.

    "Harley is indeed a rare talent in all aspects. I''ve never seen or heard of such a genius in the past one hundred years, or more. But there is one thing I''m curious about. Why did he suddenly burst out his strength out of nowhere when he arrived at our Shura College? He wasn''t so outstanding in the Celestial College before, and I had never even heard of such a person either. It''s impossible for a genius like him to have made such great achievements in just half a year. And we''ve all witnessed the incredibly astonishing progress he has made in just six months. This is just way too shocking and I can''t wrap my mind our it all," Marvin commented with a puzzled expression as his features wrinkled in confusion. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn''t figure it out and it was really starting to bother him.

 Chapter 503 Leave

    "Are you doubting that Harley''s sudden outburst of strength in the Shura College was one of the Celestial College''s plans all along?" Corbin immediately asked as he started to understand what Marvin was trying to get at. His idea was now becoming clear.

    "Well, I can''t say for sure. But judging from the way Katrina spoke and acted at the King Level contest, she seems to have been aware that Harley would burst forth his real strength at that time. It just doesn''t come off to be a coincidence in my opinion!" Marvin shook his head helplessly, his face grim. "But if the Celestial College really has intentionally concocted such a plan, what would their purpose be? I''m not really sure I understand. With the friendship between our two colleges, the Celestial College doesn''t have any reason to play such tricks that will affect the relationship."

    "Ah! Well, perhaps they are up to something." Corbin narrowed his sinister eyes into glare.

    "Anyway, in my opinion, this meeting is more than necessary. Afterward, I can try and uncover the Celestial College''s true purpose. I mean, sure, there''s still a small possibility that they''ve done nothing behind our backs at all," Marvin said in a bitter tone, which almost sounded a little contradictory.

    At that very moment, the leaders and the representatives of all sects and clans all got into position. Everyone looked at the high platform in front of the square, which was used to display the warriors'' strength.

    The form of the meeting was somewhat like an auction. All the warriors of Imperial Level attending the meeting would come to the stage. Then, if any force was interested in the warrior on the stage, they could raise a plate and show their interest.

    Then, it was the Imperial Level warriors'' turn to choose three forces that favored them. Then came the final competition. The competition was an essential part of the meeting that allowed to see which force would offer the best conditions. Of course, the conditions were nothing more than the offering of a few rare and precious treasures, or the promise to provide certain benefits, such as positions or the opportunity to become a master''s personal disciple, and so on.

    This kind of meeting was only held every three years in the Shura College, and generally speaking, everything was nearly all settled in advance. Even more so, not many sects or clans would actually participate in the final competition. In fact, it was nothing more than a simple formality. This time in particular, the meeting was specially held for Zachary, and it was called on a very short notice. It was only normal that most of the sects and clans didn''t have much time to come into contact and communicate with the Imperial Level warriors who would take part in it. In other words, this meeting was even more suspenseful than ever before. What was more, all the sects and clans weren''t aware of which Imperial Level warriors would

    had tied up any possible loose ends.

    "I can see now that this seems to be the only choice." Pollard let out a heavy sigh. He knew that Zachary was doing this for his sake. Haste makes waste, and he had no other choice at this point but to wait.

    "Where''s Polly, anyway?" Zachary asked, suddenly changing the subject.

    "I don''t know, actually. I haven''t seen her in a few days myself, to be quite honest." Pollard shook his head. "I can tell that you really care about my sister a lot. Are you really planning on marrying her and becoming my brother-in-law?"

    "What are you thinking? Your honey trap won''t work here." Zachary grinned, baring his teeth.

    "Ha-ha! I don''t have to. With my sister''s charming appearance, even if I don''t use the honey trap, men just throw themselves at her feet! Seriously though, if you really do have feelings for my sister, you should make your move as soon as possible. Benefits should always be kept for one''s own people, and it''s best if you can marry my sister!" By the looks of it, Pollard appeared more anxious than Zachary was on this matter.

    "Are you really Polly''s brother?" Zachary rolled his eyes at Pollard, thinking that he''d probably tie Polly up and offer her to him on a silver platter if he asked.

    "Don''t mention it. I just want to make sure that the two of you end up together. If ever you do end up with my sister, you would eventually belong to our Qiu Clan sooner or later. I guess all I can say is that I know you won''t stay long with the Xiao Clan," Pollard said with an intelligent and pleasant smile.

    "Ah...you know me so well. You know what? Maybe I will need your help in the future," Zachary said with a sudden grin.

    "You bet! The meeting is so boring, anyway. I''ll be the first to leave." Now that Pollard had been made aware of Zachary''s decision, he had no reason to stay here anymore. As soon as he ended his sentence, he floated away and disappeared into the distance.

 Chapter 504 The Selection

    The first Imperial Level warrior stepped onto the stage and stood next to Tracy, causing a great ruckus among the audience. He reached the Imperial Level three years ago and his name was Ryan Lan. He was now at the second grade of Imperial Level. To improve a single grade in the Imperial Level in a span of three years was considered unbelievably fast. It was obvious that he had a promising future.

    Therefore, as soon as he was onstage, he immediately caught everyone''s attention.

    "What I ask for is very simple. I want to find a force that can help me fully explore my potential. My weapon refining level has reached the peak of the King Level and I believe that I will soon make a breakthrough and reach the Imperial Level. If any force is interested in acquiring my talents, raise your paddles!" Ryan Lan said as he looked at everyone proudly. Normally, Imperial Level warriors thought highly of themselves and felt as if they were the best in the world.

    Most of the leaders and representatives from the various forces felt uncomfortable with his words. They thought he was overestimating himself and it was obvious that it would be hard to control a person like him. If he was recruited, he would surely cause a lot of trouble.

    Of course, there were some forces at the primary stage which showed interest and raised their paddles. After all, the leaders and elders from those forces were at the Imperial Level. Hence, it would be a huge boost to their strength if they could get their hands on an Imperial level warrior.

    Soon enough, more than a dozen paddles were raised. When the number stopped increasing, Tracy said to Ryan Lan, "You can now choose three forces you are interested in."

    Ryan Lan looked at the paddles on which the names of the forces were written.

    "Ha! These are all rubbish forces," Ryan Lan snorted with contempt.

    His words caused another disturbance among the forces present.

    "Ryan, some of choices are not bad. Of course, you can always choose to quit if you want. But don''t forget that this meeting is only held once every three years. After this meeting, you would have to wait another three years to get another chance," Tracy told him patiently though she felt uncomfortable with his arrogant words as well.

    After hesitating for a moment, he finally chose

    aced those forces of the premium stage in a tough situation, especially the Xiao Clan and the Phoenix Pavilion.

    "I didn''t expect that Miles would be attending this meeting. Things are getting more interesting now," Holy Phoenix murmured. She had been interested in getting Miles Su for a long time. They had even sent several representatives to contact him but it was all in vain. However, he suddenly appeared and was in the same batch with Zachary and it made the decision much more difficult.

    As for the Xiao Clan, although Jaxon was also interested, he seemed more willing to recruit Zachary.

    In comparison, the other forces of the primary stage and the medium stage wouldn''t have this trouble. They all were eager to recruit Miles Su.

    However, before all the sects could even raise their paddles, Miles Su suddenly said, "I have come for one particular clan and it would be a waste of time for any of you to raise your paddles."

    As soon as he said that, the whole crowd went silent. They all wondered which lucky clan he was talking about.

    "Master Jaxon, I am wondering if I could have the honor to join the Xiao Clan." He soon revealed the answer.

    ''This is quite interesting. Miles is interested in the Xiao Clan. According to the rules, they can only choose one Imperial Level warrior. If they choose him, then I will have no chance to join them, '' Zachary thought to himself. At that time, Zachary, who had been quietly observing in the dark, noticed that the situation was getting more complicated as time passed.

 Chapter 505 The Xiao Clans Dilemma

    If Miles was chosen by the Xiao Clan, it meant that Zachary would have no chance to join them, which would ruin Logan''s plans. He couldn''t let that happen, or it would be a huge problem for him too.

    At that moment, the audience burst into an uproar, as they loudly discussed among themselves. No one expected Miles to take the initiative to join the Xiao Clan. On a closer look, it was reasonable for him to join them since the Xiao Clan was the second strongest force in the Devil Kingdom, second only to the Xuanyuan Clan. The Xuanyuan Clan didn''t send any representatives for this meeting, which meant that they had given up this opportunity. Therefore, for Miles, the Xiao Clan was his best choice.

    "So Miles intends to join our clan. It''s a great honor for us." Jaxon, who was sitting upright, was surprised to hear Miles'' decision, but he soon put on a proud smile. He didn''t expect Miles to favor his clan, and he didn''t expect him to join without even raising any requirements. But this unexpected situation put him in a dilemma. If he refused Miles, who had offered to join voluntarily, they would be in hot water. But if he didn''t reject him, he would need to give up Zachary, and the Phoenix Pavilion would recruit Zachary effortlessly.

    Jaxon turned over his options in his mind. Miles was a weapon refiner of Imperial Level with a bright future, and Zachary was a promising newcomer with incredible potential. Any clan head would be helpless in the face of this conundrum, even one as good as Jaxon.

    "The Xiao Clan is lucky to have won Miles'' favor, but that''s a good thing for us. With the Xiao Clan excluded from his choices, Harley will surely join us." On the surface, Holy Phoenix was unhappy with Miles'' choice, because technically, he was rejecting them. But at the same time, she couldn''t help but feel relieved. She had to admit that Miles was a man of great talent, with rich experience in all aspects, but Phoenix Pavilion was not short of talents like him. They needed Zachary, who was endowed by nature with unusual talent and intelligence.

    y protested as she realized that her advantage had fallen by the wayside. In this situation, it was Jaxon who had the most advantage.

    "Miles has made a great contribution to Shura College these years, and he is determined to join the Xiao Clan. As the dean of the college, I have to support him. Holy Phoenix, aren''t you confident that Harley would choose you?" Marvin refuted. His eyebrow quirked up critically as if it was asking Holy Phoenix to reconsider before she challenged him again.

    Holy Phoenix''s face fell when Marvin refused to budge. Unfortunately, she couldn''t keep on protesting, as the others would say that she was being jealous. Anyway, she was the leader of the Phoenix Pavilion, so she kept her peace gracefully.

    "Everyone, if you have no other objections, I''ll ask Harley to come out." The crowd fell silent at once.

    He had expected this though. Since the Xiao Clan and the Phoenix Pavilion had kept silent, no other clans and sects present would raise objections, even if they were displeased. After all, Shura College was a force that surpassed all the clans and sects in the Devil Kingdom. No one would be willing to offend them.

    "It seems that Harley hasn''t arrived yet..." Tracy murmured, as she looked around to find Zachary.

    But before she could finish her words, Zachary suddenly flew up from a corner and landed beside her. "I''m here!"

 Chapter 506 Five-colored Magic Jade

    Everyone''s eyes followed Zachary as soon as he showed up. Miles, in particular, glared at him with obvious hostility. He knew that if Zachary were to also choose the Xiao Clan, the two of them would need to engage in an intense battle to prove that one was more suited to join than the other.

    "Um, here''s the thing..." Tracy looked at Zachary, thinking that he was confused about what had just happened.

    Before she could say anything, though, Zachary spoke up. "I already know." He turned and met Miles''s gaze. "Miles, you are my senior. Naturally and logically, I should let you join the Xiao Clan. Unfortunately, I''m also very interested in the Xiao Clan. I haven''t made the final decision yet, but chances are it may disappoint you."

    His claim left the crowd buzzing with suspense, as it only meant one thing¡ªif Miles wanted to be part of the Xiao Clan, he must defeat him.

    Jaxon smiled shrewdly at Zachary''s declaration. Thanks to Marvin who had made a wise decision just now, he now had an opportunity to recruit such an extraordinary talent rarely seen in the Devil Kingdom, or even in the whole Supernal Continent.

    Marvin smiled. He indeed made the right decision.

    Of course, others weren''t as enthusiastic. Holy Phoenix''s delicate face froze in astonishment. She hadn''t expected Zachary to consider the Xiao Clan over their Phoenix Pavilion.

    "Damn it! Did the Xiao Clan offer him any benefits in advance?" Holy Phoenix said as her beautiful eyes narrowed.

    "Take it easy, Master Holy Phoenix. He hasn''t made his final decision yet, after all," Riley said reassuringly.

    "He has already made clear of his intentions." Holy Phoenix''s eyes darkened.

    "Even if he goes through with his plans, Harley has little chances of winning. Miles is a famous Imperial Level weapon refiner from the Shura College. Harley will be at a major disadvantage," Riley explained calmly.

    As Holy Phoenix listened, her expression started to soften. She knew that all she could do for now was wait for the events to unfold. Nevertheless, she couldn''t help but wish t

    is treasure is the Silver Demonic Scale. A scarce casting material at the Imperial Level," Miles said, emphasizing the last part as he laced his voice with arrogance.

    Soon enough, the whole square burst with amazement. This was indeed an Imperial Level material that was additionally hard to come by. Their reaction further boosted Miles'' confidence. He felt sure that he would win and he was filled with pride at the thought that any treasure he casually took out would overwhelm Zachary, who looked obviously, inexperienced in weapon refining.

    "Oh, what a nice treasure! It''s my turn, then," said Zachary, nodding. He flipped his hand, where a purple jade suddenly materialized. A quite common one at that.

    "What the hell is this jade? Are you trying to insult me?" Miles said with utter disdain.

    The onlookers else shook their heads, feeling almost embarrassed for Zachary. The purple jade was obviously nowhere near as strong as the Silver Demonic Scale.

    "Just wait and see!" As he spoke, Zachary injected golden energy fire into the dim purple jade, which then shone brightly in an instant. The result was a five-colored jade that emitted strong essential power.

    "I can''t believe it. Is that the Five-colored Magic Jade?" Jaxon''s eyes widened at the sudden realization. It was natural for someone with his experience to immediately recognize such a treasure.

 Chapter 507 An Ugly Stone

    Everyone looked shocked. Most of the people in the audience had heard of the Five-colored Magic Jade and knew that it was no ordinary refining material, so Jaxon''s pronouncement was astonishing. The Five-colored Magic Jade was a scarce casting material at the Imperial Level that had capabilities comparable to even rare materials, and it could be used to refine any weapon with an element below the Sage Level without any limitations. It was also a piece of necessary material in order to refine rare Imperial Level weapons.

    "You have sharp eyes to have recognized it so quickly. You''re right. It is indeed the rare Five-colored Magic Jade," Zachary admitted calmly.

    The crowd around the square burst into an uproar at Zachary''s confirmation. How could Zachary, at his current strength level, be capable of possessing such a rare jade? It was unheard of.

    Even the Silver Demonic Scale that Miles had brought out, which had impressed everyone watching, was less powerful than Zachary''s Five-colored Magic Jade. Miles'' scale was also a scarce Imperial Level refining material, but somehow Zachary had an even scarcer and more potent treasure.

    The jade was a game-changer. There was no doubt now that Zachary would win the first round.

    Miles wore a sour expression on his face. He had not expected Zachary to be so well-prepared. He wondered where Zachary had gotten his hands on an item as precious as the Five-colored Magic Jade. Miles shook his head. Now was not the time for speculation. He had to focus on finding a way to beat Zachary¡ªas an Imperial Level warrior of the Shura College, it would be an enormous embarrassment for him to lose.

    "Big deal. So he has a Five-colored Magic Jade. I have a few tricks of my own," Miles muttered under his breath. He opened his Virtual Air Space again. Another box flew out. It opened, emitting a beam of radiant light, and even the most distant people in the audience felt the wave of essential energy which emanated from the box. It had a distinctly different, stronger energy than the Five-colored Magic Jade.

    Everyone turned to watch what Miles was doing. There was a stone inside the box in his hands. It seemed like it was also a jade.

    "This is the Dragon Soul Stone. It comes from the Dragon Sea, where it has gathered a very strong spiritual energy for at least a hundred years. We''ll see if your jade is better or worse than mine!" Miles said, casting a disdainful look at Zachary.

    Like the Five-colored Magic Jade, the Dragon Soul Stone was familiar to most of the people in t

    aysayers in the audience couldn''t help but mock Zachary. There were some who openly laughed at him, glad to see him defeated at last.

    "Whatever that is, it will not change anything. I''m sure you know how this will turn out, so again, I advise you to quit this round instead of disgracing yourself any further," Miles said, curling his lips at Zachary.

    Jaxon shook his head, feeling slightly disappointed. After all the hype, he had expected Zachary to perform better, but it seemed Zachary had at last reached the limit of his abilities. Of course, it was always a long shot for him to win this match, since Miles was so much stronger than him.

    The leaders and representatives of the various powerful forces in the audience also felt dismayed at this turn of events. They too had expected Zachary to put on another display of power and win another impressive victory, but it seemed he was doomed to lose in the second round.

    Zachary ignored all the noise around him. He fixed his eyes on the black stone and crushed it forcefully in his hands. It crumbled into pieces. In that instant, streaks of vivid, brilliant, blood-red light shot out from the fragments of the stone.

    The bright red rays shining from the stone silenced everyone in the crowd. They were on the edge of their seats, wondering if there was something special about that black chicken-shaped stone after all. No one moved or made a sound, staring intently at Zachary and wondering what he would do next.

    After a few moments, a flash of amber appeared within the fragments of black stone. It was also a stone, glowing with its own light, and there seemed to be currents of energy flowing within it. Everyone was amazed.

 Chapter 508 Dark Blood Amber

    "What is this? Is this Dark Blood Amber? That''s a very rare material in all the Supernal Continent. It can be used for sealing weapons," Marvin exclaimed in surprise. He couldn''t even believe his own eyes.

    Before he could even finish speaking, many leaders and representatives of the various forces had all been drawn to the treasure in Zachary''s hand. It was a rare treasure and it naturally immediately aroused a commotion.

    "Dark Blood Amber! Isn''t that an Imperial Level treasure from a special treasure beast? I''ve never actually seen it before! Unbelievable!"

    "Although I''ve heard of it, I''ve never seen it before either. It''s said that the Dark Blood Amber is specifically used to seal a weapon''s power at the Sage Level, thus allowing Imperial Level warriors to use the weapon. It''s truly a magical material."

    "If I could get my hands on such a Dark Blood Amber, I wouldn''t have to worry about not being capable of controlling the Sage Level weapon''s power anymore. As long as I merge it with a Sage Level weapon, I''ll obtain a weapon that can evolve over time."

    Nearly everyone present was basically drooling for the Dark Blood Amber because they all knew how invaluable the treasure genuinely was. In all the whole Devil Kingdom, this treasure was considered to be one of the rarest!

    Jaxon, who was a little disappointed before, stood up at once, because he hadn''t noticed that the black stone hid a very rare Dark Blood Amber.

    "Harley, I''m amazed. You have so many rare treasures!" Holy Phoenix exclaimed. She and Riley were both astonished, but they still managed to remain calm. The magic Hatching Fluid that the entire Devil Kingdom was equally crazy about was also from Zachary. No matter what treasure he pulled out, they wouldn''t become too shocked.

    "To tell you the truth, I was hoping that Harley would lose to Miles. Apparently, by the looks of things, I can''t count on that anymore," Holy Phoenix sighed warily, shaking her head from side to side.

    "Take it easy, Master Holy Phoenix. We still have a chance before Harley makes his final decision. It''s not over yet," Riley comforted her.

    Holy Phoenix lifted her head a little and nodded slightly.

    Zachary''s Dark Blood Ambe

    e? I can''t believe this. The only place that the Dark Golden Stone can be found is the Dark Stone Cave in the Dark Prison. And it can only be grown from the Black Demonic Bug, which takes several dozen years of nurturing the treasure. It''s a rare treasure at the Imperial Level. And it''s absolutely incredible!"

    Although Marvin wasn''t speaking very loudly, everyone could hear him loud and clear. Not a single other warrior dared make a sound, not even breathe too loudly.

    The Dark Golden Stone was a strange object, not only to most of the Imperial Level warriors present, but also to the Sage Level warriors. Everyone was stunned that Zachary had taken out such an amazing and unexpected treasure.

    "The Dark Golden Stone? Do you really think so? How is that even possible? I just can''t believe that! What he has is definitely not a Dark Golden Stone! Come on, guys..." Miles just couldn''t believe that Zachary could possess such a treasure. How did he manage to obtain such a thing?

    "Well... Master Jaxon, do you mind helping us examine it?" Zachary asked as casually as possible. The Dark Golden Stone was chucked toward Jaxon without further warning.

    Jaxon didn''t even extend his hand. Out of the blue, the strong Sage Level aura was released. Jaxon''s eyes flashed a few times, and then he nodded slightly. With nothing more than a wave of his hand, the Dark Golden Stone flew back toward Zachary.

    Everyone looked at Jaxon, desperately waiting for his answer.

 Chapter 509 Dark Golden Stone (Part One)

    "There''s no doubt in my mind that this is the Dark Golden Stone!" Jaxon confirmed in a serious tone, after looking around at the crowd surrounding him.

    Immediately, his words caused an uproar that waved through the closely huddled crowd.

    The Dark Golden Stone itself had only very rarely been seen, and it was said to be one of the most important casting materials. Throughout the entire Devil Kingdom, the Dark Golden Stone only existed in the Shura College''s Dark Prison. Furthermore, forming a Dark Golden Stone took dozens of years in the best of conditions, and it was thus extremely rare.

    Everyone knew how dangerous the Dark Prison was, of course. Seeing as Zachary had been capable of seizing the Dark Golden Stone from the Dark Prison in the first place, it was only logical that they''d come to the conclusion that his capabilities had grown beyond any of their imaginations. No more than ten warriors had ever successfully obtained a Dark Golden Stone since the Shura College was founded, which only demonstrated its rarity even more. Besides, all the warriors'' cultivation levels were above the Sage Level, Zachary being the only exception, whose cultivation level was only at the Imperial Level. Ultimately, it didn''t matter whether Zachary had earned the Dark Golden Stone through his own strength or if he fumbled upon it by pure accident. No one doubted the Dark Golden Stone''s value. In fact, many warriors of Imperial Levels were actually terrified of the Dark Prison''s great danger.

    Although casting materials that came from Sage Level beasts were considered to be very rare for Imperial Level weapon refiners, in the eyes of Sage Level weapon refiners, such casting materials were actually quite ordinary. In comparison, the Dark Golden Stone''s value¡ªlonged for by many Sage Level weapon refiners¡ªwas naturally much higher than that of a Sage Level beast''s rib.

    For this reason, the result of the competition''s third round was quite obvious.

    Overwhelmed with the feeling of surprise, many warriors couldn''t help but shake their heads as well. None of them had thought that Miles, who had showed a very rare casting material that came from a Sage Level beast, would lose to Zachary. Things took a turn though and in the end, the latter had a rarer and more valuable Dark Golden Stone. The crowd fe

    x refining skill last time, and that''s something I just cannot ignore," Marvin mumbled in a low voice to himself.

    It still remained that since Zachary''s Dark Golden Stone was superior to Miles''s treasure, then according to the best of three rule, Zachary should be the winner.

    "Damn it! How is this possible? How could I lose to you?" In that very moment, Miles still seemed unable to fully accept the fact that he had been defeated by Zachary. Considering his reputation and position in the Shura College, this kind of disastrous defeat would undoubtedly humiliate him badly. He wasn''t ready to face reality, not yet at least.

    "If you really want to challenge me again, have it your way. I don''t mind continuing the competition at all," Zachary told Miles as gently as he could. He figured if Miles wanted to continue competing against him, he would play with him until the end.

    That said, Miles wasn''t stupid, and he clearly knew that it made no sense for the competition to continue. Now that Zachary had the Dark Golden Stone, he couldn''t neglect the idea that he might also have other trump cards up his sleeve. And even then, Miles didn''t have any treasure in his hand that could compare to the Dark Golden Stone anyway. There simply was no point in going any further.

    It was safe to say that Miles was no longer confident in winning over Zachary.

    "Humph! Forget it! Just consider yourself lucky this time!" Miles shouted, glaring at Zachary with angry eyes. Without further warning, he turned on his heel and left in a fury.

 Chapter 510 Dark Golden Stone (Part Two)

    As soon as he noticed that Miles had left, Jaxon stayed where he was. He had no intentions of asking him to stay, seeing in the previous competition, Zachary obviously had more potential than Miles anyway. On top of it all, Zachary could easily provide the Dark Golden Stone, while no other warrior of Imperial Level in all of the Devil Kingdom could do the same. Zachary''s overwhelming win over Miles did nothing other than prove that he was more appealing to the clans and sects than Miles ever was.

    Zachary was an obvious super talent, and there was no way Jaxon was going to give up on recruiting him just because of Miles, who seemed to be much inferior. Despite that, Jaxon understood that if he gave up on Miles, it also meant that he was taking a risk, because Zachary hadn''t made his final decision yet. It was still possible that he wouldn''t choose the Xiao Clan in the end. Nevertheless, for now, no matter what happened, the Xiao Clan''s first choice was still Zachary.

    When Miles left, only Zachary was left standing on the stage alone. The entire crowd fixed their burning eyes on him, as he was the last warrior of Imperial Level and the true star of the meeting. What would now follow was his special performance.

    "Since everyone here has evidently witnessed how well Harley Bai, the new warrior of Imperial Level, performed just moments ago, I don''t have anything more to say. In spite of having expressed interest for the Xiao Clan, he hasn''t made his final decision yet. This means that all the other clans and sects still have a chance. Without further ado, if you want to recruit him, please raise your paddle!" Tracy announced, gaining momentum in her voice.

    As soon as she finished speaking, every single paddle in the area was raised high into the air, all at the same time and in an extremely orderly manner. Such an occurrence had never happened before, not in any of the previous meetings of the same kind. Without exception, all the clans and sects in the Devil Kingdom wanted to recruit Zachary.

    Albeit astonishing, what was happening remained within the bounds of reason. After all, Zachary really was a super talent. Even though certain clans and sects knew that they would never be capable of attracting him, they too were willing to join the masses and have their fun.

    Such a rare scene still caused all the Shura College disciples watching in the surrounding area to fall completely silent. One way or another, Zachary was still a member of the Celestial College. He had drawn so much attention in the Devil Kingdom, however, that they couldn''t help but envy him.

    "Ha-ha! What an honor and great surprise that so many clans and sects want to recruit me. It''s almost a shame that I can''t replicate myself, right? If that were possible, I ensure you, every clan and sect would recruit one of my replicas...I don''t want to disappoint anyone," Zachary said in a light, joking tone after glancing around and reading the crowd.

    The crowd immediatel

    edibly strong power at any moment. Everyone watching the scene unfold was shocked, not only by what they were seeing, but by his powerful Sage Level aura as well.

    At once, the leaders and representatives of the clans and sects all stood up spontaneously without taking their amazed eyes off him, as if they were greeting a king. Behaving in such a way was actually normal and even expected, because Larry Xuanyuan, the Xuanyuan Clan''s head, was the number one Sage Level warrior in the Devil Kingdom as well as one of the top five Sage Level warriors in all the Supernal Continent. Therefore, everybody was bound to showing their respect to such a prestigious figure.

    In fact, there were Holy Level and even Divine Level warriors above the Sage Level ones. In comparison to them, the number one Sage Level warrior might be nothing. Ever since the establishment of the four martial colleges though, in order to keep balance as well as to avoid bloody and cruel struggles among the clans and sects in every kingdom, the four martial colleges had jointly announced a rule that once a warrior reached the Holy Level, they could no longer serve as the leader of a clan or sect and had to retreat from any conflict between such. Otherwise, the warrior would be severely punished.

    Everyone agreed that this rule was reasonable. After all, once a warrior reached the Holy Level, their strength became utterly immeasurable. In other words, a Holy Level warrior could cause countless casualties with ease. As such, if a Holy Level warrior wanted to use their power and strength in order to seek personal benefits, many people would die in horrendous misery.

    For this reason, only very few big shots at the Holy Level could be seen in the kingdoms on the Supernal Continent. The leaders of all the clans and sects were warriors below the Holy Level. Under such a context, the number one Sage Level warrior was already considered godly in the eyes of any warrior, thus attracting their reverence.

 Chapter 511 The Number One Sage Level Warrior

    Larry, with an aura of a supreme king, floated down leisurely and scanned the surroundings with a piercing gaze. As he sauntered, he exuded unparalleled pride that overshadowed even those of top clan heads like Jaxon and Holy Phoenix.

    Although Jaxon was also a Sage Level warrior at the premium stage, Larry was still far stronger. Jaxon was mainly able to develop the Xiao Clan and help them thrive through his extraordinary wisdom. In comparison, Larry created the Xuanyuan Clan by himself. The other Sage Level warriors in the Xuanyuan Clan had been defeated by Larry before. And they decided to work for Larry because of his mighty strength.

    Needless to say, Holy Phoenix was no match for Larry, especially having just risen to the premium stage of Sage Level. Moreover, it had only been a decade since the Phoenix Pavilion was entrusted to her. If the former head hadn''t retired early, she would still be the vice leader.

    Several other clan heads were equally accomplished, but possessed power only on par with Holy Phoenix. To them, looking at Larry was seeing a warrior above and beyond. The entire audience, including the senior leaders from the Shura College, stared in awe as Larry appeared. The only people able to keep calm and composed were Marvin and Zachary; the latter couldn''t be bothered to make a fuss about such things.

    Shortly after, Larry landed smoothly on the ground, just in front of Marvin and the Shura College senior leaders he led.

    "Long time no see, Dean Marvin!" Larry said arrogantly.

    "I thought the Xuanyuan Clan was not interested in this meeting. I certainly didn''t expect you to personally attend," he replied. Even though the man in front of him was the Devil Kingdom''s number one Sage Level warrior, Marvi

    ongest Sage Level warrior in the Devil Kingdom was not something to be taken lightly. Zachary was, no doubt, very talented.

    "I appreciate the flattery, Master Larry." Zachary smiled, still calm.

    "Then you don''t have to think about your last choice," Larry replied, his face dead serious.

    "Of course, I know that if I don''t agree, any future attempt to gain a foothold in the Devil Kingdom will prove difficult." Zachary knew exactly what Larry meant and chose to respond with kind acceptance.

    For the other clans, these words were tantamount to a death sentence. After all, the Xuanyuan Clan occupying the last choice meant a competition among the Devil Kingdom''s three strongest forces.

    Jaxon''s and Holy Phoenix''s faces contorted with frustrated grimaces. It was already bad that the Devil Kingdom''s top clan was the Xuanyuan Clan. Having Larry as their leader made it even harder for Zachary to resist the temptation and reject his proposal.

    However, just as chaos was about to unfurl in the arena, a figure among the crowd came out of the shadows and started to mosey towards the stage. "Since Master Larry is here, you won''t mind if I join, right?"

 Chapter 512 Arrangement

    All the people present stared in shock at the figure that had just appeared so suddenly.

    "Jace, there you are! I never thought that you would give up such a talent so easily, without even giving it a try." Larry didn''t seem surprised.

    Jace was the unexpected newcomer. He had already been here, but had strongly considered not showing up. He had been unsure of whether it was necessary for him to participate in the meeting. If he attended it, there was a chance that the Qiu Clan might make a comeback. However, if he didn''t go, the Qiu Clan might miss out on acquiring a new talent that could greatly benefit them in the future.

    Jace''s appearance was the highlight of the meeting, and caused a ripple of excitement in the crowd. Not only had the three most powerful forces of the Devil Kingdom gathered to bid for Zachary, but the Qiu Clan, which had been in hiding for years, had come into the open to attend. This had not been an easy decision for Jace. He had been rejected by Zachary once in the past, and it would be massive embarrassment for the Qiu Clan if it happened again.

    But he was here now, and he had prepared well. Even though the Qiu Clan''s good name was on the line, he was determined to try again.

    "Father, there you are!" Polly wasn''t surprised to see her father. She knew him well enough to have guessed that he wouldn''t miss such an opportunity to recruit a weapon refining genius like Zachary.

    The three great powers that had all gathered there were all just as determined as Jace was.

    However, according to the old rules, Zachary could only choose from three candidates at the most. Thus, Jace''s presence was, in essence, against the rules.

    However, these regulations were not set in stone. "The Qiu Clan is the top weapon refining clan in the Devil Kingdom," said Marvin, standing up. "And Harley is undoubtedly a weapon refiner of exceptional talent. It would make no sense to exclude the Qiu Clan from this event. Thus, I am willing to make an exception to the rules. The Qiu Clan can stay as the fourth choice."

    His words caused uproar in the crowd. Nob

    thly, you will be promoted to a guardian three years later. If, over the subsequent years, your strength reaches the premium stage of Imperial Level, you can become an elder. After Anthony takes over the position of the head, you can help him realize his ambition. What do you say?"

    Jaxon''s proposal caused a stir in the crowd, too.

    Without doubt, Jaxon''s arrangement would allow Zachary to rise to the top. Within ten years, he could become the second in command of the Xiao Clan, the dream of many warriors.

    Zachary scratched his chin theatrically. He seemed to enjoy being curried favor with by these masters. "Sure, your arrangement is very attractive." For a while, Zachary pretended to be satisfied with what Jaxon had offered.

    Suddenly, a realization hit Holy Phoenix like a force wave. She finally knew what Zachary wanted. "Look, the Phoenix Pavilion doesn''t usually recruit male disciples. But today is the day of exceptions, isn''t it? I am willing to make one for you. If you choose us, I will make you my personal disciple, and appoint you as the steward in charge of the training of three hundred female disciples. Three years later, you will be promoted to a guardian, and in another five, you can become an elder. After I retire, you can take the position of the deputy leader of the Phoenix Pavilion," Holy Phoenix suggested boldly. She was confident her proposal would win.

 Chapter 513 Something Is Missing

    Holy Phoenix was offering a fantastic proposal just as much as Jaxon did. More importantly, the Phoenix Pavilion was one of the rare sects that only recruited female disciples in the Supernal Continent. If they hired Zachary, he would become the sole male disciple, surrounded by many gorgeous girls. For sure, all the male warriors in the Devil Kingdom would become jealous.

    "What an attractive offer! It is a great honor to be the first male disciple in the Phoenix Pavilion!" Zachary answered with a radiant smile.

    Holy Phoenix at once showed a satisfied expression, because she also knew that this condition would be very beguiling. No man would refuse the opportunity to be surrounded by many beauties.

    After Jaxon and Holy Phoenix made their offers, everyone fixed their eyes to Jace and Larry, who had said nothing yet.

    "Jace, please go first!" Larry gestured to Jace.

    "Okay, thank you," Jace nodded. "Harley, I invited you to be my disciple earlier. I can assure you that you will be an indispensable person in a few years in our Qiu Clan. However, I don''t think that''s your ultimate goal. As long as you are willing to join our clan, even if you are not my disciple, I will make an exception to allow you to learn all the secret martial arts and weapon refining skills."

    The moment Jace finished speaking, all the people present went crazy. They knew that the Qiu Clan had the strongest weapon refining skills in the Devil Kingdom, especially its skills above the Imperial Level. Their skills were definitely something that countless warriors wanted to learn. However, in the Qiu Clan, only those with the Qiu blood were allowed to learn these secret skills. The offer made by Jace was definitely alluring. Obviously, he was really eager to have Zachary join them.

    "Thank you

    very suitable for you," said Jaxon. The treasure was one of the rarest he had collected. On any other occasion, he would never give this out. But to get Zachary, he could only endure the pain of giving it out.

    "Ice Water Bead? This is a rare treasure. I did not expect Master Jaxon to give it to Harley."

    "It seems that Master Jaxon is fully determined to get Harley."

    "But the other three must be prepared as well!"

    It caused another uproar in the crowd, but they knew that it was just the beginning.

    "Isn''t that just an Ice Water Bead?" Holy Phoenix gave a disapproving sneer. Suddenly, a pair of objects flew towards Zachary and landed in front of him.

    Zachary inspected the treasure and then saw a pair of very chic boots with gold and white silk, which was unique and elegant.

    "They are called the Flying Boots. Once you wear them, you can fly way up in the sky. They are the perfect aid for treasure hunting," Holy Phoenix introduced.

    "Oh, so it''s a pair of boots to help me during treasure hunting," said Zachary, raising his eyebrows. Only after reaching the Sage Level could warriors fly in the air. But with the Flying Boots, he could soar at the Imperial Level.

 Chapter 514 The Treasure-hunting Aid

    "The boots very rare. I have no doubt that you will like them," Holy Phoenix told Zachary. She was familiar with his fondness for treasures, and knew that he had expended a lot of effort and time to seek out treasures to use for his own purposes. She was certain he would be impressed with what she had shown him.

    "Thanks. That''s quite thoughtful of you. The boots are indeed a valuable treasure-hunting aid, and I can''t wait to try them," Zachary answered honestly.

    "Go on, try them out. They''re yours. I don''t rescind gifts that I have already given. Should you decide against joining my Phoenix Pavilion, they will still belong to you," she said. It was a magnanimous gesture, but a calculated one. She wanted Zachary to know that after he joined the Phoenix Pavilion, he could obtain more treasures.

    "Really? That''s great! Thanks again," Zachary replied without hesitation. His eyes lit up at her offer. He wouldn''t decline such a valuable gift.

    As soon as Zachary expressed his gratitude, Holy Phoenix smiled and turned to give Jaxon a knowing glance. She was showing off.

    "The gift I gave you is also yours, regardless of what you decide," Jaxon put in. Holy Phoenix wasn''t the only one who could make grand gestures! He was confident he could offer Zachary things that the Phoenix Pavilion could not.

    "That''s very kind of you, too. You have my gratitude as well," Zachary said to Jaxon, grinning from ear to ear. He couldn''t believe he had just gained two treasures without paying any price. It was like gold falling out from the sky.

    The others shook their heads, wearing expressions of envy and disappointment. They couldn''t help feeling jealous of Zachary, but there was nothing they could do, for he was simply far stronger and more talented than they were.

    Jace and Larry had been quiet so far. The crowd turned their attention to them, wondering how they would try to top Holy Phoenix and Jaxon in trying to recruit Zachary. Did they also have treasures to give away?

    All the representatives of the clans and sects maintained impassive faces, projecting an aura of confidence, but they were beginning to get a little restless. It seemed that Zachary was taking a long time to decide. Jaxon and the Holy Phoenix were each positive that the treasures they had gifted to Zachary were superior to what the other offered. However, Jace and Larry had yet to make their pitch, and they might suddenly bring out treasures that were better and more powerful. After all, one was the most powerful Sage Level weapon refiner in the Devil Kingdom. The other, meanwhile, was the strongest Sage Level warrior in the Devil Kingdom. Between them,

    ching Fluid, which was now his second most prized possession, after the egg itself. He was delighted by Larry''s gift and certain he would be able to hatch it successfully. Then he would have a Red Auspicious Dragon of his own!

    Seeing the reverent way that Zachary handled the egg, Larry let out a roar of explosive laughter. "So, you are pleased with my gift!" Larry then looked meaningfully around at the crowd. "By the way, I''m sure many of you are dreaming of snatching the egg somehow. Don''t bother! If someone takes his egg, I will make it my personal mission to hunt down and punish the thief."

    In fact, some members of the audience had indeed been dreaming up ways to steal the egg from Zachary, but Larry''s threat quickly changed their minds.

    "Larry, this is a truly wonderful and amazing gift. But it''s also risky, is it not? You said yourself that it''s almost impossible to successfully hatch the egg of the Red Auspicious Dragon. If Harley fails to hatch it, then your gift will be wasted," Jaxon said in a tone of calm logic, but inside he was seething with jealousy. His Ice Water Bead was nothing compared to this dragon egg. He himself had wanted one for a long time.

    "Unlike you, I have confidence in him. I think that he might be able to hatch it," Larry replied coolly.

    Jaxon rolled his eyes but did not say anything more.

    "I agree with Larry. I believe Harley can hatch it," Holy Phoenix said majestically. She had recovered from her initial shock at the egg, and had decided that although Larry''s gift far eclipsed her own, she would still try to gain Zachary''s favor. More importantly, she knew for a fact that Zachary had the Hatching Fluid to help him in his endeavor, although she could not say so. That was Zachary''s secret to tell.

 Chapter 515 The Gifts

    Larry and the other two leaders had already brought out their ceremonial gifts, while Jace, the leader of the Qiu Clan, remained calmly seated in his seat. The others glanced at him, confused why he hadn''t moved to show his gift.

    "Come on, Jace! Don''t keep it a secret. If you have something to give to Harley, then please show us too," Jaxon said as he looked at Jace with a calculating smile on his face.

    "The gift I prepared for him is nothing compared to yours. I think I''d better present it to him later in private," Jace answered in a humble tone, as he waved his hands at them in dismissal.

    "That''s not fair. Don''t worry, we won''t laugh at you even if you''ve brought an inferior treasure. Anyway, I think the treasure that you brought isn''t as inferior as you think," insisted Holy Phoenix next. For once, the group seemed to work together just to see Jace''s gift.

    "She is right. Come on and show us!" Larry also urged.

    "Okay, I guess I have no choice," Jace sighed in resignation, then took out his gift, as he stood up. The others craned their necks just to see better, eager to see what he had brought. A gasp escaped their surprised lips, as he took out a dagger and handed it to Zachary.

    "This dagger is called the Heavenly Dagger. I have used it to defend myself for many years, and now, it is yours," Jace said as he handed the dagger to Zachary.

    "Is that the Heavenly Dagger? Gosh! Isn''t that one of the three great treasures of the Qiu Clan? It is said that if you get stabbed by that dagger, you won''t die outright. Instead, your soul will be severed from your body and enter a strange place," Jaxon exclaimed in disbelief as he saw the dagger. It was so rare and valuable that ordinary warriors wouldn''t even know of its existence. The Qiu Clan had hidden itself for more than three hundred years; thus, no one knew what famous treasures they had. Only those warriors at the premium stage of Sage Level and above would know of this dagger and the stories behind it.

    "Jaxon, you do know a lot about this dagger, but it is very different from the rumors," Jace replied calmly.

    "I''ve heard of this Heavenly Dagger before. It must be unique and extremely rare to be considered one of the three great treasures of the Qiu Clan," Larry commented as he eyed the dagger curiously.

    "This dagger is unique because it is my token. If the disciples of

    e wouldn''t choose the Qiu Clan.

    None of them figured out that Jace used the dagger to confirm Zachary''s intentions and the possibility of their cooperation in the future. After all, if his thoughts could easily be perceived, he wouldn''t be qualified to be the master of the Qiu Clan.

    Although Jace had left, the competition still went on. Zachary didn''t make his final decision, even though Larry, Jaxon and Holy Phoenix had already shown their sincerity and presented their precious gifts. This made them feel uneasy, because the longer he delayed, the more they felt that the situation was unfavorable to them.

    "Harley, if you don''t want to be Jace''s disciple, you can be mine. I can pass on the Superb Dual Cultivation Method, the secret cultivation method of our Phoenix Pavilion to you. All previous leaders of our pavilion used this method to cultivate their successors," Holy Phoenix added in a bid to cultivate Zachary as her successor.

    Upon hearing that, the onlookers erupted into a ruckus, because they felt that the Phoenix Pavilion had presented so many enticing advantages that Zachary would definitely choose them.

    "Holy Phoenix, I think that only female disciples are allowed to practice the Superb Dual Cultivation Method, right?" Jaxon asked with an eyebrow raised in question.

    "There is no limitation for the Superb Dual Cultivation Method at all. But because the Phoenix Pavilion only recruits female disciples, the outsiders mistakenly believed that only female disciples can practice such a skill, but that''s not true," Holy Phoenix responded at once.

 Chapter 516 Make The Choice

    "Oh, Holy Phoenix, it appears that you are taking all means possible in order to welcome Harley into your sect," Jaxon said with a sneer.

    "What are you getting at, Jaxon?" Holy Phoenix''s beautiful eyes widened with anger. She could tell that Jaxon''s words had a hidden meaning.

    "I know more about your sect''s Superb Dual Cultivation Method than you can ever imagine. If you were to cultivate with Harley, I don''t even want to let myself think about what might happen. You''re obviously so much older than him. If others were to find out, you''d quickly be defamed," Jaxon stated in a matter of fact tone.

    As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted into an uproar despite their understanding expressions. After all, the Superb Dual Cultivation Method was indeed implying something.

    "What are you talking about? This isn''t how the Phoenix Pavilion''s Superb Dual Cultivation Method works!" Holy Phoenix suddenly became very angry, thinking that Jaxon was deliberately humiliating the Phoenix Pavilion.

    "Well, you should know the cultivation method better than anyone else," Jaxon stated with certainty, this time.

    "You..." she stuttered. Holy Phoenix''s delicate body trembled as she stood silently. All of a sudden, the strong Sage Level aura was released, shocking everyone in the surrounding area instantly.

    Jaxon, on his behalf, wasn''t intimidated at all. He stared Holy Phoenix down with his piercing eyes.

    "Enough!" Larry shouted at the top of his lungs, seemingly fed up with the ongoing quarrel between Jaxon and Holy Phoenix. "Both of you are important figures in the Devil Kingdom. Behave yourselves. Otherwise, you''ll become the laughingstock of our kingdom!"

    Jaxon and Holy Phoenix exchanged a quick glance before they stopped releasing their auras.

    "Harley, let''s get to the point. It''s just about time you make your final decision. I don''t think you''ll choose our clan anyway," Larry said as he shrugged his shoulders carelessly, looking at Zachary.

    "Master Larry, why would you say such a thing?" Never had he imagined that Larry would see right through him.

    "Because I''m not stupid. I can see in your eyes that you''ve already made up your mind and nothing''s going to change it," Larry said, as if he had read Zachary''s mind.

    "Really? What do you think my decision is?" It had never crossed Zachary''s mind that Larry would be so discerning that he could basically read his

    w that Jaxon had even offered to hook Harley up with his daughter, Holy Phoenix knew she had to do something just as grand. Despite her long face, she made a similar offer.

    "Holey Phoenix, don''t push yourself too hard. The female disciples of your Phoenix Pavilion are no match to my daughter. Let''s be honest here," Jaxon replied in a sarcastic tone.

    "Oh, really? Do you think so? In that case, what do you think about my personal disciple, Joan? I''ve picked her as the Phoenix Pavilion''s next leader. I can match the two of them together, as long as that''s what Harley wants, of course." Anxious as Holy Phoenix was, she had no choice but to bring her personal disciple into this one of a kind offer.

    As Zachary listened, he didn''t know whether he should laugh or cry. It would drive Pollard mad if he were to marry Joan. He definitely couldn''t accept such an offer. He could never marry the person his friend was in love with.

    Jaxon and Holy Phoenix shared a look, and then they glanced at Zachary, waiting for him to decide between the two of them.

    "I really appreciate your kindness, truly, I do, but as for the marriage, I think it''s better to let nature run its natural course. In my opinion, the Phoenix Pavilion is much more for female disciples, in the end. It would have been inconvenient for me to join. The Xiao Clan is more suitable for me as well as my needs. What''s more, I think Master Jaxon''s offer is really attractive. To be brief, I have decided to choose the Xiao Clan!" Zachary announced his final decision with confidence.

    The crowd once again erupted into excitement and joy.

 Chapter 517 Making The Choice

    Holy Phoenix was disappointed when she heard Zachary. However, since he had made his choice, it was pointless for her to continue arguing. Besides, she knew Zachary had a cooperation agreement with Phoenix House, so she could still recruit him in the future.

    "Well, you have clearly made your choice, so I won''t say anything further. But remember that the doors of the Phoenix Pavilion are always open for you. You can join us at any time you wish," Holy Phoenix said, trying her best to be calm and open. She couldn''t be a sore loser and burn her bridges in disappointment.

    "Thank you very much for your generosity!" Zachary replied politely with a nod.

    Holy Phoenix then turned around and left without so much as glancing at Jaxon, who was gloating by this point.

    "I think I''ll take my leave as well," Larry chimed in as he turned to Marvin and nodded goodbye. He summoned his Red Auspicious Dragon and flew away.

    "Harley, you have definitely made a wise choice!" Jaxon remarked as he gazed at Zachary. He was ecstatic as though he had hit the jackpot.

    "Thank you, Master Jaxon. I''d greatly appreciate your help in the future," Zachary replied with cupped hands.

    "Of course I will help you as much as I can ¡ª a spoken word is a promise! I''m serious about my daughter''s marriage with you though. I really hope you will give careful consideration to my offer." Jaxon knew that even if he enlisted Zachary into the Xiao Clan, it was possible that he might leave the clan at any time unless they developed a really close relationship.

    "I suggest we discuss this later." Seeing that it would not be easy to refuse him directly, Zachary decided to try the evasion tactic.

    "Congratulations! Master Jaxon, we''re glad to know that you have recruited Harley successfully!" It was Marvin and the other higher-ups of the Shura College, who were approaching to congratulate Jaxon.

    Though the other sect leaders present were envious, they couldn''t do anything but watch the Xiao Clan snatch Zachary away from under their noses.

    Soon Tracy announced that the meeting was over and everyone started dispersing.

    "Harley, can I have a word with you?" Marvin asked Zachary.

    Zachary glanced at Marvin c

    , you must leave the Celestial College first. The Shura College will help you to apply for this. Normally, the Celestial College wouldn''t let you leave very easily, but since this is your personal decision, they won''t be able to change it. At the most, they will stretch the procedure," Marvin explained coolly.

    "Oh? Please allow me to express my gratitude beforehand, Dean Marvin. It''s really a headache for me to apply for the permission from the Celestial College!" Zachary answered, bowing and cupping his hands. He knew that Katrina would surely arrange for him to drop out of the Celestial College, but if the matter could be handled by the Shura College, it would save her a lot of trouble.

    "I must remind you though that although Jaxon values and appreciates you very much, it doesn''t mean that you can do whatever you want after you join the Xiao Clan. He is a very cautious and suspicious man. If you do things that stir up his suspicions, he won''t turn a blind eye irrespective of your talent or status. So, you must be very careful about your actions. Moreover, there are many other excellent warriors of Imperial Level in the Xiao Clan. Since you are so highly valued by Jaxon, you will inevitably attract a lot of jealousy and trouble from insidious people but you''d better endure all of it. Don''t ever get into a conflict with them. Remember this!" Marvin warned sternly.

    "Okay, I''ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the heads up!" Zachary nodded gratefully.

 Chapter 518 The Heterodox Refining Skill

    "Let me just say one thing. No matter what, regardless of what competition you join or what kind of opponent you face, do not ever again use the heterodox refining skill. It is powerful and unique, but it can also affect your willpower, especially if you use it repeatedly. You have the talent to succeed without relying on the heterodox refining skill. There is no need to go down the wrong path," Marvin warned. He hoped that Zachary understood the gravity of what he was saying.

    But Zachary just smiled, as though nothing of importance was being discussed.

    "As soon as the Celestial College gives you permission to leave, you may go to the Xiao Clan," Marvin said and sighed.

    "I am truly grateful for your consideration, Dean Marvin. Should you ever need my help in the future, please don''t hesitate to ask," Zachary replied politely. Although he appreciated Marvin''s kindness, he knew that Marvin was being nice because he wanted to recruit him to the Shura College eventually. In the world of warriors, there were no absolute enemies, only absolute benefits.

    "Of course. I''m sure the time will come when I take you up on that offer," Marvin said. He nodded at Zachary.

    They bid their goodbyes, and Zachary left.

    After his conversation with Marvin in the conference hall, Zachary went to the farmyard, deep in thought. He knew that Celestial College wouldn''t allow him to leave immediately. It might take at least half a month. He would use that time to make his own plans and arrangements.

    Queenie and the others were gathered in the farmyard, having an animated discussion about something. As soon as they saw Zachary, their faces fell and they stopped talking. He knew it was because he had chosen to leave Celestial College and join the Xiao Clan.

    "You are a traitor!" Alger suddenly shouted, glaring at Zachary.

    The others didn''t call Zachary any names, but they looked at him disdainfully. They thought he was vain and believed himself to be better than everyone else.

    Queenie, Rebecca, Nelson and Scott stared at him with complicated feelings, without saying anything.

    Zachary''s gaze swept over everyone in the group. "Queenie, Rebecca, Nelson, and Scott, come with me," he said. The four he had named gave him puzzled looks.

    Zachary turned to leave. The four hesitated for a moment, then followed after him.

    The five of them left the farmyard and entered a ne

    est the egg.

    "There''s nothing wrong with the egg. It''s simply because the Hatching Fluid alone won''t be enough for the egg of a rare mount beast. It has to be refined by its owner''s martial energy in a special environment," Mimi explained.

    "How long will it take to refine it?" Zachary asked, frowning down at his precious egg.

    "It can take several months or several years. If you have enough Hatching Fluid, you may be able to hatch it just by using a drop of the fluid every day for a month or so," Mimi said.

    "I''ll have to think about this. I guess hatching the egg will be harder than I thought," Zachary said. But it would all be worth it. If he could hatch the egg, he would have his very own Red Auspicious Dragon. He could go anywhere and explore any place, and no one would be able to stop him.

    He went to the Peach Blossom Forest and placed the dragon egg there for safekeeping. He asked the three beasts to keep an eye on the precious treasure. After making some preparations, he left Shura College and began to collect the materials for the quest that Anne had assigned him. He had thought initially that the quest of repairing the weapons was quite simple, but later he found that there were as many as over twenty rare materials that needed to be collected. It was a time-consuming and laborious process.

    A few days later, Zachary found himself in a swamp area, collecting materials for Anne''s quest. He was busy with his work, up to his knees in the murky water, when he heard the sound of Mimi''s sweet voice. "The Summoning Token is activated. I will teleport you now."

 Chapter 519 Nirvana

    ''I wonder who is in trouble now, '' Zachary thought to himself. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from where he stood.

    He reappeared behind a rock that overlooked a valley, where a fierce battle was underway. On one side stood a menacing Imperial Level martial beast. Zachary then turned to its opponent, and there he saw Joan, body covered with wounds. He surveyed the area, and saw that the alley was completely sealed, which meant that she no longer had a way to retreat.

    ''This stage should be the last one in her challenge. If she defeats this martial beast, she''ll complete the training in this area and gain a ridiculous amount of strength and experience, '' he thought. He floated down and activated his Energy Perception Technique, he hurled three Ice Needles towards its direction.

    All three shot through the air and impaled the martial beast, freezing it almost instantaneously.

    "Joan, hurry! If you kill this martial beast, you''ll no doubt reach the Imperial Level!" Zachary shouted, turning immediately to Joan.

    Despite being covered with gashes and scrapes, Joan stretched out without hesitation and spun around quickly, rushing towards the martial beast not a second later.

    "Nirvana!" she roared. As she pushed her martial energy to the limit, a beam of light surrounded her completely. Zachary looked on, dazzled by the radiance.

    Bang!

    With a deafening sound, red light spread across the area around a dozen-meter radius and almost immediately turned into a phoenix shadow. Without any resistance, the phoenix shadow completely devoured the martial beast.

    It lay lifeless there on the ground, scorched all over, even long after the phoenix shadow had completely faded.

    The red light that surrounded her body, however, remained intact. In fact, it seemed to shine even brighter, as if it had reached the limit and was on the verge of breaking through.

    "That''s all I can do. The rest is up to you!" Zachary said to her. He settled down at a safe distance and nodded once, as if signaling to her to proceed.

    Joan sat on the ground with her legs crossed and closed her eyes. For a still second, there was complete silence. And then she opened her eyes, now bloodshot. She breathed laboriously, mouth open, as beads of sweat trickled down her cheeks, along the gashes on her skin. She struggled to keep still

    you happen to know where your brother is?" Zachary asked calmly, as if nothing had happened between them.

    "He...um, recently went out on a mission and will come back in around ten to fifteen days," Polly replied hesitantly.

    "Oh, I see. Then how are you these days?" he asked casually.

    "I''m fine." Polly nodded, not knowing what else to say.

    "Well, since Pollard isn''t coming back anytime soon, I''ll take my leave. I will probably not be around when he returns, so can you please tell him about it for me?" Zachary said. He noticed Polly looking extremely embarrassed. He certainly didn''t want to stay and make her feel even worse. Leaving her alone was the right thing to do. But when he was about to leave, Polly suddenly called out, "Please, Harley, wait a moment."

    "Is there anything I can do for you?" Zachary asked as he turned around to look back at Polly. She nodded gently and bit her lower lip, as if hesitating.

    "Well, I would just like to ask why you chose the Xiao Clan, if I may ask," Polly added immediately. She wanted to ask him about it for a long time but never gathered enough courage until now.

    "Because I think they''re wonderful there!" Zachary tried to hide his half-hearted answer with failed enthusiasm.

    "Don''t lie to me. You have a grudge against the Xiao Clan''s young master. What are you thinking, really?" Polly had been confused ever since she heard of Zachary''s decision. She knew of his animosity against their young master, and so she was conflicted when he joined them instead of taking any form of revenge.

 Chapter 520 Join The Xiao Clan

    "Nothing. I just feel that it will be interesting to join the Xiao Clan," Zachary replied with a cryptic smile.

    "Have you really made up your mind? You know there is bad blood between you and the young master of the Xiao Clan. I''m afraid that you would suffer if you join them," Polly said, her voice laced thick with concern.

    "Are you worried about me?" Zachary asked with a slightly teasing smile on his face, as he peered closer at Polly.

    "No! I just wanted to give you a heads up," she denied, as she looked away, flustered from his words. They were standing so close now that she could feel his breath warm on her skin.

    "Really? Then, why are you blushing?" Zachary asked insistently, while he fought down the grin that was struggling to escape his lips.

    "Enough! I don''t want to talk to you anymore," Polly huffed. She was annoyed that he wasn''t taking her seriously, so she turned her back on him and walked away.

    "If you don''t talk to me now, you will regret it when you miss me!" Zachary hollered after her retreating back. When he couldn''t see her anymore, the smile on his face was replaced by a sigh, and he left in a pensive mood.

    Three days later, someone informed Zachary on behalf of Celestial College that he was allowed to quit the college. But at the same time, the college also required the other nine disciples to end their exchange learning in Shura College, and they were asked to return as soon as possible.

    It was understandable, of course, for the Celestial College to exercise such precautions. They were just worried that the other nine disciples would quit the college and join the Devil Kingdom forces as Zachary had done.

    The next day, Queenie and the other three that had stayed in the Pilgrimage Space for half a month finally exited the system. As they stepped out, they found Zachary waiting for them outside.

    Although they trained for only half a month, Queenie and Scott had successfully reached the Imperial Level without Zachary''s help. It was another evidence of the two disciples'' exceptional talent compared to the skills shown by average warriors of their college.

    Meanwhile, Rebecca almost made a breakthrough, but Nelson didn''t make any progress.

    "Harley, the place that you sent me to was fantastic. I met a treasure beast that I''d never seen before!" Nelson exclaimed excitedly the moment he saw Zachary.

    "I sent you there for training, but you studied the treasure beast instead." Zachary shook his head at Nelson, who was more passionate to learn about treasure beasts than make a breakthrough.

    Nelson scratched his head and

    ntial. Above all else, the Xiao Clan shouldn''t find out about this." Zachary''s face turned somber as he explained. If the Xiao Clan knew that he was working with the Phoenix House, they would be suspicious, and that could cause unnecessary trouble.

    "Don''t worry about that." Riley nodded in agreement. Of course, she also didn''t want the Xiao Clan to know since it could just create more trouble for her.

    "The second condition is that you have to offer me ten Imperial Level treasures per month. If you agree to these two conditions, we can continue to cooperate," Zachary continued.

    "No problem. I agree with all of your conditions. Anyway, our leader ordered us to keep in touch with you. She said that although you turned us down this time, there was still the possibility of working with you in the future, so she wanted us to treat you well," Riley replied sincerely.

    "Please pass on my thanks to her for being so understanding," Zachary said gratefully with his hands cupped in respect. "You can ask Billy to go to the Xiao Clan Castle to fetch the goods every month."

    "Okay," Riley answered, but she couldn''t say anything more as he was about to leave.

    "I''m sorry, but I have to go now. It''s about time for me to go to the Xiao Clan Castle." She nodded at him, and without anything more to say, Zachary stood up and left.

    As soon as he returned to Shura College, he happened to see Queenie and the other eight disciples, as they were zapped across the sky by the Wind Turtle.

    As he watched their receding figures, he was suddenly touched by nostalgia and loneliness. He watched as his friends disappeared until his eyes couldn''t bear to keep open anymore. Finally, he blinked, and they were gone. "See you."

 Chapter 521 Selling Weapons

    Upon finishing his preparations, Zachary decided it was time to say his goodbyes to Tracy. He wanted to speak with her before he left. She had taken very good care of him when he was in Shura College, so naturally, he had to say a proper farewell.

    Tracy didn''t look surprised when Zachary showed up at her door. She let him in and offered him a seat. Calmly, she asked, "So when are you going to leave?"

    "This is it. I''m just here to tell you goodbye, then I''m leaving," Zachary replied. He gave her a tentative smile.

    She smiled back and shook her head. "Who could have imagined? Half a year ago, when I first met you, I thought you were just like any other disciple. And now you are the most popular new Imperial Level warrior in the entire Devil Kingdom! The world is so unpredictable." Her smile faded, and she sighed. She was proud of Zachary, but she wouldn''t be able to stop worrying about him after he was gone.

    "You should be happy for me," Zachary said.

    "Yes, I am happy at your successes. But you chose the Xiao Clan, and I''m worried it may not be what you think it is. You are on your own now. I can only hope that you take care of yourself properly," Tracy replied.

    "I will. Don''t worry about me! I will come back to see you one of these days, I promise," Zachary said. Of course, he understood why she was warning him, and he was grateful for her concern.

    Tracy scowled. "Actually, don''t bother coming to see me. Wherever you are, chaos and bad things follow," she said, giving him a reproving look.

    "You say that, but I know you''ll miss me," teased Zachary.

    Tracy couldn''t help but laugh. "Who knows! Maybe I will." Zachary was pleased to see her smiling and decided to end their conversation on a high note.

    "Hope we can meet again soon," he said before turning around and leaving.

    Tracy watched him leave, a trace of worry returning to her face. She wondered how long he would stay with the Xiao Clan and hoped he would keep his promise to take care of himself.

    After he left Tracy, Zachary went to find Jimmy. Although Jimmy was a disciple of Shura College, he was still weak enough that hardly anyone paid any attention to him. Zachary was confident that no one would notice even if Jimmy suddenly disappeared. So that was exactly what he did¡ªhe just walked up to Jimmy, told him what he planned, and the two of them left Shura College immediately. They rode out on the Blazing Roc. They did not ask permission or inform anyone where they were going. They headed directly to the Xiao Clan Castle, which was in the east of the Devil Kingdom.

    The Xiao Clan Castle was the stronghold of Xiao Clan, located in the heart of Alexander City. The city itself had been named after its founder, who was the first leader of the Xiao Clan.

    Alexander City was one of the three biggest and most powerful cities in the Devil Kingdom. It stood alongside Zenith City which wa

    s. I just need an estimate of what they''re worth," Zachary said coldly. He brought out several weapons and handed them over.

    The owner was taken aback. He spread out the weapons on the table, unwillingly impressed by their shine and cleanliness. Care had clearly been taken in the storage of these items. Then, as he bent down for a closer look, he saw that they were scarce King Level weapons.

    "How did you get your hands on these? These are scarce King Level weapons!" said the owner, his eyes widening. He picked up one of the weapons and caressed it gently, looking reverently at the valuable treasures laid out on the table.

    "Still think we''re beggars?" Zachary asked, rolling his eyes.

    The owner flushed and immediately tried to placate Zachary. "No, no, not at all. I apologize for my mistake, sir. Please have a seat, both of you!" He glanced behind him, speaking to someone else in the shop. "Serve the tea!" The owner ushered Zachary and Jimmy into comfortable seats, smiling obsequiously. In a moment, a servant arrived bearing two cups of fragrant, steaming tea.

    Zachary leaned back and took a sip of the tea. This was more like it. He said to the owner, "Can you tell me what price you''d put on these items?"

    The shop owner looked at the weapons, then looked back at Zachary. "They''re all quite valuable. If you don''t mind, sir, how did you come to own these weapons? I guess you are not a weapon refiner, and these King Level weapons are not something an ordinary weapon refiner can make."

    "Oh, I picked them up on the ground," Zachary answered airily. He was not about to tell this obnoxious man anything important.

    "Picked them up?" The shop owner''s face hardened. No one would ever leave scarce King Level weapons lying around for anyone to take.

    "Sir, are these stolen goods? I''m afraid we don''t deal with such items here," said the owner, putting on a righteous tone. Zachary rolled his eyes again.

 Chapter 522 Alexander City

    "Cut the crap. If you aren''t interested in buying them, I''ll just be on my way to another store," Zachary grunted, as he stood up with every intention to leave.

    "Wait! Who said I didn''t want them? We have to negotiate the price toward the lower end, because I don''t know where they come from," said the shop owner shrewdly.

    "What''s your final price, then?" Zachary asked bluntly. He had no time to play any games.

    "I''d be willing to offer a hundred gold coins for one piece. Seeing as there are five pieces in total, then my final price would be five hundred gold coins. It''s the highest price I can offer at this time." The owner forced a sad expression, trying to pretend to be emotional.

    "Are you kidding me?! This has to be a damn joke. You just told me that these are all scarce King Level weapons. Each one of them is worth at least two thousand gold coins, right?" Although Zachary had never sold any weapon before, he had nonetheless attended several auctions at the Phoenix House. Up to a certain extent, he still knew what he was talking about and notably, that the scarce King Level weapons were quite popular among the warriors at the innate realm.

    "What?! If I were to pay you two thousand gold coins per weapon, I wouldn''t make much profit upon selling them myself. Let''s be honest here," the owner blurted out angrily, a frown creasing his brow.

    "Ah! So you agree! Each of these weapons really is worth two thousand gold coins, huh?" Zachary persisted, curling his lips into a mischievous grin.

    The owner slapped a hand over his mouth. Never had he slipped his tongue so easily before. This guy had caught him red-handed!

    "Ha-ha! Well then, in that case, I''ll give you a discount. One thousand and five hundred gold coins each. What do you think?" Zachary suggested, knowing full well that he had the upper hand in this situation.

    "Sir, listen, your weapons have an unknown background, and I''m afraid they just won''t sell well. How about one thousand gold coins each, instead?" the owner negotiated unwillingly, gritting his teeth.

    "No way! Too low!" Upon refusing, Zachary stood up again.

    "Hmm. How about one hundred more gold coins?" The owner tested his luck, raising the price in small increments.

    "Humph! I still refuse." There was no way Zachary was going to make a concession.

    The owner''s face shifted. Taking into consideration that Zachary obviously didn''t want to give in, he hesitated for a brief moment and then said, "Fine. One thousand and five hundred gold coins each. Please follow me to take the gold notes." He immediate

    said, "Jimmy, take those gold coins to buy yourself a few snacks." Zachary handed over half of the gold notes he''d received to Jimmy.

    "What! So many! I can''t believe it!" Jimmy had never seen so many gold notes in his life. It was understandable that he felt completely amazed when Zachary handed him such a large stack of gold notes.

    "It''s no big deal. I can sell my treasures for better, higher prices at the Phoenix House. Don''t worry about it," Zachary said, rolling his eyes in a joking, casual manner.

    Following this particular event, Zachary continued taking Jimmy around Alexander City to learn more about the prices of weapons there.

    When they were about to head back to the Xiao Clan Castle, a group of aggressive warriors dressed in the Xiao Clan''s uniforms rushed towards them. Before they could even realize what was going on, they were surrounded on all sides.

    "They robbed me of my scarce King Level weapons and my gold notes!" accused the owner, who was among the warriors.

    "You two are bastards! How dare you do such things on the Xiao Clan territory? Don''t you know that Alexander City is under the Xiao Clan''s protection? You both are in deep shit now!" the head of the group shouted ferociously as he pointed accusingly at Zachary and Jimmy. He was a warrior at the premium stage of Heaven Level. He was bulky, and his face was full of pimples. Even from a distance, he didn''t look good.

    All the shops in Alexander City would offer the Xiao Clan a large sum of gold coins every year so that the latter would protect them. In other words, if they were to be attacked by any external warriors, then the Xiao Clan would resolve such disputes. This was a practice known to the whole city.

 Chapter 523 Xiao Clan Castle

    In that moment, the street was already full of people. They were all gathered together to watch Zachary and Jimmy, who were surrounded on all sides by the Xiao Clan disciples. They pointed at them and called them out for wishing their own deaths. How dare they rob within the Xiao Clan territory? Such behavior was nothing other than courting death.

    "Oh, as it turns out, you are also Xiao Clan disciples. That''s good. By the way, can you tell us how to get to the Xiao Clan Castle by any chance?" Zachary asked as casually as he could. He didn''t break eye contact with the other disciples.

    The fat man in the front was surprised to see that Zachary had dared act so arrogantly. In his eyes, Zachary looked like a weak warrior. In fact, he even appeared inferior to Jimmy, who stood beside him and gave off a look that said he couldn''t be trifled with. He snorted and said, "It seems that you''ll only cry once death is staring you straight in the face. We''ll see, then!" As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand to the Xiao Clan disciples who were surrounding Zachary and Jimmy, and they all rushed forward together.

    "Ah! You handle them," Zachary motioned to Jimmy. The most powerful individual among this group of Xiao Clan disciples was the fat man, while the other disciples were between the Earth Level and the primary stage of Heaven Level. In other words, Jimmy wouldn''t have any issues dealing with these guys on his own.

    Without a moment''s hesitation, Jimmy faced their attack without demonstrating any fear whatsoever. Seeing as he cultivated heterodox skills, his strength had improved at an astonishing rate. He hadn''t reached the premium stage of Heaven Level just yet, but he wouldn''t be at an disadvantage if he encountered any opponent at that level. In addition, the heterodox skills were usually overbearing, so he wouldn''t be at a disadvantage either, even if he fought several opponents all by himself at the same time.

    It didn''t take long that three Xiao Clan disciples with relatively weaker strength were heavily injured by Jimmy. Those witnessing Jimmy''s amazing display of strength dared not move forward.

    "You''re a bunch of waste! All of you, get out of the way!" the fat man yelled and cursed, clearly angered. His lips curled in disappointment as he found that the other Xiao Clan disciples were no match for Jimmy.

    The several Xiao Clan disciples immediately felt relieved due to his presence, and took a few steps back. The fat man immediately strode forward, suddenly sped up, rushed directly in front of Jimmy, and threw a punch. It was blindingly fast and as powerful and swift as a meteor.

    "Meteor Iron Fist!" the man shouted loudly at the same time, which sounded powerful and terrifying, making everyone watching break out in a cold sweat. They had reason to worry about Jimmy. They were

    ible strength.

    And in many ways, they were undeniably right. Zachary did have incredible strength that he hadn''t displayed at the time.

    "Let''s go," Zachary said to Jimmy in a low voice, hoping this would all be over soon.

    Jimmy immediately returned to Zachary''s side and left with him. On the way, they asked about the Xiao Clan Castle''s location and headed straight there.

    It took Zachary and Jimmy about an hour to reach the castle and now, they were standing in front of the magnificent city walls that stretched endlessly on both sides. There was a large red gate in the center of the city wall, and the stone wall above the gate was engraved with three words in beautiful calligraphy: Xiao Clan Castle. They were exactly where they wanted to be.

    "The Xiao Clan is indeed worthy of being the second strongest force in the Devil Kingdom. The gate alone is so magnificent," Zachary said, sighing in disbelief.

    Noticing that there were eight Xiao Clan disciples guarding the front door, Zachary encouraged Jimmy to go talk to them.

    "Please, tell your head that Harley Bai of Shura College has arrived to see him," Jimmy said to one of the Xiao Clan disciples after walking up to them with confidence in very stride.

    "Hmm. The Shura College? Wait a minute. Let me check something," The Xiao Clan disciple took a look at Zachary and then went inside to inform their master. Zachary and Jimmy were left waiting outside the gate.

    After a long while of waiting, they still had no news from the guard inside. He had never come back.

    "What do you say we go inside first and see for ourselves?" Zachary said to Jimmy. He had no patience for waiting any longer and headed straight for the gate.

    "Stop! Do not take another step forward. Outsiders are not allowed inside." Several other Xiao Clan disciples immediately pressed forward and stopped Zachary from going anywhere.

 Chapter 524 An Imperial Level Female Warrior

    "I''m not an outsider," Zachary said lightly, smiling around at everyone.

    But the Xiao Clan disciples maintained their hostile expressions, looking distrustfully at Zachary and Jimmy. It was clear that they didn''t plan on letting the two of them enter the Xiao Clan Castle.

    Zachary sighed. He turned to Jimmy. "Jimmy, please wait for me outside. I''ll return for you soon. I''ll just go inside first to check what it''s like," he said. Before the disciples could react, he slipped past them, walking quickly into the castle.

    They were taken aback at his nerve, but quickly rallied and rushed in after Zachary, intending to chase him out. However, they couldn''t see him anywhere.

    They had no choice but to report to the seniors of the Xiao Clan that a stranger had trespassed into the castle. More disciples were sent to conduct a thorough search, but there were no signs of an intruder anywhere in the castle.

    Zachary had no difficulty blending in and staying inconspicuous. He strolled in the castle as though it was his own home. The interior of the Xiao Clan Castle lived up to the splendor of the spectacular gate. The buildings of the castle had grand, artistic facades, and the insides were also luxurious and spacious. The castle was designed with numerous pavilions, terraces, and towers, each more beautiful than the latter. A clear and picturesque river flowed through the castle grounds, connecting the buildings to each other. Zachary thought it would be very pleasant to live in this place.

    The castle grounds were full of all kinds of people, men and women, young and old, bustling around with energy.

    Zachary walked around, examining everything closely, and finally came to a stop at the edge of a courtyard within one of the older buildings. It caught his attention because it did not seem to fit in with the shining, elegant, spacious aesthetics of the rest of the Xiao Clan Castle. Without hesitation, he stepped into the courtyard to see what was in there.

    There was a small house in the center of the yard, and he was about to go to knock on the door when smoke rose from the chimney. He immediately smelled something strange.

    "Maybe some pill refiner is inside that house," Zachary mused. Feeling curious, he walked towards the house.

    He was raising his hand to knock when the door opened. A young woman stood in the doorway. There were smoke stains on her face. Her hair was disheveled, and dirt smudged her clothes. But none of this could

    he quickly left the scene. In a moment he had disappeared into thin air.

    The young woman saw him vanish before her eyes. "Where is he? How did he disappear without a trace?" The woman stepped cautiously outside the door of the house, peering from side to side. Zachary was nowhere to be found. Her chest was heaving. Resentful and out of breath, she muttered to herself, "I shouldn''t have gotten so angry. I forgot I can''t use my martial energy randomly. I hope my body returns to normal soon." She looked around one last time, and then went back inside and closed the door behind her.

    Zachary, meanwhile, was deep in thought, wondering who the beautiful woman was. He had become very interested in her. She was young, yet she already had Imperial Level strength. That was very rare in the Supernal Continent.

    "She looks around the same age as Sara, so that would make her just a few years older than me. That''s quite young to reach that level of strength. I didn''t realize the Xiao Clan has such a beautiful Imperial Level female warrior...and such a beautiful one! I look forward to getting to know her," Zachary murmured, smiling to himself. He couldn''t wait to see her face once again.

    He decided it was time to return to the gate of the Xiao Clan Castle. The gate was surrounded by a large group of disciples, all still hunting for Zachary. It was time to make his presence known, so he approached them openly.

    The moment they noticed Zachary, they rushed up to him and surrounded him, determined not to let him slip away again. They gave him vigilant, hostile glances, wondering what he was planning. They fully saw him as a bad guy.

 Chapter 525 Welcome

    "Well, this is quite a sight! Have you been waiting for me?" Zachary asked nonchalantly. He smiled as he scanned the faces of the Xiao Clan disciples clustered around him.

    He noticed several King Level disciples in white approach him.

    "Who the hell are you? Why did you break into the castle without permission? We have caught your accomplice, so we suggest you come clean right now!" shouted a bushy-browed man and wagged his finger at Zachary''s face.

    The man''s obnoxious voice had barely faded when Zachary saw Jimmy being pushed out of the crowd. Xiao Clan disciples surrounded him as he stood there and smiled helplessly, his hands tied behind his back. Jimmy knew that Zachary was, in all aspects, bull-headed. Despite causing a huge racket during the intrusion, he stood there in a haughty manner, as if he was not afraid of anyone finding him.

    Zachary glanced calmly at Jimmy. He had acted so sloppily that it caused a large commotion. As everyone learned of his actions, the majority of the people in the clan now saw him as a reckless and arrogant man who relied on the head''s good grace. His plan went perfect.

    "I broke into the castle without permission?! That''s a very serious accusation. If you ask me, I just wanted to familiarize myself with the environment. It''s not a big deal. There is no need to question me about it. We will soon be friends, so I don''t want to get into an argument with you." Zachary waved his hand arrogantly, as if to dismiss everyone.

    "You are completely insane! Let''s catch him!" The bushy-browed man turned even more livid.

    Everyone started to charge as fast as they could towards him. Their sheer number made it impossible for Zachary to escape.

    "The young master is here!" someone cried out from the crowd. Everybody went quiet, parting and giving way to several passing figures.

    "Is that you, Anthony?" Zachary greeted him as if he happened upon an old acquaintance.

    He had badly injured Anthony during

    . I happened to tour the mountains and rivers on my way here."

    "Well, you are as carefree as ever!" Anthony smiled faintly. With as much restrain as he could manage, he tried to put on a sincere expression. "Please, I would like to apologize for the disciples'' behaviors."

    "Oh, it was no big deal. Besides, I should be the one to apologize for not disclosing my identity. As you know, I''ve always liked to keep a low profile. I didn''t want this to be a big deal," Zachary replied in a regretful tone, playing along with Anthony''s theatrics.

    "Thank you so much for your consideration," Anthony said.

    "However, may I request that they let my follower go?" Zachary glanced towards Jimmy.

    "Your follower? Oh!" Anthony didn''t expect Zachary would arrive with his follower. He immediately shouted, "What are you waiting for? Untie him!"

    The disciples that guarded Jimmy now scrambled to untie him, apologizing profusely as they did so.

    "Thank you. And these two are..." Zachary turned his attention to the two Imperial Level warriors standing behind Anthony.

    "Oh, yes, where are my manners? This is Master Lola. She is in charge of training our clan''s new disciples. She is also one of our three female Imperial Level warriors," Anthony said, gesturing to the woman dressed completely in white.

 Chapter 526 Introduction

    "Well, hello there, Lola!" Zachary immediately greeted her in a flirtatious manner.

    Lola was not conventionally beautiful, rather she was like an attractive mature woman. In particular, her plump breasts that strained against her tight clothes made her look sexier.

    "I heard that you are quite different from others in many aspects, and now I know how," Lola said in a tongue-in-cheek way. At the same time, she despised him in her heart. She could figure out that Zachary was by no means someone who followed the common code of conduct. He got into the Xiao Clan recklessly and abruptly; he had no scruples; he ogled her shamelessly like a lecher. Basically, she found him arrogant and unruly!

    "Oh really? I am just a new warrior of Imperial Level with half-backed abilities. I have to learn from you as much as possible in order to remedy my flaws from now on. I hope you can give me guidance, on every aspect..." Zachary suggested with a wink.

    Lola turned red. Zachary was so bold and lewd that he even dared to seduce her!

    "This is Master Shaw, also a warrior of Imperial Level. He is in charge of the daily affairs and administration of disciples of our Xiao Clan," Anthony introduced another warrior of Imperial Level to Zachary.

    "Hi, Shaw," Zachary greeted him casually with a nod.

    Shaw merely nodded at him disdainfully in response. He glared at Zachary with hidden disgust.

    "How about going to the Magnific Martial Hall and having a rest there? My father went out for some work this morning, and I guess he won''t come back until later. So allow me and the two masters entertain you in the meantime!" offered Anthony.

    "Okay!" Zachary replied, readily agreeing to this arrangement.

    "This way, please!" Anthony turned around and led the way.

    The two warriors of Imperial Level of the Xiao Clan, Lola and Shaw, followed Anthony closely behind. Zachary and Jimmy tagged along, while the disciples of the Xiao Clan looked at them in admiration.

    When they arrived at the door of the Magnific Martial Hall, Zachary asked Jimmy to wait outside. Then Zachary entered the Magnific Martial Hall with Anthony, Lola and Shaw. He enjoyed Anthony''s warm hospitality, who seemed to have completely changed and was treating hi

    eat help to our Xiao Clan once Harley joins us," Seth Wang said. He thought quite highly of Zachary.

    "I am indeed talented, and I am well aware of that, so you don''t have to emphasize it, Elder Seth and Elder Jarrod. Being our first meeting, shouldn''t you give me some gifts?" Zachary asked cheekily with a chuckle.

    The two elders of the Xiao Clan were stunned by his words. They had never met a warrior of Imperial Level who dared to demand a gift before. As a result, their impression of Zachary immediately deteriorated. However, they could not refuse him flatly. Therefore, they could only respectively offer him a bottle of pills and an ordinary weapon as gifts, despite their unwillingness.

    "Thank you very much!" Of course, Zachary shamelessly accepted the gifts.

    "Let''s sit down first," Jaxon said, hinting to the other two elders with his eyes.

    In no time, everyone sat down. Jaxon took the central seat up front, while the two elders sat on the first row on either sides. Zachary and Anthony were sitting face to face. Lola and Shaw left because they still had some work to finish.

    "Harley, unfortunately, you didn''t make it in time. Our Xiao Clan just had a catch-up meeting with all the elders and guardians yesterday. I''m afraid that I won''t have the chance to introduce you to all of them until the next scheduled meeting," explained Jaxon.

    "That''s okay. There is no hurry. After all, I''ll meet them sooner or later," Zachary remarked, waving his hand casually.

 Chapter 527 The Beast Barn

    "Harley, I have arranged a residence for you. I know you should enjoy a quiet life, so I hope you will be satisfied with it," Jaxon told Zachary eagerly.

    "That''s very kind of you, Master Jaxon. I''m not a picky person, so you don''t have to worry too much. I just need a place to live. But can you get two maids to help me? I can sleep with them so that I won''t be too lonely at night."

    Jaxon and the others were stunned at Zachary''s direct request.

    Still, Jaxon agreed. After all, for someone with his power, it was a piece of cake to arrange any number of maids. "That''s no problem at all, Harley."

    "Now, let''s get down to business. What kind of job do you plan to assign me? As I told you earlier, I am not picky. As long as I have authority over hundreds of disciples, and I could get some benefits, that will be enough." Jaxon and the others gawked at Zachary''s bluntness.

    They exchanged subtle glances with each other, unsure about what to do.

    "Well..." Jaxon trailed off in hesitation. Since Zachary was new in the clan and wasn''t familiar with the clan yet, he didn''t intend to give him a position. On top of that, the Xiao Clan had many talented warriors, so almost all the positions were filled. That made it even more difficult for him to arrange a position for Zachary.

    "Master Jaxon, Harley just arrived here. Isn''t it too early to give him a position?" objected Jarrod. He had a stern frown on his face, but his voice was still light and respectful.

    "Elder Jarrod, do you think that I am not qualified? During the meeting, Master Jaxon said he would arrange a position for me as soon as I join," Zachary argued strongly, which made Jarrod turn to look at him.

    The two men stared at each other, tension palpable to everyone present.

    "Indeed, but there seems to be no vacancy at present..." Jaxon''s voice interrupted their little stare-off.

    "Actually, Father, there is a vacancy," Anthony said. He had been quiet for a while now, but the topic seemed to interest him, so he started talking. His eyes were gleaming strangely, as he waited for them to ask for clarificat

    sed us so much," said Anthony.

    "Really? You''d better keep an eye on him then," Jaxon answered as he nodded in agreement.

    Meanwhile, Zachary and Jimmy had followed the two disciples to the arranged place, but when they arrived at the place, Zachary was astounded. It was where he had met that woman.

    ''It''s here! What a coincidence! I wonder if that woman also lives here, '' Zachary pondered, as his heart thudded excitedly.

    "Is there a female warrior living here?" Zachary then asked one of the disciples.

    "What? Nobody has lived here for a long time," the disciple responded at once. He looked at Zachary strangely, as if he had just asked something weird.

    "No one? That''s so weird. I just..." Zachary trailed off. He was a little surprised, but he immediately pretended to be unsatisfied. "If no one lives in that house, that means this is an abandoned place. Master Jaxon arranged something like this?"

    The other disciple immediately glared at his fellow disciple. Then he hurriedly explained, "Although nobody has lived here for a long time, this house is cleaned every day, because it was where Master Jaxon''s late wife lived. After her death a few years ago, no one has lived here. This house was supposed to be demolished, but Master Jaxon decided to keep it. It also shows how much Master Jaxon values you. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have let you live in such a memorable place."

 Chapter 528 Questions

    "Wow. You have a silver tongue. What''s your name?" Zachary asked with a smile after hearing what the disciple said.

    "My name is Henry Lin," the disciple replied.

    "Well, I''ll call you by your first name Henry, and I hereby appoint you as my house guard. If you have anything to report in the future, you can inform my sidekick, Jimmy." Zachary thought Henry Lin was a decent man, so he appointed him as his house guard.

    "Oh my God! Really?" Henry was stunned for a moment. He couldn''t believe his ears. He didn''t expect Zachary to hire him as his guard. This was quite common in the Xiao Clan. Each warrior of Imperial Level had his own guard, but in order to be qualified as a guard, one had to at least be a disciple of Heaven Level, while Henry Lin was only at the Earth Level. So it was a great honor to be promoted so quickly.

    The other disciple looked at him with jealousy. If he had known this earlier, he would have talked to Zachary. After all, if he could be the guard of a warrior of Imperial Level, his status would be much higher than that of the ordinary disciples in the Xiao Clan. Most importantly, no one would dare to bully him. Here in the Xiao Clan, relatively weaker disciples like him had to do odds jobs and were always bullied. There would be no way for him to rise above the ranks if he didn''t improve his strength.

    "What''s the matter? Don''t you want to be my guard?" Zachary asked with a puzzled expression.

    "Of course I do!" Henry Lin exclaimed excitedly. "But you have to inform Steward Shaw about this first." He knew that being Zachary''s guard was much better than being a handy man. What was more, he thought Zachary was a nice man. Although Zachary had just barged into the Xiao Clan Castle and caused trouble, he was totally different from the other warriors of Imperial Level, who always looked down on the relatively weaker disciples. Besides, his sidekick Jimmy also seemed easy-going. That was why Henry Lin was keen on taking up the job to be his guard. Moreover, the head of the Xiao Clan had ordered Henry Lin to be at his beck and call.

    "Okay, go inform him then. You can come back after that," Zachary commanded.

    So Henry Lin bowed and left the house acco

    much, Master Harley. I will devote my life to you."

    "Get up! Don''t be so formal with me. I just like being honest," Zachary remarked, waving his hand.

    Henry Lin stood up at once.

    "So how long have you been here?" Zachary asked.

    "Five years. I passed the examination and joined the Xiao Clan when I was fifteen years old," Henry Lin answered earnestly.

    "Wow. That''s a long time. So you must be familiar with the Xiao Clan, right?" Zachary inquired, raising his eyebrows.

    "Yes, I very much am." Henry Lin nodded eagerly.

    "Do you mind if I ask you something?" Zachary asked tentatively.

    "Of course no. Please ask. I will tell you whatever you want to know!" Henry Lin had just received a generous gift from Zachary, so he was keen to repay his kindness.

    "Then tell me. Apart from Master Jaxon, how many warriors of Sage Level are there in the Xiao Clan?" Zachary asked shrewdly.

    "Hmm, well, let me count." Henry Lin began to count on his fingers.

    After doing his calculations, he reported, "There are fifteen warriors of Sage Level in all. Eight of them are elders while seven are guardians."

    "That many?" Zachary was surprised to learn that. He didn''t expect the Xiao Clan to have fifteen warriors of Sage Level. It was a huge number. He hadn''t seen so many warriors of Sage Level in the Shura College before. However, since they were peerless martial artists, their whereabouts were quite mysterious. So it was very difficult to meet them.

 Chapter 529 The Dramatic Story (Part One)

    "It''s said that there are more than twenty Sage Level warriors in the Xuanyuan Clan alone! Can you imagine that? On top of it all, they also have five Holy Level warriors," Henry said in a matter of fact tone.

    "Well, how many Holy Level warriors are there in the Xiao Clan?" Zachary continued asking questions, trying to grasp a better understanding of the bigger picture.

    "As far as I know, there are three Holy Level warriors. Justin Xiao, Geoffrey Xiao, and Craig Xiao. Among them, Craig is actually the former Xiao Clan leader. He is Master Jaxon''s elder brother. Justin and Geoffrey are also the direct descendants of the Xiao Clan," Henry replied as detailed as he could. He told Zachary everything he knew.

    "I see. So they have three Holy Level warriors in total. That''s quite a good number. Any of them could be a mighty figure in the Supernal Continent," Zachary commented. He already knew that one single Holy Level warrior was generally considered an appalling existence in the Supernal Continent, let alone three such powerful warriors.

    "That''s true. To be honest though, I have never seen these three warriors myself. They''ve been living in absolute seclusion for so many years," Henry said, a hint of amazement in his voice.

    "Do you know if there are any big shots that I really shouldn''t mess with?" Zachary asked casually.

    "Well, from my point of view, it''s fair to say that all the big shots I just mentioned are those that you simply can''t bother. However, if you''re asking me who''s the most difficult to deal with, then I would have to say Daniel Xiao. You must be cautious around him. He is Master Jaxon''s younger brother. We all respect and are afraid of him because he''s a notorious tyrant. Whoever disobeys him will face a life of misery and difficulty here. Although his physic

    t do anything but turn a blind eye to it and allowed Master Daniel to do whatever he desired. That said, he would still suppress him somewhat, preventing him from causing great trouble for the Xiao Clan. As time went by, in spite of Master Daniel''s unruly behavior in the Xiao Clan, there was still someone who could oppress him."

    "I didn''t expect that there would be such a dramatic story in the Xiao Clan. As you said, I know now that I shouldn''t provoke Master Daniel. In fact, I''m probably better off staying far away from him. Moreover, I was personally invited here by Master Jaxon. Due to such, I''m afraid that Master Daniel might already regard me as a thorn in his flesh," Zachary said with a smiling face. Despite the grin and calm composure, deep inside, he had other plans. ''It seems to me that Daniel is a person I can make use of. I should seize my chance and pay him a visit, '' he thought to himself.

    "I agree. I think you''d better keep a low profile in the future so that he won''t notice you too much. You know, most Imperial Level warriors of our Xiao Clan are pretty narrow-minded and they have a tendency of bullying others just because they dislike someone," Henry warned him kindly.

 Chapter 530 The Dramatic Story (Part Two)

    "Got it. Thanks for the heads up," Zachary said as he nodded his head a few times. "By the way, you said that no one lives in this house. Why are there pills and herbs in that room, then? And did I notice a furnace, too?"

    "Well, I''m not sure about that. I wouldn''t be able to give you a definite answer anyway. I''m not in charge of this area," Henry replied as he gave his shoulders a slight shrug.

    "Oh, is that true? That''s fine, never mind, then. But I do have another question. I overheard that there are three female Imperial Level warriors in the Xiao Clan. Who is the youngest among them, if you don''t mind me asking?" Zachary asked, his forehead creased into a concerned frown. He only wanted to dig up a little information about the pretty woman he had met earlier.

    "The youngest one would be Master Lola. The other two are at least fifty years old," Henry answered, after giving his response a moment''s thought.

    "Huh? What? Fifty years old... No, that''s very strange. I remember the woman I saw..." Zachary fumbled on his words. He stopped talking. A strange look appeared on his face as he thought of the whole situation. The beautiful woman he had seen had the strength of an Imperial Level warrior. And yet, she was probably much younger than Lola. Henry just said that Lola was the youngest female Imperial Level warrior in the Xiao Clan. If that was true, then who was that young beauty he had seen? Why wasn''t she counted as an Imperial Level warrior in the Xiao Clan? What was more, she could freely refine pills in this house. Zachary was full of questio

    immy left in a jiffy. They wasted no time.

    As he watched the pair disappear into the distance, Zachary entered the system.

    At the same time, in an attic at the south of the Xiao Clan Castle, a beautiful young woman was standing in front of Jaxon with dissatisfaction on her face. "Dad, why did you let that new Imperial Level warrior live in my mother''s house? That''s my space!"

    If only Zachary could see them, he would be very surprised. The woman talking to Jaxon was none other than the beautiful woman he had met earlier. And her real identity was Jaxon''s daughter, who was said to be a terribly sick woman. Her name was Vivian Xiao.

    "I''ve told you that there is no vacant house for the time being. I can only arrange for him to live there, at least for the time being. I''ll arrange for him to move elsewhere as soon as we have a vacancy, okay? Until then, be a good girl and put up with this arrangement for now," Jaxon comforted his daughter in a gentle voice. He had taken off the leader face, and donned the face of a loving father.

 Chapter 531 Treasure Pavilion

    "I don''t care. Ask him to move out as soon as possible. Otherwise, how can I get there to refine pills in the future?" grumbled Vivian impatiently.

    "Didn''t I tell you to stop refining pills? There is no pill that can cure you, so please stop wasting time! I know a great doctor who specializes in treating all sorts of rare diseases. When I get some free time, I will pay him a visit and ask him personally to take a look at you," Jaxon said sternly.

    Vivian, however, shook her head vehemently. "I don''t think so. I trust myself, not those mediocre doctors. I have studied pill refining for the past decade, and I think I''ve learnt enough. I''m sure my skills are far superior to that of those snake oil peddlers," she said in a condescending tone. It seemed that Vivian had lost her trust in both her father and the medical profession. So far, all the doctors she had seen had failed to treat her illness, so she had lost faith.

    Jaxon sighed. "Well, it''s all my fault. I was impatient. I wanted to make you the youngest Imperial Level warrior of the Demonic Kingdom and I forced you to train more than you could handle. Because of my actions, your body changed, and now you cannot release your martial energy like a normal warrior, despite the fact that you have reached the Imperial Level," said Jaxon with a guilty look on his face.

    Seeing her father''s remorseful expression, Vivian regretted her harsh words. "Dad, don''t blame yourself. It''s not your fault. It''s my fate." After so many years, she had accepted her fate. She was probably the only warrior in the Supernal Continent who was unable to harness her martial energy.

    Jaxon cleared his throat. "By the way, have you thought about the matter we discussed earlier?" he asked, sheepish.

    Vivian''s face darkened again. "Why would I get engaged to a guy I have never met?" said Vivian, shaking her head.

    "I am not asking you to marry him now. Of course you can get to know him first. But understand that it is very advantageous to our clan for you to get engaged to him. All the other forces in this kingdom want him, and I have worked hard to be the one to recruit him. We cannot afford to let this opportunity slip," said Jaxon with determination in his voice.

    "You are willing to sacrifice your daughter for him?" Vivian asked quietly, glaring at him.

    "I know this feels like I am using you, but this is

    r completing the Lucky Treasure Combination was one day. After that, he would lose the opportunity.

    "It seems that I have no choice but to waste this chance in Lucky Treasure Combination," sighed Zachary. He knew there was no other way and that he had to accept it.

    Just as Zachary was about to turn and head back to the Xiao Clan Castle, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder, and he felt the unmistakable aura of an Imperial Level warrior behind him.

    "Harley?" The voice was vaguely familiar. Turning abruptly, Zachary came face to face with the source, and his eyes widened in surprise. It was none other than Goliath.

    "It''s you! Why are you here?" Zachary had not expected that Goliath to be there.

    "I came to Alexander City to meet a friend, and I thought you looked familiar. After taking a closer look, I realized it was indeed you," said Goliath, acting like it had been pure serendipity.

    Zachary narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Really?" He could sense that something was off. How likely was it that Goliath had just accidentally turned up here at exactly the same time as he had come to the Xiao Clan? It was near impossible, and he didn''t believe a word Goliath said.

    "Where are you going? To the Xiao Clan Castle? You have just arrived, haven''t you?" Goliath asked with an innocent expression.

    "Oh, I arrived yesterday. I''m going back to the Xiao Clan Castle now. I came to look for a certain rare material, but it seems that I am clean out of luck," Zachary replied slowly. He had to choose his words carefully. Goliath obviously was up to something.

 Chapter 532 Black Market

    "What material do you need? Maybe I have it," Goliath asked immediately out of kindness.

    Without hesitation, Zachary told him the name of the material he needed.

    "That is a scarce material. Unfortunately, I don''t have it, and it is quite difficult to collect this kind of material," Goliath answered. "But if you trust me, you can come with me to a place. I promise you, you can get anything you want from there."

    "Where?" Zachary asked with narrowed eyes. Goliath seemed honest, but it wouldn''t be wise just to go with him.

    "I once stayed in Alexander City for a period of time, so I am familiar with the city. I know a place that is not known by ordinary people, where a lot of rare materials are available," Goliath explained. His tone was quiet and a bit secretive, as he looked around in case anyone was eavesdropping.

    "Are you talking about the black market?" Zachary guessed.

    "You are really smart, Harley. Yes, there is an underground black market in Alexander City, where all kinds of treasures with unknown sources are sold and bought." Zachary''s eyes sparkled with interest at Goliath''s words.

    "I can''t believe that there is an underground black market in the territory of the Xiao Clan," Zachary murmured with great interest.

    "Alexander City is the largest site in the entire Devil Kingdom for the wholesale selling of weapons. With such a big market, there must be under-the-table deals here. You should know that the business shops in Alexander City are all extremely greedy and profit-driven," Goliath continued to explain.

    "Yes, indeed," Zachary said in agreement. When he was a newcomer to Alexander City, he had tried to get an understanding of the market in the city. At that time, he encountered a greedy businessman who wanted to take his weapons without paying.

    "They can''t be blamed for their greed. After all, the properties are extremely expensive in Alexander City, and they also have to pay the Xiao Clan every year for protection fees. You can say that the business shops would not gain profit unless they try to earn as much money as possible from the customers," said Goliath.

    "You know Alexander City very well. Doesn''t the Xiao Clan care about the existence of such an underground dark market?" Zachary asked curiously, his head tilted in confusion.

    "It''s not that they don''t care about it. It''s more that they can''t do anything about it, because the person who established the underground black market is an important member of the Xiao Clan," Goliath answered.

    "Really? Who is it?" Zachary asked immediately in utter curiosity, as his eyebrows raised in surprise. He couldn''t imagine that the Xiao Clan had such an important member, one who valued profit more than honor, and they hadn''t thrown him out yet.

    "I d

    r me here," Bill Yu said eagerly, as he clapped his hands in delight. Then, he turned around and entered the storeroom of the shop. Before long, he came out with the material Zachary needed and handed it to Zachary.

    Zachary took it with a calculating look, and he carefully looked over the material and checked every nook and cranny. When he verified that it was genuine, he asked, "How much is this material?"

    "You are Goliath''s friend, so you are my friend too. Just take it as a gift for our first meeting," Bill Yu offered kindly.

    "No, I think I''d better pay for it," Zachary insisted.

    "Take it, please. If you feel ill at ease, you can buy more things from Master Bill in the future, so he could earn money from you," Goliath suggested.

    "If that''s the case, then I''m taking it. Thank you very much." Zachary finally accepted and put the material away. He nodded at Bill Yu once more, utterly grateful and relieved that he had obtained the material.

    "We are leaving now, Master Bill," Goliath said to Bill Yu. And with a few waves, they left the stall, accomplished and happy.

    "How do you know Master Bill?" Zachary asked curiously, once they were a fair distance from the shop.

    "I saved his life once," answered Goliath impassively. There was no trace of pride in his voice, which impressed Zachary a lot.

    "Oh! So you are his savior." Zachary was surprised to hear that. It never occurred to him that Goliath could act so selflessly.

    "I know you don''t like me, but sometimes people do things that they don''t want to do. It doesn''t mean that they are bad people," Goliath said honestly.

    "Then why did you enter Shura College without telling anybody that you''re from the Ghost Clan? You should know that the disciples of heterodox forces are not allowed to study in the college," Zachary asked him straightforwardly.

 Chapter 533 The Handover

    "Before entering the Shura College, I had already quit the Ghost Clan and joined another sect. That sect recommended me to the college. Anyway, no warrior would willingly miss out on the opportunity of entering the college, and I am no exception!" Goliath answered, voice gaining momentum.

    "Is that true? Still, it''s just not enough to make me believe that you''re innocent." Zachary had heard the conversation between Goliath and Lilian and due to such, he knew that Goliath was probably under Logan''s command as well. Thus, it was only normal that he didn''t believe Goliath''s words alone, nor did he believe that Goliath had appeared here just by accident.

    "If I have the chance, I''ll prove it to you in an instant. I''m staying in Alexander City for a while. If you need any help, just come looking for me and it''ll be my pleasure to do what I can." And with that, he walked away.

    ''Why is he even here? I just don''t get it. If Logan wanted me to enter the Xiao Clan, then why did he send Goliath? Is he trying to monitor me?'' Zachary thought. His mind was like a whirlwind, one idea chasing the next. After he had met the Goliath, Zachary realized that something was off. He had to be cautious at all times.

    Now that he had obtained the necessary material, Zachary headed back to his residence. When he returned to his room, which Jimmy and Henry had helped him clean, he closed the door and entered the system. He first completed the Lucky Treasure Combination. At that point, he asked Mimi to retrieve all the possible information on raising treasure beasts. To be a decent beast barn manager, he needed to have enough professional knowledge. Otherwise, the others would only laugh at him.

    The next morning, as Zachary left the system and walked out of his room, he noticed that Jimmy and Henry were already waiting for him outside.

    "Master Harley, Master Shaw has already sent someone to inform us that he has everything arranged for the handover. All you have to do is meet Master Marcus, the beast barn''s previous manager, in order to settle the matter," Henry reported dutifully.

    "Okay. In that case, let''s leave now." Zachary left immediately, his hands tightly clasped behind his back as he walked away.

    Jimmy and Henry

    iples heard his stern voice, they hurried back to their cleaning with fear written all over their faces.

    "Hey, where are you three from? And why have you come here? The beast barn is an important place. Normally, no one is allowed inside here." At that moment, Ryder Ma noticed that the three people were standing not too far off. He posed himself in a manner that greatly resembled the beast barn manager.

    "Master Ryder, this is..." Henry began. He intended to tell him Zachary''s true identity. But before he had the chance to say anything, Zachary said first, "We are the three disciples who have just been sent to the beast barn. Master Shaw asked us to come here and report to you."

    When Jimmy and Henry heard what Zachary had to say, they were suddenly overwhelmed with confusing. They just couldn''t understand exactly what Zachary wanted to do. But because Zachary had said so, they had no choice but to say nothing.

    "Oh! Apparently, this new manager is really an important figure. I''ve complained to Master Shaw before that we don''t have enough hands on deck, but he just ignored me. Unexpectedly, when the new manager came, he suddenly transferred three more disciples here. It seems that I have to boot-lick this new manager to get what I need." And with that, he turned to the three of them and said, "Now, come with me." He began to walk straight to the right side of the beast stalls.

    After casting a glance at one another, the three of them decided to follow judicially.

 Chapter 534 Beast Stalls

    As they followed Ryder and entered a small door at the right side of the barn, Zachary, Jimmy and Henry found that it was a completely different scene. There was a small, straight road, and both sides were lined with stalls. There were six disciples diligently cleaning the stalls. It didn''t smell bad at all and the environment was much better than the stalls they had just seen moments ago. In addition, there were at least ten treasure beasts here.

    "Listen to me carefully. The beast barn is separated into two parts: outer barn and inner barn. Before, you were looking at the outer barn. And here''s the inner barn," Ryder introduced the three of them to the new area, with a wide gesture of his arm.

    "Ah, that''s good to know. But what''s the difference between the two, exactly?" Zachary asked, honestly wondering.

    "Good question. The outer barn hosts the ordinary beasts. Most of them are owned by King Level warriors, and a few of them haven''t even been tamed yet. They are considered rubbish beasts. The inner barn hosts treasure beasts owned by Imperial Level warriors. All we have to do is care for the beasts within the inner barn, just like you would take care of your babies. If anything is found to be wrong with these treasure beasts, then the consequences would be unimaginable," Ryder cautioned them, placing as much emphasis as he could on his last sentences.

    "Hmm. I didn''t really notice any differences between the beasts outside and the beasts inside. I mean, not by the looks of them, at least. I''m guessing because their masters are different, they receive different treatment. Am I right? You know, these treasure beasts aren''t that great, in the end. They''re all rubbish, one just as much as the next," Zachary said disapprovingly, glancing at the treasure beasts within the inner barn.

    "Stop right there! What''s wrong with you? How dare you say these treasure beasts are rubbish! They are highly valued by their owners. If the Imperial Level warriors hear you, they''ll have you killed without ever giving it a second thought!" Ryder commanded, pointing at Zachary accusingly. "Now, you listen to me carefully! From this point on, you''ll have to take extremely good care of the beasts in the inner barn! Do you understand me?"

    "Master Ryder, can you tell us how you normally take care of the beasts?" Zachary asked as he tried to appear curious.

    "Another good question. The water they drink must be from the Cloud Spring w

    become much more experienced in how he should take care of them. So much so in fact, that he considered himself a half-professional.

    Jimmy and Henry shared a confused look. Of course, they didn''t understand what Zachary was even talking about.

    The trio took immediate action, walking toward the first beast stall and ready to clear the excrement. However, before they could get too close, a fierce treasure beast in the shape of a tiger began growling ferociously at them. It was so frighteningly that Jimmy and Henry dared not approach it. Zachary was the only one to get close like there was no danger whatsoever.

    As Zachary reached out his hand to touch the treasure beast''s head, the once aggressive beast suddenly bowed down obediently like a little sheep, allowing him to pet it freely.

    Jimmy, Henry and the other disciples watching gasped in surprise. They held their mouths wide open in awe. Zachary was so brave!

    Once the beast calmed, Zachary opened the gate and walked straight into the stall. He wanted to check the excrement''s odor. Needless to say, it was smelly, but he had often came into contact with his own three treasure beasts, and he had thus already become accustomed to it. After his verification, he stood up and patted the beast, saying, "Hey, dude. You should eat less meat and more vegetable in the future. Your nutrition is unbalanced." As soon as he was finished, he nodded to both Jimmy and Henry. They immediately picked up their tools and walked into the stall in turn to clean the pile of stinky excrement.

    After the first stall was cleaned, the three of them entered the next one together.

 Chapter 535 Blood Red Stone

    About two hours later, all the stalls had been cleaned up, just as requested. By then, Zachary had gotten a general understanding of the treasure beasts'' health, notably those kept in the inner barn.

    "Ryder has been overfeeding these treasure beasts every day for a long time, and the beasts are suffering from various diseases because of it. They''re lucky they''re still alive," Zachary said in a disapproving tone, as he walked out of the last stall.

    "He''s been treating these treasure beasts as though they were his babies, which explains why he''s been feeding them in this way," Jimmy quipped ironically.

    His comment made both Zachary and Henry laugh out loud.

    At that moment, the sound of footsteps could be heard coming from outside the inner barn. Seconds later, they heard people talking among each other.

    "Steward Shaw, why hasn''t the new manager of the beast barn arrived yet? Have you not received any news? I''ve been waiting for him for a long time now and I''m eager for his arrival."

    "What? He isn''t here yet? That''s impossible. Yesterday, I asked Henry to bring Harley here in order to take over the job. I just saw Marcus not long ago, and he mentioned having handed his work over to him."

    "Is that so? Well, speak for yourself. I haven''t seen the new manager anywhere yet."

    "Maybe he left as soon as the handover was taken care of. I mean, it''s a pretty dirty and smelly place around. Nobody ever really wants to stay for long. One way or another, if Harley doesn''t fulfill his duty, you''ll have to continue taking care of the beast barn. But remember, don''t cause me any trouble."

    "Yeah. Don''t worry about it. No problem."

    "On a side note, how''s my Flood Dragon doing lately? Better I hope."

    "Don''t worry about it. It''s in good health. I took good care of it and made it my personal objective to ensure it was fed every day."

    "Thank you. Good job."

    "While we''re on the topic actually, I should thank you for sending three more disciples here to help me. I was just lacking enough hands to get the job done right."

    "Huh? What are you talking about, three more disciples? When did I send you three more disciples to work here?"

    "Uh...are you saying you didn''t? I swear, they said you sent them!"

    "How is that even possible? Where are they right now?"

    "Still in the inner barn, where I left them to clean."

    "Waste no time! Show me the way."

    At once, a burst of rapid footsteps broke the inner barn''s silence. Seconds later, Zachary, Jimmy and Henry saw Shaw and Ryder along with a few disciples come

    ou say?"

    "Hmm, let''s do it then." Despite hesitating briefly, Shaw eventually agreed. Although unhappy with Zachary''s proposal, he had to agree because he was the steward.

    "Great! Please bring your beloved treasure beast to the outer barn, then. I''ll head out to prepare for the competition as well," Zachary said. He then led Jimmy and Henry to the outer barn at a quick pace.

    "Steward Shaw, what do you think he''s trying to do? I think all this is just an attempt to embarrass you!" Ryder warned in a sulky tone.

    "I don''t know what he''s up to exactly. He''s always been overconfident, so this is no surprise. He swelled with inordinate arrogance as soon as he became the manager of the beast barn. I''d like to see what tricks he has up his sleeve this time!" Shaw sneered as he wrinkled his nose.

    At that, he walked off to release his Flood Dragon from its stall and led it to the outer barn. Following behind him was Ryder and his followers. The disciples who worked in the inner barn were overwhelmed with curiosity and they too, went outside to join in on the fun.

    As soon as they reached the outer barn, they turned around and saw Zachary leading a very thin, undernourished, wolf-shaped treasure beast with dark red eyes out of its stall. This treasure beast, known as the Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf, was the weakest among its peers. It could produce a rare casting material called the Blood Red Stone, which was why it was also considered a treasure beast. However, due to its mediocre talent, it wasn''t considered anything special, or even out of the ordinary. Seeing as it was incredibly inferior to the common treasure beasts, it was kept in the outer barn where nobody took care of it.

 Chapter 536 The Running Race

    Shaw''s eyes flashed with anger when he heard Zachary''s intentions to challenge his Flood Dragon with a Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf. "Why are you using such a rubbish treasure beast? Do you look down on mine? That Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf won''t even be able to withstand a single blow from my Flood Dragon!"

    Ryder and the other followers stood behind Shaw, whispering amongst themselves.

    "Steward Shaw, I think you misunderstood. This is just to prove my opinion. It has nothing to do with the result. Besides, I don''t intend to let them go head-to-head," Zachary replied calmly.

    "Then how do you want them to compete?" Shaw''s eyes then narrowed in confusion.

    "It''s quite simple, really. Let''s just see which beast finishes more laps in fifteen minutes around this space," Zachary proposed.

    "Manager Harley, surely this is a joke. The dragon is already at the Imperial Level while the wolf is not only just at the King Level, and it''s a rubbish beast. The Flood Dragon is going to win without a doubt," Ryder cried out. Part of him hoped Zachary was kidding.

    "Would you like to try?" Zachary asked, glancing pointedly at Ryder.

    "As you wish. But as Ryder said, the result is already determined if you look at the great strength disparity." Shaw showed no hesitation to fight.

    "We will see. Please, Steward Shaw." Zachary pointed at the two disciples behind him and said, "You two are responsible for counting!"

    They nodded quickly.

    "Okay. Then, I''ll go first," said Shaw. He released the Flood Dragon and waved his hand, motioning to the open space. Seemingly understanding the order, the beast rushed to the empty area and started dashing.

    Although the dragon wasn''t particularly known for its speed, i

    rds the Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf. It immediately leaped over and devoured the flesh whole. It then looked at Zachary, seemingly even more eager than before.

    He started to run even faster. Zachary threw around another piece from time to time, and in the blink of an eye, the wolf had breezed through twenty laps. There were, however, five minutes left.

    "The Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf seems to indeed be quicker than when it started out, but at this rate, reaching more than forty-nine laps looks damn near impossible," said Ryder with a dazed expression. He certainly didn''t expect the wolf to accelerate so swiftly.

    The others also stared in astonishment as it continued to chase around Zachary furiously.

    It seemed to pick up speed every time it ate another piece of meat. In fact, the beast had almost turned into a blood shadow. Once again, Zachary moved even more hastily. At that point, those who were watching could now only see shadows and feel a breeze flurry past them.

    Finally, Zachary stopped. He set the bucket down on the ground, and the Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf rushed forward, tearing it into pieces and gobbling everything up.

 Chapter 537 Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf

    "How many circles was it?" Zachary asked the two disciples responsible for counting the number of the circles.

    "Fifty!"

    "Fifty!"

    The two disciples announced in unison.

    Ryder and other people present were stunned to hear this. They did not expect that the Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf would have completed one circle more than the Flood Dragon.

    "Are you sure you haven''t made a mistake? How could the Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf have run more circles than Steward Shaw''s treasure beast? It''s impossible!" Ryder yelled at the two disciples.

    "B-but...we aren''t wrong! It''s indeed fifty circles," confirmed the two disciples. Both were slightly terrified, but were adamant about the score.

    "Well, I believe Steward Shaw would be very clear about whether they are wrong or not," said Zachary, turning to look at Shaw. He was certain that Shaw must have counted the circles in his mind.

    However, Shaw fell silent. He knew the Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf had indeed run fifty circles, and in fact, it had finished the last two circles at an incredible speed, which surpassed his imagination. The Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf had sped up so suddenly, and its speed was far higher than that of the Flood Dragon. Therefore, it was reasonable to believe that the Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf had run one more circle than the Flood Dragon.

    "Manager Harley, you must have added something in the meat or else the Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf would not have run so fast!" Ryder accused.

    "Ryder, you seem to have made a mistake. It is not that the Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf ran faster, but it''s just that Steward Shaw''s Flood Dragon is slower than before." Zachary explained with a smug smile.

    "Slower than before? What do you mean by that?" Ryder was bewildered!

    "Well, this is thanks to you. You looked after the Flood Dragon too well and overfed it with large quantities of food and water. As a result, the Flood Dragon became too obese. This dragon is a treasure beast with short legs and great power, but if it gets too heavy, there will be a lot of burden on its legs. What''s more, the excess weight causes it to lose its balance when it runs. That is the reason why the Flood Dragon''s speed decreased in the second half of the race," Zachary explained patiently. "In contrast, the Bloody-eyed Stone Wolf increased its speed suddenly in th

    from his position? I assume that the disciples won''t lead a peaceful life as long as he remains the vice manager."

    "Well, I was just showing my authority as the new broom. It''s improper for me to go overboard by making drastic changes. Ryder has been the vice manager of the beast barn for a long time. He could still be of some use to me," Zachary replied with a faint smile.

    "How could Ryder possibly be of any use to you? I don''t understand it!" Henry asked intrigued.

    "Although he is good at nothing but polishing apples, he has a fairly good relationship with the warriors of Imperial Level as he takes care of their treasure beasts. If I want to do well in the Xiao Clan, I think it''s necessary for me to win over people''s support and make acquaintances with the warriors of Imperial Level. Therefore, if I leave Ryder a way out, he might return me the favor one day," Zachary explained.

    "What if he holds a grudge against you because of what happened today?" Jimmy knew very well about people like Ryder who were good at bullying the weak and harboring malicious intentions. He had come across many such people when he was in the Dark Prison.

    "Don''t worry. Strength is everything. Even if he harbors enmity against me, he will have to remain cordial with me on the surface, and that''s enough for me." Zachary then waved at them. "Anyway, you can just find a quiet place to cultivate. You don''t need to follow me around all the time."

    Jimmy and Henry exchanged a glance with each other, nodded and then left for cultivation.

 Chapter 538 See The Woman Again (Part One)

    Zachary returned to his house. As he entered the gate, he heard noises coming from inside the small room that was used to refine pills.

    "Maybe it''s that mysterious Imperial Level beauty again," Zachary murmured to himself, feeling a sense of pleasant anticipation, even though their last encounter could hardly be called pleasant.

    He was about to push the door open when he heard a sweet voice coming from the room. "Who''s there?"

    Zachary was familiar with that voice. It was the young woman he had met just yesterday. However, he knew she would not look favorably upon him. He had made a very bad impression at their first meeting, having commented on her figure and mistaken her for a servant girl. It was time to repair their relations. He stayed where he was, since she had not given him permission to enter the room. In what he hoped was a charming tone, he said, "I''m sorry to disturb you. My name is Harley Bai. I am an Imperial Level warrior, newly recruited into the Xiao Clan. We met yesterday. I offended you, and I hope you will forgive me."

    "Oh, so it''s you," Vivian said in a flat and unhappy tone. She recognized the voice of the infuriating young man from yesterday.

    "Have you heard of me?" Zachary asked. He could tell from her tone that this was not just about their previous interaction. She might have heard some things about him even before their encounter yesterday.

    "The whole Xiao Clan has been talking about you recently, ever since we started trying to recruit you after you won that King Level contest. It would have been hard for me to avoid hearing about you. You have won two competitions in the King Level contest, right? But I personally don''t think it''s a bi

    He held out his hand, a lovely flower perched prettily on his palm.

    "Really?" Vivian asked incredulously. "I don''t believe it!" She was more than a little surprised. The Marine Magic Flower was a scarce Imperial Level herb. It was rare to find one in the Devil Kingdom, and it was extremely difficult to collect. But now this man was claiming that he had obtained one in just a few moments. That meant he owned such a treasure and that he was willing to give it to her just to find out her name. Vivian''s brows drew together with skepticism.

    "I have it right now. You can check it for yourself," Zachary said. He focused his martial energy on the flower and sent it into the room, slipping into the narrow crack between the door and the frame. It soared through the air and hovered in front of Vivian''s disbelieving eyes.

    Vivian gasped in amazement as she stared at the flower in front of her. No doubt, it was a genuine Marine Magic Flower. And he was just handing it to her, as though this scare and useful treasure was some ordinary thing he could afford to give away! Against her will, she began to become interested in him.

 Chapter 539 See The Woman Again (Part Two)

    "And now, will you hold up your end of the bargain? Tell me who you are," said Zachary, smiling.

    Vivian plucked the flower from the air, handling it with reverence. It was a lovely gesture. But she narrowed her eyes, still not ready to give Zachary what he wanted. Slowly she said, "It''s not enough. If you want to know my name, I will need you to get something else for me." She wanted to push him to his limit and see how far he would take this. So she thought of another difficult task.

    "All right. What else do you need?" Zachary asked calmly. It did not surprise him that this aloof woman was not so easy to win over.

    She said in a musing tone, "I want the Autumn Flower! And it must be at least ten years old." In all honesty, this flower was something else she badly needed to refine pills. But it was also another scarce material. She wondered if this man would be able to obtain an Autumn Flower as easily as he had obtained the Marine Magic Flower.

    Zachary stepped away again to consult with Mimi. To his relief, she did have one, and it was twenty years old. Just as he did before, he returned with the Autumn Flower and sent it inside the room.

    Vivian couldn''t help being impressed. These were two scarce flowers, both requiring a high level of skill to obtain, but he owned both and gave them to her without thinking twice. It was quite generous of him. She wondered if he spent a lot of time collecting flowers and herbs. He must! How else could he have two scarce flowers on hand?

    "Now are you satisfied?" Zachary asked, but his lips had curled up. Somehow he already

    vel can accomplish. So even if you go to the cliff, you may not be able to actually enter the forbidden area." She had decided to be completely frank so he would reconsider his decision to go there.

    "Well, I''ll have to find a way to go down the cliff. It''s the only way you''ll tell me your name, after all," Zachary said lightly. "What kind of plant do you want me to get for you?"

    Vivian sighed. It seemed he would not be dissuaded. "It''s called the Mandala Grass. It usually grows in the habitat of a martial beast, and takes excrement as nutrients. But even if you manage to find it, I''m afraid that it will be difficult to collect it, and that you may die in the attempt. I am being kind to warn you. Please think carefully if you want to do this." Although she did not like him very much, she realized she did not want him to end up dead just to get her a rare plant. Despite the cold front she had shown him, she had a kind heart, and she truly hoped he would give up on wanting to know her name and just stay away from the Xiao Clan''s forbidden area.

 Chapter 540 The Ogre Cliff

    Vivian didn''t like Zachary at all. However, her father invested a lot just to recruit him. If anything untoward happened to him in the forbidden area, all the blame would fall on her. But then again, as she thought that she might have to be engaged to him, her heart grew darker. She made up her mind and said in a callous tone, "Okay, you can go there if you want. I won''t stop you!"

    "Just wait for me here. I won''t be long." Zachary''s voice was filled with confidence. After he left such a remark, he immediately disappeared.

    When she was sure that there was no aura outside, Vivian walked out of the door. With a displeased expression, she couldn''t believe that Zachary had really left. Curiosity masked her surprise as she said to herself, "Is he really not afraid of death? What''s wrong with him? He''s willing to take such a risk just to know who I am. Well, it would be best if he died. Once that bastard is out of the picture, there''ll be no more engagement." Afterward, she also left with haste.

    Zachary was flying with great haste all the way. Sooner than expected, he finally arrived at the top of the Ogre Cliff. With vigilant eyes, he looked down and scanned the area. The foot of the straight cliff was lush and green with humongous trees. Further ahead, he could see dozens of hills decorated with sparse trees. All kinds of enormous beasts roamed around. Obviously, it was an extremely dangerous place. In the distance, mountain ranges stretched out as far as the eye could see. The forbidden area was extremely vast that it might be as big as the Dark Prison.

    The thought of the Flying Boots from Holy Phoenix passed through Zachary''s mind. Without hesitation, he immediately took out the items and put them on. The Flying Boots allowed him to fly in the air in a short period of time. Such wonderful items were a necessary tool of travel and had given him great mobility.

    After he safely wore the Flying Boots, Zachary immediately ascended to the sky. At first, he was a bit wobble and off-balanced. However, after some time, he was able to get the hang of them. Finally, he felt as though he were treading on clouds.

    "Amazing! Flying is truly an incredible ability." Zachary made a wide grin as he shouted, "Go!" As his words echoed through the wilderness, Zachary immediately flew towards the foot of the Ogre Cliff.

    It took Zachary a few minutes to reach the bottom of the cliff which was a thousand feet high. After he passed through a dense shade, a deep forest area with thick trees welcomed him.

    As soon as he landed, Zachary curiously scanned the area. After he looked around, he realized that the place was different from an ordinary forest. Countless thick and long vines extended in

    virtually invisible and undetectable. As the bugs saw that the intruder finally disappeared, they crawled around for a moment and then withdrew towards the vines.

    "Finally! I thought they would never leave me alone." After the bugs left, Zachary heaved a sigh of relief. However, he was still wary of the dangers so he didn''t reveal himself carelessly. Instead, he vigilantly looked for a way out under the cover of the Flawless Illusion. Luckily, he found a gap between the vines where he could barely creep through. After a few difficult minutes, he finally left the creepy area full of vines.

    After he escaped the maze of vines, Zachary continued to move forward. With the power of the Dog Soul Ring, he also followed Mimi''s instructions to look for the Mandala Grass that Vivian wanted.

    Unexpectedly, in less than an hour, Zachary had encountered several extremely ferocious martial beasts of Imperial Level. Numerous strong beasts roamed around and he continuously crossed paths with them. However, he didn''t fight with them but instead, got rid of them with the use of the Shadow Pace. The deeper he got, the stranger the vibe that he got from the place. Suddenly, a burst of ghastly and bloodcurdling aura came from the deep forbidden area. The atmosphere suddenly became increasingly spooky. It was the same feeling when he absorbed the Nether Dark Energy on the second floor of the Living-dead Tomb.

    "What the heck? Why is there such a spooky place in the forbidden area of the Xiao Clan?" Zachary muttered as he let out a surprised gasp.

    As he went deeper into the forbidden area, Zachary realized that the fog around him became thicker. After some time, he couldn''t even tell which direction he was going. However, he could feel that a very ghastly aura was surging violently under the ground.

 Chapter 541 A Giant

    "The Xiao Clan''s forbidden area is so bizarre. But given the Nether Dark Energy here, it''s a rather good place for cultivation, assuming that you''re a heterodox warrior, of course. Once an orthodox warrior attempts to perform the same feat, the longtime exposure will lead to them being driven to madness." Zachary never let his guard down and constantly checked his surroundings with cautious eyes. "Beautiful as that woman is, she''s clearly well aware that this place is incredibly dangerous. And still she sends me here. She''s really looking to make things a little more difficult for me, isn''t she? Not that I hold it against her. I just find it strange that she would go through these lengths to make things difficult for me. I wonder who she really is..."

    Before his voice could fade into the gloom, a black shadow materialized through the mist, massive enough to blot out the sky. It was large enough to envelop Zachary completely, like a smothering blanket the size of two grown men and with an inhuman strength. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen.

    The hairs on his arms rose as he sensed the dark figure''s approach, blackening the world around him. Zachary raised his head to see two beacons of light, like venomous lanterns in the dark. The shadow rose further into the air and it rippled like a ghostly flame, where it cast an eerie gloom everywhere.

    "What the hell...?" Zachary choked out in shock, forced back one step. Whatever this thing was, he was certain that it wasn''t a martial beast by the way it breathed. It was an aspect of horror, an eldritch creature that he had never seen or heard of before.

    But before he could wrack his brain, trying to figure out what exactly he was gazing at right now, the figure gave out a heavy sigh. It surged violently as a powerful suction started up, as though it was breathing in the fog all around them.

    Zachary realized that the suction was starting to pull at him with all the strength of a tornado. He stood rooted down, unable to break free from the force. Abruptly, he was torn from the ground and straight up into the air, sending him spiraling towards the tremendous shadow.

    "Alright, that''s it!" Color soared into Zachary''s face as he pushed aside the shock and began gathering strength. He didn''t know what was going on here but he wasn''t going to let himself be blown towards certain death without a fight. Summoning up his martial energy, he sent it cascading through the air in a shockwave as he triggered the Ice Dragon Skill.

    "Ice Dragon Hand!" Zachary howled through the thick air. A dragon''s tremendous hand burst from his right hand, growing exponentially as it did. Not unlike the spiritual skill itself, it was nevertheless even more powerful, and the gargantuan dragon rushed towards the black shadow in a head-on collision.

    Bang!

    An earth-shattering crash rocked the area on impact. The dark figure staggered and shuddered, swaying unsteadily and threatening to collapse. And then, like an avalanche of darkness, it tipped over and fell back

    uite a few. In spite of this place being forbidden to ordinary men, many impudent warriors like you try to sneak in for one reason or another. They practice or hunt for treasures and beasts. Ordinarily, I let them go about their business as it doesn''t bother me. But there is still a body count every year, just a few people, but it''s enough to summon up a large group to come and seek them out. The commotion is too troublesome for me and I''d rather not have them here disturbing my peace!" The giant was growing testy at the mere thought.

    "I see. I understand what you mean. You''ve lived here all this time? Alone?" Zachary stared, even more fascinated now.

    The giant nodded somberly.

    "And how long have you lived here, then?" Zachary inquired, head cocked.

    "Since the day I was born. Honestly, I haven''t any clue how long I''ve lived here. Certainly for ages." The giant''s tone now grew lonely. It was possible that he had lived in the forbidden area for quite a long time.

    "Since you were born? But leaving you to live here by yourself is torture! Who could possibly do that to anyone, especially someone like you? Just look at you; from the size of you, no ordinary people could''ve possibly managed to raise you. Certainly someone must''ve come by every now and again to see you, right?" Zachary paced disdainfully. There was no doubt that the giant was more than what met the eye. He was a uniquely strange entity, with a gait and a bearing similar to those of warriors, and yet not quite the same.

    "There''s been someone." The giant''s reply was a truthful one.

    "Who is it, then?" Zachary asked, surprised.

    "I don''t know his name, but I call him Leader." The giant shrugged in answer.

    "Leader? Would that be the leader of the Xiao Clan, by any chance?" Zachary''s interest was piqued. "Does he come see you very often?"

    "No, not too often, I''d say. But every once in a while, he''d come by to see me and even teach me some things." The giant scratched his head thoughtfully with his long, rough finger.

 Chapter 542 Nether Dark Energy

    "Really? What is your level of strength now?" Zachary surmised that the power of the giant was at least above Imperial Level.

    "Level of strength? I might be at the Imperial Level. I don''t know exactly." The giant seemed bewildered of which level his strength was at.

    "You don''t even know your level of strength? Didn''t Leader tell you?" Zachary felt strange. Even if the giant did not know about it, the leader of the Xiao Clan should at least know. Did he intentionally hide this from the giant?

    "No, but I think my strength should not be inferior to yours. I felt nothing when you hit me just now. However, you are very bold. Generally, warriors at the same level as you would turn around and run away when they see me," the giant said in a dignified manner.

    "Look at your body shaped like that of a martial beast! I could understand why they want to run away." Zachary shook his head and smiled. Humans were just like children whenever they stood in front of the giant. It would be a lie if anyone said that they were not afraid of him.

    However, he quietly wondered in his heart why this giant lived in the forbidden area of the Xiao Clan. The giant lived here since birth, so it was most likely that they hid him deliberately. Also, Zachary could feel that the giant''s body faintly emitted Nether Dark Energy. Although it was not very strong, he could still distinguish it. Therefore, Zachary was very curious about this giant''s identity because he thought this could be used as a bargaining chip when he wanted to push Xiao Clan to do something in the future.

    "You better leave here as soon as possible. If someone finds you here, you will be in trouble. Besides, Leader did not allow anyone to talk to me. If he knew, it would outrage him. But I will not tell him, because you are the first one who did not run away and talked to me without reluctance," the giant advised out of goodwill. He seemed to have regarded Zachary as a friend now.

    "What''s your name?" Even though the giant looked ferocious, he was simple-minded, outspoken, and innocent.

    "Zelvag Chi," the giant replied.

    "Even the name sounds weird. I don''t suppose you are a pure human, are you?" Zachary asked with hesitation after he measured

    human beings are the most cunning and deceitful creatures and shouldn''t be trusted," Zelvag Chi said as he shook his head hard.

    "Those you''ve cited are all bad guys. I''m your good friends. Friends should help each other. Besides, I also have a lot of treasures in my hand. Perhaps we can do an exchange," Zachary said proudly.

    "You also have treasures?" Hearing that, Zelvag Chi rolled his big eyes.

    "Yes. Why don''t we both take out our treasures and compare whose are better?" Zachary continued to tempt Zelvag Chi.

    "Then show me your treasures first." Zelvag Chi dared, proving he was not stupid.

    Seeing that Zelvag Chi was difficult to deceive, Zachary waved his hand, and then a pile of pills and weapons appeared in front of Zelvag Chi. Of course, these pills and weapons were all that were left after he became a warrior of Imperial Level. He couldn''t trade these for treasure-hunting coins and could only exchange for money at best. Since he was not short of cash, he stored his collection inside his warehouse.

    When Zelvag Chi saw these pills and weapons, his eyes lit up straight away. He picked up a pill bottle, pulled out the cork, and emptied the contents inside. A handful of pills dropped into his large palm.

    "Oh, you have these snacks too. I love to eat them. But Leader only gives me a few of those each time he comes." It seemed that Zelvag Chi didn''t know such things were called pills, simply because for him, they were more like precious snacks.

 Chapter 543 Zelvag

    "I take it you like these, huh?" Zachary asked, his lips spread in a wide smile. He noticed that Zelvag was looking at the pills like a child drooling over a pile of snacks. The scene was rather funny.

    "Do your snacks taste good?" Zelvag asked curiously, his eyes as big as his stomach.

    "You''ll find out as soon as you eat them," Zachary answered, contouring the question.

    After hesitating for a fraction of a second, Zelvag grabbed a pill with his two strong fingers and threw it into his mouth. He gulped it down dry. At first, he didn''t feel anything special, but within just a few seconds, his eyes lit up as he said, "Yummy! I''ve never eaten anything like it before!"

    "The snacks come in a vast number of flavors because different ingredients often create different tastes. The ones I have taste different," Zachary explained slowly, ensuring Zelvag understood.

    "Oh, really?" Zelvag exclaimed excitedly as he listened to Zachary''s explanation.

    ''Although he''s a pretty big fellow, he''s much like a preschool child. It''s understandable, seeing as he''s seldom met any humans before. He is totally ignorant of the human world, '' Zachary thought to himself.

    Now that Zelvag was clearly satisfied with his pills, he went straight to what he wanted. "Now, can I have a look at your treasures?"

    "Come with me." Sure enough, Zachary had successfully bought Zelvag over with his pills.

    Taking care to put the pills and weapons in front of him away safely, Zachary followed Zelvag closely behind.

    Zelvag led Zachary back to the place where they had first met and then headed east. After a short while, Zachary saw a very colossal cave come into view, but for Zelvag, it was regular-sized, like his own home.

    Once Zachary followed Zelvag inside the cave, he was completely taken aback by what he saw. The cave was filled with glittering, strangely scented flowers, and it was apparent that they were at least twenty years old. In addition, glowing, green stones lined the walls in every direction. If his eyes weren''t deceiving him, then he recognized them as some rare stones that could condense martial energy, being very precious weapon refining materials. More than that, the green stones could also improve weapon quality. He looked around the cave quickly and estimated that there were at least a hundred of them.

    On top of everything else, Zachary also noticed a few strange stones of different sizes in the corners of the cave. From where he stood and from what he could see, they seemed to b

    Zachary hurriedly warned Zelvag, his voice shaking in fear.

    Zelvag listened and was quick to calm himself down.

    Zachary took five bottles and threw them up at Zelvag. Before Zelvag could say another word, Zachary began to collect the treasures in all four corners of the cave, all while Zelvag watched on, an aloof smile spreading across his lips. Zachary could take everything he had in his cave and he wouldn''t even mind.

    It wasn''t very long before Zachary had collected nearly all the treasures within the cave, except for those Zelvag liked, of course. He had even taken the time to dig out more than fifty of the fluorescent green stones in the walls.

    "I''m almost done here." After placing all the treasures that he''d collected into the system, Zachary clapped his hands and looked at Zelvag. "Hey buddy, if there''s nothing else, I''ll be on my way,"

    "Oh...are you really leaving?" Zelvag was sad and didn''t want to part with Zachary.

    "Don''t worry big guy. I''ll come back to see you as soon as I''m free," Zachary comforted him. He knew what Zelvag was thinking.

    "Are you telling the truth?" Zelvag asked as he opened his big eyes even wider.

    "Of course I am. I wouldn''t lie to you," Zachary said affirmatively as he shrugged his shoulders in a casual manner.

    "Then, we''ve got a deal!" Zelvag stretched out an enormous hand to Zachary.

    "Deal. But you cannot tell your leader that we''ve met. That is very important." Zachary reminded the friendly giant, as he reached out and touched Zelvag''s big hand.

    Zelvag nodded back in response.

    Still touching his hand, he led Zachary out of the cave and headed back to the forbidden area''s entrance.

 Chapter 544 Another Ten Disciples

    Right before Zelvag''s eyes, Zachary flew into midair and headed straight for the top of the Ogre Cliff.

    "I feel sorry for Zelvag. Although I don''t know why he''s been trapped in that cave, I''m certain that he doesn''t deserve such treatment," Zachary said to himself as he let out a long and lengthy sigh. As he reached the top of the cliff once again, Zachary turned around to take one last look at its foot, covered with green grass and leafy trees. From where he stood, he couldn''t see Zelvag anymore. He let out yet another deep sigh, and then used the Shadow Pace to leave.

    He headed back to the house with the two Mandala Grasses Zelvag had picked for him. Upon his arrival, he quickly noticed that Vivian was nowhere to be seen.

    "Could she be playing a trick on me?" Zachary''s face twitched ever-so slightly, as he strained to keep his calm composure. He had truly risked his life to get his hands on these Mandala Grasses. If Vivian had only wanted to make fun of him, then his efforts had clearly been wasted.

    He continued searching for a little while but ultimately concluded that he had to put the Mandala Grasses away. There was no way Zachary could tell whether he would see Vivian again anytime soon. He thus entered the system once more. As he did so, he asked Mimi to keep watch on the house.

    Once back inside the system, Zachary began to carry out his routine required courses. He played the Death Arena and the Lucky Treasure Combination, fed his three treasure beasts, tried to repair the weapon given by Anne, and continued to cast the body parts for Andrew. As a result, he was much too busy to even think about resting.

    At least four hours later, a delicate female figure showed up in the courtyard. It was none other than Vivian herself. She looked around, searching for Zachary.

    "Hasn''t he come back yet? Has he really died in the forbidden area? It would actually be the best case scenario, if he were to die. I wouldn''t have to get engaged to him!" Vivian mumbled to herself, seeing as she saw no sign of anyone in the courtyard, especially not of Zachary.

    "Engaged?" a voice suddenly questioned from behind her back.

    Vivian was immediately startled and she jumped a foot in the air. She turned around as fast as she could with her eyes wide, only to find that it was Zachary. In an instant, her face flushed red, perhaps out of anger and embarrassment, perhaps out of fear.

    "When did you get here, out of nowhere and with no warning?" He had appeared out of the blue without making any noise. His presence greatly surprised Vivian.

    "I just got here," Zachary answered with a grin. He was capable of appearing in such a timely manner because Mimi had informed him of Vivian''s presence as soon as she set foot in the c

    large amount of work to get done regularly in the beast barn. Obviously, ten disciples just aren''t enough to get through so much!" Zachary commented. He had firsthand experience about the work load in the beast barn, seeing as he had worked here just yesterday. It took three people¡ªhim, Jimmy and Henry, two hours to clean the inner barn stalls. Therefore, he had no doubt that the amount of work inside the beast barn was considerable.

    "Yes, you''re right, Manager Harley. There''s always lots to do around here. That''s why I''ve asked Steward Shaw many times to assign more people to the barn. He hasn''t agreed to such an application just yet. But it isn''t only his fault, of course. Generally speaking, disciples don''t like working in the beast barn, especially those who have powerful connections, if you know what I mean," Ryder complained in a whiny voice.

    "Is that so? It''s time I sit down and have a good talk with him. I won''t be satisfied until he sends at least another ten disciples here," Zachary mentioned, shaking his head.

    "Ten?! Ten disciples?! Are you pulling my leg, Manager Harley? I''d be ecstatic to hear that he accepted to send two or three disciples to the barn. If you request ten, there''s no way in hell you''ll get what you want. You have to try on a much, much smaller scale," Ryder immediately warned Zachary.

    "Ah, well, it''s not all necessarily up to him. If certain disciples want to work here on their own accord, then Steward Shaw would have no choice but to send them here," Zachary said, as though he already had an idea brewing.

    "What do you mean, on their own accord? How is that even possible?" Ryder was astonished as he listened to Zachary. He could only figure that Zachary was daydreaming, because no disciple would ever be willing to endure hardship in the beast barn on their own accord.

 Chapter 545 The Cloud Spring

    "By the way, yesterday I heard you saying that all the treasure beasts in the inner barn are drinking water from the Cloud Spring, am I right?" Zachary then asked casually.

    "Yes. In fact, the Cloud Spring water is very pure. The spring water originates some one hundred meters under the ground, containing a rich amount of energy from the earth. That''s why we call the water ''magic water'' for feeding treasure beasts," Ryder quickly replied. He thought he was doing his best for the treasure beasts.

    "From today forward, stop letting them drink the spring water," Zachary ordered in a stern, serious tone.

    "Huh? Why''s that? We''ve always used the Cloud Spring water to let the treasure beasts drink at will. In fact, it''s widely acknowledged in the Xiao Clan. So much so, actually, that many warriors from the Devil Kingdom regularly travel thousands of miles to collect that exact water." Ryder was clearly puzzled. He genuinely didn''t understand why Zachary wouldn''t want the beasts to drink water from the Cloud Spring.

    "Spring water originates underground, like you said, so yes, it''s very rich in minerals. That said though, not all treasure beasts should drink the spring water, because not all the beasts benefit from such high mineral intake. From verifying their excrement yesterday, I found that certain treasure beasts have excessive minerals in their bodies. If you continue this way, several negative side effects will begin to arise due to the unbalanced nutrition," Zachary explained, being careful not to over complicate the matter.

    "Huh? Minerals? Too high? Unbalanced nutrition?" As he repeated the terms aloud himself, Ryder was flabbergasted and couldn''t believe what was going on. They had been functioning in this way for years already!

    "Yes. Like it or not, you''ve got to stop. I still need time to read through all the treasure beast information thoroughly, but when I do, I''ll tell you exactly which treasure beasts can continue drinking from the Cloud Spring water and which can''t. Until then, stop them altogether." Zachary didn''t want to get into too many details.

    "Got it," Ryder said with a nod of his head. As he listened to what Zachary had to say, Ryder didn''t say anything else. ''This guy is known for his many tricks. I''d like to see what he is capable of doing, '' he thought to himself instead.

    Although he didn''t fully agree with Zachary, he still di

    . Zachary, on the other hand, remained unmoved.

    "Are you blind?" asked the bald man. At first, the man was stunned for a moment, before he immediately opened his eyes wide and stared at Zachary. He roared in an odd fashion, because he felt certain that Zachary was just an ordinary Xiao Clan disciple. Despite feeling interrupted, he was curious as to how Zachary was capable of remaining still.

    As soon as the bald man spoke, Zachary sneered back, "Who the hell are you? Perhaps you''re blind. Had you hit any of those disciples, they would have been seriously injured. You may be an Imperial Level warrior, but you are very reckless and obviously careless."

    "You..." growled the man. His face quickly turned ghastly. He''d never expected to be scolded, much less by a basic disciple like he imagined Zachary to be.

    When the Xiao Clan disciples saw what was going on, they were all shocked. At the same time, they were worried about Zachary, because the bald man was famous for his bad temper in the Xiao Clan. His name was Carmelo Xu. Although he was only at the third grade of Imperial Level, he had a terrible attitude. Moreover, he was a Xiao Clan elder''s personal disciple, and thus, most Xiao Clan warriors avoided any and all conflict with him as much as possible. Nonetheless, Zachary scolded him straight in the face, which really made others turn their heads and stare.

    "I order you to apologize for what you''ve done! Apologize to me right now!" Zachary commanded arrogantly. Of course, he was acting out on purpose, slowly giving himself a bad and rough image within the Xiao Clan.

 Chapter 546 Bully The Weak

    All the Xiao clan disciples were stunned at Zachary''s words and realized that he didn''t know who Carmelo was. How could he dare make Carmelo apologize to him like that? He might as well have put a gun to his head.

    "What did you just say to me? How dare you ask me to apologize! Do you even know who I am?" Carmelo roared with rage as Zachary''s statement curdled his blood. It was even worse that he used that arrogant tone.

    "I don''t care who you are! You must apologize for practically running me over," Zachary, on the other hand, merely replied with a sneer. He wasn''t someone who could be bullied at will. Otherwise, he would have been bullied to death a long time ago.

    Zachary''s reaction only drove Carmelo even crazier. He was clearly fuming now. Carmelo''s face turned red with anger, and he was on the verge exploding with rage.

    All the while, the disciple from the logistics department still thought Zachary was unaware of Carmelo''s identity. For this reason, he spoke to him out of kindness. "Well, Master Harley. This is Master Carmelo. He''s an Imperial Level warrior, just like you."

    "I know he is an Imperial Level warrior and I know who he is. Who cares? Are all the Imperial Level warriors in the Xiao Clan this arrogant and bossy?" Zachary retorted in a cold tone, glaring at the disciple down sternly.

    The disciple had no choice but to fall silent, no longer daring to utter a single word.

    "Ah, so your name''s Harley, huh? And you''re an Imperial Level warrior, too. What a surprise!" Carmelo exclaimed in astonishment. He was bewildered upon discovering the man''s identity who, standing just a few feet in front of him, actually dared challenge him. Never had the thought that this man, who looked like any ordinary disciple, could also be an Imperial Level warrior crossed his mind. Neither Zachary''s appearance nor aura indicated his high level of strength whatsoever.

    "You really don''t know me? That just can''t be. I am now considered a famous man in the Xiao Clan. Even these ordinary disciples know exactly who I am. And yet, you don''t know me in the least. As it turns out, you are the blind one here!" Zachary claimed, continuing to provoke Carmelo with his arrogant comment and tone.

    "Who do you think you are? And how dare you talk to me like that? Everyone in the Xiao Clan knows me, and anyone who dares offend me only knows one end¡ªa miserable one. As far as I''m concerned, you''re just a newcomer, so I''ll give you a chance. Now, get down on your knees and apologize to me at once! I''ll do my part and only punish you slightly by breaking your leg. You''ll be taught a lesson and hopefully understand who you can''t afford to offend in the Xiao Clan. Do it now! Otherwise, the consequences will be much severer!" Carmelo yelled indignantly as he pointed his finger at Zachary. In his opinion, what Zachary had said and done could only mean that he was provoking him on purpose in order to embarrass him. There was no way he would let him off the hook that easily.

    "You''ve got to be kidding me! All I know now is that you mu

    currently be disabled."

    "Ah, is that true, now? In that case, we can continue our fight! I don''t mind at all! Let''s see who will be the first with a broken hand or arm," Zachary offered with disdain in his voice.

    "Shame on you! I''ve already been very kind to you. Quit being so arrogant, will you?" Carmelo cried angrily. As Zachary went on provoking him, Carmelo grew even more infuriated.

    "I happen to have both the ability and strength that allow me to be arrogant. Although I''m new here, that doesn''t mean I''ll let you guys do whatever you want and bully me. If you aren''t happy with this result, let''s fight another real battle! Otherwise, just get the hell out of my sight!" Zachary retorted in an ambitious tone once again.

    Carmelo was quite annoyed to hear what Zachary had to say. He had met arrogant people before, but never had he encountered someone as bold as Zachary. How could he be so defiant? From Carmelo''s point of view, Zachary''s strength was obviously weaker than his. But why was he so arrogant and overbearing? Where on earth did his courage come from? Carmelo was puzzled and his mind swam in wonder.

    As soon as the Xiao Clan disciples saw that Carmelo wasn''t as powerful as they had always thought, they were appalled. What were the chances that such a powerful man like Carmelo, who usually bullied others in the Xiao Clan, would be provoked by Zachary? Carmelo no longer had the guts to say anything. They had never seen anyone render him speechless before. Carmelo decided to stop messing with Zachary because he felt that Zachary ultimately wasn''t as simple as he appeared, notably judging from the battle they just had. What was more, Zachary''s attitude also puzzled him. Why was Zachary behaving so arrogantly? Was it possible that someone big was supporting him from behind? As Carmelo took this consideration into account, he decided it was best not to provoke Zachary any further. Finally, he chose to shut his mouth for the time being. He was the kind who would bully the weak and fear the strong.

 Chapter 547 Lola

    "Since you''re a senior, I shall let it go today. But don''t you dare allow me to catch you using such a dirty trick to disgrace yourself again." Zachary cast a glance and sneered at Carmelo, noticing the seething anger that now twisted the man''s face. He thought to himself, ''This man has served me well. If I keep my act up, everyone in the Xiao Clan will think of me as pompous, and then it''ll be more convenient to carry out my plan.''

    Once Zachary turned to leave, Carmelo simply stood still and glared at his retreating figure. The man wondered where on earth this cocky rascal came from!

    "You! Come here," Carmelo ordered one of the disciples from the logistics department.

    "What can I do for you, Master Carmelo?" the disciple asked as he drew nearer.

    "Who exactly was that man who left just now? I suspect he''s a new recruited Imperial Level warrior. I''ve never seen him before." Carmelo voiced out his concern.

    "Haven''t you heard, Master Carmelo? He''s the highly talented Imperial Level warrior that Master Jaxon just recruited from the Shura College!" the disciple replied quickly.

    "Oh, it''s him. No wonder he''s so arrogant! Master Jaxon has his back. But no matter how talented he is, he''s merely a first-grade Imperial Level warrior. What''s the big deal? Well, I''ll have to teach him a lesson he''ll never forget when I get the chance. I''ll wipe that smug look off of his face and see if he dares to be so arrogant like that after. If I get serious, I''ll destroy him with a single finger!" Carmelo exclaimed in a sinister tone, despite being nothing more than a bunch of sour grapes.

    Hearing this, the disciple began to think to himself, ''If that''s the case, then why didn''t you do it when you had the chance a while ago? You did nothing!'' Of course, he was too petrified to say these words out loud.

    With the crowd continuing to gaze on, Carmelo left with a snort.

    Upon leaving the logistics department, Zachary went back to his house. He went to the small room first. Disappointed that he couldn''t find the beautiful woman, he entered the system and decided to do his own thing.

    As the sun rode high across the sky, Zachary left the system. He exited from the room in the north and found Jimmy and Henry sparring with each other i

    ou know, the beast barn workers are considered more inferior than the Xiao Clan servants. They''re given a huge responsibility to care for the treasure beasts with extreme caution daily. If anything wrong happens, they''d have to deal with a lot. The disciples who heard that the beast barn needed help said that they''d rather work as guards than serve there. So now, I don''t know what to do." Shaw was right. The beast barn had been short-handed for quite some time. Even if he could arrange for people to go there, they wouldn''t want to. And even if he forced them, they might cause trouble. After all, most of the beast barn''s treasure beasts were valuable possessions to the Imperial Level warriors of the Xiao Clan. Any accident might hold him responsible for the consequences, so he didn''t force the task on anyone.

    "That must''ve been a hard decision. Don''t worry, Steward Shaw. I''ll no longer insist on the matter." Zachary only pretended to understand him.

    "I''m glad to hear that. But I''m still worried you think that I''m just making up excuses!" Shaw was surprised at Zachary''s sensibility.

    "Such a reasonable man, you are!" Lola voiced out her praise.

    "I''ve always been reasonable, you just don''t know it. But if you want to get to know me more, perhaps we can find some time to talk in private..." Zachary smiled, having no shame at the double meaning behind his words.

    Lola rolled her eyes. Her impression of Zachary changed immediately. ''What a lascivious man!'' she thought to herself.

 Chapter 548 A Private Talk

    Lola, however, was an senior warrior and wouldn''t blush like other young girls in such a situation. "Sure, we can have a chat," she replied, "but you better be prepared. I''m very hard to satisfy."

    "Is that so? I''m even more interested," Zachary said with a playful smile dancing across his lips.

    "On another note, what happened between you and Carmelo this morning? I heard you deliberately provoked him," Shaw interjected, referring to what happened earlier.

    "No, that''s a lie. It was Carmelo who did wrong. He ran into me and said I was blind. Who wouldn''t be angry after that? Respect begets respect. Besides, you two know what kind of a person Carmelo is," Zachary immediately explained his side of the situation.

    Upon hearing this, Shaw and Lola exchanged a glance with each other. They were aware that Carmelo was a known ill-tempered troublemaker in the Xiao Clan. They believed every word Zachary said, but they also knew that he was no better. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have provoked Carmelo to do such a move.

    "Also, Steward Shaw, could I recruit disciples to work at the beast barn by myself?" Zachary requested out of nowhere.

    "Recruiting disciples by yourself?" Shaw was momentarily stunned. All of Xiao Clan''s disciples were usually managed by the logistics department. None of the managers had ever recruited them by themselves. Although not forbidden, Shaw was confused with what to do because no manager had ever requested this before.

    "Right. I plan to hold a recruitment meeting for disciples to work at the beast barn. You mentioned all the disciples despised the job, right? That is why I propose to recruit more disciples and change their perceptions towards the job," Zachary suggested.

    "Well..." Shaw hesitated, a bad feeling slowly growing within him.

    "This sounds quite...interesting," Lola commented, curiosity clearly getting the better of her. She never attended a recruitment mee

    with a cunning smile.

    "You should at least request Steward Shaw to keep a close eye on him in case of any trouble," Anthony suggested.

    "Alright. Shaw, please cooperate with Harley regarding this meeting. Help him iron out any mistakes. He is the future backbone of the Xiao Clan, so it''s only fitting that we guide him along the way," Jaxon ordered Shaw.

    "I will." Shaw had no choice but to nod in agreement.

    "In other news, people in several towns have been attacked by unknown warriors. Some have even been injured. For security, we must stay alert. I am also aware that the logistics department disciples are going out to make purchases. Please reinforce the guard and be careful!" Jaxon added.

    "Yes. I shall inform them immediately," answered Shaw. After bowing to Jaxon, Shaw and Lola left.

    "I''ll return to my work now, Father." Once they left, Anthony stood up and bowed to the elders as he too left the Magnific Martial Hall.

    Anthony ran to catch up with Shaw and Lola.

    "Steward Shaw, I need to speak with you alone," Anthony insisted.

    "Then I shall leave you two. Excuse me, gentlemen." Lola left, giving them their personal space.

    "Come with me." Anthony gestured to Shaw to follow him, his hands behind his back.

    Shaw trailed closely behind.

 Chapter 549 Underground Black Market

    Zachary was well on his way to the underground black market, having left the Xiao Clan Castle. Having had nothing but bad luck so far, he hoped the black market would have the materials he was looking for, as well as something he could use to finally repair the weapon given by Anne. This time it would be more convenient for him without Goliath''s presence.

    It was not Zachary''s first visit to the underground market, so he knew his way around and did not have to waste time finding his bearings. Crossing the underground river tunnel of the Alexander City on a boat, he had, before long, arrived at his destination. After he had disembarked, he took a few minutes to inspect the condition of the market. After a while, he was in front of Bill''s store.

    "There you are, Harley!" Bill had been outside his store, arranging the materials displayed in his shop window. As soon as he noticed Zachary, he smiled and waved to him.

    Zachary returned the smile. "Hi, Master Bill, how have you been?" Zachary greeted him, smiling.

    Bill shrugged his shoulders jovially. "Very good. What kind of materials do you want this time, Harley?"

    "Well I am looking for some materials, but I don''t think you have them," Zachary said ambiguously, with a smile. He liked Bill, but he didn''t want to get too close to him. Bill was an old acquaintance of Goliath''s, so that would be unwise.

    Bill looked puzzled. "What are you looking for exactly? If you tell me, I can find a way to get them for you even if I don''t have them here and now. Of course, they will be more expensive."

    "Oh, no, I don''t want to give you that much trouble," Zachary said humbly, waving his hand.

    Bill shook his head. "You won''t be giving me any trouble. You are Goliath''s friend," he said enthusiastically.

    Zachary thought for a moment. It would be rude to decline this kind of hospitality, and he certainly didn''t want to antagonize Bill. Besides, telling him the names of a few of the materials he was seeking wouldn''t do any harm, especially as those materials were very hard to find.

    Zachary told him some names. Bill raised his eyebrows. "Wow...well, these materials are extremely rare, even rarer than the one you wanted last time. You probably know this already, but it is very hard to find them." Then, he looked up at Zachary with a confused expression. "Forgive my asking, Harley, but why do you need these materials? Ar

    e him a disgusted look. "Don''t make me change my mind now. Let''s go!" With that, she stormed off.

    With a smile, Zachary set off in close pursuit.

    After walking some distance, Zachary came across a spectacular underground building that resembled a palace in the depths of the large underground river cave. It was ornately decorated and full of people.

    Entering the building, Zachary found himself in a large hall with a high ceiling, lined with gambling tables. People sat at the tables, engrossed in games, their ears and faces red, chatting and shouting loudly.

    Zachary was shocked. "I didn''t expect they get a casino down here in the underground black market," he exclaimed.

    "Have you been living under a rock? Get a life," Vivian chided him with a snort, and proceeded through the casino.

    As they passed through another door at the end of the hall, they entered a similar hall that rang with the sounds of fighting and cheering. There was a pit in the center of the hall, and in it was a small arena. There, ordinary warriors were engaged in an intense fight, and the crowd around them cheered, thirsty for blood.

    "Betting on fights... Interesting!" remarked Zachary, smiling.

    Vivian did not stop walking, however, continuing down the hall through another door.

    As they passed through the door, the commotion behind them died down immediately, as though a huge damper had descended upon it. A group of scantily clad, voluptuous women danced to an exotic, oriental tune on a raised platform. Men surrounded them, drooling and reaching up to shove gold notes down their bras.

 Chapter 550 Casino

    "A group of nasty ruffians!" Vivian suddenly blurted out.

    "Nasty? I think they are all right," Zachary answered with a smile, with his eyes fixed on those women.

    "Don''t look at those women, or I will dig your eyes out," Vivian warned him straight away upon seeing that.

    "Oh, I will have to watch just you then." He next directed his eyes at Vivian.

    "You are not allowed to look at me, either." When Vivian heard it, her face darkened.

    "I would much rather that you dig my eyes out," Zachary responded and went back to staring at those women again.

    "You..." His boldness made her flush with anger. If she had known how shameless he was, she wouldn''t have brought him here.

    Just then, a brawny man suddenly came up to her, saying, "Nice to meet you, Vivi. Our leader has been waiting for you for a long time."

    "Okay," Vivian answered. She then requested the brawny man to lead the way. All of a sudden, she turned back and warned Zachary, "After you enter the room, you are forbidden to say anything. Do not mention that you belong to the Xiao Clan. Do you understand?"

    "No problem." Zachary nodded with a smile.

    Then, Zachary and Vivian followed the brawny man through a side door. They came across a long corridor and turned a corner. Then they saw an arch door in front of them. Inside was a luxuriously decorated palace, just like the imperial palace.

    When they stepped inside the palace, Zachary saw many people seated while others just stood around. Each of them looked strong and vicious, and one couldn''t mistake them as good-natured types at first glance. There was a man in his thirties sitting on a bright golden chair. His semblance appeared sensible and self-restrained, with dashing eyebrows and a muscular body. He dressed the same as a royal member in a golden robe, just like a person of the royal family. The mustache on his upper lip made him look a tad sexy. Several very seductive women flocked around him, rubbing his shoulders and massaging his legs. This particular kind of pampering was a royal enjoyment to him.

    "Vivi, you finally came. I have waited for you for a long time." The man with dashing eyebrows walked up to Vivian with a smile as soon as he saw her.

    "I didn''t ask you to wait. Have you prepared the goods that I wanted?" Vivian snorted.

    "Of course, it''s all set. I''m waiting for you to

    just now? Let me see your real face, Vivi. Then you can consider the two hundred thousand gold coins as my present for you," the man said, pretending to be generous at this point.

    "No way. I will not agree to that," Vivian replied coldly.

    "What if I insist on it?" the man said in a forceful tone. He sounded interested in Vivian''s identity.

    Shortly, several strong men appeared and circled them in an intimidating fashion.

    "Who dares to come near?" Vivian got so angry that she released her power of a warrior of Imperial Level, which frightened those strong men.

    "Oh, it''s astonishing that you are a warrior of Imperial Level!" The man appeared a bit surprised.

    "If you are smart enough, please don''t make things difficult for us. I will give you eight hundred thousand gold coins, and you will turn over the goods to me!" Vivian raised her condition at this point.

    "It''s evident that you sound pretty confident you''d win against me. But don''t be too confident. You are just a warrior at the first grade of Imperial Level." The man suddenly became serious. Then he released a stronger aura. Surprisingly, he was at the medium stage of Imperial Level.

    "A warrior at the medium stage of Imperial Level?" Vivian blurted out of surprise. Her face turned pale. She never expected this man to be so powerful.

    Zachary lifted his eyebrows and thought that Vivian certainly met a tough opponent this time. But he considered it was a terrific thing for him because he finally saw an opportunity to show off in front of Vivian so she might be fond of him.

 Chapter 551 The Man With Dashing Eyebrows

    "Vivi, please take off your veil. I didn''t mean to offend you. I just want to see your true face." The man with dashing eyebrows was obviously rude. Nonetheless, he acted like he was a gentleman.

    "No way!" Of course, Vivian wouldn''t take her veil off. She didn''t want the man to achieve whatever his goal was.

    "You little bitch. Fine! Then don''t blame me for being rude." The man laughed and suddenly approached Vivian. Without any hesitation, he released his aura at the medium stage of Imperial Level. Because of the great disparity in strength between them, the man easily suppressed Vivian''s aura. Helpless and unable to move, she couldn''t even react to the man''s movements. In the blink of an eye, the man''s hand was about to touch the veil.

    However, a hand suddenly stretched out from nowhere. The hand lightly grabbed the man''s wrist and stopped the rude man''s approach. Although grip of the hand didn''t seem to be very powerful, the man couldn''t move his own hand anymore.

    When he saw how the stranger''s hand easily stopped him, the man changed his expression. A murderous glare was shot by the rude man at the unexpected person, who was none other than Zachary.

    "Vivi is really ugly. She doesn''t want to expose herself to others. That''s why she covers her face with a veil. I advise you not to see her, or you will be regretful!" said Zachary with a serious look on his face.

    "That''s my business, not yours. Take your filthy hand off me!" The man hastily threw away Zachary''s hand. When the rude man wanted to make another move, he noticed that Vivian suddenly stepped back. At the same time, Zachary also placed his body between the rude man and Vivian.

    However, Vivian was also shocked by what happened. It wasn''t her intention to step back from the man before her. Instead, she was drawn back by a force. Immediately, she realized the force should''ve been from Zachary. Even so, he should be only at the first grade of Imperial Level. A surprised expression painted her face as she wondered why he wasn''t influenced by this man''s aura. The man with dashing eyebrows also noticed the sudden release of

    then it was really powerful.

    The man''s cultivation level was at least three grades higher than that of Zachary. Additionally, even the Holy Bone Bracer could not absorb the full power of the man''s Thunderous Jab. However, Zachary was smart enough to use the defensive power of the ice to weaken the man''s attack first, and then he used the absorption ability of the Holy Bone Bracer to block the jab of the man. Actually, everything that happened just then was under full control of Zachary which was why he appeared to be very calm.

    When she witnessed that Zachary could easily block the attack of the man, Vivian was surprised. Despite his inferior aura, she didn''t expect that he was so good at fighting. At that moment, she finally understood why her father thought highly of him. The reason was that he was indeed someone very amazing.

    "What? Who the hell are you?" The man frowned. Although Zachary didn''t release a strong aura, the man immediately concluded from the ice shield that Zachary had already reached the Imperial Level.

    "Just a follower," Zachary answered honestly.

    "A follower?" The man furrowed his eyebrows. The mysteriousness and immense talent of Zachary made him wonder about what kind of person Vivian was. If Zachary was only her follower, then she must be an extremely important figure. After all, it was not easy for ordinary people to have a follower at the Imperial Level.

 Chapter 552 The Hatching Fluid

    "Curiosity killed the cat, my friend. You''d better know your place or else you''d be getting in trouble," Zachary reminded.

    "I, Bruno Hu, am not afraid of anything. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have chosen this business," the man snorted.

    "So your name is Bruno Hu? That''s a good name." Zachary smiled with genuine appreciation.

    "You don''t have much of a choice. Either she takes off her veil or both of you can''t leave!" Bruno Hu threatened.

    Zachary looked at Vivian. "What do we do now? He''s threatening to detain us. Maybe you should just show your face?" He had a mocking smile on his face.

    "No way! We can always force our way out," Vivian stated through gritted teeth.

    "Now''s not the time to be arrogant. You might also be warriors of Imperial Level, but even that''s not enough to defy the hundreds of men outside. You can''t escape no matter what," Bruno Hu said.

    "I''d like to give it a try." Vivian was starting to feel impatient. "Lead the way!" she ordered Zachary.

    "Forget it. Do you really want to force our way out?" Zachary glanced at Vivian patronizingly. She was always picking on a fight for the sake of nothing. There would have been no issues if Bruno Hu saw her face, yet she insisted on not letting him. Good thing she had Zachary.

    "Then what should we do?" Vivian glared back at Zachary.

    "Let me handle it." Zachary turned to look at Bruno. "Sir, I have an idea. How about we give you a treasure in exchange for our freedom?"

    "Treasure? No ordinary treasure can tempt me. I don''t think you''d have anything I''d find compelling. You are far too inferior," Bruno

    ant," Zachary offered generously.

    "Stop bragging!" Vivian stared defiantly at Zachary, but was admittedly taken aback by his generous offer. No common person could do that. Maybe he wasn''t a bad person at all.

    A few moments later, Bruno Hu went rushing back in. He walked aggressively towards Zachary. Vivian figured he must have thought Zachary gave him a fake one. With her heart thumping fast, she reached towards the sachet on her waist, ready to play her trump card should a fight ensue. This was one of her privileges as the daughter of the Xiao Clan head.

    Just as Vivian clenched her trump card, Bruno Hu''s frown turned into a laugh. He spread his arms and gave Zachary a big hug. "Hey buddy, I didn''t expect that you could get such a rare treasure!"

    "I''m flattered. But how were you able to confirm it? I wasn''t sure if you knew enough about it to confirm." Bruno Hu was gone only for a short while that Zachary wondered what he did to verify.

    "I know an expert. I simply showed him the bottle and he was able to confirm it," Bruno Hu answered.

 Chapter 553 Black Market Business

    "That''s good. Can we leave now?" Zachary asked.

    "Not so fast. We''re not yet done here," Bruno uttered with a sudden wave of his hand.

    "What do you mean? He''s given you a rare treasure. Are you still not satisfied?" Vivian was agitated upon hearing these words and thought that Bruno was going to betray them.

    "Don''t get me wrong, Vivi. That''s not what I meant. You know I''m a man of my word. I joked when I said I wished to see your face. I hope you don''t mind. I don''t want you to leave because I still have something to discuss with this gentleman. Please stay a little longer," Bruno explained trying to give off the impression of a man with good intentions. However, his cunning eyes betrayed him.

    "Whether you talk with him or not is none of my business. Take all the time you need. I''m leaving now." Vivian felt she''d get into trouble if she stayed. Glancing at the box with the hearts she wanted to retrieve, she thought it''d be better to leave for now.

    "Won''t you ask Vivi to stay?" Bruno asked Zachary instead of blocking Vivian.

    "I don''t think it''s a good idea to have a conversation in the presence of a woman," Zachary smiled.

    "Ha-ha! I''m liking this attitude of yours! From here on out, you''re my friend!" Bruno said with a laugh. "May I know your name?"

    "Bai. That''s my surname. My first name isn''t worth mentioning," Zachary answered.

    "You''re too modest. I''m guessing you''re fairly new to Alexander City. After all, how could I have missed the news of the arrival of an Imperial Level warrior?" Bruno asked tentatively.

    "You''re right," Zachary said with a chuckle. "I just arrived."

    "Alright. Enough beating around the bush. I want to know how you got these three drops of magical Hatching Fluid. I know you didn''t purchase them from

    owingly.

    "Alright. I won''t ask for much. Just one drop per month. Of course, it''d be better if you could obtain more." Bruno thought it was best to settle the deal with Zachary first.

    "Of course." Zachary nodded and thought to himself, ''It seems that Bruno is quite naive. Thanks to Vivian, I''ll be able to get one step closer to Daniel soon.''

    "One million gold coins will serve as my down payment." With that, Bruno took out a thick stack of golden notes from behind him and placed them in front of Zachary.

    "Bruno, you''re quite generous," Zachary complimented upon gazing at the fortune before him.

    "That isn''t the last of it since you gave me three drops. Trust that I won''t take advantage of you. Once all three drops are sold, I''ll split the profit in half with you," Bruno offered.

    "No, thank you," Zachary declined. "I''m not short on money. The profit is all yours. All I need from you is to pay the cost of the liquid."

    "What more do you want? Whatever it is, whatever its price, tell me," Bruno promised. Slightly embarrassed to take all the profit for himself, Bruno wished to know what it was Zachary was after. After all, Zachary must have a purpose.

 Chapter 554 A Gesture Of Goodwill

    "If you happen to come across any rare and precious casting materials, you can always sell them to me since I''m always collecting them," Zachary suggested. His materials were always in little to no supply because the Lucky Treasure Combination required lots of materials every day.

    "That''ll be easy as I have lots of treasure stored in my warehouse. I''ll take you there later and you can select whatever you like from my extensive collection," Bruno offered in return. Of course, he didn''t want to be stingy towards someone as generous as Zachary.

    "Are you not afraid that I''ll require all of them?" Zachary asked with raised eyebrows.

    "If I were afraid, why would I offer you such a deal?" Bruno replied followed with a boisterous laugh.

    "Alright. Thank you." Zachary nodded in gratitude.

    "Also, please accept the down payment as a gesture of goodwill," Bruno pleaded as he pushed the gold notes insistently into Zachary''s hands.

    "Okay." No longer willing to refuse, Zachary immediately tucked the gold notes deep into his pocket without counting them. He then asked, "By the way, do you mind if I take Vivi''s goods away too?"

    "Go ahead! I don''t mind. Those goods supposedly belong to her. But does anyone know who she truly is? It seems her true identity is anything but simple, seeing as she has someone such as yourself for an assistant, wouldn''t you agree?" Bruno asked tentatively.

    "Bruno," Zachary began, "I don''t think it''s a good idea to ask questions that you''d rather not know the answer to." He then thought to himself, ''How should you know when even I know nothing about her?''

    Bruno no longer prodded into the topic and shifted the conversation to another one instead as they made their way towards Bruno''s warehouse of treasures.

    Upon entering, Zachary was met with a spacious area filled with various treasures such as pills, manuals on martial arts, herbs, and casting materials. All of these were not common ones, on par with his treasury.

    "You have quite an impressive collection, Bruno!" Zachary remarked as he gazed upon the treasures that surrounded them.

    "Thank you. If you find anything you like, just take it!" Bruno reminded him.

    "I''m only interested in casting materials," Zachary replied. As he chose from the rows and rows of casting materials, he came across two of the five materials he required for the re

    that he was a cunning and difficult man to deal with. If he hadn''t mentioned the Hatching Fluid as bait earlier, Bruno wouldn''t have welcomed him so warmly into his warehouse. But even if he managed to deceive Bruno this time, he knew that he wouldn''t be as easy to manipulate the next time. He would have to be just as cautious too.

    "It''s none of your business!" Vivian loudly retorted.

    "If you need anything else, just tell me and I''ll get it for you," he promised her, hoping it would calm her down.

    "Nothing in this world is for free, so I know you have your ulterior motives. I think I should be less worried about Bruno and more worried about you," Vivian remarked as she cast him a scornful stare.

    "Why? Are you afraid I''ll eat you up?" Zachary snickered.

    "You wouldn''t have the guts! And even if you tried, I''d beat the crap out of you!" Vivian shouted furiously.

    "Alright. But only if you give me a chance to taste you first," Zachary mocked, indulging in her annoyance.

    "You shameless rascal! I''m never speaking to you again." Zachary''s words left her flustered. Embarrassment and anger were painted across her face as she shot him one final glare before putting the box away and walking onward.

    "We appear to be headed in the same direction. We''ll be returning together!" Zachary shouted as he tried to catch up with Vivian, who was doing her best to get him off her track.

    In the end, Vivian had no choice but to let him come along with her back to the Xiao Clan Castle. Unknown to them, a pair of sharp eyes continued to watch over closely.

 Chapter 555 Beast Hunting

    Zachary and Vivian walked together towards the Xiao Clan Castle. As they drew nearer, however, she stopped abruptly and turned to him. "You should go back alone. I have something I need to do." Without saying goodbye, she left him, hurrying away from the castle.

    Zachary watched her receding figure for a moment, debating whether to follow her. He muttered, "Forget it. It''s better not to follow her."

    He turned back to the castle, lifted his chin, and swaggered through the gate. The disciples guarding the castle gate treated him with respect and deference as he passed.

    As Zachary entered, Jimmy and Henry stepped forward to greet him.

    "Manager Harley, Steward Shaw has just informed us that Master Jaxon agreed to you holding a recruitment meeting for the beast barn. He asked you to go to the logistics department as soon as possible, to discuss the specifics of the matter," Henry reported.

    "Very well. I''ll make sure to see him tomorrow," Zachary said. He nodded to Jimmy and Henry, then left them and went back to the north room. He closed the door firmly behind him and kept busy with his own concerns.

    The next morning, right after breakfast, he went immediately to meet Shaw in the logistics department. They discussed the details of the recruitment meeting, and agreed to schedule the meeting in three days'' time.

    As soon as his discussion with Shaw had concluded, Zachary left and wandered around the hallways of the castle for a bit. He was feeling bored. Then he remembered Zelvag, so he decided to go see him. As he had done before, he sneaked into the forbidden area of the Xiao Clan using the Flying Boots. He headed straight for Zelvag''s cave.

    "Hey, Zelvag! It''s me. I''m here," Zachary called out as he entered the cave. He looked around eagerly, but his face fell as soon as he realized that the cave as empty.

    "Strange. Where could he be?" Zachary wondered, looking around one more time. There was no one. He emerged from the cave. Bringing out the Dog Soul Ring, he released its power to track Zelvag''s aura, then rushed in the indicated direction.

    Almost all the martial beasts in the forbidden area were above the Imperial Level. However, with the help of the Shadow Pace and the Flawless Illusion, Zachary moved forward without obstacles. He could sense the level of martial beasts increasing as he pushed deeper into the forbidden area.

    Before long, Zachary found himself in a part of the forbidden area populated by martial beasts at the medium stage of Imperial Level. It was a dangerous place to be in. He kept a careful lookout. To his s

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    taste is different from before. It''s bitter."

    "Good medicine always tastes bitter. Only in this way can your wounds heal faster," Zachary said, grinning. "Hey, next time, don''t fight against martial beasts stronger than you, all right? It''s better to just set some traps so that you don''t have to fight so much."

    "Traps? What are traps?" Zelvag asked, wearing a look of confusion.

    "Traps are things that you make. They can help you catch and hunt martial beasts more easily," Zachary explained.

    "Really? Sounds good! How can I make traps?" Zelvag asked, eager to learn.

    "After lunch, I''ll teach you. We''ll set some traps together," Zachary replied.

    Zelvag looked excited again. He began building a fire to cook the beast. When the meat was cooked, he gave a portion to Zachary.

    "Help yourself. I''m not hungry right now," Zachary said, waving the food away.

    "But...eat! I want you to eat. Let''s eat together," Zelvag said, unable to comprehend why anyone would refuse to eat.

    Zachary laughed. "Fine, you''ve convinced me." He took a slab of meat and ate alongside Zelvag.

    They enjoyed a sumptuous meal together. Afterwards, Zachary took Zelvag outside the cave to try and teach him how to set his own traps.

    Zelvag''s advantages were his strength and size. However, he was not very good at speech. Some ideas were difficult for him to grasp, but fortunately, he was a very quick learner of other things, and trap-making seemed to come naturally to him. Suddenly, an idea occurred to Zachary. Since Zelvag seemed to be able to learn a lot, maybe he could teach him some cultivation methods. That would improve his strength even further, and maybe he could become Zachary''s assistant in the future.

 Chapter 556 Teach Zelvag

    "Zelvag, are you interested in learning more?" Zachary asked, looking up at him.

    "Can you teach me anything more powerful than the trap I just learned?" Zelvag asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Of course! In fact, I was thinking of teaching you a cultivation method.

    But cultivation takes a long time. You have to be patient and persevere. I''m a little worried you won''t have the required patience, Zelvag," Zachary said nicely. Although he wanted to teach him, he was afraid that Zelvag wouldn''t be capable of adapting to this kind of cultivation method, seeing as he had grown up in such a wild manner. He was very much like a wild beast, and his reactions were purely based on his beast-like intuition. Therefore, cultivating like a human warrior definitely wouldn''t be an easy task for him. In order to become a warrior, Zelvag needed to first cultivate martial energy. "Although you''re very strong physically, if you don''t have martial energy¡ª" Zachary began, before he was interrupted.

    "It''s okay, I''m not expecting it to be easy, either. As long as you''re willing to teach me, I''ll definitely put in all the needed efforts!" Zelvag said firmly, as he locked eyes with Zachary without blinking once.

    "I can teach you if you want to learn. That said, I can''t really guarantee whether or not you''ll comprehend." Zachary''s biggest concern was that Zelvag didn''t know much about cultivation to start with.

    "I promise I''ll study hard," Zelvag stated, folding his hands politely together.

    "Well, why not give it a try? I''ll teach you the basic cultivation method." Zachary nodded with a smile, happy to have an eager student.

    "Yay!" Zelvag exclaimed, clapping his hands together loudly.

    As promised, Zachary taught him the basic cultivation method. As Zelvag had no knowledge about humans'' meridians or acupoints, Zachary gave him a crash course on both subjects. It wasn''t simple for him to understand as he had never been exposed to such terms before. Zachary had no choice but to be extra patient with Zelvag throughout the entire process. After several long hours of lessons, Zelvag managed to understand the everything he needed to know about martial energy.

    After teaching Zelvag the basics, Zachary said, "Alright, well, I have to go now. I''ll come back in a few days and teach you more next time. In the meantime, you can try to cultivate on your own first."

    "Okay, I will!" Zelvag nodded in agreement.

    Zachary wasted not a

    etty badly. You should know that it''s a tiring job to clean the beast barn and take care of the beasts. Sometimes, we have to stay up late at night to get the job done. We can still accept that, from time to time. After all, this is part of the work. What we can''t accept is that, to please the Imperial Level warriors, Ryder makes us treat the beasts in the inner barn with an insane level of care. Sometimes, he would force us to work for several consecutive days without sleep. If it weren''t for your arrival, I don''t think any of us would have been able to endure it any longer," the senior disciple admitted sadly.

    The other disciples were quick to echo with him. They nodded to show their agreement.

    "I can tell that you have many grievances. What else do you have to say? Tell me, I''m open! These are exactly the situations I want to hear from you. That way, I''ll know how to improve the current situation as best as possible," Zachary said in a satisfied tone.

    Hearing Zachary''s words, the disciples all started talking at once. For the most part, they were complaining about how ruthless, greedy and selfish Ryder was. They also mentioned the welfare they received.

    Two hours flew by. The disciples all had the chance to individually voice their inner feelings and concerns.

    "Okay, I see. I have a better idea of the bigger picture, now. I''ve taken note of your opinions, and I will try to change the system as best I can. I promise you that you will be treated fairly from today on and in the future. I hope you will enjoy working here," Zachary promised the disciples, once they all had the chance to speak their mind.

 Chapter 557 Reading Files

    The disciples of the beast barn had confused looks on their faces. With skeptical eyes, they looked at each other and then nodded. It was the first time for them to meet such a friendly manager. Additionally, he was rather patient to listen to their complaints. Such a benevolent attitude made them naturally like and admire him.

    After he ordered the disciples to continue their work, Zachary immediately went to the office room which was exclusively prepared for the manager. It looked very old and full of dust, just like a warehouse. Cobwebs were scattered as the place badly needed some cleaning. Obviously, no one had used it for a long time. Right at that moment, the sound of snores came from the innermost office.

    Out of curiosity, Zachary hastily walked inside to check what was happening. Soon, he found out that Ryder was sleeping on a pile of materials. A pungent smell of alcohol welcomed Zachary as he noticed a few bottles of wine around the sleeping man. Without a word, Zachary carelessly carried Ryder by one hand and left the office. Afterward, he went to the sink nearest to the office, and dropped Ryder into the sink.

    With a thump, Ryder fell into the sink. After a moment, he suddenly jumped out of the sink with a frightened expression. As if he thought that some just pulled a prank on him, he then immediately snarled, "Who the hell did this to me?"

    "Change your clothes now. When you''re presentable, come to my office." A cold and strict glance accompanied Zachary''s command. After he ordered Ryder, he went back to his office.

    After a little daze, Ryder woke up and shuddered. He had thought that Zachary was merely bluffing, but it turned out that he would actually come to the office to read the files. Unfortunately, Zachary had caught him sleeping at working hours on the spot. Nevertheless, he was still filled with indignation and grievance. Since Zachary had taken office, his life wouldn''t be so cozy and easy as before. Even the disciples under Ryder''s lead began to disobey his orders.

    Despite his annoyance and complaints about Zachary, Ryder still changed his clothes and went to the office. When he finally entered the office room, Ryder saw Zachary sitting behind a desk full of reading materials. With extreme concentration, Zachary read each part carefully.

    "Is there anything I can do for you, Manager Harley?" Ryder asked carefully.

    "Three days later, we need to hold a recruitment meeting for disciples. You''re responsible for that. Highlight the best side of our beast barn to all the disciples of the Xiao Clan." Zachary''s voice was full of authority and confidence.

    "I''ve heard about that. However, we''re really not that popular. Will any disciple come to such an event? I''m really afraid that no one wil

    preparation? If you are not satisfied with any part, please tell me directly. I can have someone correct it right away," Ryder said proudly to Zachary as his face looked like he wanted to be praised.

    "It''s very great. Everything looks fine!" Zachary nodded with great satisfaction.

    "I''m glad to hear that. I was worried that it might not satisfy your concerns," Ryder said as he pretended to be modest.

    "This bottle of pills will be your reward for doing such a good job." Zachary callously took out a bottle of pills at the King Level and handed it to Ryder.

    "Thank you, Manager Harley!" After he took the bottle with a big smile on his face, Ryder hurriedly hid it. It was as if he was afraid that Zachary would take it back.

    "By the way, is there any treasure beast show or something similar that will happen tomorrow?" Zachary asked in a curious tone.

    "Regretfully, not yet. Most of the treasure beasts living here have their own masters. We can''t control them as of the moment," Ryder said reluctantly as if he was caught in a dilemma.

    "Okay. I''ll let my treasure beasts perform tomorrow. Please arrange a time for us," Zachary said after he pondered for a while.

    "What? Manager Harley, you have more than one treasure beasts?! May I know what your treasure beasts are?" Ryder was genuinely curious when he asked the question.

    "You''ll know it tomorrow," Zachary said mysteriously as an impish smile appeared on his face.

    Ryder could only nod obediently as he faked a smile.

    After a thorough inspection, Zachary took Jimmy and Henry back to his house.

    Originally, Zachary intended to enter the system. However, he heard some noise from the pill refining room. Immediately, he walked over to check what happened. Through the gap, he saw a delicate shadow that seemed to be busy with something in the room.

 Chapter 558 The Primitive Cave

    Zachary paused for a second before he opened the door and walked inside. Apparently, Vivian had been expecting him, because she didn''t turn around but asked, "I overheard that you are going to hold a recruitment meeting tomorrow. Is that true?"

    "Vivi, how did you find out? Or should I ask, who told you? You''re so well-informed!" Zachary smiled at her.

    "Well, there''s nothing I don''t know about the Xiao Clan. You should keep that in mind!" Vivian snorted in response.

    "Will you come to the recruitment meeting tomorrow?" Zachary asked casually.

    "It''s just a recruitment meeting. It''s not a big gala or anything like that. Why would I go?" Vivian asked, disapprovingly.

    "Vivi, everyone shall be greatly honored by your presence. The recruitment meeting would be even more pleasurable if you were to participate!" Zachary answered in a cheerful tone, still smiling.

    "Well, there''s no way I''m going. I''m not interested in training treasure beasts in the first place. Anyway, my pill refining has reached its most crucial point. I don''t have time for anything else," Vivian grumbled as she brushed him off.

    "I take it that you''re really fond of refining pills, but these pills don''t smell right." Judging by the scent emitted from the furnace, Zachary could tell that the pills Vivian was refining were far from ordinary.

    "That''s correct. These aren''t ordinary pills. I''ve refined them specifically for myself," Vivian replied casually, shrugging it off.

    "You made them for yourself, huh? What special effect do these pills have, then?" Zachary asked with his eyebrows raised high. His curiosity had suddenly peaked.

    "That''s none of your business. Get out of here. And don''t interfere with my pill refining again," Vivian scolded, pointing him the door.

    Zachary simply shrugged and continued smiling. He left and went back to his room, immediately entering the system.

    By the time he opened his eyes again, night had fallen and silence was omnipresent. Zachary, who was practicing in the system, suddenly heard Mimi''s warning. Apparently, someone had entered his room, so he immediately left the system. He saw a beautiful figure pushing open his room''s door and peeping inside. It was none other than Vivian!

    "Vivi, what are you doing? Are you spying on me?" Zachary asked jokingly, standing behind the door.

    "Ah! Damn you! I didn''t see you there. Are you free now? I have a favor to ask." She gave Zachary a sharp glare and tried going straight to the point.

    "What if I told you I was busy?" Zachary interjected before she could go on, shrugging his shoulders.

    "I don''t think so. I don''t have time for your games. You have to be available," Vivian quickly replied in an overbea

    get out of my way! I''m going inside!"

    The Imperial Level warrior dressed in orange and the other Xiao Clan disciples who were guarding the entrance of the cave were stunned motionless for a split second. They looked at each other for a few seconds, and then they all stared at Zachary, as if he were some crazy fellow. First off, going into the Primitive Cave without permission was a felony, and doing so would allow them to kill him on the spot. His behavior was much like courting death, in their opinions.

    "Take him down at once!" The Imperial Level warrior was red-faced and angry as he gave his order. Five Xiao Clan disciples immediately approached Zachary at a fast pace. They didn''t look weak, and seemed to intend on smashing him into the ground with a single blow.

    Unexpectedly however, Zachary escaped from the five Xiao Clan disciples in a flash and rushed directly into the cave''s front entrance.

    As they saw him, the Imperial Level warrior figured that Zachary was courting death. His face darkened as he quickly moved forward, trying to block him by himself. Right at that moment though, Zachary stopped sharply, and then ran parallel to the side of the entrance. The Imperial Level warrior felt that he was being tricked, and he was obviously pissed off. He immediately took the five Xiao Clan disciples with him and chased after Zachary, leaving five to continue defending the cave.

    At the same time, Vivian was well prepared to deal with these five less powerful disciples of the Xiao Clan. She immediately took out a ball and threw it at the entrance. As soon as the ball fell, lightning flashed, creating a dazzling light. The five disciples immediately covered their eyes with their hands. However, in an instant, she passed them and entered the entrance of the Primitive Cave.

 Chapter 559 The Startling Discovery

    Just after Vivian went in the Primitive Cave, another figure rushed in. The Xiao Clan disciples took no notice as they covered their eyes from the glaring light.

    As soon as it faded, they looked around furiously, eventually resigning to the fact that Zachary was already gone. The Imperial Level warrior dressed in orange, along with the other disciples, came back with bitter expressions plastered on their faces.

    "Damn it! The bastard thinks he can play tricks like that on us! We went after him for so long and then he''s gone." The warrior in orange clenched his fists, almost digging nails into his palms from frustration. He turned to the disciples guarding the Primitive Cave. "Did something wrong happen just now?"

    They looked at each other uncertainly. Nothing felt strange. However, too scared to confess being blinded by some dazzling light, they simply shook their heads. "No."

    "That''s good. Watch carefully." The warrior in orange sat nearby and continued cultivating.

    Less than a few meters from the cave''s entrance stood a figure who was privy to everything that was happening.

    "They don''t know I came in." Zachary smiled. "Vivi must have some other reason for coming here instead of collect some material. Let me see what secret this cave is hiding." He walked forward.

    Three or four meters away were stone steps that extended downward, flanked by burning torches each hanging two meters apart on the flat stone walls. The Primitive Cave was obviously rebuilt, with the terrain delicately considered and the steps carefully constructed. The Xiao Clan clearly regarded this place with great importance.

    Thus, Zachary was even more curious about what kind of secret the Xiao Clan was hiding in the cave.

    Using the Dog Soul Ring, Zachary smelled only a few people¡ªno more than three¡ªleft in the cave. One of them was Vivian. He rushed down the stone steps of the

    ao Clan into a crisis of destruction. Her uncle''s words, however, suggested a deeper hidden matter which occurred that year.

    "Your father made that grave mistake, but in order to get rid of his guilt and maintain his position, he made me the scapegoat! And mind you, I was not the only one victimized!" The old man now raised his voice, still hoarse but now full of resentment and pain.

    ''Well, fortunately, that confirms his true nature. The Xiao Clan leader is indeed someone who hides a dagger behind his smile. But what was this mistake, anyway? This place is very interesting after all! If I figure it out, I''ll be able to hold more evidence against the clan. It seems Master Tracy was right. I''ve only arrived a few days ago, but there''s already so many uncovered disputes and troubles!'' Zachary narrowed his eyes as he continued to listen in.

    "Your feud has nothing to do with me. I only want to cure myself, and only you can do that. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have dared to enter the Primitive Cave three years ago," Vivian said firmly.

    "Have you grasped the secret pill refining manual I taught to you?" the old voice asked.

    "Yes, since a long time ago. Now I''m trying to refine the pills according to the formula you gave me," Vivian replied.

 Chapter 560 Vivians Disappearance

    "Good. If you can successfully refine the pills according to the formula, you''ll get well soon upon taking the pills. You have your father to thank for becoming this sick. Ever since Craig, our eldest brother, passed on the position of the Xiao Clan leader to him, he seems to have changed into an entirely different person. Perhaps no one wanted to admit it, but I knew that he and I were the best out of our four brothers. I even saved his life once. Unfortunately, he never managed to return the favor. What''s more, to claim the position of the clan leader, your father set up Daniel and did everything he could to ensure his victory." The elderly voice grew more and more agitated with each word it spoke.

    "What on earth did my father do? What you''re saying is complete nonsense," Vivian answered back calmly¡ªa demeanor that she always tried to portray whenever she was accused.

    "Ha-ha! No wonder you''re a Xiao Clan descendant. Always levelheaded and decent despite a tricky situation. You shall become quite famous in the future, Vivian. However, I advise you to leave the clan immediately once you''ve been cured. Daniel will stop at nothing to revenge your father sooner or later. By that time, the Xiao Clan will be his target and you''ll be his biggest goal. He''ll take advantage of you to threaten your father..." the old voice warned.

    "If that day comes, I won''t retreat. I''ll find a way to defuse the feud between my father and Uncle Daniel. That way, the Xiao Clan will remain standing and continue to serve this world with honor," Vivian reassured. This was what made her an admirable and respectable member of the clan¡ªher loyalty towards her family. No matter what the situation might be, she would never abandon her own blood.

    "The ongoing feud between your father and Daniel is more complicated than you think. You may not have known this but...your mother was once in love with Daniel and not your father," the voice suddenly added. This was all new to Vivian.

    ''Oh God! I can''t believe a crazy love story like that could ever exist within the Xiao Clan! This is all so...intriguing. If what he says is true, then that means... Vivian may be Daniel''s daughter, '' Zachary thought to himself. Now he knew that the internal relationships that existed within the clan were more complicated than he

    oar which sounded just like a lion. As it spread, it created a cascade of tremors that began chasing Zachary and Vivian.

    Feeling this powerful wave catch up to him, Zachary immediately summoned his martial energy as well to try and withstand it. Vivian, on the other hand, couldn''t summon hers. Instead, she spat out a mouthful of blood. Her movements began to slow down. She looked as though she was about to pass out. The Imperial Level warrior rushed to her direction and outstretched his arms as if to catch her within the next few seconds.

    Suddenly, a figure appeared beside Vivian. With a burst of bright light, the figure flew into the air and took Vivian with it. They rushed towards the edge of a cliff at high speed before diving back down quickly.

    "Go and tell our leader that people have broken into the Primitive Cave! Request for backup!" the Imperial Level warrior furiously ordered his disciples. He was responsible for guarding the cave so he couldn''t leave his post without permission.

    In less than half an hour, several Imperial Level warriors from the Xiao Clan arrived at the foot of the cliff under the Primitive Cave along with the disciples who requested their help. They began to look for the intruders, but to no avail as they found nothing at the end of their search.

    Meanwhile, Vivian finally woke up from her concussion due to the tremors from earlier. As her eyes fluttered open, she found herself in the middle of a magnificent paradise.

    "Are you awake?" a man''s voice called out to her from behind.

 Chapter 561 Interrogation

    Vivian propped herself up with both hands and looked around. She saw Zachary sitting close by and he had no qualms staring at her.

    "How long have I been in a coma?" she asked with an angry frown.

    "Almost two hours have passed. You were too fragile and unfortunate. I could barely believe that you passed out just like that. Are you really a warrior of Imperial Level? I seriously doubt it," Zachary mocked.

    Vivian bit her lips and gave him a dirty look.

    "Is it worth taking such a huge risk to enter the cave to gather some herbs? If I hadn''t acted on time, you might have gotten caught," Zachary asked deliberately, pretending that he didn''t know what had happened in the cave.

    "Do you think I wanted to do that? But that was the only opportunity," she said and narrowed her eyes. There was something behind her words.

    "I''m not a person who pays attention to other people''s affairs. This time is an exception, but it won''t happen again!" Zachary shrugged and just smiled.

    "Thanks!" Vivian replied and gave him a slight nod of her head. Although she didn''t want to thank Zachary, he rescued her from danger. She was not an irrational person to disregard someone who saved her life.

    "You''re welcome," Zachary said with a smile.

    At the same time, Vivian looked around and asked endearingly, "What is this place? I''ve never been here before. We are not in the Xiao Clan Castle, are we?"

    "This is my place," Zachary said.

    "Your place? But..." When she heard these words, she was stunned for a moment. But soon, she found that three beast shadows were staring at her from not far away, as if they had seen some strange creature. And the three beasts gave off the aura of treasure beasts.

    "Do you own the three treasure beasts?" asked Vivian in surprise.

    "Don''t you know? I have three treasure beasts, which is nothing new," Zachary responded with a hint of displeasure in his voice.

    "Why should I know everything about you?" After hearing him speak, Vivian swallowed hard, but she pretended to be distant.

    Despite saying so, she couldn''t help but steal glances at the three treasure beasts Zachary had. She was very curious about how he handled the three treasure beasts with the strength of Imperial Level.

    "Because we almost died together just now," Zach

    im progress and go nearer to his position step by step.

    Since Zachary stood at the back of the line, he waited for two hours before Ademar Ding finally came to him.

    "And you are?" Ademar Ding wasn''t very familiar with Zachary. And the aura emitted by Zachary made an impression that he was a nobody, which surprised him.

    "My name is Harley Bai," Zachary said, cupping his hands towards him.

    "Oh, you are the new warrior of Imperial Level that has just come here!" Ademar Ding looked at him with disdain.

    At this time, the other warriors of Imperial Level who hadn''t seen Zachary before also focused on him. They had heard of an arrogant and talented warrior of Imperial Level who had come to the Xiao Clan, so they were also very curious. Seeing Zachary dressed like those from the countryside with a bizarre aura, they all shook their heads with contempt. They all seemed to think that Zachary didn''t worth any attention. Among them was Carmelo, who had a conflict with Zachary last time. He glanced at him fiercely, as if he was about to gut him like a fish.

    "Feel free to ask me any questions," Zachary said to Ademar Ding, ignoring the hostile gazes from the warriors around him.

    "Oh. About more than two hours ago, where were you?" Ademar Ding asked in a matter-of-fact tone.

    "I happened to be out by that time," Zachary claimed. He could have asserted that he was training in the room, and Jimmy and Henry could prove it. But he was afraid he would get the two in trouble, so he said that he was out.

 Chapter 562 The Wind Barking Hound

    "Out? Alone?" Ademar asked, looking suspicious.

    "Yes," Zachary said calmly.

    "No followers with you?" Ademar continued.

    "I''m just a newcomer. There''s no way I can have followers," Zachary said, giving him a small smile.

    "Then where have you been? Did anyone see you?" Ademar asked.

    "It''s hard to say for certain. I''ve been to a lot of places, and I haven''t kept track of everyone I saw. Even if someone saw me, I didn''t know who it was!" Zachary said in a slightly helpless tone with a shrug.

    "So what you''re saying is that you can''t prove where you were, and there is no one to vouch for your whereabouts," Ademar said coolly.

    The warriors who were present began conversing with each other. Many of them gave Zachary skeptical glances.

    Jaxon and the four elders wore solemn expressions, as they gravely awaited Zachary''s answer.

    "Well, I have no proof, and no witnesses," Zachary said, maintaining his air of calmness. He decided there was no point in inventing a cover story. He knew that his words would rouse further suspicion against him, but he also knew that Ademar could not punish him and Vivian for sneaking into the Primitive Cave unless he had solid evidence.

    "Ademar, Harley is a newcomer to our clan. To be fair, he probably doesn''t even know where the Primitive Cave is, let alone be capable of trespassing inside," Jaxon said. He had hesitated before speaking up, but he honestly didn''t see any reason why Zachary would trespass into the Primitive Cave without permission.

    "Master Jaxon, it''s an issue of great importance, and I believe this matter warrants further investigation," Ademar replied courteously, making sure to show deference to Jaxon while underscoring the need to keep questioning Zachary.

    "I agree with Ademar, Master Jaxon. There is a lot we don''t know, but I believe it''s not too much to ask of Harley to prove his innocence in this issue," Elder Jarrod said immediately.

    Jaxon sighed and nodded, acknowledging the validity of their points. He had no choice but to wait and see.

    "Harley, do you mind letting my Wind Barking Hound smell you?" Ademar asked, raising his eyebrow at Zachary.

    "Go ahead," Zachary answered.

    Ademar stretched out his hand, opening the Virtual

    accompany me into the cave in the few days since I arrived here?" Zachary smiled faintly. "Or perhaps you''re suggesting my follower is secretly a woman? I am willing to call him in if you want to examine his body." Zachary''s argument worked to some extent. It planted a few seeds of doubt in the minds of people present.

    Even Ademar felt a moment''s hesitation at Zachary''s aggressive counterarguments. While he wasn''t convinced by anything the young man had said, Ademar couldn''t help being struck by the absolute lack of any trace of fear, nervousness, or guilt in Zachary''s manner. In fact, it was the opposite. Zachary looked entirely comfortable and confident despite the evidence from the hound.

    "Do you think I am one of those two suspicious people who recklessly entered the cave, Master Jaxon?" Zachary abruptly asked Jaxon.

    Jaxon was silent for a while. He had not seen it for himself, so he could not positively identify Zachary as one of the two suspects. Like Ademar, he was impressed by the conviction with which Zachary defended himself. Still, there was no way the Wind Barking Hound could be mistaken. If it wasn''t Zachary, then why had the dog smelled him there? Jaxon could not give Zachary a straight answer, because he was unsure.

    "Master Jaxon, I think it''s better to let him stay at the Discipline Pavilion for a few days," suggested Ademar. He was still strongly doubtful of Zachary''s innocence, and he wanted the young man to stay where he could keep an eye on him.

 Chapter 563 The Discipline Pavilion

    As Ademar concluded, the warriors all started discussing. The Discipline Pavilion was a secluded place from the outer world where warriors were punished. Once a warrior entered, they would be unable to get out until a few months or years later, and even if they did get out, they wouldn''t have a chance to be promoted. Essentially, they would lose their respect in the Xiao Clan.

    "Well¡­" Jaxon started hesitantly. According to the rules, if Zachary was guilty, then he had to be sent to the Discipline Pavilion. He''d be extremely guarded and would have no chance of escaping. This frustrated Jaxon for he went the extra mile just so Zachary could come to the Xiao Clan. He might be discouraged to stay. If he left, then the Phoenix Pavilion and Xuanyuan Clan would take advantage.

    "Ademar, without enough evidence, you shouldn''t send Harley to the Discipline Pavilion. Just lock him in his house. That should be enough," Jaxon suggested.

    "Master Jaxon, breaking into the Primitive Cave without permission is a serious offense in the Xiao Clan. We have strong evidence against Harley. Merely locking him down in his own house is too risky," Ademar argued. He truly wanted to send him into punishment.

    "Exactly. What he did was no small thing. Let''s send him to the Discipline Pavilion," added Elder Jarrod. The three other elders nodded in agreement.

    They didn''t want to break the rules just because of Zachary.

    Jaxon shifted his balance. He was starting to be confused.

    "If you truly

    lease stay in the Discipline Pavilion. If your innocence is proven, then I''d make it my personal obligation to apologize to you."

    The warriors looked at each other in shock. They couldn''t fathom why the leader of the second most powerful force in the Devil Kingdom would apologize to someone like Zachary.

    "Alright, but you don''t have to apologize. I would much rather leave Xiao Clan." Zachary turned on his heels and prepared to leave.

    Jaxon''s face darkened. His mind rapidly sifted through his limited options. His priority was the benefit of their clan.

    "I will personally send Harley there," Ademar suggested, worried that Harley would escape.

    "Wait!" A delicate voice broke the tense air.

    Zachary and Ademar turned to look. From where the voice came, a beautiful girl in white was standing. Behind her followed a maid. Her face was covered with a white veil, the cloth hugging her slender body. She walked in an elegant demeanor, and her fragrance aroused the men in the room.

 Chapter 564 Vivians Testimony

    ''Did she come to rescue me? That wasn''t what I had expected, '' Zachary thought to himself. He was surprised to see the girl in white¡ªVivian.

    "Vivian?" Jaxon exclaimed, voicing out his astonishment at her sudden appearance.

    This was because she had never shown herself in public since she fell ill. Jaxon did his best to prevent outsiders from contacting Vivian. This resulted in only a few Xiao Clan members seeing her in person. So when the others who were present saw Vivian with their own eyes, they were all confused. They had no idea who she was, but they could tell from the unique aura she emanated that she was anything but ordinary.

    "Father!" Vivian greeted her father as she drew nearer to him under the public''s gaze.

    Every warrior of Imperial Level present was stunned with how she addressed Jaxon. None of them suspected that this graceful, veiled girl in white was Jaxon''s daughter. She was said to have been sick in bed for many years but now she looked anything but bedridden. This then led them to wonder why she had been hidden from the public for so long. Was it out of Jaxon''s fear that some might cast greedy, lustful eyes on his beautiful daughter?

    "What are you doing here?" Jaxon asked her with a slight squint in his eyes.

    "I''ve come for Harley," Vivian answered, blinking her gorgeous eyes as she turned and looked at Zachary.

    Jaxon was taken aback by what his daughter had just said. Vivian sounded as though she already met and knew Zachary. Moreover, she announced in front of the public. He had no idea what she had in mind.

    Meanwhile, all the other Imperial Level warriors present turned hostile and envious glares towards Zachary. They didn''t expect Vivian to come all this way for him, so they were naturally curious as to why. They too were surprised that she specifically came for him even though he had just become a member of the Xiao Clan.

    "What''s going on? Why did you come for Harley?" Jaxon inquired her.

    "This afternoon, I asked him to go out and pick some herbs for me. When I heard he had returned, I decided to find him and get the herbs from him," Vivian answered in a flat, calm t

    ''s eyes fixed on him.

    "Ademar, you can continue to investigate with the four elders," Jaxon ordered. Using his eyes, he gave a hint to his daughter and then turned to walk towards the Magnific Martial Hall.

    Vivian followed him inside.

    Upon entering the hall, Jaxon sat down and Vivian sat on the chair opposite him.

    "Vivian, what''s going on?" Jaxon immediately asked her, wondering where this unusual behavior of hers was coming from.

    "Do you mean my request to Harley regarding the herbs, Father?" Vivian asked, trying to steer away from the main topic. But it was no use.

    "You know fully well that''s not what I mean. When did you first meet Harley?" Jaxon demanded of his daughter.

    "I met him on the first day he arrived," she replied in a soft voice.

    "Then why didn''t you tell me?" Jaxon asked in bewilderment. He never would''ve guessed that his daughter had already met Zachary before.

    "Let''s not waste time on such an unnecessary topic," Vivian said, doing her best to diverge from the topic once again.

    "Then when did he find out you are my daughter?" Jaxon wanted to get all the information he could.

    "Just now, I guess. I haven''t told him who I am yet," she answered with slight hesitation. She remembered just now how Zachary didn''t seem to be shocked by the fact that she was Jaxon''s daughter. It felt as if he had known all this since long ago. She decided to bring it up with him later.

 Chapter 565 The Engagement Proposal

    "Oh really? Then why would he be willing to help you gather the herbs?" asked Jaxon with a confused look. He didn''t think that Zachary would be so submissive to anyone.

    "Father, do you think your daughter has no personal charm and can''t make a man do anything for her? And do you think that all men are only animals who are attracted to a woman''s appearance and act only based on their natural desires?" asked Vivian scornfully.

    "I see. In that case, you must be very special to him!" Jaxon''s eyes lit up at this new information.

    "I don''t know about that, but I think I can make him do what I want," Vivian said firmly, her eyes gleaming in a hint of slyness.

    "Vivian, what are you trying to imply?" Jaxon could tell that his daughter was hiding something from him.

    "Weren''t you hoping to get me engaged to him before, Father? I''ve been thinking about it over these two days, and I''ve made up my mind now," said Vivian earnestly.

    "So let''s hear it. What is your decision?" Jaxon blurted out, eager to know the answer.

    "I agree to the engagement, but I will announce it myself! Moreover, I want to test him first. It''s not easy to become my fiance." A shrewd smile danced on her lips.

    "Okay! As long as you agree to the engagement, you can test him whichever way you want. However, it''s important that he stays in our Xiao Clan and works for us," Jaxon replied, sounding relieved.

    "By the way, why would people trespass in the Primitive Cave when everything is all right? What is their purpose?" Vivian asked deliberately.

    "It''s still under investigation, but I''m certain that they have obvious intentions. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have barged into the heavily guarded Primitive Cave for no reason." Jaxon''s bright eyes immediately froze.

    "Father, all the Xiao Clan''s secrets have been removed from the Primitive Cave, right? Now the only secret in the cave is Uncle Frank. Is that who they were looking for?" Vivian was trying to divert her father''s attention, so he wouldn''t suspect her.

    "It''s possible. Some warriors who had worked for Frank haven''t been completely wiped out. Maybe they have been t

    d. She was behaving as though she had saved his life.

    "I wouldn''t have been under scrutiny in the first place if it weren''t for you. Vivian, you only testified for me because you were trying to protect yourself." Of course, Zachary knew what was on Vivian''s mind. The biggest reason for her testimony was that she was afraid of him betraying her.

    "But why would I protect myself? I haven''t done anything wrong! Don''t forget that I am the daughter of Xiao Clan leader. No matter what you say, more people would believe me than you," Vivian snorted contemptuously.

    "Vivian, if you are so confident, then why did you testify for me just now?" Zachary asked with a smug smile.

    "Can''t I just happily testify for you without having a reason?" Vivian rebutted. There was a sort of diffident haste in her voice.

    "Sure! Ha-ha!" Seeing the sheepishness on her face, Zachary laughed heartily.

    "What are you laughing at? What''s so funny?" Vivian was incensed at Zachary''s behavior. In fact, she had been very hesitant before she was to appear for the testimony. She knew that once she did it, she would be dragged into the mire and have to get involved in this whole thing. But despite this, she went ahead and testified for him because she had another idea up her sleeve. Through several interactions with him, she found him to be very useful to her and that he was very unique, so she made up her mind to help him.

 Chapter 566 The Recruitment Meeting

    "Nothing. I''m just thinking that although I''ve only been here a few days, I''m very lucky to have earned your favor. I''m sure many other people would envy me my good fortune! It seems I''m in a good place right now," Zachary said. Even as he heaped praise on her, grinning, he was considering how he could take advantage of his relationship with Vivian to achieve his goals.

    At this moment, both of them were thinking about their own plans. Vivian knew that Zachary was not being entirely up front about his intentions, and he knew the same thing about her. So it would boil down to who was more clever and more powerful.

    "Don''t act so shameless. Do you think I''m in love with you? Stop wasting my time! Go and find something useful to do instead of standing here with me," Vivian said, rolling her eyes.

    "If you have any trouble, call me and I will be there in an instant. You have my wholehearted devotion and service," Zachary said with a smile.

    "Ha! I just hope that you will not say anything about me behind my back. I''m leaving now to refine pills," Vivian said. Without further ado, she stood up and began walking away.

    After a few steps, she came to an abrupt stop. Something had occurred to her all of a sudden. She turned and said to Zachary, "By the way, I heard that the beast barn you''re responsible for will have a recruitment meeting. Is that correct?"

    "Yes, that''s right. I thought it might be postponed, but thanks to you, the recruitment meeting will be proceed tomorrow as planned," Zachary replied. He made the split-second decision to invite her. "Would you like to attend the recruitment meeting? If you''re free tomorrow, you could come and say something nice about my beast barn."

    "Let''s talk about it later," Vivian answered vaguely. She left him to go to the pill refining room.

    Once Vivian was gone, Zachary stood up and went to the north room, where he entered the system and busied himself with his own work.

    The next morning, Zachary got up at dawn. He spent some time cultivating, and then he went out of the system to start preparing for the meeting. At that moment, there was a knock on his door, and Jimmy and Henry entered his room. Jimmy was holding a set of luxurious white and yellow clothes embroidered with silver details. He held a pair of white boots in one hand, and had stockings draped over his arm. Henry stood beside him, carrying a basin full of hot water, with a bag on his shoulder containing a pair of scissors and a razor.

    "Harley, now that you''re the manager of the beast barn,

    his mind.

    "Post these announcements along the streets and main areas of the Xiao Clan. Make sure you put them up in prominent positions," Zachary said. He waved his hand and rolls of parchment appeared on the table.

    Jimmy and Henry took the rolls and pulled out one of the sheets to take a look. They glanced up at Zachary wearing expressions of shock.

    "Harley, are you sure you want to post these announcements?" Jimmy asked, his eyebrows raised.

    "Of course," Zachary said calmly.

    "Harley, if these announcements are posted, you''ll become public enemy number one. Many in the Xiao Clan will hate you for this," Henry said, rereading the poster with a look of horror on his face. It was too much.

    "So what?" Zachary asked lightly. "After all, it was our leader who ordered us to hold this recruitment meeting. No one will dare oppose him or countermand his orders. I don''t care what others think. The important thing is for this recruitment meeting to be successful." Only the success of the recruitment meeting would win him the trust of Jaxon and attract the attention of the big shots in the Xiao Clan, especially Daniel.

    Jimmy and Henry couldn''t help but feel a sense of admiration at Zachary''s nerve. He had only been in the Xiao Clan for a few days, yet he was already making big moves, shaking things up. They realized he truly wasn''t afraid of anybody, and had the courage to do as he pleased.

    Each carrying rolls of announcements, the two of them left the north room and went in separate directions to do as Zachary had ordered.

    "A good show is about to begin!" Zachary murmured, smiling to himself. He also walked out of the north room, heading for the beast barn.

 Chapter 567 Waiting

    Zachary approached the beast barn. Ryder stood with the other disciples who worked in the barn, waiting for him at the gate. Because he was dressed in his brand new clothes, and had just gotten a new haircut, they didn''t recognize him until he came closer. They raised their eyebrows and traded surprised glances with each other at Zachary''s improved appearance. He looked more powerful, like someone with a high rank and great wealth.

    "Are you ready? Today''s recruitment meeting is very important. Everything must go smoothly," Zachary said to Ryder.

    "Manager Harley, don''t worry. I have everything ready," Ryder assured him in a deferential tone.

    A few moments later, as Zachary had expected, Anthony arrived. He was accompanied by a dozen warriors of Imperial Level, including Shaw. They approached the barn in a mighty formation, and indeed, people who didn''t know the situation of the Xiao Clan would credibly think that Anthony was the head of the clan. After all, many believed it was inevitable that Anthony would become the clan head sooner or later. Every Imperial Level warrior of the Xiao Clan regarded Anthony as the undeniable successor to the current leader.

    Zachary walked up to Anthony, wearing a wide, fake smile on his face. "Anthony! I didn''t expect you to attend this small recruitment meeting of the beast barn. It''s a great honor to have you here."

    Like Ryder and the others, Anthony didn''t recognize Zachary immediately. "You..." As soon as he realized it was Zachary, he trailed off, a look of consternation on his face. He hadn''t expected this sudden improvement in Zachary''s appearance, making him look like he belonged in a leadership position.

    Shaw and the other Imperial Level warriors frowned at Zachary''s clothes, wondering why he had suddenly decided to change his appearance.

    Anthony recovered from his initial shock and spoke up quickly, trying to restore the balance of power. "Harley! Of course I planned on being here to commend your work. It''s good to see you doing your job so well! Even though you are a newcomer and you have just taken office, you''ve carried out a lot of drastic reforms in the beast barn. When I lead this clan, I will have need of people like you. I hope you will help me fulfill my vision for the Xiao Clan." It was an elegant way to praise Zachary while reminding him that he was a subordinate who would always work under him.

    "Anthony, thank you for your kind words. I''ve been worried that you would despise me. But I should have known you would never be so short-sighted and petty," Zachary said mildly, meeting Anthony''s gaze.

    Anthony narrowed his eyes and continued with a forced smile, "Is everything ready for the recruitment meeting?"

    "Yes, everything is ready. N

    rriors had emerged from the beast barn wearing gloating expressions. They snickered to each other about how no one had come to sign up.

    Zachary stood with them, his own face expressionless. Shaw said to him, "Why hasn''t anyone come yet, Harley? Is it possible that all the disciples of the Xiao Clan are unwilling to attend the recruitment meeting?" Shaw tried to sound concerned, but it was obvious that he was pleased.

    "Alas, since I''m new here, it seems that it won''t be easy to get disciples to come and sign up. Maybe the recruitment meeting is going to be a failure," Zachary sighed regretfully, shaking his head.

    Anthony and Shaw looked at each other and smirked. Some of the other Imperial Level warriors openly laughed at Zachary, secretly pleased that this young upstart had overestimated himself.

    "Harley, since no disciple wants to sign up, I think we should end the meeting now. It doesn''t make any sense to wait any longer," Anthony suggested, giving Zachary a smug smile. Then he turned around, intending to leave with his companions.

    At that moment, a large group of people came into view. They were rushing towards the barn, and as they came closer, the sound of their footsteps and the clamor of their excited voices grew louder and louder.

    Anthony stopped dead in his tracks, looking stunned. There had to be at least three hundred disciples all practically running to attend the recruitment meeting.

    "What the hell is this?" Shaw said loudly, his eyes wide with astonishment.

    As the shock wore off, Anthony''s face was beginning to darken with anger and frustration at his thwarted plan. The other Imperial Level warriors all looked confused at this unexpected turn of events. No one had actually believed that so many disciples would come to the recruitment meeting. What the hell was going on?

 Chapter 568 So Many Disciples

    "Oh my God! Why are there so many disciples attending the recruitment meeting? I don''t think the beast barn is able to accommodate so many people," Zachary exclaimed, pretending to be startled.

    Both Anthony and Shaw had long faces when they heard that.

    "Ryder, register the names of the disciples attending the recruitment meeting and give each of them 100 gold coins. Here, there are gold notes worth of 100, 000 gold coins. These should be enough," Zachary said as he gave Ryder a stack of gold notes.

    "100, 000?!" Ryder swallowed hard when he saw the gold notes in Zachary''s hand. It was no small number and one could buy a few Imperial Level weapons with the money. Zachary was so generous that he was willing to give 100, 000 gold coins to those disciples.

    The other Imperial Level warriors couldn''t help but discuss this with each other. They thought even with these money, Zachary wouldn''t be able to recruit any disciples.

    "Manager Harley, are you sure you want to give each of the disciples a hundred gold coins?" Ryder asked with his eyes wide open. He thought it was inappropriate for Zachary to do so. After all, there were many managers of other departments here. It felt like Zachary was stealing disciples from the other managers.

    "Yes, I''m sure. Is there any problem?" Zachary asked in reply.

    Ryder immediately turned to look at Anthony. Seeing Ryder looking at him, Anthony looked sullen and said, "You can do what Harley asks you to do. Even if something happens, it''s not your responsibility."

    As soon as Ryder heard this, he said, "I''ll arrange it right away." With that, he went away with the stack of gold notes.

    "Harley, you are really generous. You even took out 100, 000 gold coins and gave the disciples as a gift," Anthony said in a mocking tone.

    "I was going to take more, but I decided

    d as things didn''t develop as they had expected.

    "Steward Shaw, you said there would be no disciples attending the meeting. What''s going on?" Anthony glared at Shaw, demanding an answer.

    "I didn''t expect Harley to give the disciples 100 gold coins each. He is so cunning and shameless!" Shaw cursed.

    "Damn it!" Anthony spat through gritted teeth. He had come here to mock Zachary. But he became the one who lost face.

    Two hours passed quickly, and the recruitment meeting had reached its climax. The 100, 000 gold coins that Zachary had given to Ryder had all given to the disciples, but there were still more and more disciples to come. Many disciples who visited the beast barn began to discuss among themselves. Many of them wanted to work in the beast barn.

    Zachary, who had been watching the disciples'' reactions all the time, raised his hand and said in a loud voice, "Guys, thank you for attending the recruitment meeting. I''ve specially arranged a best performance. Please enjoy it!"

    After saying that, he shook his hand, and three vortexes appeared behind him.

    The disciples present widened their eyes. Before long, three strong auras of treasure beasts filled the area, shocked everyone present.

 Chapter 569 Beast Performance

    "Is he going to summon three treasure beasts at a time?" Shaw exclaimed, equally as shocked.

    Of course, Shaw wasn''t the only one caught by surprise. All the other Imperial Level warriors present were just as taken aback. Their eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets at the sight of Zachary''s three treasure beasts. Although it wasn''t Anthony''s first time seeing Zachary summon his three beasts in one breath, he was still both surprised and jealous to witness it again now.

    As for the disciples present from the Xiao Clan, they were seized by shock as they felt the three treasure beasts'' overwhelming auras. They stared blankly at the three vortexes as the beasts manifested into view.

    Among the three shining vortexes, a stream of flaming roc rushed out into the air. It was none other than the Blazing Roc. Its flaming feather fluttered like falling rain, directly lighting up a firework on the top of the outer ring of the beast barn. As soon as the firework ignited, the smoke rose into the sky like beautiful flowers, shining and dazzling. It was a splendid firework show.

    Upon seeing this wonderful show, the audience burst into an uproar as all the Xiao Clan disciples looked up at it. There was admiration in their eyes.

    Before everyone could collect themselves from the firework show, another lightning rushed out of one of the vortexes quickly. It was the Thunder Dragon Horse this time. The Blazing Roc swooped down at the same time. With a tacit jump, the Thunder Dragon Horse landed steadily on the back of the Blazing Roc and then the roc flew upwards again.

    When it flew several hundred meters above the ground, the lightning and thunder were dancing around the Thunder Dragon Horse, expanding and spreading. Within a few moments, a huge thunder shield formed in the air. The whole picture looked absolutely magnificent.

    The next moment, the Thunder Dragon Horse looked up and roared. As a result, the huge thunder shield fell to the ground.

    As that went on, the third beast rushed out from the last vortex. It had a huge body in the form of a hill. It blotted out the sky and covered the sun. Everyone immediately felt minuscule in comparison.

    As soon as the giant beast shadow emerged from the vortex, it hit the thunder shield. The strong impact immediately echoed through the sky, like a tornado blasti

    chary''s glory, which was already out at a high level after the mind-blowing performance. At that thought, he couldn''t help but wonder whether Zachary and his sister shared a secret relationship. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have suddenly appeared to prove that Zachary was innocent yesterday. And now, here she was again to make Zachary''s recruitment meeting more entertaining.

    He couldn''t help but wonder if she had already agreed to be engaged to Zachary. The thought alone had Anthony narrowing his eyes. If that was the case, it would be even harder for him to defeat Zachary in the future. After all, if Zachary became Jaxon''s son-in-law, his position in the clan could only rise to a great extreme. Coupled with the potential that he possessed, once Zachary gained a foothold, things would turn against Anthony. Although Anthony was the Xiao Clan''s future head, he was well aware of how the inside workings of the clan went. Daniel, one of his uncles, was striving for the position of leader for quite some time now. So, if Zachary got involved in this as well, Anthony would be surrounded by strong competitors.

    That conclusion made him cast a resentful glance at Zachary. ''I must get rid of him. And I should do it as soon as possible. I especially need to do that before he''s engaged to Vivian, '' he thought with a vicious look on his face.

    The atmosphere was lively due to Vivian''s appearance. All the Xiao Clan disciples were staring at her wonderstruck. Although they didn''t know what she really looked like, in their eyes, she was as noble as a goddess.

 Chapter 570 The Ride

    Only Zachary remained calm; everyone else was in shock. Despite his calm demeanor, he was actually surprised that Vivian showed up. Since she''d helped him the previous day, he felt a special connection between them. However, he was wary of the risks that came with this connection. On the one hand, this gave him an opportunity to soon control the Xiao Clan. On the other hand, he could fail and lose everything if he wasn''t careful enough. He realized that she was probably the most important person for him to achieve his goal.

    Vivian''s sudden appearance triggered the public''s speculation. The Xiao Clan disciples started making assumptions about Zachary and Vivian''s relationship. Even Zachary was confused; he wasn''t sure what her purpose was, but he knew that they were mutually benefitting from each other. However, he wouldn''t reveal his hidden intention first. He would wait and see when Vivian would reveal her intention.

    ''She is just as cunning as her father, '' Zachary thought to himself. He thought of Anthony who, in comparison to Vivian, was much weaker. He wouldn''t achieve anything. He caught Vivian shooting a quick glance at him.

    Then, she turned on her heels to walk up to Zachary. With her eyes affix on his, Vivian''s emotions stirred. She knew her life would be intertwined with this man for a long time after this, but she had to fulfil her duty to the Xiao Clan and her father.

    "I didn''t exp

    reasts lightly brushing his chest. He perked up, aroused by this erotic sensation.

    The crowd erupted into an undecipherable noise. The warriors grew more envious and hateful of Zachary as he took advantage of Vivian.

    "Vivian, are you okay?" Zachary asked with a smirk, pretending to care about her.

    "This is your fault! Vivian knew Zachary had commanded its treasure beast to act that way. She stared sternly into his eyes, satisfied that she was able to achieve the purpose of her visit that day.

    Vivian hugged Zachary tighter. The crowd gasped at the sight of her willingness. This further fed the speculations surrounding their relationship. People guessed that they had something special going on between them.

    The warriors were jealous but, deep down, they were impressed with Zachary''s ability to pick up girls. He''d only been in the Xiao Clan for a few days, yet he had already developed an intimate relationship with Vivian.

 Chapter 571 The Recruitment Meetings Successful Conclusion

    The scene made Anthony''s face turn red and veiny with rage. Unable to bear it for a second longer, he strode towards Vivian and anxiously said, "Vivian, you''re obviously in poor health. Don''t do something so dangerous. Everyone will certainly laugh at you." As he spoke, he lifted Vivian up and out of Zachary''s arms in a very domineering manner.

    "Ugh! I''m fine. Don''t make such a fuss about it." As she steadied herself, she pushed her brother away, looking at him ferociously.

    The disciples, who hadn''t dared to try riding Zachary''s treasure beast, didn''t hold back anymore. They rushed directly to the Blazing Roc, eager to climb up and ride. Vivian had just ridden the beast herself. If they couldn''t be intimate with her, they could at least have indirect contact with her by riding the Blazing Roc, taking in her wondrous smell.

    "Everyone, relax and take your time. There''s no reason to be pushy. All of you will have the chance to ride my Blazing Roc!" Zachary called out, motioning to several disciples to maintain the order. After that, he immediately allowed the disciples to take a joy ride on the Blazing Roc in small groups, for a little fun.

    A few of the disciples who couldn''t wait chose to ride one of the other two treasure beasts.

    Two hours later, Zachary announced that the recruitment meeting was over.

    "Today''s recruitment meeting has come to an end. I thank everyone here for coming. If any of you wants to work in the beast barn, you can go see Ryder and fill in an application form. As long as you submit the application form, you''ll be given the chance to work in the beast barn with me," Zachary said loudly and clearly as he looked around at all the disciples.

    The meeting''s bonus, the presence of young and legendary Vivian, as well as the fact that the beast barn had been thoroughly changed, aroused the interest of many Xiao Clan disciples. At last, more than half of them filled in and submitted application forms, while the remaining half dared not to do so in public because they were senior disciples of other departments. Despite that, they each secretly took an application form with the intentions of handing it over later in private.

    The recruitment meeting was finally rounded off and everything came to a close.

    "Alright, Vivian, let''s go," said Anthony, who couldn''t stand being

    et away.

    Henry nodded in agreement and went on his way.

    Zachary walked over to Vivian and asked, "Have you been waiting for me?"

    "You''ve done excellent work with the recruitment meeting. I didn''t know you possessed such an ability," Vivian praised with stars in her eyes. In spite of her amazement, she was telling the truth. Originally, she firmly believed that Zachary would mess up the recruitment meeting, only wanting to push himself forward. That was why she''d come join the meeting in the first place. She had intentions of giving him a hand in order to reach her own goal. When she arrived however, she found that she was very wrong. Even without her presence, the recruitment meeting would have still been a success. The bonus of one hundred gold coins, coupled with the fact that the participants could ride the treasure beasts, were enough to tempt the disciples who hadn''t seen much of the world yet. In other words, one could say that Zachary was not only very smart, but also quite successful at buying popularity.

    "It was all thanks to your presence," Zachary fawned on Vivian this time.

    "Uh-huh, of course! In that case, how do you plan on repaying me?" Vivian immediately claimed credit for herself. She clearly wanted something in return from Zachary.

    "Tell me how I should repay you instead?" Zachary asked, his lips curling.

    "I haven''t completely decided yet. I''ll let you know later." After a moment''s hesitation, she continued, "By the way, I wanted to ask you something yesterday, but I forgot it. Can I ask you now?"

 Chapter 572 Expansion Of Beast Barn

    "Vivian, what would you like to ask me?" Zachary questioned, his eyebrows raised in curiosity.

    "When did you discover my identity, exactly? I suppose it wasn''t yesterday..." Vivian asked curiously, her voice trailing off.

    "Why do you ask such a question?" Zachary was amused by her words. Apparently, she actually noticed that he''d discovered her identity a long time ago.

    "Well, you weren''t surprised upon seeing me yesterday, which led me to think you''d probably known who I am for quite some time now," Vivian replied honestly.

    "If that''s the case, when do you think I found out?" Zachary asked.

    "How would I know? That''s why I''m asking, of course." She cast Zachary a reproachful look, her demeanor shifting somewhat.

    "Ha-ha! Well, let me tell you the truth. I did doubt your identity long before yesterday, but I wasn''t completely sure. It actually wasn''t confirmed until yesterday when you showed up," Zachary answered as seriously as he could. Albeit believable, he was lying through his teeth. Vivian''s identity had officially been confirmed when he eavesdropped on the conversation between her and Frank back in the Primitive Cave.

    "Is that so? You are more thoughtful than I''d imagined," Vivian said vigilantly, after pausing a short moment. She wanted to figure out how suspicious Zachary was, because she needed to use him in order to get what she wanted. That said, she was afraid that he would find out what she was doing, so she needed to prepare in advance.

    "I''m not a thoughtful person. You''re overthinking it, Vivian," Zachary responded, waving his hand in front of his face.

    "Hard for you to say. I just don''t believe you! Anyway, I''ve got to go." She then glared one last time at Zachary before leaving, without looking back.

    "This woman really isn''t as easy to fool as I''d hoped. She''s terribly suspicious of me. I''m going to have to increase my arrogance around her," Zachary muttered to himself. His eyes were as cold as ice.

    Only a day later, the news that Zachary''s recruitment meeting had been a huge success had been spread throughout the entire Xiao Clan. Thanks to such fast-spreading information, he had become a well-known figure in the clan. Many Xiao Clan disciples even looked up at him like their idol. Never had they seen someo

    ." Jaxon silenced the warriors with his finger.

    "The reason for my request is very simple. In my opinion, the beast barn''s scale is much too small. It doesn''t match the Xiao Clan''s status in the Devil Kingdom, at least for the moment," Zachary explained bluntly, his voice a little flat.

    "I don''t share your opinion. To the contrary, in fact, our beast barn is a big one. Besides, it already satisfies our needs, so I don''t think we need to expand it." Jaxon was a little dissatisfied with Zachary''s sudden use of tone.

    "Excuse me, but I have to say something inappropriate. Master Jaxon, your idea is totally wrong," Zachary claimed with great certainty, his voice a little more shrill this time around.

    "And why exactly would you say that, Harley?" Jaxon asked, a little taken aback.

    "Master Jaxon, let me ask you one question. What is the most attractive part of a treasure beast?" Zachary questioned curiously. He furrowed his brow as he spoke.

    "Well, first of all, treasure beasts can produce treasures, of course. Secondly, they can fight together with their masters," Jaxon answered quickly without thinking too much. For most warriors in the Supernal Continent, those two factors were definitely the most attractive things about a treasure beast.

    "Apparently, Master Jaxon, you are just like any other warrior. All you see is the superficial value of treasure beasts, but not their potential value. You must broaden your horizons, if you want my advice." Zachary shook his head at Jaxon''s response.

 Chapter 573 Study On Treasure Beasts

    "Potential value? What exactly do you mean by that?" Jaxon asked, confused.

    All the Xiao Clan elders as well as the other department managers looked at Zachary in a baffled manner.

    "Treasure beasts got their name because they can produce unusual treasures. However, as we all know, treasure production time is generally quite long, ranging anywhere from a few months to several years. The better the treasure is, the longer the time it takes. Most of the time, we are much too impatient to wait such a long time. Therefore, most warriors don''t pay much attention to, and even neglect treasure beasts'' said ability. The truth is, treasure beasts have enormous potential for producing treasures," Zachary explained wisely.

    "Okay. But what does any of this have to do with expanding the beast barn?" Jaxon asked with a frown creasing his forehead.

    "In fact, back when I was in the Celestial College, I dedicated myself to studying treasure beasts. I notably studied how to shorten the treasure production time and increase the egg hatching rate. I''m being modest when I say I''ve made considerable progress," Zachary said, a smug smile on his face as he looked at them.

    "Oh, really? Is that part of your research results allowing you to control three treasure beasts at the same time?" Jaxon''s curiosity was immediately aroused and he quickly asked another question.

    "Yes, that''s right," Zachary nodded. "That said, I can''t take all the credit. I also needed a little luck to accomplish things. Not everyone can do what I can, even if they know how."

    "On that point, I agree with you. But I''m more interested in what you just said. You mention having the capacity of shortening the treasure production time and increasing egg hatching rate. Did I hear you correctly? Is that factual information?" Jaxon asked, his eyes lighting up like little beams.

    "I knew you''d be interested in that. I can''t guarantee anything else, but I am very confident in these two factors. If you continue to support my research, once it succeeds, it will only bring positive effect to our clan. With such powerful sk

    one of you by surprise." With that, he turned around and left, pride and confidence trailing behind him.

    After he left, Jarrod, who had a grudge against Zachary, said, "Master Jaxon, letting Harley do whatever he wants is just too much stress on your shoulders."

    "We will soon find out whether my decision is right or wrong. One way or another, this won''t be a big loss to us. In any case, the beast barn is the least important place in our clan," Jaxon replied calmly with a sly smile.

    After leaving the Magnific Martial Hall, Zachary went straight to his house. He was about to enter the north room when a figure suddenly appeared like a ghost by his side. He stood on alert, the hairs on his spine prickling. Despite his slight surprise, he didn''t react, because he had recognized the figure''s aura.

    "Goliath?" Zachary squinted his eyes a little as he looked sideways.

    "How are you doing, Harley?" Goliath''s smile was warm and kind.

    "I''m fine, thanks. What are you doing here?" Zachary asked, not showing his discomfort.

    "Didn''t you ask Master Bill to get you a few materials last time?" Goliath retorted, instead of answering the question.

    "Yes, I did." Zachary nodded in agreement.

    "He got one for you, with great effort of course, and asked me to bring it here." As he spoke, Goliath took out an Imperial Level treasure from the Virtual Air Space and handed it to Zachary.

 Chapter 574 Goliaths Request

    "Thank you," Zachary said as he sifted through his pocket. "Here, the gold notes worth a hundred thousand gold coins. It should be enough. Hand the money to Master Bill for me."

    "No need. I''ve already paid," Goliath grumbled.

    "Then take the money. It''s yours," Zachary said. He refused to accept Goliath''s offering without payment. After all, the two were nowhere near intimate.

    "Take it. It''s my gift. I wanted to talk to you about something else," Goliath said.

    Zachary frowned. Goliath sounded serious. "What is it?" he asked.

    "I want you to accompany me to search for a treasure beast," Goliath stated without hesitation.

    "Search for a treasure beast?" Zachary repeated in confusion. This was a strange request coming from Goliath. "Why do you need my help finding an ordinary treasure beast?"

    "Who says that we are going to search for an ordinary treasure beast? I want to capture a rare one." As soon as Goliath said this, the air between them grew more serious.

    "A rare one? That''s an amazing feat. But which beast did you have in mind, exactly?" A rare treasure beast, as the name suggested, would be very difficult to find. Across the entire Supernal Continent, anyone would be happy with a scarce beast, not to mention a rare one.

    "Harley, have you ever heard of the Sun-swallowing Beast?" Goliath asked.

    Zachary''s interest was piqued. In his mind, he summoned Mimi and asked her about the so-called Sun-swallowing Beast. The information he received astonished him.

    "The Sun-swallowing Beast is a rare treasure beast. It has two unique elements: thunder and fire. It is considered as one of the rarest elite treasure beasts in the Supernal Continent. It has the ability of occasionally forming a Sun-swallowing Pill, a rare object said to contain the essential power of heaven and earth. A Sun-swallowing Pill''s essential power can be absorbed. This can help anyone advance their strength by leaps and bounds." Mimi''s voice filled Zachary''s ears.

    As he heard this, Zachary was quietly assessing just how significant and rare the treasure beast was. Not only did it have rare elements, but it could a

    some treasure that could seal up the power in the Sun-swallowing Pills and then bring them back for refinement at a relatively lower rate. That way, it would be much easier to digest the pills.

    "Do you want to go with me?" Goliath continued to ask.

    "One more person means one more competitor. Aren''t you afraid that I will rob you?" Zachary asked with candor.

    "If I was, then I wouldn''t have come to ask you. Many warriors are competing for it. One is unlikely to make it alone. We have better chances if we cooperate. Besides, I don''t have many friends. I only have you to trust." Goliath looked serious.

    "I''m happy to hear that and it is my honor to be trusted by you. I thought you wanted to get rid of me," Zachary teased. Only recently, at the King Level contest, Goliath had conspired with Anthony and Truman to fight him. Goliath initially wanted to kill him and Zachary was aware of that.

    "I was just thinking of winning at that time. I wanted to make it to the final battle. I was being impulsive and unreasonable. If it really bothers you, I''d gladly apologize now." Goliath placed his hand on his chest as a gesture of apology.

    "It''s alright now. Let bygones be bygones. We can''t be enemies forever. I appreciate that you are done with that now. Unlike someone who still wants to deal with me." Zachary waved Goliath''s apology and smiled. At that moment, he was certain he wanted to team up with him.

 Chapter 575 Unfulfilled Wish

    "Are you talking about Anthony?" Goliath immediately understood who Zachary meant.

    Even though Zachary didn''t answer, his playful expression explained everything.

    "Harley, you don''t have to worry about Anthony at all. Based on my understanding of him, I don''t think he would achieve anything," Goliath said disdainfully.

    "It sounds like that you know him rather well, don''t you?" Zachary asked in a speculative tone.

    "Back when I was in Alexander City, I knew Anthony very well..." Goliath trailed off on purpose.

    "Goliath, why do I feel there is another story?" Zachary immediately got the hint.

    "Don''t mind it for now. It''s a rather long story. If we have the chance next time, I can tell you about it in detail." Goliath let out a shallow sigh as his eyes became a bit nostalgic. Then, he continued, "Then let''s set off tomorrow. Even if we fly, it will take at least one day and one night to reach the Holy Cloud Mountain."

    "Alright, I understand. Wait for me outside the south gate of Alexander City tomorrow." Zachary nodded in agreement.

    "Okay, that''s the plan. See you tomorrow." After he left such a remark, Goliath started to move and instantly disappeared from where he stood.

    "Compared with the Sun-swallowing Pill, I would rather catch that Sun-swallowing Beast. If I could catch one, it would save me at least a decade worth of effort in my cultivation. I need to prepare well for the upcoming journey." After Goliath left, Zachary''s eyes became filled with determination. The potential rewards from the journey the following day made him eager to take action.

    In order to prepare for tomorrow''s quest, Zachary immediately went back to the north room of his house. After he entered the system, he instantly got transported to the Living-dead Tomb. He noticed that Anne just walked out.

    "Master Anne! Are you going out?" Zachary asked in a respectful tone.

    "How are you doing with the quest I gave you? Are you going to finish it soon?" Anne asked immediately as she noticed Zachary.

    "I still need two more materials to repair the treasure. Regretfully, I''ve also been busy lately. The quest will be a little delayed as I was recently seeking the limelight in the Xiao Clan," he replied.

    "Don''t make any excuses for your tardiness. Just finish the repair quest right away!" Anne reprimanded in a concerned tone.

    "Why are you so anxious, Master Anne? You''re even more eager than me about my quest." It was rather unusual for Anne to urge Zachary to complete his quest as soon as possible. As such, he felt confused about her impatience.

    "It''s nothing. Just focus on your repair quest. Don''t come here to see me until you finish it!" After she reprimanded Zachary one last time, Anne waved her hand and sent him out of the Living-dead Tomb.

    "That''s so strange. Why was Master Anne very impatient to make me complete the quest? Is she not in a good mood today? Maybe she''s having her period," Zachary muttered to himself and then he returned to the system. The rudeness and strange behavior of Anne made him very depressed.

    "Don''t think too badly about it. She just wants you to finish it immediately because your friendship level with her will exceed reach level 5 after you complete the quest. In that case, she will have a chance to leave the system and finally return to the real world." While Zachary was lost in his worries, Mimi''s sweet voice s

    come for a long time, it wouldn''t be too late for him to go to the black market to find Bruno. Then, Zachary sat on the stone bench in the courtyard and waited patiently for Vivian. However, in less than an hour, she came back empty-handed.

    "You can''t find them, can you? It''s fine. I''ll figure out a way to gather them by myself." Once he saw that Vivian didn''t have the materials, Zachary just shrugged.

    "Is that what you think of me? It''s just two materials. My father is Jaxon, the head of the Xiao Clan. If I can''t get my hands on those two materials, how could I deserve to be his eldest daughter?" Vivian replied in a slightly irritated tone. With boastful eyes, she glared at Zachary.

    "What do you mean? Did you get them?" When he heard Vivian''s statement, Zachary immediately got excited.

    "Yes, of course!" With a boastful smile, Vivian opened the Virtual Air Space. Immediately, two boxes flew towards Zachary.

    After he received the boxes, Zachary opened them one after another. It was exactly the two materials that he needed. With a grin, he put them away and then asked, "How did you get them? Although these two materials are not rare, they are still quite uncommon. They''re not easy to find."

    "Our Xiao Clan is one of the most powerful clans in the Devil Kingdom. Additionally, we are famous for weapon refining. It''s natural that our clan has a special collection of all kinds of casting materials. So, even for most rare materials, we have some of them stocked in the warehouse. However, usually no one can get their hands on them without my father''s permission. So it took me a lot of effort to get these two. You''re quite lucky, actually! These two are the last of their kinds available in the stock," Vivian said boastfully.

    "Wow! Really? Well then, thank you very much for your generosity," Zachary said gratefully.

    "No need to thank me. You helped me take back the hearts of those treasure beasts from Bruno last time. Just consider us even." After such magnanimous words, Vivian turned around and left without looking back.

    "What exactly is she up to? Is she playing hard-to-get by being so nice to me suddenly? This is very interesting!" Zachary muttered to himself. A huge grin appeared on his face as his eyes narrowed.

 Chapter 576 Repairing The Lantern-shaped Weapon

    Later on, Zachary went back to the north room. After entering the system, he continued straight to the weapon refining room and fixed the lantern-shaped OH weapon that Anne had given him. But, just as he placed the materials needed for the restoration together with the weapon into the Heavenly Golden Furnace, he heard Mimi''s sweet voice saying, "You cannot repair the weapon for the quest using the Heavenly Golden Furnace. It may need manual repairs."

    "Manual repairs? Are you serious?" Zachary rolled his eyes, thinking Mimi was playing a trick on him.

    However, after finishing this repair quest, he could take Anne out of the system, so he didn''t raise any objections. He took out the weapon and repair materials, and then set the weapon refining room back to its original refining mode, preparing to repair the weapon manually. But he quickly encountered a problem. Being only a King Level weapon refiner and without the aid of the Heavenly Golden Furnace, he could not repair this weapon of Imperial Level. If he were to fix it out of necessity, it would only result in the opposite of its desired effect.

    "This situation is making me mad. It would drive me to an early grave!" Zachary''s face twitched as he became agitated. He had gathered the materials, yet he couldn''t repair it.

    At that same instant, he came up with an excellent idea. He asked, "Mimi, is there any treasure in the Treasure Cave that can promote my weapon refiner level, or reduce the difficulty of refining a weapon?"

    "Yes, but it''s on the fourth floor of the Treasure Cave. Before this, you have only opened three floors. To enter the next floor, you must complete an initial quest first. But, you can open the fourth floor straight by paying three thousand treasure-hunting coins," Mimi replied.

    "You are extorting my treasure-hunting coins once again!" Hearing what Mimi said, Zachary knew that he would have to spend his treasure-hunting coins. "Can you give me a discount?"

    "Not this time," Mimi refused firmly.

    "Oh, come on. A minor price cut would be enough! I am broke!" Zachary pleaded woef

    t fraught with danger. And with the Ghost Lamp leading the way for you, you will be safe," Anne added.

    "Oh, I see. So that''s why you gave me the Ghost Lamp," Zachary said as a realization hit him. "What do you want me to take? I''m about to go out, and I can bring it back with me."

    "Where are you going?" Anne inquired.

    "I''m going to the Holy Cloud Mountain," Zachary answered.

    "The Holy Cloud Mountain? Are you going to track down the Sun-swallowing Beast? Oh, the Dark Devouring Day is about to come," Anne muttered.

    "That''s right. You are too clever for words!" Zachary appeared to be taken aback by her words and began to compliment her.

    "The Sun-swallowing Pill is a rare and precious treasure. For a warrior of Imperial Level, it has the same effect as a Cultivation Boosting Pill at the Imperial Level." Anne understood the Sun-swallowing Pill very well.

    "Yes, I agree. But I''ve heard that in refining the Sun-swallowing Pill, it must take place within an hour after it appears, and we can only refine one pill at a time. Otherwise, it would all end up completely wasted. If I grab a few of them, I can''t refine them together. For this reason, I''d like to ask you if you have any treasure that can seal the pills so their power won''t die away. Then I can bring them back and take my time to refine them one after the other," Zachary appealed, his voice full of hope.

 Chapter 577 Sun-swallowing Pill

    Anne looked at Zachary and shook her head. "No. The Sun-swallowing Pill gets its energy from the essential power of heaven and earth. It is an open vessel through which power flows continuously, and cannot be sealed. Even if you found a way to seal it, it would be rendered useless. Moreover, this pill will only be effective if it is consumed within a kilometer''s radius of the Sun-swallowing Beast. Outside of that range, it has no power."

    "Why?" Zachary asked curiously.

    "Because the core of the Sun-swallowing Pill must be able to return to the Sun-swallowing Beast after the power within it has been consumed. If you take it out of the beast''s territory, the core of the Sun-swallowing Pill will become like a broken compass, and that might put you in great peril," Anne replied with a concerned frown.

    "But Master Anne, that means I would have to consume the Sun-swallowing Pill in the presence of others. What if someone takes advantage of this and attacks me?" asked Zachary, confused. It seemed like consuming the pill in front of others was almost even more dangerous than the consequences of taking the pill outside the range of the Sun-swallowing Beast.

    "Yes, that is correct. That is why you should have someone with you when you do it. Someone powerful and trustworthy beyond any doubt," Anne answered seriously.

    "Someone powerful and trustworthy?" Zachary echoed. He turned to look at Anne. She and Tania were, in fact, the only people he knew and could trust that were powerful enough to keep him safe. It seemed that now was the chance to take Anne out into the real world. According to Mimi, though, she had her own wish she wanted to accomplish in the real world. He wondered if he should save the chance for her until the time of her fulfilling the wish came. But if he decided to prioritize her wish, Zachary would be left to fend for himself.

    "I think I know exactly what is going through your mind right now," Anne said, seeing Zachary''s face change as he sat there, deep in thought. He was easy to read.

    Zachary sighed. "I really want you to be my guardian, Master Anne. But we both know how rare a chance arises for you to go out into the real world. I wouldn''t want you to waste that chance protecting me. I''d rather you use that chance to fulfill your wish." It was hard for him to frame those words, but he knew it was the right thing to say.

    Anne listened to Zachary carefully. He was

    it was a mythical land shrouded in fog and heavy clouds. Hills, rivers and lakes dotted its surface, populated with exotic birds and rare beasts.

    These days, those flying beasts, large and small, circled the mountaintop, driven by humans in flocks of threes, fours, and even dozens. They came and landed on the Holy Cloud Mountain around the clock.

    The flying beast, Zachary and Goliath on its back, swooped down from the south of the Holy Cloud Mountain, towards the forest. Once it had landed, the two of them slid off its back.

    "Finally! I''m numb with cold and my back is aching, this took so long," Zachary complained, stretching himself.

    "It seems that a lot of warriors have arrived before us. Most of them are above the Imperial Level," Goliath noted, looking around and sensing the powerful auras emanating from the warriors surrounding them.

    "Well, no warrior below the Imperial Level would dare come here. Unless they had a death wish," Zachary said, shrugging. Then, sensing movement in his peripheral vision, he turned to see a leopard-like martial beast at the first grade of Imperial Level, crouching in a bush a short distance from them. Its eyes glimmered with greed and anticipation.

    "Come on, let''s take it down together!" Goliath boomed, tensing his muscles as he motioned towards the beast.

    "Are you kidding? We should run!" Immediately, Zachary turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.

    Goliath was stunned for a fraction of a second, but quickly came to his senses. He turned and followed Zachary. The beast lunged with a glint in its eyes, following in close pursuit.

 Chapter 578 The Story Of Goliath

    "If we can work together to kill it, it wouldn''t be a problem. Why do we have to run?" Goliath asked after he caught up with Zachary.

    "Of course, our joint efforts can kill him, but we can''t be careless. We''re not invincible powerhouses but merely new warriors of Imperial Level. Any senior warrior of Imperial Level is strong enough to beat us down. So it is better to hide somewhere safe than to fight," Zachary replied, smiling obscenely.

    Upon hearing his answer, Goliath rolled his eyes. But on second thought, what he said sounded reasonable. They were both not strong enough. Most of those who dared to come to the Holy Cloud Mountain to look for the Sun-swallowing Beast were senior warriors of Imperial Level in the Devil Kingdom. Since only a few new warriors of Imperial Level like them took their chances, it would be better to keep a low profile.

    After running for their lives for an hour in the dense forest, they finally got rid of the martial beast chasing after them. Soon after leaving the dense forest and crossing over a mountain, they reached a valley with sparse trees but surrounded by caves.

    "It seems like only a few people come to this place. We will be safe here. Let''s hide in a cave first. When the Dark Devouring Day comes, we can come out to look for the Sun-swallowing Beast," Zachary told Goliath, guaranteeing their safety.

    Goliath nodded in agreement.

    In no time, they found a secluded cave and made a bonfire. Sitting opposite each other, they began to make small talk.

    "Actually, there is one thing that is bothering me, Harley," Goliath started, breaking the silence. Confusion registered on his face as he stared at Zachary.

    "Well, what is it that has been bothering you?" Zachary asked, raising his eyebrows.

    "Why did you leave the Celestial College to join the Xiao Clan instead? From how I see it, you seek things that are far beyond, and reject things within your reach, making the Celestial College think you''re a traitor. So I wonder why you made such a decision," Goliath queried curiously.

    "Why do you think I left?" Zachary asked back, feeling curious.

    "I just couldn''t figure it out, so I''m asking you," Goliath replied, scrunching his brows together.

    "Actually, I am not sure either. I always act according to my intuition. I believe it would be good for me to join the Xiao C

    g for Zachary''s response.

    After he left, Zachary entered the system swiftly.

    As soon as Goliath walked out of the cave, he released a carrier eagle from the Virtual Air Space, and watched as it flapped its wings and flew away.

    Shortly after, Goliath noticed two rays of light flashing not so far away from one side of the cave. He walked over to check them out immediately, and saw two figures standing in front of him.

    "Guardian Logan," Goliath greeted one of them, cupping his hands.

    The figures were Logan and Lilian.

    "Is everything going as planned?" Logan asked.

    "Yes." Goliath nodded. "As you have instructed, I told him my story. I''m pretty sure he believes it."

    "Good. Next, help him to get a Sun-swallowing Pill and win his trust. It won''t be long before you have the chance to get into the Xiao Clan," Logan instructed.

    "But I''m afraid it will not be an easy task even if we work together," Goliath commented, his voice sounding worried.

    "Don''t worry. We have prepared a perfect plan this time, intending to surprise all the clans and sects. By then, the situation will certainly be chaotic. Take every opportunity to act, and if necessary, I will help you," said Logan. "Remember, your task is to win his trust. So when you need to make a sacrifice, you must make it. Don''t think too much."

    "I understand," Goliath answered flatly.

    "Okay. Go back now. We can''t let him be suspicious of you." Logan waved goodbye to Goliath.

    Goliath turned around and returned to his post, while Logan and Lilian vanished into thin air.

 Chapter 579 The Young Master Of the Ghost Clan

    Goliath left the cave and hid on a nearby tree to keep watch. Atop the tree, he observed the surroundings and was instantly alert when he sensed multiple auras around them. This happened repeatedly; auras of a few people appeared, and then disappeared without a trace. They never came near.

    Time passed quickly, and soon, the moon was high above the trees. Zachary departed from the cave, and Goliath appeared before him.

    "It''s my turn to keep watch. You can go in and rest, Goliath," Zachary said to Goliath and patted his shoulder lightly as he passed.

    "Thanks." With one last nod at Zachary, Goliath turned and entered the cave to rest. His steps were heavy with exhaustion.

    Zachary waited until it was quiet, and when there was no sign of Goliath or anyone else, he summoned Blazing Roc. "Orion, guard the entrance of the cave. Inform me immediately if anything happens. I''ll just take a walk and see if I can find any treasures."

    The Blazing Roc raised its head and chittered at Zachary in response. Then, it flew into the air and hovered above the cave, its eyes glowing once.

    With everything in order, Zachary picked a direction and started walking. At the same time, he released the power of the Dog Soul Ring to search for treasures.

    After a while, Zachary found Holy Cloud Mountain''s unique characteristic that set it apart from others. He had been looking for a while, but there were no martial beasts to be found. The whole mountain was unnaturally quiet. There were no traces of any beasts, which was strange because many martial beasts were only active at night. It was impossible that all the martial beasts in the area only appeared by day, so what was happening?

    Since there were no martial beasts at night, he could look for treasures without being disturbed.

    He searched for two hours and successfully found three treasures of Imperial Level. They were all formed by absorbing the essence of heaven and earth and were all more than thirty years old.

    "This place is great! If I can stay here for a few more days, I will harvest a lot!" Zachary muttered to himself, brimming with satisfaction.

    However, he could sense that there were at least two hundred people gathered in the Holy Cloud Mountain at that moment. Most of them were warriors of Imperial Level, while some were at Sage Level or above. It would be bad if he met them along the way, so he was very cautious. He decided that since he had already found something good, he would just return later.

    Just as he was about to travel back, he suddenly heard the sound of a waterfall that came from the southwest. At the same time, he also sensed the aura of a warrior, although it wasn''t too powerful.

    ''I''ll check it out. If this person is weak, perhaps I can take the chance to rob him or her. Anyway, it would be best to strike first. The fewer competitors there are, the better, '' Zacha

    to hide, and all that time, he was just standing by the waterside, a few meters away from the woman. Despite that, it seemed that she didn''t sense him! Although she had left quickly, he could tell from her movements that she was quite strong. Logically, it was impossible that she didn''t sense his presence.

    ''Is she blind?'' Zachary couldn''t help guessing. But even if she was blind, she would at least be able to sense his scent or his aura!

    His mood sank, and he frowned morosely, upset that the woman had ignored him.

    "Never mind. I''ll just forget it and pretend that nothing happened." Zachary shrugged and shook off the feeling of being ignored. Then, he disappeared from the spot.

    Before long, the woman who was disguised as a man, together with the beast appeared in a large camp. There were about a dozen people in the camp, and almost half of them were warriors of Imperial Level, while two of them were warriors of Sage Level.

    "Young Master, where have you been? Why did you come back so late?" An old man in a black robe walked up to the woman as soon as they touched down. He seemed strong, with an aura at the Sage Level.

    "I became sweaty, so I found a place to take a bath," the woman who was dressed like a man answered.

    "Young Master, our master has warned us a thousand times to protect you. What if you encounter orthodox warriors? They are very cruel to us, all the members of the Ghost Clan, and they would kill us mercilessly! If they find out that you are the young master of the Ghost Clan, it will be even more troublesome," a man in a white robe interjected. His face was marred by a frown, and he seemed as strong as the other man, with an aura at the Sage Level too.

    Meanwhile, Zachary had no idea that he had just seen the young master of the top heterodox clan in the Devil Kingdom¡ªthe Ghost Clan. And to top that off, she was actually a young female master dressed as a man.

 Chapter 580 The Sun-swallowing Pills

    "All right, all right. I won''t do it again. Elder Abel and Guardian Edgar, would you please stop nagging me?" the young master of the Ghost Clan said with a pout like a girl.

    Abel and Edgar shook their heads helplessly.

    "Ahem. Young Master, please mind your manners!" Abel coughed and reminded at once. The young master was actually a girl, and only big shots inside the clan like him knew that truth. Most people thought the young master was a man as she was dressing like a man.

    "Okay," the young master said with a blush and stopped pouting. Her expression changed all of a sudden and she asked seriously, "When will this Dark Devouring Day take place?"

    "If my estimation is not wrong, it will be tomorrow afternoon," Abel replied.

    "Now that my grandfather has sent all of you to accompany me to get the Sun-swallowing Pills, we can''t return without bringing anything back. We have to at least make sure we get two of the pills," the young master said in a firm tone.

    "Of course. We will make sure you get one. You''ve recently broken through to the Imperial Level. If you can absorb a Sun-swallowing Pill to consolidate your strength, you will definitely be the strongest among all the new Imperial Level warriors your age in the entire Devil Kingdom!" Edgar said with a nod.

    "I appreciate your kindness, Guardian Edgar. However, as the young master, I should set an example. It''s more important for anyone of you to take the Sun-swallowing Pill rather than me. Take Lance for example. He''s been at the medium stage of Imperial Level for a long time. If he can take the pill, he''ll be able to reach the premium stage. There''s also Levi. He''s only one step away from the medium stage. I think if we manage to get our hands on two pills, they will be the first ones to take them," the young master said calmly.

    Hearing these words, Lance said, "Young Master, you are really considerate and kind to us! If we can get our hands on the Sun-swallowing Pills, then you should be the first one to take it!"

    "Yes, Young Master. You are the future leader of our Ghost Clan. With such a treasure that can enhance one''s strength, it goes without question that it should be yours," Levi seconded in an obsequious tone.

    Several other warriors nodded in agreement.

    "I''ve made up my mind. There''s no argument for this," the young master said seriously as she waved her hand.

    Hearing this, the warriors loo

    r cheeks were flushed red. After hearing his words, she felt a sudden urge to see Zachary.

    Just as all the clans and sects of the Devil Kingdom were preparing vigorously for the coming fight, Zachary, who had been ignored by the young master of the Ghost Clan, had returned outside the cave. Seeing that his Blazing Roc was still hovering in the air without detecting anything strange in the surroundings, he entered the system.

    The night passed, and the sun rose to clear the way for a new day. However, it was strangely dim. The thick gray clouds above the Holy Cloud Mountain completely blocked its rays of light, leaving the whole mountain shrouded in a haze. Soon, the wind blew violently in the mountain. Birds and beasts cowered away in anticipation of a disaster that had yet to come.

    The unsettling scene had every warrior bracing themselves, as they were fully aware that the Dark Devouring Day was approaching. Once it was fully there, the Sun-swallowing Beast would leave the pills it had accumulated in its body for a long time anywhere in the Holy Cloud Mountain.

    However, before the complete arrival of the Dark Devouring Day, the warriors had to face a huge test. As the day approached, all the martial beasts in the Holy Cloud Mountain would go into a state of madness, heavily affected by the phenomenon. Not only that, but their power would rise exponentially, forcing them to become extremely bloodthirsty and cruel. The whole mountain would turn into a living hell for the duration. It meant that before killing the beasts, the disciples wouldn''t be able to take a single step forward.

 Chapter 581 In Trouble

    After a few hours, warriors from different clans and sects were simultaneously besieged and attacked by a large number of berserk martial beasts at different parts of the Holy Cloud Mountain. These warriors tried their best to fight and hold on because they knew that these martial beasts would recover from their berserk state as soon as the Dark Devouring Day came. Although there were only a few hours until it was the Dark Devouring Day, these hours felt like an eternity to the fighting warriors. Their bodies were heavy with exhaustion, and their limbs seemed bogged down with lead. Each wound that marred their skin and each kill they made marked the slow passing of time.

    In sharp contrast, some warriors came alone or in small groups of twos and threes, so they didn''t attract too many martial beasts. At the worst, they would be attacked by a couple of martial beasts, but they could easily fend them off at their level of power.

    Zachary and Goliath were no exception. At that moment, they were also surrounded by extraordinarily fierce martial beasts. Crimson eyes eyed them with wild abandon, as spittle dribbled down the beasts'' bloody snouts.

    "These martial beasts have gone mad. I''m afraid that they won''t be easy to take down," Goliath muttered as he eyed the beasts with distaste.

    "I didn''t think that the Dark Devouring Day would affect these martial beasts so much. It looks like the Sun-swallowing Beast is quite extraordinary," speculated Zachary. His eyes were warily studying the beasts, but he wasn''t making a move to attack them.

    "Are we going to fight our way out?" Goliath asked as he shifted his eyes from the rabid beasts to Zachary.

    "I don''t think we can defeat them in this way. It may be easy for us to deal with martial beasts in a normal state, but these have gone berserk. Fighting them will be a test of our toughness against theirs. We are at a disadvantage!" Zachary shook his head, and his mind ran in circles, as he desperately thought of a way out.

    "Then what shall we do?" Goliath asked, and Zachary looked at him with a sharp glint in his eyes.

    "We have no choice but to split up and attack separately. With our movement skills, there should be no problem for us to shake off these martial beasts. In this way, we can buy time as much as possible. You said that these martial beasts would regain their calm once the Dark Devouring Day comes, right?" Zachary suggested after a brief moment of silence. His brows were scrunched in thought, as his lips laid down their plans with detailed precision.

    "But it will be more dangerous if we split up. If we fail to shake them off, we will have to deal with them alone," Goliath immediately protested. Zachary nodded in agreement, as he had thought about that possibility as well, but it was a risk they were going to have to take.

    "Are you worried about me or yourself?" Goliath was taken-aback by Zachary''s direct question. He looked at him sincerely, then said, "Of course I''m worried about you, Harley. I''m sure I can handle these martial beasts." Zachary nodded at his answer, pleased, as a plan started to take shape in his mind.

    "You don''t have to worry about me. When the Dark Devouring Day comes, I will use Blazing Roc to send you a signal, and then you can come to mee

    sister, I wonder who will tolerate your bad temper and marry you!"

    "That''s none of your business!" Polly shouted at him. She threw a fierce glare at him before walking away without a backward glance.

    The two men watched her go, smothering their laughter behind their palms. When she was gone, both men erupted into fits of boisterous laughter at the same time.

    "How is your life in the Xiao Clan? Are you happy there?" Pollard asked which sobered them a little.

    "It''s not bad. I am now the manager of the Xiao Clan''s beast barn and in charge of about one hundred treasure beasts," Zachary said, pretending to be pleased with himself.

    "Really? It seems that the leader of the Xiao Clan really thinks highly of you. Otherwise, he would not have appointed you as the manager of the beast barn as soon as you joined the Xiao Clan. But are you sure that there aren''t only about ten treasure beasts under your control?" Pollard asked. He nailed the truth right in the face since he knew Zachary quite well.

    "Ha-ha, Pollard, I can''t hide anything from you, can I?" Zachary laughed and smiled fondly at Pollard, who looked back at him just as fondly.

    "You know that if you''re not happy in the Xiao Clan, you can join the Qiu Clan anytime, right? My father has been talking about you recently. Whenever he mentions you, he shakes his head and sighs in regret," said Pollard.

    "I''m surprised that your father hasn''t forgotten about me yet. But I can''t leave the Xiao Clan so soon," said Zachary honestly.

    "I know that. I''m just saying you''re always welcome with us," Pollard reiterated. This time, it was evident that he wasn''t just joking. He was looking at Zachary with all the sincerity he could muster.

    Zachary looked away from him then, his sincerity too much to bear. At that moment, neither of them could do anything to change the situation that they were in anyway. "Let''s just stay here and wait for a while. When the Dark Devouring Day comes, we can go out and join your father,"

    Zachary suggested instead, to which Pollard nodded in acceptance.

    They rested and stored up as much as energy as they could, right in the cold embrace of Peach Blossom Forest.

 Chapter 582 Doing Their Best

    While Zachary and the other two were enjoying the peaceful moment in the Peach Blossom Forest, the other warriors were struggling to hold their grounds all around the Holy Cloud Mountain. Despite all their effort, casualties kept mounting up.

    But this was also within their expectation. Otherwise, they would not have sent warriors of Sage Level to help their disciples, most of whom were still at the Imperial Level and could not survive even for several hours in this kind of situation.

    In the end, after ten hours of suffering, a beam of powerful sunlight suddenly shot down from the sky above the Holy Cloud Mountain and dispelled the black mist, allowing the mountain to once again glory in the glow of the sun.

    At the same time, the martial beasts seemed to come to their senses. They stopped going berserk and fled hastily in all directions. When they ran away, they also let out extremely terrified cries as if they sensed something.

    The warriors were relieved to see that the beasts stopped attacking and fled away. Nevertheless, they still could not let their guard down because they knew very well that the Dark Devouring Day would come any moment now. Thus, almost simultaneously, warriors on the Holy Cloud Mountain raised their heads to look at the sky that had just cleared up.

    Bit by bit, darkness gradually spread on the round, brightly shining sun. The sun looked like it was slowly being devoured by it. Before they knew it, the whole sun was already dyed black.

    In an instant, the Holy Cloud Mountain was completely shrouded in darkness even darker than the night. It was as if the mountain had fallen into a dark abyss. All living beings quieted down all at once as if someone had pressed a pause button and time had stopped ticking. Everything was devoured by endless darkness and utter silence.

    Right after the whole Holy Cloud Mountain fell into an abyss of darkness, however, a ray of light suddenly appeared between two lofty stone mountains at the south side of the Holy Cloud Mountain. It was just like the ray of a rising sun, so bright that it reached and illuminated the entire Holy Cloud Mountain.

    While people all over the Holy Cloud Mountain did shiver at the sight of this scene, they also could not hold back the surging excitement inside their hearts. Many of them, who came here for the first time, opened their eyes wide in shock. They could hardly believe that the strange scene in front of them was real as this was the first time they ever saw something as bright as the sun.

    But soon, the warriors all rushed towards the source of that light.

    On the other side, Zachary and the other two left the sy

    two had arrived for a while, but they did not show up. They just stood in the dark, waiting and watching.

    "Where is Father? He should have been earlier than us." Polly was puzzled when she didn''t see her father here.

    "Maybe he got delayed by something," Pollard replied.

    "Harley, you''re here. I''ve been looking for you." Just then, Goliath suddenly appeared in front of them.

    "We''ve just arrived." Zachary nodded his head in greeting.

    Pollard and his sister were surprised to see Goliath. Especially because from the way Goliath and Zachary talked to each other, they could tell that the two seemed to be very close.

    "Goliath came with me," Zachary explained at once, seeing their confusion.

    Pollard and his sister also nodded at Goliath but said nothing.

    "I don''t know if your father could be here in time or not, but the show is about to start." As Zachary stared at the Sun-swallowing Beast floating between the two stone mountains, he could sense that something was about to break out of its body.

    Just after Zachary finished his words, the Sun-swallowing Beast suddenly raised its head and roared to the sky. The loud roar spread instantly just like a raging storm. The warriors around the stone mountains hurriedly covered their ears and then activated their martial energy and weapons to protect themselves against the sound. Except for those warriors of Sage Level, everyone turned ghastly pale. But even the warriors of Sage Level obviously had a hard time to remain composed.

    Zachary, Goliath, Pollard and his sister were no exception. However, with a wave of his hand, Zachary took out the Ice Water Bead, changed the ice power into water power and created several layers of water which enveloped them and snuffed out the sound wave.

 Chapter 583 Zacharys Ambition

    On the other side, among the warriors of the Xiao Clan, Jarrod and the other Sage Level guardian quickly stepped forward to protect Anthony and the other Imperial Level warriors who risked getting injured by the sound wave. The Xiao Clan warriors wanted to try to ensure that Anthony would get a Sun-swallowing Pill, which would help him break through to the Imperial Level.

    Among the members of the Xuanyuan Clan, Truman and three other Imperial Level warriors were also under the protection of Yasir.

    Within other clans and sects, Sage Level warriors had stepped up, taking action to protect their juniors.

    For a while, the situation continued in this way. The sound wave spread inexorably outwards, until it had a radius of thousands of meters. Grass was ripped up and small stones were whipped into the air by the force of the sound wave. A few minutes later, the sound wave finally stopped. Despite the best efforts of each group, many Imperial Level warriors sustained injuries from the sound wave which greatly reduced their combat power.

    Despite this, the Sage Level warriors remained calm. They were all veteran warriors, and had already experienced scenes like this before. They knew this was intended to test the warriors who sought to get the Sun-swallowing Pills from the Sun-swallowing Beast. After all, the Sun-swallowing Pill was a precious item in part because of its extreme rarity¡ªthere was only one chance in every decade to get the pills. Therefore, only the strongest and most qualified were able to succeed in obtaining the Sun-swallowing Pills.

    Over a third of everyone present had been injured by the shock of the initial sound wave. This automatically disqualified them from obtaining the Sun-swallowing Pill.

    Of course, there was a bigger challenge awaiting those who sought the ultimate prize. The Sun-swallowing Beast was about to spit out anywhere from one to ten Sun-swallowing Pills. No one knew how many the beast would spit out, so the first pill would be fiercely fought over by everyone present.

    Every warrior waited with bated breath, waiting for the first Sun-swallowing Pill to appear.

    The Sun-swallowing Beast was floating gently between the two stone mountains. Suddenly, it paused in midair. As everyone watched avidly, the beast opened its large mouth and looked up at the sky. A flaming pill, around the size of a football, shot out of its mouth with the force and heat of a volcanic eruption, and the warriors standing on the ground hundreds of meters away could feel the intense temperature of the explosion.

    "The first pill has come out!" As the Sun-swallowing Pill soared over the crowd and began to fall to the ground, warriors of all the clans raised an ear-splitting uproar, each fighting to get as close as they could to the pill''s landing spot. Everyone wanted to snatch it immediately, but it was still too hot. The strong, burning heat emanating from the flaming pill prevented anyone from getting too close to it.

    The Sun-swallowing Pill landed on the ground, covered in bright flames. The warriors couldn''t wait any longer. Almost everyone rushed forward to grab the pi

    n began to fall towards the earth.

    The Imperial Level warriors instantly saw their chance. They stopped watching the Sage Level warriors and swarmed towards the second Sun-swallowing Pill. But they hadn''t even gotten close before half the Sage Level warriors in the original group broke away and blew past them, flying towards the second pill. By the time the Imperial Level warriors arrived, the Sage Level warriors had already surrounded the second Sun-swallowing Pill, fighting over it as fiercely as they had for the first one.

    There was nothing the Imperial Level warriors could do but stand back and wait for a third pill. But the Sun-swallowing Beast had regained its equanimity and continued drifting along in the air, as though its work was done and no more pills would emerge. Many began to fear that the beast would only spit out two pills this time.

    The competition for the first two Sun-swallowing Pills among the Sage Level warriors raged on, their colorful energies blazing white hot as they ramped up their attacks.

    Zachary was standing still, looking up and studying the Sun-swallowing Beast. Suddenly he turned to Goliath and Pollard, and said to them, "Goliath, Pollard, I''m going to get as close to the Sun-swallowing Beast as I can. I need you to cover for me."

    "What? Why do you want to get close to the beast? Harley, what are you planning?" Goliath said, unable to resist asking.

    "I think the Sun-swallowing Beast is about to eject more than one pills. If I can get close enough, I can collect the pills before they even land on the ground," Zachary said firmly, his gaze focused on the beast floating lazily above them.

    Goliath and Pollard exchanged astonished looks. They both thought Zachary''s plan was tantamount to suicide. Even Imperial Level warriors struggled with absorbing the power of a single Sun-swallowing Pill, which was very aggressive and concentrated, making it difficult to digest. How could Zachary hope to take more than one pills at a time? It could very well cost him his life to attempt such a dangerous feat. What was he thinking?

 Chapter 584 A Green Ball

    "It''s too dangerous. Don''t be rash. Let''s just wait for my father before we make a plan." Polly''s face recoiled when she heard this. She was worried about Zachary.

    "When Master Jaxon arrives, we''ll miss our chance," replied Zachary. He turned to look at Pollard and Goliath. "Even if you don''t help me, I''d still do this."

    "Can you really call me your friend if I don''t help you? Even if I''ll need to go through hell, I''d still go with you!" Pollard laughed.

    "If you trust me, I''ll go through fire and water with you!" Goliath said loudly.

    "My friends, you really do care about me." Zachary nodded proudly and shifted his gaze towards Polly. "Please wait here."

    "You..." Polly stuttered, but ended up saying nothing as she noticed the confidence on their faces. "Be careful," she begged. "Don''t push yourselves too hard, especially you." She turned to look at Zachary.

    "Wow Polly. I''ve never seen you care this much for anyone before. Are you in love with Harley?" Pollard teased.

    "Oh, shut up!" Polly''s face turned red.

    "Let''s go," Zachary said glancing meaningfully at Polly.

    Then, using their movement skills, they went to the stone mountain together.

    Meanwhile, there were ten Sage Level warriors fighting over two Sun-swallowing Pills. The Imperial Level warriors watched as they waited for the third one to appear.

    After fifteen minutes, the Sun-swallowing Beast shocked everyone. Its mouth ruptured into fl

    nd so the others looked at them with disdain. The two had obstructed their mission and the other warriors lost their chance against Zachary. But they weren''t that worried. They knew it was impossible for Zachary to acquire all three pills.

    Then, a green light flashed in the sky. Pollard and Goliath looked up and saw that the light had flown towards Zachary''s direction.

    Zachary sensed that someone was flying after him. He looked down and saw a figure wrapped in a sparkling green ball. He gasped. It was the same woman who he found dressed in men''s uniform just the day before. She was the young master of the Ghost Clan.

    Zachary had no idea who the beautiful woman was, but he knew that there was something special about her. Nevertheless, he didn''t allow himself to be distracted. He was going to get all the Sun-swallowing Pills.

    The young master slowly passed through the surface of the green ball, and stood on the green ball, facing Zachary.

 Chapter 585 Ice Fog

    "Hey, it''s nice to meet you again!" Zachary said cheerily.

    "Again? When did we first meet?" The Ghost Clan''s young master shot him a confused look. For all she could remember, she had neither known nor seen Zachary in any capacity.

    "You don''t remember? We just met last night," Zach replied, staring at her pointedly. He wanted to ask why she had ignored him then, too.

    "What are you talking about? We have never met before. I''m sure of it," the young master responded firmly.

    "Really? But it was you last night in the waterfall. I saw you taking a bath with your treasure beast." Zachary curled his lips at the thought of last night.

    "What?! You...saw me?" Her eyes widened.

    "Yes. I was only about a dozen meters away from you, but because of your insistence, I''m inclined to assume you really didn''t see me last night," Zachary said.

    "Oh, that''s not surprising. My eyes don''t work well at night," the young master replied.

    "I see. No wonder you didn''t notice me then," Zachary muttered, finally coming to a realization.

    "Wait, hold on a minute. What did you say? You saw me bathing with Lulu last night. That means you saw me nude..." The young master''s mouth dropped open.

    "To be fair, you are really flat-chested." As if to rub salt into the wound, Zachary bowed and glanced at her breasts, then shook his head.

    "You..." She turned as red as a beet and trembled. As if it weren''t humiliating enough to unknowingly let a strange man see her naked, he also had the audacity to point out her flat chest. Sure, what he said was true, but why did she have to hear it from a man, especially from someone like him?

    "You bastard! How dare you say that! You are such a scoundrel! A cad! And a pervert!" She was flustered, stuttering as she shrieked.

    "Hey, it''s not like I expected you to show up there all of a sudden with no clothes on." Zachary pursed his lips, shaking his head slightly as he did so.

    "What...? I... You..." Her voice faltered miserably. The young master now had nowhere to place her unbridled anger from a moment ago.

    "Do you still

    was impressed.

    Polly, meanwhile, stood in the dark and looked at Zachary with a troubled expression. She had long worried that he would someday eat his own bitter fruit.

    And she was right. Zachary was indeed going too far. Although he had offset some of the heat with the ice element, he started to buckle down under the pills'' power immediately after grabbing them.

    The power of one Sun-swallowing Pill was enough to make any Imperial Level warrior tremble with fear, let alone three. At that moment, Zachary went from bad to worse. His cheeks had lost all their color, and his martial energy surged wildly. He only had two options. The first one was to summon Anne, but then he would rather avoid using the one-off Summoning Token. Two, he could quickly escape from the Sun-swallowing Beast and take the pills back to the ground. This way, however, would give other warriors a chance to get the pills. Neither of the two options was then feasible.

    "Andrew, can you lend me your power?" He had, in fact, a third option. Unfortunately, it was also the most dangerous one. He could ask for Andrew''s help in refining and integrating the pills within the range of the beast''s power. However, doing so without any protection meant putting himself at death''s door. If a Sage Level warrior, negligent of the danger, came close to obtain the pills, the result would be less than favorable.

 Chapter 586 Andrews Help

    With no time to spare, Zachary had to act quickly. He had to absorb the power of the three Sun-swallowing Pills before the warriors of Sage Level could react.

    "Of course, I will help you. But if no one is there to protect you, your life will be in great danger," Andrew responded in a worried tone. The hazardous task made him anxious that Zachary might be terribly hurt without any protection.

    "I''ll be fine. As long as I absorb the power of the three pills into my body, they can''t do anything to me," Zachary said with determination. Boundless confidence decorated his eyes.

    "Even so, it''s very dangerous. Your body might not be able to bear the power of three Sun-swallowing Pills," Andrew warned as his anxiety became more apparent in his tone.

    "That''s why I''m here to ask for your help," Zachary answered calmly as if everything would go according to his plan.

    "Well, if you insist, I will help you with my spiritual energy," Andrew replied. A deep sigh escaped his mouth as he compromised. "However, I have one condition."

    "What is it? Name your terms," Zachary asked hurriedly as excitement took the better of him.

    "I want you to gather the spiritual souls of ninety-nine warriors of Imperial Level and nine warriors of Sage Level for me. I don''t care what method you use. You don''t even have to consult me about the means.

    However, I want them as soon as possible," Andrew said coldly.

    "Hmm...why do you need so many spiritual souls?" Zachary asked with a curious look in his face.

    "Of course, it''s to bring me back to life. Originally, I wanted your help to gather them after you make a flesh body for me. However, I recently realize that my strength is being devoured by the Holy Bone Bracer. I have to absorb some spiritual energy as soon as possible to keep me alive," Andrew explained as simply as he could.

    "What are you talking about? The Holy Bone Bracer is devouring your strength? Why would it do that?" Zachary asked in a concerned tone.

    "I think it is because the real power of the Holy Bone Bracer has been activated. It must have been triggered after it was upgraded to the Imperial Level. Additionally, the bracer itself can be upgraded continuously. Now, it can absorb the strength of its user automatically to upgrade itself. I had only heard about such weapons before and had never seen one in person. The bracer is the first one of its kind that have seen. It seems that your master is truly extraordinary," Andrew praised sincerely.

    "Of course!" Zachary said proudly as his eyes lit up with admiration.

    "If this continues, my spiritual energy will be swallowed completely by the Holy Bone Bracer. Therefore, I have to absorb spiritual souls to enhance my spiritual energy. As long as I absorb the spiritual souls of ninety-nine warriors of Imperial Level and nine warriors of Sage Level, my spiritual soul will revive at any time. Additionally, I don''t need to worry about being devoured by the Holy Bone Bracer," Andrew continued as his eyes became filled with a mix of worry and conviction.

    "I understand. I''ll try my best and deliver them to you as soon as possible," Zachary promised with a nod.

    "Well then, get ready. It''s not a joke to absorb three Sun-swallowing Pills at the same time. You have to mentally prepare yourself. The

    p Zachary and take the Sun-swallowing Pills for themselves.

    Pollard and Goliath wanted to help Zachary. However, with their current strength, they couldn''t help. All they could do was hope that Zachary would survive the task. However, it seemed that their hope was slim. Once the six warriors of Sage Level had teamed up to fight against him, there would be no way for him to keep the three Sun-swallowing Pills with no one to protect him.

    Of course, Zachary was already aware of such risks. As such, he had prepared a trump card up his sleeve. If he was left with no other choice, he would immediately summon Anne. However, he still hoped that he wouldn''t need to do such a thing.

    At that moment, Zachary had already been besieged by the six warriors of Sage Level. With desperate eyes, they were about to take away the three Sun-swallowing Pills. All of a sudden, a large group of bat-shaped martial beasts flew out from the other side of the two mountains. While they were flying over, some big black things that looked like human excrement directly fell from their body and onto the ground.

    The moment the black things touched the ground, loud explosions echoed throughout the land.

    To everyone''s surprise, the black things from the bat-shaped martial beasts exploded continuously like bombs. The power was very destructive. The explosions destroyed a few hundred meters around the impact sight. Many warriors of Imperial Level who couldn''t dodge were injured badly. Although some barely managed to escape, they were flustered as to what happened.

    However, it was just the beginning. After the bomb attack, more than a dozen martial beasts rushed out from the west side of the mountain. The stone forest they came from was not far away from the crowd. Their stone bodies were as big as elephants'' and their faces looked like lions''. They rushed to the crowd in a very fast speed, causing the whole world to shake. In just mere moments, they rushed into the crowd and began to kill them. Many warriors of Imperial Level who had been attacked by the bombs before were once again hurt before they could even react.

    The scene soon became bloody and messy. Chaos and carnage painted the land.

 Chapter 587 Jaceâ€™s Help

    When the Sage Level warriors present saw this scene, their expressions suddenly changed and became serious. They didn''t know what was going on.

    However, because the Xiao Clan and the Ghost Clan each obtained a Sun-swallowing Pill, in order to ensure that the pills could be absorbed smoothly, the warriors of each clan quickly formed an array, forming a protection circle.

    Just as the dozens of beasts trampled on the ground and hurt many of the warriors, another wave of martial beasts rushed out from the other side at a lightning speed. They rushed into the panicked Imperial Level warriors and continued their fierce attacks.

    In this way, waves after waves of martial beasts rushed out. In the blink of an eye, all the warriors present were completely immersed in the turmoil of beasts. The most terrifying thing was that the martial beasts that rushed out were getting stronger and stronger, and they were getting more and more difficult to deal with. In the end, there were even two martial beasts of Sage Level.

    The whole scene was rapidly losing control. The six Sage Level warriors who had besieged Zachary immediately hesitated when they saw that many warriors from their own clans had been attacked. These three pills were right in front of them. If they didn''t fight for them, these three pills would become Zachary''s belongings. But once they took action, it would definitely be a chaotic battle. However, right now, their respective clans were fighting fiercely against the beasts. The warriors of their clans were in danger. If they didn''t help, the consequences would be incalculable!

    Compared with the Imperial Level warriors of their forces, the three pills were less important. Therefore, in the end, the four Sage Level warriors, including Yasir and the elder of the Phoenix Pavilion, quickly made a decision. They gave up fighting for the three pills and immediately flew to the ground to rescue the

    arriors of Sage Level.

    Zachary felt relieved upon seeing Jace.

    When the two Sage Level warriors saw Jace suddenly appear, their faces also darkened. They both knew that Jace''s strength was already one of the best in the Devil Kingdom. In addition, Jace was the strongest weapon refiner in the Devil Kingdom who had many powerful weapons. The appearance of Jace meant that they had no chance to grab the three pills from Zachary.

    At this moment, in the crowd on the messy ground, when Polly saw her father appear and protect Zachary, she immediately felt relieved.

    Of course, the appearance of Jace also shocked all the warriors present. They didn''t expect that such a big figure would suddenly appear and even protect Zachary.

    At this time, Jace stood in the air and looked down at the chaotic scene on the ground. Then, he immediately waved his hand and the two weapons at the Sage Level that had just protected Zachary rushed to the ground quickly, starting to help the warriors to repel the beasts.

    Although Jace rarely appeared in the Devil Kingdom, his prestige was unparalleled. Therefore, as soon as he appeared, the panicked scene immediately calmed down, and the Imperial Level warriors also began to counterattack under the lead of the warriors of Sage Level.

 Chapter 588 Beast State

    "Why are you still here? Do you want to fight me?" Jace threw a dark glare at the two warriors at the Sage Level.

    The two warriors exchanged a glance with each other, both reluctant to leave, but they knew that Jace could easily defeat them if he wanted to. Albeit reluctant, they returned to the ground.

    Once the warriors were gone, Jace turned to Zachary with a worried frown. "You were too reckless. You even dared to absorb the power of three Sun-swallowing Pills," he murmured.

    But Zachary couldn''t get distracted now, so he just smiled weakly at Jace as if nothing was wrong.

    "I can''t believe you''re okay when you just absorbed the power of three Sun-swallowing Pills. You''re lucky that your body has an innate power that helped you resist the pills'' overwhelming power." Jace paused for a second as if he was noticing something for the first time, then he continued, "It seems that you''re ready to absorb the energy of the pills. I won''t disturb you anymore then, but let me help you instead!"

    As soon as he finished speaking, a slight shudder passed through the air. It looked like Jace had created an enchanted barrier around Zachary''s body, so he would be protected from the flames or any other attack.

    When he realized what Jace had done, Zachary looked up at him and nodded gratefully. This way, he didn''t have to summon Anne to guard him.

    After that, when he was assured that Zachary would be safe, Jace returned to the ground. "Dad!" Pollard dashed to his father as soon as he came back.

    "Where is Polly?" Jace immediately asked his son, when he noticed that Polly wasn''t with him.

    "She''s somewhere safe," Pollard assured him, and he felt like a thorn had been lifted from his side at this assurance. For the first time in a few hours, he could breathe properly as if the weight that was crushing his chest had been removed.

    "That''s good. It seems that all of us have been ambushed. From now on, we must be very careful," Jace told him seriously.

    "Ambush? What are you talking about?" Pollard was shocked. At the mention of an ambush, his eyes flew all over his father''s body, as he tried to see if he had any injuries.

    "I still don''t have enough details. The reason why I came so late is that I found something suspicious after I lost contact with you, so I have been investigating. I discovered that there are ambitious people who are planning to take action while all the forces are fighting for Sun-swallowing Pills." He came to this information when he was searching for Polly and Pollard. He accidentally found mysterious figures who were acting suspiciously, so he followed them secretly. Then, he found that they had set up numerous kinds of traps on the Holy Cloud Mountain. Although he had destroyed some of them along the way, he knew that it was just a small drop in that deadly bucke

    will assign two warriors to protect you. You should retreat first!" Abel shouted to their young master, who was fighting side by side with other Imperial Level warriors of the Ghost Clan. He could tell that the situation was unfavorable to them, and any wrong move could lead to their deaths, so it was imperative to lead his young master to safety.

    "No way!" the young master shouted at him stubbornly. She continued to fight together with her treasure beast.

    Although the young master of the Ghost Clan was at the second grade of Imperial Level, with her superior movement skill, she was fearless in the face of the group of beasts. But her overconfidence caused her to become careless. She didn''t notice that a beast at the medium stage of Imperial Level had appeared behind her, stalking her like she was its prey. Its sharp claws were less than a few centimeters away now, barely touching her soft neck.

    "Young master, watch out!" Edgar hurriedly shouted, but it was too late.

    When she turned around, the beast was right in front of her, and its shadow cast darkness all over her body. She couldn''t move in surprise! Her beautiful eyes were wide open but unseeing, and her heart was a jackrabbit in her chest. She was doomed!

    Bang!

    Just as she was about to be seriously injured, a figure suddenly fell from the sky like a meteor and fell precisely on the body of the martial beast. The strong impact instantly knocked the beast into the ground, where its lifeless body completely dented the rocks and dirt beneath.

    Due to the great impact, the young master was also sent flying several meters away, where she fell on the ground, grimacing in pain. However, when she looked up at the figure again, she was taken aback by its cold menacing aura. She could feel that this figure was constantly releasing extremely raging power, and her knees trembled in fear and shock.

 Chapter 589 The Slaughter

    "Oh? It''s you!" The young master of the Ghost Clan recognized that the man who had saved her at a critical moment was none other than Zachary. She had never thought that one day she would be saved by him. However, she had to admit that he looked like a completely different person now. However, he had seen her naked last night and she just could not get that thought out of her mind. She was attracted to the man in front of her somehow, so she just could not take her eyes off him.

    However, Zachary did not even glance at her. After he hopped off the martial beast, he waved his hand and an icy force as sharp as a blade slashed the body of the beast.

    All the warriors present were shocked at this scene. They had been completely engrossed in dealing with the group of crazy beasts, so they almost forgot about Zachary''s existence. They had forgotten that he had just grabbed three Sun-swallowing Pills in one go.

    Right now, it seemed like Zachary had imbibed the power of three Sun-swallowing Pills. The breath emitting from his body was extremely strange. It went up and down, surging out of his body, as if it was going to explode at any time.

    ''What''s he trying to do? Kill himself? He actually managed to absorb the power of three Sun-swallowing Pills, but it might destroy him!'' Goliath, who stood among the crowd, observed with astonishment.

    Jace and Pollard, however, wore different expressions on their faces. They all were a little worried when they saw that Zachary was in a very dangerous state. He was playing with fire and would set himself ablaze at any minute.

    All the warriors present had the same thought. They felt that there was only one outcome of Zachary''s crazy behavior and that was death!

    Suddenly, Zachary took out the Beast-alluring Treasure Liquid that he had got from Nelson, and squeezed the bottle with great power. The bottle instantly broke into pieces and a strange overwhelming fragrance floated in the wind, enveloping his entire body.

    Almost at the same time, all the beasts that were attacking the warriors were suddenly lured towards Zachary. They looked in his direction and rushed towards him, surrounding him in no time. They were all baring their teeth ferociously as they roared at him.

    Everyone was flabbergasted at this bizarre turn of events. Nobody could figure out why the group of beasts suddenly turned to attack Zachary. What was more quizzical w

    shed everywhere and beasts fell to the ground with a resounding thud. Every time he killed one beast, he would lose his mind a bit. Gradually, he became bloodthirsty. Now the Demonic Wolf Blood''s power in his body was activated as well. His beast nature was also fully activated. He had entered the beast state!

    In this state, the power of the Sun-swallowing Pills consumed by him was beginning to get transformed and infused with his own martial energy. The speed of transformation was rapidly accelerating. Therefore, every time he killed one, his breath would get enhanced bit by bit. However, the more he killed, the more irrational he became, so he had to make sure that he would not completely lose his mind, or he would become a walking corpse without the ability to think rationally.

    In short, to obtain any power, one had to pay the price, and sometimes, it was a hefty price.

    Of course, Zachary''s murderous zeal made the martial beasts more violent. They were not going to stand around, waiting for death, so they fought back with all their might. Not long after, in a one-on-many confrontation, the protective martial energy around Zachary''s body seemed to be weakening and before long, it was broken by the relentless attacks of the martial beasts. His body was marked with a wound each time a clash occurred. But he acted as if he didn''t sense the pain at all. Not long after, he was covered in cuts and bruises all over, while blood gushed out from the beasts as he slaughtered them mercilessly. So he was also covered with their blood, which made him look awful. Now, he was a real animal!

 Chapter 590 Discussion

    All the warriors from present had witnessed how Zachary slaughtered the beasts like he was a rabid beast himself. They cowered away from him like sheep against a wolf. They couldn''t help but be astonished though, as they noticed that instead of being exhausted, Zachary''s aura was still growing stronger.

    They concluded that he was spiraling out of control, but strangely, his originally disorderly aura was gradually becoming stable, and the primitive power of the Sun-swallowing Pills was also constantly weakening. Instead, it was converted into Zachary''s growing aura. Anyway, in the eyes of everyone, what was now happening to Zachary was incredible.

    At the same time, Zachary had used the Beast-alluring Treasure Liquid which drew numerous martial beasts to his side. This alleviated the pressure on the other warriors. As Zachary fought like a god of death, his valiant efforts boosted the morale of all the warriors. Soon, the warriors from various forces began to counterattack, seizing the chance to turn the tide.

    Two hours later, the waves of beasts that had seemed endless earlier, had finally trickled down to nothing. Most of the martial beasts had been killed, and the remaining stronger ones were also defeated and retreated. The corpses of the martial beasts were piled high and could be seen even from several hundred meters away. There was so much blood that the ground was dyed crimson, and rivers of red splashed beneath their feet.

    Meanwhile, Zachary had finally stopped moving. He was panting heavily, and the corpse of the last beast he killed lay at his feet; it was a beast at the medium stage of Imperial Level. The blood that soaked his clothes earlier was drying on his skin, even as more blood covered his clothes. In a swift movement that captured everyone''s attention, he straightened up and roared to the sky, like he was one of the beasts himself. In the next moment, an aura at the third grade of Imperial Level burst out from his body, shocking all the people around him.

    They marveled at the man that had absorbed three Sun-swallowing Pills. Nothing bad happened to him, but instead, his power increased by leaps and bounds in such a short time. His strength ascended by two grades and reached the third grade of the Imperial Level. In other words, the power of the Sun-swallowing Pills had helped him to improve by almost three grades consecutively. The reason why it was almost three grades was that he had reached the first stage of Imperial Level before swallowing the pills, and now, his strength had almost reached the fourth grade of Imperial Level. So to say that he had increased his strength by three grades would not be overstating it.

    Of course, the other warriors of Imperial Level present were envious of Zachary, as they witnessed his

    n we go back without getting anything?!"

    "You are just exaggerating to scare us so that you can have the pills all to yourselves!"

    The forces started to quarrel once more. None of them wanted to listen, and at that moment, their greed was more powerful than their need for safety.

    "I''ve said all I needed to. Now, it''s up to you if you want to listen." With these words, Jace turned his back to them.

    "Pollard, go and pick up Polly. We are going to leave."

    Pollard nodded at once and immediately went to the place they left Polly. "Harley, come with us."

    This time, Jace turned to Zachary. "Okay. Anyway, I have achieved my goal of coming here. I still want to fight to get some pills for Pollard and Goliath though..."

    "There are plenty of chances to do so. You don''t have to lose your life for it." Jace shook his head in disagreement. Although it impressed him that Zachary was thinking of others and not himself, it still wasn''t wise to stay.

    "It''s okay, Harley. There will be another chance. We''d better leave with Master Jace!" Goliath said. He was sure that something terrible was about to happen. Now that Zachary had reached his goal, there was no need for them to stay any longer.

    Zachary narrowed his eyes and glanced at Goliath. He thought for a while and eventually, he just nodded in agreement and prepared to leave with them.

    At that moment, since all the beasts had been defeated, the situation had settled down. Unbeknownst to them, it was the calm at the eye of the storm. The warriors of the various forces focused their attention on the Sun-swallowing Beast, which had just spat out five Sun-swallowing Pills. In normal cases, it would spit at least two or three more pills, so they still had the chance to grab one.

    It was at this moment that Pollard came back with a panicked expression. "Dad, Polly is missing!"

 Chapter 591 An Old Friend

    "What did you say? Polly is missing?" Jace was shocked to hear what Pollard said. He immediately asked, "Could it be that she has hidden herself because of the previous danger?"

    "I''ve looked for her everywhere, but I can''t find any trace of her. If she had hidden herself, I would have found her already," Pollard answered with a frown.

    "Do you think she has been kidnapped?" Jace speculated, trying to think of various possibilities for his daughter''s disappearance.

    "Maybe the people who ambushed us kidnapped her!" Zachary added. His face became serious as he knew that Polly''s sudden disappearance could not be a coincidence.

    When the warriors around heard their conversation, they looked at one another with mixed emotions. They also knew that Polly''s disappearance would not be an accident. They guessed that someone might have played a deeper game. But they could not imagine who could be so bold as to kidnap Jace''s daughter.

    "Look at the mountain!" shouted some people out of the blue.

    Everyone immediately looked in the direction of the two mountains, which was where the Sun-swallowing Beast was located. They saw a figure in a black robe, who seemed to be carrying an unconscious female in his arms, floating between the mountains. The figure was only about ten meters away from the Sun-swallowing Beast.

    "Polly!" Jace exclaimed. He instantly recognized his daughter lying limp in the arms of the figure in the black robe.

    "Who the hell is that bastard? Why did he kidnap Polly?" Pollard was very anxious by now.

    All the warriors present were just as shocked to find that Jace''s daughter had really been kidnapped by the mysterious figure. That was because few people in the Devil Kingdom would dare to cause harm to Jace''s family. They assumed that the person in black would by no means be an ordinary person.

    "Oh no! It''s him!" Zachary mumbled. In fact, he was the most surprised one at the moment, because he had identified the mysterious person in the black robe. It was no other than Logan, the guy who had involved him in a great conspiracy at the time. As soon as he saw Logan, he realized that the previous surprise attack of the beasts must have been arranged by Logan. It was obvious why Logan did it¡ªhe wanted to deal with all these clans and sects of the Devil Kingdom and destroy them in one go.

    On the other hand, now that Jace found that his daughter was at Logan''s mercy, he could

    faced on Logan''s face.

    Jace fell silent for a moment. If what Logan said was true, it was understandable that he really had no choice in such a situation. After all, he had already been viewed as a sinner by everybody in the Devil Kingdom at that time.

    "All right. Let go of Polly. Then we will have a good talk. If you were really framed at that time, I will no longer stand by idly," Jace assured him immediately as he was afraid about the safety of his daughter.

    "I appreciate your kindness, but it is irrelevant now," Logan dismissed him coldly. He already had his revenge plan in mind. He was waiting to make those people pay for what they had done. "Your daughter looks very much like your wife. They are both very beautiful. If my daughter was with me today, she would be her age too. But the fact is that I have no idea where she is or even whether she is alive or not!"

    "Please don''t hurt Polly for the sake of our old friendship," Jace pleaded. He was afraid that Logan would do something unthinkable.

    "You really underestimate me. Although I am no longer the person I was twenty years ago, you treated me well back then. So, I won''t put you in a difficult position or hurt your daughter. But I still have one request..." Logan said slowly and deliberately. His eyes darkened with anger.

    "Anything! Just tell me!" Jace nodded, eager to get his daughter out of harm''s way.

    "Leave this place with your children right away, because something horrible is going to happen here, and you can''t stop it! If you don''t want to get entangled in all this, then leave as soon as possible!" warned Logan.

 Chapter 592 Escape

    "I''m afraid I can''t allow that. Although my clan has lived in seclusion for hundreds of years and we couldn''t care less about the Devil Kingdom''s bloody disputes, I won''t allow you to harm a single hair on any of the innocent," Jace warned in a serious tone. He knew that Logan would deal with the Devil Kingdom''s major forces. In the past, these forces had tried to chase and kill him led by the Xiao Clan, which was why he took this as an opportunity to seek revenge.

    "Innocent? Ha! Do you really think they''re innocent? Then ask them what they did. They hunted for me everywhere and tried to kill me!" A wild, wicked laugh erupted from within Logan.

    "Logan, let the past be past. Revenge is meaningless," Jace continued to persuade him by trying to talk some sense into him.

    "This is none of your concern. Since we used to be good friends, I am giving you a chance to leave now. But if you insist on staying, you leave me with no choice," Logan warned, his tone as cold as ice.

    "Let go of Polly," Jace pleaded in desperation.

    "Not a chance! If you don''t leave, you''ll put her in even greater danger. I''ll protect her for now. If you survive, I shall let her go." With that, Logan disappeared with Polly with a wave of his sleeve.

    Jace''s expression changed in an instant. Just as he was about to go after Logan, a loud rumble began to travel underneath his feet before the two stone mountains exploded. A great fire burned furiously all over the mountains. They collapsed on top of each other in no time, resulting in a huge flume of smoke rising from the ground and soaring high into the sky before spreading out and engulfing everything in its path like a relentless desert sandstorm.

    The people on the scene tried to withstand the oncoming force by summoning their martial energy. However, the impact was too strong and many of the weaker Imperial Level warriors were swept up and topp

    reasure beasts?" someone suggested.

    "This circle''s power is quite unusual. It''ll be impossible to fly over it with the flying treasure beasts. You''ll most likely end up with the same fate as that warrior from earlier. Only under our protection does anyone stand a chance of breaking through the circle," Jace replied with certainty.

    Upon hearing this, all the warriors shook their heads and sighed.

    They realized that the only person who remained calm throughout the entire ordeal was Zachary. Danger didn''t seem to faze him. If the situation was too bad, he normally would leave and hide in the system. But this time he didn''t¡ªfor Polly''s sake.

    "Master Jace, could you please do me a favor and take my clan''s disciples out first?"

    "Why should he help you? He should help us instead!"

    "We have always been on good terms with the Qiu Clan. We deserve to be first!"

    The Sage Level warriors began to surround Jace and quarrel with each other. Only ten Sage Level warriors came. Jarrod of the Xiao Clan was helping Anthony making a breakthrough in the Virtual Air Space, which resulted in only nine remaining. The Ghost Clan had two. As for the other clans, they had only one Sage Level warrior at the most. Thus, they were all desperate for Jace''s help.

 Chapter 593 No One Could Leave

    "I''m so disappointed in all of you! All of us are trapped in this dangerous situation, yet all you care about are your own interests and you''re ignoring the larger issue here. If you don''t cooperate, all of us here may die!" Jace shouted angrily as he glared at everyone.

    Seeing Jace so angry, the rest of the Sage Level warriors couldn''t help but agree with his point of view. They needed to protect themselves. That much was true.

    As everyone argued about who Jace would help, the Sun-swallowing Beast had slowly descended onto ruins between two stone mountains. By the time they came to their senses, it had already hit the ground with a loud bang, heaving piles of dust up in the air. Its powerful Sage Level aura instantly filled the atmosphere. It truly lived up to its potential as a Sage Level beast, making everyone around, including the actual Sage Level warriors, feel small.

    Needless to say, the rest of the warriors were trembling with fear.

    "Those accompanied by Sage Level warriors, arrange their escort yourselves. Give priority to the injured ones. I will be responsible for escorting the seriously injured warriors who aren''t accompanied by Sage Level warriors," Jace said immediately. Now that the Sun-swallowing Beast had landed, he knew they needed to take quick actions. There was no more room for petty arguments.

    The clans unaccompanied by Sag Level warriors were pleasantly surprised by his initiative. Other big clans, such as the Xuanyuan Clan and the Xiao Clan, were a little unhappy with this arrangement. However, they thankfully understood how dangerous the situation was and decided to follow his orders.

    The Sun-swallowing Beast stood as still as a small mountain. It stared at them all with a calculating gleam in its eyes. To the beast, they were nothing but meaningless prey.

    "Pollard, the three of you stay and assist me. I will be taking those seriously injured out first," Jace said as he turned to Pollard, Zachary, and Goliath.

    "I see. What about Polly?" Pollard asked before nodding his head.

    "She is safe for the time being. Don''t worry about her," Jace replied.

    "Okay." Although Pollard was anxious, there was nothing he could do but obey his father''s orders.

    He approached the clans without Sage Level warriors and began assisting them.

    "I''m afraid none of us will be able to get out of here," Zachary said as he studied the Sun-swallowing Beast in front of them. A strong and foreboding sense rising in his heart. There had to be a reason the Sun-swallowing Beast had trapped them here. So, it surely wouldn''t let them out so easily.

    Pollard and Goliath were taken aback by his words, uncertain of what he meant.

    As everyone obe

    ere until the gate is repaired," the beast said in a slow domineering tone.

    "Repair the gate? I''m sorry, but I''m afraid we are unable to do that," Zachary said in an apologetic tone after studying the two stone mountains. They had been completely destroyed. He could not help but furrow his eyebrows as he thought of what the beast was asking for. No one in their world could repair the two stone mountains back to their original state.

    "You can''t do that? Fine. Then you will stay here forever to atone for your sins!" the Sun-swallowing Beast roared angrily.

    Hearing this, Zachary shook his head helplessly, and then repeated the conversation exchange to Jace. The man, on the other hand, was more taken aback by the fact that Zachary was able to communicate with the beast. Despite his surprise and confusion, Jace remained composed.

    "Is that so? It seems that we have no choice. Let''s go back first! We will discuss this later," Jace said. He realized the beast''s determination wouldn''t easily be thwarted, so there was no sense in trying to negotiate anymore. Therefore, he planned to fly back down with Zachary first.

    Just then, a powerful Sage Level force suddenly rushed down from one side of the sky and instantly hit the beast. Although it didn''t cause too much damage to it, it did arouse the beast''s anger.

    "Ignorant human beings, how dare you attack me like this! I will let you pay for your foolishness and stupidity!" The fury in the Sun-swallowing Beast''s voice alarmed Zachary. His gut feeling told him that things were going to get much worse. So he immediately shouted to Jace, "We must leave now! Go fast!"

    However, as soon as the words were out, the beast opened its mouth and spewed out a strong flame like a shock wave. It entirely engulfed both Jace and Zachary.

 Chapter 594 The Sun-swallowing Beast

    On the ground stood the warriors, all with stiff backs and shock plastered across their faces. They had expected the Sun-swallowing Beast to negotiate peacefully with Jace and Zachary, but instead, it spewed out flames that flailed around wildly trying to envelop them. The chaos further seemed to seal the two''s eventual fates.

    Most looked ahead silently with pale faces. Some of the more timid ones trembled with fear, their legs wobbling as they turned to jelly.

    "Dad..." Pollard trembled as he could only watch on with a horrified expression. If he could fly, he would have already done so with no hesitation.

    "Harley!" Goliath''s piercing gaze fell on Zachary. This man was his key to the Xiao Clan. If something were to happen to him now, all his plans were guaranteed to be failures. If he''d known this, he would already have taken the man away forcefully.

    Everyone''s eyes now fixated on the burning flames, hoping that there would once again be some miracle.

    A ball of fire hurled out from the flames, crashing loudly into the ground like a meteor. As soon as it did so, the ball burst apart with such force that it dug a pit several meters deep. Suffocating volumes of smoke rose slowly into the sky.

    Everyone rushed towards the site of impact.

    After the smoke dissipated, two obscure figures slowly came into view. Their clothes were singed and their faces were covered with dust, but fortunately, they seemed otherwise unharmed. Jace and Zachary looked towards the warriors, their expressions unreadable.

    Just as the crowd was about to breathe a collective sigh of relief, Jace suddenly fell to his knees and spat out a mouthful of blood.

    "Master Jace!" Zachary hurried towards him. The accident was so sudden that he didn''t have time to take shelter in the system. Fortunately, Jace was strong enough to protect him in time. Otherwise, he would be in worse shape right now.

    However, he was unable to

    s completely healthy.

    "Pollard, if something bad happens to me, you must get your sister back. You will be the future leader of our clan. Don''t let me down!" Jace patted Pollard''s shoulder. And with that, he propped himself up, then flew up to the beast once more.

    "Dad..." Pollard wanted to go after him, but Zachary pulled him back wordlessly.

    "Don''t you dare stop me, Harley," Pollard said coldly.

    "Even if you follow him, you won''t be able to help. On the contrary, you might even be a distraction," Zachary said in a matter-of-fact tone. Indeed, in the face of something as powerful as that, their Imperial Level strength was close to worthless.

    "Pollard, Harley is right. Right now, we can''t do anything else but survive," Goliath said softly.

    Pollard clenched his hands into fists as his body trembled, overcome with anger at himself for being too weak.

    "I''ll take you two into the system first," Zachary insisted.

    "Joan is also here," Pollard blurted out in sudden realization and looked around frantically. Among the chaos, however, he couldn''t get even a glimpse of her.

    "You go in first. I''ll go find her," Zachary promised, giving Pollard a reassuring gaze. Pollard and Goliath then immediately vanished into thin air as soon as he touched them.

 Chapter 595 Anne Arrived

    Once Jace and Goliath had finally left, Zachary started to look for Joan. After some time, Zachary noticed Joan not far from his left side. A group of people from the Phoenix Pavilion surrounded her as they moved to their destination. The moment he saw her, Zachary immediately used Shadow Pace and rushed towards Joan.

    "Hey, Joan!" Within seconds, Zachary appeared beside her.

    "Who''s there? Harley!?" Joan was stunned for a while. However, when she realized that Zachary came alone, she asked, "Where is Pollard?"

    "He''s already in a safe place. He asked me to come to you and send you there too," Zachary replied in a warm tone.

    "No, I won''t go. I have to fight with them side by side!" Joan refused in a determined tone. Even if she had to risk her life, she couldn''t let her companions fight without her.

    "Well, it''s not up to you. If something wrong happens to you, I can''t explain it to Pollard. Since you don''t want to go there voluntarily, don''t blame for being rude!" After he said such a remark, Zachary suddenly turned his hand. With great swiftness, he approached the woman and tried to grab her shoulder.

    When she saw Zachary''s approach, Joan immediately turned to avoid his grab. She already knew that if she was caught by him, it would be too late for her to escape. However, she forgot something. At that moment, his strength had surpassed her by at least two grades. As such, he had an overwhelming advantage. Even though she leaned her body to one side, he was still faster than her. Before she could even react, he had already put his hand on her shoulder.

    Suddenly, there was a flash of light. The next moment, she had already disappeared.

    After she left, Zachary looked up at Jace who was approaching the Sun-swallowing Beast. Suddenly, a dozen rays of light appeared behind Jace. The rays constantly condensed in midair. Instantaneously, weapons of Sage Level with different shapes appeared.

    It was impossible for ordinary people to create more than ten weapons of Sage Level in such a short time. The creation not only required the strength of Sage Level but also an extraordinary weapon refining level. The most amazing thing was that it was extremely difficult to cast and refine the weapons of Sage Level, even for ordinary warriors of Sage Level. Therefore, an ordinary warrior of Sage Level had two to three weapons of that level at most.

    That was why everyone was surprised when Jace instantaneously produced more than a dozen of them. It strongly proved that he was worthy of his reputation as the No. 1 weapon refiner in the Devil Kingdom.

    The other warriors suddenly quieted down. The magnificent display of Jace''s ability made them stop and watch in awe. Not one of them had ever witnessed a warrior produce more than ten w

    ry didn''t understand why Jace had to save those selfish and ungrateful people. The bastards weren''t even from his own clan, yet Jace was more than willing to sacrifice himself.

    "One day, you will be a leader. At that time, you will understand why I''m doing this." After he finished his words, Jace rushed to the beast again. With a determined expression, he totally disregarded Zachary''s attempt to stop him.

    "Please, Master Jace!" Zachary looked at Jace''s receding figure and shook his head in disappointment. However, he immediately ran and caught up with Jace because he couldn''t just watch a comrade die just like that.

    At that moment, the beast had been irritated by Jace''s aggressive momentum. With a ferocious expression, it charged towards Jace while a loud roar echoed from its mouth. As it stamped its foot, ten pillars made of flames rushed out of the ground. The flames burned brightly and instantly trapped Jace in the middle of them. After that, the beast opened its mouth and spewed out a huge ball of fire. The destructive ball flew directly towards Jace. Unfortunately, he was already trapped by the pillars and couldn''t get rid of them for the time being. In the blink of an eye, the ball had rushed and was about to detonate in front of him. If he was hit again, no matter how strong he was, he would die.

    When he saw the predicament, Zachary, who was outside the pillars, frowned. Immediately, he realized that if he couldn''t save Jace, the consequences would be unimaginable. However, with his strength, it was impossible to save Jace. Then, he looked sideways and told Mimi "Use the Summoning Token!"

    The moment Jace was in greatest danger, the Treasure-hunting Compass in front of Zachary''s chest suddenly lit up. Then, a ghostly shadow floated out of it. The shadow condensed and gradually turned into a human shape.

 Chapter 596 The Jade Bottle

    Just as the figure increasingly took shape, the darkened sky suddenly filled with heavy and foreboding thunderclouds, and a lightning flash so powerful it created a booming low rumble.

    Moments later, an intense wind howled between the heaven and the earth, and the heavy rain poured. The entire Holy Cloud Mountain shook as if a powerful force jolted it. Chaos crept into the warriors, who suddenly felt their bodies paralyzed, and a sense of dread surged from the bottom of their hearts. Something terrifying was likely to happen. In an instant, the Sun-swallowing Beast let out a fearful roar.

    It seemed as though time had frozen.

    Boom!

    Suddenly, a thunderbolt ripped through the pitch-dark sky, making the dim ground illuminated for a while. Then, from the field of the Holy Cloud Mountain, countless star-like dots of luminosity continued to arise, and soon gathered to the figure taking shape in front of Zachary.

    As the scene unfolded, it stunned the warriors present. They didn''t know what kind of creature would appear!

    After countless spiritual radiance gathered on the figure, it formed into a luminous human shape. But instantaneously, the brightness dispersed and reverted into specks, shinier than ever. At the same instant, surrounded by the countless spiritual radiance, a white-clad ladylike fairy with her long sleeves flapping and ribbons afloat showed up at a fast pace.

    A violent cyclone instantly spread out and immersed the fields. Weeds and leaves flew like crazy, and the sand and stones rolled away. Many warriors felt their energy and blood surge over their bodies and found it hard to control themselves. The skin on their faces hurt like being scratched by a blade, causing a sharp pain. Even the fierce warriors of Sage Level endured the sting.

    "Master Anne, please help me save Master Jace!" Zachary pleaded with his eyes squinting upon seeing Anne appear to the shock of everyone, Anne turned her head and fixed her gaze on Zachary. Then, it looked like she was doing a graceful dance while floating in the air. In the blink of an eye, she paid no attention to the power of the t

    Jace would be in a horrible situation.

    "I''m just doing my duty. I''m well prepared. Besides, I''m not as weak as you think I am. With what happened just now, I still have a way to protect myself. My idea is to consume the power of the Sun-swallowing Beast as much as I can, so I could have a chance of survival." Of course, Jace would not let himself die in vain. The reason he tried his best to consume the power of the Sun-swallowing Beast was to find a chance to breakthrough.

    "Even so, if those Sage Level warriors didn''t unite and fight against the beast, your efforts would end up useless. In my opinion, they are not deserving to be warriors. They are just a group of cowards!" Zachary said in an angered and cold voice. He finally saw through these so-called important and dignified men.

    "It''s not their fault. Among these warriors of Sage Level present, except for three who are at the medium stage, others are still at the primary stage. Even if they joined hands, they couldn''t compete with the Sun-swallowing Beast. From the fight just now, I know that the beast is omnipotent. No wonder it lived in the world for hundreds of years. If we want to defeat it, we need to find at least five warriors as fierce as I am and work together. Then, we''d be able to beat this beast," Jace said, shaking his head. He knew it very well that''s why he didn''t count on those Sage Level warriors to understand this.

 Chapter 597 Upgrade The Illusory Dragon Spine

    Of course, Zachary clearly understood the point. Otherwise, he would not have decided to summon Anne to help him. He knew that no one else could subdue the Sun-swallowing Beast except her. In fact, he had used the once-only Summoning Token, but he didn''t regret it because it had saved Jace, a hero with indomitable spirit and his best friend''s father. Moreover, as the head of the Qiu Clan, Jace would definitely prove to be useful to him in the future if he was in trouble. Therefore, it was a calculated risk and well worth it. He just didn''t like the other Sage Level warriors, who were as timid as hares, and were completely useless.

    "Harley, exactly how strong is your master? Jace asked curiously. He had figured out something, but he still wanted to get the answer from Zachary.

    "I don''t know exactly. All in all, it''s safe to say that she''s mighty strong. All those fierce beasts are no match for her," Zachary replied confidently.

    "After this battle, your reputation will spread all over the Devil Kingdom, again. By then, all the major forces in the Devil Kingdom will regret not recruiting you and letting the Xiao Clan snatch you away." Jace knew very well that with the support of an indestructible master, Zachary would once again make waves among all the major forces in the Devil Kingdom. It should be known that there were only a few major forces in the Devil Kingdom that had powerhouses like Zachary''s master. That number was minuscule. Therefore, it was hard to imagine Zachary''s growth and the achievements as a disciple of such a powerhouse.

    "The Xiao Clan is not that important to me and I don''t care about what the others think. I am always loyal to my friends," Zachary hinted with a small smile.

    "I see. No wonder Pollard treats you like a brother. It seems that there is a solid reason." Jace nodded with satisfaction. After hearing Zachary''s words, he was even more confident than before. He belie

    owed slightly. So that was why she had borrowed the Illusory Dragon Spine from Zachary! It was because she wanted to upgrade it.

    The next moment, the Illusory Dragon Spine flew out of Anne''s hand and zoomed towards its target, the Sun-swallowing Beast.

    Seeing the less powerful Illusory Dragon Spine swooping down on it, the Sun-swallowing Beast looked unaffected. Therefore, it opened its mouth and spewed out fierce flames again, intending to melt the Illusory Dragon Spine into scrap iron. However, when the flames hit the Illusory Dragon Spine, it did not melt, but instead grew bigger and bigger, absorbing the flames endlessly.

    The Sun-swallowing Beast didn''t expect this seemingly inconspicuous weapon to absorb its strength. It spat out some more flames, but once again, they were completely absorbed by the Illusory Dragon Spine.

    The onlookers were shocked and their jaws dropped as they began to whisper among themselves. They couldn''t tell what kind of weapon this Illusory Dragon Spine was. Judging from its aura, it seemed to be at the King Level. However, it didn''t melt by the flames of the Sun-swallowing Beast''s flames and instead absorbed the flames. They could easily come to a conclusion that the seemingly inconspicuous Illusory Dragon was no ordinary weapon.

 Chapter 598 Limit

    "It should be almost done," Anne remarked. She could tell that the Illusory Dragon Spine had absorbed enough power from the Sun-swallowing Beast. With a flick of her hand, a strange hammer rushed out and charged into the sky. It gradually grew in size, as it floated above the Illusory Dragon Spine and smashed it with a deafening clang.

    The warriors present watched with disbelief and shock, as Anne summoned her weapon to hit the Illusory Dragon Spine.

    Nobody realized that she was using the powerful flames of the Sun-swallowing Beast to refine and improve Zachary''s weapon, except for Jace and Zachary, who knew her real intention right from the start.

    "Could this be the Illusory Dragon Spine? Is the weapon that you handed to your master the long lost Illusory Dragon Spine? It''s a legendary weapon that not even I have seen! I only heard of it in stories!" Jace exclaimed as he turned to Zachary with an astonished look.

    Zachary only shrugged and turned back to his master, a pleased smile on his face.

    "I didn''t expect you to have such a formidable weapon and a legendary one at that! It is said that the history of the Illusory Dragon Spine can be traced back to the era of the Five Gods, and it was once owned by one of them. After the end of the great era, it disappeared and reappeared in the Supernal Continent from time to time. Every time it was acquired by the greedy humans, it would cause a bloodbath throughout the entire continent. The last time it appeared in the world was several hundred years ago, before the establishment of the four martial colleges. Of course, it might have appeared at other times, but it was not known to many." Jace stopped in the course of his explanation, and then he asked with an incredulous expression on his face, "How the hell did you get the Illusory Dragon Spine? You shouldn''t even be able to control it with your current strength!"

    "I obtained it through a fortuitous encounter when I was still in Celestial College. However, it was damaged when I got it. My master helped me repair it, and she also reduced its level, so now, I can wield it easily," Zachary explained briefly.

    "Who on earth is your master? She must be an extraordinary person, that she can not only repair the legendary weapon but also lower its level to the range of your control. I don''t think I can do that, nor could a weapon refiner of Holy Level!" Jace exclaimed in surprise.

    "Well...I''m afraid it would be improper of m

    s a rare opportunity for me to come out, and my power isn''t restrained here," Anne said as she handed the Illusory Dragon Spine back to Zachary. If it were inside the system, she would not be able to promote the Illusory Dragon Spine for Zachary in such an entertaining manner. She was glad to take this chance, as it was very rare.

    "Thank you, Master!" Zachary exclaimed gratefully. The power of the Illusory Dragon Spine would be unimaginably strong after it was upgraded to the Imperial Level.

    "Thank you for saving my life!" Jace addressed Anne with gratitude and bowed to her with cupped hands.

    Anne glanced casually at Jace but said nothing in reply. Instead, she turned to Zachary and asked, "How many Sun-swallowing Pills have you consumed?"

    "I consumed three of them earlier," Zachary replied.

    "Oh, I think that is the most that you can consume. You can only withstand three Sun-swallowing Pills, and more than that can kill you. But there are still five Sun-swallowing Pills in the body of the Sun-swallowing Beast..." Anne trailed off, as she turned towards the Sun-swallowing Beast. With her strength, she could easily see how many Sun-swallowing Pills were left in the body of the beast.

    "There are still five? Master, can you get them for my friends?" Zachary pleaded eagerly. Although he could consume no more, he wanted to give the pills to Pollard and the rest.

    "Of course. Just come with me." Anne nodded and motioned for Zachary to follow her.

    The two walked under the heavy scrutiny of the other warriors until they reached the Sun-swallowing Beast, which was obediently waiting for them on the ground.

 Chapter 599 The Gate To The Lair

    "Hey, hand over the remaining Sun-swallowing Pills," Anne immediately said to the Sun-swallowing Beast.

    The beast cried out, all forlorn. It appeared reluctant to give them all out.

    "Master, it seems that the beast doesn''t want to do that," Zachary said as he curled his lips.

    "You destroyed the gate to its lair. Of course it doesn''t want to do that," Anne said, obviously understanding the reason behind the beast''s unhappy state.

    "Then, why don''t you subdue it and let me keep it as my pet?" Zachary asked expectantly. It would actually be amazing if she did. With the beast in his possession, all he would have to do is keep getting stronger until he could finally control it.

    "I don''t think that''s a good idea. The Sun-swallowing Beast has existed in this world for centuries. Not only does it not harm people, but it also benefits the whole world by producing the Sun-swallowing Pills every ten years. I have no reason to subdue it," Anne replied solemnly.

    "Then do you know how to repair the gate? I don''t think we can do that with our strength," Zachary asked hesitantly. He had weighed the situation in his mind and figured there was no way he would be able to fix the gate himself. None of them could. So, Anne was his last hope.

    "There''s no way to fix it all at once. But I can open a channel with my power to send the beast back to its lair," Anne replied after giving it some thought. This was the best option given the circumstances.

    Upon hearing this, the Sun-swallowing Beast was thrilled. It raised its head towards Anne and let out a cry of joy.

    "Hey, did you hear that? My master said she can send you back to your home. Can you hand over the five Sun-swallowing Pills to me now?" Zachary asked at once upon seeing the beast''s excitement. He was sure that the idea was to its liking.

    After a long pause, the beast lowered its head and spat out five pills. They fell on the ground right in front of Zachary and Anne.

    As soon as the pills dropped, all the other warriors were salivating, eager to get their hands on those pills. But Anne''s presence kept them in place. They wouldn''t want to take a move forward and offend her. It would be a death sentence if they did. Of course, they were also extremely envious of Zachary to have such a powerful master.

    Now that the pills were out, Zachary immediately released Pollard, Goliath, and Joan from the system.

    "Harley, what''s

    ides, he still had one more left and didn''t intend on giving it to any of those standing around.

    "Really?" she exclaimed in surprise. She hadn''t expected Zachary to suddenly change his mind.

    With a wry grin and a wave of his hand, Zachary tossed her the pill, which landed right in her hand.

    "Well, you were smart to do me this favor," she said. Despite her arrogant tone, she was inwardly quite excited.

    "Can you tell me your name?" Zachary asked casually.

    His question made her hesitate for a moment. Then, she swayed to Zachary and whispered in his ear, "My name is Olivia. Don''t forget it." Olivia was obviously a female''s name. That was also why she chose to whisper in his ear so that the others wouldn''t hear it. She then returned to where she had been standing.

    The corners of Zachary''s mouth curled upward. He then looked down at the last Sun-swallowing Pill with a serious look, wondering whom he should give it to.

    Patrick proposed unhappily, "Harley, the last pill should at least go to our Xiao Clan. Don''t you agree? It will be difficult to explain to our leader why you gave all of the Sun-swallowing Pills to outsiders without leaving any to us."

    The rest of the Xiao Clan''s warriors echoed their agreement. Of course, they were all hoping he would give the last pill to one of them.

    "I''m sorry! But I''m reserving this for someone else," Zachary said with a faint smile.

    "Who? You only have three friends here," Patrick asked, perplexed.

    "I''ve leave it to my Polly," Zachary replied, folding his arms.

    Everyone present was stunned. He couldn''t possibly be serious.

 Chapter 600 Pollys Back

    "Harley, Polly is still in his hands, you know," Jace said in confusion.

    "That guy should be coming back soon," said Zachary, narrowing his eyes.

    "Ha-ha!" Sure enough, as if right on cue, a sinister laughter pierced the air.

    Warriors present immediately looked up towards the sky and saw that the mysterious man in black had reappeared in the air. They intuitively knew that the mystery man who had used the power of Sage Level to attack the Sun-swallowing Beast was none other than Logan.

    Polly was lying still in a coma in Logan''s arms, but she looked unharmed.

    "You cowards got lucky today. Without this warrior of Holy Level, you would have already died!" Logan glanced disdainfully at the warriors, who had gathered beneath him. At the same time, he looked at Anne with a flash of surprise in his eyes. Although her appearance was unexpected and totally ruined his plan, he learned something he didn''t expect. He found that Zachary could serve a higher purpose for him. After all, if Zachary had a master who was a warrior of Holy Level, no one would dare to stop him from doing anything on the Supernal Continent. Therefore, he was not angry because his plan was ruined, and he did not really want to slaughter all the warriors. His main purpose was to make these forces experience living hell.

    "Who the hell are you?" demanded Yasir seriously. "You want to know who I am?

    You can ask the head of the Qiu Clan. He will explain it best." Logan simply threw the question to Jace.

    Jace''s eyes narrowed in irritation when he heard this.

    "Master Jace, is it true? Do you know this impudent upstart?" Yasir immediately asked Jace, shooting him an accusatory look.

    "Yes, I do," Jace replied as he nodded his head.

    The other warriors erupted in anger and they began to speculate.

    "Who is this guy? Why is he hell bent on attacking us?"

    "Maybe he''s from some heterodox clan..."

    "But it looks like he is very powerful!"

    "Then who on earth is this person?" Even the warriors of Sage Level couldn''t stay calm anymore.

    "I will officially announce his identity to all the forces after returning to the Qiu Clan. It''s not a good time to say it now," Jace finally said after regarding Logan again and rethinking. It would be unwise to expose Logan''s identity now. Moreover, he was afraid that Logan might have set some trap,

    into account at all. If the master of the Xiao Clan found out about this, Zachary would definitely be in a lot of trouble.

    "Polly, please take this. It''s yours," Zachary said pointing to the last Sun-swallowing Pill.

    "What?!" Polly was stunned by Zachary''s kind gesture. But then she shook her head and said, "I won''t accept this! Please save it for yourself." She simply couldn''t take it. She didn''t want to accept things from Zachary for no reason.

    "No, I''m not able to take another pill anymore. This one is for you. Please just take it," Zachary said with a sweet smile.

    "I don''t want your charity." Polly resisted.

    "But it''s not for nothing. I owe you so much. I''m just trying to repay you! Good girl, take it now!" Zachary said softly.

    "Polly, since Harley is offering it to you, just accept it." Jace knew that this was a rare opportunity. If Polly could successfully absorb the Sun-swallowing Pill, her strength would advance by leaps and bounds.

    "Yes, just take it. Harley is our friend. You don''t need to feel awkward. I took one too," Pollard encouraged her too.

    Polly still hesitated a bit, but when she looked at the Sun-swallowing Pill in front of her, she couldn''t help but feel a little tempted. Finally, she looked up at Zachary and reluctantly nodded.

    "You five come with me and let me help you absorb the Sun-swallowing Pills and refine them, so that the Sun-swallowing Beast can go back to where it belongs as soon as possible," Anne said to Pollard and other four people with the five Sun-swallowing Pills in their hands.

 Chapter 601 Finish Absorbing The Pills

    When Pollard and the other four heard what Anne said, they felt overjoyed. They would undoubtedly achieve twice the results with half the efforts if she helped them absorb the Sun-swallowing Pills.

    The other warriors became jealous of them as soon as the news spread. Unfortunately for these warriors, they could do nothing but envy those who got selected.

    Then, Anne led the group of five to a corner. Suddenly, she released dazzling blue light that covered Pollard and the other four. They focused on absorbing the pills, one for each person.

    Since the other warriors lost hope in getting the Sun-swallowing Pills, and many wounded people needed treatment and help, they left the Holy Cloud Mountain one by one.

    In the end, only the warriors from the Xiao Clan, the Phoenix Pavilion, and the Ghost Clan remained. The reason why the warriors from the Xiao Clan didn''t leave was because Jarrod had taken Anthony to his Virtual Air Space and hadn''t come back yet. As for the warriors from the Phoenix Pavilion and the Ghost Clan, they were waiting for Joan and Olivia to absorb the pills.

    "Harley, you have apportioned five Sun-swallowing Pills and left none to the Xiao Clan. I''m afraid it would not be easy for you to explain to their leader when you return," Jace said to Zachary, sounding worried. He didn''t think Zachary was wrong by doing that, but from the perspective of the Xiao Clan, Zachary seemed to be unfaithful and defiant.

    "It is easy to explain. The leader of the Xiao Clan is a sly fox. Once he finds out that I have a master at the Holy Level, he will understand that my value is greater than a few Sun-swallowing Pills," Zachary replied in a flat tone, without a hint of worry.

    "That''s right. It''s enough for you to have such a powerful master." Jace could not help but glance sideways at Anne. He always sensed that he had seen her somewhere before, but he could not recall when, so it must have been far in the past. He vaguely felt what Zachary said was reasonable, and that Anne might have some connection with his Qiu Clan.

    Shortly, a sudden commotion erupted within the crowd of the Xiao Clan. A ray of light from the Virtual Air Space shone in the midst of the people. Then, Jarrod and Anthony went out of the space together. Anthony, who had the strength at the peak of King Level before entering the space, was now at the Imperial Level. He had broken through, so he looked very proud of himself.

    "Congratulations, Young Master!" Members of the Xiao C

    should understand that this is something that can''t be known by others." Abel paused with hesitation and waved his hand. He realized whether Zachary had seen their young master bathing or not, it was already a certainty. Thus, it was useless to grapple with this matter. For the time being, the most critical task was to ensure that their young master''s secret would not be exposed.

    "I understand clearly. You have nothing to worry about. Just take it easy, Elder Abel. I''ll keep my lips sealed," Zachary promised, nodding his head thoughtfully.

    "I hope so. If I hear any rumor, I''m going to hunt you down even if you''re at the world''s end, not to mention that you are in the Xiao Clan," Abel warned him. Then he spun around and walked back to the company of the Ghost Clan.

    Hearing their conversation, Jace could not help but speculate what took place between them, but he didn''t ask Zachary about that. He knew it was Zachary''s own business, so he didn''t have to intervene.

    With the help of Anne, Pollard and the other four warriors could absorb the Sun-swallowing Pills much faster.

    Two hours later, the group completed the absorbing process. Each of them, except Polly, improved their strength by one grade. Since Polly only had the strength at the King Level, she could not absorb the Sun-swallowing Pill to the core. So, Anne took an extra effort for her. She sealed the remaining power of the pill in Polly''s body, so that the latter could remove the seal and continue working on it at a slower pace. Once she absorbed the remaining power of the pill, she would soon reach the state enough to break through and become an Imperial Level warrior.

 Chapter 602 I Know Who You Are

    Once the five people had absorbed the strength of the Sun-swallowing Pills, the cores flew back to the body of the Sun-swallowing Beast.

    "Thank you very much, Master," the five chorused, as they bowed to Anne with great respect.

    Anne simply nodded to them and turned away to face the Sun-swallowing Beast. "Let''s go," she ordered the beast firmly as if it was a small domesticated dog.

    And at once, the Sun-swallowing Beast lowered its body submissively, so Anne could get on. Then it soared up into the air under the watchful gaze of the group, where it headed in the direction of the two stone mountains'' ruins. As it approached the ruins, Anne clapped her hands and a ray of blue light was instantly released. It expanded mid-air and hit the ruins.

    The people gasped in surprise when the light didn''t pass through the ruins. Instead, it hit an invisible wall, and something cracked over the ruins.

    At the sight of this crack, the Sun-swallowing Beast raised its head and roared excitedly. It immediately disappeared into the crack without a trace, carrying Anne. As soon as their backs faded from view, the crack also faded into nothingness.

    "Everyone, you can leave first. My master won''t be coming back so soon," Zachary said to the remaining warriors.

    "Okay, we''ll see you again." Now that he verified that there was no reason to stay, Jace summoned a dragon-shaped flying beast. As he was preparing the beast, his son Pollard approached Zachary.

    "Harley, I am sure we shall meet soon," Pollard said in farewell, as he got on the dragon-shaped flying beast. Then he searched for Joan among the members of the Phoenix Pavilion with his eyes, and when their eyes met, he nodded to her in farewell as well.

    "Goodbye," said Zachary with a small wave. Meanwhile, as they were about to leave, Polly remained where she was standing with a conflicted expression on her face. She opened her mouth as if about to speak, but then shut it quickly instead.

    Without saying anything, she turned to the dragon-shaped flying beast and jumped on with her usual grace.

    Soon, Jace and his children left by the dragon-shaped flying beast.

    "Harley, I owe you favor for this, but I will pay you back someday," Joan said seriously, as she walked up to Zachary.

    "Then, I will wait patiently for that day." Zachary smiled at her warmly and bade her goodbye with a wave.

    After that, she also left the Holy Clo

    ou," Zachary replied openly.

    "Even if you know my identity, you shouldn''t reveal it. If Guardian Logan finds out that you know my identity, you could get in trouble." Goliath frowned. Since Zachary knew his identity, he didn''t need to deny it, but if other people found out about his real identity, then they would both be in trouble.

    "Don''t worry. He won''t hurt me because I''m still useful to him. He didn''t tell you that?" Zachary revealed, and from Goliath''s deeper frown, he knew that Logan never told him about their deal.

    Goliath was starting to realize that Logan had kept him in the dark about many things. And in turn, he was also starting to think about what else Logan could be keeping from him.

    "I don''t want to say anything else. Listen, if you value me as a friend, then tell me everything you know. In exchange, I will try to recommend you to the Xiao Clan as you wish, so that you can do what you need to do," Zachary suggested. The truth was that he didn''t want to throw Goliath under the bus. He only revealed his identity now so that he could give him this choice. Zachary believed that since he accepted the Sun-swallowing Pill, his attitude toward him should have changed for the better. Besides, he knew that Goliath approached him to join the Xiao Clan, so as long as he made good use of these two things, he could make use of Goliath.

    "What do you want to know?" Goliath still hesitated, but he couldn''t hide from Zachary that he was tempted by his proposal.

    Zachary smirked at this, fully aware that he had Goliath in his hands now. "Tell me what you know about Logan first."

 Chapter 603 Guardian Logan

    "I don''t really know Guardian Logan that well," Goliath said dejectedly as he shook his head.

    "Well then, how much do you know about the fact that he had been framed by the Xiao Clan and hunted by all the sects and clans in the Devil Kingdom?" In order to gain the upper hand against Logan, Zachary wanted to know more about the man. The more cards Zachary had against Logan, the easier it would be for him to deal with Logan in the future.

    "I really don''t know much! After all, it happened twenty years ago. But speaking of that, the thing that Guardian Logan was framed by the Xiao Clan was closely related to my origin," Goliath replied with a sincere tone.

    "Oh, why is that?" Zachary raised his eyebrows as curiosity became apparent in his eyes.

    "Because he knew my father. Additionally, he also told me my origin and my background. At the time Guardian Logan was framed by the Xiao Clan, my father was also involved in the matter." As he revealed such information, Goliath couldn''t help but tremble.

    "I understand. That bastard really knows how to take advantage of people. Even with despicable means, he''ll do anything just to control others." Zachary knew that Logan actually took advantage of Goliath''s eagerness to find his father. With such a loathsome nature, Logan controlled Goliath and made him follow his orders.

    "That''s right! Apart from the leader Dominic in our Moon Shadow, Guardian Logan is the one above all the people. Moreover, he has a high prestige in Moon Shadow. Similar to me, many killers of Moon Shadow are willing to work hard for him. All because we felt indebted to Guardian Logan," Goliath said seriously with a regretful expression.

    "Then, how much do you know about his plan? Did you find out anything about how he will deal with the Xiao Clan?" Zachary continued to ask in a cold tone.

    "Apart from Guardian Logan, only our leader knows about the plan to deal with the Xiao Clan. I only know that Guardian Logan''s plan to deal with the Xiao Clan has been prepared for several years, and it started not long ago. Additionally, it is part of the plan for me to join the Xiao Clan," Goliath replied in detail.

    "Why are you a part of their plan? What are you supposed to do with the Xiao Clan? Why was your father involved in the conspiracy?" Zachary asked again after he thought for a while.

    "My father is actually the brother of the current head of the Xiao Clan. At that time, my father and Guardian Logan were both framed by him." After paused for a moment, Goliath revealed the truth.

    "What? He''s the brother of the current head?" Zachary was stunned with the new information. However, he immediate

    ucky! But wait, Master. How could that ferocious beast be willing to give its descendant to you?" Zachary laughed out of joy. However, his excitement was ended with sudden confusion.

    "It''s because the door to its lair has been destroyed. As such, it will no longer appear in the world in the future. Nonetheless, it still hopes that its descendant can continue to benefit the world. In order to do so, it especially let me take its descendant out to give it to the right person," Anne replied sincerely.

    "It seems that it is surprisingly kind." Zachary nodded as he looked affectionately to the cub.

    "The nature of a beast is good, but the nature of a human is unpredictable. That is the difference between a beast and a human!" Anne replied decisively.

    "Hey, Master Anne, isn''t there one last quest that hasn''t been completed? If you still have time, please take me there," Zachary immediately asked Anne after he put the cub into the system.

    "I planned to do so. If I don''t lead the way, you might get lost. It is not easy to find that island." Anne nodded in agreement.

    "Island? Huh? What island?" Zachary asked curiously.

    "You''ll know what I''m talking about when you get there," Anne answered mysteriously.

    "Oh, I just asked Orion to send Goliath back just now. So, I may have to bother you to take me there." At that time, Zachary suddenly became very happy since it was a great chance for him to have a close contact with Anne. A gleeful expression painted his face as he anticipated their time together. It was an opportunity he wouldn''t miss.

    Anne''s beautiful eyes slightly narrowed, and then she took Zachary''s arm. The two of them immediately rose into the air. Afterwards, they disappeared into the sky and left a trail of bright light.

 Chapter 604 The Netherworld Island

    One day later

    Two light shadows quickly appeared on a strange island surrounded by small islands in the eastern bay of the Devil Kingdom. The reason this island was weird was that it resembled a giant turtle shell, shaped in a circular arc. There was no vegetation on the island except for rocks. One could see everything with clarity from the air.

    "Master Anne, this island looks strange," Zachary couldn''t help but say as he looked around.

    "They call the island the Netherworld Island. As long as ordinary warriors enter the island, there is no way coming out of it alive," Anne replied.

    "Are you sure? But I don''t think it''s dangerous. There seems to be no maze here but rocks everywhere. There is even no footpath for people to walk on. No one will get lost here." Zachary thought the myth of the island got exaggerated.

    "The real Netherworld Island is located in the inner part of the island. What you see now is just the tip of the island," Anne explained as her eyes narrowed a little.

    "So, you''re saying that the real island is under these rocks?" Taking in her words, Zachary grew a bit curious.

    "I''ll lead you to the entrance now." After Anne finished speaking, she took Zachary to the south of the Netherworld Island. Not long after, they dropped to a rock poking out from the edge of the island. The end of the rock was a slightly curved path that led to the entrance to the inner part of the Netherworld Island.

    "Is this the way in?" Zachary took a good look in front of him.

    "I can only take you up until here," Anne continued.

    "Master Anne, won''t you follow me inside?" Zachary asked at once.

    "I can''t because if I go in, I won''t be able to maintain this spiritual body. Besides, the time limit for me to come out has turned up. It''s time to go back," Anne replied, shaking her head.

    "What does it mean to maintain the spiritual body?" Zachary gave a perplexed look.

    "My body in the system can''t be carried out. If I want to come out, I must do it in the form of a spiritual soul, but it can''t move freely in this world. Therefore, I have to use the essential power of heaven and earth to make a temporary spir

    the system. As soon as the dim Ghost Lamp was out, a faint blue light flickered. The light was not bright, but it could light up the area within ten meters.

    "I want to try again." He carefully stepped into the flower field again with the Ghost Lamp in his hand. Then he found that there was a red illuminated path coming from the Ghost Lamp''s beam of light, which he had not seen before.

    Zachary followed the path intentionally, and the bees hiding in the flower field didn''t move at all.

    "No wonder Master Anne asked me to fix the Ghost Lamp. It turns out very useful and easy to operate!" Zachary said in surprise.

    Although he entered the flower field without trouble, he advanced slowly and carefully with the Ghost Lamp in his hand, in case of an attack that might appear whenever. But the strange thing was, the bees that once attacked him, together with other small martial beasts of Imperial Level that suddenly jumped out from the side, ignored his presence and did nothing to him.

    After passing through the flower field, he entered a sparse forest where there was the same red path available for him to follow. Unlike the earlier flower field, this forest looked more creepy because from time to time, gigantic martial beasts passed through on both sides of the woods. They were at the premium stage of Imperial Level, and their headcount was significant. If they attacked him at once, he would have no place to hide.

 Chapter 605 The Flying Boots

    Zachary went ahead quietly, further into the Netherworld Island. Soon after, he immediately noticed that the steady stream of passersby around him were no longer Imperial Level martial beasts, but instead Sage Level ones. After all, they were anything but muted, sometimes strutting as if they owned the road and marching with footsteps loud enough to startle a grown man.

    Fortunately, the Ghost Lamp enabled Zachary to have an unimpeded passage as he moved along.

    After trudging another hill, Zachary came across a seemingly distant collection of architectural remains. He looked at them for a few moments and then continued on a stone path that extended straight ahead. He continued walking wordlessly, and before he knew it, a massive circular gully about three hundred meters away came into view. Zachary squinted, surveying his surroundings carefully. The remains stood on the opposite side, and one obvious path was a collapsed stone bridge at the end of the road.

    "Let me just fly there," Zachary mumbled to himself as he saw the bridge''s condition. As soon as he stomped his feet, which were equipped with the Flying Boots, he quickly started flying over.

    For a short while, the whole thing felt like a breeze. That was until he felt a forceful downward pull from below, causing him to sway and lose his balance.

    "Oh no!" Zachary blacked out for a moment, overwhelmed with the thought of crashing down.

    He quickly snapped out of it as he felt an enormous shadow creep up from the gully. Quickly rising above was a tentacle, thick as a pillar, covered completely with eyeballs, the sight of which could make anyone shudder with disgust.

    Almost instantaneously, the tentacle lashed violently at Zachary.

    With no time to hesitate, he stretched out his hand and shot the Heavenly Silk Thread towards the stone bridge. It had been a while since he last used it, but the thread worked well enough, bounding the bridge tightly and pulling him back, safe from the tentacle.

    He crashed against the bridge, which normally would have hurt. Instead, he sprawled across the ground and breathed a sigh of relief.

    "Now I know why it''s called the Netherworld Island. There is likely going to be more gears, traps and other unknown dangers everywhere! Ente

    ly rushed to the edge of the bridge. The path he had used started to crumble, collapsing into the gully. The tentacle, although enraged, slowly retreated.

    Upon reaching the supposed remains, Zachary looked over and found there stood a single enormous castle. In the middle of one of its unusually grand stone walls was an unlatched gate that was as high as several floors of a common building.

    "I wonder whose idea it was to build a castle on such an island," Zachary sighed exasperatedly.

    After passing through the gate, he observed the castle''s entirety. He stood still on a wide cross road flanked by towering buildings, all of which seemed unsuitable for humans. Then, at the end of the road were stone steps leading to an outrageously large palace. The structure, he determined, was built like a kingdom for giants.

    Zachary lifted the Ghost Lamp, illuminating the surroundings. A red path extended straight along the wide road and up the stone steps, as if pointing to the palace. If he guessed correctly, Anne''s cultivation site should be in there.

    If his recent encounter taught him anything, it was that he wanted to avoid another unimaginable danger and leave the Netherworld Island as soon as possible. Using Shadow Pace, he quickly bolted to the stairs. However, when he got close enough, he immediately halted, slack-jawed. Each of the stone steps'' levels was nearly half a meter high. And if he estimated correctly, there were about a hundred steps, which added up to dozens of meters!

 Chapter 606 The Chi Palace

    "Oh gosh! These steps are not designed for ordinary people. What''s this place? Surely, it could not have been built by humans." Zachary became more serious. He tried to activate the Flying Boots again, but he was still unable to fly at a higher altitude, so he had to use the Shadow Pace to climb the steps one by one.

    There were one hundred steps, but thanks to the Shadow Pace, Zachary reached the 30th step in a short time. Just then, two transparent light shadows with strong auras at the Imperial Level rushed towards him at lightning speed.

    "Warriors of Imperial Level? What are these two doing here?" Zachary''s heart skipped a beat and simultaneously the ice aura grew in his body as he prepared himself for the oncoming assault.

    However, when the two transparent shadows approached, he realized that they were not human beings. They were spiritual souls of Imperial Level, dressed in full armor with weapons in their hands. They looked like the guards of the palace, who were trying to stop him from approaching the gate.

    Although they were merely spiritual souls of Imperial Level, Zachary didn''t dare to be dismissive of them. They had almost the same power as warriors of the same level. Perhaps they might not have as much power as before, but they certainly couldn''t be underestimated. Therefore, as they were approaching him, Zachary stretched out both his arms and two ice dragons rushed out howling loudly. The spiritual souls charged ahead to meet them head-on.

    Bang!

    Zachary felt the impact of the two extremely strong souls colliding with his ice dragons. Fortunately, he was close to the medium stage of Imperial Level. Otherwise, he might have suffered a loss in this battle.

    "Ha-ha, I didn''t expect to absorb the spiritual energy so quickly!" Suddenly, Zachary heard Andrew''s arrogant laughter coming from the Holy Bone Bracer. "Harley, hold on. I''ll absorb their spiritual energy now."

    A blue light shone on the Holy Bone Bracer and the two spiritual souls of Imperial Level were

    size was unusually large. And the thing that was shining was its eyes inlaid with gems.

    "I got scared!" Zachary breathed a sigh of relief. He was a bold man, but he was still in a state of shock. If other people came, they would be scared out of their living daylights.

    Just when he was about to move on, he suddenly found that there were colored, vivid murals extending behind the stone statue. He walked over to study them under the Ghost Lamp.

    There were no words on the murals. Their contents were abstract. Some were about heaven while others were about hell. However, all the characters in the murals were huge and resembled human beings, just like the stone statue he hit just now.

    "Hmm, these people look like Zelvag." After Zachary studied a few murals, realization hit and he said to himself, "Could this palace be a relic of the Chi Race? It turns out that the Chi Race really exists, but how did it originate? Why do its members look so different from humans?"

    He had so many questions. He felt that he might have accidentally discovered some unimaginable secret.

    He went to the murals and inspected them closely. The palace was so big that he couldn''t finish studying them all even after a long time. Suddenly he stopped because he saw the image of Anne, to be precise, a goddess that looked like Anne, on the wall.

 Chapter 607 The Ghost Lamp

    The fairy on the wall painting floated on the seven-colored clouds, and the giants knelt and worshipped the fairy devoutly, as if she was a deity.

    ''Isn''t the woman in this wall painting Master Anne? Master Anne, at most, is a few hundred years old, but this place held a much longer history. She looks identical to Master Anne. Who could this woman be? What could the relationship be linking her with Master Anne?'' Zachary asked curiously.

    Afterward, he continued to move forward. After about five minutes, he finally reached the end of the palace. At this point, the Ghost Lamp in his hand suddenly flickered. Just as he felt strange, at the opposite side from where he was standing, a flash of light suddenly lit up.

    Seeing this, he quickly hastened the pace to the path. After he got close, he saw a channel appear in front of him. On one side of the channel, he saw a similar lantern like the Ghost Lamp in his hand.

    ''It must be inside.'' He instantly went into the channel. After walking for about five to six meters into the channel, he turned left and walked for ten meters more. Finally, he saw a fragile arch door, but it was tightly closed.

    However, when he took two more steps forward, a strange force suddenly charged out from the direction of the arch door. It instantly pushed him back a few meters away.

    ''I almost forgot that Master Anne''s place is restricted, '' he pondered. He recalled the way Anne taught him how to enter her place for cultivation. Then he looked at the floor and instantly activated the Energy Perception Technique. He saw bizarre lines on the floor at once, interlaced, and forming intricate paths like those in a maze. There was only one path that could enter Anne''s place for cultivation.

    ''If I had not known the Energy Perception Technique, I would never be able to access the door. It appears that the reason why Master Anne taught me the Energy Perception Technique was not only to help me reach the Imperial Level, but also to enable me to enter this place, '' Zachary th

    he plate.

    ''This thing looks like something from outer space!'' Zachary took a few more glances at the plate before putting it into the system, assigning Mimi to keep it. Then he said, "Mimi, take all the treasures here."

    As Zachary spoke, a vortex loomed above his head like a vacuum, sucking all the treasures into the system. Afterward, he left the treasure house, returned to the inner hall, and took a few luminous pearls before leaving the hall with satisfaction. After making it out, he went back to the palace through the gateway. When he was about to return by the way he had come to the inner hall, he suddenly felt a gentle vibration on the floor. However, it became more and more intense, as if it was approaching him.

    Feeling something was wrong, Zachary immediately put away the Ghost Lamp and used his Energy Perception Technique. Almost at the same time, he felt a considerable wave of energy advancing towards him. Then, a shadow-like fist suddenly fell from the air and smashed violently towards him.

    His heart thumped. Although the power of the fist was not that of a warrior, it gave off a sense of rage. Because of the dim light, he could not recognize the opponent, but he knew that it might not be human. Moreover, the aura around the opponent was somewhat like Zelvag''s, or maybe more primitive, as if it was a beast!

 Chapter 608 The Mysterious Plate

    Bang! Boom! The fist fell to the floor, extending to less than half a meter away from Zachary''s location. Dirt scattered everywhere.

    The floor within a dozen meter radius cracked and collapsed, showing how powerful the last blow was. However, the punch felt ordinary to Zachary. He believed it would be more terrifying if any martial arts skill had been used. If it weren''t for the fact that Zachary moved quick enough, he wouldn''t have stood there unscathed.

    Knowing how dangerous the situation was, Zachary used his Shadow Pace to run towards the palace''s gate. He could hear something running behind him, making the floor shake. He could feel the mysterious aura following him with an amazing speed.

    ''Shit! How can something so huge move so swiftly? It''s incredible!'' Zachary was shocked, but knowing that he would likely be caught, he thought of a solution. Soon, his eyes lit up, and then he quickly took out a luminous pearl and threw it into the air, lighting up his surrounding in an instant.

    He noticed the high stone statue standing not far from the right side in front of him. Shooting the Heavenly Silk Thread out, he wrapped it around the stone statue''s head and used it to pull his body up towards it.

    At the same time, his luminous pearl finally hit the floor and a giant foot stepped in to crush it. Zachary steadied his footing above the stone statue''s head. Turning around, he saw a black shadow about the same size as the stone statue, crashing into the statue like a crazy bull.

    Bang!

    The loud noise echoed in the palace as the stone statue began to shake violently, as if it was about to collapse. Shortly after the hit, the figure stopped moving all of sudden.

    Seizing his chance, Zachary jumped down on the floor and continued to run towards the palace''s gate. Fortunately, the figure didn''t chase after him anymore. However, he didn''t dare to be careless. After rushing out of the gate, he leaped into the air

    e?" Zachary queried. Not only did he know about the Chi Race, he even met its descendant.

    "The Chi Race was a mysterious race that existed before the era of the Five Gods. They were similar to humans, except they had beast-like strength, built and speed. In the past, they became a huge threat to the human race, since countless conflicts between the two races often had humans at a disadvantage. However, despite the Chi Race''s strength, they had one weakness. Their ability to reproduce was weak. Hence, their force couldn''t grow. Soon, the humans quickly outnumbered the Chi Race, making it impossible for them to be destroyed. In the period of Five Gods, the Chi Race was ruled by one of the Five Gods and then gradually declined, disappearing at last," Anne explained, looking afar.

    "Disappeared? But I met a descendant of the Chi Race in the Xiao Clan." Hearing Anne''s story, Zachary felt baffled.

    "What? Do you really mean you have seen a descendant of the Chi Race?" Anne exclaimed in shock.

    "Yes." Zachary nodded.

    "Wow! I didn''t expect that the Chi Race still exists. Does that mean that the prediction of the progenitors is true?" Anne talked loudly to herself, feeling astonished.

    Zachary watched her closely, noting that he never saw Anne with such an expression before.

 Chapter 609 The Thousand-Avatar Skill

    "The prediction of the progenitors?" Zachary inquired tentatively.

    "Our sect''s origin can be traced back to the same era as the Chi Race. In fact our sect used to have close connections with them. Back then, our ancestor hadn''t established the sect. She had been travelling around the world when one day, she happened to arrive at the tribe of the Chi Race by chance, who were still savages back then. It was the first time they had seen a human capable of flying in the sky, so they worshiped her. Our ancestor found the Chi Race members to be pure and good, so she enlightened them a bit. It was perhaps because of this enlightenment that the Chi Race became so powerful and even began threatening the human race. Realizing her mistake, our ancestor set up our sect and taught disciples to cultivate in secret in order to maintain the balance between the human race and the Chi Race. This was the reasons why the human race hadn''t been annihilated at that time. Later, the Chi Race was ruled by one of the Five Gods, so they were no longer threatening the human race. Since all was calm, our sect started to live in seclusion. At the same time, our ancestor disappeared but she left a last warning before leaving. She asked the disciples to pass down the inheritance of our sect and also predicted that one day the human race would be threatened and in danger again. When this happened, the disciples were commanded to step up to maintain the balance of the entire Supernal Continent." Anne narrated the entire story to Zachary.

    "Well, that''s quite a surprise. I didn''t know that our sect had this amazing history! But, wait a minute, weren''t the Five Gods supposed to be the ancestors of all warriors? Our ancestor existed much earlier than the Five Gods and she was already capable of flying then. So does this mean that our ancestor is more powerful than the Five Gods?" Zachary voiced his doubts with an incredulous expression.

    "Well, I wouldn''t know about that. Everything that I just told you is from the historical books of our sect," Anne replied with a shrug.

    "You know what else? I saw a beautiful woman who looked just like you in the painting at the Chi Palace. Master Anne, could she be our ancestor?" Zachary asked, his eyes suddenly widening at this realization.

    "You saw that painting already? I think it''s very likely that the woman in the painting you described could be our ancestor." Anne was shocked to learn that Zachary had seen the painting at the Chi Palace.

    "By the way, you look so much like our ancestor, Master Anne. People who don''t know you might even think you are sisters!" Zachary teased, trying to lighten up the mood.

    "Don''t talk rubbish! How can you compare me to ou

    few Imperial Level manuals on martial arts out, Zachary took the rest and stored them in the warehouse.

    "Mimi, help me identify and sort these Imperial Level manuals," Zachary ordered the assistant.

    "Examining now." As Mimi''s voice rang out, several beams of radiance shot from the system and fell on the Imperial Level manuals.

    "Examination completed!" The process didn''t take too long.

    "Rock Summoning Skill is at the medium stage of Imperial Level, and you need martial energy of the earth element to practice it. It can cause considerable damage up to a radius of a hundred meters.

    Great Thunder Skill is at the premium stage of Imperial Level, and you need martial energy of the thunder element to practice it. It''s a high-speed attacking skill that kills enemies without being noticed, and it can also be used to track down an enemy in a certain area.

    Thousand-Avatar Skill is at the medium stage of Imperial Level. It can create avatars that possess 20% of the power of the real body.

    Beast Transformation Skill is a special skill that can transfer the power of the treasure beasts for one''s own use in a short period of time. However, this skill has a serious side effect. Think twice before you learn!"

    Mimi stated in detail.

    "Currently, the Ice Dragon Skill serves as my main attacking skill. I can''t learn those martial arts with a certain element, so the Thousand-Avatar Skill and the Beast Transformation Skill are the only ones that I can learn. The Beast Transformation Skill sounds great. It allows me to borrow the power of the treasure beasts. As for the Thousand-Avatar Skill, it will be a perfect combination with the Flawless Illusion. Nobody will be able to distinguish those avatars from me..." Zachary muttered, stroking his chin, contemplating all his options.

 Chapter 610 Failed To Fuse

    At last, Zachary chose the Thousand-Avatar Skill and the Beast Transformation Skill. He placed the remaining Imperial Level manuals into his warehouse.

    "Mimi, input the content of both these manuals into my mind, please," Zachary requested.

    Immediately, two rays of light shone onto the manuals. A moment later, both manuals had completely vanished. The rays of light were then merged into one, shooting itself into the spot between Zachary''s eyebrows.

    "Input completed!" Mimi announced.

    "Congratulations, you''ve comprehended the Thousand-Avatar Skill

    and the Beast Transformation Skill!"

    "I''ll go straight to the Peach Blossom Forest in order to get familiar with these new skills. While I''m there, I''ll stop in to see the Sun-swallowing Beast''s cub!" As soon as Zachary finished speaking, he teleported himself to the Peach Blossom Forest, just like he said he would.

    Soon after entering the Peach Blossom Forest, he quickly noticed that the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Hundred-Treasure Beast were surrounding the Sun-swallowing Beast''s cub, who was hiding behind a stone and trembling vigorously because it was shy around strangers.

    "Hey! Just because you two think it''s cute, that doesn''t mean you can scare it like this!" Looking in their direction, Zachary shook his head with a smile and approached them.

    As they watched Zachary approach, the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Hundred-Treasure Beast stepped back to the side.

    By then, Zachary had reached the stone''s front and was exchanging a few treasure-hunting coins for the treasure beasts'' food. He placed it in front of the cub. The cub, who was hiding behind the stone, was clearly on guard as it saw Zachary coming forward. It sounded a low cry, almost a growl. It quickly bared its fangs and brandished claws at Zachary, but the cute little guy''s threatening behavior didn''t seem intimidating at all.

    "Eat the food. It''s yours. You must be hungry," Zachary said as he pointed to the food encouragingly.

    The cub looked at Zachary and then back at the seemingly delicious food. After hesitating for a few seconds, it couldn''t resist the temptation of the food any longer. It jumped out from behind the stone in a single, swift motion and began gobbling the food in hungry mouthfuls.

    "Mimi, is it possible to make the cub take me as its master?" Zachary asked with a furrowed brow, all while keeping an eye on the cub who was enjoying its food.

    "Not now, unfortunately. The Sun-swallowing Beast is a rare level treasure beast that can grow to the Sage Level, which means your strength must be above the sixth grade of Imperial Level i

    autious, however.

    Although the side effects sounded terrifying and ordinary warriors would definitely back off, Zachary didn''t flinch in the slightest and actually looked expectant. Together with the Sun-swallowing Beast''s cub, he now had four precious beasts to his name. The Beast Transformation Skill had no limit on the number of treasure beasts one could absorb power from. Therefore, the more treasure beasts one had, the more power they could absorb. Of course, in Zachary''s case, this was as much an advantage as it was a disadvantage. Because he also had the Holy Bone Bracer though, which had a strong defensive power, so his disadvantage would be weakened to a certain extent. All in all, the advantage outweighed the disadvantage at this point.

    "Kiwi! Lend me your power!" In an instant, Zachary opened his eyes. At the same time, a Beast Transformation Mark shot out, printing itself on the Thunder Dragon Horse.

    The Thunder Dragon Horse raised its head and roared loudly. In the blink of an eye, a lightning beast shadow, much like a beast soul, flew out from the Thunder Dragon Horse''s body and flew towards Zachary. As soon as it reached him, it slowly integrated and united as one with his body. Nonetheless, a few seconds later, the lightening beast shadow seemed to be rejected and flew back to the Thunder Dragon Horse.

    "Did I fail?! Why can''t I lend Kiwi''s thunder power? I don''t understand!" Zachary frowned in disappointment. This was his fifth attempt, and yet he failed half way every time.

    After taking the time to ponder on the situation for a while, Zachary summoned the Hundred-Treasure Beast in order to give it another go. He tried a few more times, but to no avail. He was utterly disappointed with himself.

 Chapter 611 Zacharys Master

    "There must be a reason for this..." Zachary mumbled, eyes squinting in contemplation.

    However, he was well aware that he had to go back to the Xiao Clan to check on Zelvag, so he decided to shelve the matter for the meantime. He placed his focus on regaining his strength and restoring his martial energy to its fullest ability while within the Peach Blossom Forest. Upon completion of the task, he then left the system with the aim of going back to the Xiao Clan. He had ordered the Blazing Roc to send Goliath back to Alexander City earlier. With the Flying Boots subject to limited altitude, it was around two days later when he actually arrived in Alexander City himself. Upon stepping into the city limits, he found himself in no hurry to head to the Xiao Clan. Instead, he headed for the Centennial Inn just east of the city to see Goliath.

    "Harley, there you are! You''re finally back! I have been looking forward to seeing you, you know, and here I was thinking that you wouldn''t return. I thought something might have happened to you!" Goliath breathed out a sigh of vast relief, gazing at Zachary with unbridled delight after having waiting for him for two days.

    "I did give you my transport, so I basically had no choice but to head back on foot," Zachary complained, sitting heavily onto a chair with a sigh. "So where''s Orion?"

    "Oh, I''ve told it to head back to the Xiao Clan," Goliath answered with a nod.

    "Sounds good." Zachary nodded in response.

    "And your plan? How''s that coming along?" Goliath asked curiously, eyeing him.

    "Well, I can''t really complain. I''d say so far so good," Zachary shrugged.

    "That''s good to hear anyway. Do you think you''ve got an idea as to when you''d be able to recommend me to the Xiao Clan?" Goliath asked earnestly, getting to the crux of the matter. They had already been quite frank with each other, so he saw no reason to beat around the bush now.

    "Can''t rush that, I''m afraid. We''ll have to wait for the most auspicious time for it. After all, I have just joined the Xiao Clan. I need a good firm foothold first before I start recommending anyone; otherwise they just won''t listen to me. They need a reason to believe me first...maybe some achievements," Zachary replied, arms crossed and contemplative.

    "I suppose you''re right about that. But still, everyone in the Xiao Clan is already aware that you''ve got a master at the Holy Level. Won''t they look at you in a different light? Particularly that Xiao Clan leader..." Goliath knew that what Zachary had done at the Holy Cloud Mountain, along with the sudden manifestation of an incredible master that stood as a warrior of the Holy Level, had caused a tremendous stir, not just in the Xiao Clan, but also throughout the entire Devil Kingdom. He was certain that after that spectacular display, Zachary would have no issue about gaining a foothold in the Xiao Clan.

    "Well, you never know how people are going to react to anything, especially in moments of extremity. It might go sideways if I try to push for too much too soon. Everyone knows that I have a Holy Level master as my backup now, sure, but that doesn''t mean they''ll accept me unf

    y into the clan. He had found their people something beyond imagining¡ªa treasure and a huge boon to their clan.

    Anthony, who was also present in the hall, had the opposite opinion to him. With his gloomy expression, he merely turned his nose up at Zachary''s presence. He didn''t see the virtue or the point in all the fuss about Zachary having a Holy Level master. After all, he wasn''t the only warrior connected to someone at that level in the Xiao Clan. Furthermore, during their stint at the Holy Cloud Mountain, he had seen Zachary give away the five Sun-swallowing Pills to outsiders. The loathing that filled Anthony at this betrayal was unspeakable. He had every intention of informing the rest of the clan about this outrage and set in motion a movement to expel him from the Clan itself.

    As Zachary and Lola reached the center of the Magnific Martial Hall, the latter departed to one side to leave Zachary in the middle. He cupped his hands towards Jaxon in an expression of respect and greeted him in a polite tone, "Good day, Master Jaxon!"

    "You''ve finally returned! Why so late? Had anything been in your way? I was worried that you might''ve found another reason to offend some other clan or sect and gotten yourself hip deep into trouble, especially after what took place at the Holy Cloud Mountain. I was just about to send some men to seek you out," Jaxon replied, looking concerned.

    "I''m grateful for the concern, but I merely took the opportunity to collect some materials along the way. I''m only a day late. Hopefully that isn''t too much trouble," Zachary replied, his tone casual.

    "Oh, very well then. Nevertheless, I''m pleased to have you back. But I see that you''ve come alone...." Jaxon said tentatively, looked around, almost expectant, just as Zachary had predicted. Jaxon certainly was as deep-sleeved as he''d thought.

    At this, the members of the Xiao Clan perked up attentively, knowing that Jaxon was implying about Zachary''s magnificent master. They were highly interested. Everyone was all ears at the idea of Zachary''s master coming by, and who exactly that person was.

 Chapter 612 Zacharys Reasons

    "Of course." Zachary nodded his head, demonstrating his accord. "Who else did you think would come back with me?"

    "Well, I''ve heard everything about you in the Holy Cloud Mountain. I can''t believe that with your level of strength, you would actually gain something in the fierce competition of warriors of Imperial Level from the other major forces." Jaxon changed the subject casually, seeing as Zachary was apparently trying to avoid answering his question anyway.

    "I traveled to the Holy Cloud Mountain without asking for your permission. I apologize. Please, forgive me," Zachary apologized, his hands clasped together. Despite saying so, his demeanor didn''t show any regret whatsoever.

    "Ah! It doesn''t matter," Jaxon said as he waved his hand in dismissal. "Our Xiao Clan never prevents Imperial Level warriors from going to look for treasures and beasts out there. By the way, I heard that you refined three Sun-swallowing Pills in the Holy Cloud Mountain all at once. Is that true?"

    "Yes, that''s right," Zachary answered, beaming slightly with pride.

    The many members of the Xiao Clan were shocked to hear such a thing, because they had never heard of a warrior who could refine three Sun-swallowing Pills at one time. Normally, such an act was no different than suicide, but Zachary was different. He had done it successfully. If it wasn''t that many people had witnessed the whole process at the time, the warriors would probably think he was bragging.

    "From what I can see, you''re even more talented than I ever expected. A rare talent, might I say. Very good, I''m very pleased," Jaxon praised with a broad grin on his face, baring his teeth.

    Anthony looked over at Jarrod and winked at him discreetly.

    Jarrod immediately took the hint and began complaining to Jaxon with indignation, "Master Jaxon, Harley received five Sun-swallowing Pills from the Sun-swallowing Beast, but he didn''t leave any of them for us! Instead, he distributed them to warriors from other forces. It''s completely unreasonable! If Harley doesn''t give us an acceptable explanation, I''m afraid the Imperial Level warriors of our clan won''t let this matter go so easily."

    In fact, Jaxon had heard about this situation from Jarrod before, but wi

    if we can get along well with them, unimaginable profit will be brought to our Xiao Clan," he told him.

    "On that point, I do agree." Jaxon nodded his approval. "I honestly believe that we can build a good relationship with them and we''ll benefit tremendously. Even more so that recently, the head of their clan appears throughout various different occasions in the Devil Kingdom. I think this may be a signal. Anyway, the two Sun-swallowing Pills weren''t just free gifts," he concluded.

    Because Jaxon had said so, no one dared to raise their objections.

    "Even so, what about the other three pills, then? We all know that the Phoenix Pavilion is our clan''s sworn enemy!" Anthony continued to question Zachary, unwilling to accept the truth. In spite of his restlessness, every word Zachary spoke hit the nail on the head.

    "Well, I gave one to the Phoenix Pavilion in order to help my best friend, Pollard. You might not know this, but Joan from the Phoenix Pavilion is Pollard''s lover, and Pollard will be the Qiu Clan''s heir in the future. That said, I have every reason to give her one pill. What do you think about that, Master Jaxon?" Zachary questioned, still keeping his composure.

    "I understand." Jaxon was surprised to find that Zachary was so thoughtful. His argument couldn''t be refuted in any way possible.

    Zachary''s eloquence left Anthony speechless. He shut his mouth and ground his teeth in anger. He didn''t ask any further questions, at least not for the time being.

 Chapter 613 Explanation

    "Then why did you give one to the Ghost Clan''s young master, huh? Giving the pills to the orthodox forces might be justifiable, but you gave one to a heterodox clan as well. You were helping the evil!" Jarrod retorted defiantly. He was still trying to find fault with Zachary, and he was giving it all he had.

    "Ah-ha! Just as I expected. You can''t explain it, can you?" Anthony echoed his own voice.

    "When it comes to that, I owe you no explanation at all. You two weren''t present at the time, so you don''t know what happened. You can, however, ask Guardian Patrick who actually witnessed it all. The Ghost Clan''s young master blamed me for peeping at him while he was taking a bath and threatening me into giving him a Sun-swallowing Pill!" Zachary replied, glancing in Patrick''s direction, who was sitting on the other side.

    "Guardian Patrick, did that occur?" Jaxon faced Patrick and asked.

    "Yes, it''s true. But I don''t think it was necessary for him to take such action at the time. The Ghost Clan''s young master is a man. Let''s face it. The fact that Harley might have seen him taking a bath really isn''t a big deal." Patrick was, of course, siding with Anthony on this one.

    "Of course. You have your master to support you, right? Why did you fear the Ghost Clan in the first place? You were much too timid." Anthony grabbed at the opportunity, seeing it as an open door to pour ridicule on Zachary.

    "And again, yes, you''re right. I was so cowardly that I gave him a Sun-swallowing Pill," Zachary admitted in a nonchalant manner.

    Every member observing the scene was surprised by his words. How could he possibly bear the humiliation so calmly?

    "But everyone, you might have all forgotten one thing. Although my master is a powerful Holy Level warrior, according to the Supernal Continent''s rules, any warrior above the Holy Level isn''t allowed to interfere in ordinary persons'' affairs. The reason why she appeared at that very moment was to stop the Sun-swallowing Beast that had gone mad. Originally, the Sage Level beast should bring benefit to the world, but for some reason, it was used by certain ambitious people in order to hurt the major forces. Therefore, my master took action in order to prevent a disaster, not for my sake whatsoever. It''s safe to say that if I had a personal conflict with the Ghost Clan, she wouldn''t have gotten involved."

    asn''t for him, I wouldn''t have gone there this time, and I therefore thanked him with a pill as a gift. The second reason was to figure out what kind of person he really is. If he is worthy of trust, perhaps I can try to draw him over to the Xiao Clan and have him work for us. At least, that was my train of thought in this situation. It''s possible to say that he isn''t much inferior to me in terms of talent. What''s more, he doesn''t receive any explicit guidance from a famous teacher. He''s been capable of becoming what he is today with his own effort and talent alone. To sum it all up, I believe he''s a talent worth cultivating," Zachary explained as seriously as he could.

    "I must thank you for placing yourself in our position. In fact, I had paid attention to him before, and I was certain I''d found a diamond in the rough. That said, I heard a few rumors later on that he seemed to have some type of relationship with the Ghost Clan, and that perhaps, he had been a disciple of the Ghost Clan in the past. Although he joined an orthodox force later, many doubts about him remain. He is a man worthy of training, but I don''t think any orthodox force, including us, is willing to recruit a warrior from a heterodox clan," Jaxon explained in return, after a moment''s hesitation.

    "You''re right. Better safe than sorry. The Xiao Clan achieves what it has today because of your farsighted, cautious and wise strategy. If I may say so myself, I think you might as well consider it from another angle," Zachary suggested, narrowing his eyes and focusing his attention on Jaxon.

 Chapter 614 Jaxons Thoughts

    "And what exactly do you mean by that?" Jaxon stared back at Zachary, a look of confusion taking over him.

    "Well, look at it this way. If Goliath really was a member of the Ghost Clan like you said, then why did he suddenly disassociate himself from the Ghost Clan and join an orthodox force? He might have his own reasons, you know. There are only two reasons why the Ghost Clan could possibly be willing to give up such an excellent disciple. One would be that they are plotting something, intending to let Goliath be a spy in the force where he is now. The other would be that Goliath woke up to reality just in time and refused to stay with them. Therefore, he broke away from the Ghost Clan as quickly as he could. One way or the other though, trust me when I say I think you can make good use of him," Zachary proposed again, a little more adamantly this time.

    "Make good use of him? Share your ideas, seeing as you seem to know how I''d possibly do that." Jaxon''s interest was clearly aroused. He leaned forward, his eyebrows peaked and his ears attentive.

    The people present began to whisper to each other once again.

    "Suppose, for the sake of an example, that you do recruit him. If his purpose is the first possibility, then under your strict surveillance, he will give himself away, and we will find out the truth about what kind of plot the Ghost Clan is planning. After such, we will expose their plot, ultimately allowing us to enhance our reputation in the Devil Kingdom. By then, the orthodox forces will have responded to our call to fight against the Ghost Clan. In this way, all of the credit will go to us. Neither the Xuanyuan Clan nor the Phoenix Pavilion can strive for credit with us. If his purpose is the second option, it''ll be even easier for you. You''ll have a highly talented disciple on your hands, and everyone will speak highly of you because you seek talents with eagerness, disregarding their backgrounds. That''s another thing that can be helpful in improving the Xiao Clan''s reputation." Zachary voiced his opinion loudly and clearly for all to hear.

    "Like you''ve said, I''m ready to agree that Goliath can be useful to me. That said, I believe there''s still a risk in taking him into my clan." Jaxon was always cool, calculating and cautious and he demonstrated this demeanor in his response.

    "It all depends on whether you are willing to take the risk or not, I guess. I''ve already paved the way for you. You can take your time to think it over. This isn''t

    if I''m short-sighted? Sooner or later, the Xiao Clan will be mine. I don''t believe that I, the young master, can''t deal with a new Imperial Level warrior. What a joke! They can all just wait and see!"

    As Zachary headed back home, he noticed that the Blazing Roc was lying on the ground in a corner, while Jimmy and Henry were standing off to the side.

    "Harley!"

    "Manager Harley!"

    As Jimmy and Henry saw Zachary coming back, they approached him in utter excitement. They had gotten news about what happened in the Holy Cloud Mountain and felt quite proud.

    "I''ve been away for a few days. Did anyone bully you while I was gone?" Zachary asked, his forehead creased with wrinkles.

    "No, of course not. No one dared to do so. Everyone in the Xiao Clan knows that you have a Holy Level master. They undoubtedly treat us quite nicely," Jimmy replied smugly, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

    "Oh, really?" Zachary smiled widely at them and then turned to the Blazing Roc. "Orion, you can go back first, if you''d like." With that, he waved his hand above his head, and a whirlpool appeared in the air. The Blazing Roc immediately flew into the whirlpool without a second''s hesitation and disappeared at once.

    "Harley, Ryder and I have finished the selection of the fifty disciples who meet the requirements. When will you check the list?" Jimmy asked curiously but kept his tone light.

    "There''s simply no need to hurry. I don''t need them for the time being. Put that task aside for now," Zachary replied flatly.

    Jimmy nodded back in understanding.

    Zachary turned to face Henry. "Henry, there''s one thing I need you to do for me," he demanded.

 Chapter 615 Train Zelvag

    "Please feel free to ask anything of me, Manager Harley," Henry offered respectfully, his head bowed a little.

    "Something big happened twenty years ago in the Xiao Clan, and I really want to know what it was. Help me find out exactly what happened in the Xiao Clan back then. Ask around and get as much information as possible," Zachary ordered, all while remaining respectful.

    "Twenty years ago? That''s such a long time. I''m afraid it won''t be an easy task to accomplish." Henry was also frowning. At any rate, it was really difficult to uncover anything about what happened that long ago.

    "Just try your best. If you really can''t find anything, it doesn''t matter too much," Zachary added.

    "I''ll do my best to find out what you need to know." Henry nodded, demonstrating his agreement. Zachary had given him a bottle of pills in the past, and now it was his turn to return the favor. He certainly couldn''t let Zachary down with such a task.

    At that, Henry took his chance to leave.

    "Has anyone come to that room these past few days?" Zachary asked Jimmy as he pointed towards Vivian''s medicine refining room.

    "No. I haven''t seen anyone go inside there lately." Jimmy shook his head.

    "Is that true?" Zachary narrowed his eyes and glanced at the medicine refining room with intent. Right now though, he had more important things to do, so he said to Jimmy, "If anyone comes asking for me, tell them I''m in my room cultivating in seclusion, and that I won''t see anyone."

    "Sure, got it." Jimmy nodded.

    At that, Zachary left the courtyard and headed for the Xiao Clan''s forbidden area. As soon as he entered the forbidden area, he noticed Zelvag sitting under a giant tree not far away, dozing off peacefully.

    Upon seeing such a sight, Zachary knew that Zelvag was waiting for him. He smiled and shook his head. He approached Zelvag quickly but quietly. The latter seemed to have sensed Zachary''s aura and immediately opened his big, curious eyes. The simple sight of Zachary made him grin.

    "Were you waiting for me, by any chance?" Zachary asked cheerfully, a grin plastered on his face.

    Zelvag nodded back positively and eagerly.

    "And how long have you been waiting here, exactly?"

    Zelvag began spreading his fingers in an attempt to count, but after a long moment, he still didn''t have an answer.

    "Sounds like a long time! Well, stop counting. Let''s go." Zachary smiled and stopped Zelvag. He then walked toward the cave with Zelvag by his side.

    When he reached Zelvag''s cave, he didn''t tell him right away that he was actually here to investigate. Instead, he began to check Zelvag''s progress in cultivation first.

    "Zelvag, why don''t you

    ..'' Zachary thought to himself, sneering in his mind. According to his observation of Zelvag''s energy circulation during the practice just moments ago, he found that the energy circulation in Zelvag''s body was actually the same as that of the huge black shadow he met in the Chi Palace. In other words, the huge black shadow in the palace was also perhaps a Chi Race descendant. Apparently, the Xiao Clan had lied about certain aspects on that point.

    Now though, Zachary wanted to find out whether or not Zelvag was really a descendant of the Chi Race. Perhaps his identity was a fake one that the Xiao Clan had made up just to throw him off their trail. Or maybe, Zelvag was nothing more than just a human being mutant. Nothing was easy to figure out without any concrete evidence. If only he could collect the genes of primitive Chi Race members! Then, by comparing them with Zelvag''s genes, he might obtain the precise answer he was looking for. Currently, this idea remained the most unrealistic one. The Chi Race had already been annihilated a long time ago. It was estimated that nothing of them was left behind in this world, let alone some organism that could be used to test their genes.

    After a moment''s consideration, Zachary thought that he should start with the Leader Zelvag had mentioned. In his mind, it was highly likely that this Leader was Jaxon. "Zelvag, tell me, when is the last time the Leader came to see you here?"

    "It''s been a while, to be honest. I don''t know exactly how long, but every time the Leader comes, it''s at the full moon," Zelvag replied, after giving it a little thought.

    "The full moon, you say?" Zachary squinted his eyes. If he remembered correctly, it was a full moon tonight. Evidently, he had come to Zelvag''s cave at the right time.

 Chapter 616 The Engagement

    Realizing that there was still quite some time before the night fell, Zachary decided to tell train Zelvag. "Listen, Zelvag. Seeing as you''ve successfully learned to use martial energy, next, I''ll teach you the simplest martial skill of all. The power of the martial skill combined with martial energy will be much stronger than anything you''ve experienced before."

    "Okay!" Zelvag agreed. Zelvag had a general understanding of what martial arts were, and he often saw Imperial Level warriors of Xiao Clan who entered the forbidden area perform such skills.

    "Pay attention! First of all, when learning martial arts, you have to keep in mind the importance of using your imagination. You must visually imagine your martial energy into a shape that you can release," Zachary explained slowly, making sure that Zelvag was catching every word.

    "Imagination, you say? Do you mean martial energy can be transformed into meat through my imagination?" Zelvag asked, trying to understand exactly what he was being taught.

    Zachary burst out in loud laughter. He was greatly amused by Zelvag''s deep obsessiveness with food.

    "Of course not, Zelvag! Have you ever seen anyone fight with others by releasing slabs of steak? Come on, big guy! Ha-ha!" Zachary asked, unable to withhold his laughter. After all, it was a pretty funny imaginary sight.

    "You''re right. I haven''t," Zelvag concluded, shaking his head.

    "Different martial arts have different forms of martial energy. Today, I will teach you the simplest martial skill in the form of a fist," Zachary continued, putting the meat scenario quickly behind them.

    "Wow! I''m excited! Please, do teach!" Zelvag urged, outwardly delighted.

    Without further ado, Zachary began guiding Zelvag with the simplest fist skill at the Mortal Level. Zelvag was, surprisingly enough, a quick learner when it came to understanding martial arts. He mastered the fist skill''s basic points very quickly. However, due to his obsessiveness with meat, it was often impossible for him to form the correct shape of martial energy and release it appropriately.

    When Zelvag was concentrated on learning something new, time passed faster than ever before. Before they had the chance to realize it, night had fallen and a bright, round moon was gradually rising outside the cave, illuminating the darkening sky.

    ''The Leader should be here just about now, '' Zachary thought to himself, looking in all directions outside the cave.

    It was at that exact moment that a very strong aura began to rise from afar, coming closer and closer to the cave. Zachary''s expression changed as soon as he sensed it, his eyes widening in fear, because this aura''s strength was far above the Sage Level. He could feel it.

    "It seems that the Leader is on his way," Zelvag said. As soon as he noticed, his behavior immediately chan

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    she couldn''t help looking at Zachary for a few more lingering moments. Not long ago, she heard that he went to the Holy Cloud Mountain, and that he had obtained three Sun-swallowing Pills in the fierce competition among the warriors from various forced and successfully absorbed them. Information about such an amazing performance came as a great surprise, especially for a warrior who had just broken through to the Imperial Level. It was far beyond her expectations of him. Although a part of her still thought it was unbelievable, she was more certain that Zachary could be very valuable to her.

    "Well, that''s their problem, not mine!" Zachary said casually, shrugging his shoulders and blowing it off.

    "Who said it''s none of your business? Soon, their jealousy will keep growing," Vivian said with a cunning smile in her beautiful eyes.

    "What do you mean? I''m not sure I understand," Zachary asked as politely as he could muster.

    "In three days, I will make an announcement to the whole Devil Kingdom: You and I are to be engaged together, and a month from now, there will be a race for the marriage to be held in our Xiao Clan. If any Imperial Level warrior doesn''t accept you to be my husband, then he can challenge you in that race. If he defeats you, he would have a chance to replace you and be my husband," Vivian informed.

    "Would you really push me into a dangerous situation like that? I don''t want to be whole Devil Kingdom''s common enemy! Think of me for a second!" As soon as he heard what she said, Zachary was rather surprised that Vivian had planned to get engaged to him and more so, that she''d hold a race for the marriage, just to test him. Although he wasn''t completely certain of her purpose, she was clearly bold enough to bet her marriage on it. Therefore, he couldn''t help but look at her differently. Among all the women he knew, she was the most courageous!

 Chapter 617 Fulfill The Promise

    "Huh? I am merely fulfilling the promise my father made when he first recruited you at Shura College. Everyone present heard of him offering my hand to you. If we back out of this now, people will gossip about how the Xiao Clan tolerates empty talk." Vivian looked at Zachary dead serious.

    "If my memory serves me right, I had already rejected Master Jaxon''s proposal," Zachary said slowly, narrowing his eyes.

    "It''s not up to you. Our clan is one of the most powerful forces in the Devil Kingdom, and as such, every word we utter carries weight. And besides, I myself have not refused. What makes you think that you have the right to refuse me? Am I not good enough?" She looked at him, genuinely displeased.

    "No, it''s not like that. I just don''t know what I''ve done to deserve you," Zachary replied, a sincere expression across his face.

    "Your problem is finding that out, mine is deciding upon this matter. And since I''ve already agreed on an engagement with you, I suggest you should not refuse me, unless you want me to make your life a living hell!" Vivian said, raising her voice.

    "Vivian, why are you so stubborn? I know you know marrying me won''t be any good," Zachary said softly, smiling and shaking his head lightly.

    "That''s my business, and everyone knows I''ve always been a woman who never stops until I get what I want!" Vivian claimed confidently.

    "Well, since you insist, I won''t care if you do whatever you want. At worst, I can just admit defeat in the race." Zachary shrugged, using every ounce of strength to pretend he was aloof.

    "I know it''s impossible for you to lose!" A smile slowly spread across her face.

    "Why are you so sure of my victory? I will be up against strong warriors of Imperial Level. How will I be a match for any of them?" Zachary said with a bitter smile.

    "Because I believe in you and the fact that you won''t let any other man marry me. It will be you or no one else. Don''t think for a second that your pretend arrogance fooled me. You are not ambitious, but you absolutely always have a purpose. You didn''t just join t

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    didn''t say my lackey''s pockets are also empty..." His laugh trailed off as he walked away.

    "Sir, who exactly is your master?" one of the three grabbed Jimmy''s arm and asked, their eyes now fluttering with curiosity.

    "He''s the new Xiao Clan recruit, Harley Bai. You must have heard of him. He is quite a celebrity, you know!" Jimmy replied in a tone of admiration.

    "Oh, he''s that famous Harley that everyone keeps talking about! Oh, my God! He''s so handsome!"

    "We''re sorry we accused him of being a liar!"

    "Sir, please come back soon. We are willing to serve you for free."

    The three regretted having treated Zachary like that.

    "Those three are crazy! But Zachary, you really are famous! Even those women in the brothel know about you." Jimmy rolled his eyes at the women one last time and finally caught up to Zachary.

    Upon arriving at the Lily House''s gate, they immediately noticed the unusually peaceful ambiance compared to the rest of the street. The door was half-closed, and no women stood in front to solicit customers.

    "Harley, is this really the place? It feels strange, like there''s nobody here. Will there be any kind of danger?" Jimmy muttered.

    "It is what it is. At worst, it''s an ambush. Just stay alert." Zachary smiled calmly and walked up the stairs, finally reaching the door. He pushed it open and immediately came across an astonishing view.

 Chapter 618 A Respectful Welcome

    The entire Lily House was full of beautiful women, smiling like delicate flowers and dazzling in different poses. Almost every one of them was half-naked. They wore only fitted brassieres in distinct colors, each covered with a thin layer of soft silk, which made them look tempting. Jimmy, who was following Zachary, could not help but secretly swallow his saliva after seeing such a breathtaking scene. He looked dumbfounded.

    "Welcome to the Lily House, Master Harley!" Seconds later, the women inside the entire building received Zachary all at once.

    "You''re so kind to me, beauties. I''m just a warrior of Imperial Level. You don''t have to give me a big welcome," Zachary said in a casual tone. He looked very comfortable, chatting, and laughing along.

    "Ha-ha, you are too modest, Harley. I don''t think this spectacle is impressive enough, however. It should have been grander and over the top." A man''s voice suddenly came as if from across a great distance and echoed around the building. Then, a towering and well-built figure emerged on the second floor fronting Zachary. Covered in a silk cloak, he looked very composed and accomplished.

    "Bruno, I''m flattered that you''ve arranged such a warm and extravagant reception to receive me!" Zachary said, and a broad smile played around the corners of his mouth as he looked up.

    "Why are you still standing there like dummies? Move quickly and send Harley up right now!" Bruno quickly spoke to the women, giving them a signal with his eyes.

    Afterward, several notably charming and good-looking women standing by the doorway surrounded Zachary at once. He had no intention of rejecting them in any way. He held two of them in his arms.

    "Jimmy, just stay down here and wait for me," Zachary spun around to tell Jimmy. Then, he went up to the second floor while a large group of courtesans circled him.

    "Harley, right this way, please," Bruno said as he gestured to a direction with his hand. He and Zachary walked into a spacious room in the center of the second floor.

    The lavish furnishings and intricate embellishments made the room seem like a palace, which gave off an impression that it was not a common area to receive guests. The solid wood, round table laden with varieties of sumptuous dishes and drinks greeted him. After entering the room, Bruno and Zachary sat at opposite sides of the table. Both of them sat in between two women, while the other women just stood behind, waiting t

    ld only several drops of it. Meanwhile, Zachary had already supplied six drops to him, including the three drops just now. Therefore, his Hatching Fluid didn''t come from the Phoenix House. Bruno was confident that he had another source.

    "There is no need to ask about that. Regardless, don''t forget our agreement," Zachary said calmly with a smile.

    "Of course I won''t," Bruno said. Seeing that Zachary didn''t want to talk about it, he stopped asking and just put away the bottle.

    "I suppose the other reason why you wanted to see me has something to do with your sworn father, Master Daniel, right?" Zachary asked, getting straight to the point. He acted the role of a new Imperial Level warrior, somebody outspoken and superior. So, there was no need for him to beat around the bush now.

    "You are a prophet, Harley," Bruno said with a smile after being taken aback for a few seconds. Of course, he was amazed that Zachary could identify his purpose and mention it upfront. He thought that Zachary was quite brazen and proud, just as how rumors described him.

    "If you want to say anything to me, say it openly. I don''t like pretending to be humble," Zachary clarified.

    "If you say so, I will tell you the truth. Not only the Xiao Clan leader attaches great importance to you, but my father also thinks very highly of you too. He has been paying attention to you privately since the first day you joined the clan," Bruno said bluntly.

    "Oh, is that so? I didn''t expect he would take much notice of me. I have never seen him since I became a member of the clan for a while now," Zachary said carefully, lifting an eyebrow.

 Chapter 619 Engagement

    "It wasn''t very long ago when you joined the Xiao Clan, but at this point, even you should know that my father isn''t on good terms with the clan. He won''t return to Alexander City unless it is absolutely necessary. Obviously, that''s why you haven''t met him," Bruno explained frankly.

    Zachary nodded in understanding as he responded, "So Master Daniel isn''t in the city right now?"

    "And it''s the reason why I''m the one who''s come to invite you to the banquet, not him. As I''m the emissary of his commands, I''d like to have a word with you as well," Bruno continued, giving him a look.

    "Oh? About what?" Zachary asked, a little curious.

    "Since you''re one of the more recent acquisitions of the Xiao Clan, you might not be completely aware of what''s going on around here and the status quo. I feel as though if you''re to proceed, you''d need to know the real situation. Master Jaxon, who, as you know, is the head of the Xiao Clan, is now over 70 years old. Given the state of his strength as it is, it wouldn''t surprise anyone if he were to go on living for a few dozen more years or so. Furthermore, he''s been considered as merely steps away from reaching the Holy Level, too. Of course, once he does get there, he''ll have to retire from public life and remove himself from the Xiao Clan''s daily affairs. Currently, the master has a son and a daughter. His daughter Vivian has been quite ill for some time now and hasn''t been seen in the public eye until very recently. While she herself is at the Imperial Level, her gender categorically disqualifies her from becoming Master Jaxon''s heir. Anthony then has been selected as the Xiao Clan''s heir, but he''s also only recently broken into the threshold of the Imperial Level through the aid of the Sun-swallowing Pill. Given his rate of progress, it''s unthinkable for him to take over the duties and responsibilities at any time below ten years from now. And furthermore, he''s simply incapable of being the leader the clan needs. Back in Shura College, he did nothing but made trouble and he continues his deplorable behavior back home. From what I understand, the two of you have quite a grudge and have been at each other''s throats for a while now. It''s simply preposterous to think that this man could ever be the next leader," Bruno said with a disdainful expression as he recounted Anthony''s antics.

    "That''s certainly understandable," Zachary replied noncommittally, still trying to figure out where the wind lay.

    "In my frank opinion, whoever should lead the Xiao Clan must be someone of tremendous prestige and someone who has earned the approval of the rest of the clan. Moreover, it''s only natural to expect him to be powerful and competent in terms of his performance as a warrior. Obviously, those requirements disqualify Anthony already as it is," Bruno continued with a derisive snort.

    "So what you''re trying to say is that under those qualifications, the most suitable candidate to become the heir is Master Daniel. I

    ll, I do need your help to build a vast fortune!" Bruno grinned, waving it away and raising a toast to Zachary once again.

    Talk turned to other avenues as they discussed their allegiance, and Bruno had quite a few ideas to share.

    It wasn''t long before darkness fell and the Flower Street was blossomed into light, with a crowd wandering through it.

    "Looks like it''s time to move along. If we keep loitering around here, we''ll hold up the Lily House''s business. I think it''s time to put our meeting to an end. I''ll see you another time." Zachary stood up and politely cupped his hands to his companion in respect.

    "That''s true. Well in that case, friend, I''ll see you again." Bruno nodded as he rose, accompanying Zachary to the first floor.

    "Jimmy, let''s go," Zachary called out, rousing Jimmy from where he was buried deep in sensual pleasures, wallowing in the company of several beautiful women.

    At the sound of his voice, Jimmy shivered and roused himself as quickly as he could, sobering up. Pulling himself away from his stupor, he headed to Zachary.

    "Did you have a good time?" Zachary asked him with a grin, a gleam of mischief in his eye.

    Jimmy''s immediate response was to eagerly nod before he got his senses back and immediately began to shake his head.

    With a laugh at his reaction, Zachary now looked back to Bruno with a nod. "Bye, Bruno. We''ll meet again." And Zachary departed with Jimmy.

    Once Zachary had disappeared, a cold expression appeared in Bruno''s eyes. "Looks like I''ll have to talk to my father in person about this. If those two get engaged, It''ll be a big disadvantage to us." And he immediately turned heel and left, heading for home.

    Once Zachary had left the Lily House, he allowed a smile to creep over his face. ''I''m not sure what Daniel will do to mess up my engagement with Vivian. But one thing''s for sure: it''s going to be decidedly troubled in the Xiao Clan for a while. And I absolutely can''t wait to see what happens next.''

 Chapter 620 Anthonys Sinister Plan

    Three days later, the Xiao Clan announced that Vivian and Zachary would get engaged to the entire Devil Kingdom. But that wasn''t all. They were going to hold a race for the marriage for all Imperial Level warriors in a month. It would give the warriors less than forty years of age the opportunity to challenge Zachary. Whoever managed to defeat him would be able to marry Vivian. Once the news spread, it, naturally, caused a huge uproar in the Devil Kingdom. Every Imperial Level warrior was overcome with anticipation. The prospect of being Vivian''s husband was enticing. Even the Xiao Clan''s own Imperial Level warriors were getting ready for battle.

    Needless to say, Anthony hadn''t been the least bit pleased with the announcement. Now that news of their engagement had spread all over the world, there was no turning back. He couldn''t change his father''s mind. However, the challenge held some appeal. The idea of accepting Zachary as a brother-in-law made him sick. So he was determined to find a way to stop the engagement from taking place. That was why he would put his own plan in motion.

    A big burly man with a paunch entered the Xiao Clan''s hall. It was one the clan reserved for business dealings. Had Zachary been there, he would have recognized the man immediately. He was none other than Carmelo, an Imperial Level warrior with whom he had fought in the past.

    Carmelo drew a big smile on his face as he walked towards Anthony and bowed. "Young Master, what can I do for you?" he asked reverently.

    "Please take a seat, Carmelo," Anthony said as he gestured to a chair.

    Carmelo did as he was asked, though cramming his large body into it and almost broke the chair.

    "I invited you here to ask you something," Anthony said.

    "Oh, what is it?" Carmelo asked. He had no clue why the Xiao Clan''s young master had brought him here and what he could possibly want from him.

    "I heard that there was some sort of conflict between you and Harley. Is that true?" Anthony studied Carmelo carefully.

    "Well, that''s true, yes. But I won''t lower myself to his level!" Carmelo sneered at the thought that this might be about Zachary.

    "Oh. That''s very mature of you. Unlike Harley, who''s always raving about the fact that he''s far better than you. He claims you''re a coward faking his own power while naturally useless. He once even said that you wouldn''t dare and lay a hand on him." Anthony preyed on Carmelo''s insecurity to frame Zachary by making up these rumors.

    "Did he really say that? Come on. He''s the weak one. I can easily break his neck with one hand." Carmelo shot up from his chair with a guttural growl. His fists clenched in rage.

    "Now that he has my father''s support, he has grown both ungovernable and arrogant since joining the Xiao Clan. And I don''t approve of such behavior. However, for my father''s sake, I have no choice but to turn a blind eye to his arrogance," Anthony said in a seeming

    ned immediately, having prepared the excuse long before he arrived.

    "Really? That''s so considerate of you to be so concerned over my house. Thank you. But it was just one room that caught fire. It''s not a big deal. You don''t have to bother yourself by staying here to deal with it. I''ll take care of everything. Please get back to your patrol!" Zachary said with a smile, hoping he would leave.

    "I don''t think that''s a good idea. Our leader''s late wife used to live in this house. We must examine things carefully to know the cause and ensure it doesn''t happen again," Carmelo said. He couldn''t leave so quickly since the main character hadn''t gone up on the stage yet. But now that he had said those words, he had to play along. So he ordered his subordinates to check every room carefully. He needed to stall as he waited for Vivian to arrive.

    After some time, a delicate figure rushed into the house. She quickly caught sight of the destroyed medicine refining room. The shock on her face was blatantly obvious. She then rushed into the ruined room at once and used her hand to split the furnace. Several pills fell to the floor, and then broke into pieces, turning into black powder.

    "My pills! My pills!" Upon seeing the room, she shook with grief. She had put a lot of efforts into making the pills. She had spent three whole years on refining the pills. The fire hadn''t just burned her work. it burned her hope as well.

    "Are you okay?" Carmelo asked, feigning concern when he saw the sad look on her face.

    "Why is my medicine refining room burned like this? What happened?" Vivian demanded as she turned around and glared at Carmelo.

    "Please calm down. It was like this when I came here. You might want to ask Harley about what really happened here," Carmelo pointed out. He hoped that she would get his meaning and blame everything on Zachary. If she thought he was the one responsible, she would surely break the engagement then.

 Chapter 621 New Main Quest

    "I really don''t know. When I walked out of my room, this room was already on fire," Zachary said, pursing his lips.

    Vivian frowned for a while. As she stood silently, a pungent odor made her nostrils flare. Stooping down, she found a little black gunpowder on a porcelain fragment that hadn''t been burnt off.

    "Hmm... this is gunpowder." Vivian realized as soon as she inspected the porcelain a little closer. "It wasn''t an accident. Someone obviously set fire to the room."

    "What? Someone set fire on purpose?! Whoever did this must be out of mind!" Carmelo shouted exaggeratedly. He turned to Zachary and said, "Harley, have you noticed anyone suspicious around here?"

    "No, I haven''t seen anyone." Zachary shook his head.

    "Well, in that case, perhaps it was an inside job..." Carmelo looked Zachary over from head to toe suspiciously.

    "What are you trying to get at, Carmelo? Do you suspect me of something?" Zachary wasn''t surprised. He had anticipated this.

    "Don''t put words in my mouth. I never said it was you! A clean hand wants no washing..." Carmelo didn''t hesitate to continue stirring things up.

    "Harley, be honest. Did you set fire to the room or not?" A suspicious look also appeared on Vivian''s face as she questioned him. She wasn''t sure what to believe.

    "Excuse me for my ignorance, but why would I do something like that?" Zachary squinted his eyes, his expression grim.

    "To get back at me, of course!" Not long ago, Vivian had insisted on being engaged to Zachary against his will and therefore, she figured he had every reason to take his revenge by any means possible. Besides, he was the only one who knew how important the room was to her.

    "Do you honestly think I''m that kind of person?" Zachary asked, presumably hurt by this ask.

    Vivian immediately hesitated and didn''t have the chance to respond. She didn''t know whether she should trust Zachary or not.

    "If you suspect him in any way, I can send someone to investigate right away. I promise I will find out what happened soon enough," Carmelo claimed. If Vivian suspected Zachary in any way, now was a good opportunity to pin the whole thing on him.

    After a few seconds of silence, Vivian looked up at Zachary. She then turned to Carmelo and snapped, "Get out! And take your men with you. Even if I want to investigate, I''ll investigate myself. Don''t ever tell me what to do."

    "What? Are you serious?" Carmelo couldn''t believe what Vivian had just said to him. He had never expected that she would throw him out in such a way.

    "Just get out!" Vivian was clearly in a terrible mood, her arms stiffly crossed upon her chest.

    Carmelo could do nothing but leave, considering her undeniable rage. He didn''t dare speak an

    latly with a nod of his head.

    "The new main quest is accepted. It requires you to help Vivian repair her physical defect without exposing your identity."

    "How can I help Vivian recover her physical defect without revealing my identity?" Zachary cut her off. "What kind of quest is this? If I help Vivian collect the materials and refine the pills, seeing as she knows I''m the one helping her, I would thus fail the quest. This means I can''t help her collect the materials and refine the pills. I''ll have to find another way to go about completing this. Now that I give it a little more thought, I had a physical defect at first. I used the Refreshing Pill in order to recover. Maybe it is not necessary to refiner pills. All I need is to get another Refreshing Pill." Zachary was aware of the quest and he turned it over in his mind thoroughly.

    "Mimi, does this quest provide any items by chance? Like a Refreshing Pill or something like that, for example..." Zachary asked rather hesitantly. This kind of quest had appeared before. The last time was in the Welkin Sect, and the system gave him a Heaven and Earth Pill with which he could heal Elva''s wound.

    "No," Mimi answered curtly.

    "How can I heal her without exposing my identity? I''m not a miracle worker! I don''t understand what I''m supposed to do!" Zachary could tell that this main quest would be another pain in the neck. He had an anxious feeling because he wasn''t sure what exactly was being asked of him.

    "Well, I''d suggest you should go find Tania and ask her to give you some advice," Mimi reminded him.

    "Oh, I almost forgot about her. She''s an authority in this respect! Speaking of her, I haven''t seen her for a long time. I think I should be able to take on the second trial." With that, Zachary headed for the Fairy Island right away.

 Chapter 622 The Second Trial

    Once Zachary had been transported to the Living-dead Tomb, he trekked down the path that led towards Fairy Island. Upon arrival, he sensed a chill through the air and gazed upward. The island, which had always seemed as harmonic and sweet as spring all year round, was now blanketed by winter snow. Flurries whirled through the air as the island had transformed to a snowy scene.

    "Strange! How did the island transform this suddenly? I wonder if it''s because I haven''t been here in a while," Zachary murmured to himself as he summoned up a gust of protective martial energy to effectively repel the blistering wind. He carefully made his way through the crunching snow beneath his feet and headed towards the bamboo house.

    Once he reached the house, he saw that its roof was already covered with a thick layer of snow that continued to trickle down from time to time. Still, the walkway around the house had been cleared.

    "Tania? Are you here? Where are you?" Zachary''s brow furrowed. Knowing about Tania''s temper, he did not dare to stray past the perimeter of the bamboo house.

    It wasn''t long before Tania finally opened the door, stepping out. Upon seeing him, she immediately frowned. "What are you doing here, Zachary?"

    "Well, I actually have something to talk to you about," Zachary replied, grinning broadly at her. He was carefully gauging her mood through her expression, given that she had the tendency to be so emotional. She would be nice to him when she was in a good mood, but when her expression was more tempestuous, he would rightly brace himself to be sent flying out of Fairy Island sooner rather than later.

    "Oh. I see. Well, come in then." Tania gave him a sideways glance as she gestured for him to come in. She turned back to trod into the house without another word.

    ''Well, it looks like she''s in a good mood today!'' Zachary was thrilled at the thought, and he felt relieved. If Tania was in a good mood, then he might just be able to get a method to cure Vivian''s physical defect.

    Following her into the bamboo house, Zachary found that it was drastically unalike the outdoors. The inside of the home was warm as spring, almost as though the sun was shining.

    "Tania, I also meant to ask, what''s happened to Fairy Island? How come the climate''s changed to this degree?" Zachary asked, burning with curiosity as he watched Tania, who seemed to be drawing something out of a shelf.

    "Ah that. Fairy Island is currently docked at the edge of a snowy land. The island itself takes after the climate of wherever it''s currently attached. The snow will leave once the island''s departed from it, and things will shift back to the normal climate," Tania replied, her tone noncommittal and belied no emotion.

    "Oh right. I almost forgot that Fairy Island can actually move." Zachary scratched his head in wonder as he realized that the extraordinariness of Fairy Island. Being able to self-transport allowed the island to move freely in all the continents in this world, including the Supernal Continent.

    "Look, if you have something to say, just spit it out. I''ve got errands to run for later." Tania shot him a glance without even turning around.

    "Oh, the thing is, a friend of mine has a little problem with her body. For some reason, she''s not able to regulate her strength properly. She can improve her strength continuously, but she''s unable to fully r

    welcome, wouldn''t it?" Zachary scrambled to think of a reason that might compel Tania to help Vivian, and could only find whatever crossed his mind. It was true, after all, that Tania really had no motivation that would compel her to do all this.

    "I have saved more than enough people. I don''t need any further merit," Tania sniffed disdainfully at him.

    "Look, Tania, please. I''m begging for your help, I really am." Zachary wasn''t quite willing to surrender just yet. He would try his best if there was any measure of hope of convincing her.

    "And what in this world has that woman done that compels you to beg on her behalf? You of all people! Do you like her, is that it?" Tania turned to glance at him at this, clearly interested in his own motivation.

    "No, it''s not like that. But I stand to gain a lot if I were to manage to cure her," Zachary finally responded, baring the truth.

    "Oh, is that right? I see you''ve gotten a little smarter than you used to be. Last time, you cried and begged me like a child to save that useless master of yours." Tania''s lips curled into a wicked smirk at this rare opportunity to tease Zachary.

    "Look, things are different now! Can you just please help me?" Zachary protested, a bitter smile on his face as he knew that he was being toyed with.

    "Well...since saving her would benefit you, I suppose I can work up the effort to save her. But before I do anything of the sort, I want you to finish the first stage of the second trial," Tania finally replied triumphantly.

    "The first stage of the second trial? That''s it? Oh thank goodness. I actually wanted to ask you what the second trial even is," Zachary exclaimed, delighted.

    "Well you''re going to ask Anne about that, if you want the real details. The second trial will require you to learn the honey mixing skill first. And you''ll also need to learn how to forge some sealing tools..." Tania reeled off, contemplative.

    "Looks like the second trial''s actually going to be a real challenge then. Any chance that I might get a hint or two from you about what exactly I''m about to face?" Zachary asked hopefully, quite curious about the future. If he were to complete the second trial, he might be able to soon present himself as Tania''s disciple.

 Chapter 623 Treasure Beast Hunting

    "In fact, the second trial is simple and attainable. I want you to catch a few treasure beasts," Tania said after some hesitation.

    "Treasure beast hunting? I''m the best one for that job!" Zachary got thrilled after hearing this. He was unsure of other things, but with treasure beast hunting, he knew he got many experiences to boot. It was fortunate for him to have bonded with treasure beasts in the past. Otherwise, he would not get the Sun-swallowing Beast''s cub by chance this time. The cub hadn''t recognized him as its keeper yet, but it would someday.

    "But these treasure beasts are more distinctive than the ordinary ones," Tania pointed out sharply.

    "Not the same? Are they of scarce or rare?" Zachary''s face flushed with excitement.

    "No. Concerning the details, you can ask your master. It''s time for you to go." Tania shook her head decisively and waved her hand in Zachary''s direction, leaving him on edge.

    She stood aside and motioned for him to leave. He knew very well that if he didn''t leave now, he might end up getting sent to the Living-dead Tomb. So keeping the peace, he smiled meekly and said, "I shall go then. Bye." He turned around and left after he''d done talking.

    After leaving the Fairy Island, he traveled to the Living-dead Tomb, making no stops along the way.

    Anne seemed to have figured out his purpose when she saw him approaching. Before he could open his mouth, she said, "In the next few days, I will teach you the technique of mixing honey and the casting methods for several sealing tools. If you want to complete the second trial briefly, you must understand them as quickly as possible."

    "Okay. What treasure beasts do I need to catch on the second trial? Why did Tania withhold the details from me?" Zachary asked briefly and to the point.

    "Did she tell you that?" Since Zachary knew that the second trial was to hunt the treasure beasts, Anne guessed that Tania already told him.

    "She only mentioned that I would catch some treasure beasts, but she didn''t tell me what they are. Master Anne, please acquaint me with the details," Zachary pleaded in a bleak tone.

    "The second

    comparison, the treasures of elite treasure beasts were more unique, and their rate of producing treasures was higher.

    "Yet, there are also some downsides. Although the treasures of the elite treasure beasts are magical, they will have an unstable and strong side effect on the warriors'' bodies. If they use too many of these treasures, they will become monsters like zombies. Therefore, broadly speaking, they can only use the said treasures every once in a while," Anne went on.

    "In other words, even if the elite treasure beasts produce a great deal of treasures, we cannot use them without limitation. It''s not different from using ordinary treasures, but the result is more satisfying." Zachary''s brows furrowed as deep lines appeared on his forehead.

    "It''s true, but there is an added strange thing about the treasures of the elite treasure beasts. Some treasures can combine with each other due to their mutually compatible properties, thereby reducing the side effect. For instance, you can only cultivate one treasure a month, but if you mix it with another treasure, you can make it two in a month," Anne explained.

    "Really? This is amazing!" Zachary''s eyes lit up at Anne''s words.

    "That''s right. The elite treasure beasts that Tania asked you to hunt are well matched in elements. So if you can catch all of them, you will be able to reach the Sage Level before long." Anne nodded her head in agreement.

 Chapter 624 Honey Mixing Skill

    "Actually, it''s difficult to find out which area the elite treasure beasts are in, let alone the specific location. But Tania not only knows where the treasure beasts live but also their regular hunting grounds. She asked me to guide you to them. She is so considerate," Anne stressed purposely.

    "Yes, I do feel that Tania is really nice to me! I''ve never thought that she would give me the opportunity to catch several elite treasure beasts." Zachary grinned. His opinion of Tania had obviously changed. If he caught those elite treasure beasts, he would be a step closer to becoming a warrior of Sage Level, just as Anne said.

    "But don''t be too complacent. The elite treasure beasts are much more difficult to capture than ordinary ones," Anne warned him immediately.

    "Is it more difficult to catch an elite treasure beast than a rare treasure beast?" Zachary asked fearfully, raising his eyebrows.

    "Yes. They can''t be subdued. So it''s very difficult to seize them," Anne explained.

    "Why not? Why can I not subdue them? Don''t all treasure beasts have psychic power? So that means, even rare treasure beasts can be subdued," Zachary stated curiously.

    "Everything in the world has its own law, and the elite treasure beasts are no exception. If we could easily subdue them, then the Supernal Continent would have been full of warriors of Sage Level right now, and it would be hard to estimate how powerful they could be. But that is not necessarily a good thing for the world. Moreover, elite treasure beasts are far more superior and smarter than human beings, so they can''t be controlled by mankind. At the most, what humans can do is limit them to a certain extent," Anne elaborated.

    "Okay, if that is the case, how should I catch them?" inquired Zachary.

    "That''s why you need to learn how to forge sealing tools. They will help you deal with the beasts. Only some special sealing tools can limit them. But the sealing tools can only be use

    need you to do something later," Zachary instructed Jimmy immediately after Ryder left.

    "Okay!" Jimmy nodded obediently.

    Then Zachary led Jimmy to inspect the beast barn and began selecting those treasure beasts that were likely to produce treasures within a month. Jaxon had promised Zachary that if he could make more than half of the treasure beasts in his barn produce treasures within a month, he would allow him to expand the scale of operations at the beast barn. This way, the warriors of Imperial Level and even those of Sage Level, who owned treasure beasts, would be willing to send their beasts to be raised at their barn. Thus, the beast barn would be a research base and he could control the treasure beasts that were extremely vital for the warriors. And if he achieved that, he could control the fate of the Xiao Clan. This was only the first step as he had to establish his own position in the Xiao Clan in order to continue with the next step in his plan. What he said to Jaxon earlier was true, at least on a superficial level. He would indeed do something to develop and promote the Xiao Clan further, but in doing so he could also gain some invisible interests. Once he had the necessary capabilities to control the fate of the Xiao Clan, the clan would be at his mercy and disposal!

 Chapter 625 Learning From Bees

    There were more than thirty treasure beasts being raised in the Xiao Clan''s beast barn. More than half of them belonged to Imperial Level warriors, though only a small part of them were good ones. Generally speaking, making a treasure beast produce treasures within a month was no easy task. It depended on what level they were mostly. The lower their level, the less time it took for them to produce treasures. Of course, low-level treasure beasts could only give birth to low-level treasures. That was why it wasn''t difficult to make the beasts produce treasures with the help of some pills.

    Zachary had considered all this. After all, it wouldn''t help if he made more than half the treasure beasts in the beast barn produce treasures if they were all low-level ones. So, he had to carefully select the ones guaranteed to be of good stock once they produced treasures.

    With his aim clear in mind, Zachary walked around the beast barn. He selected twenty treasure beasts in total. Half of them were of acceptable qualities, while the other half only served to make up the numbers.

    "Do you remember them all?" Zachary turned his head to look at Jimmy.

    Jimmy nodded immediately.

    Right at this moment, Ryder came in with a cup of freshly brewed tea in his hand and offered it to Zachary. "Please forgive me for making you wait for so long, Manager Harley. I used my special skills as well as superior tea leaves to make you this cup. I''m sure you will like it."

    "I don''t want to drink tea now. Ryder, you can drink it yourself! Starting today, I will seclude myself for a period of time. During that time, Jimmy will be assisting you in managing the beast barn," Zachary informed.

    "You''ll seclude yourself? For how long?" Ryder asked. His eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of Zachary being away. It meant that the beast barn would be back under his control. In fact, the longer Zachary remained in seclusion, the better it was for him.

    "About half a month," Zachary surmised after thinking it through. He''d estimated that it would take him at least that long to capture the first elite treasure beast.

    "Only half a month!" A look of disappointment immediately marred Ryder''s face. He''d been hoping for it to last at least a couple of months if not half a year.

    "What? You don''t think it''s

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    ren''t we going to cultivate in seclusion together?" Zachary couldn''t help but ask in confusion.

    "I didn''t mean that you''ll be cultivating in the Living-dead Tomb. If you want to learn honey mixing skill, you have to go to the cave where I usually collect honey and learn from the bees," Anne said, rolling her eyes at Zachary.

    "Learn from bees? Are you serious, Master Anne?" Hearing that, Zachary didn''t know whether to laugh or take her seriously. Humans revolted at the idea of taking such insignificant creatures as their teachers. Nevertheless, he knew that Anne must have a good reason for saying that.

    "Let''s go," Anne said. She cast a quick glance at Zachary and then took the lead to leave.

    Of course, Zachary followed her closely to the cave.

    He had been to the cave once before, but it had been a long time ago. At that time, he''d had to overcome all kinds of difficulties for Anne to accept him as her disciple. Now, that he had returned here, he couldn''t help but have mixed feelings. "I was almost killed by these bees in order to become your disciple," he said, his voice laden with emotion.

    "Really? In the end, you drove them away with smoke, didn''t you?" Anne responded calmly.

    "What? How did you know that, Master Anne?" Zachary was stunned.

    Anne didn''t answer his question, but the flash of a smile on her delicate face showed she knew everything.

    "Okay, you can go in now," Anne prompted.

    "Alone? Won''t you be going in with me?" Hearing what she''d said had given Zachary a sudden bad feeling.

 Chapter 626 Challenge Inside The Cave

    "The Sweet Dew made by the bees inside the cave is the basic material you will need to practice the honey mixing skill. You''ll need to come here often in the future, so you can''t just use the smoke to drive them away from you each time," Anne said in a serious tone.

    "You''re right. But Master Anne, didn''t you say that I need to learn from these bees? How can I do that? I don''t quite get it," Zachary asked.

    "You''ll understand all you need to know once you learn how to coexist with them in the cave," Anne replied. "But do remember one thing. No matter what happens, you can''t hurt them in any way. They are rare and preserved. If you hurt one of them, I will punish you. Trust me. You don''t want to know what kind of punishment will come your way."

    "Well, I''ll go inside and give it a try," Zachary said. He took a look at the cave and muttered to himself, ''These bees should have forgotten me by now. I''m sure they won''t be seeking revenge. Besides, I''m an Imperial Level warrior, so I should be strong enough to deal with them now!''

    That thought gave him enough courage to step in. However, once he set his foot in the cave, he caught the beams of light dancing in the cave. It was mesmerizingly gorgeous. Although he had seen it before, the sight still amazed him. But before he could appreciate the beauty of it all, he heard a sudden loud buzzing sound. It was sharp and irritable. All of a sudden, he felt something rush towards him with ferocious killing intent. He looked up to see the bees staring at him with suspicion.

    ''No way! Did they recognize me?'' Zachary''s heart jolted.

    They all swarmed towards him. Thousands of bees were heading towards him. Because Anne had warned him not to hurt them, Zachary had no choice but to turn around and start dodging them. He would wait until the bees cooled down, and then he would come back in. But as he tried to get out, he felt there was something wrong. A gentle force blocked his way out. However, he didn''t give up. So he tried a few more times, but each time, he was pushed back.

    "Master Anne, is this a joke?" Zachary shouted loud enough to hear from outside. He knew Anne was behind this soft force. But he got no response, driving him a bit crazy. All the bees were quickly advancing towards him.

    ''Master Anne said she wanted me to be at peace with these b

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    embered what had happened between us before! They were actually hostile towards me because I invaded their territory. Am I right? But Master Anne, you already knew the pills would attract them. Why didn''t you tell me that before I went in?" Zachary was annoyed now that he knew Anne had tricked him.

    "It''s good to see you embarrass yourself on occasion. Let''s go. It''s time to head back!" Anne said, dismissing his complaints. With a cunning smile on her face, she turned around and left him to follow her.

    "This is so strange. Why do I get the feeling that Master Anne has changed a little? She even made fun of me and wanted to see me embarrassed. Is it because the friendship level has improved?" Zachary muttered, unable to grasp what had happened.

    "Congratulations! Your steady efforts have paid off. You''ve had an impact on Anne, meaning she isn''t as cool as she once was.

    When your friendship level with Anne reached level 7, you''ll get a chance to go out on a date alone with her. If you can make love to her, she''ll be yours. Moreover, the system has been successfully restored. The contractual mode of the beauty collection mode will take effect soon." Mimi''s impersonal sweet voice rang in his ears.

    "I''ll get the chance to go on a date with Master Anne when the friendship level reaches level 7? Ha-ha! That''s great!" Hearing Mimi''s words made Zachary laugh out loud. Though it wouldn''t be easy to make love to Anne, at least he would get the chance to try. He was determined to seize it and try everything he could do make it happen.

 Chapter 627 Forging The First Sealing Tool

    "Wait, what does it mean the contractual mode will take effect?" Zachary asked, suddenly curious.

    "Previously, the beauty collection mode was composed of many other modes¡ªmain quest mode, random mode and even apprentice mode. In reality, though, the contractual mode is the core of the beauty collection mode," Mimi explained.

    Zachary raised his eyebrows. As he followed Anne back to the Living-dead Tomb, he asked Mimi in his mind, "Tell me, what''s so powerful about it?"

    "Well, once you activate it, you can initiate contract signing with any beautiful woman in the real or second world and make her your maid," Mimi replied.

    "My maid? Ha! I like it!" Zachary grinned. "How will my maid come to serve me then?"

    "A maid is obliged to act upon any subsequent order. Moreover, she is obliged to protect you without hesitation, even sacrificing herself if necessary," Mimi explained patiently.

    "Sacrificing herself is pretty unnecessary, but the rest sounds good. Any restrictions on the contract signing?" Zachary asked.

    "Yes, she must be a virgin because a virgin''s blood is needed to sign the contract. Also, she must generally be stronger than you. This restrictions are normally not ignored, but they can be if she is willing to be your maid," Mimi said.

    "What do you mean by that? Are you implying no woman is willing to be my maid? Are you looking down on me?" Zachary protested.

    "Generally, there is no need to sign a contract if she is willing. However, the biggest benefit after the contract is signed is that if you conquer her, her strength will drastically improve," Mimi explained.

    "Conquer her?" For a few moments, Zachary drifted along with his imagination. He quickly shook his head and focused on the questions once more. "Other than that, is there anything more powerful about the contractual mode? Something that at least helps me

    sealing tool!" Zachary couldn''t help but curse. He needed to simultaneously maintain the smooth martial energy throughout and control the blood flow. Otherwise, he might end up bleeding out.

    He finally finished refining after nearly a day and a night. By then, he''d come very close to collapsing. He took a careful look at the finished product and then cursed loudly, "Damn it! Isn''t this a dog collar?"

    It indeed looked like one, albeit unconventionally shaped. Moreover, it seemed more like an Imperial Level sealing tool.

    Zachary immediately went to visit Anne.

    Anne looked up and nodded in satisfaction as he appeared with the tool in his hand. "I see you''ve finished refining. You''re much faster than I expected. Good job."

    "If I was a little bit slower, you probably wouldn''t see me again." Zachary scowled. If he was weaker, he would have been unable to remain balanced due to blood loss during the whole process.

    Anne giggled. "The first elite treasure beast you''ll catch is called Earthworm-shaped Dog. It is at the peak of King Level."

    "The peak of King Level? It''s so weak!" Zachary stared at her, confusion plastered across his face. Even with his current condition, he could kill the Earthworm-shaped Dog effortlessly.

 Chapter 628 The Earthworm-shaped Dog

    "Let me finish first," Anne grumbled while casting a glare at Zachary. "Although the Earthworm-shaped Dog is at King Level, it has a strong ability to regenerate, just like an earthworm. Even if you cut off its head, it can still survive and re-create a new one after a while. No matter how powerful you are, you cannot kill it using the conventional method."

    "Well, it does not look weak at all," Zachary exclaimed in surprise. He never expected such treasure beast existed in the world.

    "The effect of your newly formed Rebirth Restraining Ring is to prevent the dog''s regenerating ability, so you will have the opportunity to capture it. Once the ring traps it, it will have to obey your words even if it won''t treat you as its master." Anne then acquainted Zachary with the full effects of this sealing tool that Zachary had refined with his blood.

    "But what if it declines to surrender to me even after being sealed off by the ring?" Zachary asked dubiously, suspecting that this situation might happen.

    "No, that''s impossible. I told you that an elite treasure beast is more intelligent than human beings, so they have every affection that humans possess, including greed and fear of death. They could even have a full-blown phobia of dying compared to humans." Anne shook her head in response.

    "But for what cause?" Zachary asked inexplicably.

    "Because they know very well that they are rare creatures in this world. If they die, their race will get wiped off the map. To ensure that their species will not fall into extinction, they will bear the burden of humiliation to stay alive," Anne explained.

    "So they know how to live through the shame to ensure their survival. It seems like they are more human than most people," Zachary said, amazed.

    "There is one more thing that you need to give attention to. If the Earthworm-shaped Dog happens to have produced a treasure, make sure that you leave no chance for it to swallow the treasure. Otherwise, its regenerating ability will be enhanced, which makes it more challenging for you to capture it," Anne emphasized with particular concern.

    "I understand," Zachary nodded.

    "After you get ready, you can ask the system to send you to the Pilgrimage Space. And through that place, you can proceed directly to the area where the dog lives," Anne said.

    "Are you sure it will work?" Zachary was taken aback by her words. "But aren''t the areas inside the Pilgrimage Space randomized? I wasn''t aware that I could teleport to a specified area!"

    "It''s because the task you are carrying out is one of the assignments of the apprentice quest. You can make use of all the available resources in the system by all means," Anne stated sensibly.

    "I see. Then I will return to the system to recuperate and make mysel

    ar away from where Zachary stood, and as he had witnessed earlier, the bones spat out as well.

    "I was right. The quicksand that swallows the beasts is not a natural phenomenon. Instead, some powerful creature living below the sand caused it to occur. Maybe it''s the Earthworm-shaped Dog. But I need to go down and see for myself if my assumption is right," Zachary uttered in a steady voice.

    Zachary then followed the trail left by the honey for another half-day before he saw a new quicksand forming. He jumped into it without fear. As the sand and the martial beasts got swallowed into the middle of the swirl, the world around him spun, and he soon realized that he was falling quickly. Very soon, he sank deep into the sand and then found himself dropping into a hollow space. He looked around and found himself in an underground hole. It was about five meters below the surface, and the hole was entirely a wide one, which extended into different directions. It looked like a small part of an enormous tunnel extending beneath the sand. Behind him was a sand hill where many martial beasts lay buried.

    Before he could observe any further, he felt a powerful pull coming from the other side. The sand hill and the martial beasts behind him were all dragged towards that direction. In a short instant, the sand hill disappeared without a mark. At the same time, a beast with a notably long body and a dog''s head surfaced near the spot where the sand hill had been. The beast was not terrifying, as its head resembled that of a pug, large and round with shortened muzzles and extensive forehead wrinkles. Its soft and smooth body, which was five meters long, looked exactly like a giant earthworm.

    "I dare say that you must be the Earthworm-shaped Dog. I finally found you!" As Zachary examined the strange beast, a wicked smile surfaced on his face.

 Chapter 629 The Cunning Dog

    The yellow Earthworm-shaped Dog was at the peak of King Level just like Mimi had said. One more step, and it would reach the Imperial Level. It looked like its current level had already reached its limit. Anne had once said that the elite treasure beast''s special ability was not its strength. The trait that made it stand out was its powerful ability to produce more exquisite treasures compared to ordinary treasure beasts. An elite treasure beast was able to produce extreme power at a high speed. This dog in front of Zachary had obviously not reached the Imperial Level, but he thought it could produce treasures at level higher than its own level.

    As Zachary studied the dog, the dog had also become aware of his presence. It stared at Zachary with its big, round eyes for a moment as though it had sensed his unusual aura. All of a sudden, it let out a loud roar, turned around, and rushed off in the opposite direction, as if it was trying to run for its life.

    Seeing this, Zachary immediately used his Thousand-Avatar Skill. Instantly, a shadow formed and chased after the dog. With the Shadow Pace, his shadow blocked the dog''s path. Then he used his Ice Dragon Hand to grab it. As soon as the dog saw that the situation was worsening, it immediately turned back and started to retreat. However, by this point, Zachary was already waiting behind it with his hands crossed over his chest. He had anticipated that the dog would turn back, so he had patiently waited in that spot.

    "Don''t try to run away. It''s no use. Just surrender and put on this Rebirth Restraining Ring." Zachary took out the Rebirth Restraining Ring and prepared to subdue the Earthworm-shaped Dog.

    The dog immediately became anxious as if it had understood his words. It wore a nervous expression on its face. After being stunned for a while, it suddenly bent down its soft body and seemed to have accepted its fate. It was ready to obey Zachary''s orders.

    "It''s so strange to see it behave so obedient like this. Didn''t Master Anne say that it was smart and cunning? How come it gave in so soon? Maybe it''s because I''m much stronger than the dog, so it has to accept its bad luck and surrender to me," Zachary murmured. At first, he was confused, but then he immediately laughed at this thought. Then, he tossed the Rebirth Restraining Ring into the air. Instantly it began to grow bigger and bigger in midair, and then it flew to the dog and circled its head.

    The Rebirth Restraining Ring became as big as the dog''s head and it started adjusting itself ready to come down on the dog''s neck, but suddenly the dog opened his mouth and spat out the sands and beasts it had eaten in the past. Then the large dog sudd

    vatar Skill to freeze all the other paths as fast as he could.

    By the time the dog noticed it, it was too late. It was completely trapped here. Zachary appeared in front of the dog. He pointed at it and said, "Surrender now or suffer the consequences!"

    The Earthworm-shaped Dog sighed sadly as it knew there was no way left to escape and it couldn''t play the same trick again. However, it still didn''t give up the fight as it writhed and struggled. It straightened its body up and opened its big mouth. In no time, a vacuum-like force formed and all the stones flew up in the air wildly. All the stones in the surroundings were swept up into the dog''s mouth. However, Zachary wasn''t affected by this trick and stood still. On the other hand, the dog''s small body began to expand again like a giant balloon. It suddenly became the colossal animal that it had been originally.

    Even so, Zachary would not fall for this trick again. Seeing that it was obviously not going to surrender quietly, he didn''t hesitate anymore and rushed to attack it. He employed the Ice Dragon Strike and waved his sword towards the dog. His strength had reached the third grade of Imperial Level, so the number of ice dragons he could summon had increased from three to five. The five ice dragons then merged in the air and formed a bigger ice sword before swishing towards the Earthworm-shaped Dog with murderous power. As a result, the dog was unable to resist Zachary''s powerful attack and was cut into two pieces. Despite this, it did not give up and kept bumping into Zachary, determined to fight till its last breath.

    After a few more attacks, the dog was cut into several pieces, but it was still alive! Moreover, every part that was cut off by Zachary kept growing back and its body began to form completely.

 Chapter 630 Capture The Beast

    In this way, the situation was deadlocked for two hours. No matter how many times Zachary cut the Earthworm-shaped Dog into pieces, it would make no difference to it.

    So, Zachary also changed his strategy. He no longer tried to cut the dog, but instead used his martial energy with the ice element to freeze the chopped up parts of the dog''s body. This way, the cut up bits of body couldn''t be swallowed up, which also slowed down its ability to regenerate. This strategy soon took effect. The speed of rebirth of the dog obviously slowed down, but anyway, it was still unable to stop it from regenerating completely.

    However, it was a dangerous situation for the dog!

    Just then, a yellow circular crystal with the size of half of a football appeared on the tail of the dog''s newly grown body, giving off a very strong Imperial Level aura.

    "Is this a treasure produced by the dog? Yes! It''s without doubt an Imperial Level treasure!" Zachary''s eyes lit up at this sight.

    At the same time, the dog suddenly turned around and rushed towards the treasure it had produced.

    Ideally, Zachary should have stopped it in time, because Anne had said that if the dog devoured its own treasure, its ability of regenerating would become greatly enhanced.

    But even though Zachary was aware of this, he didn''t move. Instead, he watched the dog swallow its treasure. The next moment, the color of the dog''s skin became deeper, and finally it turned into a brownish yellow color, and the volume of its body began rising. It was even stronger than before, and its originally soft, smooth body became hard.

    At the same time, Zachary also condensed two sharp ice blades in his hands, making a sign of striking off the enemy.

    The next moment, the dog abruptly shook its body and rushed toward Zachary with a strong momentum. He did not show any weakness and fought back with equal vigor. After that, ice blades constantly shone in the air. Every time the ice blade disappeared from his hand, the dog lost a part of its body. Soon, only its head was left, and the cut body parts lay strewn everywhere. However, as soon as the dog opened its big mouth, all the parts of its body got sucked up in an instant. Compared to the previous speed of rebirth, which was not too fast, this time, it took the dog only a few seconds to make its body grow back to its original state.

    The dog dashed towards Zachary again. Its survival strategy was to get him exhausted.

    But Zachary was smirking at this point. It seemed that he had achieved exactly what he wanted.

    At the same time, the dog, who was now cl

    as inevitable that they would interact and form different groups. So it was better to separate them. It was also better for him to manage them this way.

    "Yes, I can. The treasure beast system has a special function. You can even set up exclusive spaces according to the preferences of the treasure beasts," Mimi explained.

    "That''s good. I''ll go ahead and set up the enclosures now." Zachary nodded, and began to set up individual spaces for each of the treasure beasts.

    It took Zachary only half a day to set them all up. The exclusive space for the Earthworm-shaped Dog was very similar to its lair at the bottom of the sand. The dog seemed to love this kind of space very much and soon occupied its space.

    After capturing the Earthworm-shaped Dog successfully, Zachary took the first step of the second trial. When he returned to the system, he went to the Living-dead Tomb to report the result. Anne was not surprised because she knew that with his current strength, he would have no problem in capturing the dog.

    "Master Anne, what is the next elite treasure beast I need to capture? I have asked for half a month''s leave and I still have a few days left." Seeing that the first one was so easy to capture, Zachary wanted to apprehend the second one as soon as possible.

    "You can''t seize the second elite treasure beast right now," Anne said shaking her head.

    "Why is that?" Zachary asked, feeling confused.

    "If you want to snare the second elite treasure beast, you must cultivate your spiritual soul first. This is because you have to pour your spiritual energy into the second sealing tool in order to activate it. Besides, it''s about time you cultivated your spiritual soul," Anne explained calmly.

 Chapter 631 The Superb Spiritual Soul

    "Cultivate the spiritual soul? That''s true! Thanks for reminding me, Master Anne. I''d nearly forgotten that I could begin cultivating the spiritual soul as soon as my strength reached the Imperial Level. In fact, Master Andrew once told me that if I wanted to exert the Holy Bone Bracer''s power to the fullest, I would have to use the spiritual energy in order to drive it. I meant to begin later, but I might just start immediately instead," Zachary said, nodding his head in approval. If he hadn''t absorbed the three Sun-swallowing Pills, he would still be at the first grade of Imperial Level and wouldn''t need to cultivate the spiritual soul in a hurry. However, Anne had mentioned that in order to capture the second elite treasure beast, he had to first cultivate the spiritual soul. In other words, he couldn''t wait any longer. For that reason, he decided it was best to cultivate the spiritual soul as soon as possible.

    "Even though you''re great talented when it comes to the spiritual soul, it''s not easy for you to get your spiritual soul to take shape in a short period of time," Anne stated, breaking her short moment of silent hesitation.

    "Well, with my current talent, how long do you think will it take?" Zachary asked, worriedly.

    "It can easily take at least several months...even up to a year," Anne estimated, lifting her shoulders.

    "What?! That long? If that''s the case, a lot of things will be delayed," Zachary complained, tightening his lips. Despite his disapproval, he also knew that Anne was giving him the shortest possible time.

    "For the most part, it takes a few years at the least for an Imperial Level warrior to cultivate the spiritual soul and allow it to take shape. You''d have to be very lucky to all achieve that in only a few months," Anne retorted, casting Zachary a glare and crossing her arms firmly across her chest.

    "Master Anne, is there any shortcut I can take that can make the process any faster?" Zachary asked, squinting at Anne hopefully. Although shortcuts were usually risky, he had become accustom to that kind of thing.

    "Yes, there is. But I don''t suggest you use the method," Anne replied seriously, frowning.

    "And why is that, hmm?" Zachary questioned immediately.

    "Because it''s too dangerous. Anyway, if you cultivate the spiritual soul using a shortcut, you''ll never be able to return." Anne refused to tell him about the shortcut.

    "How about you tell me about that shortcut first, Master Anne?" Zachary asked. He couldn''t help but become increasingly interested as he was faced with Anne''s denial.

    "Actually, the technique is very similar to the heterodox refining skill you use to refine weapons. It''s known as the heterodox soul cultivating skill. The difference between the two skills is that the heterodox refining skill can be performed as long as you have absorbed common nether power,

    his own master.

    "She won''t hurt you, not directly at least. But remember, she isn''t a human being living in the secular world. Some things aren''t what she thinks they are. She might tell you something out of good will, but she may also put you into a situation beyond redemption. You must stay very alert around her, and take her advice very lightly. Besides, I''ve found that she seems to like spoiling you and always tries her best to satisfy you. For the most part, that''s not something a strict master would do," Tania added, in a more serious tone this time.

    "Well, in that case, what if you were my master? You can teach me in a strict way instead, perhaps?" Zachary asked. Apparently, he was very eager about becoming Tania''s disciple.

    Nevertheless, Tania rolled her eyes at him, not giving in to his charm.

    "Can you help me cure my friend now, then? I need your help," Zachary stated, getting down to business instead.

    "Yeah, I can help you, but I won''t stand out and cure her in person. You''ll have to cure her yourself, and I can teach you how to do that. If you don''t succeed through my teachings and method, then that is your problem and rests on your shoulders. I can only teach you how to treat her. The rest has nothing to do with me," Tania replied, providing her conditions at once.

    "Alright, I agree," Zachary agreed, nodding his head immediately.

    "Furthermore, before I teach you the treatment method, you have one last thing to do," Tania added.

    "And what could that be?" Zachary wondered.

    "To destroy all the meridians in her body," Tania replied in a matter of fact tone.

    "What? Are you serious?" Zachary was stunned. He didn''t understand why he''d do such a thing. If all the meridians in Vivian''s body were destroyed, she would quickly become disabled, and she could even die. "Do I really have to do that?" he asked, his voice wavering, looking for confirmation.

 Chapter 632 Treasure Beast Tool

    "Do you have the heart to do it?" Tania demanded with a grave expression in her beautiful eyes.

    "What do you mean?" Zachary seemed stupefied upon hearing her words.

    "What I told you just now is the worst plan ever. If her condition is not serious enough, you won''t have to do that," Tania explained.

    "You scared me out of my wits! I swear that terrified the living daylights out of me! But I am prepared to do whatever it takes to save her. Besides, she is just a pawn. If I kill her by accident, then she''s indeed out of luck." Zachary shrugged his shoulders, but his eyes looked serious. What he said was genuine, and he didn''t have any particular feelings for Vivian. Moreover, with his knowledge, she approached him and suggested an arranged engagement to him because she wanted to exploit him to her advantage. To put it bluntly, they were manipulating each other.

    "It''s such a relief to know you''re thinking this way. I was worried that you didn''t have the heart to do that. Work hard in getting her to fight with you alone tonight. Force her to display her martial energy, and observe its circulation in her body. Take note of whatever you discover and recount to me the whole process of your encounter later. Then, I''m going to instruct you in how you can cure her," Tania commanded.

    Zachary nodded in agreement. "I understand. I have to go ahead and prepare then." Zachary stepped out of the bamboo house. He left the Fairy Island and returned to the system.

    Just after he returned to the system, he heard Mimi''s sweet voice saying, "Congratulations! You''ve captured an elite treasure beast. You''ll get a treasure beast tool as a reward."

    "Treasure beast tool? What is it?" Zachary asked at once.

    "It''s much the same as a warrior''s weapon and can intensify the fighting efficacy of a treasure beast. It is unique in the Supernal Continent," Mimi said in response.

    "Awesome. Let me see the treasure beast tool right away." Zachary nodded in satisfaction after hearing it.

    "The treasure beast tool is called the Crown of Thunder."

    An object with the flickering thunder radiance materialized before Zachary and fell into his cupped hands. After the thunder radiance vanished, a halo crown came into view.

    "This should be the crown, and it has the characteristic of the thunder element. It''s tailor-made for Kiwi." Zachary glanced at the crown several times, and then asked, "How do I use this?"

    "The Crown of Thunder can merge the power of thunder, which can enhance the combat efficacy of your treasure beast. When the crown''s absorbed power of thunder reaches the limit, it can release an overwhelming thunder power, thus causing massive destruction. The basi

    he told me in the end," Henry said in a very enthusiastic and eager manner.

    "Tell me what you have discovered." Zachary gestured for him to speak.

    "More than twenty years ago, something significant happened in the Xiao Clan, which shocked the whole Devil Kingdom. At that time, they enlisted an Imperial Level warrior whose surname was Leng from Shura College. He was the most skilled disciple there and was known as the most extraordinary young person in the Devil Kingdom for almost a hundred years. As a result, all the major forces in the Devil Kingdom attempted to recruit him. Many of them fought and turned against each other. He was a sworn brother of Master Jaxon''s brother, so the Xiao Clan recruited him in the end." Henry paused for a while and continued, "During that time, the Xiao Clan was not the second largest clan in the Devil Kingdom. It was only above average among the forces at the premium stage. After the warrior joined the Xiao Clan, the clan''s reputation expanded rapidly in a few years. All the credit went to this man, because he gave the Master Jaxon countless suggestions on the reform of their structure, and the latte adopted all of his ideas. The results turned out to be very good. The man got promoted quickly in the Xiao Clan, and lots of people admired him to a great extent. But the good times didn''t last long. One day, Master Jaxon commanded the arrest of his brother and this man, alleging that they conspired with the heterodox forces and did harm to the common people. He also notified the people in the Devil Kingdom, which caused a great commotion. Later on, they found out that to seize power, the two conspired with the heterodox forces and wanted to stage an uprising. Master Jaxon had known about their plot, so he decided to take action first."

 Chapter 633 A Dilemma

    "That warrior escaped and became a wanted man in the Devil Kingdom, didn''t he?" At Henry''s words, Zachary glanced over at him with his eyebrows furrowed. The warrior in question had to be Logan. He knew Logan hated the Xiao Clan with a passion. His relationship with the clan was not a simple one. Zachary knew that Logan had been framed by the Xiao Clan and that the way the Xiao Clan told the story was not how it happened.

    "How did you know that?" Henry was surprised. He''d been taking a leap with that statement.

    "Simple guess; that is all." Zachary chuckled softly, the corner of his lips curling into a smile.

    "If I didn''t bring it up, I would have no idea what happened with the Xiao Clan. I may have been here a long time, but I''ve never heard anything of it," Henry exclaimed.

    "Keep this to yourself," Zachary said with a hard stare. "Don''t tell anyone else, Henry. You have to make sure to keep the old servant''s mouth shut."

    "Don''t worry." Henry waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "He resigned and left to return to his hometown several days ago. He claimed he was getting too old."

    "Good." Zachary nodded and looked to the sky, finding that it was nearly dusk. He decided it was time to leave the courtyard.

    The Xiao Clan Castle was quiet and brilliantly illuminated against the night sky. It wasn''t hard to see the silhouettes of the guards patrolling.

    No one noticed the figure stealthily flying over the eaves and elegantly landing in a courtyard of the castle. He glanced around to be sure no one had noticed him before jumping onto the roof of the west wing. Making sure he was over the correct room, he squatted down and lifted a roof tile to peer into the room below.

    Vivian sat upon her bed with her legs crossed. The martial energy drifting around her body was moving at an astonishing speed. She possessed quadruple martial speed. Suddenly, the energy stilled and dispersed. She peeled her eyes open, casting a dull look around her room.

    The figure hidden on the roof tapped the tile to get her attention. Vivian glanced up to the ceiling, squinting her eyes as a note fluttered down and into her lap.

    She snatched the note up and pulled it open. Her beautiful face morphed, and without hesitation, she rushed out of the room. She climbed as fast as she could to the roof, only to find that the intruder had gone. Her eyes hardened and her jaw set. There was only a moment of hesitation bef

    you''re not just taking me for a fool?" asked Vivian, suspicion heavy in her tone.

    "You have every right to be suspicious, but I''ll prove that I can help you. Attack me with all your strength, and I will leave if you can cut off the hem of my robe. If you fail, however, you will let me help you. And remember, this is just between you and me, no one else," Zachary suggested.

    Vivian stood shifting from foot to foot, the hesitancy easy to see in her eyes. After a moment she nodded. "Fine. I will test for myself why you are so confident. I may be slightly disabled, but I can still defeat you quickly if I go all out."

    "Let''s begin," said Zachary, waving her forward.

    She waved her arm in an arc and a silver sword materialized in her hand. She noticed that Zachary did not turn around, and she couldn''t help but ask, "Why don''t you turn around and face me?"

    "I don''t need to," Zachary said arrogantly.

    "Such big talk," Vivian muttered, her eyes narrowing as she raised her sword. When she turned around, eight sword shadows appeared.

    "Chaotic Sword Strike!"

    The sword shadows burst forward in quick succession, forming a silver water snake that slithered through the air. The snake closed in on Zachary quickly, and then began to crisscross, making a sharp whistling sound. The roiling snake monster was both sinister and deadly.

    When the eight sword shadows were practically on top of Zachary, he waved his hand and a wave of energy radiance sparked and rippled away from him in waves. Under the influence of the radiance, the swords stabbed aimlessly before exploding into brilliant, white light.

 Chapter 634 Rebuilding Meridians

    As she watched, Vivian was also floored. The Chaotic Sword Strike was a martial skill at the medium stage of Imperial Level, as well as one of the Xiao Clan''s secret skills¡ªone that simply couldn''t be resisted by ordinary people. Although Vivian wasn''t strong enough to bring its power into full effect, it was still impossible for anyone to withstand it if they didn''t have extremely powerful strength.

    In spite of what she was faced with, she didn''t give up, not even for a second. She stood up suddenly and approached Zachary at once. Her soft sword twisted itself around his body like a snake. Surprisingly, his body exploded with a loud boom.

    "Is this all fake?" Vivian was utterly stunned for the moment and didn''t know what else to say. When she turned around, she saw an old man with wrinkled face standing in front of her. His small, glittering eyes stared at her, which sent a shudder throughout her body from head to toe.

    "Are you finally satisfied?" asked Zachary, who had utilized the Thousand-Face Mask to change his face.

    "No. I won''t ever give up!" Vivian replied with a clenched jaw. As she had managed to display the martial energy, it clogged inside her body and flew madly all over her body instead. Despite this, she still managed to gather her energy again and gave everything she had in launching the second attack.

    As she performed her attack, Zachary immediately activated the Energy Perception Technique in order to perceive Vivian''s energy circulation. He noticed that the energy circulation inside her body was an absolute mess and more so, that the streams of energy couldn''t gather as one, as if they were rejecting one another. On top of it all, the martial energy in her body was seriously blocked. No wonder she couldn''t use it normally!

    Because she''d pushed herself too hard since the beginning, before she had the chance to fully unleash her strike, the taste of blood rose from her chest and she suddenly spat a mouthful of blood. She stopped in her tracks.

    "That''s enough, just stop it. Otherwise, my efforts will be in vain if you die," Zachary said, waving his hand and halting his own attack.

    Vivian glared at Zachary in front of her with fierce eyes, not willing to accept such a result. But she knew she couldn''t launch another attack, or she truly risked losing her life.

    "Listen, if you really want me to help you, you can start by telling me all the symptoms that you''ve experienced since you discovered something was wrong with your body. With that information, I can find specific ways to solve your problem!" Zachary explained, almost like a doctor would to his patient.

    After hesitating for a brief moment, she finally decided to compromise. Ultimately, if she couldn''t recover, eve

    ed to its original. In this way, her situation will temporarily be alleviated. After she reaches the premium stage of Imperial Level, this situation will be easily solvable. However, if we proceed with this solution, her talent will equally be lost, which will greatly affect her future cultivation. Simply reaching the premium stage of Imperial Level with her original martial speed can become extremely difficult," Tania explained, glancing at Zachary as she did so.

    "I just don''t think she''ll be willing to let me do this," Zachary replied, knowing full well that Vivian was a proud girl. If she no longer had her talent, she probably wouldn''t accept it. What was more, if she cultivated at the original martial speed, it would take her an incredibly long time to reach the premium stage of Imperial Level¡ªa sacrifice she probably wasn''t willing to take.

    "Well, in that case, we only have one option, and that''s to disable her meridians. Once her meridians have been disabled, we can help her rebuild them. Of course, there are risks in doing that, too. Anyway, you''re the one who will do the job. Ultimately, it''s up to you!"

    "I''d much prefer letting Vivian decide for herself," Zachary said after thinking to himself for a while. In order to be on the safe side, he thought lowering the martial speed was a more workable solution.

    Tania listened but didn''t make any comment. After a moment of silence, she ordered, "Clean up the snow in front of the bamboo house before you leave." Without waiting for a reply, she handed the broom to Zachary and returned to the bamboo house.

    "Shouldn''t such a task always be done by disciples? Apparently, Tania is already regarding me as her disciple." Zachary took the broom and was stunned silent for a moment, but as the revelation came to him, he immediately beamed with joy.

 Chapter 635 A Hard Decision To Make

    As soon as he finished cleaning the snow in front of the bamboo house, Zachary went back to the system for cultivation.

    The next morning, he led Jimmy and Henry to the beast barn in order to verify the conditions of the treasure beasts raised there, especially those he''d secretly selected. In the past two weeks, the beasts consumed the pills every day, so it was obvious that they were going to produce treasures. If nothing went wrong, they would do so in less than half a month. At that point, Zachary would fulfill the promise he made to Jaxon.

    After inspection, the three of them returned to the residential compound and saw Vivian, who was expecting them.

    "You guys go cultivate," Zachary told Jimmy and Henry, waving his hand at them in dismissal.

    The pair nodded and left at once.

    "Tell me, why do you need to cultivate in seclusion for half a month? Didn''t you promise you''d quickly collect the materials for me?" Vivian inquired unhappily.

    "Take it easy. I still need a certain amount of time to collect all the required materials." Zachary calmly smiled at Vivian.

    "Ugh. Whatever. Just take care of it as soon as possible, okay?" Vivian replied absent-mindedly.

    Zachary knew that she was still upset about what happened last night, so he seized his opportunity and said, "Actually, I''m confused about whether the pills you made could really cure your disease or not."

    "I don''t know, but that was the only way I knew," Vivian sighed helplessly.

    "Where did you get the formula, by the way?" Zachary asked, creasing his forehead.

    "Why do you always have to ask so many damn questions?" Vivian pouted her lips at him and looked away.

    "I''m just worried that you might have been fooled because you were too eager to treat your disease," Zachary reminded in a caring tone.

    "The person who gave me the formula has no intentions of doing me any harm. And that, I''m sure of," Vivian replied, certain and confident.

    "Oh, really?" Zachary only smiled. To himself, he thought, ''What a stupid woman! You''re totally wrong. Fortunately for you, the pills were burnt, or you''d be in great trouble.''

    "Anyway, it''s none of your business. Just collect the materials for me like I asked of you." And with that, she turned on her heel to leave hurriedly.

    Zachary narrowed his eyes at her receding back. Once she''d disappeared from his view, he went back to the north room and entered the system for cultivation once again.

    When the moon was bright and visible, he came out of the system and left the house, heading to the place where he met with Vivian the nigh

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    urged, her voice quavering as her desire to find out the second method grew even stronger.

    "The second method is destroying all the meridians in your body and then rebuilding them. Of course, this process is very dangerous. You risk your life if even a minor mistake is made throughout the process," Zachary said, staring deeply into Vivian''s eyes.

    "Destroy all my meridians in my body and rebuild them?" Vivian replied hesitantly. Her face suddenly dropped and her expression changed. She had never heard of this method before. What she did know, however, was that it was a gamble and she quickly began to doubt Zachary''s intentions.

    "All that to say, you''d be better off choosing the first method. Although it takes much longer, it''s also safer. As for the second method, it''s really very dangerous. Ordinary warriors would never take the risk. The only good thing about it is if you succeed, not only can your body recover, but you can continue cultivating at the quadruple martial speed. With your talent, I won''t at all be surprised if you quickly become someone in the near future." An unnoticeable trace of shrewdness flashed in Zachary''s dark eyes. He wanted to lead Vivian into his control, step by step.

    As she listened to what he had to say, Vivian wrinkled her eyebrows and bit her lips, seeming very hesitant. She knew it would be difficult to make a decision. If she chose the first method, she would have to start all over again. She would no longer possess quadruple martial speed, and she might even stop at the Imperial Level. However, if she chose the second method, it meant taking an enormous risk or even getting herself killed, which was a terrifying consequence. What was she supposed to do now?

 Chapter 636 Choose The Second Method

    The more Vivian got lost in thought, the more restless she became. Although it wasn''t a matter of life or death, whatever decision she made would certainly affect her future. What would be strange was if she wasn''t struggling at all.

    "Have you decided? I don''t want to waste any time with this. If you can''t decide right now, I''m afraid I''m leaving now." Zachary turned as if he was about to leave, although he really had no intention to do so without an answer. He merely needed to make Vivian decide as soon as possible.

    "Wait!" Vivian turned towards Zachary. She now held a firm expression, as if there was no hint of hesitation just a few moments ago.

    "If I have to...then, I go with the second option," Vivian replied in a decisive tone. On the one hand, the first choice would have been safer for her. As the Xiao Clan leader''s daughter, she could improve her strength by gathering all kinds of treasures despite with the original martial speed. The only difference was that it would take longer time. But because her clan was in grave danger, she couldn''t afford to wait. Besides, she had to keep an eye on her uncle Daniel, who always lurked in the shadows and used every opportunity to try and take over the clan. If she didn''t get stronger, the Xiao Clan would fall into his hands sooner or later. If she didn''t do anything to improve herself quickly, she would be useless even if her meridians were intact. In any case, the best course of action now was for her to go all out despite the risks.

    "Good, you haven''t disappointed me then!" Zachary said. In truth, he had anticipated her choice, although he didn''t want to force the decision on her. If anything, he wanted to help her choose for herself.

    "You knew I would choose what I did, didn''t you? How come?" Vivian asked, astonishment written all over her face.

    "I would have been disappointed if you didn''t choose the second method. After all, you''re my only conduit to Frank." Zachary smiled as if he was scheming something.

    "Do you want to save Uncle Frank?" Vivian looked at him, co

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    fter Zachary returned to his house, he entered the system and headed straight to Tania, who was at the Fairy Island.

    Before long, he arrived outside the bamboo house Tania was supposedly in. He saw that the door was open, but as he went in, she was nowhere to be seen.

    "Where did she go?" Zachary murmured as he went back out of the house, confused.

    At that moment, he felt the entire Fairy Island quake violently. The ice and snow that clung to the house began to crack and shatter, shards spreading all over the ground.

    "What happened?" He narrowed his eyes.

    Suddenly, from a single direction, he sensed a very strange and sudden wave emanating an alarming amount of power, as if it was purposely summoning him. By then, he knew that it wasn''t from Tania. He hesitantly turned towards the wave''s pull. He wanted to know what caused the quake, and his gut feeling told him that this force had the answers.

    It didn''t take him long to trace the force back to the Fairy Island''s forbidden area. He had been there only once before. He stopped himself at its entrance and murmured to himself, "Tiana got pissed off last time when I broke in. Should I risk it now? If she finds out, she might not help me cure Vivian."

    However, before he could decide, a powerful force sucked him in. Gales burst from every which way, forcing him to flail around uncontrollably.

 Chapter 637 The Fairy Island

    By the time Zachary realized what was going on, he had already been sucked into the forbidden area. What was going on inside was appalling. The Fairy Stone, which had been floating in the center of the forbidden area, was now spinning at an astonishing speed. It was sparkling with brilliant light and emitting a powerful force at the same time. The force he was feeling at this time was coming from the spinning stone. Once he entered the forbidden area, the previous suction force suddenly disappeared, so he was able to land safely.

    "Is something wrong with the Fairy Stone?" Zachary murmured with a strange look on his face, as his gaze fell on the shiny Fairy Stone.

    He knew that there would be big trouble if the Fairy Stone continued spinning in this manner. However, Tania hadn''t appeared yet to deal with this situation. If she was on the Fairy Island, she would have arrived as soon as possible. So he guessed that she might no longer be on the island. She had said before that the island was near an iceberg. If she was not here, he suspected that she must have gone to the iceberg and not yet returned.

    Suddenly Zachary felt the ground tremble. He shook and swayed violently, unable to steady himself. It seemed like the whole island was moving. Something felt seriously wrong. If the Fairy Island was moving at such a fast speed, it meant that it would move further away from the iceberg. But Tania was still on the iceberg. If the island floated too far away from the iceberg, she would be unable to return and would be stranded on the iceberg. This sent him into a panic as it was not something that he wanted to happen.

    "Maybe I can try to stop it, but I''m not sure if I will succeed. Oh, forget about it! Just give it a shot! It won''t hurt to try at least." Zachary had an internal debate. He hesitated for a moment, still unsure whether he would be able to do it. Then with determination in his eyes, he looked at the Fairy Stone again. Tania had told him before that the stone could not be seen by ordinary people, but it was visible to him. This indicated that there must be some connection between him and the stone. This gave him the confidence to give it a try.

    With that thought in mind, Zachary approached the Fairy Stone. Due to the incredible power it was emitting, the whole space was almost suffocating. It would be hard to breathe even at the entrance. Approaching it would be an extremely difficult task because of its overwhelming energy. Despite this, he gat

    t of Zachary. It was no other than Tania.

    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to barge in here," Zachary explained immediately as he saw Tania''s sullen face. He thought she was angry because he had entered the forbidden area without her permission.

    "Please wait for me in the bamboo house," Tania said simply, not offering any further explanation. This was something Zachary had never expected. He had assumed that she would scold him or even punish him. However, she seemed to be rather calm.

    "Er, what? Oh, okay!" Zachary said, still in shock. He was relieved to note that there was no anger in her eyes, and left the forbidden area.

    After he left, Tania immediately walked up to the Fairy Stone and pressed her hand on it. The stone instantly replayed the scene of Zachary stopping the movement of the Fairy Island and avoiding the attack from the sea beasts. She was so surprised to see this that she trembled a bit.

    "He can actually manipulate the Fairy Island. How is this possible? I thought only the owner of the Fairy Island had the ability and power to manipulate it!" Tania was baffled. She then recalled that Zachary had entered the forbidden area the last time too. She was beginning to think that it was not a coincidence that he could control the island. But what confused her the most was that she had predicted once that his fate and found that he didn''t fit in the island, so he was not supposed to be able to do that. But the fact that he actually made it astonished her and made her doubt her abilities.

    "Did he lie to me? Maybe he did not tell me his real time of birth," Tania murmured to herself. Then, she disappeared into thin air.

 Chapter 638 Daniel Came Back

    Zachary had just arrived at the bamboo house, and when he turned around, he saw Tania standing a few meters behind him, staring daggers at him.

    "I didn''t mean to break into the forbidden area. Tania, please! You have to trust me!" Zachary said innocently.

    "Tell me your birth date again!" Tania suddenly demanded.

    "Huh! What? I already told you last time, didn''t I?" Zachary found it a little strange. He had gone into the forbidden area twice, and both times Tania asked him about his date of birth.

    "Just say it again!" Tania''s beautiful eyes darkened as she repeated her question.

    "All right!" He decided to tell her in the same way as he had done the last time.

    "No, that''s incorrect! I want your real birth date. This is a fake one," said Tania sharply.

    "What makes you think it''s fake?" Zachary was stunned at her accusation, because he had given her the birth date of the original owner of his body.

    "If you don''t tell me the truth, you are not welcome at the Fairy Island anymore!" Tania stated firmly.

    He was telling the truth, but why didn''t she believe him? Zachary was feeling helpless at this point. Suddenly he realized that Tania was asking for his birth date in the original world.

    "Are you going to tell me or not? Hurry up!" Tania said impatiently.

    "Oh well¡­okay!" Zachary had no choice but to reveal his original birth date.

    Tania started to calculate on her fingers right away. When she finished, she suddenly looked up at Zachary in shock.

    But she calmed down a moment later, and said, "All right."

    "What? That''s it?" Seeing Tania calm down so suddenly, Zachary was confounded.

    "So what is your friend''s final decision?" Tania asked seriously, ignoring his question.

    "She has decided that she will take the risk," Zachary answered still reeling from shock.

    "Really? Her courage is commendable, but she is aware of the possible consequences, right?" said Tania, casting a stern look at Zachary.

    He nodded to assure her.

    "Are you sure you can do it? The process of destroying her meridians is very painful. She might give up midway, but you can''t stop, because you ha

    Let''s go to the beast barn to have a look," said Zachary and led them to the beast barn.

    At the same time, in the Magnific Martial Hall of the Xiao Clan, several elders and guardians had gathered, along with many managers of different departments. Naturally, Jaxon was also present. However, there was one more chair beside Jaxon. Seated on that chair was a strong, tall man with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He was wearing a blue robe and his hair was half white. He sat upright with an arrogant expression, as if he didn''t take all the people present seriously. The warriors didn''t dare to look him in the eye. They remained silent.

    This striking man was one of Jaxon''s younger brothers, Daniel.

    It seemed that Daniel''s presence was responsible for the unusual silence in Magnific Martial Hall today, because everyone knew that as long as he was back in the Xiao Clan, there would be unrest in the clan. But even Jaxon couldn''t do anything about it, so he could only sit and be patient.

    "Daniel, weren''t you busy expanding our weapon refining workshop in the Sunset City? Why did you come back right now?" Jaxon asked, finally breaking the silence.

    "Do you consider me your family?" Daniel asked coldly.

    "You are way out of line, don''t you think?" questioned Jaxon raising an eyebrow.

    "Then why didn''t you inform me when Vivian got engaged to the new warrior in our clan?" Daniel shot back immediately.

 Chapter 639 Self-sacrifice

    Stunned by what Daniel said, the members of the Xiao Clan looked at each other in silence. They all felt that his remarks sounded a little intrusive, so they could not help but shift their eyes to Jaxon, their leader. Although everyone in the Xiao Clan knew that Daniel and Jaxon were not in good terms, they still thought Daniel had to show his respect for Jaxon in front of the public. However, he confronted Jaxon without constraint for all to see, which revealed that he was trying to humiliate Jaxon on purpose.

    After squinting his eyes for a second, Jaxon suddenly chuckled. He said, "It appears that you have misunderstood something, Daniel. The truth is, the engagement between Vivian and Harley is still undecided."

    "Is that so? What are you trying to say?" Daniel glared at Jaxon, his eyes wide open.

    "The primary reason I''ve announced the engagement between Vivian and Harley is to keep the promise I made when I was trying to recruit Harley. I only wanted to give outsiders a false impression because, in reality, Vivian has other plans. In short, the arrangement is all a scheme." Jaxon could undeniably lead the notable clan, and he resolved Daniel''s attack with flying colors.

    "A scheme?" Daniel froze up, stunned to hear such an answer.

    Everybody from the Xiao Clan who heard the exchange between the two brothers whispered to one another in hushed tones, because they did not understand the underlying facts on the engagement until now.

    "Daniel, I guess you have already heard about the upcoming race for the marriage that Vivian is organizing, right?" Jaxon continued, ignoring Daniel''s question on purpose.

    "I heard but I think she is putting on an act only to build up the reputation of our Xiao Clan," Daniel said. Of course, he knew that there would be a race for the marriage, but in his mind, the event would be just for show, particularly to the outsiders.

    "That''s right. The engagement between Vivian and Harley came about mainly for the benefit and pride of the Xiao Clan. And even if they are engaged, it does not imply that a marriage is in the works or even considered happening in the future!" Jaxon said.

    "If this is all a set-up for the interest of the Xiao Clan, why did you let Vivian make such a huge personal sacrifice, Jaxon? She is your daughter! In case she doesn''t end up with Harley later, nobody would take her sincerely by then, and she would end up the subject of ridicule. Then how possible would it be for her to marry another man?" Daniel''s voice filled with indignation once he found a reason to question Jaxon.

    "I never asked her to do that. It''s her solo plan, and so is the race for the marriage," Jaxon replied, steering clear of the conflicted situation by denying any involvement.

    "That''s absurd! Isn''t she always keeping close to herself at home?" Daniel threw

    g, I''m afraid we can''t stop him," Vivian stated. She knew Daniel quite well. Even her father could not stop Daniel from doing anything, let alone others.

    "It all depends on your competence. No matter what, you have to secure Harley and keep him under control. Make him listen to you as soon as possible. He is a crucial pawn in our hands, and possibly the most suitable choice to handle and take on Daniel," Jaxon said. Suddenly, a long, shrewd look surfaced on his face.

    "Father, what do you mean?" Vivian inquired, squinting her eyes.

    "Over the years, I tried organizing my men around Daniel, but all my attempts failed because of his suspicious character. But, if Daniel feels satisfied with Harley and thinks that he is a talent, he would surely take action. Maybe we can use this opportunity to make Harley work undercover," Jaxon said, racking his brains.

    "Isn''t it dangerous? Harley will most likely turn against us if Uncle Daniel bribes him," Vivian said. She hadn''t expected such a bold idea to come from her father.

    "That''s why you need to tie him down fully. It''s imperative to guarantee his commitment to you so he won''t have any inclination to go against us," Jaxon said with a cunning smile.

    "It''s not going to be easy!" Vivian shook her head slightly.

    "You are my daughter. I have confidence that you can find a solution." Jaxon put into words his encouragement, as if he was entrusting his daughter with a huge obligation.

    "Then I''m afraid I have to sacrifice myself," Vivian said in a meaningful tone upon hearing what her father said. She realized that for a woman to tie down a man and his heart, she needed to become his significant other. But right now, she had something more pressing to do, and this would be her winning card, so she just responded, "I''m not sure, I''ll play it by ear." After saying that, she exited the Magnific Martial Hall.

 Chapter 640 Destruction Of The Meridians

    Time flew like the wind. The long-awaited day when Zachary and Vivian had agreed to carry out their plan finally came.

    It was midnight and almost everyone was already fast asleep. Putting on his disguise, Zachary made his way inside the courtyard and quickly moved to reach Vivian''s room. Flipping his hand, he shook the door open before he walked in. At this moment, she was in the middle of changing her clothes behind the screen. Not expecting the sudden break in, she immediately covered her naked body with the piece of garment she was holding.

    "Who is it?" Her voice trembled in shock.

    "It''s me," Zachary answered in a low voice.

    "You!" Vivian gasped. "Why did you break in like this?" Though she was stunned for a moment, she finally recognized who the mysterious man was.

    "Can''t I do that?" Zachary asked, curling his lips.

    "Of course, you can''t," she answered, stepping back behind the screen immediately.

    "We can''t waste any more time talking. We need to go now," Zachary suggested coldly.

    "Where are we going?" she asked warily.

    "Some place where I can cure you, of course," Zachary answered confidently.

    "I''m going to get dressed. Please wait for me outside," Vivian said.

    "There is no need to get dressed. You will have to take them off later anyway," Zachary answered, shrugging his shoulders.

    "What?" For a moment, Vivian was stunned to hear his answer. However, before she could even react, some unknown force had already pushed away the screen between them. Her instinct told her to resist, but she suddenly felt the world around her spin and she was unable to move.

    After a while, she was surprised to find that her surroundings were constantly changing. Later, she appeared to be in a very strange yet beautiful place, as if she was in a peaceful utopia.

    "Where am I?" she started to ask with a puzzled expression. Shocked, she had no idea why she would suddenly be here.

    "Mimi, set up an exclusive space similar to the training room," Zachary ordered, talking to Mimi in his mind.

    In the blink of an eye, a door of light appeared beside him. Taking Vivian, who had not yet come back to her senses, he c

    ing no mercy at all. As a result, the martial energy in her meridians were completely eroded by his martial energy.

    Vivian began to break down after several meridians had been destroyed. Although she had been prepared mentally beforehand, she couldn''t help crying out to beg, "I can''t stand it! Stop! I don''t want to continue anymore! Let... Let me go!"

    However, Zachary was not moved at all. Instead, he continued to focus on intently destroying the meridians in her body.

    When he worked on the tenth meridian, Vivian was so weak and sweaty that she almost passed out and fell into a semi-comatose state.

    ''I''m afraid she can''t hold on for too long in this condition!'' Zachary thought, narrowing his eyes while assessing her status. Putting his hand inside his pocket, he took out the bracelet and put it on Vivian''s wrist.

    After putting the bracelet on her wrist, Vivian suddenly woke up, as if she had a painful shot in her arm.

    "I.. What happened?" She remembered being on the verge of death a while ago, but now she felt alive.

    "Fortunately, I''ve prepared something for you. Otherwise, with your weak willpower, you will be done for very quickly," Zachary explained, glancing at Vivian. He had made the bracelet, which was the Calming Bracelet, in case Vivian could not hold on during the process. It could be used to calm one''s mind, giving the bearer a clear head once worn. However, its effect could not last too long.

 Chapter 641 Return To Normal

    Vivian felt ashamed of herself as she heard what Zachary said. She had set her mind on pushing through, but the process was much more painful and unbearable than she imagined.

    "The Calming Bracelet was supposed to be for rebuilding your meridians. Now that you''ve used it, you only have yourself to depend on during the rebuilding process."

    She nodded.

    Zachary continued to destroy the meridians in Vivian''s body. It still hurt like hell, but thanks to the bracelet, she could at least bear the pain.

    He finally destroyed all of them after a few hours, including both the important and hidden ones. At this point, however, the Calming Bracelet''s effect began wearing off. Having no meridians left, Vivian was prone to collapse at any moment.

    "I''ll help you rebuild your meridians, but I need you to use your body''s innate martial energy. Otherwise, even if they are restored, you will have no strength," Zachary said.

    "My...meridians¡­have all been destroyed. How can I possibly gather my innate martial energy?" Vivian winced as she struggled to speak clearly.

    "Innate martial energy is not only within your meridians, but also in your flesh, bones, even your internal organs. You just need to try gathering it," Zachary replied firmly.

    "Then how can I do it?" Vivian asked slowly.

    "It depends on your comprehension. Understanding it will certainly be very helpful for your later cultivation. In fact, it is also a great starting point to body cultivation. It''s more daunting than it actually is, really!" said Zachary.

    "Then let me have a try." She bit her lips as she struggled to gather hidden innate martial energy, but to no avail. She couldn''t even move, let alone collect energy.

    She tried several times over but failed repeatedly. Only exhaustion held Vivian back from screaming in frustration¡ªif she could, she would already have done so. But despite how hopeless it seemed, she knew she couldn''t fail this time. Recovering her strength was essential, and this was an obstacle she needed to overcome to get there.

    "Try to take it

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    ys. The news had spread within the Xiao Clan, causing a commotion. The third was that Daniel had sent him an invitation letter. These three things, of course, were all expected.

    Zachary proceeded to the beast barn, where Ryder greeted him with a triumphant grin.

    "Manager Harley, our treasure beasts managed to produce as many as ten treasures in less than a month. This has never happened before!" Ryder exclaimed rather excitedly.

    "It must be due to your efforts!" Zachary said.

    "I''m flattered, but it''s due to your leadership!" Ryder replied almost immediately.

    "However, these ten pieces are still not up to the previous agreement we had with the leader. We still have a few more days though, don''t we? That''s why you have to focus even more. If we can reach the number we have agreed upon, we can expand the beast barn. I''m sure your efforts will get recognized, and by then, you may even be promoted," Zachary said. He was obviously hyping Ryder up. And it worked flawlessly.

    "All thanks to you, Manager Harley!" Ryder was almost drooling upon hearing the word "promotion."

    Zachary gave him a few more orders before exiting the beast barn. He was about to look for Vivian then, but happened upon Anthony along the way. He was surrounded by a group of followers. Despite his obvious annoyance, Anthony managed a greeting. "Hey, Harley. Long time no see."

 Chapter 642 The Unconscious Spiritual Soul

    "Yes, it''s been more than half a month since I last saw you," Zachary said. "I thought you went back to the Shura College. You are still one of the disciples. Since you have already recovered, isn''t it time for you to go back? Otherwise, people may think you have the privilege to leave the Shura College at your own will!"

    "Harley, you must have forgotten something. I have reached the Imperial Level, so I''m not a disciple anymore. Since the rules of the college are only for disciples, I don''t have to follow them," Anthony answered with a frown. He knew that Zachary had already known the answer.

    "Oh, I almost forgot. I thought you were still at the King Level. I''m so sorry," Zachary commented, faking a look of epiphany.

    Anthony quickly countered it and said, "It seems that you are not worried at all. This month is ending soon. From what I remember, less than half of the treasure beasts in the beast barn have yet produced any treasures. You promised my father that you could make half of them produce treasures. However, it seems easier said than done. Of course, I don''t think it''s a big deal. After all, you promised in front of so many people. It would be very embarrassing if you can''t fulfill it by the end of this month."

    "Well, it''s not the end yet! Why are you so concerned with someone else''s matter? It seems that you have a lot of free time!" Zachary mocked Anthony.

    The latter''s face darkened.

    "It won''t be long before the race for the marriage. You will be challenged by warriors of the Devil Kingdom. Although I don''t think highly of you, I still hope that you won''t embarrass the Xiao Clan and my sister too much. Don''t let others think that my sister has chosen a loser," Anthony replied in disgust.

    "Anthony, you can rest assured that you will call me brother-in-law soon," Zachary replied with a sneer.

    Anthony''s face twisted in anger. Believing it was impossible for Zachary to win the race, he let out a humph and then left.

    On the other hand, Zachary returned to his own house. Since Vivian had recovered, he had to make a decision on how to cultivate his spiritual soul. It would be against his style to do a step-

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    ry asked, watching all the ghosts floating around them.

    "They were all caught by our ancestors. They were extremely vicious when they were alive. However, their spiritual souls could not be easily destroyed, so our ancestors took them and sealed them under the Living-dead Tomb. This way, time would temper them, and at last make them unconscious souls," Anne explained.

    "To put it bluntly, the ancestors of the Living-dead Tomb were practitioners of ghost catching," Zachary said jokingly.

    Hearing his words, Anne couldn''t help rolling her eyes.

    As soon as they reached the third floor underground, Zachary obviously felt the sudden tension in the surrounding air. Spiritual souls with different shapes and powerful auras appeared in front of him. However, since they were all unconscious, they didn''t have any free will and just aimlessly wandered around. Nonetheless, the energy emitted by these spiritual souls was still frightening.

    When he nearly reached the center of the floor, Zachary halted all of a sudden, seeing a three-meter high stone platform ahead. On top of it, there was a gorgeous soul, dancing with a graceful posture. She was practicing the Lady Swordsmanship that Anne had taught him, but her aura was obviously more powerful than any other souls at the Imperial Level. There were no Imperial Level spiritual souls within a dozen meters around the stone platform, making it seem that they were afraid of her.

 Chapter 643 Spiritual Ability

    "Such a beautiful spiritual soul! It''s a pity that she died," Zachary sighed sadly.

    "Her name is Gisele. She used to be one of the legends in the Living-dead Tomb. In fact, both of us trained under the same master. But she fell in love with a man and chose to leave the Living-dead Tomb. Not long after, she was abandoned by the man," Anne sighed.

    "What a bastard! Who was that man? What was wrong with him? How could he dump such a beautiful lady? Did Gisele give her life for the sake of love in the end?" Zachary surmised. A woman who was crazy in love always had a miserable ending.

    Anne nodded and replied, "Yes. But she killed that man before killing herself."

    "Wow! Really? She was so ruthless!" Zachary was astounded. It sounded like people from the Living-dead Tomb were not to be trifled with.

    "In fact, if she hadn''t left the Living-dead Tomb, perhaps our sect wouldn''t have been destroyed. She was much more talented than me. She was the best at swordsmanship, and she was the only one who had mastered all twelve moves of the Lady Swordsmanship. I have only mastered ten moves. The remaining two are the most powerful, but I haven''t mastered them yet," Anne remarked with a regretful look on her face.

    "The Lady Swordsmanship has twelve moves? I thought there were only six. How come you didn''t teach me the rest?" asked Zachary, puzzled by her unwillingness to teach him the moves.

    "The Lady Swordsmanship is not suitable for men to use. It can''t be used to cultivate the masculine spiritual souls. This is why I choose not to teach you the other moves. But if you can merge with Gisele''s spiritual soul, you can learn them yourself. And with your strength, you can learn three more moves. You have to reach the Sage Level, and then you can master the last three moves," Anne explained.

    "That''s more than enough. Skill is no burden for me. Besides, I think the Lady Swordsmanship is very good because it can kill people in an invisible way. It is not as overbearing as the Ice Dragon Skill. I prefer to keep a low profile," Zachary commented with a smile.

    "In that case, good luck!" Anne''s bright eyes sparkled with delight.

    "All right then! Let''s get started. How do I merge with Gisele''s spiritual soul?" Zachary inquired.

    "You can go up and have a sword fight with her. If she feels that you are qualified, she will merge with you. She regretted leaving the Living-dead Tomb and never developed the sect. So if she be

    ary immediately activated the Rebirth Restraining Ring on the neck of the Earthworm-shaped Dog. The ring shrank sharply and the dog lay on the ground, unable to move.

    Then he walked up to the dog and used the Energy Perception Technique to seal the energy circulation in its body. After that, the dog fell into a deep sleep and he took it to the system.

    Fearing something was wrong, he instructed, "Mimi, please examine the Earthworm-shaped Dog''s body at once."

    Almost instantly, several rays shot out from the surroundings and passed over the dog''s body.

    "The scan is done. There are too many Celestial Energy Crystals in the Earthworm-shaped Dog''s body, which has a huge impact on its emotions," Mimi replied. "The Celestial Energy Crystal is an elite treasure. It is invaluable for all warriors of Imperial Level. Absorbing one of these crystals is equal to a year''s cultivation. However, the Earthworm-shaped Dog will eat it immediately upon production. Therefore, it is very rare and difficult to collect. It''s priceless in the Supernal Continent. The last Celestial Energy Crystal showed up three years ago," she explained.

    "What? Really?" Zachary was astonished. It seemed that Anne was not lying to him. The elite treasure beast was indeed unusual. As Mimi said, absorbing one Celestial Energy Crystal was equal to a year''s cultivation. This was an attractive prospect for the warriors of Imperial Level. If they wanted to improve their strength by one grade, they would have to spend at least three years or even longer. But if they could absorb a Celestial Energy Crystal, it would save them a lot of time and energy.

 Chapter 644 Celestial Energy Crystals

    Zachary had fused with Sun-swallowing Pills before. The pills were treasures of Sage Level and one such pill could increase a warrior''s strength by one grade. The Celestial Energy Crystal was only a treasure of Imperial Level, and yet it had the power to enhance one''s strength at such an incredible rate. In fact, it was not inferior to the Sun-swallowing Pill in any way. It could be said that it was almost comparable to the Sun-swallowing Pill. The Earthworm-shaped Dog produced the Celestial Energy Crystals quite frequently. However, such elite treasures couldn''t be absorbed frequently. Therefore, even if the dog produced a lot of them, he couldn''t absorb them all in a short time.

    However, Anne had told him that many treasures produced by elite treasure beasts had complementary properties and could be fused with each other, and this could alleviate the side effect. Therefore, if he could catch the second treasure beast designated by Tania, it would help him absorb more Celestial Energy Crystals in a short period of time. So what he needed to do now was cultivate his spiritual soul and then catch the second elite treasure beast.

    "Mimi, you told me that the number of Celestial Energy Crystals inside the Earthworm-shaped Dog''s body has reached its limit, right? So, that means there are Celestial Energy Crystals stored inside its body!" All of a sudden, an exciting revelation occurred to him. This was good news! He thought it would take some time for the Celestial Energy Crystals to come out from its body, but he didn''t expect the beast to secretly hide some Celestial Energy Crystals inside its body. So he immediately asked, "Is there a way to make the dog expel them from its body as soon as possible?"

    "Yes, there is a way. The Production-stimulating Pills sold in the treasure beast system can speed up its production, but one pill can only stimulate one treasure to come out. As a result, at least five pills would be needed to remove all the Celestial Energy Crystals inside the Earthworm-shaped Dog''s body," Mimi explained.

    "I don''t care how many pills are need. The more, the better. Just go ahead and exchange five for me right now." Zachary was ecstatic to hear this. There were five Celestial Energy Crystals in the body of the Earthworm-shaped Dog! All the masters in the Devil Kingdom would fight tooth and nail for one of these crystals.

    "A Production-stimulating Pill costs five hundred treasure-hunting coins, so five will cost two thousand five hundred coins. Are you sure you want to buy five pills?" Mimi reminded him dutifully.

    "Seriously? Five hundred coins for one Production-stimulating Pill? That''s daylight robbery!" Whe

    much burden to the body, forget about two.

    However, although he had only fused with a small portion of the power of the Celestial Energy Crystal, he still felt that his strength had increased significantly. He could only imagine the result after he fused with the full power of the crystal.

    After Zachary had absorbed all the power of the Celestial Energy Crystal, it lost its luster and became a dry stone. Before long, it broke and crumbled into powder.

    "The Celestial Energy Crystal Powder is a type of rare casting material of Imperial Level. Do collect it!" Mimi reminded him right on cue.

    "Oh, so it turns out that even the residue of the Celestial Energy Crystal is a rare Imperial Level casting material. One treasure actually has two uses. How wonderful!" The corners of Zachary''s mouth lifted into a smug smile. He was wild with joy.

    After he collected the Celestial Energy Crystal Powder into a bag, he asked Mimi to put it into the storage warehouse. Then he left the system and returned to the real world.

    As soon as Zachary emerged from the north room, he saw Jimmy coming in a hurry and nearly walking into him. Zachary immediately released his martial energy to support Jimmy and saved him from a fall. Then he took a step back.

    "Hey, what happened? Why are you in such a hurry?" Zachary asked suspiciously narrowing his eyes.

    "Harley, you''re finally out! Ryder has sent someone to inform you to come to the beast barn as soon as possible. I think it''s because the rest of those treasure beats have produced treasures," Jimmy said hurriedly.

    "Okay. I''ll go there right now. You go and tell Steward Shaw to go to the beast barn with Master Jaxon to check on the results!" Zachary nodded to him, and then rushed straight towards the beast barn.

 Chapter 645 The Infectious Disease

    As soon as Zachary stepped inside the beast barn, he saw Ryder pacing anxiously inside.

    "Ryder," Zachary called out as he came closer.

    "Manager Harley, you''re finally here! Something terrible has occurred!" When Ryder saw Zachary showing up, he rushed up to him in utter desperation.

    "What happened?" Zachary asked, confused. He thought Ryder had summoned him because the remaining treasure beasts he selected earlier already produced treasures.

    "A treasure beast was about to produce treasures. However, it suddenly fell ill yesterday, and its body festered rapidly. The vet from the Xiao Clan came to examine it, but the findings showed nothing wrong. If this beast produced treasures successfully, we would achieve our goal. I never expected such a thing to happen at this critical time!" Ryder narrated in a concerned tone.

    "Really? Bring me to it," Zachary ordered calmly.

    Soon after, Ryder guided Zachary to the sick treasure beast''s stable. As they neared, the enclosure gave off a disgusting stink, like the stench of a rotting corpse. Ryder, who was standing behind Zachary, immediately covered his nose using both hands and retreated.

    Zachary lifted his gaze and saw a treasure beast lying weakly inside the stable. Infected sores covered its body and it seemed almost featherless. It was a Red-eyed King Bird, a precious and rare flying beast. It was a rather good treasure beast compared to the others in the beast barn.

    "When did it get sick?" Zachary asked, his eyes full of dismay.

    "I suppose it began yesterday. It was doing great two days ago, and could have produced treasures then," Ryder responded.

    "Except for the disciples who came to work, did anybody else enter here yesterday?" Zachary continued to ask.

    "There is none, I think. Only those Imperial Level warriors whose beasts are raised in here would come. But I can''t remember any of them arriving here yesterday," answered Ryder, shaking his head.

    "I see. Thank you. You can go out first. I have to check its condition. If Master Jaxon and the others arrive, please ask him to wait for a while," Zachary instructed, motioning for Ryder to leave.

    "I got it," Ryder nodded and quickly made his way out of the beast barn. He couldn''t bear the foul smell anymore.

    After Ryder was out of sight, Zachary shut the door of the beast barn and took the Red-eyed King Bird into the system.

    "Mimi, please check the condition of this Red-eyed King Bird for me," Zachary ordered.

    Several targeting laser beams fired out and scanned over the Red-eyed King Bird. Not long after, he heard Mimi''s charming voice reporting, "This beast got injected with a toxic poison, and normal procedures can''t detect that."

    "Poisoned? I knew it." Zachary''s eyes flared, his face showing a serious

    ull up two chairs for Jaxon and Anthony to sit on, while Shaw and the other warriors could only stand at the side.

    After fifteen more minutes, the Imperial Level warriors gradually turned restless and started to discuss among themselves.

    "Manager Harley must have figured out the seriousness of his mistakes, so he dares not to show himself."

    "If it is indeed an infectious disease, it is very plausible that all the treasure beasts staying inside the beast barn could contract the illness."

    "I agree. I entrusted my treasure beast here! If it is infected as well, I must ask Manager Harley to pay me for damages!"

    At this point, Anthony abruptly stood up from his seat and said, "Is it possible that Harley has sneaked away after he realized the gravity of the matter? If my memory serves me right, today should be the deadline of his promise. Ryder, did half of the treasure beasts in the beast barn produce treasures this month?"

    "There is still one treasure beast short," Ryder admitted.

    "So, Harley fails to keep his promise, right?" said Anthony with a cold sneer.

    "Short by just one? That''s good enough," Jaxon said, somehow surprised. Even though it didn''t entirely correspond with Zachary''s promise, it was enough to prove his excellent potential.

    "But Father, a promise is a promise. Now that he can''t keep up with his commitment, he must resign from the managerial position. Besides, he didn''t do a great job in handling the beast barn. It''s his accountability that the infectious disease spread in the beast barn. He deserves punishment," Anthony said with a satisfied smirk on his face. He refused to believe that Zachary could turn everything around after this incident.

    The other Imperial Level warriors nearby also revealed a mean and triumphant look. They all concluded that Zachary would end up in great distress!

 Chapter 646 The Race For The Marriage

    "Anthony, isn''t it a bit hasty to say that?" Right at that moment, laughter erupted somewhere.

    Jaxon and the rest looked in the direction of the sound only to see Zachary stepping out of the beast barn.

    "Oh, you are here! I thought you were hiding like a coward and not daring come out!" said Anthony sarcastically.

    "Why would I hide? I did nothing wrong!" Zachary shrugged and smiled smugly.

    "What? Nothing wrong? Ryder just said that a treasure beast had picked up an infectious disease in the beast barn. If things get worse, it might affect the entire beast barn. It is a huge mistake for you to deal with it so late. If all the treasure beasts are infected, how will you explain it to the warriors who have entrusted the treasure beasts here?" Anthony taunted.

    "Oh, Ryder! You just said that one of the treasure beasts had picked up an infectious disease, right?" Zachary asked Ryder.

    "Well yeah! I just think so because that treasure beast looks very serious and the onset of the disease was very sudden. It looks like an infectious disease to me." Noticing Zachary''s eyes on him, Ryder trembled as guilt washed over him. He gulped hard out of nervousness.

    "Harley, tell me the truth. Is it really some sort of infectious disease?" Jaxon asked seriously. This could be a big deal. He didn''t want anything to go wrong with the barn.

    The rest of the warriors were staring at Zachary, wondering how he would deal with this predicament.

    "Master Jaxon, you can check for yourself whether or not the treasure beast has an infectious disease!" Zachary then opened the beast stable and gestured for him to go inside to check the beast personally.

    Everyone, including Jaxon, fixed their eyes on the beast stable. The Red-eyed King Bird, who was sick, leaped out of the beast stable and plopped down in front of everyone. It had recovered and was covered in gorgeous feathers. No one could tell it had ever been infected with a serious disease before.

    "Huh?" Ryder was stunned to see that the dying Red-eyed King Bird had come back to life and looked very healthy.

    Anthony, who was staring with his eyes wide open, was just as surprised. He stared at Ryder angrily, while the latter looked back at him with an innocent expression. Ryder had fed the poison given by Anthony to the bird in person. Besides, the Red-eyed King Bird looked like it was ready to die after ingesting the poison. He never imagined that Zachary would be able to save the bird.

    "I don''t understand! What the hell is going on? Didn''t you say that the b

    he had visited Zelvag. Zelvag was very happy to see Zachary after so long. He invited him to go hunting with him and showed his cultivation achievements.

    It wasn''t until midnight that Zachary left the forbidden area and entered the system to prepare for the race for the marriage. Although he didn''t know what exactly would happen in the race, he knew very well that Vivian would do something unusual. So he had to be extra cautious and be fully prepared.

    Four days later, the race for the marriage finally commenced in the Xiao Clan Castle. It was held for the beautiful Vivian, one of the successors of the Xiao Clan.

    The Xiao Clan Castle was decorated with lanterns and drums were being played, and a large number of warriors from different clans had gathered, making the race for the marriage as spectacular as a big gala.

    After all, it was a rare opportunity for the warriors to win this young lady''s hand in marriage. The Xiao Clan was the second most powerful clan in the Devil Kingdom, and it was every warrior''s dream to become the son-in-law of the clan leader, so nobody wanted to miss this chance. Only warriors of Imperial Level, who were no older than 40 years, could participate in the contest, so the pool of competitors was quite small. There were only a few warriors under 40 years old at the Imperial Level, and most of them were new warriors. Only a few of them had the strength to compete.

    There was a huge ring in the square in the south of the Xiao Clan Castle. Thousands of warriors from different clans surrounded the ring. Of course, the majority of them were there to cheer the participants on. However, such a magnificent scene was rare in the Devil Kingdom.

 Chapter 647 Four Challenges

    Apart from the requirements for age and strength, there was no other criteria for the candidates. Therefore, almost all those warriors of Imperial Level from all the forces in the Devil Kingdom who were under forty years old came to participate in the race held by the Xiao Clan. Even the Xuanyuan Clan, which was the largest force in the Devil Kingdom, sent warriors to participate in the race. Fearing that another major force would ally with the Xiao Clan through marriage, the Xuanyuan Clan jumped in to get a piece of the action themselves.

    Warriors had already occupied the areas around the stage, eager to watch the prestigious event, while the candidates were eager to fight. To be honest, however, not many candidates were very powerful. Most of them were only at the primary stage of Imperial Level. It was the warriors at the medium stage of Imperial Level who had an upper hand in this competition.

    Therefore, the race for the marriage would actually become a contest among those warriors at the medium stage of Imperial Level. They mainly belonged to the forces at the premium stage, such as the Xuanyuan Clan, while only a small number of them were from forces at the medium stage or primary stage.

    Therefore, even before the race began, a few warriors at the medium stage of Imperial Level had become popular candidates, including Saul of the Xuanyuan Clan. As a warrior at the fifth grade of Imperial Level, he was considered one of the best contenders. No other competitor was stronger than him. Saul was Larry''s nephew and he was thirty-five years old. He was ranked in the top three among Imperial Level warriors in the Xuanyuan Clan, so he was greatly valued by Larry. According to rumors, the Xuanyuan Clan had already selected him as the future leader. In addition to Saul, there were several other warriors at the medium stage of Imperial Level from other major clans who were also very strong. Moreover, some warriors of Imperial Level from the Xiao Clan would also be participating in the race too, including the ones arranged by Daniel.

    This ensured that none of th

    "In the race, there are four rounds in total. For each round, the participants will compete against each other, and the final winner will have the chance to challenge Harley. If anyone can defeat him in the first round, he will replace Harley and compete in the second. If nobody can defeat Harley in the first challenge, Harley will still be challenged in the following round. If nobody has defeated Harley at the end of the four rounds, he will be officially engaged to Vivian under the witness of all the people here, and they will select a day to hold their wedding ceremony. If anyone defeats Harley, then Vivian will decide whether or not she wishes to be engaged to that person."

    After this announcement, people started to discuss with each other. They all felt that the rules were entirely on the side of the Xiao Clan. Zachary was greatly appreciated by Jaxon, and Jaxon had already promised Zachary his daughter''s hand. So their engagement had been already finalized. Even if they defeated Zachary, they might still not be able to marry her, as she would take the final decision. The rules sounded a little unfair, because she could find all kinds of excuses to refuse the winner.

    Despite this, none of them wanted to miss the chance to be Jaxon''s son-in-law. Therefore, even though the rules were unfair, the participants were not willing to quit and lose this golden opportunity.

 Chapter 648 The First Round Of The Race

    After announcing the rules of the race, Shaw continued, "The first round starts now. This round revolves around treasures. Since you all want to marry our leader''s daughter, you need to show your sincerity. So, every participant should show their sincerity by sending Vivian treasures. There''s no limit to the number of treasures you want to showcase. It could be one, or more than one. Our Xiao Clan''s judges will then go out to choose the one they consider most valuable."

    As soon as Shaw was done, the Imperial Level warriors here for the race opened their Virtual Air Spaces. They went in search of any treasure powerful enough to prove their sincerity.

    "Once you''re ready, you can go up to the stage and show us your treasures!" Shaw shouted, announcing that the race had officially begun.

    Several Imperial Level warriors rushed to the stage immediately. They were desperate to win, convinced their treasures were precious enough. However, as soon as they showcased them, the crowd started booing. Most of the treasures were at the mere King Level, and only a few were at the Imperial Level. Even then, those Imperial Level treasures were extremely weak and not presentable. Upon seeing their treasures, the onlookers found them boring. These treasures were clearly incapable of intriguing their interest.

    Considering the warriors themselves were only at the primary stage, it was to be expected. Needless to say, they couldn''t have acquired treasures that could surprise everyone. If the crowd gave them the bird, Vivian and the Xiao Clan''s big shots obviously weren''t impressed.

    "How laughable! They''re presenting treasures even beggars won''t spend their time to snatch. Don''t they feel ashamed of themselves?" Anthony snorted.

    "No one asked for your commentary. I''m the one to judge here, not you. Besides, why are you getting so excited already? It''s still early on in the game." Vivian gave him a reproachful look. At least she had more decency than him in this respect.

    "Vivian is right. Only those without confidence or power, just desperation, will jump in like reckless idiots. Those certain of their prowess will hold back until later on in the game," Jaxon said in a composed manner, sitting straight and staring at the battlefield.

    More Imperial Level warriors came to the stage and showed their treasures. This time, those treasures were obviously superior to those that had come before them.

    Thirty or so Imperial Level warriors came to the stage to compete. However, their treasures were basically very common. Only a handful could be considered scare. Despite this, they were still inferior ones. Those warriors were all from those forces at the primary stage or medium stage. It was safe to say the

    ing the Centennial Shura Fruit stunned them for a moment, but then they got excited again. The Centennial Shura Fruit was obviously rarer and more valuable than the Cloudy Snow Bead. It was one of the best rare treasures.

    Saul''s first treasure alone was enough for him to defeat the previous candidates. It was obvious he came well prepared.

    When Daniel saw this, his expression changed. He hadn''t expected the Xuanyuan Clan to come and have prepared such a precious treasure. With gritted teeth, he quickly gestured for another blue-robed warrior to get on the stage.

    Not to be outdone, the man in blue took out a one-hundred-year-old rare plant at the Imperial Level, saying, "I heard that Vivian is obsessed with pill refining. So, I deliberately brought her this rare plant. It''s called the Green Bearded Root!"

    As soon as Vivian caught a glimpse of the plant, her eyes shone with delight. Everyone around the stage was once again in an uproar. This rare one-hundred-year plant was as valuable as a cultivation-aiding treasure for pill refiners. No wonder Vivian was so happy to see it.

    In turn, Saul opened his second treasure box at once. It also held a rare plant. What was more, it was two hundred years old. This one was, without a doubt, more precious and powerful than the other one.

    Daniel''s expression turned sullen. He had carefully prepared these two treasures, expecting them to be outstanding enough. However, Saul''s treasures still managed to surpass his.

    Right at this moment, an extremely arrogant voice sounded. "It is just a two-hundred-year-old rare treasure! It''s not that big of a deal."

    Everyone was surprised to hear those words. They wondered who was arrogant enough to claim that. When they turned to look at the owner of the voice, they found it was none other than Zachary.

 Chapter 649 Manuals At The Premium Stage

    When Zachary showed up, he was arrayed in resplendent golden white, evidently dressing up for the occasion. He now stood as Vivian''s husband-to-be, and with his hands resting behind his back in parade rest, he appeared almost haughty under the gaze of the observing crowd. He made his way towards the stage together with Henry and Jimmy, who bore a number of boxes.

    "Harley, the first round isn''t over yet, and you don''t have to walk onto the stage right now," Shaw remarked as soon as he saw Zachary making his way to the stage.

    Both Jaxon and Daniel also spotted Zachary approaching, and for Daniel, it was the first time that he had met him. He took this opportunity to observe him carefully.

    "Yeah, why are you in such a hurry? I hope you''re not worried that you''d be no match for the likes of them, are you? Because if you can''t trust your own capabilities at a time like this, you may as well not go up there," Vivian smirked, her voice laced with sarcasm.

    "I think you''ve understood me, Vivian. The reason I''m heading to the stage is because I can''t stand this outrage anymore. How in the world could those guys'' treasures ever match as fair a lady as you? Are they serious? Do they take us for fools? It''s a scam. Nothing but hoaxes and fakes," Zachary sniffed, his tone disdainful and contemptuous.

    At this, those warriors who had already unveiled their treasures stood livid, glaring at him as though they intended to atomize him on the spot. But they dared not speak up against him given the magnitude of his standing, and instead swallowed their anger so as not to be seen hurling hellfire against the Xiao Clan.

    For Saul and the blue-robed warrior on the stage, however, they felt their irritation only rise further. So far, things in the match had gone quite smoothly for them. That was, until Zachary had appeared and threw a wrench in the works, naturally pissing them off.

    "I wouldn''t be so smug if I were you; you haven''t seen anything yet! Since you''re up here on the stage anyway, how about you show us what you''re packing, then? What treasure have you brought?" The blue-robed warrior who was under Daniel''s leadership took the opportunity to provoke Zachary. Should Zachary reveal his trump card early, it would give them all a heads-up as to what they''d have to deal with and figure out a way to neutralize it.

    At

    .

    "Does anyone else want to stand up to me, then? If there isn''t anyone else, then this is all over." Saul''s declaration rang across the stage as he surveyed it with an arrogant gaze. If he were to win by default now, he would move up and trade blows with Zachary.

    In response, the other warriors merely shook their heads, certain that they didn''t have better treasures. Moreover, he still had one treasure in reserve and it was likely going to be one that was even better than the previous two that he had already presented. There seemed to be simply no chance of winning for any of them at this point. They knew better than to embarrass themselves by attempting to fight him with their own meager treasures, especially onstage.

    Upon seeing that no one else dared to take up the fight against him, Saul only sneered. He was certain that this meant his victory among all the other warriors present.

    "In this case, the winner of the first round has been decided! We''ll move on to the next field of competition! We call upon Saul and Harley to step up to the stage!" Jaxon proclaimed loudly over the stage from where he stood.

    A tremendous roar rose from the crowd out of sheer excitement. What Zachary had revealed already was beyond imagining, and now they were anxious to see exactly what he would do next. Furthermore, Saul still had one more treasure to unveil on the stage, and it was likely to be the most precious in his possession. Everyone was thrilled and caught up in anticipation at the two''s expected collision with such high stakes on the line.

 Chapter 650 Essential Spiritual Energy

    Zachary walked to the center of the stage and faced Saul. The two of them glared at one another so hard that sparks shot out from their eyes. The audience was holding their breaths, looking forward to their competition.

    "Before we start, I have a question to ask you, Saul," Zachary suddenly said.

    "Okay. Whatever you want to ask, just do it. Let''s hurry up, and stop wasting time," Saul said in disdain.

    "The Xuanyuan Clan is the largest force in the Devil Kingdom. All the other clans have been following under your leadership. Generally speaking, people from such a clan wouldn''t waste their time taking part in such a race, which is why I''m very curious now. I wonder if you''re participating on behalf of yourself or on behalf of the Xuanyuan Clan," Zachary said with a faint smile on his face.

    "I don''t think your question has anything to do with our competition. What does it matter why I''m here? It''s the same thing." Saul snorted.

    "No, you''re wrong. There is a big difference between the two possibilities. If you came here on behalf of yourself, I will show you mercy. I wouldn''t want you to be a laughingstock when you return home. But if you come here on behalf of the Xuanyuan Clan, it would be remiss of me to show you mercy. Both the Xiao Clan and the Xuanyuan Clan are leading clans in the Devil Kingdom. Our clan will surely surpass yours and become the number one clan in the Devil Kingdom one day. For that reason, I''ll have to view you as a strong opponent that I have to defeat," Zachary smirked snidely.

    His words caused an uproar among the audience around the stage. They all felt that Zachary''s unscrupulous behavior was exceedingly arrogant. His hostile words towards the Xuanyuan Clan in front of so many spectators sounded rather bold, so as the way he was challenging Saul.

    Saul''s face darkened at his words. He hadn''t expected Zachary to provoke him so openly, but he still tried his best to suppress his anger. He came here to defeat Zachary and get engaged to Vivian. His purpose was to help the Xuanyuan Clan quash the development of the Xiao Clan''s influence. Therefore, he couldn''t lose his temper so easily under such provocation.

    However, not everyone disagreed with Zachary''s behavior. Jaxon and the other members of th

    s in the race. Winning this challenge would mean he already had one foot in the Xiao Clan. What was more important was, if he did win and Vivian chose to refuse him, the Xuanyuan Clan would then have an excuse to make trouble for the Xiao Clan. And if Vivian didn''t refuse him, the Xuanyuan Clan could restrict the Xiao Clan by virtue of the marriage. So, both scenarios would be bad for the Xiao Clan.

    "Father, if Saul wins, then we will have no choice but to involve those people we''d readied in the next round," Vivian whispered to Jaxon. She realized how serious things were at that moment. Of course, the only reason she had allowed this race to take place was that she had been well prepared for it. She would never put the Xiao Clan at risk.

    "Of course. But Harley hasn''t shown his treasure yet. Let''s wait and see." Jaxon remained composed.

    "I''m afraid it would be very difficult for him to win now. After all, the essential spiritual energy is very rare. It''s a necessary treasure to cultivate the spiritual soul. Most Imperial Level treasures are inferior to it. Even the treasures born by rare treasure beasts may not be as valuable," Vivian said, shaking her head. She had to admit that Saul''s trump card was superior, which went beyond her expectations.

    At this moment, everyone present fixed their eyes on Zachary. They all wondered how he would react now that Saul had taken out the essential spiritual energy. Like Vivian, they felt that Zachary might not be able to win this time around.

 Chapter 651 Be Patient

    At first, Zachary was a little surprised as he glanced at the essential spiritual energy in Saul''s hand. He hadn''t expected him to be so well-prepared. Zachary had just chosen the spiritual soul ability himself and stepped onto the cultivation of the spiritual soul. Therefore, he knew how difficult it was to cultivate the spiritual soul. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have chosen to practice the heterodox soul cultivating skill. The most powerful part of that skill was that he could absorb spiritual souls whether they were conscious or unconscious. Generally speaking, one could only cultivate the spiritual soul using the normal method. But it took an exponential amount of time. Therefore, it would be very helpful for the cultivating of the spiritual soul through the assistance of the essential spiritual energy. The effect of such assistance was similar to that of using the heterodox soul cultivating skill, except that it was hard to get the essential spiritual energy, which made it difficult for normal Imperial Level warriors to cultivate spiritual souls.

    "This is the first time I''ve seen the essential spiritual energy. It seems very special. A precious treasure indeed!" Zachary suddenly exclaimed with a smile.

    "It''s good that you know that. So, you shouldn''t be so arrogant in front of me. If you have any sense, you''ll just admit defeat and spare yourself the embarrassment. Don''t make a fool of yourself by showing your treasure. While I admit the manuals you took out are very rare, they have limitations. Add to that, only warriors who meet the requirements can practice those skills. Yet, the essential spiritual energy is very essential to warriors who want to cultivate spiritual souls. I don''t think there''s any treasure you can take out that will surpass mine!" Saul sneered, certain that Zachary had already reached his limit.

    Upon hearing this, Vivian put on a sardonic smile and said, "Oh, Saul, it''s too early to say that. We can''t know the result unless Harley shows his treasure. Why should he admit defeat so soon? What if he can bring out one that''s better than yours? Then you''ll be the one feeling embarrassed."

    The deafening clamor came from the audience around the stage. They wanted to see Zachary bring out a treasure that outshone the essential spiritual energy. If he could manage

    ared at him, speechless at his audacity.

    Then, Jimmy stepped on the stage with a treasure box in his hands. When he opened the box, there was a rare flower that looked like a lamp lying inside.

    "This is a rare five-hundred-year-old flower. I know that Vivian likes pill refinement, so I got it especially for her," Zachary went on.

    The crowd was buzzing with excitement again.

    "Five hundred years of history! It''s more advanced than the plant Saul brought over."

    "How many rare treasures has he acquired? It''s so shocking!"

    "I''m dying from envy!"

    Vivian''s eyes widened comically. She hadn''t expected Zachary to prepare so many valuable things for the race, especially since he''d been reluctant to take part in it in the first place.

    Of course, Saul was also quite jealous and going a little bit crazy. Seeing the number of rare treasures Zachary had brought made him feel a little nervous.

    "Stop wasting our time. Hurry up and compete with me!" Saul couldn''t help but shout, his anger seeping through his calm facade.

    "Since you want to lose so soon, I''ll help you," said Zachary, waving his hand. In a flash, a big yellow crystal appeared in his hand.

    As soon as the yellow crystal appeared, a wave of strong essential energy filled the area. Those standing a hundred meters from the stage could feel it so distinctly. They were stupefied at the sight. All it took was one glance to figure out that the yellow crystal was extraordinary. It was an elite treasure at the Imperial Level, the Celestial Energy Crystal!

 Chapter 652 An Elite Treasure

    "Harley, what on earth is that?" Jaxon stared at the Celestial Energy Crystal that Zachary held, not recognizing that it was an elite Imperial Level treasure.

    To be fair, everyone else also glued their eyes to the crystal in his hand. It was clear from all their dumbstruck expressions that no one could identify the treasure and its origin.

    "Master Jaxon, it seems even you are unfamiliar with this treasure." Zachary raised an eyebrow, amused. So, it was indeed a treasure so rare that even a Sage Level warrior like Jaxon had trouble recognizing it, at least at first sight.

    "This is certainly something unusual, or else I should be able to recognize it. Truth be told, I have no clue what it is!" Jaxon bent down slightly to take an even closer look, to no avail. He shook his head then turned to Daniel. "Do you know what it is?"

    "I can feel the energy inside it bursting out, so I''m betting it''s at the peak of Imperial Level. With that said, there are a few such treasures, and I''m afraid I have never seen this particular one before," Daniel admitted. In fact, the only thing he was sure of was that if he and Jaxon¡ªwith all their experience and qualifications¡ªdidn''t know what it was, then there was little chance that anybody else had the answer.

    "Who can tell what it is? If anyone can, I''ll give it to them as a present." Zachary scanned the crowd, his face brimming with generosity.

    Everyone started to whisper amongst themselves, but it seemed that in fact, nobody knew anything past speculations.

    "Don''t act like it''s all rare. It may contain some strong essential power, but it may not be different from ordinary treasures at all. Besides, such power can''t be easily absorbed, so no matter what way you view it, it''s incomparable to my essential spiritual energy." Saul looked at Zachary like he was challenging him, but he didn''t bite.

    "I guess I''ll answer it myself, then," Zachary said instead. Staring back pointedly at Saul, he lifted the crystal high up in the air and declared, "This is a very rare treasure¡ªan elite Imperial Level one, produced of course by an elite treasure beast."

    The warriors looked at each other with doubtful expressions. After all, if most of them had never even heard anything about such a creature, how were they supposed to im

    , however rare, that could directly enhance their strength. Thus, discoveries like the Centennial Shura Fruit, worth three months of practice, was a rare and high-demand finding within the Supernal Continent. As such, one could only imagine the Celestial Energy Crystal''s subsequent value.

    Jaxon''s confirmation of its existence was a monumental breakthrough.

    "It''s quite something, then, isn''t it?" exclaimed Vivian, who now stared in awe.

    Anthony, on the other hand, scowled at Zachary''s return in the limelight.

    Saul bit his tongue and ground his teeth in pure vitriol. How was it possible for Zachary to pull off a miracle once again? Coming out with a treasure on par with his essential spiritual energy¡ªit was unacceptable! "Saving a year''s worth is no big deal. After all, it doesn''t necessarily mean that we directly go up one grade. What''s more, the cultivation of the spiritual soul is much more difficult. I''m sure my essential spiritual energy is far better than this so-called elite treasure."

    "Are you sure? I apologize, but I forget to tell you that I have more than one of these¡ªthree more, to be precise. Four pieces together should be enough to go up one grade. Actually, scratch that. Maybe even two," Zachary paused, then smiled wordlessly. And then the space around him shook. Almost instantly, the three other aforementioned crystals flew out of nowhere.

    The whole hall was shocked to complete and utter silence within a split second. As if one wasn''t enough, Zachary had now brought out four!

 Chapter 653 Beast Competition

    At this moment, it even left Jaxon and Daniel stunned. The fact that Zachary could take out four Celestial Energy Crystals amazed them because it was unimaginable to own one elite treasure at the Imperial Level. But, Zachary even had four! It was incredible!

    However, in the eyes of Jaxon and Daniel, it must be his Holy Level master who had given them to him, so it was reasonable.

    The people on the scene got excited and had a hard time believing what their eyes just witnessed.

    Vivian''s mouth slightly opened, and she could not conceal her shock. Anthony gripped the chair, gritting his teeth. He didn''t understand why Zachary could always change things around during crucial moments.

    Saul looked shocked the most. At first, he sounded confident of winning. Even though Zachary had one elite treasure at the Imperial Level, in terms of value, his essential spiritual energy was still better. He never considered for him to have over one elite treasure at the Imperial Level, but he got four! The joint value of this quartet was far higher than that of his essential spiritual energy. Thus, he had to concede his defeat.

    "This time, you''re compelled to admit your loss." A weak smile crossed Zachary''s face as he looked over at Saul.

    "Well, this is just the first round. I don''t suppose you can finish first in the upcoming rounds." Saul glared at Zachary as he went off the stage.

    "You did a wonderful job, Harley. But this is the first round, so don''t take it lightly, because the next round would become more complicated." Jaxon watched Zachary with eyes full of appreciation. He destroyed the momentum of the Xuanyuan Clan, which boosted the prestige of the Xiao Clan. If his achievement were to continue, it would bring great honor to the Xiao Clan. But it was too premature to celebrate. There were three more rounds.

    "I''m aware of it." Zachary nodded to him, smiling, and then turned to look at Vivian.

    Vivian''s gorgeous eyes met Zachary''s. Staring at his gentle smile, she couldn''t help herself from falling for h

    ted much to the warriors'' fighting power.

    At present, those warriors who already own a treasure beast had an early lead and advantage. Those who didn''t have one could only helplessly watch another chance slipping away. However, it also depended on its nature. If a treasure beast was of average quality, it was useless.

    At this moment, more than a dozen warriors had displayed their treasure beasts. All of them were very ordinary, and the best kinds did not even belong to the top one hundred of the common treasure beasts. Those warriors came from medium stage forces, so they didn''t have any good beasts.

    The only ones who could have the most stunning treasure beasts were from the premium stage forces.

    A short while later, a warrior from a premium stage clan came up the stage and showed a Flying Leopard. It ranked eightieth on the list of common treasure beasts.

    "Only the eightieth? Mine is ranked the sixtieth." Soon after, a warrior from the Xiao Clan stepped forward and revealed his treasure beast.

    "What are you saying, sixtieth? Mine is in the top fifty!"

    "Just fifty. I have a treasure beast that is ranked the fortieth."

    "Well, mine is ranked the thirty-ninth. It is far better than yours!"

    The other Imperial Level warriors bragged about their precious beasts one after another, which made the competition grow fiercer.

 Chapter 654 The Soaring Dragon

    An hour later, almost all the participating warriors in the contest displayed their treasure beasts. Among them, the best one was ranked twenty-sixth in common treasure beasts and belonged to a warrior at the fourth grade of Imperial Level. Only Saul and a few warriors brought by Daniel hadn''t shown their own treasure beasts yet.

    "Ha-ha! There is no better treasure beast than mine! Am I right?" The warrior at the fourth grade of Imperial Level looked around proudly assuming that his treasure beast was the best.

    "I''m sorry, but I have a beast that holds the tenth rank," said one warrior in black. It was one of the warriors brought by Daniel.

    "What? Tenth rank? I don''t believe it! How can you possess such an amazing treasure beast?" The warrior at the fourth grade of Imperial Level snorted.

    When the spectators heard this, they all looked at the warrior in black. In their opinion, a treasure beast that ranked tenth was a very good treasure beast.

    The next moment, the man in black opened his Virtual Air Space. A giant dark green beast emerged and landed on the ground with a thud, looking fierce and frightening like a crocodile with iron-like scales.

    "Is this the Iron Bone Crocodile? Wow! It is indeed ranked the tenth in all common treasure beasts. It is the strongest defensive common treasure beast. Its treasure, Iron Bone Liquid, can enhance one''s defensive ability and make one''s skin as hard as iron for a short period time. However, it is said that the Iron Bone Crocodile is very difficult to tame." It seemed like someone had recognized the beast.

    The warrior at the fourth grade of Imperial Level was shocked to see the black-robed warrior take out the Iron Bone Crocodile. Then, he took away his treasure beast and went off the stage.

    "Daniel, it''s hard to believe that you have a warrior who can actually control such a rare defensive treasure beast," Jaxon exclaimed, pretending to be in awe as he cast a glance at Daniel.

    "Thank you. I''m flattered. I''m just trying to ensure that Vivian gets married to a capable man. I can bring out an even more powerful beast, if I get serious about this," Daniel responded haughtily.

    Jaxon smiled at him. He understood that his younger brother wouldn''t give up so easily.

    When the warrior in black displayed h

    ally? What is so special about this warrior?" asked Jaxon cautiously, concern written all over his face.

    The people present also looked at Daniel waiting for him elaborate!

    "Go on, show them how remarkable you are!" Daniel immediately motioned for the warrior to reveal his talent.

    The warrior in white nodded and opened the Virtual Air Space. A leopard-shaped beast appeared suddenly and leaped out of the void. Then, a bizarre but strong aura spread out. Judging from the aura, the beast definitely wasn''t a common one.

    "Oh my god! A scarce beast! That''s a scarce treasure beast with the thunder element! He''s done for!" someone shouted in astonishment.

    Then, there was quite a commotion in the audience, because no one had thought that this warrior would also possess a scarce treasure beast, and to add to that, it would have the thunder element. This was a big shock to everyone.

    Zachary was equally astounded. He didn''t expect that the warrior had two treasure beasts, one of which was even comparable with the Thunder Dragon Horse.

    Jaxon couldn''t remain calm anymore. He looked at his brother and forced a small smile. Daniel, on the other hand, was gloating, as if he had planned this outcome right from the start.

    Vivian''s delicate face was grim. She, too, had never thought that her uncle would come so well prepared. She didn''t know where he had found this Imperial Level warrior who owned not one but two treasure beasts.

    This sudden turn of events just made the competition even more interesting!

 Chapter 655 A Fight Between Two Treasure Beasts

    While everyone watched the drama unfold, a sudden burst of laughter broke their shock. "Wow, I didn''t expect you to have two treasure beasts."

    The group turned to look to the source of the laughter and stopped short at Zachary.

    Under normal circumstances, Zachary should have been nervous. The warrior in white had just summoned a scarce treasure beast with the thunder element. The beast was a huge threat to him. However, he still looked calm, which no one understood.

    "I know your Thunder Dragon Horse also possesses the thunder element. But my Thunder Leopard is one rank higher than yours. So, the result has already been determined." The warrior in white, who had looked dull and inarticulate, finally opened his mouth. His attitude showed his arrogance.

    "Really? If the gap is merely one rank, the result can''t be that easily determined," Zachary said with a smile.

    His words seemed to have caused a stir among the viewers. With only one rank difference, their strength should be about the same. It would be hard to say which of the two was more powerful.

    "When it comes to scarce treasure beasts, one rank can make a big difference," the warrior in white said with a snort.

    Hearing this, Zachary narrowed his eyes. He knew that the treasure beast list of the Supernal Continent was authoritative. The Thunder Dragon Horse was one rank lower than the Thunder Leopard in the treasure beast list. He was obviously at a disadvantage here. In fact, only summoning the Sun-swallowing Beast''s cub could outshine the Thunder Leopard. But considering it had the potential of being a Sage Level beast, it would attract everyone''s attention. That could only bring him trouble, so he dropped the idea. The Thunder Leopard in front of him was only at the third grade of King Level. That meant it was two grades higher than his Thunder Dragon Horse. If they were to fight, the Thunder Dragon Horse still had a chance of winning.

    With that thought in mind, Zachary suggested, "Since you are so confident, how about letting the two treasure beasts fight? We''ll let them decide the outcome."

    Hearing Zachary''s proposal, the warrior in white turned to look at Daniel, waiting for his answer.

    "Since Harley wants to compete, let''s do it. The outcome has to be definitive so that no one co

    e obviously restless. If Zachary''s Thunder Dragon Horse was defeated, the race would become complicated. Unfortunately, now, he couldn''t do anything to help him. Though, he had made his own careful arrangements just in case. He couldn''t let this competition get out of his control.

    Even when it was blatantly evident he''d lose, Zachary didn''t change his stance. Seeing that the Thunder Dragon Horse was about to reach its limit, he told Mimi, "Mimi, give Kiwi the Crown of Thunder."

    "All right," Mimi replied immediately.

    Just when the Thunder Dragon Horse looked like it couldn''t withstand another attack, a dazzling ray shone above its head as a shadow appeared. Once the thunder radiance dissipated, there was a strange crown on the horse''s head. It was the Crown of Thunder.

    Everyone was surprised to see the Crown of Thunder. They had no clue where it came from, but they noticed that it was no ordinary item.

    With the help of the crown, the Thunder Dragon Horse''s aura suddenly grew.

    It reached the second grade. Then the third grade. Then the fourth grade.

    In the blink of an eye, its aura had been upgraded by three grades.

    "What? What is going on? Why did the beast''s strength suddenly increase by three grades?"

    "Does it have anything to do with the crown on its head? What is it?"

    "It seems that the really interesting part of the show is about to start."

    The change in the course of the battle had the crowd both surprised and excited. They hadn''t anticipated this dramatic turn of events.

 Chapter 656 The Final Victory

    Jaxon had been worried about the situation until he saw the Thunder Dragon Horse''s strength soar. Sweat trickled down his temple and then his cheeks as he breathed a sigh of relief. He found it undeniably impressive how Zachary went in and handled the situation, as if he anticipated what would happen and prepared for every possible outcome. Zachary had used a crown to increase his odds in what anyone else would have dismissed as a hopeless, disadvantageous situation.

    "This guy actually has a trump card. He doesn''t disappoint me." Vivian stared at the Thunder Dragon Horse with a mixture of awe and relief. After all, she hoped Zachary would win. If she must marry a warrior amongst the candidates, he would be at least better than the rest.

    Meanwhile, Daniel narrowed his eyes as he breathed a little heavily, trying to reassess the conditions. He was so sure Zachary no longer had a winning chance, but that trump card made him realize his gravely premature underestimations. Zachary had a lot to be proud of¡ªfor one, he now had undoubtedly captured Daniel''s full attention. In fact, he now looked at him, wondering if he could acquire him as his warrior, especially given this recent showing of impressive abilities.

    The warrior in white didn''t expect that the Thunder Dragon Horse had gathered enough strength to the point that it surpassed his Thunder Leopard. Seemingly losing his mind from being cornered, he nevertheless made his leopard continue attacking in strikes. Even though he didn''t know the other creature''s limits, the one sure thing he would never do was to give it a fighting chance, or else all his previous efforts would be in vain.

    However, the Thunder Dragon Horse''s sudden change in momentum caused the Thunder Leopard to cower in fear, its ferocity replaced with hesitation. Nevertheless, the leopard once again started to approach. The horse didn''t release its shied this time. Instead, it bolted forward, speeding up in an instant as its whole body turned into a beam of lightning. The horse, however, dodged the attack as if it were nothing. At the same time, it opened its mouth, where a ball of thunderous light shot through and immediately struck the leopard before it could react.

    Caught off guar

    the Thunder Dragon Horse sincerely.

    As a response, it stood proud and soared into the sky, much like a beast emperor that had just ascended to the throne. Due its use of the Crown of Thunder, however, its body was close to utter exhaustion.

    Seeing this, Zachary immediately took the Thunder Dragon Horse back into the system to have a well-deserved rest.

    Subsequently, the warrior in white hurried to his Thunder Leopard, face contorted with gloom and concern. Upon examining the wound his beast had sustained, he declared that he was going to take it back to his Virtual Air Space. As he did so, he bowed to Daniel and left without a word.

    Daniel looked cold. There had been a time when he didn''t know much about Zachary''s abilities, and as a result, undermined his strength. After seeing him compete twice now, though, he understood why Zachary had the reputation. He certainly had a knock for surprising everyone at the most critical point. No wonder Jaxon tried so hard to recruit him from the Shura College into the Xiao Clan. He had limitless potential.

    "Harley, you always surprise us with your performances!" Jaxon claimed before bursting into hearty laughter. He did not even try to hide his delight with Zachary defeating Daniel''s man.

    "I''m flattered." Zachary put one hand over another on his chest and bowed slightly.

    And yet, everyone else was still in disbelief, unable to think of anything but the unbelievable strength that the Thunder Dragon Horse displayed.

 Chapter 657 Vivians Invitation

    "The second round is over now. Harley has won. Since it''s too late, the two following rounds will begin tomorrow. Let''s call it a day!" Shaw announced.

    The onlookers and the defeated Imperial Level warriors dispersed.

    Daniel took the chance to ask Zachary, "Harley, would you like to have dinner with me?"

    "Well..." Zachary glanced at Jaxon.

    "Uncle Daniel, I''m sorry. I have plans with Harley tonight. How about another day?" Vivian said before Jaxon could respond. She stood up and walked over to Zachary, holding on to his arm, as if they were a couple.

    "Oh, really? Then I''ll have to wait until the end of the race." Then Daniel left with several warriors in his wake.

    "Anthony, let''s go," Jaxon said with a smile.

    Seeing Zachary in the limelight, Anthony felt a little resentful. He glowered at him and left with Jaxon.

    "Vivian, do you really intend to spend the evening with me? Or were you just helping me get out of trouble?" Zachary asked once he noticed that no one was around.

    "What do you think?" asked Vivian, her beautiful eyes turning serious.

    "Maybe both." Zachary smiled and shrugged.

    "I have something to tell you. Come see me tonight." With one last glance at Zachary, she left.

    "Harley, it seems that Vivian has fallen in love with you. Being Master Jaxon''s son-in-law is now a shoo-in!"

    "Yes, you''re right. I''ve never heard Vivian invite any of the warriors to her place!"

    Jimmy and Henry, who had been watching the challenges, walked over to Zachary.

    "I''m afraid I''ll end up dead tonight." With that, he left with Jimmy and Henry.

    At nightfall, the Xiao Clan, which had been bustling with energy all day, was now peaceful. Zachary was a

    an," said Vivian, her beautiful eyes sparkling with intelligence.

    "Vivian, this question puts me in a difficult position. I wasn''t planning on doing anything when I entered the Xiao Clan. I did come here with one purpose in mind, though," Zachary admitted bluntly.

    "What is it? What do you want?" Zachary''s answer took her by great surprise.

    "I want to be the one to control the Xiao Clan in the future," answered Zachary, the corners of his mouth curling up.

    "You are such a brave person." For a moment, Vivian couldn''t believe Zachary''s ambition.

    "If I wasn''t a brave man, I wouldn''t be sitting here drinking with you today." Zachary smiled sincerely.

    "But if that''s what you want, you''ll be achieving your goal soon. As long as you become my husband, you''ll be able to control the Xiao Clan," replied Vivian honestly.

    "Not necessarily. I''m afraid Anthony won''t allow me to stay here," Zachary responded.

    Vivian''s beautiful eyes narrowed. She knew that there was some conflict between Zachary and her brother. But in her eyes, these conflicts were just trivial and none of them would affect him at all.

 Chapter 658 The Masculine Lust Wine

    "There''s no need for you to worry about that. As long as I''m around, Anthony won''t do anything to you. If he wants to become the head of our clan in the future, he will need help from the two of us. If he is smart enough, I believe that he will make a clever decision," Vivian responded, trying to take the edge off Zachary.

    "What if he insists on doing things his way? If you have a choice between me and Anthony, who would you choose?" Zachary continued to ask.

    Vivian was stunned upon hearing what Zachary said. She got caught up in between two opposing sides, having to choose between her brother and her future husband. Anyone in her shoes when dealt with such a situation would find it hard to decide.

    "I think you will choose Anthony in the end." Zachary held her gaze for a few seconds, narrowing his eyes.

    "Why?" She looked at Zachary in confusion.

    "Because Anthony is your brother, after all. Blood is thicker than water. What matters most is that our marriage will bring shared interests, so make use of it. When it comes to real decision making, you will choose the best option for yourself," Zachary answered.

    Vivian didn''t know how to reply for a while, because what Zachary said was genuinely reasonable. What he mentioned about the nature of their marriage was quite right, so she couldn''t argue back.

    "I think you brood too much about the future. Although our marriage is for our interests, I will not let you suffer losses since you are my other half. Maybe we lack intimacy, and I don''t show any deep affection, but I will not tolerate others pushing you around, my brother included." Being a smart woman, Vivian changed the subject at once to avoid the tight spot.

    "Really? It''s a great relief to hear you say so. In my opinion, you are much more suited to be the leader than Anthony," said Zachary casually. He was intentio

    nded at once.

    "Nothing. I just wanted to see if you have any special fetish. I don''t want a freak for a husband, so I have prepared two girls to test your ability," replied Vivian.

    "Then why don''t you try it out yourself?" Hearing that, Zachary didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. Vivian was rather strange.

    "I have no idea about the sexual activity of men and women, so I wanted to observe first," Vivian answered bluntly.

    "You could have told me earlier! There''s no need to keep tabs on it. You will have a better understanding if you have a first-hand experience," Zachary responded cheekily. He pulled a naughty face, and his eyes lit up.

    Before Vivian could react, she felt a radiant light shining around her. Next thing she knew, she was in an odd space where Zachary brought her before.

    "You..." This time, Vivian discovered Zachary had sobered up, and the wine''s effect was gone.

    "Are you curious to know why I''m no longer drunk? I''m sorry. I have already taken the antidote." Zachary laughed. He had anticipated that Vivian would drug him, so he took some Sweet Dew in advance. It had a special neutralizing agent, so the side effect of the Masculine Lust Wine lasted for just a while, and soon, it dissolved.

 Chapter 659 Big Dipper Shift

    Vivian was stunned for a moment. "I don''t want to play anymore. Let me out now!" she demanded. "No way! I should treat you nicely in return!" Zachary laughed. "Let me out or you will be dead!" she warned. Even though she was in a disadvantageous position, she couldn''t stop being bossy. "Hey, I''m just trying to satisfy your curiosity. Plus, I''m going to be your husband soon!" Zachary responded calmly. For the first time in her life, Vivian was at a loss for words. She changed her strategy. "Okay, it''s my fault. I apologize. All right?"

    She felt extremely remorseful now. If she had known that Zachary was prepared, she would not have made that foolish move. And now she was trapped. How humiliating! "Ahh! It''s itchy. Stop that!" she screamed as Zachary ran his hands on her body. It didn''t take her long to start laughing and crying at the same time. "I was wrong. I beg you. Come on, please! Stop teasing me!" she wailed. Although she was an arrogant woman, she was crying for mercy now. But Zachary was not going to let her go so easily. He was determined to teach her a memorable lesson.

    "Let me go! I can''t stand it anymore," she cried out weakly, biting her lower lip as she squirmed. Zachary was like a devil in her eyes. She hated him to death, but she desperately hoped that he would let her go as soon as possible. Suddenly she saw a bright light and in the blink of an eye, she was back in her bedroom. This sobered her up all of a sudden. However, Zachary had disappeared.

    "Harley, believe me when I say this: you''re dead!" Vivian promised herself, gritting her teeth. The race continued on the next day. Everyone was very eager to know what the outcome would be. Would Zachary win the next two rounds too? This was the question in everyone''s mind. The entire square was buzzing with people even before the third round began just like the previous day, and it seemed to be livelier too.

    Owing to Zachary''s performance in the first two rounds, everyone understood why he had become the most popular Imperial Level warrior in the Devil Kingdom. He was simply incredible! At the moment, Jaxon, Anthony and Vivian were still sitting in their original positions in front of the stage. However, only the warriors Dan

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    ulky warrior breaking the silence suddenly. He stepped up and rushed onto the stage. The stage trembled with every step of his.

    The mighty warrior stood in front of Vivian. He was eyeing her lustfully with his big greedy eyes and was drooling.

    "Please!"

    Glancing at the warrior in front of her, she reached out her delicate hand as a sign for him to commence. The strapping warrior was only at the first grade of Imperial Level.

    He took a deep breath and stomped the ground with his thick left leg. Instantly, a strong Imperial Level aura spread out, which made the entire stage shake violently. Vivian felt the ground under her feet tremble as if there was an earthquake. Suddenly, the warrior pounced on her like a giant bear hunting its prey. He stretched out his huge body and covered her as if he was going to envelope her. Just before he was going to collide into her, she drew a pattern of the Big Dipper mid-air with her hand. The next moment, the Big Dipper shone in the air and smashed into the warrior''s chest. "Big Dipper Shift!"

    The moment the Big Dipper touched the warrior''s chest, Vivian waved her hand. In a flash, it flipped and then exploded on its chest, changing the direction of the warrior''s force backwards. His own force bounced back and the burly man flew out of the stage, crashing into the crowd.

    Everyone present was astonished to see that Vivian could defeat her opponent with just one blow. They had assumed that she was weak and constantly sick.

 Chapter 660 Spiritual Soul Materialization

    "I can''t believe Vivian has mastered one of our Xiao Clan''s secret skill, the Big Dipper Shift. It seems that she''s really getting better." Jaxon was gratified to see this.

    "Thanks to this move, even an Imperial Level warrior whose cultivation level is two or three grades higher than hers won''t be able to take away her handkerchief so easily." Anthony nodded in agreement. Everyone in the Devil Kingdom knew about the Big Dipper Shift. It was one of the unique skills the Xiao Clan was quite proud of.

    The crowd was completely amazed at this display.

    Although one blow was all it took for Vivian to defeat the warrior, many still wanted to try their luck. Yet, they couldn''t even touch the corner of Vivian''s clothes, let alone get the handkerchief. The Big Dipper Shift was just too powerful.

    A warrior at the second grade of Imperial Level challenged her this time. He''d managed to make up for the rest''s lack of prowess. But still, he only lasted for seven minutes before he was eventually thrown out of the battle ring.

    "Vivian is truly powerful. No Imperial Level warrior is able to beat her so far!"

    "Yeah. The Big Dipper Shift is a marvelous skill! The stronger the opponent, the stronger the skill. It''s so scary!"

    "To get the handkerchief, I''m afraid I need to be at the third grade of Imperial Level."

    The onlookers were also very excited. After all, only a direct descendant of the Xiao Clan could learn the Big Dipper Shift. It was uncommon to witness that skill.

    In less than four hours, all the warriors at the first or second grade of the Imperial Level were out. At most, they were able to hold it out for seven to eight minutes.

    Naturally, warriors at the third grade of Imperial Level fared much better.

    Although the Big Dipper Shift was a powerful skill, it was difficult for Vivian to rely on it alone. Especially if she wanted to defeat a warrior whose cultivation level was two grades higher than hers. Without the Big Dipper Shift, she would have lost a long while ago.

    When the time was almost up, the warrior she was now up against had obviously gotten impatient. He forced himself to calm down and merged his hands into a blade. In an instant, a

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    me, right?" Saul said smugly.

    "Saul, although I really want you to pass the challenge, rules are rules. If I just give up, everyone will be upset. Since you''re on stage now, why don''t you fight me? If you get the handkerchief, no one will have any objections," announced Vivian. Although she knew that she was no match for Saul, she still wanted to fight for the sake of fairness.

    "Vivian, since you said so, I am sorry for offending you," said Saul.

    "Please." Vivian nodded.

    The martial energy around Saul surged. The spiritual soul brandished the spear and stabbed out into the air. A deafening sound exploded, shaking the surroundings.

    Those in the crowd felt like their eardrums were about to burst or bleed out. Some of them even trembled, their faces deathly pale.

    Noticing this, Vivian activated her Big Dipper Shift and Eight-Diagram Move at once. She intended to resist Saul''s spiritual soul''s power. However, the spear streaked across the air. Without giving her a chance, the attack broke through her defense, heading towards her.

    Her face paled. She released all her energy to shield herself from the attack.

    Bang!

    After the spear shadow struck her, she was sent flying into the air. She''d almost been thrown out of the battle ring.

    In the blink of an eye, someone had flown to her aid.

    The figure caught Vivian and wrapped his arm around her waist. He held her in the air, then placed her safely back in the battle ring.

 Chapter 661 I Will Defeat You In A Second

    At this moment, the whole audience cried out in shock. Everything transpired so quickly that they didn''t realize what was happening.

    Of course, Vivian was no exception. A strong sense of fear coursed through her after she felt dizzy from rotating. All of a sudden, she was enveloped by an aura that gave her a sense of security and removed her rolling fear. When she returned to senses, she found that strong arms had encircled her body and that she was pressed against a solid chest. She could not help but blush and gasp for air.

    When the others present realized what had happened, they were shocked. The hero who had come to Vivian''s rescue was no other than Zachary. Although he was late, they believed that he appeared at the perfect time. This could not be a coincidence!

    "Are you okay?" Zachary whispered to Vivian. His hot breath tingled her skin and sent shivers through her body. His voice sounded so gentle and magnetic that she appeared somewhat absent-minded again.

    "I''m all right," Vivian said once she tamed her racing heart. Then, she gently pushed Zachary away and got out of his arms.

    At this time, Saul glared at Zachary. The jealousy coursing through him was apparent in his eyes. He hadn''t expected that his actions would result in this wonderful opportunity that Zachary would take advantage of.

    "Saul, although you failed to grab the handkerchief from my hand, your strength is indeed unquestionable. So, you have passed the challenge," Vivian said to Saul after glancing at Zachary.

    "Vivian, are you okay? I''m sorry that I did not restrain my strength. I didn''t mean to hurt you," Saul apologized in a hurry.

    "Don''t worry about it. Since you have passed my test, and no one seems to want to compete with you, you and Harley can begin the final competition right now. You don''t need to show mercy for him for my sake. I believe you are stronger than him," Vivian said to Saul as if she were encouraging him to defeat the arrogant Zachary.

    Zachary shook his head and smiled wryly. He believed that Vivian was angry with him because what happened last night. He didn''t feel bad about it at all. After all, he had done to her like how

    n. They felt that he was bragging. After all, he was weaker than Saul, and Saul possessed a materialized spiritual soul. Once Saul used his spiritual skill, Zachary might be forced back a hundred steps. Therefore, his proposal sounded like he was stubborn and reluctant to admit defeat.

    Vivian was also surprised to hear Zachary''s suggestion. But she appeared composed, if not more indifferent than before. She didn''t believe that Zachary was the kind of person who exaggerated. She presumed that he must have a reason for his confidence.

    "Humph, this bastard is too arrogant. How dare he challenge a warrior at the medium stage of Imperial Level who has already formed a materialized spiritual soul! I think he is inviting death!" Anthony snorted. He seemed eager to witness Zachary''s defeat.

    At this time, Saul was enraged by Zachary''s arrogance. At first, he had thought that teaching Zachary a lesson would suffice. But now, he changed his mind. After Zachary''s outrageous and presumptuous proposal, the only suitable lesson for Zachary would be death! As Saul never wanted to see him again, Zachary was doomed no matter what, because Saul was determined not to show mercy to him.

    "I can defeat you in a second even without using my spiritual energy," Saul said arrogantly. He wanted to humiliate Zachary thoroughly and bring him shame. And so, he decided to defeat him in the simplest and most crushing way, by using only his strength.

 Chapter 662 Sauls Secret Skill

    "Oh. I hope that your strength in combat is as strong as your talent in making promises," Zachary just responded with a smiling face upon hearing Saul''s arrogant claim.

    "Just wait for my attack! You don''t know what I am capable of!" Saul called out with a dejected look on his face when he saw Zachary''s disparaging expression. He glared at him, and his eyes emitted great killing intent, as if it could pierce through people''s heart.

    The next moment, Saul''s aura surged and filled the air around him. In an instant, the martial energy shed an orange glow and gleamed like flowers blossoming one after another. His aura had reached the peak of the fifth grade of Imperial Level. Judging from the aura alone, the crowd knew that Saul intended to use his full strength to take down Zachary with one strike. Although this move might not be as powerful as his spiritual soul''s attack, Saul felt that he could beat Zachary with his full strength. He was that confident about himself.

    Everyone on the scene stared at the two fighters inside the battle ring, and they couldn''t help but hold their breaths in anticipation, because they knew this battle would decide the winner for this round. But most people worried about Zachary since Saul''s energy was more vigorous, while Zachary''s strength was only at third grade of Imperial Level. The disparity between the two grades could not be discounted and might serve as the clincher in this fight.

    "Diabolic Shadow Fist!" Saul suddenly let out a loud cry and launched an assault. His arms spread wide like the wings of a giant roc, and then he pulled his hands in front of his chest and rushed forward. His clenched fists vanished into thin air and shifted into shadows because of the high-speed maneuver. They dashed towards Zachary in succession with ferocious power.

    When Saul used his Diabolic Shadow Fist, everyone screamed in alarm. It was an Imperial Level skill that the Xuanyuan Clan passed down. Though it was a medium stage skill, stories told that it was powerful, and the strength of the Diabolic Shadow Fist equaled to a premium stage skill. The most important thing was that this skill contained a set of punches, which could impair people within ten meters. So even if Zachary would try to resist the power from Saul''s assault, he might not manage to remain still in one place, and if he moved, it would count as a defeat.

    It looked apparent that Saul was not a stupid guy. He had grasped the weak spots of Zachary.

    Seeing the series of shadow fists darting towards him, Zachary remained very calm. Even though he knew that Saul''s attack was extraordinary and powerful, he didn''t even blink his eyes. He only activated his protective martial energy to the extreme, and he didn''t even execute his martial arts to retaliate.

    Everyone in attendance was surprised to witness Zachary having no intention of fighting back or defending himself with martial arts. He just stood there, doing nothing.

    "What does he pla

    , burning with high intensity.

    "Oh, it turns out that you cultivated the martial energy with the metal element," Zachary remarked as he raised an eyebrow upon seeing that. But he was not surprised at all. He had already anticipated that with Saul''s talent and knew that the earlier attack was not yet the best and most potent strike that he could employ. He knew this next move would show Saul''s real strength.

    Seeing Saul''s martial energy change into something different mixed with the metal element, the crowd exchanged puzzled looks with each other. Although it was expected for Saul to have obtained this latest martial energy, his effort only meant that Saul was no longer confident in destroying Zachary like he intended before. With curiosity filling their heart, everyone waited in desperation to know how great Saul could become to take Zachary down. They were also interested in Zachary''s strength limit.

    Saul, who had released his martial energy, raised both his arms high. The surging energy with the metal element penetrated through his upper limbs and continuously gathered on his hands, forming a blazing fireball. This ball of flames emitted strong Imperial Level aura.

    After a brief moment, the fireball''s great deal of energy gathered to its limit.

    "I give you now my clan''s secret skill!" Saul bellowed as his face turned ferocious. He flung both arms and aimed at Zachary. Then, he shouted, "Flame Wave Ball!"

    The flaming ball that had condensed in his hands shot out. Afterward, it was divided into six balls. The six balls then darted side by side and catapulted towards Zachary with destructive power.

    Everyone was horrified by the incident because they knew that the power of the skill at the premium stage of Imperial Level relied on the cultivator''s grade. The higher one''s grade was, the greater the skill''s power would be. The same went for skills with a specific element. One grade above indicated that its power would be more overwhelming.

 Chapter 663 Zacharys Spiritual Soul

    Saul had released six flaming balls, which meant that this premium stage skill at the Imperial Level was at its most powerful form. Other than the spiritual soul, this was Saul''s strongest move. Even if Zachary could perform a similar skill, he couldn''t block this strike as his cultivation level was lower than Saul''s.

    Since this move was significantly more powerful than the previous action, Zachary would be severely injured if even one of the balls hit him.

    Everyone present held their breath and stared at Zachary, who didn''t even flinch when he saw the balls.

    Even Vivian''s eyes had widened with surprise. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as she stared at Zachary and thought, ''Quick! Move! Why are you still standing there?''

    At this moment, Zachary, who hadn''t moved till now, finally stretched his arms. He released a strong ice force that cascaded, like the freezing wind, over the battle ring and people nearby. The frigid blast seeped through to the bones of the people around the ring, and they could not help but shiver a little.

    "Ice Dragon Strike!" Immediately after, Zachary also performed his premium stage martial skill by releasing five ice dragons from his arms. Each ice dragon turned into an ice sword and fought with the fireballs.

    The crowd was amazed by Zachary''s skill. It was rare to see an incredible battle between two premium stage skills of Imperial Level, especially if they used opposing elements.

    However, compared with the six fireballs, the five ice dragon swords seemed to lack power.

    When the five ice dragon swords collided with five of the balls, dazzling orbs of ice and fire exploded in midair. The intense collision of the two streams of Imperial Level martial energy resulted in a violent gust of wind that shocked everyone.

    The last flaming ball headed for Zachary at its maximum speed. As he had just performed a premium stage skill at the Imperial Level, he couldn''t gather his martial energy to defend himself in time. Considering the power of this flaming ball, his protective martial energy couldn''t take the blow.

    Everyone was worried about Zachary, and they wondered what he would do!

    Zachary, on the other hand, remained calm. He smiled and exercised the Thousand-Avatar Skill. In an instant, three clones

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    nced of the result.

    Zachary, who had been very passive thus far, suddenly released all the martial energy in his body. After it condensed, a slender and graceful spiritual soul emerged behind him. She seemed to be dancing with the sword.

    "A spiritual soul..."

    "I can''t believe that his spiritual soul also materialized!"

    "Is that possible? Did I make a mistake?"

    At this moment, the crowd was in an uproar. Everyone looked with disbelief at the spiritual soul that had appeared behind Zachary.

    "I can''t believe that he materialized his spiritual soul! How could it be possible? No warrior can cultivate the spiritual soul source and materialize it in such a short time." Jaxon was shocked as well. Zachary had only been an Imperial Level warrior for a few months. Although he had been lucky at the Holy Cloud Mountain and his strength had improved significantly, the enhancement was unrelated to the cultivation of his spiritual soul. While strength was the foundation of a warrior''s spiritual soul, the process of cultivating a spiritual soul was arduous. First, a warrior had to cultivate the spiritual soul source, which was similar to a warrior''s martial energy. Only then could the spiritual soul exist in the form of a shadow. However, it would take at least a few months for the most talented warrior to attain a spiritual soul source. Afterward, it would take another two or three years for the spiritual soul to materialize. Zachary couldn''t have materialized a spiritual soul in two or three months!

 Chapter 664 The Lady Swordsmanship

    "Father, do you know how he did that? Could it be that his Holy Level master helped him cultivate his spiritual soul in such a short time?" Vivian''s eyes were fixated on Jaxon. She was just as perplexed as the rest around her.

    Jaxon shook his head. As a veteran, he had never heard of such a thing. "That''s impossible. Spiritual soul cultivation is different from strength cultivation. The spiritual soul can''t be cultivated with the help of outside forces. It must be cultivated using the purest power in one''s body."

    "Is his spiritual soul inborn?" Vivian wondered.

    "I don''t know. But there is more than one way to cultivate the spiritual soul. Since he managed to cultivate it in such a short time, I dare say he may have used a very dangerous method." Jaxon wasn''t sure what kind of method Zachary had used to cultivate his spiritual soul. All he knew was that it couldn''t have been easy to accomplish it in such a short period of time.

    Everyone was stunned at Zachary''s ability to completely reverse the situation in an instant.

    "I can''t believe that you''ve also managed to cultivate your spiritual soul. You reached the Imperial Level not that long ago!" Saul was the most astonished out of everyone, not believing for a second that Zachary had already cultivated his spiritual soul.

    "It''s not that difficult. You''re not the only one capable of doing this," Zachary sneered.

    "I don''t believe you. You must be casting some sort of mist before my eyes!" Saul clenched his teeth, doubting Zachary''s words.

    "This battle should be proof enough," Zachary said, shrugging indifferently.

    "Watch this!" Saul''s body shook, his martial energy instantly grew. The spiritual soul behind him brandished the spear and thrust it out to launch an attack.

    "Take my spiritual skill! Heavenly Raging Spear!"

    The spear in the spiritual soul''s hand possessed the force of thunderbolt. The strong martial energy spread out like ripples as it pierced through the void. The killing aura permeated all around. Countless bloodcurdling killing cries echoed. It made the crowd shiver with fear as if they were on a battlefield.

    "Is this a spiritual skill? It''s

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    l, and stopped him. "Please behave yourself, Saul. You have showcased three moves, but you still failed to force Harley step back. As per our agreement, you''ve lost."

    "He must have used some trick. How else could my spiritual soul lose to his?" Saul looked livid.

    "He used his own strength. Many people here have witnessed it already. Don''t be impulsive, or you will ruin the Xuanyuan Clan''s reputation. If this gets out, people will think you''re desperate," Vivian reminded him.

    Hearing this, Saul calmed down. He realized that he was acting too impulsively. But he was still not willing to accept this result and glared at Zachary.

    "If you''re still not satisfied, you can challenge him after the race is over. I won''t stop you then," Vivian said. "You know, there is a fourth round. You still have another chance to defeat him."

    The crowd whispered, pointing at Saul. Most of them believed that his desperate need to win had made him act rashly. Seeing their reaction, Saul schooled his expression. Since he didn''t want to further his humiliation, he quickly stepped down and returned to his own camp.

    After he left, Vivian turned her head to look at Zachary, with a smile. She gave him a slight nod and went back to her seat without saying anything.

    Shaw walked up to the battle ring and made his announcement. "The third round is now over. Harley has succeeded in defending the battle ring. Next comes the fourth round."

 Chapter 665 Weapon Refining Competition

    The fourth round was the last chance for all participants to prove their mettle in the race. All warriors, including those participating in the contest, pricked up their ears and listened carefully to Shaw''s instructions.

    "The fourth round is a weapon refining competition!" Shaw announced in a commanding voice.

    This didn''t surprise anybody as the Xiao Clan was one of the biggest weapon refining clans in the Devil Kingdom. It was obvious that clan would prefer a son-in-law with a high weapon refining level, so it made sense for them to hold a weapon refining competition for the last round.

    Some of the participants were happy about this round while others were worried. Most of them were King Level weapon refiners and only a small number were Imperial Level weapon refiners. The gap between the King Level and the Imperial Level was quite large so there really was no comparison at all. Obviously, the Imperial Level weapon refiners were thrilled and feeling very confident now.

    But Shaw continued, adding, "Although it is a weapon refining competition, this round has a twist. This time, the competition is not merely about weapon refining level, but your comprehensive abilities."

    The crowd was stunned to hear this and they all fell silent. Usually the purpose of a weapon refining competition was to see who could cast the best piece of weapon, which was also the most common method in the Devil Kingdom and even on the entire Supernal Continent for that matter. It was rare for weapon refiners to display their comprehensive abilities during a weapon refining event. After all, it was hard to say whose comprehensive abilities were better. Now everyone was bursting with curiosity about how the winner would be decided.

    "The rules of this competition are set by Vivian. So let''s welcome her onto stage to explain it in person!" He turned to Vivian and motioned for her to come forward.

    Vivian stood up from her seat and marched to the front of the stage, slowly raising her right hand. As her sleeve slid down, the Calming Bracelet offered by Zachary for healing was revealed. She pointed at the bracelet and said, "I inadvertently obtained this bracelet and since the moment I have put it on, I can''t take it off my hand. Therefore, the fourth round is to see who can take off this bracelet from my hand. There are no restrictions on the method you use. The one who manages to take it off will attend the final round together with Harley."

    Everyone immediately looked at the bracelet o

    ul and the blue-robed warrior and said, "You are the only ones left now. You both are the most talented weapon refiners among all these Imperial Level warriors. Please don''t let me down!"

    Saul and the blue-robed warrior exchanged a glance. They knew that since they were the only ones left, the one who took off the Calming Bracelet first would be qualified to challenge Zachary. Therefore, they immediately began studying the Calming Bracelet on Vivian''s wrist and began to analyze it. They found that the bracelet was not simple. Apparently, there was a flow of martial energy between her wrist and the bracelet. It looked like the bracelet had merged with her body and couldn''t be taken off forcibly. Moreover, the materials used to make the bracelet were very rare. Some of them even couldn''t be analyzed.

    Fifteen minutes passed. Both Saul and the blue-robed warrior were sweating heavily, their faces solemn.

    Suddenly the blue-robed warrior said, "This bracelet seems to be forged with the wood-element energy fire. I might know a way to take it off."

    "Really? Are you sure?" Vivian asked in anticipation. She turned to Saul and said, "Please let him have a try first!"

    Despite his reluctance, Saul had to nod in agreement. He took a step back and moved aside to make room for his competitor.

    The blue-robed warrior raised both his hands and wrapped them around the bracelet. Then, he released his wood-element energy fire in an attempt to break the connection between the bracelet and Vivian''s wrist. Only by dissolving the martial energy flowing between the bracelet and her body would he have a chance to take the bracelet off successfully and safely.

 Chapter 666 Dual Elements

    Using the energy fire with the wood element, the warrior in blue heated the Calming Bracelet, which immediately responded. It started to expand, as if absorbing the energy fire, and the martial energy between the bracelet and Vivian''s wrist slowly weakened.

    The man beamed with joy upon seeing that his method apparently worked.

    Similarly, the crowd roared with excitement.

    Vivian seemed excited deep down, but managed to maintain her composure.

    After the Calming Bracelet grew enough, the man reached out to take it off her wrist. However, as soon as he held the bracelet, it instantly retracted and snapped against Vivian''s skin, grasping tighter than it had before. A little bruise began to appear on her wrist.

    "Ahhh!" Vivian winced in pain.

    The man withdrew his hand reflexively, but insisted on trying again after a few moments of strained silence. "Let me try again!"

    Saul sneered at the man, "The Calming Bracelet is refined with the energy fire of the wood element. You used the energy fire of the same element to supposedly remove it. Hasn''t it obviously strengthened its power instead?"

    The man responded with a defiant glance, "I almost made it just now."

    "Almost? Don''t dare underestimate the bracelet. Unless you have a way of destroying the bracelet, you can''t take it off." Saul glared back with narrow, disdainful eyes.

    "If you''re talking nonsense, then why don''t you do it yourself!" the man replied, aggressively pointing towards Saul.

    "Then why don''t you back off and let me do it!" Saul screamed.

    Dumbstruck, the man couldn''t speak, but hesitantly moved aside.

    Saul approached Vivian, looking at her straight in the eyes as he said, "My energy fire is with the metal element, so it''s relatively domineering. I hope you''re willing to bear it."

    Vivian nodded without question.

    And so, just as the blue-robed man did, Saul began to wrap his hands around the bracelet. Wordlessly, he then slowly released his energy fire with the metal element. As it burned, the bracelet didn''t seem to swell as it had before. Its color turned from emerald, to dark cyan, then reddish blue.

    Vivian felt Saul''s fire infiltrate not only into the bracelet, but also her wrist, as

    asten it himself, then we accept the result. If not, we are to compete again," Saul suggested, an air of confidence surrounding him, as if sure that Zachary would fail just as they had.

    "What?" Vivian asked with a tinge of hesitation. As far as she knew, Zachary''s weapon refining ability back in Shura College was at the peak of the King Level. And since he had just joined the Xiao Clan, it was unlikely for him to reach Imperial Level in such a short time, thus untying the bracelet was impossible. In fact, it was because that she had previously considered Zachary''s weapon refining level that she had chosen the Calming Bracelet as the fourth round, just in case that anyone else would win the race. She was fully aware that untying the bracelet was a difficult feat.

    But now that Saul and the others had questioned the test, trouble would ensue if she did not accede to their demands. Vivian was now stuck in a dilemma: secure the outcome but risk drama, or indulge their request but cause terrible disadvantage to Zachary?

    "Vivian, why not let Harley have a try as well?" Jaxon, who had been silent all this time, suddenly suggested.

    Vivian turned her head and looked helplessly at her father. Then, although hesitant, she gazed back at Zachary. "Do you mind having a try?"

    "Of course not. After all, actions speak louder than words. If some people think it''s unfair, then let me shut them up by actions." Zachary laughed indifferently, then looked at Saul.

 Chapter 667 Fire With Dual Elements

    Saul looked down his nose at Zachary. In his opinion, Zachary couldn''t take the Calming Bracelet off Vivian''s wrist, because it was forged with energy fire with dual elements. If anyone wanted to remove the bracelet, they had to display fire with dual elements all together. Although he heard that Zachary had already shown the fire with dual elements while still at Shura College, that didn''t mean he could use the two elemental combos simultaneously. Even high-star weapon refiners of Imperial Level could not do it without messing up. Besides, to his knowledge, Zachary was only a King Level weapon refiner. So he was sure that Zachary could not remove the Calming Bracelet.

    Of course, Saul was not the only one who had such an impression. Most of the people present also shared the same notion. Zachary had surprised them many times before with his incredible abilities. If he could win the fourth round, then everybody would most likely worship him like a god!

    After taking a quick look at Vivian, Zachary walked up to her. Without a word, he waved his hands and ordered Mimi to send out the weapon refining aid that he had created, the Demon Wrath. He then equipped both of his palms with this weapon. All at once, burning energy fire with the metal element shot up from his left hand.

    Seeing that Zachary released the energy fire with the metal element, everyone opened their eyes wide. They had heard that he possessed energy fire with dual elements. But, for him to display two elemental combinations together was another matter.

    At this point, Vivian felt a little concerned. If Zachary couldn''t show the fire with dual elements at the same moment, then it would be impossible to remove the bracelet. If he could, there might be a chance, but it required energy fire of Imperial Level, so she seemed apprehensive.

    Under the public''s attention and scrutiny, an energy fire suddenly surged from Zachary''s right hand. It was not red this time, but a blue flame.

    "Wood... Energy fire with the wood element... Oh my God! He does have energy fire with dual elements!"

    "He just demonstrated fire with duel elements at the same time!"

    "It''s incredible enough that he has developed his spiritual soul, and now he really could display fire

    up. He laughed and applauded, looking very proud. Zachary''s exemplary performance in the race made him conclude that he made the wise decision in recruiting him. He knew that after this event, the Xiao Clan''s reputation in the Devil Kingdom would progress further. Zachary had proven his remarkable talent yet again.

    "Well done! You didn''t let me down!" Vivian praised without pretense as she looked at Zachary before her. Even if his performance was entirely beyond her expectation, it still made her plan go on smoothly, and the effect was beyond her previous expectations.

    Earlier, Vivian had intended to use the competition in creating a perfect comeback, and also to develop the Xiao Clan''s prestige so it could attract the attention of everybody in the Devil Kingdom. Besides, the race also served as a test to see if Zachary was qualified to be her husband. Judging from the results, it seemed that the competition was no longer an evaluation for him, but it became his personal show.

    But no matter what, the race had met Vivian''s expectation. That alone was enough.

    For some people, Zachary''s flawless victory undoubtedly was like a thorn in his flesh.

    ''He got what he wanted! Damn it.'' Anthony, who had been silent the whole time, became extremely pale. The thought of Zachary soon becoming his brother-in-law made him feel very uneasy. In his mind, Zachary''s success in winning the race would become the biggest threat to him, so he could no longer sit still and await his doom.

 Chapter 668 An Honest Vivian

    While everyone was still in shock at what Zachary had done, he quickly snapped the bracelet back on Vivian''s wrist.

    "Why the hell have you put it on again?" Vivian asked as soon as she realized what Zachary was doing. She glared at him angrily.

    "If you trust me, Vivian, keep wearing this. It won''t do any harm to you," said Zachary firmly, squinting at her.

    Vivian was dumbstruck, but she didn''t say anything as she saw the harsh look on Zachary''s face and in consideration to the current occasion.

    Zachary had successfully won the four rounds in the race. He had displayed his overall strength and none of the challengers could defeat him. So in the end, he was declared the winner!

    So with thousands of people bearing witness, Jaxon announced that Zachary and Vivian were officially engaged and that they would choose an auspicious day to hold the wedding and get married. Everyone present congratulated them in unison.

    "Vivian, as you are now officially engaged to Harley, why don''t you remove your veil and let us see your face?" somebody suggested spitefully, kicking up a fuss.

    In an instant, all the others present echoed his statement. They were all curious to see what Vivian looked like.

    "Since you''re all so eager to see my face, I will satisfy your demand. I will ask my fiance to take off my veil!" Vivian replied calmly, as if she had foreseen this. Of course, this was also part of her plan. She had fully recovered now, so there was no need to hide her face anymore. She turned her head and signaled to Zachary.

    Understanding her signal, Zachary reached out to take off her veil. As soon as the veil was removed, everyone was awestruck by her beauty. She looked charming and elegant, causing the audience to gasp loudly, Nobody had imagined Vivian to be such a gorgeous beauty!

    "There! Are you satisfied now?" Vivian asked. Then, she intentionally gave a little chuckle and her beautiful eyes twinkled, which had an enchanting effect on people.

    "Come, let''s go!" Vivian said to Zachary. She had some questions for him.

    Zachary nodded to her. Then they walked away side by side, like a perfect match, as everyone gazed at them.

    After leaving the square, Vivian stopped in her tracks and looked at Zachary. She raised the bracelet on her wrist and demanded firmly, "Take it off me now!"

    "No way! I can''t do that." Zachary shook his head vigorously.

    , but it''s not enough for me to fall in love with you instantly!" Vivian replied honestly. As a girl at marriageable age, she sincerely hoped she would meet a man who deserved her love, doted on her and protected her at all costs. However, she knew that this kind of a thing might not necessarily be possible. If it weren''t for the fact that Zachary was beneficial for her, she might think he was a good choice. However, it was going to be a marriage of convenience, so she didn''t think she would fall in love with him. If she fell in love with him, she would also get caught in a dilemma. Even though she had a crush on Zachary, she couldn''t let her guard down. On the contrary, she needed to be even more vigilant. The more one loved someone, the more dangerous that person could be. She was afraid that she would lose control and her emotions would take over her plan.

    "Ha-ha! I''m happy to learn that you are so honest, Vivian!" Zachary couldn''t help but burst into laughter when he heard her speech. Vivian''s answer was so simple and straightforward that he could easily manipulate her, because he was sure that she already had a crush on him. The next thing he needed to do was win her heart gradually.

    "Why are you laughing? What''s so funny?" Vivian demanded, glaring at him furiously.

    "Nothing. I just think that you are very honest. If we didn''t have a benefit-based relationship, I might have fallen in love with you!" Zachary said earnestly.

    "Oh come on! Don''t try to sweet talk me. I won''t force you to marry me, but you''d better be prepared for that," Vivian warned grumpily.

 Chapter 669 Gold Notes

    "Well, I see. I will support you no matter what decision you make in the end," Zachary said with a firm nod.

    "I hope you remember your promise." Vivian glanced at him.

    "But, if you happen to fall in love with me one day and are willing to be my wife, please tell me in advance so that I can be mentally prepared," he teased.

    "I''m afraid that you won''t be able to wait that long," Vivian retorted.

    "If that day comes, I will take off the Calming Bracelet for you. It will be a token of our love." Zachary continued to tease her.

    "How long do I have to wait?" Vivian asked as she fell into his trap.

    "Not long. Since you are well now, you can begin absorbing one of the Celestial Energy Crystals that I gave you. But, you can''t absorb all of them in a short period. So remember to keep the extras safely. Please don''t give them to others as it wasn''t easy to get them. I have to leave now," Zachary said. Then, with a last glance at Vivian, he turned and left.

    "He is so difficult to understand. But, he made a significant contribution to the success of the race. Even so, I will never fall in love with him. He is too dangerous!" Vivian''s heart beat faster as she glanced at Zachary''s receding figure.

    As soon as Zachary reached the courtyard, he went straight into the north room. After entering the system, he headed for the Living-dead Tomb. Since the race was over, he planned to catch the second elite treasure beast. However, before he could implement his plan, Zachary needed to complete his preparations.

    On seeing Anne, he inquired about the treasure beast''s background and the method for forging the sealing tool required to capture it. Once Anne had given him all the information he needed, Zachary exited the system. Then, he left the Xiao Clan Castle and headed for the Centennial Inn in Alexander City.

    As soon as he arrived at the Centennial Inn, he found Goliath at the table on the first floor with a jar of wine. It seemed that he had been waiting for Zachary for a while.

    "Harley, congratulations!" Goliath greeted with cupped hands the instant he saw Zachary.

    "You should congratulate yourself as well. If I had lost in the race, you wouldn''t have the chance to enter the Xiao Clan. You were lucky this time," Zachary answered with a faint smile.

    "I witnessed the race, and the strength you displayed shamed all the warriors of the Imperial Level. It would have been impossible for you to fail! Besides, you knew you''d defeat them. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have promised me." Goliath believed that if Zachary weren''t confident, he wouldn

    the barn. However, Shaw never expected that Zachary wanted to expand the barn with so much effort.

    "You don''t have to worry about the cost. Here are the gold notes worth three hundred thousand gold coins. These should cover the cost of the early stages of the expansion," Zachary remarked as he took out the gold notes and placed them in front of Shaw.

    "Really?" Shaw was surprised as he had not expected Zachary to give the money upfront. Three hundred thousand gold coins was not a small amount. If Shaw used it to buy treasures, he could get a lot of good ones.

    "As for the matters of negotiation with the other departments, I''m afraid that I have to ask you to do this. Here are the gold notes worth two hundred thousand gold coins with which to compensate them. After the expansion is complete, I will reward you with three hundred thousand more." Zachary handed another stack of gold notes to Shaw as well.

    Shaw was stunned. He didn''t think that Zachary was wealthy enough to offer five hundred thousand gold coins so easily.

    "Does this settle your concerns?" Zachary asked with raised eyebrows.

    "Don''t worry, Manager Harley. I''ll handle the expansion as discussed," Shaw answered quickly. He had always been money-centric, and so, when he saw how generous Zachary was, Shaw complied with him agreeably. Besides, the leader of the Xiao Clan had also ordered him to help Zachary to expand the barn. Now, not only would he profit from the deal, but he would also please the leader of the clan. This was a double win for him, so he was happy.

    "I hope that the expansion of the beast barn will be finished within a month," Zachary said. Of course, he would not let Shaw take advantage of him so easily.

 Chapter 670 The Conversation

    "You want it done in a month? That''s not enough time. I''m afraid it will be difficult to have it done so soon," Shaw said with furrowed brows.

    "What if I pay you another two hundred thousand gold coins?" Zachary raised the price without hesitating.

    "Okay, I''ll see that it''s done in one month," Shaw replied, vigorously nodding his head after hearing Zachary''s offer. Money makes the world go round after all.

    "Also, I intend to recruit another fifty disciples. I''m afraid I''ll need you to help me out with that as well," Zachary added.

    "Another fifty disciples? That''s too many to recruit in just a month. How about twenty disciples?" Shaw blurted out in surprise. His face changed after he heard Zachary''s request. After all, every department of the Xiao Clan was short on disciples at present. If Zachary wanted to recruit fifty disciples, Shaw was sure he wouldn''t be able to manage it for him.

    "Then, get me thirty disciples. We''ll recruit the remaining twenty when we get the chance." Zachary signaled with three fingers.

    "Well... okay, I''ll arrange that for you," Shaw replied after a second of hesitation. With Zachary''s generous offer and the treasures he had just given him, he had no choice but to agree to help.

    "I will ask Ryder to send you the profiles of fifty disciples. You can select thirty from them," Zachary said after Shaw''s agreement.

    Shaw was a bit surprised to hear that Zachary had already arranged everything in advance. He was clearly on a quest to expand his beast barn.

    "That''s all. I''m leaving now," Zachary said and then left the logistics department.

    "There''s nothing simple about this guy. He is both ambitious and smart. Unfortunately, he seems to have offended Anthony. Even though he''s Master Jaxon''s future son-in-law, Anthony will still trample him. After all, Anthony is set to inherit leadership over the clan," Shaw murmured as he looked at Zachary''s receding figure.

    Leaving the logistics department, Zachary went to the beast barn and gave Ryder an order. He asked him to help Shaw expand the barn. Once he was done, he returned to his house and entered the system.

    "Mimi, I want detailed information on the Dawn Beast," Zachary said to Mimi the second he was inside.

    "The Dawn Beast is an elite treasure beast at the King Level. Since it was born with a powerful beast soul, it can erupt with a strength far beyond its own grade in a short time. As a result, its fighting power is superior to that of other elite treasure beasts. It can produce the Dawn Fluid. The Dawn Fluid can integrate with some elite treasures and speed up their power absorption and reduce their side-effects, such as the Celestial Energy Crysta

    ance in the last two rounds. Of course, he had witnessed his first performance, so the result was to be expected.

    "I''m flattered," Zachary responded with a nod.

    "Harley, are you here for me or for my father?" Bruno asked tentatively.

    "Actually, I''m here for you, Bruno. I''m in need of some rare Imperial Level materials. I''d like you to help me collect them," Zachary replied bluntly, not intending to hide the purpose behind his visit.

    "Oh, I see," Bruno muttered as he turned to cast a glance at Daniel, waiting for his instructions.

    "Harley, if you aren''t in a hurry, why don''t you sit down and have a chat with me? This is a rare chance for us to meet without any other people disturbing us. Getting a chance to talk to you alone isn''t easy for me," Daniel asked quickly. The day he had planned to talk to him, Vivian had intervened. He had then sent someone to spy on Zachary, hoping for a chance to invite him over. Now, he finally had the chance.

    "Since that''s what you wish, I have no reason to turn you down," replied Zachary calmly.

    "Please take a seat," Daniel said promptly.

    Zachary sat down on the nearest chair.

    "Because I had something important to deal with yesterday, I was unable to watch the battle. But I heard that you had performed astonishingly in the last two rounds. You even showcased your materialized spiritual soul. Considering your age and strength, it was quite the accomplishment to do it so fast. It''s very impressive. It''s rare for anyone in the entire Supernal Continent to manage that. It seems that Jaxon has chosen Vivian a very talented husband. You are rather unique," Daniel said as he looked at Zachary with appreciation in his eyes. However, the fact that Jaxon had such a talented warrior on his side made him quite jealous.

 Chapter 671 Daniels Plan

    "I''m not worthy of such compliments. I tried my best to deal with it only because Master Jaxon and Vivian had high expectations of me. Moreover, I was able to successfully defend myself in the challenges due to sheer luck. Saul is very powerful; I almost lost to him," Zachary said modestly.

    "He is indeed powerful. But you defeated him despite his strength, so you have proved yourself. You don''t have to be modest about it," Daniel said.

    "I''m not being modest. I''m just stating the truth. So, if you have something to tell me, sir, you don''t need to beat about the bush," Zachary said, throwing the bait and hoping that he would bite.

    Daniel hesitated for a while. He hadn''t expected Zachary to be so straightforward. He had wanted to test him further, but now that Zachary had told him to speak freely, he would do so. "It seems that you are a straightforward person, just like me, so I''m going to come straight to the point. Although you are publicly engaged to my niece and will soon become Jaxon''s son-in-law, I hope that you will still stand by me and work for me. Of course, I will treat you well. I will offer double of whatever Jaxon gives you."

    "You are trying to poach me despite knowing my current position. Aren''t you afraid that I will report you to Master Jaxon?" Zachary asked with a pointed smile after hearing Daniel''s offer.

    "Jaxon and I have been at odds with each other since forever, and it is no secret in the Xiao Clan. Everyone in the clan knows that I''m coveting the position of the leader, because that position was mine in the first place. Jaxon stole it from me in an underhanded manner many years ago. Therefore, if I get the position of the leader, it would just be returned to its original owner. Besides, if Jaxon really makes Anthony the next leader of the Xiao Clan, the clan will undoubtedly decline. In order to save the clan''s estate and foundation from being destroyed, I have to take necessary precautions!" Daniel said pompously, without even trying to hiding his ambition. He obviously didn''t think he had done anything wrong.

    "I don''t know much about the grudge between you and Master Jaxon, so I won''t make any comment. But I do agree with you on the point that the Xiao Clan would decline if Anthony inherits the clan," Zachary responded calmly.

    "I have heard that you had a feud with my nephew when you were in the Shura College, and that he has been hell-bent on tarnishing your image ever since you joined the Xiao Clan," Daniel prodded tentatively after hearing Anthony''s name.

    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

    father''s plan? What plan is that?" Zachary asked, narrowing his eyes at him suspiciously.

    "You will know when the time comes. But before that, you need to think about your options and make up your mind." Bruno was about to speak further, but then he changed his mind and clammed up.

    Being sensible, Zachary didn''t push him any further. Instead, he chatted with Bruno casually for a while before leaving.

    The next day, it was time for his appointment with Goliath, which he had fixed three days ago. Zachary made his way to the Centennial Inn to meet him.

    "Have you got the eggs?" Zachary asked as soon as he spotted Goliath.

    "Yes, two scarce beast eggs. Will that be enough?" Goliath immediately answered.

    "Scarce ones? That''s amazing! They are more convincing," Zachary said, his eyes lighting up with glee.

    "So how will you recommend me to the leader of the Xiao Clan?" Goliath asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

    "I will introduce you as a professional beast tamer specialized in detecting beast eggs," Zachary answered.

    "What? A professional beast tamer? Doesn''t the leader already know who I am? Don''t you think your story will be a bit too far-fetched?" Goliath asked dubiously. He didn''t think it would work.

    "You have left the Shura College a long time ago. Nobody knows what you have done in the interim. More importantly, the scarce beast eggs that you have prepared are very convincing. Even if the leader doesn''t like you, he will surely know how good the beast eggs are," Zachary said, smiling knowingly.

    Seeing Zachary''s confidence, Goliath held back.

    With nothing else left to discuss, Zachary and Goliath left the Centennial Inn together.

 Chapter 672 Hatching Of Eggs

    After returning to the Xiao Clan, Zachary sent someone to tell Jaxon that he had something to say to him. Soon, he received a word that Jaxon was in the Magnific Martial Hall, and he could go straight over, so he proceeded there with Goliath.

    Shortly after Zachary entered the Magnific Martial Hall, he saw that Anthony, Vivian, the elders, the guardians, and the managers of various departments were all in attendance. They were taking up something serious. When they caught sight of Zachary coming in with Goliath, their faces showed unusual expressions.

    "Isn''t he Goliath?" asked Jaxon as soon as Zachary and Goliath walked up to them.

    "Master Jaxon!" Goliath immediately saluted.

    "You said you needed to see me. Is it connected to Goliath?" Jaxon asked Zachary.

    "You guessed it right." Zachary nodded.

    "Are you trying to introduce him to our Xiao Clan?" asked Anthony. When he was at the Holy Cloud Mountain, he knew that the relationship between Zachary and Goliath was not simple. Zachary even mentioned before about introducing Goliath to the Xiao Clan. So, when he saw Zachary bring Goliath to the clan, Anthony at once understood his purpose.

    "Anthony, you are so clever," Zachary said as his lips curled into a gentle smile.

    "Harley, don''t you think you''re overly confident? Who gave you the impression that anyone can enter the Xiao Clan as they please? Do you expect to do anything you want because you are engaged to my sister? You joined our clan just recently. How dare you even consider bringing in other people into our circle! You have no authority!" Anthony seized the chance to humiliate Zachary.

    Zachary and Goliath didn''t react to Anthony at all because they knew what he said made no difference. He wasn''t the one deciding. As long as Jaxon agreed, no matter how disappointed Anthony was, it wouldn''t matter.

    "Anthony, Harley is going to be your brother-in-law. Don''t be rude!" Jaxon scolded at once. "Harley had mentioned that he wished to introduce Goliath into our clan, but I didn''t expect it to

    ating them, it will be of immense benefit to our clan! To everyone''s knowledge, common treasure beasts'' eggs are hard to bring forth, let alone the scare ones. If Harley can make the eggs hatch, he will be very significant to our clan!" Vivian said intently.

    After listening to her, Jaxon nodded in approval because he also felt that his daughter''s analysis was highly logical.

    Maybe it was Vivian''s comments that caused the warriors'' attitudes to change after picking up what she said. But they still had their own opinions and called for further convincing.

    "I''ll show you then!" After Zachary said that, he took out six drops of Hatching Fluid from the treasure beast system and dropped three droplets to each of the eggs.

    However, after his action, the two eggs did not show any reaction. They remained precisely the same as before.

    "I think he''s just fooling us!" Anthony ridiculed Zachary right away.

    Everyone else also started pointing fingers at Zachary.

    Only Jaxon and Vivian remained still and kept on watching.

    It didn''t take long for the purple egg to shake excessively, and then the eggshell at the top suddenly cracked open as if something had hit it. Soon a little head poked out, looking around with surprise.

    Seeing this, everyone stared in shock. They didn''t expect that Zachary could hatch a treasure beast on the spot!

 Chapter 673 Heading For The Windstorm Valley

    Soon, the blue egg also started to tremble violently. Suddenly, the shell cracked and mucus splattered everywhere. Then, a Heavenly Spiritual Beast cub toppled out onto the floor. It was snow-white all over like a horse. It tottered around blindly before it plopped down beside Vivian.

    "Aww, so cute!" Vivian bent down and held the cub in her arms.

    "You can keep it as your pet since you like the little thing so much." Goliath generously offered the cub as a gift.

    "Oh wow, really?" Vivian''s eyes lit up. She had been wanting to raise a treasure beast. Earlier she was too sick to care for one. Now that she had recovered, she could do so, but the Xiao Clan hadn''t caught any good treasure beasts recently, and she certainly didn''t want a common one. The Heavenly Spiritual Beast was scarce, and she adored the cub, so she was keen on making it her own.

    "Of course! It''s all yours," Goliath said gallantly.

    "Thank you very much. If you want something in return, please ask Harley for it." Vivian accepted the gift happily. Goliath was brought by Zachary, so she wouldn''t treat him like an outsider.

    "Harley, did you apply the Hatching Fluid, which is very popular in the Devil Kingdom, to the eggs just now?" asked Jaxon in a serious tone. He had heard that a kind of magical liquid, which could help eggs hatch, was found in the Supernal Continent. However, it was rare and therefore, invaluable.

    "Yes, that''s right," Zachary confirmed matter-of-factly.

    His answer caused an excited buzz in the crowd.

    "Really? It was the Hatching Fluid? But it''s so rare to obtain. Besides, it''s worth a lot of money! Just a drop costs at least three million gold coins."

    "Even if he really has the Hatching Fluid, he could probably afford only one or two drops. But he just used at least six drops!"

    "Maybe he played a trick."

    "Perhaps the two eggs were already about to hatch."

    Everyone started discussing the options and possible explanations animatedly. They refused to believe that Zachary actually possessed six drops of the Hatching Fluid.

    "How on earth did you get your hands on the Hatching Fluid, Harley?" Jaxon asked after a moment of stunned silence.

    "My master gave it to me," Zachary replied immediately. Since everyone knew that he had a master at the Holy Level, he could use her as a convenient excuse.

    "Oh, okay! That makes sense." Jaxon thought it was a reasonable explanation.

    Even the others agreed that i

    share a room and vacate the other room for Goliath. Now that Goliath had joined the Xiao Clan, he had fulfilled one part of his plan. What was more, he had done Logan a favor. He knew the reason Logan asked him to join the Xiao Clan was that he wanted him to be a spy in the clan.

    However, that was it for now. Henceforth, he had to do his own thing. Once the expansion of the beast barn was done, he could use it to study and control all the treasure beasts in the Xiao Clan.

    However, he still needed some materials, so after going back to the system, Zachary started mixing the honey for catching the Dawn Beast. According to what Anne told him, the Dawn Beast had the metal element and it boasted astonishing strength. Therefore, he had to use the Ice Honey to suppress its strength. In addition to that, the practical Tracking Honey and Psychedelic Honey were also needed.

    Three days later, Bruno had some of the rare materials of Imperial Level sent to Zachary. Since he could source these rare materials in just three days, he was obviously very capable.

    After getting all the materials ready, Zachary immediately began to forge the Soul-controlling Staff. It took him two days and two nights to complete the process. He had used up almost all his blood. This was a more serious condition than the last time. This was the second treasure that he refined with his blood. It was not hard to imagine that the treasures he had to refine next might even cost him his life.

    When everything was ready, Zachary went to the place where the Dawn Beast lived, the Windstorm Valley, which he accessed through the Pilgrimage Space.

 Chapter 674 The Thunder Water Beast Core

    After a short moment of system transmission, the landscape in front of Zachary changed. He was standing at the end of a valley, close to a towering precipice that stretched toward the sky. Soon, he discovered that this was not an ordinary valley as it extended downwards. The terrain was like an overlapping ring that continually descended, like the vortex of a storm. The lower it went, the closer it was to the center of the storm.

    Except for that, the landscape was quite ordinary as it was covered in plants and dense forests.

    "Mimi, do I have to be cautious in the Windstorm Valley?" Zachary asked just to be sure.

    "The Windstorm Valley is a suitable cultivation destination for warriors at the medium and premium stages of Imperial Level. Most of the martial beasts in the valley are at the Imperial Level. Only a few rare ones are at the Sage Level, but their number is quite small. The valley is a cultivating area in the real world, and it is rich in treasures. Since many warriors at the medium and premium stages of Imperial Level come here to hunt for valuables, you might meet a few," Mimi replied.

    "The valley has a lot of treasures? Wonderful! With my current strength, I may not pass the qualifying match for the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. This would be a great place to cultivate and prepare," Zachary said with a smile.

    Even though it was relatively safe to cultivate in the Windstorm Valley, Zachary couldn''t lower his guard. He knew that the Imperial Level martial beasts found in the valley were more powerful than the ordinary ones. As a precaution, he summoned the Blazing Roc and the Thunder Dragon Horse and directed them to lead the way. Now, the Blazing Roc had reached the peak of the King Level, and its strength couldn''t improve further. The Thunder Dragon Horse had just finished its cultivation in the training ground. While its power had increased significantly, it hadn''t reached its peak. Although they were not as strong as the Imperial Level martial beasts, they could cope with any situation given their unique abilities.

    Once everyone was ready, the group began to walk deep into the center of the Windstorm Valley.

    After traveling for a day and a night, Zachary found that the Windstorm Valley was a treasure land, just like Mimi had said. The valley''s essential energy grew stronger as they went deeper. And a place with strong essential energy always had many rare treasures. So, it was a good place for treasure hunting.

    primary stage of Imperial Level with the thunder element. The core can increase their strength by at least half a grade. But the Thunder Water Beast stays submerged all year round. So only treasure beasts with thunder or water element can sense its existence," Mimi replied.

    "The Thunder Water Beast Core? You mean that thing in its body?" After hearing this, Zachary spotted a blue light bead, which was continually spreading thunder force in the center of the Thunder Water Beast''s transparent body. At first glance, he recognized its potential. No wonder the Thunder Dragon Horse was so excited! It had sensed the existence of the Thunder Water Beast. Moreover, since the Thunder Water Beast Core could enhance the strength of a treasure beast of Imperial Level by at least half a grade, it would be of great value for the Thunder Dragon Horse that was only at the King Level.

    "Due to the powerful combat power of the Thunder Water Beast in the water, you''d better not fight it here," Mimi reminded Zachary.

    "I agree. I have to lure it to the surface first." After glancing at the Thunder Water Beast, Zachary quickly took out several special gadgets that he had made in his spare time. Then, he approached the Thunder Water Beast and placed these gadgets around it.

    After that, he returned to the edge of the rock and then released a force of martial energy toward the gadgets.

    The next moment, the gadgets burst like fireworks, and the dazzling white light turned the rock upside down.

    The Thunder Water Beast that was asleep woke with the noise. Then it roared with such rage that violent waves appeared at the bottom of the lake.

 Chapter 675 Countermeasure

    Zachary floated to the surface of the lake. He felt a strong suction coming from the bottom of the lake. The water began to swirl and soon a whirlpool was formed. Knowing that he was not in a good situation, he quickly leaped out of the lake and landed on the shore. When he was back near the Blazing Roc and the Thunder Dragon Horse, the lake, which was originally tranquil, now turned into a fierce whirlpool, spinning crazily threatening to devour anything that fell into it.

    "Oh my god, that''s so dangerous! I''m afraid I would be sucked into that if I was a little late." Zachary heaved a sigh of relief. However, he knew that this was just a beginning, because he would have to kill the Thunder Water Beast and get its core to enhance the strength of the Thunder Dragon Horse.

    At the same time, a beast glowing with a dim thunder light and a flat body slowly appeared in the whirlpool in the middle of the lake. It was almost one-fifth the size of the lake.

    Bang! Splash!

    All of a sudden, the lake was rocked by some unknown force. The water spurted skywards and spread in all directions like a magical, glittering tornado.

    "Kiwi, this Thunder Water Beast is not easy to deal with, but if we can get its core and help you improve your strength, it''ll be worth the risk," Zachary said to the Thunder Dragon Horse.

    The Thunder Dragon Horse raised its head and roared excitedly in response.

    "All right. Step back and let it come ashore first." Seeing the Thunder Water Beast approaching land from the lake, Zachary took the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Blazing Roc and moved back, intending to lure the Thunder Water Beast up so that he wouldn''t need to fight with it in the water where it had a big advantage over him.

    However, to his surprise, the Thunder Water Beast stopped when it was some distance from the lake. It didn''t seem to have any plans to go ashore. Instead, it chose to stay where it was, glowering at Zachary and the two beasts with its greedy eyes.

    Zachary turned serious when he saw that the Thunder Water Beast had not taken the bait. He turned to the Blazing Roc, indicating it to grab him and fly over the lake. As soon as they were above the lake, they began to attack the Thunder Water Beast with fire feathers. The fire feathers rained down on the beast like arrows.

    But the Thunder Water Beast didn''t show any reaction. Two water pillars rose to the sky on its either sides to meet the intense fire feathers falling from the sky. The beast was much stronger than the Blazing Roc and the power of the fire feathers was no match for that of the water pillars''. The water pillars di

    He waved at the Thunder Dragon Horse beside him as he quickly retreated.

    Just moments after Zachary pulled back, the water bomb finally exploded. The explosive force blasted a jet of water.

    "Wow, that was so dangerous!" Zachary exclaimed in shock. Actually, he just understood why his Ice Dragon Strike was restrained by the water bomb. It was because the water bomb not only contained the power of the water element, but also the power of the thunder element. The power of the thunder element could dissolve the ice element and make it dissolve into the water. After that, it was absorbed by the water bomb.

    Zachary marveled at the wonder of the world where all sorts of strange things could be seen. Although the Thunder Water Beast was only a martial beast at the fourth grade of Imperial Level, its dual elements were beyond the imagination of countless warriors.

    Zachary heaved another sigh of relief. Thanks to the Thunder Dragon Horse, it counteracted the thunder force of the water bomb with its own thunder force and blocked the water bomb a little, giving him a chance to escape in the nick of time. If he was hit by the power of the water bomb, the gravity of the consequences was unimaginable.

    But in Zachary''s opinion, the most troublesome thing was that the Thunder Water Beast had the same defensive ability as the Thunder Dragon Horse and could use the thunder power to create a shield for itself. It was almost impossible for them to break through the shield.

    "Orion, you play with it while I figure out a solution!" Zachary, who was at a disadvantage, didn''t dare to attack hastily again. He signaled to the Blazing Roc to deal with the Thunder Water Beast, thereby buying him some time for him to think of a solution.

 Chapter 676 Treasure-hunting Quest

    As there was still a significant strength gap between the Blazing Roc and the Thunder Water Beast, the roc was hit by a water bomb, and its right wing was seriously injured. It fell to the ground heavily. Zachary had to put it into the system first. Zachary had no other choice but to use the Beast Transformation Skill to borrow the Thunder Dragon Horse''s power. The moment he activated the skill, the horse passed out and fell to the ground. Instantly, excitement coursed through him. As there was a time limit to use the Beast Transformation Skill, he couldn''t merge the power of the Thunder Dragon Horse for a long time. Otherwise, it would not be good for both him and the horse.

    Then, he activated the Shadow Pace. Together with the function of the thunder element, he almost turned into a thunder shadow. In an instant, he rushed toward the Thunder Water Beast that was about to return to the lake. He threw a punch and hit the beast''s shield.

    Bolts of lightning snaked through the water as the two forces collided. The sound released during the clash was as deafening as thunder.

    As Zachary had merged with the thunder power of the Thunder Dragon Horse, his strength had improved temporarily. The power with thunder element released by him was more potent as well. As a result, his single punch destroyed the Thunder Water Beast''s shield, and its transparent body became defenseless.

    In the next moment, Zachary materialized an ice sword in his left hand. All of a sudden, Gisele appeared behind him, brandishing her sword in accordance with Lady Swordsmanship. Now, the Thunder Water Beast was surrounded by dazzling sword light.

    A while later, the Thunder Water Beast fell to the ground.

    "I will take your core," Zachary stated as he landed on the ground beside the Thunder Water Beast. Without hesitation, he cut the beast''s body with his sword and removed the Thunder Water Beast Core.

    The moment the Thunder Water Beast Core was extracted, the Thunder Water Beast released a weak howl. Then, its body suddenly brightened like the last radiance of the setting sun before withering into a dark corpse.

    Then, Zachary reappeared before the Thunder Dragon Horse. He stopped the Beast Transformation Skill and returned power to the horse. Soon, the horse woke. It raised its head and glanced at him before slowly standing. It rubbed its head against his body as if it were asking for something.

    "Well, I know what you want," Zachary said with a smile. He knew that the Thunder Dragon Horse must be eager for the Thunder Water Beast Core. So he put it in front of the horse.

    The Thunder Dragon Horse immediately let out a cry of excitement and bit the Thunder Water Beast Core. However, as soon as it swallowed the core, it became irritable. Very soon, thunder began to surge around its body. As if out of control, the surging en

    ary had found many treasures and herbs of Imperial Level, as well as casting materials. The trip had been fruitful indeed. But he still hadn''t seen the Dawn Beast. This left Zachary feeling restless.

    Three days passed by quickly.

    After defeating a martial beast at the fourth grade of Imperial Level, Zachary and the Thunder Dragon Horse marched forward. Not long after, they saw a very strange forest. The entire forest was shrouded in wispy mist, which made it appear mysterious. Moreover, Zachary could see the faint outline of the top of a tower somewhere in the depth of the forest.

    "You''ve found an unknown relic! Your discovery has triggered a random treasure-hunting quest. You must enter the unknown relic to hunt for treasures." Mimi''s sweet voice filled Zachary''s ears.

    "A random treasure-hunting quest has been triggered now? Wow! Good timing!" Zachary didn''t know whether he should laugh or cry. However, as the random treasure-hunting quests didn''t often appear in the system, and the rewards were usually quite generous, so he didn''t want to miss the opportunity.

    Excited, Zachary entered the forest. As the forest was lush and dense, the mysterious white mist added to the sense of danger it emanated. Zachary was further on edge because of the strong auras of martial beasts that emerged from the forest covered in the white fog.

    "I hope I won''t die before I find the Dawn Beast," Zachary teased himself. Despite the humor in his words, seriousness reflected in his expression.

    While the white mist in the forest was not too thick, visibility was only a few meters. In addition, the dense trees and plants and their intertwined leaves made it harder to see dangers. Fortunately, Zachary possessed the unique skills of the Dog Soul Ring and the Energy Perception Technique. Therefore, he could guard against any unexpected situation even though he couldn''t see too well.

 Chapter 677 The White Elephant Pagoda

    With the help of the Dog Soul Ring, the Shadow Pace, and the Flawless Illusion, Zachary was able to reach the unknown relic in the White Fog Forest two hours later, all safe and sound. Although it was a ruins site, it actually looked like a seven-story pagoda rising to the sky like smoke. Since it was white, it almost fused with the white fog around it. In fact, without observing it carefully, it would be difficult to distinguish it from the fog. Zachary studied the pagoda closely. Its diameter was at least a hundred meters, making him believe the inside must be quite spacious.

    "I can''t believe that there is such a strange artifact in this place. It''s hard to imagine such a thing hidden within this pagoda," he muttered to himself. Since he couldn''t find any other place worth exploring aside from this pagoda, he decided to go inside and investigate it. If it turned out to be dangerous, he could just give up this random treasure-hunting quest if he had to.

    So, after making his decision, he used the Shadow Pace to get close to the white pagoda.

    He stopped once he heard a shockingly shrill sound that sounded like a lion''s roar. It was followed by loud stomps coming from the east side of the white pagoda. The ground shook violently as they neared. It felt like some monster was approaching.

    Zachary held his breath as he squinted his eyes to try to take a look at what was coming his way. He didn''t dare to make a reckless move and accidentally cause trouble.

    Soon, a huge shadow appeared. The leaves from the forest trees around the figure trembled. A rumble filled the air, causing many of the leaves to drop to the ground.

    Seeing this, Zachary furrowed his brows. For the sake of safety, he held his breath and carefully took a step backward without making a sound.

    It didn''t take the giant shadow long to bypass the pagoda. As it approached, Zachary was finally able to distinguish its real features. He was surprised to find it walking upright like a human. With four arms and legs, all thick as pillars, it looked like the Great Sphinx, only with an elephant''s head instead. The beast had two white ivory tusks about thirty meters long. They looked sharp enough to be weapons, invoking a little bit of fear in Zachary. Not to mention, the strange aura emitting from it resembled that of a warrior rather than a martial beast. It seemed so powerful but he couldn''t determine how strong.

    Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

    "Mimi, what kind of creature is this? Do you have any idea?" Zachary asked Mimi at once. His gut told him that if he wanted to enter the white pagoda, he would have to do it discreetly. He couldn''t risk being caught by the beast.

    "It might be t

    Zachary commented. He seriously suspected that Andrew was using him.

    "If I had found it, would I be trapped in this situation? I don''t even have a real body and have to rely on you. I don''t care if you don''t believe me. But I suggest you think about it. You have already started to cultivate the heterodox soul cultivating skill, haven''t you? So, if you want to make your own spiritual soul stronger, you must integrate more spiritual souls as well. The more, the better. If you go inside, half of the spiritual souls will be yours and the other half will be mine," Andrew said, feigning generosity.

    "No. I will take eighty percent and you will get the remaining twenty percent." Of course, Zachary wouldn''t allow that to happen. Anne had warned him to be on alert when it came to Andrew.

    "You are too cruel! I''ll compromise. How about I get forty percent and you get sixty percent?" Andrew tried to bargain.

    "I can give you thirty percent at the most. After all, I''m the one who will have to do the work. All you did was merely share some information," Zachary said. He was a smart businessman in this respect.

    "All right. But I''ll take half of that heterodox spiritual soul! This is something I must have! I tried my best to kill it that year. I should get something for my efforts! Besides, with your current strength, you wouldn''t be able to digest it all. So, in order for it to not go to waste, you''d better give me half," Andrew insisted after giving in a bit.

    "Deal." Zachary''s lips curled up. This deal was actually a better one for him.

    To enter the White Elephant Pagoda, he had to pass the guardian beast''s test first. But if he fought against it head-on, he would certainly lose. His best chance was to avoid the guardian beast altogether and sneak into the pagoda instead.

 Chapter 678 Enter The White Elephant Pagoda

    By this time, the guardian beast had already come out from one side of the White Elephant Pagoda and redirected.

    Not wasting any chances, Zachary quietly approached the pagoda using Flawless Illusion and Shadow Pace. However, just as he did so, the beast turned around and started to lift its limbs toward his direction.

    Zachary clicked his tongue in exasperation and hurried back.

    Bang!

    The beast''s giant feet plowed into the ground, where it left a large, gaping hole, and from its wreckage, there scattered crumbs and specks of dust.

    ''How could it have possibly found me?'' Zachary looked over, eyes narrowed. But the guardian beast remained motionless after landing on the ground, which meant it couldn''t see him. ''Can it sense my aura? But the Flawless Illusion is an excellent skill to hide my aura.''

    Zachary hesitated, but nevertheless tried again. Once more, he tried to rush to the pagoda. Sure enough, when he got close, the guardian beast stomped towards his direction, as though it could see him. Fortunately, he anticipated this, and was able to avoid being hit using his Thousand-Avatar Skill.

    As Zachary retreated, the beast moved again slowly. This time, however, it seemingly changed its route, moving around the pagoda instead.

    ''How can it be possible to sneak in like this?'' Zachary thought to himself. He decided to hide in a safer place, out of sight for now, and settling down to think.

    And that was when it occurred to him. He turned away at once and began to deliberately cause a loud ruckus.

    It didn''t take before a pack of green dog-like beasts appeared amongst the white fog surrounding the jungle. Zachary seemed to have successfully attracted about twenty or thirty of them. Although they weren''t obviously massive, from their mouths dripped yellow liquid that corroded the ground as soon as it came into contact.

    ''I wanted to get big ones, but they should be enough either way, '' Zachary thought. His eyes flashed, and wasting no time, he sp

    underneath the dim light, the whole atmosphere reeked of resentment and death.

    Zachary propped himself up and stood on his feet. He took a deep breath¡ªin the large, quiet room he was now in, there was no spiritual soul in sight.

    "Master Andrew, I think the other warriors have taken all the spiritual souls," Zachary muttered.

    "Don''t worry. There''s usually no spiritual souls on the first floor. Countless others have entered over the years. Besides, I killed those guys on the fourth floor. This place, like the Soul Testing Pagoda, tests your ability to cultivate the spiritual soul. This place bars those who are unqualified. That year, the Holy Level warrior tested those came here. If they didn''t have spiritual souls, then nothing would be formed after their deaths," said Andrew nonchalantly.

    "That sounds terribly underhanded," Zachary commented.

    "After testing their talents in that area, he let them cultivate on different levels. And when they reached a certain point, he killed them and devoured their spiritual souls," Andrew continued.

    "You seem to know an awful lot! Those who don''t know you might think you are the one who built the pagoda!" Zachary said.

    "Ha-ha, I heard from the spiritual souls trapped here when I came in. Chatting with them was my way of killing time." Andrew laughed.

 Chapter 679 Skeletons Killing Array

    "Your memory is impressive. But now is not the time to gossip. Lead the way, please! The White Elephant Pagoda must have many traps," Zachary said with narrowed eyes.

    "Yes, but considering your strength, you should be able to cope with them. Let''s head southeast," Andrew suggested.

    With a quick nod, Zachary turned toward the southeast. He knew that the tower would have many traps and that he couldn''t act rashly. If he got stuck in one of the traps, he would face dire consequences.

    Zachary followed as Andrew navigated through the first floor of the White Elephant Pagoda. After about an hour, he saw stairs leading to the second floor. However, after he neared, he suddenly felt a strong push that prevented him from going to the second floor.

    "Boy, release your spiritual soul!" Andrew instructed.

    Zachary narrowed his eyes as he released Gisele. When she emerged, the force that blocked him immediately disappeared. He took the chance and climbed the stairs to the second floor.

    A strong aura enveloped Zachary as soon as he reached the second floor of the White Elephant Pagoda. While the aura didn''t belong to any spiritual soul, the resentment in the aura frightened him. The warriors who had died here were more powerful than those on the first floor. Their trapped spiritual souls harbored strong resentment. After years of accumulation, the resentment grew stronger and became so deep-rooted that it was hard to banish.

    The second floor was quite different from the first floor. It was a labyrinth with partitions made from crisscrossed bones, which lent it a macabre air. Not long after he began walking along the bone walls, Zachary heard a hissing sound. Then, purple mist flew toward him from between the bones.

    "Be careful. This is poisonous corpse gas. It was condensed after the corpses of those warriors who died here rotted. If you inhale it, your body will gradually decay," Andrew warned Zachary.

    "Should I retreat?" Zachary asked as worry coursed through him. He didn''t dare to be careless.

    "There is no need for that. But, you do need to protect yourself with martial energy. Then you can hold your breath. The poisonous corpse gas gathers fast, but it also dissipates quickly," Andrew explained.

    Zachary nodded as he activated his protective martial energy to its maximum level. At the same time, he held his breath and calmed down. Soon, the poisonous corpse gas enveloped him. It surged continually until it had filled the whole space.

    About fifteen minutes passed before the poisonous corpse gas started to dissipate. By then, Zachary felt like he was suffocating.

    "It''s suffocating me." After the poisonous corpse gas completely disappeared, Zachary took several deep breaths. He didn''t stop till his lungs felt like they were about to burst. The fresh air he inhaled made him feel like he had been reborn.

    With a cautious glance at the macabre walls, Zachary continued to move forward. Along the

    nch another attack.

    Zachary distanced himself from the two skeletons. This time, he was cautious enough to ensure that there was no danger around him. After his narrow escape, he knew that he couldn''t be careless. Before he landed on the ground, he summoned two more avatars. Once they distracted the skeletons in front of him, he would take the opportunity to break through.

    After advancing through the Skeletons Killing Array like this for about two hours, Zachary was on the verge of exhaustion. At this time, he spotted the staircase leading to the fourth floor.

    "It''s so close..." Zachary assessed the two rows of skeletons in front of him. They appeared to be at least at the premium stage of Imperial Level. Disappointment coursed through him when he felt that it would be impossible for him to sneak past them with his current strength.

    "Now, Master Andrew, it''s your turn to show your abilities," Zachary said to Andrew. He was not foolish enough to continue to clear the way by himself.

    Just at this moment, the Holy Bone Bracer on his wrist glowed with blue light. In an instant, an intense blue spiritual soul condensed beside Zachary. The powerful aura emitted from the spiritual soul instantly filled the whole place.

    "Just rush past them, and I''ll protect you," Andrew instructed Zachary.

    With a quick nod and a deep breath, Zachary activated the Shadow Pace and rushed toward the two rows of skeletons. He was so fast that he reached the skeletons before he could exhale.

    Several skeletons around Zachary perceived his presence and launched powerful attacks.

    "Lion''s Furious Roar..." In the next moment, the blue spiritual soul began to glow. With a wave of his hand, Andrew condensed a giant lion shadow that opened its mouth and released a thunderous roar. The roar formed such an astonishing shock wave that it crushed all the skeletons around Zachary.

    Thanks to his help, Zachary reached the stairs leading to the fourth floor.

 Chapter 680 The Heterodox Spiritual Soul

    "If I knew how great you were, I would have given you the first shot," Zachary said with a faint smile touching the corners of his mouth after he glanced back at the crushed bones, which were just lying around, waiting for retrieval.

    "Haven''t I informed you that each time I use my power, it would absorb my spiritual energy? I have to feed on at least three spiritual souls to make up for the spiritual energy that I have just drained," Andrew grumbled discontentedly.

    "I see. You just want me to hand you over more spiritual souls, right? I''ll give you three of them in return later," Zachary said, casting Andrew a furtive glance.

    "There won''t be any more danger on this floor. But can you make it up there?" After Andrew finished speaking, the blue spiritual soul retracted into the Holy Bone Bracer.

    "It won''t count as my fault if I can''t go up there," Zachary hurled back. He released Gisele, his spiritual soul, and tried to go up the stairs to the fourth floor.

    Simultaneously, a sudden surge of resistance stronger than what he had encountered on the previous floors emerged, shoving him back by one meter.

    "What? I can''t believe it!" Zachary had thought there would be no struggle for him to enter the fourth floor since he formed his spiritual soul by integrating it with one of Sage Level. Also, the qualification of his spiritual soul was outstanding and without equal according to the test he once did at the Soul Testing Pagoda.

    "It''s strange. By right, with the criterion of your spiritual soul, it should be easy for you to get to the fourth floor," Andrew said, feeling confused.

    "There must be something wrong with the pagoda," Zachary said with certainty.

    "How about trying again?" Andrew suggested.

    Zachary nodded and tried again, but the force pushed him back once more. He resisted the impulse to give up, so he made several more attempts, but failed every single time.

    "Damn it! I don''t believe this." Zachary became a little irritated. He could not believe that he was incapable of entering the fourth floor, considering his spiritual soul''s eligibility.

    "Gisele, take your best shot and show the pagoda your true power," Zachary muttered, squinting his eyes.

    He then fully activated his martial energy and condensed his power to release Gisele. Perhaps because of his sheer determination, she turned red as soon as she showed up, contrary to her usual white shadow. Instantly, a shocking gust of Sage Level spiritual energy spread out, shaking the whole White Elephant Pagoda.

    "Ha-ha, let me help you!" Andrew also joined the fun. He used the Holy Bone Bracer to unleash his spiritual energy, which was also at least above the Sage Level.

    Shortly, the remarkable energy of two Sage Level spiritual souls entwined with each other. As a result, the pagoda shook violently,

    r Anne had told him to use the spiritual souls sparingly.

    "You are indeed lucky. You got more than a dozen spiritual souls for free in this trip," Andrew groaned as he had gotten less spiritual souls than Zachary.

    "Come on! All you did was talk, but you got quite a lot," Zachary retorted.

    "Let''s go to the top floor now. If you can successfully merge with that Sage Level heterodox spiritual soul, it will boost your spiritual soul by one more grade. However, the heterodox spiritual soul was terrible to deal with. After I killed him, he became even stronger. It took a lot of effort from finally sealing him on the top floor," said Andrew.

    "What? Then I don''t dare to go up." Zachary had a bad feeling as soon as he heard what Andrew said.

    "Let''s go and check out the situation first. An Sage Level heterodox spiritual soul is scarce, and it is more powerful than an ordinary one," Andrew continued.

    After pausing for a moment, Zachary finally headed to the fifth floor, which was the highest floor.

    To his surprise, when he stepped on the stairs to the fifth floor, he felt nothing. He didn''t even have to release Gisele. But he just shrugged it off and soon made his way up.

    When they reached the fifth floor, Zachary discovered that it was like a residence for cultivation. There were many rooms of different sizes. Although covered with dust, it looked much more habitable than the other floors below.

    "Where is the heterodox spiritual soul?" Zachary asked as he didn''t find one after glancing around.

    "In the room on the far left," Andrew answered, pointing to the direction with his finger.

    Zachary then walked to the left. As he reached the end of the path, he saw a room sealed by an enchanted barrier. Inside was a red spiritual soul that emitted faint Sage Level aura, floating in the air. It remained motionless, as if it was sleeping soundly.

 Chapter 681 The Soul-gathering Bell

    "All its strength has vanished. Now it''s time to absorb it," Andrew said excitedly.

    "Are you sure?" Zachary narrowed his eyes as he felt the danger in absorbing the Sage Level heterodox spiritual soul.

    "Of course. I sealed it here for a few decades, so its energy has already died out no matter how powerful it used to be," Andrew responded confidently.

    "Then how do we remove the seal?" Zachary asked after a moment''s hesitation.

    "This seal only recognizes my spiritual soul. Place your hand wearing the Holy Bone Bracer on the enchanted barrier," Andrew instructed.

    Zachary nodded and did what he was told. When his hand touched the enchanted barrier, a strange wave of light spread out all over it. Soon, it disintegrated, and not long after, disappeared.

    "Hurry! Absorb the spiritual soul before it wakes up," Andrew urged at once.

    With no hesitation, Zachary stepped forward and reached out to touch the spiritual soul. Suddenly, he heard a strange laugh, making him confused. The next moment, the motionless body of the spiritual soul slowly surfaced. On its grim face, a pair of ghastly eyes stared straight at Zachary, crippling him with fear.

    Suddenly, he had a very disturbing premonition that something horrible was about to happen. His initial reaction was to run. In a flash, he quickly departed from the room.

    Simultaneously, a terrifying aura filled the air in the room and jolted the top of the White Elephant Pagoda.

    Zachary felt an overwhelming pressure charging at him, which made him stiff and slow down his speed. The red figure of the spiritual soul hovered out of the room. It was taking Zachary as its prey and wanted to kill him whenever it was convenient.

    "Hey, don''t hide. Come out and kill the spiritual soul," Zachary called out at Andrew as the worsening situation just became more unfavorable.

    "I didn''t realize its power would hold. This is tough. With my current strength, it''s impossible for me to subdue it once more." Andrew just made things even worse with his provocative comments.

    Zachary rolled his eyes. Looking at the approaching spiritua

    e old man looked a little surprised.

    "The sixth floor? Doesn''t the pagoda have five floors only?" Zachary inquired.

    "In the eyes of outsiders, it has only five floors. The sixth floor is the core. Only the owner can get in here," the old man replied.

    "So you''re the owner of the White Elephant Pagoda? The Holy Level warrior who became mad when he tried to reach the Divine Level?" Zachary asked as a realization hit him.

    The old man nodded. "It seems that you are not only talented but also smart."

    "But if only the owner of the pagoda can enter here, then why am I here as well? Did you save me?" Zachary continued to ask.

    "You saved yourself. Besides me, only the warriors gifted in cultivating the Superb Spiritual Soul can also enter this floor. Since you showed your talent not long ago, the door to the this floor opened," the old man answered.

    "Oh, I see." Zachary didn''t foresee that he alone could save himself. Still, he asked, "Do you know how to get out of the pagoda? There is a very powerful heterodox spiritual soul on the fifth floor. I don''t want to go back there anymore."

    "No, I don''t." The old man shook its head.

    "Am I stuck here?" wailed Zachary. If he had known earlier, he wouldn''t have listened to Andrew.

    "It''s just a heterodox spiritual soul. It''s not that powerful. You can deal with it using the Soul-gathering Bell," the old man said indifferently.

 Chapter 682 The Dawn Beast

    "The Soul-gathering Bell, is it?" Zachary asked out of curiosity.

    The old man flipped his hand over and a purple bell appeared. It looked regular, but had a streak of evil light. It was very eerie!

    "Is this the treasure that gives the White Elephant Pagoda the ability to collect souls?" Zachary guessed aloud. To his surprise, the bell didn''t appear too big, yet it bestowed the White Elephant Pagoda the ability to collect souls.

    "You guessed correctly," the old man confirmed.

    "So, are you going to give this treasure to me? But I haven''t done anything. I can''t accept this for nothing." Zachary''s eyes gleamed with excitement.

    "You are the chosen one. In addition to that, you have a talent of cultivating the Superb Spiritual Soul. That''s why the Soul-gathering Bell will be very helpful to you. In order to reach the Divine Level, I have killed many warriors and captured their souls in order to cultivate my spiritual soul. But in the end, all my efforts were in vain because of my insufficient talent. My only wish is that a warrior, who is gifted in cultivating the Superb Spiritual Soul, should enter the pagoda, take the Soul-gathering Bell, and successfully cultivate the most powerful Superb Spiritual Soul. That is why I saved a remnant of my soul to wait for this person to arrive," the old man sighed wearily.

    "Well, I can help you fulfill your wish. I will take the Soul-gathering Bell." Zachary accepted the Soul-gathering Bell without hesitation.

    The old man taught him how to use the Soul-gathering Bell.

    "Thank you. Sir, you may put your mind at ease now!" Zachary assured him after learning everything.

    The old soul nodded with a smile, and then turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared.

    Zachary raised the Soul-gathering Bell and shook it three times. The bell rang and his surroundings began to collapse. The so-called sixth floor was not real; it was, in fact, just another space created by the Soul-gathering Bell. Those warriors who had stormed the White Elephant Pagoda hoping to find the treasure didn''t know this. They all thought that the Soul-gathering Bell was buried under the pagoda, so they couldn''t find it.

    However, even if those warriors knew about the existence of the Soul-gathering Bell, they would not able to get in without the talent for cultivating the Superb Spiritual Soul. In other words, Zachary got his

    o Zachary caught up with them in a short time and then followed them carefully keeping out of sight.

    Before long, Batwing Beasts entered a stone valley surrounded by a brown forest with Zachary still tailing them. The valley was secluded. It would have been impossible for him to find it without the guidance of the Batwing Beasts.

    When the beasts reached the valley, they kept circling mid-air as if they were waiting for something.

    About half an hour later, Zachary heard a strange cry, following which the Batwing Beasts tossed their big rocks into the stone valley. A series of loud booms erupted.

    Zachary heard a deafening roar coming from the stone valley, much like a tiger''s roar. At the same time, he felt a strong aura from a soul, but it was a little different from the spiritual soul''s aura. It felt more like a beast''s soul.

    ''I wonder if the Dawn Beast is in the stone Valley.'' Chewing on this theory, Zachary quivered and sneaked into the stone valley. He passed through a pile of strange stones, and soon, he was in the center of the stone valley. There was an unfathomable huge shaft in the center of the stone valley, with a strong wind surging wind.

    A huge cave lay just beside the crater. The rocks thrown in by the Batwing Beast were lying around the cave. Inside, a huge figure was trembling. Even from a distance, Zachary could clearly detect the aura emitted by this giant figure.

    ''That must be the Dawn Beast. It seems that I am in luck!'' Zachary was surprised. He didn''t think he would find the Dawn Beast just by spying on a few Batwing Beasts.

 Chapter 683 Egg Of The Treasure Beast

    At that moment, Zachary looked up and was met by the pitch black sky, from which Batwing Beasts went flying down one after another, finally landing on a stack of large stones nearby. They turned towards the cave and hissed loudly, as if threatening something.

    As if on cue, the whole stone cave and valley shook violently, and Zachary looked around cautiously as he stood his ground. His gaze eventually landed back on the stone cave''s interior, where a towering figure slowly appeared.

    Zachary resisted the urge to step back in surprise upon recognizing what was in front of him. It had snow white fur, with a body that seemed to be a terrifying mixture of a lion and tiger. Its two huge heads, three long, pillar-like tails that flailed around, and a sturdy, overwhelming aura that stood out among ordinary martial beasts¡ªits presence and power spoke exactly that it had the strength to be an elite martial beast.

    "Is this the Dawn Beast? Damn, it looks much stronger than the Earthworm-shaped Dog!" Zachary sighed exasperatedly, his eyes fixed solely on the creature in front of him.

    He trailed its every movement carefully; it walked out of the cave and let out a booming roar to the Batwing Beasts, as though warning them not to enter.

    They, in turn, didn''t seem to be afraid of the elite treasure beast threatening them. They took off in various directions, stirring up some stones to fly about and then heading towards the two-headed creature.

    Upon shaking its body, there spread out a strange Imperial Level force, on which the stones collided. And as soon as it did, they instantly disintegrated into fine powder.

    "I don''t really think I have the confidence to defeat such a powerful thing," Zachary muttered with a hint of shock. He had a feeling that what he''d just watched was not even a display of full power.

    Just as Zachary tried to control his now erratic breaths, the creature opened its mouth once again¡ªthis time, no roar came out. Instead, it let out a breath, from which a concentrated energy bomb blasted out and then hurled towards the huge stone where a Batwing Beast stood. The beast quickly soared into the air, just as the stone was crushed into ti

    g more and more restless as it found nothing. In apparent desperation, it started to fly further inside.

    Without hesitation, Zachary formed an ice blade and hurled it towards the unwitting creature. Having put up no defenses, the ice flowers penetrated its body, and in an instant, blood trickled down its thin layer of skin. It let out a piercing scream and thrashed about in pain for several moments before slamming against the top of the cave. The whole area started to collapse as sands and stones crumbled down.

    With his Flying Boots, Zachary began to fly away quickly before he lost the opportunity to escape.

    It was at that moment that the Dawn Beast realized the intrusion. Turning back quickly, it saw the Batwing Beast stuck near the entrance, unable to escape. In a moment of unimaginable rage, the two-headed beast rushed back in with a deafening roar.

    It wasn''t as if the Batwing Beast was blind to the incoming attack, but before it could even position itself to counter, from the Dawn Beast''s body released blindingly brilliant light. Within a few moments, a beast soul appeared from its back, emanating an aura enough to make the once unshakeable Batwing Beasts howl in fear.

    And in the blink of an eye, the body of the beast that had snuck into the cave burst apart, exploding into a vomit-inducing sight of scattered and mutilated flesh.

    Zachary''s breath wavered as he finally witnessed the power of such creature''s beast soul.

 Chapter 684 Hiding The Egg

    Zachary guessed that the Dawn Beast''s soul strength must be at least at the fourth or fifth grade of Imperial Level. In other words, its real strength must be equal to that of a warrior at the medium stage of Imperial Level or above. Thus, he had to find a way to repress its soul strength. Otherwise, even a warrior at the peak of Imperial Level wouldn''t be able to defeat it.

    However, the current threat was the army of Batwing Beasts that were still after the Dawn Beast''s egg. If Zachary wanted to get to the Dawn Beast, he had to first get rid of the Batwing Beasts.

    "Looks like I''ll have to take a risk." After thinking it over, he took out the Dawn Beast''s egg from the system and then yelled to attract their attention. "Hey! What you want is in my hand. Come and get it!"

    Sure enough, it worked. The Dawn Beast and Batwing Beasts immediately turned to him. They looked up and saw that he was waving an enormous egg, probably the size of a baby, in his hand.

    Seeing its egg in Zachary''s hand, the Dawn Beast let out an angry roar and readied itself to approach him. At the same time, two of the remaining four Batwing Beasts soared up and approached him from one side. They opened their mouths and stuck out their long tongues at him.

    Seeing this, Zachary quickly put the egg back into the system. He shot the Ice Needle, which had been dipped in Tracking Honey, as his Flying Boots shimmered. As the needle shot towards the Dawn Beast, he flew far away.

    The two Batwing Beasts also roared in fury when they saw that Zachary had taken their coveted egg away. They began to alert each other, as if they were communicating. The two Batwing Beasts chased after him, while the other two pinned down the Dawn Beast.

    The Dawn Beast was in a state of frenzy and began to launch a violent attack on the two Batwing Beasts that were trying to pin it down. However, these two Batwing Beasts were not so weak. From their advantage point in the air, they were able to pin it down, making it impossible for the Dawn Beast to escape.

    Meanwhile, after Zachary had lured the two Batwing Beasts away from the stone valley, he planned to descend to the ground as his Flying Boots had almost exhausted its limit. As soon as he landed on the ground, the two Batwing Beasts swooped down from behind like hawks hunting their prey. They were trying to block Zachary''s escape route.

    The Batwing Beasts were more powerful than Zachary, so he stood no chance if he got into a tussle with them. Moreover, some other martial beasts at the premium stage of Imperial Level were nearby, so he h

    ut an enraged cry. They circled furiously in the air for a while before leaving reluctantly.

    Not long after they left, a bruised and battered Zachary flew out of the forest.

    "Whew! I almost got myself killed trying to get rid of those vile beasts. But it has been a long time; I think the Dawn Beast must have killed those two Batwing Beasts by now." Zachary followed the two Batwing Beasts back to the stone valley.

    Upon arrival, he saw the corpses of the two Batwing Beasts, but the Dawn Beast was nowhere to be found.

    Seeing that their companions were killed, the remaining two Batwing Beasts were scared to fight anymore and made a quick exit.

    Zachary immediately rushed into the cave and found that the Dawn Beast was not inside the cave either.

    "Did it leave the cave to go after me?" he muttered as he narrowed his eyes. Fortunately, he had managed to put some Tracking Honey on the Dawn Beast''s body, so it wasn''t difficult for him to locate it.

    He used the power of his Dog Soul Ring to hunt for the Dawn Beast. Not long after, he found it in a space not far from the stone cave. It seemed to be digging something.

    He didn''t rush towards it immediately. Instead, he waited quietly.

    A few moments later, the Dawn Beast dug out another egg. Then it carried its egg away back to the stone valley.

    "I can''t believe that the Dawn Beast has more than one egg! It actually secretly buried one. Then it''s possible it may have buried more. So, even if it loses one egg, it won''t care too much." Zachary was depressed by this realization. He had planned to use the egg as a bargaining chip, but he didn''t expect the Dawn Beast to have more than one egg. No wonder it didn''t care even if it lost one.

 Chapter 685 The Opportunity

    Zachary thought for a while and decided he needed a detailed plan, so he entered the system.

    "Mimi, why did the Dawn Beast hide its eggs, and leave behind just one?" he asked Mimi.

    "Because an elite treasure beast like the Dawn Beast could only hatch one egg during its entire life. If it wants to hatch its egg, it must infuse all of its strength so that the egg could inherit its power. Then, the egg will hatch, but the beast will age quickly and die," Mimi replied.

    "So, it could only hatch one egg throughout its lifetime?" Zachary seemed slightly surprised after he listened to Mimi. Following a careful reconsideration, he felt it was reasonable enough. The Dawn Beast was an elite kind, which was equivalent to an unparalleled existence. If it could reproduce rapidly, that would be alarming.

    "That''s right. Unless required, the Dawn Beast would never hatch an egg. It would hide its eggs or place them somewhere secure," Mimi said.

    "No wonder it doesn''t mind losing one egg." Zachary nodded his head in understanding. "How many eggs will the Dawn Beast produce?"

    "Elite treasure beasts could only lay eggs one time, and they produce at least three eggs," Mimi replied.

    ''Simply put, aside from the one it just dug out, there is another egg hidden. It appears like I should be a thief for a few more times, '' he deliberated in his mind.

    Shortly, Zachary quickly headed toward the stone cave. After he got there, he set up some traps all over the place. Then he called on his avatar through the Thousand-Avatar Skill so it could launch the Ice Dragon Strike at the cave entrance.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    Suddenly, the whole cave blew up.

    It didn''t take long before the giant Dawn Beast rushed out of the stone cave. Just after it saw Zachary''s avatar, a ball of scorching air gushed out from its mouth. It shot to the avatar.

    Bam!

    The avatar exploded at once.

    "Hey, is this egg yours?" Zachary stood on his trap, took out the stolen egg, and shook it in front of the Dawn Beast.

    Realizing that Zachary had its egg in possession, the Dawn Beast jumped out right into the air and glowered at him with rage. Afterward, it made its way up to an enormous stone above the cave.

    "You want it? Take

    rare. If he could get three eggs, then he would make a fortune!

    However, since this was the Dawn Beast''s last egg, as long as he got the final one, he would be able to negotiate with the beast.

    Zachary was not rushing. He did not believe that the Dawn Beast would always protect the egg. Besides, those Batwing Beasts were so eager for its egg. They would come back.

    With that in mind, he proceeded to cultivate in the system, waiting for a suitable time.

    Three days passed in an instant.

    Since the Dawn Beast had been standing guard over the egg all the time, Zachary didn''t find any chance.

    All that patience might end up in tremendous opportunities. On the fourth day, after Zachary returned from the Death Arena, he heard an alarm from Mimi, as if the cave was under attack.

    "I think it''s the Batwing Beasts." A satisfied smile spread across Zachary''s face.

    But he didn''t go out at once. Instead, he went to the Peach Blossom Forest to feed his treasure beasts. An hour later, he returned to the system and got teleported out. When he arrived at the cave, he saw the Dawn Beast blocking the entryway. Through the gap, he could see that more Batwing Beasts were circling outside.

    Zachary tiptoed to the last egg in the cave. While the Dawn Beast had its full focus on the Batwing Beasts, he took the egg, and quickly headed back to the system. Next, all he needed to do was wait for those Batwing Beasts to take off so he could talk terms with the Dawn Beast.

 Chapter 686 The Dawn Fluid

    After some time, the alarm from Mimi was lifted, and it seemed that those Batwing Beasts had retreated.

    As soon as Zachary exited the system, he saw the Dawn Beast anxiously pacing around the cave, its egg nowhere to be found. Sensing his sudden intrusion, it swiftly turned its head to him. With a flash of rage, it let out a deafening roar that promised a bloody demise.

    "Mimi, activate the treasure beast communication system," Zachary said quickly.

    "Treasure beast communication system activated."

    The Dawn Beast''s booming voice rang in his ears. "Human! I will tear you to pieces!"

    "If you kill me, you won''t get your eggs back!" Zachary answered.

    Despite everything, the creature looked perplexed. "You can understand me?"

    "It isn''t all too hard, after all. You know what, let''s cut the crap and make a deal!" said Zachary, folding his arms across his chest.

    "Deal? What deal?" the Dawn Beast asked.

    "I''ll take care of you from here on. In exchange, you give me your Dawn Fluid in occasion. If you agree, then I''ll give you back the three eggs," Zachary said, knowing full well that in the end, they would still fall into his hands.

    "No. If you don''t give them back, I''ll kill you!" the Dawn Beast roared.

    "No room for negotiation, then? Then try and kill me!" Zachary sneered.

    Growling even louder, it trembled as a strong Imperial Level beast soul emerged from its body. The beast''s once-white fur slowly turned red as it was on fire. Hot energy then spread in all directions. Zachary could hear resounding crackles of stone and sand as the whole cave began to shake.

    That was when he felt pressure crushing him, one strong enough to make him feel that his body was about to explode.

    Zachary quickly released Gisele''s spiritual soul, but she faded just as fast. Even though she was strong, she was no match for the Dawn Beast''s soul.

    By the time the creature completely transformed into

    ee eggs. What a worthy trip indeed!

    After leaving the Peach Blossom Forest, Zachary headed back to the Living-dead Tomb to report to Anne. He also told her about the Soul-gathering Bell.

    "It seems you harvested quite a lot this time around. Not only did you catch the Dawn Beast, but you also got the ever-elusive and famous Soul-gathering Bell. However, although there is no question that the latter will be of great help to your cultivation of the Superb Spiritual Soul, you must remember not to be dependent on its power. The fate of the warrior who owned it tells you that much!" Anne said.

    "I know. So, when can I catch the third elite treasure beast?" Zachary asked casually, as if he wasn''t worried.

    "Definitely not soon. You have to wait until you''re close to the Sage Level," Anne replied.

    "Close to the Sage Level? That would take some time. But now that I''ve got the Dawn Fluid, I can at least absorb two Celestial Energy Crystals. Plus the Dawn Fluid, it shouldn''t take as long," he mumbled.

    "Aren''t you going to take part in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest? You will encounter quite harsh competitors there. You''ll end up losing in the first round if you''re too weak. I suggest you put your time in the Windstorm Valley to good use," Anne said promptly.

 Chapter 687 In Pawn

    "I can only depend on the Celestial Energy Crystal and the Dawn Fluid to help me make progress and reach the fifth grade of Imperial Level," Zachary said, stroking his chin while contemplating the problematic situation. There was less than half a month left, and it was nearly impossible to make a significant breakthrough given his strength.

    "How many treasure-hunting coins do you have ready right now? Maybe you can make good use of the Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons," Anne suggested.

    "I''d prefer to ignore it. The cauldrons are not productive enough. I''m afraid I don''t have as many treasure-hunting coins as necessary to spend on them." Zachary shook his head at once; he didn''t think it was proper to always believe in luck.

    "Then you pawn the Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons for a Cultivation Boosting Pill and a Martial Speed Boosting Pill in exchange. You can redeem the Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons after you collect enough treasure-hunting coins later," Anne stated.

    "I can pawn them?" Zachary''s face twitched a bit.

    "Of course, you can. But you can''t enable this function until your strength reaches the Sage Level. But if you can discuss it with the system, maybe it can make an exception in your favor," Anne said, nodding her head.

    "Then I''ll take my chances and give it a go." Zachary nodded. He left the Living-dead Tomb right away and returned to the system.

    "Mimi, does the system have a function for pawning treasures?" Zachary asked promptly.

    "Yes, we do. But this is only available for warriors at and above the Sage Level," Mimi replied.

    "Can you bend the rule a little to do something unusual and allow me to pawn a treasure?" Zachary asked distinctly.

    "What treasure do you want to pawn? You cannot pawn treasures below the Sage Level," Mimi said.

    "What about the Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons?" Zachary inquired.

    "I need to ask for directives first," Mimi said and fell silent.

    Not long after, her sweet voice sounded again. "Since you will take part in the qualifying test of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, the system can make an exemption for you to help you execute the main quest. How do you want to pawn it?"

    "I''m not greedy. I only wish to have an Imperial Level Cultivation Boosting Pill and an Imperial Level Martial Speed Boosting Pill," said Zachary in such a hurry.

    "No problem. But if you want to reclaim it later, you must pay three times the price. You need to pay the equivalent of three Imperial Level Cultivation Boosting Pills and three Imperial Level Martial Speed Boosting Pills to retrieve the Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons," Mimi noted.

    "Triple the price? Are you trying to rip me off?" Zachary gritted his teeth in silent rage.

    "You have the option not to pawn anything. But you won''t have another chance, so make sure you won''t have any regrets," Mimi replied.

    "Okay, okay. I''ll pawn them. I don''t need the Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons anymore." Zachary nodded while gnashing his teeth in

    here were two significant reasons for her reacquired fame. First, she was the daughter of the Xiao Clan''s leader, and next, she was a new Imperial Level warrior with outstanding strength who showed signs of future success in the Devil Kingdom.

    "Vivian, Harley hasn''t shown up yet. I think it''s necessary to make arrangements for a substitute," Anthony offered. He and Vivian, together with the clan''s Imperial Level warriors who had showed up this time, were busy discussing inside the disciple dormitory where the Xiao Clan''s contingent stayed.

    "What''s the rush? The qualifying test will not take place until two days from now. I think Harley must be on his way here. If he still doesn''t get here by then, we''ll still have time to deal with a replacement," Vivian said, casting Anthony a glare.

    A tinge of displeasure was visible on his face.

    "This time, our clan sent five warriors of Imperial Level. All of them are at the premium stage except Harley. We need to guarantee that at least one of them will be qualified to take part in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, though two would be much better, if possible," Vivian said.

    "But I''ve heard that the Imperial Level warriors at the premium stage from other forces are also powerful. As anticipated, there''s no need to mention about the Xuanyuan Clan. The Phoenix Pavilion has also sent their strongest warrior at the premium stage of Imperial Level, Lucia Liu.

    Our greatest rivals are the Xuanyuan Clan and the Phoenix Pavilion. We don''t have to pay much attention to the other forces. In the following days, you''d better take necessary steps and gather as much information about the selected warriors of those two forces. Only by knowing our rivals and also ourselves can we deal with them later without difficulty!"

    The other Imperial Level warriors nodded their heads in agreement and went straight away. Afterward, Anthony left as well.

    "I hope he could make it!" Vivian mumbled to herself after all the others went away.

 Chapter 688 The Qualifying Test

    Before the qualifying test formally began, the contestants had to take a strength test in order to determine their grade for the first phase of qualifying test. Therefore, on the day before the qualifying test, all the participating warriors gathered at the training ground in the southwest of the Shura College to take the strength test in the early hours of the morning.

    It was not an official competition but the strength test still drew the attention of many warriors.

    The entire training ground was abuzz with all kinds of people.

    In order to ensure that none of the contestants hid their true strength, three warriors of Sage Level of the Shura College, including Corbin, were in charge of conducting the strength test.

    Marvin, the dean of the Shura College, and several elders, who were Sage Level warriors, were sitting in the front of the training ground to supervise the strength test. It was evident that they placed great importance on the qualifying test.

    The strength test would ascertain each contestant''s cultivation level as well as martial speed. Martial speed was being tested in order to prevent any contestant from reducing their martial speed deliberately in an attempt to hide his real strength. These tactics had been used before, so it was necessary to test the contestants'' martial speed.

    Now, Corbin and the other two Sage Level warriors, who were in charge of the strength test, lined up in the center of the training ground.

    "The strength test begins. I want three people in a group. When you hear your name, please step forward and stand in front of us and carry out the test," Corbin announced the rules.

    Soon, three names were called out in succession.

    The three selected contestants quickly stepped forward upon hearing their names and stood in front of Corbin and the other two Sage Level warriors to take the test according to the prescribed instructions.

    "Matias Zheng from the North Sea Sect is at the third grade of Imperial Level with triple martial speed!"

    "York Yun from the Dragon Sun Sect is at the fourth grade of Imperial Level with triple martial speed!"

    Once the test was completed, the cultivation level and martial speed of each contestant were announced.

    In this way, more than half of the contestants took the strength test in groups of three. The strength of these contestants was not surprising, because all the Imperial Level warriors in the Devil Kingdom were ranked in terms of strength once a year. Therefore, there was no great difference between their real strength and the recorded one.

    Of course, a few contestants did surprise everyone, such as th

    ed, and that, too, in style. He had gone to the Windstorm Valley to capture the elite treasure beast and had been held up with cultivating since then.

    He had been so engrossed in cultivating in the Windstorm Valley that he had lost track of time. When he remembered the qualifying test, he had rushed over here. This also explained his dirty and disheveled appearance.

    "He obviously doesn''t take the test seriously. Not only is he late, but he also looks like a beggar. So arrogant!"

    "Yes, he probably thinks no end of himself since he cut a dash in the King Level contest. But he is just a nobody in the qualifying test! He will learn his place now."

    "Maybe he was late on purpose so that he could make an attention-grabbing entrance!"

    The crowd was discussing various half-baked theories about Zachary now.

    However, despite all the hubbub, Zachary calmly walked up to the Sage Level warrior and requested, "Master Corbin, please tell me how I can take this test."

    Corbin snorted at Zachary as he was annoyed at this tardiness. Despite the obvious disgust on his face, he said, "Activate your martial energy to the extreme."

    "Okay!" Zachary nodded attentively and then released all his martial energy.

    In an instant, his entire body was surrounded with strange dazzling orange light. It looked weird because of its purple aura, which was unique for physical cultivation, and it was mixed with the orange light. It was a palpable aura. Nevertheless, since Zachary''s physical cultivation was no longer a secret, it didn''t surprise anybody.

    What did surprise everyone was the aura of the strength released by Zachary.

    "What? The fifth grade! When did his strength reach the fifth grade?" Many people in the audience were incredulous!

 Chapter 689 Quintuple Martial Speed

    A wave of commotion erupted. It was obvious that many people did not believe their eyes and ears.

    Zachary had displayed his strength at the fourth grade of Imperial Level in the race for the marriage not long ago. Since then he had upgraded his strength to the fifth grade in just a month! He couldn''t have hidden his real strength in the race, because his opponent at the time was Saul, who was a warrior at the fifth grade of Imperial Level. Therefore, it was impossible for him to have hidden his real strength in front of such a strong opponent. On the other hand, it was just as impossible for him to upgrade his strength in only a month''s time!

    This mystery confounded the audience.

    But many people realized that Zachary was only a warrior at the first grade of Imperial Level when he left the Shura College. It had only been a few months, but he had improved his strength to the fifth grade of Imperial Level, which was unbelievable. Nobody could figure out how he had managed this feat!

    The more they thought about it, the more baffled they became. Everyone was talking about Zachary at this point and the grounds were abuzz.

    "I don''t understand how he improved his strength so fast. Did he get a special opportunity while he was cultivating in seclusion?" Vivian mumbled with a look of bemusement on her face.

    Of course, Anthony was gritting his teeth in envy. Even though he was also a warrior of Imperial Level now, the gap between him and Zachary didn''t shorten, instead it was widening.

    At exactly the same moment, two other people in the crowd were exchanging a look of surprise with each other¡ªPollard and Polly. They had not seen Zachary for months since they parted ways at the Holy Cloud Mountain. During this time, Polly had also successfully made a breakthrough and become an Imperial Level warrior with the help of the Sun-swallowing Pill Zachary had given her and also the aid of her father. The Qiu Clan had insisted on saving two spots for Pollard and Polly in the qualifying test of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. Of course, their purpose was also to merely gain more experience.

    "Pollard, don''t you think Harley''s strength has improved rather quickly?" Polly said in astonishment.

    "Yes, it is a bit strange, but I suppose it isn''t impossible when it comes to Harley. He has floored everyone with his talents before," Pollard remarked, looking very calm and composed.

    However, even the senior leaders of the Shura College, including Marvin, were stumped. Corbin, who was testing Zachary, had a strange expression on his face.

    "All right. Now let me test your martia

    was surprised to see Pollard and Polly there.

    "And they are...?" Vivian asked, as she didn''t know the siblings.

    "You must be Vivian of the Xiao Clan. I have heard a lot about you but you look even better than I thought. I''m Pollard Qiu, and this is my younger sister, Polly Qiu," Pollard introduced himself and his sister.

    "Oh, so you are the children of the Qiu Clan''s head. I have heard a lot about you both too!" Vivian greeted them politely.

    "It seems that you are blessed with many beautiful women. You always have gorgeous girls by your side. However, I heard that you have been engaged to Vivian here, is that true? And does it mean that my sister no longer has a chance?" Pollard added, teasing Zachary.

    "Pollard! Don''t talk nonsense. You''re embarrassing me!" Polly reprimanded him with a stern glare.

    However, Pollard''s words got Vivian''s attention. She shot a few glances at Polly. She had to admit that Polly was as beautiful as her, if not more. Besides, Polly seemed to be ill at ease with the topic. Nevertheless, Vivian just smiled calmly and retorted, "I didn''t expect you to be a joker, Pollard."

    "I was just stating the truth." Pollard smiled and narrowed his eyes. Then he turned to Zachary. "Let''s find a place to have a talk."

    Zachary acquiesced.

    "Polly, you can head back," Pollard told his sister and left with Zachary in tow.

    "They seem to be quite close," Vivian couldn''t help but blurt out.

    "Harley once saved my brother''s life, so Pollard sees him like a brother," Polly explained.

    "Oh, I see. That makes sense," Vivian said. "Polly, you have a crush on Harley, am I right?"

    "What? No! I don''t! Please don''t talk nonsense! Whatever gave you that idea?" Polly hastened to refute.

 Chapter 690 The Official Start

    "It''s not an inappropriate thing to feel infatuated with Harley. A decent man like him would easily capture the heart of any woman. But Polly, you don''t seem to be good at recognizing and grasping great opportunities when they come. What a sad thing! Now that you missed him, you''d better not think of the good old days. Do not remain in the past, and focus on what lies ahead. I hope you will not put Harley in a compromising situation. Although I don''t mind a man having a few women in his life, I think you are too decent to become a mistress," Vivian hinted discreetly.

    "Please have no fear and calm yourself down, Vivian. I will never go into a relationship with him," Polly reassured and then went straight away.

    "This guy is adept at enticing women. I can''t believe that even the daughter of the Qiu Clan''s head has fallen in love with him! But it didn''t look too awful for the Xiao Clan!" Vivian mumbled to herself in a spiteful tone.

    On the other hand, Zachary and Pollard headed east after leaving.

    "I didn''t expect to see you again so soon," Pollard said excitedly.

    "Did you come along to join in the fun?" asked Zachary.

    "We came to participate in the qualifying test," Pollard replied.

    "Oh, having said that, we are likely to be rivals," Zachary teased.

    "I don''t think that''s possible. Polly and I just want to take this opportunity to gain some experience, but you can participate in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest," said Pollard.

    "Is your father doing okay?" Zachary asked in concern.

    "He cultivated in seclusion after he got injured last time in the Holy Cloud Mountain. He didn''t come out until a little while ago. It''s not a big deal," Pollard replied.

    "Really? That''s great news," Zachary answered.

    "But my father is anxious about you," said Pollard all of a sudden.

    "What do you mean?" asked Zachary.

    "You have gotten closer to the Xiao Clan and even became the future son-in-law of their leader. However, everyone in the Devil Kingdom knows that the state of affairs inside the clan is not on good terms. That''s why my father feared that you might get involved in the internal conflict of the clan."

    "Please extend my gratitude to your father for his concern about my interests when you go back. I don''t care how chaotic the Xiao Clan is, because it has nothing to do with me. I just need to make use of the clan for my benefit and advantage. And then I will leave the clan when the time comes," said Zachary.

    "In any case, you should be extra careful. And come to me if you need anything," Pollard implored.

    "I understand," Zachary answered with a smile.

    After talking with Pollard, Zachary went back to the place where members of the Xiao Clan stayed.

    Right after he stepped inside the house, he observed several people glaring at him. It was Anthony together with several other Imperial Level warriors of t

    etition of strength, such a rule was very fair. As long as one had enough power, they could become the final winner.

    The competition of the nine groups took place at three training grounds of the Shura College at the same time. As a result, the entire college looked bustling at the moment. However, the scene full of activity appeared in the competition of the fourth, fifth, and sixth groups, which was taking place in the same training ground. Zachary was also there. The three groups consisted of the most warriors, so delegates of the cheerleading teams came as well.

    Many disciples of different clans and sects followed the other groups'' competition, and some onlookers came from Shura College, though lesser in attendance.

    At this moment, the thirty-two warriors in the fifth group had entered a large square arena with a side length of a hundred meters. Such a large area was enough for these warriors to give full play of their strength.

    They divided the area into three sections. The fourth and sixth groups stayed on the sides, with the fifth group in the middle. Because there was still a distance of fifty meters between every group, they would not get in the way of each other. All the audience present could watch the competitions of all the three groups at the same time.

    There was a Sage Level warrior in each section as the judge. The competition took place between warriors in the same grade, and a loss on both sides or a stalemate could happen. To guarantee the fairness of the competition, the time limit given for a fight was an hour. If neither party could defeat their opponent in an hour, the judge would decide who won and who lost.

    Therefore, all the warriors had to try their best to win every competition. Otherwise, they might not make it to the top four strongest warriors with the most points.

    This sort of contest actually could be viewed as a savage battle of life and death.

 Chapter 691 Turning The Tide

    "The battles between warriors at the fifth grade of Imperial Level are now officially underway! Those whose names are called up, please step forward for the first fight. Each battle lasts an hour at the most, and if neither party is able to defeat their opponent within that time period, I will instead determine the victor!" the fifth group''s judge announced, his voice booming loudly in everyone''s ears.

    Thirty-two warriors who couldn''t contain their eagerness waited in the area, fidgeting as they stood restlessly.

    "Sean and Voss, please come to the arena," the judge called out.

    The other thirty quickly retreated to the edge, leaving the first two competitors standing smack dab at the center stage.

    They glared at each other with utter hostility, and without wasting any time, began to strike.

    However, everyone knew that after this fight came seven more consecutive ones for each of them. Considering the high possibility of exhaustion if they didn''t pace themselves, the two understandably held back their unique skills. At this point, martial energy and physical strength were best left conserved.

    As a result, the fight went on looking quite average. Both parties attacked and defended, of course, but they did so in turns and without the use of any powerful killing skill.

    It was only when the two warriors soon noticed the time come close to expiring that the whole atmosphere took a sudden turn. Pressures of a stalemate ruling began to pile up, and unable to bear with the fact, both bombarded their opponent with their respective unique skills. In what seemed to be few seconds, the battle went from a snooze fest to a fierce, high-level display of abilities.

    In the end, just right before the time expired, Sean won with a successful execution of a skill at the medium stage of Imperial Level. He quietly raised a clenched fist in victory as he walked to the edge, having earned one point.

    Almost immediately after the area was cleared out, another pair got called to fight. This time, the battle ended in less than a quarter, much faster than the one it preceded. Apparently, one of the competitors was from a premium stage clan and was an experienced senior at the fifth stage of Imperial Level. Unsurprisingly, he set the tone by instantly going on the offensive and taking out an uncommon weapon. He chipped away at his opponent''s footing mercilessly, who in turn could hardly defend, surrendering after only a short period.

    This went on for nine more battles, until finally, Zachary was called.

    The crowd and other remaining warriors br

    move. If you can''t withstand it, you will definitely lose!" The warrior broke into a stance and stared solely at Zachary.

    "I should be careful then." Zachary smiled.

    His opponent then took a deep breath and clenched his fist. His arms turned red like burnt iron pillars, and in a split second, he charged towards Zachary with the aura of a one-man army.

    As soon as he did so, Zachary activated his Ice Dragon Hand, which the solid red arms collided against and broke through without a hint of difficulty.

    Zachary''s eyes narrowed; he was obviously surprised at the success against his counterattack. He swiftly stepped back and activated his protective martial energy. His adversary persevered, armed with power that surpassed even his expectations. They were at a stalemate, or so it seemed.

    Bang!

    His opponent''s arms were suddenly enveloped in a burst of seemingly ungraded golden flames. Without much resistance, he then broke through Zachary''s protective martial energy.

    Everyone immediately started to think that ever-so-surprising Zachary was defeated, no question.

    Zachary crossed an arm over the other. As the golden flames cracked his protective martial energy, he was left with nothing but his bare limbs to protect himself. He flew back a dozen meters the moment he made contact.

    Just as all hope seemed lost, something on his wrist glowed into brilliant light¡ªthe Holy Bone Bracer! A surge of recoil force poured out and blew his opponent away in return, who landed violently against the ground.

    Everyone slowly came to their senses, though they were given barely any time to process the situation. A heated discussion immediately followed about Zachary''s stellar posterior strategy.

 Chapter 692 The Spiritual Energy

    After that, Zachary withdrew his power. His opponent was wise enough to admit defeat. In this way, Zachary once again defeated his opponent with just one move. His two consecutive wins caused another uproar among the audience.

    Some people were unhappy to see this, and Saul was one of them.

    After Zachary defeated his opponent, Saul was called next. As he stepped onto the stage, he passed Zachary.

    "You should pray that you never have to confront me or you will suffer a crushing defeat!" Saul threatened in a low voice.

    Zachary simply sneered at him in response before he left the stage.

    Six hours later, the second round was over. And the third round began.

    In the following three rounds, Zachary continued to defeat his opponents with one move, which shocked the audience over and over again. After all, he had just reached the fifth grade of Imperial Level, but he had won five consecutive fights against opponents at the same grade. That was not all; he had defeated each of them with a single move. This was more than just luck.

    Apart from Zachary, only six warriors in the fifth group had won all five battles, including Saul, after five rounds of fights.

    However, after the five rounds, all the warriors in the same group had been fighting for two days and two nights, without getting a break or any sleep. Each round usually took eight to ten hours. The warriors had to put in all their strength for every round, so obviously many of them no longer had enough stamina to pursue the competition after five rounds. Although they took energy-replenishing pills in each round, they consumed more martial energy in the high-intensity fight than they could recover. So the situation was bleak for them.

    In this way, several warriors, who had defeated their opponents with an absolute advantage in the previous five rounds, began to have an upper hand over others. Zachary, who had defeated every opponent in only one move, looked as calm as usual.

    However, in order to avoid too many warriors ending up with the same amount of points, from the sixth round onwards, it was decided that the stronger ones had to fight each other. This way, their points would vary and it would be easy to cull out the four warriors with the most number of points.

    In the sixth round, Zachary confronted a female warrior from the Phoenix Pavilion, who had also won all the five previous battles.

    "Harley, our leader has asked us to greet you on her behalf if we were to see you here!" the woman said politely to Zachary.

    "Thank you. Master, please give her my regards too," Zachary replied cordially too.

    "I''m afraid I don''t deserve

    achary was about to hit the ground, the strong buzz of the sword instantly came through and spread out all around. The entire ground started to crack and quiver. Everyone present felt the violent tremors under their feet. They were shocked to see his sudden outburst, which seemed to surpass his own strength. It was very astonishing.

    "Spiritual energy? How can he use spiritual energy?"

    "I heard that he had displayed his materialized spiritual soul during the race for the marriage, but I thought it was only a rumor."

    At this moment, the audience around were once again abuzz. Nobody could believe that Zachary was able to use spiritual energy.

    The Water Sword Array that had trapped Zachary also began to shake violently due to the power of the sword buzz. In the end, the array was destroyed and it vanished completely. At the same time, the woman showed up as well.

    Meanwhile, Zachary waved his hand in the air, and an ice blade appeared in his hand. He charged towards his opponent. Preparing for the oncoming assault, the woman brandished her sword too, intending to obstruct the ice blade. However, the ice blade in Zachary''s hand suddenly transformed into countless ice threads, which entwined around the Water Ripple Sword.

    Clang!

    The Water Ripple Sword buzzed suddenly and the woman''s clothes were instantly torn apart. In the blink of an eye, she was in rags, but there was no injury on her body.

    She blushed and hastily covered her body with her hands, throwing a nasty glare at Zachary. However, she knew that he had already been merciful towards her, so she conceded, "I admit defeat!" Then she quickly obtained a cloak from her Virtual Air Space and covered herself up. After that, she turned around and left the stage in shame.

 Chapter 693 Battle of Spiritual Souls

    The crowd in attendance seemed taken by surprise. Everything happened so fast for them to think and process, and they felt it was undesirable. Zachary set off in an unfavorable position earlier, but his spiritual energy quickly surged out and changed the situation in an instant. He did not inflict any harm on the female warrior, but compelled her to admit defeat out of her own free will.

    A win is a win. Zachary had won the sixth battle despite an unfavorable start. He held the leading position in the fifth group with his successive wins.

    After the sixth round, one-third of the warriors who made a clean sweep of all the first five rounds lost because they chanced upon rivals who were just as strong as them, or even tougher. Seven warriors had won seven consecutive battles, four of whom with the most points would get chosen later.

    Those who had lost just one fight still had a chance to catch up, and the remaining two rounds of battle, as expected, became crucial.

    After the seventh round started, to seize the final opportunity, the warriors went all out, trying their best to build up their strength. Although most of them only had a slight chance, they still didn''t want their opponents to succeed without difficulty.

    Four hours later, most of the seventh round battles had taken place by that time. Two warriors kept on winning with ease, including Saul. If nothing would go amiss, both of them could have an excellent opportunity to be one of the four who could take part in the second phase.

    But not long after, the female warrior, whom Zachary had defeated during the sixth round, and another warrior with remarkable strength, won their matches. Each subdued another contender who had a six-round winning streak earlier by a narrow margin, making the situation gripping while building up suspense.

    In the seventh round, the last two slated to meet included Zachary. Before he could show up on stage, apart from him and his opponent, two other warriors came out on top of all the battles, one of whom was Saul. Since either Zachary or his rival could win the seventh battle, there would only be three who had won all seven battles before the eighth round began. Therefore, the result of any fights in the eighth round might regulate the final ranking.

    Since it was the last battle of the seventh round, it attracted the attention of everybody, notably because of Zachary. After conquering the female warrior in the earlier battle, they regarded him as one of the most promising warriors who could win all eight battles.

    However, Zachary''s opponent in the seventh round was not a trifle. He was Vinson, a warrior at the fifth grade of Imperial Level, and more known as a wizard in the Devil Kingdom. Though only in his early thirties, his clan trained him very well. Along with his outstanding skills, he was considered as one of their most promising future

    Everyone watching got startled when they saw that Zachary also showed his spiritual soul.

    "Your spiritual soul is a woman! Allow me to serve her well," Vinson said with a wicked smile, and Ghost straight away pounced on Gisele.

    "Stun it!" Zachary ordered, frowning.

    Suddenly, Gisele breathed out a powerful aura. Her white spiritual frame turned crimson red in an instant. An astonishing soul aura of Sage Level spread around at once. The approaching Ghost gave off a fearful outcry and retreated without hesitation.

    The incident also shocked everyone. They did not expect that Zachary''s spiritual soul could release an aura of Sage Level.

    "How could it be possible?" Vinson mumbled, trembling in shock. But he would never accept that Zachary''s spiritual soul was more powerful than his. So he soon advanced toward Zachary and manifested his martial arts.

    Zachary condensed an ice blade with one hand. He mounted an attack with the Lady Swordsmanship at once. In an instant, he fought his way through the martial arts Vinson was performing.

    "What kind of swordsmanship is this?" Vinson froze for a moment, but soon came back to his senses and plotted to reproduce the swordsmanship. However, he discovered that he could not copy Zachary''s skill in sword fighting.

    "My unique swordplay is something that ordinary people can''t pick up easily. If you could learn it, I would have let Master Anne down," Zachary said, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth. In an instant, the ice blade in his hand changed into ice flowers and floated away, forming a flower chain that surrounded Vinson. The next moment, the ice flowers altered in color.

    Puff!

    Almost at the same moment, a sword radiance mirrored sharply around Vinson, shifting into a fierce sword aura that saturated an area within a few dozen meters around. Vinson didn''t have a chance to fight back. He just cried out loud, piercing screams.

 Chapter 694 The Second Grade Of Imperial Soul

    When the sword radiance completely disappeared, Vinson remained rooted to the spot with a blood-soaked body and a dejected expression on his face. He slumped to the ground and passed out.

    The seventh round of battles also ended after Zachary triumphed after Vinson. Vinson, who was cocky and self-centered, injured himself to a great extent, and got what he deserved. He quit the last fight, which left the eighth round more complicated and unresolved.

    Vinson''s withdrawal from the fight meant one less skilled competitor. There were only three warriors who had won each one of the seven battles that they had competed in, including Zachary and Saul. But since only two out of the three would meet in the eighth round, this would imply that only two warriors would have won all the eight battles by the end of the competition. They would also be the enduring pair who could enter the second phase of the qualifying contest. The eighth round would determine these last two positions. Those who followed closely behind and won the eighth round would have more chances of entering the second phase as well.

    The crowd felt a bit exhausted because the intense battle had lasted for three days and nights. The eighth and final round had everybody intrigued on who would be the four warriors that could secure the four seats in the second stage. As soon as the eighth round began, the hushed audience became alive again, with different kinds of cheers and hoorays ringing out.

    Although most of the warriors no longer had the opportunity of entering the second phase, they still fought like hell so long as their strength lasted.

    To build up the suspense of the contest, the organizers arranged the two crucial battles to happen last on stage. The most sensational would be the fight between two warriors who had won their earlier seven battles. Everybody speculated who these warriors would be. The mystery would soon have its answers.

    Several hours later, the first of the two final battles officially began.

    They announced the name of one of the warriors who would fight the battle. "Saul from the Xuanyuan Clan."

    When the audience heard Saul''s name, they instantly pricked up their ears because the identity of his opponent would affect the result of the first phase of the qualifying contest. They wondered whether Saul would fight against one of the two warriors who had a winning streak earlier.

    Soon after, they introduced the name of the other warrior for the battle. "Harley Bai from the Xiao Clan."

    The audience erupted into an uproar. Nobody had expected that Saul and Zachary would clash again, not long after the race for marriage held by the Xiao Clan, as if it was destiny that led them to meet repeatedly.

    Saul just sneered. He waited for this moment the most, because he would soon finish

    power, so neither of them could take the upper hand.

    Soon, Saul broke the standoff. Suddenly, blood appeared in his hand that was clutching the Holy Golden Spear. The red liquid streamed down the spear and spread throughout the weapon.

    "Bloodthirsty Spear Skill!" Saul shouted. His eyes turned bright red and got covered with blood. A strange emanation went off from his body. The aura of the spiritual soul behind him elevated in a flash. A moment later, it broke through the second grade.

    "The second grade of Imperial Soul." Everyone was shocked. It was already unthinkable that Saul could cultivate a materialized spiritual soul with his strength. But now, it became clear that he could make his spiritual soul advance further and cross the threshold into the second grade.

    After its aura intensified, Saul''s spiritual soul became more persuasive. He wielded the spear wildly in the air and charged straight at Zachary.

    "Do you think only your Imperial Soul can reach the second grade?" Zachary scoffed. In an instant, the aura of Gisele, who was behind him, levitated quickly. A wave of low energy spread out like ripples. Suddenly, a glint of spiritual light appeared on the air, steadily gathering toward Gisele.

    Gisele''s aura passed through the second grade of Imperial Soul, which amazed the crowd.

    "His spiritual soul has also advanced to the second grade. Oh my God, are these two monsters?"

    "This day is unbelievable!"

    "I didn''t expect a battle between two Imperial Level warriors at the medium stage would be so thrilling."

    All of a sudden, pandemonium reigned in the venue.

    Seeing that Zachary''s spiritual soul also broke through and reached the second grade of Imperial Soul, Saul''s face turned despondent.

    However, something more remarkable happened, because the aura of Gisele did not stop at the second grade. It was still rising.

 Chapter 695 The Decided Winner

    ''How could this possibly happen? His spiritual soul is still improving even until now! I''m sure last time his spiritual soul was only at the first grade.'' Saul widened his eyes in disbelief.

    At that instant, the improvement of Zachary''s spiritual soul almost reached the third grade and finally stopped. While he was cultivating in seclusion in the Windstorm Valley, he merged with the strength of the heterodox spiritual soul at the Sage Level in the Soul-gathering Bell. However, due to the overbearing force of this particular spiritual soul, he did not dare to overdo the merging process. Otherwise, his spiritual soul might have broken through the third grade already. Of course, he had as little as one step left from reaching this grade, which could be considered a good result.

    At this moment, everyone in attendance was shocked when they saw that Zachary''s spiritual soul was inching closer to the third grade. Even if they had seen it for themselves, they still couldn''t believe it. Breaking through the second grade was thus far fantastic. Still, it was practically unimaginable for someone to get near the third grade, especially Zachary, who was barely a warrior at the middle stage of Imperial Level. There were many warriors at the same cultivation level whose spiritual soul might not have reached such extent. Consequently, their shock couldn''t be more justified.

    When Zachary''s spiritual soul was close to the third grade, the tense atmosphere seemed to break right away. Gisele''s power began to suppress that of Saul''s spiritual soul.

    However, Saul wouldn''t just quickly settle down and anticipate his downfall. Even though Zachary''s spiritual soul was more remarkable than his, as long as it didn''t reach the third grade, he didn''t have to worry about being defeated. He was confident that his strength could make up for it.

    With this line of thinking, Saul promptly gathered his strongest strength and brought into play the famous Imperial Level skill, the Destructive Spear Skill. He swung the Holy Golden Spear like a sweeping army, and in an instant, his spiritual soul was divided into beams of soul light and flew to the ground. In the ensuing second, it turned into millions of human-shaped soul phantoms, surging into Zachary like a high tide.

    Saul''s fierce assaults dumbfounded all the people present.

    At the sight of this, Zachary narrowed his eyes. Even in the face of such a great force, his expression did not change in the slightest. He held onto the Illusory Dragon Spine and flew up straight towards Saul fearlessly.

    Simultaneously, Saul seemed to be preserving all of his power and was getting ready to launch another strike. The Holy Golden Spear in his hand had already begun to be covered by a golden flame. When Zachary was about to

    opportunity to win Anne''s love, he would not only get her but also activate the contractual mode of the beauty collection mode. If this happened, he would be capable of dating a lot of beauties. In this way, he could live a charmed life in the Supernal Continent.

    Therefore, he would have to exert his maximum efforts to win the upcoming free battle.

    Just as Zachary had a fantasy like that, the other eight groups also finished their matches, and the first four winners of each of the nine groups also came out. There were three Imperial Level warriors at the premium stage from the Xuanyuan Clan, three from the Xiao Clan, and two from the Phoenix Pavilion. They were all qualified to join the next free battle. Since almost all three forces had sent Imperial Level warriors at the premium stage, they had won most of the matches among the premium stage groups. Besides, two warriors from Shura College could join the next competition, and one of them was whom Zachary was very familiar with. It was Tracy who cared a lot about Zachary and his fellow disciples when they came to the Shura College.

    After the top four of each of the nine groups were determined, the next step was to divide them into the four teams randomly. Each team would be composed of nine Imperial Level warriors with different grades of strength. These four teams would fight against each other in the free battle, and the two teams who won would enter the final battle.

    Aside from overall strength, the free battle would also test the cooperation among Imperial Level warriors and their ability to adapt to the situation. If a team lost, all of the warriors in this team would be eliminated. Besides, if one lost his combat power and could not continue participating in the battle, he would be automatically out. Therefore, the competition could become fierce and ruthless.

 Chapter 696 The Free Battle

    The next day, the announcement for the four participating teams in the free battle took place.

    Zachary got picked under the Blue Team, and Tracy emerged as the team''s leader as her strength was at the ninth grade of Imperial Level. Polly and Pollard belonged to the Red Team and the Yellow Team, respectively. The Blue Team was going to battle against the Yellow Team in the free battle. Interestingly, the Yellow Team''s leader was also at the ninth grade of Imperial Level, and he was from the Xiao Clan. His name was Kemp Yu.

    Around this moment, in the house where the Xiao Clan members stayed, Vivian, Anthony, Zachary, and the other two Imperial Level warriors participating in the battle were all present.

    "This time, Kemp and Shawn are in separate teams and are not opponents. Hence, the two of you have a high chance to enter the final battle. As for the team where Harley is in, they will fight against Kemp''s team. I think Kemp will not lose to Tracy," Vivian analyzed.

    "That''s for sure. By then, Harley, you don''t have to compete anymore, unless you ruin the peace between us." Kemp Yu glanced at Zachary. Although he said so, he was quite dismissive of him.

    "Yes, of course. I''m not going to overrate myself." Zachary nodded his head with conviction, but in his heart, he said, ''You just wait and see! I will make you regret this later.''

    "But Kemp, you should also take on a deceptive appearance. You''d better pretend to attack Harley. Otherwise, people might think he is a spy in the Blue Team!" Anthony said with sarcasm.

    "Ha-ha, I know what you mean." Kemp Yu flashed a scornful smile.

    After taking a glimpse at Anthony, Zachary left straight away.

    To have a stronger alliance in the free battle, the nine warriors of the Blue Team gathered together before the battle began to have an unspoken agreement.

    "My dear teammates, tomorrow is the free battle. This fight would be the deciding point if we can enter the final battle. So, I hope that we can all work unitedly and follow the command of our beautiful leader, Tracy," said Zachary with a determined look in front of everyone.

    "To win the battle, Tracy and I have made a long list of battle strategies. So, as long as we listen to our leader''s instruction, we are sure to win the Yellow Team.

    There''s no reason for you to be afraid. As long as we act together, we can eliminate the opposing team.

    In

    onents. If I help you, won''t I be inflicting trouble to myself?" Polly frowned, appearing puzzled.

    "Well, you''re attending the competition to gain experience, right? I don''t think it would matter if your team loses," Zachary assured her.

    "Do you want to win?" Polly asked after a moment''s hesitation.

    Zachary nodded without saying anything.

    "Well, what do you want me to do?" Polly knew that she owed him a favor in exchange for the Sun-swallowing Pill, so she couldn''t refuse him. It seemed that Zachary was so full of determination to win.

    Afterward, Zachary whispered something in Polly''s ear.

    "But I have to make it clear that I will no longer be indebted to you after I help you this time. I won''t be under any obligation to repay you anything, and I don''t want to see you anymore," Polly said firmly. She discovered that she was unable to calm herself down every time she saw Zachary. This made her feel very uncomfortable.

    "No problem." Zachary winked and smiled. Then he left.

    On the second day, the free battle occurred in two different areas. The winning two teams will enter the final competition.

    There would be a direct elimination, which meant they had only one chance to enter the finals. For any team, the ensuing battle would be equivalent to a life and death battle.

    This free battle would be a duel in the form of completing a mission. The first team to finish the mission would be the winner. But this wouldn''t be easy to accomplish and could only be completed if the nine warriors work together. This battle would be full of suspense and excitement.

 Chapter 697 Acting Skill

    At this moment, in the area where the Blue Team and the Yellow Team were about to start their fight, the warriors of both teams were paying close attention to the mission they had to accomplish in the free battle.

    "Both teams will have to execute an escort mission, and the first to finish will win. After you''ve reached the designated location, you must first try to rescue the hostages from the restraints of five Imperial Level guards at the premium stage. After you''ve picked up the hostages, escort them to the finish line as quickly as possible. The first team to accompany their hostage to the finish line will win. During the competition, we will allow all kinds of methods that you plan on doing to hinder the rescue efforts or escort operations of the other team," explained one of the three judges of the free battle. "If you all understand, then let''s get started!"

    Soon, under the leadership of their respective team leaders, the Blue Team and the Yellow Team hastily entered the fighting area. The free battle began.

    Just after the entrance of the two teams, a few figures flew over in the sky. Leading them was Marvin, the head of Shura College, and several elders followed closely behind him.

    "Hello, Dean Marvin!" The three judges greeted him at once.

    "Has the competition started?" Marvin asked.

    "It has just commenced," one of them responded without delay.

    "Which team do you think will come out on top in this free battle?" Marvin raised another question.

    "The strengths of these two teams are almost the same. Besides strength, the free battle is also about strategy. It depends on whether both team leaders supervise properly, especially in the last escort stage," another judge replied.

    "I think the key to their victory would depend on a single person," Marvin said, narrowing his eyes.

    "Just one person? Who could it be?" The three judges looked at each other in confusion, and not one of them had a hint who Marvin was talking about.

    "You will find out once the competition has ended," Marvin replied, smiling calmly.

    While they were engaged in speech, the two teams had already made their moves to rescue the hostages at the marked sites.

    Soon, the Blue Team arrived at a pit less than a hundred meters away from the designated area.

    "The hostage is just up ahead." Just ahead of them were five Imperial Level warriors at the medium or premium stage. They surrounded a female warrior who was acting as a hostage in the open space a hundred meters away.

    "I''ll go out first to attract their attention. You stand by and wait for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack and rescue the hostage," Tracy ordered before making a

    ll. They were double-crossed and took the bait.

    "Take the hostage and make our way to the finish line!" Zachary instructed. Then he sauntered toward the female warrior and said his praises, "Beauty, your acting skill is so convincing. It''s so unfortunate that you''re not a real actress!"

    "Thank you for your compliments. I am deeply flattered!" The female warrior soon changed her pathetic expression and let out a flirty laugh.

    "If you have some time to spare, how about we drink a cup of tea and eat dinner together?" Zachary asked, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

    However, as soon as he wrapped up his words, Tracy popped up from behind him with an icy face, yanking him away by his collar.

    Thanks to Zachary''s successful strategy, they quickly rescued the hostage with minor difficulty in a brief time. After that, they escorted the hostage to the finish line.

    Relying on their wit and absolute strength, the Yellow Team quickly retrieved the hostage from the five Imperial Level guards.

    On the way to the last stop, Zachary carried out the team''s next plan.

    "Listen to me carefully. Our goal now is to block the Yellow Team and generate chaos. All you have to do is make the scene as unruly as possible," Zachary conveyed as he divided the members of his team into three groups.

    "Tracy, come over here." Zachary motioned to Tracy.

    The two of them walked aside.

    "Tracy, I need you to..." Without any delay, Zachary made Tracy aware of the next step, which took her by surprise.

    "Will this work?" Tracy asked suspiciously.

    "Trust me. Just do as I say." Zachary nodded slightly.

    "Well, I put my full confidence in you. Don''t let me down." Tracy gave Zachary a quick look. Although she felt that his plan was too risky, she inexplicably trusted him.

 Chapter 698 Hostage Exchange

    On the other side, the Yellow Team was also escorting their hostage to the finish line.

    Soon enough, the two teams met less than a mile away from the finish line.

    "Go and capture their hostage." As soon as Zachary gave the order, the Blue Team members dashed towards the Yellow Team in a flash.

    "Don''t bite off more than you can chew! Protect the hostage and defeat these guys!" The leader of the Yellow Team, Kemp, immediately led his teammates to fight.

    Shortly, the warriors in both teams, with their treasure beasts and weapons assembled, began a fierce fight that turned chaotic.

    Meanwhile, Zachary had found his way to the Blue Team''s hostage and said, "I''m sorry but you may have to suffer for a little while longer, beauty." With that, he hit the back of the hostage''s neck and knocked her out.

    Zachary picked her up and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    While that was happening, Tracy rushed to the Yellow Team''s hostage under the cover of her teammates.

    Tracy was a famous Imperial Level warrior from Shura College. Although she reached the ninth grade for a short time, she was not inferior to those senior warriors at the same level because she had already materialized her own spiritual soul.

    Right on cue, a female spiritual soul behind Tracy fiddled with the flute in her hand. A burst of sound wave spread out, forcing the warriors from the Yellow Team to cover their ears. Disturbed as they were by the unbearable sound, they found themselves too paralyzed to continue fighting.

    "Protect the hostage!" Seeing this, Kemp immediately led two warriors to fight Tracy.

    However, three warriors from the Blue Team intercepted them, and Tracy took the chance to approach the warriors protecting the hostage.

    "You two, go and stop her. I''ll protect the hostage." Polly signaled to the other two warriors responsible for protecting their hostage beside her.

    Of course, the two warriors didn''t dare disobey her words. They immediately walked up to Tracy, leaving Polly alone to protect the hostage.

    Polly knocked the hostage out without the others noticing her. In the blink of an eye, a figure appeared beside her and took her and the hostage away. A moment later, she was back in her original post with the hostage in tow. However, the hostage now had a cloak covering her face.

    Kemp charged at Tracy to stop her, appearing as if conjured right in front of her.

    "You deserve the fame you''ve acquired in Shura College since you attempt to take our hostage all on your own. But don''t you think you''ve underestimated our team?" Kemp stared at Tracy lasciviously. Obviously, he was taken by her beauty.

    w she was surrounded by the Yellow Team warriors.

    The crowd fell silent.

    With an incredulous look marring their faces, the Yellow Team''s warriors were all frozen in shock. They couldn''t fathom how they''d mistaken the Blue Team''s hostage for their own one.

    The three judges, Marvin, and other elders were visibly startled. Like everyone else, they couldn''t have foreseen what the Blue Team had done and that they''d be able to win the competition so easily.

    "When did you swap the hostages?" Kemp roared angrily.

    "I will never tell you that!" Of course, Zachary wouldn''t let Kemp know of his trick. He had planted a spy in the Yellow Team.

    The Blue Team members finally reacted and burst out with cheers. They could now all enter the final battle.

    It was clear to everyone that the Blue Team had made the Yellow Team eat their own bitter fruit and easily won the free battle.

    News of the Blue Team''s win spread like wildfire and created a great stir. Using this risky strategy in such an important competition was beyond anything anyone would have thought. This should have been a decisive battle only a few powerful warriors could win. However, the Blue Team implementing their plan had qualified them all to enter the final battle. It was the first time that so many people were allowed to join the final battle.

    Zachary had been the one behind this plan.

    In comparison, the battle between the White Team and the Red Team was much more fierce and tragic. In the end, there were only three White Team warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level left. Two of them were from the Xuanyuan Clan. Except for Zachary, both Kemp and another Imperial Level warrior of the Xiao Clan had been defeated and would be unable to enter the final battle.

 Chapter 699 True Feelings

    At this moment, in the place where the Xiao Clan members lived, many watchful gazes gawked at Zachary, but he remained very calm.

    "Vivian, it''s not that I want to make matters worse for you, but Harley has gone too far this time. He didn''t even come to the aid of the Xiao Clan. Instead, he helped the Blue Team win the free battle, so my team lost. This just makes little sense!" Kemp, who had lost the free battle because Zachary played it rough, was naturally furious.

    "Kemp, you have wronged me. I didn''t switch my loyalties or give moral support to the Blue Team. How dare you accuse me by saying that I won the free battle for that team!" Zachary said innocently.

    "Don''t even bother explaining yourself. The key reason the Blue Team could win is that you played tricks and even used Polly to your advantage." It was not until later that Kemp realized that Zachary had asked Polly to exchange the hostages of the two teams when they were not paying attention.

    "Do you have any evidence to support your claims?" Zachary challenged.

    Hearing this, Kemp could do nothing but give Zachary a menacing look. If he had proof, he would not just stamp with rage. Instead, he would crack down on Zachary already.

    "Okay, enough. Stop bickering with each other." Frowning, Vivian glanced at Zachary. He had gone overboard this time, which caused the Xiao Clan to suffer the loss for the chance to compete in the qualifying test.

    "I''ve warned you before not to let him take part in the qualifying test. Now you finally know the repercussions, don''t you?" Anthony scoffed, rubbing more salt to the wound.

    "I''ll tell our clan leader what happened. Let''s see how you justify yourself then!" Kemp said, then got up and left.

    The other Imperial Level warriors of the Xiao Clan also called Zachary''s attention and discussed what he did for a while before walking out.

    "Vivian, if you don''t use a firm hand on him, he could eventually damage the dignity and good name of our Xiao Clan." After expressing his opinion, Anthony also took off.

    Vivian laid her eyes on Zachary helplessly. She didn''t anticipate that he would do such a stunt to hold back the Xiao Clan. More importantly, he didn''t show any remorse at all.

    "Do you want me to comment on their grievances?" Vivian groaned in despair.

    "Don''t say anything." The corners of Zachary''s mouth turned up.

    "You''re the sole memb

    spiritual souls roaming around seemed to be drawn by something and flocked towards him, as if they ached to occupy his body.

    "Don''t lay your hands on my disciple!" Anne rushed over to Zachary in a flash. Shortly, the extraordinary aura expanded, and the spiritual souls bolted in fear.

    Anne pressed her palm against Zachary''s chest, and a ripple-like light instantly spread out.

    A moment later, Zachary took a deep breath and came to his senses. He noticed Anne staring at him worriedly, and asked, "Did I faint just now?"

    "How could you be so reckless? You know you can''t go in here, but you still came. Do you want to breathe your last breath?" Anne asked menacingly.

    "I was concerned about you. I thought something had happened to you. If anything wrong chanced upon you, I wouldn''t want to be alive anymore," Zachary claimed, pretending to be sad.

    "Quit babbling nonsense. All men say one thing and mean another." Anne gave Zachary a disapproving expression. Although her mouth said so, she as deeply moved.

    "I mean it because you mean so much to me. All of my achievements, I owe them to you, Master Anne. I wouldn''t be where I am now if not for all of your help. I am willing to die for your well-being," Zachary suddenly said seriously.

    "Don''t say such crazy things." Anne covered Zachary''s mouth at once with her palm.

    Zachary took her hand away and pressed it close to his heart. "Promise me that you won''t leave me. You will always be my master. Stay with me, and I will also be by your side. I won''t allow you to be lonely. I will satisfy all your desires..."

 Chapter 700 The Contractual Mode Is Activated

    Feeling Zachary''s sincerity in his words, Anne couldn''t help but shudder with passion. She couldn''t deny that his spontaneous outpourings of affection moved her heart. She had always kept her cool at all costs. But at this moment, her usual calm deserted her. She finally let her emotion take over her body. Suddenly, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips. Perhaps she did this out of impulse, or she just needed to convey her gratitude by doing so.

    In an instant, the two bodies embraced each other as if they were one person. At that moment, time seemed to stop, and it almost felt like they were the only two creatures in existence.

    Simultaneously, a red alarm lit up and echoed in the system. Mimi announced excitedly, "Your friendship level with Anne has increased to level 9! The contractual mode is activated!"

    Afterward, an enormous marking turned up to form a pattern at the feet of Zachary and Anne, who were both drowning in each other''s passionate kisses.

    Finally, the two seemed to have snapped out of their fantasy and pulled themselves together. Anne abruptly stepped back with her face blushing. She appeared composed and a little timid, the exact opposite of her haughty demeanor earlier.

    "What is this?" Zachary asked out of curiosity.

    "It''s the system''s contractual mode," Anne replied in a seemingly calm tone.

    "Contractual mode? But why was it suddenly activated?" Zachary was still in a daze.

    "You will learn once you go back and ask Mimi. However, I can''t sign this contract with you for the time being," Anne said as she shook her head.

    "Why?" Zachary sought at once. Since the contractual mode had turned up, he could confirm and complete the contract with her. But why would she turn him down?

    "Because your power is not enough. You should at least reach the Sage Level," Anne rationalized.

    "What do you mean?" Zachary was unable to get a word out. Reaching the Sage Level seemed to be a grueling task for him at the moment. He could not just develop his skills in such a brief period.

    "But there''s no need for you to make an enormous deal out of this, I already have your mark on me. When your strength reaches the Sage Level, I will automatically give my approval and signal. However, I have one condition. You can''t let our friendship level go low because once that happens, it would be impossible for us to sign the contract," Anne added.

    "Will our friendship level ever decrease?" Zachary was stunned.

    "You may return first. I have to stick around here for a little while," Anne urged. Without further explanation, she made Zachary take off first.

    Zachary felt giddy instantaneously and thus returned to the ground floor. Then he rushed back to the system doing no stops a

    heir cultivation speed would be several times faster than that of the mortals," Anne said as she shook her head.

    "In this instance, Katrina might be a descendant of the Long Tribe!" Zachary made special mention of it after hearing her narrative. He was more certain about it because Katrina was rather young, but she had almost broken through to the premium stage of Sage Level. This went against common sense, but if Katrina were a descendant of the Long Tribe, then the entire thing would make matters more logical. Just like Katrina, Sophie was likewise in the same situation. With that taken into consideration, Zachary suspected that Sophie might also be a Long Tribe''s descendant.

    "However, these descendants have a fatal weakness, especially after they have activated their blood power," Anne continued, suddenly sharing something riveting.

    "What kind of fatal weakness?" Zachary asked in a flash.

    "There''s a payment for the activation of their blood power. And the price is their lifespans. If the level of activation is high, it will reduce more length of life. Typically, the descendants of the Long Tribe who have reached the Holy Level cannot live over forty years, or even shorter," said Anne.

    "So what about you?" Zachary asked with hesitation, and he couldn''t prevent himself from staring at her.

    "Almost, but there are other reasons," Anne replied and nodded.

    "Will Katrina live a short life?" Zachary pursed his lips.

    "Well, what brings you here, anyway? I forgot to ask," Anne asked sincerely, getting to the point.

    "Oh, I just won the free battle of the selection test. Since the final battle is getting nearer, I''m worried it would be challenging for me to fight against the remaining Imperial Level warriors at the premium stage. I came here to ask you for any advice," Zachary stated.

 Chapter 701 Tracy

    "It is quite troublesome. Your strength is a little weak, but if the gap is just one grade, it may be viable," Anne said, looking sullen.

    "I''m positive that you can be resourceful and do something about it." Zachary grinned from ear to ear.

    "You have quintuple martial speed now. There is a solution, but it is perilous," Anne remarked.

    "You know what, danger excites me, and I have gone through all kinds of perils," Zachary said calmly.

    "What you had experienced in the past is nothing much of a deal, but this is no joke. In the worst-case scenario, your entire body''s veins will be destroyed and unrepairable," Anne said with earnest intent.

    "I know, Anne, that you won''t let me do anything that could ruin me," Zachary teased, making a joke out of it.

    Anne gave him a disparaging look and said, "Well, I can temporarily activate a Sage Level meridian for you, so you can get a hold of the power close to the Sage Level, but it can only last for fifteen minutes. If you exceed that time frame, I''m afraid no one can come to your rescue."

    "Quarter of an hour? That''s too short!" Zachary''s eyes narrowed in disbelief.

    "So you''d better conduct yourself well. It doesn''t matter if you don''t have the chance to take part in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. Anyway, with your current progress, you will soon break through to the Sage Level," Anne urged. She would never persuade Zachary in this manner when her behavior was still controlled by the system back then.

    "Do you suppose this crappy system will allow me to abandon hope in joining the Imperial Level Warrior Contest? Also, there would be some treasures with available upgrades to help me improve my cultivation level if I win the qualifying test." Zachary shook his head.

    "Then you have to give me your word that you will only hold on for fifteen minutes. Don''t force yourself to go on after that," Anne said.

    "I know you care about me. That''s why you''re all worked up. I know what I''m doing." Zachary nodded, his gaze strolling over her face distractedly.

    "Come to me when the time presents itself," Anne proposed.

    "Okay," Zachary replied, executing a salute gesture.

    After departing from the Living-dead Tomb, he returned to the system to prepare for the final battle.

    Two days later, the final battle of the qualifying test went underway, and the competitio

    "Isn''t it improper to bully a junior in public? How about I fight you?"

    The lady was no other than Tracy.

    Knowing that Tracy was trying to defend and safeguard Zachary, the warrior''s expression altered. However, he didn''t want to engage in a battle against her face to face, so he instantly retreated.

    "Thank you very much, Tracy!" Zachary laughed.

    "Don''t be too confident. I can''t look after you for long. The Xuanyuan Clan has already targeted me." Tracy glanced sideways and noticed that although Nola hadn''t made a move yet, she had chosen her as her prey.

    Zachary also looked at Nola and said, "After the others fight, you need not worry about me."

    Tracy nodded in agreement.

    Since Tracy was guarding Zachary, and Nola hadn''t taken the initiative yet, the other warriors didn''t dare to move forward carelessly. Therefore, they had to change their targets.

    Before long, the two Imperial Level warriors at the eighth grade were the first to clash against each other. One of them was from the Xuanyuan Clan, who intended to protect Nola and ensure that she would be the winner. An Imperial Level warrior at the seventh grade targeted the one at the sixth grade, and a vicious war began.

    In the end, only an Imperial Level warrior at the seventh grade and Nola still hadn''t made a move.

    Suddenly, Nola sped up as she rushed towards Tracy.

    "You can take care of yourself!" Tracy said to Zachary as she walked up to the approaching Nola.

    Almost at once, the warrior at the seventh grade who had been staring at Zachary also advanced toward him.

 Chapter 702 Zacharys Opponent

    Zachary showed no surprise seeing the Imperial Level warrior at the seventh grade approach him. He already expected this situation, so he had prepared well to fight.

    The moment his opponent drew nearer, he quickly summoned the Blazing Roc. The gigantic roc rose into the air, and as it flapped its majestic wings, flames flickered from its feathers and rushed down like heavy raindrops.

    However, since the Blazing Roc was only at the peak of King Level, it couldn''t inflict any damage to the warrior. In an instant, the warrior''s protective martial energy thwarted the fiery feathers.

    "This man has proven himself great and played down his power!" Zachary summoned the Blazing Roc because he wanted it to test the warrior''s protective martial energy. To his dismay, he found no weakness in the warrior''s martial energy armor at all.

    In retaliation, the warrior summoned a flying treasure beast of Imperial Level, which promptly engaged in a fight with the Blazing Roc in the air.

    Simultaneously, the warrior traveled through the air like a passing meteor. The next moment, he hoisted his fists in the air, and a sudden burst of wind materialized.

    "Take this!"

    The warrior''s clenched fists pounded and repeatedly swung in a short range, so it was difficult to detect the landing punches. In the blink of an eye, a dense number of fist shadows popped up in front of Zachary at breakneck speed, landing in quick succession.

    Zachary stayed on high alert. He activated the Shadow Pace and tried his best to evade the strikes. He knew that his opponent was more powerful than him, and he didn''t stand a chance of winning if he fought head-on. However, no matter how hard Zachary fended off, the warrior''s fists followed closely behind him like a black cloud. He just couldn''t get rid of them.

    "Do you think you can avoid my fist attacks? No way!" The warrior gave a contemptuous laugh. Suddenly, he started throwing punches again, and two fist shadows rushed out straight. With overwhelming momentum, they tried to smack straight into Zachary''s chest.

    Witnessing this, Zachary instantly crossed his arms and positioned himself in a strong defensive stance.

    The punches from the warrior were so strong that they didn''t do him justice. After they hit Zachary''s arms, the Holy Bone Bracer absorbed most of the power. However, Zachary still flung back a few meters.

    Everybody present who witnessed this could not h

    his martial energy and dashed towards Zachary again, aiming to subdue him.

    Unfortunately, he had forgotten that Zachary still had Gisele, a spiritual soul at the third grade of Imperial Level.

    Just as he was drawing closer, Zachary released Gisele. The next moment, he enforced the Lady Swordsmanship. With Gisele''s help, he once again subdued his opponent.

    The warrior didn''t have a spiritual soul so that he couldn''t engage the spiritual energy. Even if his strength was one grade higher than Zachary''s, it soon became irrelevant. He was too inhibited from fighting Gisele.

    A moment later, the warrior kneeled on the ground with sword wounds all over his body. He took short, quick breaths, and blood continued to drip on the soil. He had not stood up for a long time, and he lost his fighting power.

    No one had expected that the Imperial Level warrior at the seventh grade would get eliminated first and at the hands of Zachary, who only had the strength at the fifth grade. If he hadn''t been too arrogant and underrated Zachary, he wouldn''t have lost so easily.

    "Harley is highly capable!" Tracy, who was in a savage battle with Nola, sneaked a look at Zachary and nodded.

    Soon, the Imperial Level warrior at the sixth grade was defeated by his opponent, another warrior at the seventh grade, becoming the second contender to be eliminated.

    By now, only six warriors remained.

    Just then, the situation came upon a drastic change. The two warriors at the eighth grade, who were in the middle of a duel, split up. One rushed to the warrior at the seventh grade, and the other rushed to Zachary.

 Chapter 703 Summoning The Hundred-Treasure Beast

    When Zachary noticed the two warriors at the eighth grade abruptly switched their strategy, with the explicit intention of eliminating him and the warrior at the seventh grade first, his gaze turned icy-cold. He had planned to deal with the remaining warrior at the seventh grade first, and then defeat the two at the eighth grade after they grew weary in their fight. Then he could work with Tracy to handle with Nola. With this approach, both he and Tracy could pass the qualifying test.

    However, his plan couldn''t keep up with the sudden changes. The turn of events created an unfavorable circumstance to him, cutting down the odds of his victory!

    What was even more tricky was that the warrior targeting at Zachary was a senior warrior of the Xuanyuan Clan named Yates.

    People widely acknowledged the strength of Yates as the fiercest among the Imperial Level warriors at the eighth grade in the Devil Kingdom. He was almost fifty years old, and his skills as a warrior were not very strong, but he was engaged in physical cultivation. Without sheer perseverance and patience, it was impossible to cultivate to the top level of strength. However, the most significant advantage of the physical cultivation was that it didn''t require much talent compared to the meditating cultivation. As long as one devoted much time and effort compared to others, they would definitely reap the rewards.

    It was precisely because of this that Yates must have arrived at his current strength, one step at a time. Therefore, it was easy to imagine how solid his strength foundation was. Combined with his maturity and experience, one might say that he was more capable and stronger than most young warriors.

    At this point, Zachary soon turned to look at Tracy and Nola, who were both in the middle of a heated duel. They were each controlling their scarce treasure beasts, carrying rare weapons, and fighting fiercely. He reckoned that it would be impossible for Tracy to help him now.

    Therefore, he could only rely on himself in the following fight. However, he could see that Yates was much stronger than the last opponent he had defeated. Also, he believed that Yates should be a very cunning person. So Yates definitely wouldn''t underestimate him and would go all out. Therefore, it might not be so easy for Zachary to triumph over Yates. Still, it wasn''t the perfect time for him to ask Anne for help.

    ''I have to mount an attack first, '' Zachary thought to himself with a frigid look on

    streams of sharp brown martial energy flowed out from both sides, attacking Zachary from both sides.

    When Zachary caught sight of the martial energy with the earth element racing towards him, his eyes narrowed into slits. He lunged forward and used the Shadow Pace, before taking a step back. However, before he could land on the ground, the two wisps of martial energy suddenly gained speed. They gathered in midair and merged into one, with their power increasing sharply. At the same time, they hit Zachary''s chest.

    Knowing that the martial energy of the earth element was the toughest defensive martial energy among five different kinds, Zachary didn''t engage the Lady Swordsmanship. Lady Swordsmanship was too feminine, so it wouldn''t be of much help during an arduous battle.

    "Ice Dragon Claw!" In the end, Zachary turned to the Ice Dragon Claw to protect himself, resolving to stand by this maneuver first.

    But to his surprise, Yates'' skill was not weak at all. The Ice Dragon Claw crushed down within a few seconds, forcing him to adopt the Ice Dragon Strike to make up for the attack. Despite the short distance, the impact of the martial energy collision was still a direct hit to Zachary''s body. His face quickly turned pale. Although the Holy Bone Bracer had taken in a lot of force, blood soon trickled down from the corner of his mouth.

    Zachary had suffered no injuries before, and his expression had not changed one bit. But now, a single strike from Yates had wounded him, which caused an uproar in the surroundings. This also showed that Zachary had reached his breaking point, and it seemed that he was unable to turn the tables.

 Chapter 704 The Spiritual Skill

    Surely that was the actual case. Zachary had already spent more than half of his martial energy in the previous battle. At present, he was fighting head-on with an opponent who was stronger than him. He already arrived at his bitter end. The only thing left for him to use now in a counterattack was the Holy Bone Bracer, but it remained unknown whether he could hold on until the power of the bracer reached its full capacity to knock out Yates in one swift move.

    "It appears that he has come to the last straw. The strength gap is too tough to crossover easily." At this point, Vivian, who was following the battle in the Xiao Clan''s camp, scowled and shook her head.

    "That may not be necessarily true. Back then, at Shura College during the King Level contest, he would do something audaciously bold every time he had done his best beyond the limits of his capability. I believe that he still keeps his best play as a last resort." Nevertheless, Jaxon still had faith in Zachary. After all, he had seen his incredible work in reversing a disadvantageous situation to his favor many times.

    "Dad, this is the qualifying test of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. How can you draw an analogy between the King Level contest and this competition? I think this guy will fail." Anthony certainly didn''t think highly of Zachary, and he was eager to see him suffer defeat.

    Right at that moment, seeing that Zachary couldn''t even ward off a single attack, Yates had never felt more assured of himself. He instantly carried out a series of assaults, intending to act more aggressively to drive Zachary into a desperate position. Meanwhile, Zachary exerted a lot of effort on defense without attacking back recklessly.

    The situation soon came to a momentary deadlock. However, since Yates'' strength was more significant, Zachary still exposed his vulnerability under extreme pressure. With his finesse, Yates snatched the opportunity to carry out three hard blows to Zachary. Although he was under the protection of the Holy Bone Bracer, Zachary was covered all over with lacerations after taking in a few hits because the bracer could only absorb limited strength during each impact, and he needed to hold off the rest of it.

    ''I''m afraid I can''t hang on until the Holy Bone Bracer comes to its full efficiency, '' Zachary mused. He knew that he had already arrived at his strength''s maximum capacity. He assessed that he wouldn''t be able to fend off Yates with just two strokes. He peered at the Hundred-Treasure Beast, exhausted from the Evil Spirit Leopard''s attacks. It looked like it couldn''t hold on for long, either.

    ''It appears I have no other option but to capitalize on the Beast Transformation Skill.'' Zachary narrowed his eyes in deep thought. He had devised to resort to the Beast Transformation Skill at the last minute. Once used, his strength would automatically increase to a stronger leve

    e dealt with the nine streams of martial energy with the earth element. His strength of the Beast Transformation Skill would reach its endpoint soon. He opened his eyes and the blue light around the Holy Bone Bracer that he wore on his wrist immediately mounted. Then he invested all of his strength into the bracer, which formed a spectacular vortex, sucking and devouring the streams of martial energy quickly.

    Yates got terrified, and his mood changed in an instant after seeing it. The spectators were all taken aback. They looked at Zachary in disbelief because they didn''t understand how he could absorb the full strength of Yates'' massive attack.

    A trademark evil grin appeared on Zachary''s face. The Holy Bone Bracer had grasped its full capacity after absorbing the power from Yates'' last move. Without hesitation, he once again released Gisele''s spiritual soul using the bracelet''s strength. Her strength promptly went up to the third grade.

    Almost instantly, Zachary had a sudden insight. Like ripples of water, an ice light suddenly darted to the ground and extended from the place where he stood. The light enveloped Yates in a moment. At the same time, surges of strength with the ice element transformed into ice swords and shot out from the surface, breaking stones and dirt.

    Spiritual Skill! Ice Spiritual Sword Strike!

    It was totally out of Yates'' expectation, and he could not escape at all. With the hit of the Ice Spiritual Sword Strike formed by the strengths of both the martial energy at the seventh grade and the Imperial Soul at the third grade, he flung back tens of meters away and landed among the crowd outside the arena.

    This incident stunned everyone present. They couldn''t accept that Zachary had just destroyed a senior Imperial Level warrior at the eighth grade from the Xuanyuan Clan after overthrowing an Imperial Level warrior at the seventh grade. It was beyond everyone''s imagination.

 Chapter 705 Sage Access Meridian

    Of course, it wasn''t just that Zachary had defeated Yates. The spiritual skill that he''d used at the end was also a surprise. Yates was flung away before he even had any chance to defend himself.

    However, if everyone present were to realize that that spiritual skill with the ice element was one he''d just learned, they would feel even more shocked.

    "He even defeated the Xuanyuan Clan''s most powerful Imperial Level warrior at the premium stage. His talents are a never-ending surprise, it seems. But Yates had also been too careless. Using both his martial arts with the earth element together with a rare Imperial Level weapon, he would have been able to resist that spiritual skill. It''s a pity that Yates hasn''t cultivated a materialized spiritual soul yet. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have lost!" Standing among the Xuanyuan Clan, Larry also narrowed his eyes. He wasn''t disappointed that his clan''s warrior had been defeated. In his opinion, Zachary had won the battle fair and square. After all, he had a spiritual soul at the third grade of Imperial Level, and possessed the unique skill that merged with the power of treasure beasts. That alone made Zachary deserve the victory. He relied on his own strength instead of luck. Larry only regretted that he had failed to recruit Zachary into the Xuanyuan Clan. Being part of the Xiao Clan now had given them an advantage.

    Zachary half knelt on the ground. The power of the Beast Transformation Skill and the spiritual energy disappeared from his body in an instant. He had completely reached his limit and had no remaining defensive power.

    Suddenly, a figure with a powerful aura rushed over and approached Zachary. A flip of his hand activated a martial skill at the medium stage of Imperial Level. Zachary couldn''t resist it at all and took a direct hit.

    That skill was very powerful.

    Once it hit Zachary, the martial energy destroyed anything within a twenty-meter radius. Dust filled the sky and blurred the air, completely enveloping Zachary, who did not make any sound.

    "Thank you for defeating Yates for me!" The figure who''d blindsided Zachary with an attack looked very complacent. He was the other warrior at the eighth grade of Imperial Level who had fought with the warrior at the sixth grade earlier. He''d defeated his oppo

    your martial speed continues to increase, you won''t be able to bear it with your current strength and body. In addition, the increase in your own strength will also put a load on you. Your burden will double, and that''s what I''m most worried about."

    "So I will have sextuple martial speed after I get through the meridian? How will it feel?" Zachary tried to joke as he heard Anne''s warning. He knew that once he got through the Sage Access Meridian, he would have to defeat his opponent soon. That was because every extra minute it took to win the qualifying contest put a strain on him and put him in a precarious situation. Taking time would only deem his efforts meaningless.

    But that didn''t matter. He wasn''t an average man; he was one who had already created countless miracles in front of everyone. This time he would showcase another miracle.

    "Let''s start," Zachary said, his eyes fixed on Anne.

    Anne nodded. Then, she revealed a majestic Holy Level aura. Light flashed around her body like water waves and instantly enfolded Zachary.

    Back on the battlefield, only three Imperial Level warriors remained now that Zachary had disappeared¡ªTracy and Nola, who were still battling one another, and the warrior who had attacked Zachary. The battle was dying down.

    Judging by the current situation, Tracy and Nola were closely matched in strength. Therefore, whoever the warrior at the eighth grade chose to join would tilt the results in their favor. The partner he chose would definitely become the final winner.

 Chapter 706 Nolas Advantage

    However, this would not be a simple decision to make. Nola was the youngest female warrior from the Xuanyuan Clan. She was already within close range of being a Sage Level warrior in her early thirties. Larry also thought highly of her, and she would play a leading role in the Xuanyuan Clan without question. Tracy was one of the most influential Imperial Level warriors from Shura College. The senior officials of the college appreciated her talent considerably. Her future looked very promising.

    Regardless of which side he joined in, his decision would offend the other party. Taking these factors into consideration, the warrior at the eighth grade was having second thoughts. His eyes steadily moved back and forth between the two female warriors in the intense battle, as if he were gauging their strengths and weaknesses to see helping whom would get him more benefits.

    While fighting, Tracy couldn''t prevent herself from being distracted. Probably that was because she was worried because Zachary was attacked. Plus, his sudden disappearance added more to her concerns. As a result, her opponent, Nola, took advantage of her carelessness and spotted her weakness in an instant.

    "Dazzling Flowers!" Nola called out. At this time, the light with the wood element encircling her body suddenly bloomed. It then transformed into a thousand pieces of mixed blue and white flowers, continuously spreading out and trapping Tracy within its confines.

    Tracy regained control of herself, but before she could back off, the petals had already surrounded her all over the place.

    "Thorns! Appear!" Nola grunted. Suddenly, those blue and white petals turned into sharp-edged, blue thorns, attacking Tracy from all sides.

    Tracy''s face turned more serious. She knew that because of her carelessness just now, her opponent had the chance to trap her. In a battle between top Imperial Level warriors, the slightest mistake would be fatal, so no mistake was allowed. Once she made a mistake, the consequences would be unimaginable. Knowing this, Tracy quickly activated her martial energy to the extreme. She also rotated her hand, revealing a red whip. She swung the whip wildly, trying to block the sharp thorns from hurtling towards her. However, the quantity of those thorns was hard to measure. Even if she had three heads and six arms, she might not stop them all because they were edging closer.

    Tracy knew she could not give up hope, in any case. She swung her whip more rapidly as the strap created an overlapping layer of shadows. Despite her attempts, it still could not protect herself from the overwhelming attack of the blue thorns. Her protective martial energy continuously resisted the impact. Not long after, her body''s protective martial energy faded, and it all seemed that Nola''s assault might finally hit Tracy''s body. When this was a

    rior at the eighth grade who had been judging the situation had decided after seeing Tracy at a tight spot. He had chosen Nola. After that, he hastily raced towards Tracy and released his materialized spiritual soul. Although this spiritual soul was only at the first grade of Imperial Level, it could still cause a fatal assault toward Tracy.

    Knowing that this warrior was taking advantage of this crucial time to impair Tracy, all the observers sneered in contempt.

    At the sight of this, Nola did nothing. Because for her, Tracy was no longer a threat. So she resolved that she would just let that guy deal with Tracy.

    Seeing the man rushing toward her with murderous intent, Tracy glowered a bit and wished to thwart his attack. But since Nola''s power had crippled her, her martial energy was out of control. Tracy could no longer pick up her strength to fight back for the time being. She lacked physical power to deal with her opponent.

    Just as the warrior approached Tracy, intending to secure a spot for himself by defeating her, a shadow suddenly emerged in the center of the area with light radiating brightly. A beam of purple light soared into the sky at top speed. After that, it drifted into the direction where Tracy was, like a meteor crashing to the ground. The incident stunned everyone on sight!

    A second later, the light landed on the ground. It stood proudly in front of Tracy as if it arrived to save the day.

    The warrior, who was determined to hurt Tracy, showed up with his spiritual soul. When he realized that the shadow was holding up his path, he lost control and acted wildly for a second. He wanted to clear everything or everyone who was blocking him. He used up all of his spiritual energy, which then turned into a beam of shocking light wave and crashed with the shadow. The shadow did nothing to resist as if it had embraced its destiny of being defeated.

 Chapter 707 Sextuple Martial Speed

    As everyone expected, the power of the spiritual energy that had charged at the shadow suddenly faded, as if it had never materialized. Simultaneously, the shadow sauntered to the front of the warrior at the eighth grade and said in a booming voice, "It''s no big deal that you attacked me by surprise, but how dare you launch a sneak attack against my woman too! You''re despicable!"

    The next moment, the shadow gave off a staggering Imperial Level aura at the ninth grade. It spewed out like an eruption and tsunami alike, completely enveloping the warrior. Then, the warrior who seemed to have lost his capacity to resist got surrounded by flashing sword radiance, which looked rather shocking.

    "What?!" Afterward, the warrior started to utter screams of endless agony. His clothes tore into many pieces, and his blood trickled out like a water fountain. Ultimately, he knelt on the ground before the very eyes of the shadow, as if he was pleading for mercy.

    At this point, the crowd quieted down because none of them had predicted that the warrior would get beaten in one swift move by a shadow that suddenly appeared from nowhere, even without resistance.

    Then, the shadow disclosed his actual identity. Everybody watching was at a loss for words after looking at him, their eyes and mouths wide open.

    The mysterious man was none other than Zachary, who had disappeared recently. To everyone''s incredulity, the Zachary standing in front of them was now giving off an aura at the ninth grade of Imperial Level.

    "What''s going on? How could that be possible? Why did his strength suddenly rise to the ninth grade?" Vivian couldn''t help but squeal in a thrilling sensation with the other members of the Xiao Clan.

    Zachary''s sudden arrival also shocked Jaxon. Although he was not sure how Zachary could have made it, seeing Zachary standing on the battlefield seemed like a natural occurrence to him. He had seen Zachary''s extraordinary display on several occasions, so if Zachary had executed an exceptional performance at present, it would be justifiable.

    "After the warrior struck him, Harley didn''t get injured at all. Instead, he suddenly enhanced his strength. What kind of mean trick did he play?" Anthony, who had been delighted in the warrior''s sneak attack toward Zachary earlier, was outraged and bitter when he saw Zachary''s impressive act. The latter had suddenly built up his power and defeated the warrior in one staggering blow.

    "Tracy, are you okay?" Zachary asked as he spun around and took a scan at her, under everyone''s watchful eyes.

    "I''m fine. But since when did I belong to you?" Tracy shook her head and gave Zachary a dark look.

    "I merely pretended to be cool. Don''t take it badly. Nonetheless, I don''t have much time. I have to wrap up t

    ge Level beast soul, which explained its intensity. But how could Zachary''s spiritual energy take on Nola''s spiritual soul?

    The answer was obvious, but the people could not accept that the spiritual soul Zachary possessed might also come from merging with a Sage Level spiritual soul.

    Just as everyone felt that Zachary and Nola were suitable in strength, without notice, Zachary''s martial energy appeared to circulate all over his body at an impressive speed. In one blink, the quintuple martial speed rose to sextuple martial speed.

    "What? Sextuple martial speed! Oh, my God! Is he even human?" someone shouted in an instant, looking aghast.

    The crowd hooted loud curses and shocked expletives. After Zachary returned, his strength had expanded, and his martial speed had also stepped up. It was absurd and unimaginable.

    "Is it viable that he has activated the Sage Access Meridian ahead of time?" At this time, Jaxon, who still came out shocked, finally figured out the truth.

    "What is the Sage Access Meridian about?" Vivian asked, the term piquing her curiosity. She turned to look at her father, expecting an answer outright.

    "The Sage Access Meridian is a Sage Level meridian that a warrior must activate before one could leap forward and reach the Sage Level. Once it is done, one would be able to make the breakthrough soon. Moreover, after activate the meridian, the martial speed will automatically rise by one time. In my opinion, Harley''s sudden development in strength should be because he has activated the Sage Access Meridian. However, it would be impossible given his power, unless..." With this awareness, Jaxon seemed to be agog. He scanned around in haste because if it weren''t Zachary who had performed that by himself, it must have been his master. The unknown female Holy Level warrior must have done that for him.

 Chapter 708 Release Andrew

    After scanning the arena for a bit, Jaxon didn''t find any aura of a Holy Level warrior. He frowned, pondering about the strange occurrence. Although he understood how Zachary could have done it, Jaxon couldn''t stop wondering how he could make his master activate his meridian without being caught? This was something beyond their wildest imagination!

    It was a popular theory that warriors'' martial speed was the means of securing victory in a competition among warriors of equal strength. The higher the martial speed a warrior had, the quicker it circulated in his body, and the power he boasted would be more substantial. Thus, one time difference in martial speed would lead to a significant gap in strength.

    So, as Zachary''s martial speed had been increased, his power with the ice element also rose and started freezing the countless tendrils that Nola''s Cyan Rootlet Spine released nonstop, which were charging towards him. In this way, he gradually built up an advantage over her.

    Nola didn''t foresee Zachary''s sextuple martial speed, which was one stage higher than hers. She perceived that if she maintained her current fighting method, the situation would be particularly unfavorable to her.

    After pausing for a minute, Nola seemed to have formed a resolution. Her diminished spiritual soul suddenly expanded again, and cyan light suddenly flared out. An even more dominant aura soon ascended, breaking through from the third grade of Imperial Soul to the fourth.

    The entire arena burst into an uproar. Everyone was aghast. No one had predicted that Nola''s spiritual soul could reach the fourth grade.

    "Nola is becoming a little apprehensive. I have advised her not to expose her full power in the selection test. Otherwise, it won''t do her good in the coming Imperial Level Warrior Contest." Meanwhile, Larry shook his head calmly and then changed the subject. "Yet, since she can fight against Harley, she will revel in it because it is a rare opportunity for her to meet such an unusual opponent who can often reverse the situation at the most critical moment. So, if she doesn''t fight with all her might, she will never get to know the truth that regardless of how capable she thinks she is, there could be someone greater."

    When Zachary saw that Nola''s spiritual soul had reached the fourth grade, his eyes narrowed menacingly. This was a little beyond his expectations. For an Imperial Level warrior at the premium stage, he was very exceptional in cultivating hi

    tage, the arm of Nola''s spiritual soul that entangled with Tracy''s spiritual soul strengthened and lifted Tracy. After throwing her a few times midair, she turned into a parabola and shot out of the battle area. Fortunately, Tracy had many admirers, and they scrambled to their feet to get to her and serve as her protection from the impact so she could land on the ground unharmed.

    Without the support of Tracy, the other arm of Nola''s spiritual soul smashed towards Zachary with no apprehension.

    Meanwhile, Zachary had come to the deadline for fifteen minutes. He just chuckled. "Although it''s a bit ridiculous, I have to work on some trick for me to succeed. Master Andrew, I need your help," he said in his mind.

    The Holy Bone Bracer burst into a bright light, and a spectacular blue soul shadow materialized in the air.

    Two soul shadows surfaced behind Zachary, one on the left and one on the right, standing up straight like guardians, which shook the entire place!

    "You punk! I can''t believe that you can forcefully activate my spiritual energy. You''ve made quite a lot of progress!" Zachary heard Andrew growl in an angry tone.

    The spectators saw Zachary release another spiritual soul, and it showed that its aura was even more powerful than Zachary himself. They were taken aback, unable to digest the unexpected development in front of them.

    It was already a big surprise that he suddenly carried strength at the ninth grade of Imperial Level and had sextuple martial speed. Yet, he now released two spiritual souls at the same time. This was even more incredible. None of the public had come across such a peculiar thing before.

 Chapter 709 The Sage Level Spiritual Skill

    Almost immediately, the power of the blue spiritual soul blew away the two arms of the cyan spiritual soul, which should have hit Zachary. Then, the blue spiritual soul slowly appeared in the air, startling the entire audience.

    Just as everyone was at a loss for words that Zachary released two spiritual souls at the exact moment and presented his extraordinary talent, the blue spiritual soul, Andrew, spun around, and stared at Zachary. "Boy, for the sake of your advancement, I will instruct you another spiritual skill."

    "I''ve just attained my spiritual skill. If you teach me another again, I''m afraid I won''t be able to use it," Zachary explained. He had misgivings about it, so he turned it down on purpose. Anne had cautioned him earlier not to rely too much on Andrew''s spiritual energy, so he instinctively had to keep tabs on him.

    "What you have just carried out can only reach the level that is the same as that of your strength and spiritual energy, but this skill I will teach you is a Sage Level spiritual skill under my spiritual energy," Andrew replied disdainfully.

    "A Sage Level spiritual skill? Are you willing to teach me that? Why are you so kind to me suddenly? Will there be certain conditions for your proposal?" Zachary asked cleverly.

    "Do you see me as that kind of person?" Andrew snorted straight away.

    "Yes, you are," Zachary replied with no interest.

    "Okay, fine. I''ll just say what I know. I prefer to show you this skill because you are competent enough to deal with the spiritual power that I''ll hand over to you without my support. The second reason is that I can''t wake up every time you are in peril just to take care of you, because every moment that I am awake, it will use up a considerable amount of spiritual power. Since you can command my spiritual power now, even if I am in deep hibernation, you can still control my power. So observing these things, I''d rather supply you this spiritual skill that can bring my spiritual power into play so that you can use it for self-defense," Andrew explained in detail, which was rare for him to express with so many words.

    "Oh, I see. Taking those reasons into consideration, this seems to be an excellent offer. But are you sure you don''t have any terms and conditions in return?" Zachary asked, uneasiness sweeping over him. He was conscious of how cunning Andrew was, so he did not believe that he would teach him such an unusual skill for free.

    Andrew gave Zachary a lifeless stare and then peered at the cyan spiritual soul behind Nola. He said defiantly, "This girl''s spiritual soul is rare and authoritative. She is very skilled in this respect. I guess she is on par with you in terms of spiritual soul. She can even merge with the Sage Level beast soul and use it as her spiritual ability. It''s a shame that she faced

    I will just drop her here and won''t take care of her anymore!" After he finished speaking, he immediately put Nola down on the ground and teleported himself back to the Living-dead Tomb.

    Anne was anxiously pacing back and forth in the tomb''s hallway. It was time, but Zachary hadn''t come back yet, which was worrying her. If it were not for the fact that she were unable to leave the system, she would have already rushed out to check what was going on with him.

    Luckily, Zachary entered the Living-dead Tomb right then. At the sight of him, Anne greeted him with a tight hug.

    "Anne, what''s the matter?" Zachary asked. It was the first time that he had seen Anne throwing herself at him. He was a little perplexed. Embracing her delicate body, he sniffed a pleasing smell, which made him want more from this beautiful woman in his arms. Unfortunately, it was not the right time.

    "You didn''t come back, so I was all worked up thinking about you." As Anne spoke, her eyes turned red. She looked so distressed that anyone who could see her react like this would have the desire to secure her so she would not break down anymore.

    "I''m fine. Don''t worry about me now." After saying that, Zachary sighed in his heart. He recognized that Anne had changed a lot. She used to be a tough master to him, but now, she had become such a sensitive girl. It almost felt like she had grown into a different person. He had never got used to the change in a brief time. He understood that she would fret about him when he was in jeopardy, which touched him. In a flash, he thought of something significant that he needed to deal with urgently. He must seal his Sage Access Meridian at once, so he said to Anne, "Anne, although I want to continue hugging you like this while having a romantic and good chat with you, I''m afraid there''s something important that you need to take care of for me."

 Chapter 710 Seal The Sage Access Meridian

    "What?" Anne asked in surprise as she came to her senses after learning this. She blushed because of coyness as if realizing that she just did something she had never done before. She didn''t expect herself to be so engaged. She knew that her friendship level with Zachary had increased to level 9, which drove her to sign the contract with him. After she ended the master-disciple relationship with him, her feelings toward him seemed to be unstoppable. She felt her feelings grow for him more passionately with each passing day. She could not control herself when faced with him, which was very unlike her in the past.

    She also knew in her heart that her feelings for him would suddenly grow because he had unknowingly become an essential part of her existence. Either as his master or as a potential romantic partner, he was an inseparable reality for her, as if their destiny already got tangled tightly. She calmly confronted her feelings for him without any apprehensions. But she also had her limitations and own opinion, and she knew entering into a relationship with him couldn''t develop too soon. At first, she didn''t want him to give so much thought and meaning to this kind of special relationship. She was not the kind of woman who would easily give her entire love to a man even though she knew that she could fully trust him. Deep in her heart, she was confident that he would never disappoint or dump her, but she was still safeguarding her heart.

    Thinking of this, she returned to her usual self and immediately took a step back, breaking free from his arms.

    As soon as she pulled away, Zachary felt a little dejected, because he was not sure when he could hold her in his arms again like this.

    "I will seal the Sage Access Meridian for you right away," Anne said at once. When she was about to take out the Ice Needle and close up his meridian, she suddenly noticed that his aura was not as unstable as she had imagined. She frowned and said, "It''s strange. Why does your body seem to have adjusted to its condition after your Sage Access Meridian was activated?"

    "Is that so?" Zachary was also stunned to hear that.

    "What did you do just now?" Anne inquired.

    Zachary filled her in about his decisive encounter with Nola.

    "What? You released two spiritual souls all together?" Anne cried out in shock. Although a warrior could cultivate two spiritual souls after reaching the Holy Level, only a few of them could achieve it effectively. It was indeed beyond belief that Zachary could do so when he was merely at the ninth grade of Imperial Level. She was well aware that the ma

    How did you bring me here?"

    "You passed out in the final round. I was worried about your condition, so I took you to my place to heal you," Zachary said casually.

    As soon as Nola heard this, the scene in her mind instantly replayed during the final battle with him. In her mind, it seemed that she lost consciousness because she couldn''t withstand the sudden burst of power from him. She concluded that he had already defeated her.

    "Let''s leave this place first. And if you still want to continue fighting, I can bring you to the battleground again. But don''t tell anyone about our coming here. Keep it between you and me," Zachary said as he winked at her. He then put his hand on her shoulder, and they both vanished into thin air.

    A while later, Nola noticed that she was back at the battle area, and the surrounding ice walls were still standing.

    "Do you want to continue the fight? Or will you accept your loss?" Zachary asked politely. His crisis was over, and after Anne sealed his skill, she also helped him treat his wounds. Therefore, even if the fight proceeded, he knew that he could not fail in any way. Thus, this was the reason for his confident and calm demeanor.

    On the contrary, at this point, Nola''s martial energy was feeble and drained. Consequently, she couldn''t do battle with Zachary again. Yet, she was reluctant to give up and kept staring at him, deliberating.

    The people outside, who had already stared at the ice walls for about five minutes, became restless. Nevertheless, they didn''t know what was occurring inside the ice walls. Perhaps Zachary and Nola were still competing, so no one attempted to enter to see what was going on, for fear that they would interfere with the competition.

 Chapter 711 The Ideal Son-in-law

    The senior leaders of Shura College, including Marvin, were all in a rush to discuss the urgency of the situation. This was the first instance that they encountered such a case, so they did not know how to deal with it.

    Meanwhile, Larry and Jaxon both looked very relaxed and didn''t care about the competition''s result. No matter who won or lost, both Zachary and Nola had already gotten the slots to take part in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, which was good enough for their respective clans. As for who could win the ultimate victory, it now seemed less important. However, it would be more beneficial for the clan if their follower could get the first place. In particular, if Zachary succeeded, it would be a massive boost to the Xiao Clan.

    While everyone was busy discussing and wondering what was going on in the ice walls, they suddenly started to crack and eventually collapsed. Zachary and Nola, who were standing inside, also revealed themselves.

    Everyone in attendance witnessed this, and they all fixed their gaze toward Zachary and Nola. The two of them straightened up, facing each other calmly. They were no longer as hostile as they had been during the early stages of the battle. They were at peace, which made it even more confusing. Everyone became more speculative about what had happened within the ice wall.

    By then, Zachary appeared to have regained his aura as an Imperial Level warrior at the sixth grade, or maybe weaker. He didn''t have the same strong impact as before.

    At this point, Zachary glanced at Nola with a big grin on his face, while she was giving him the death stare. But then, she bit her rosy pink lip and raised her hand. "I lost!"

    As soon as Nola finished speaking, everyone kept quiet. Although it wasn''t surprising that she accepted the loss, it was unexpected for her to admit her failure in this manner. In everyone''s belief, she was an exceptional female warrior, and she would rather die in battle than concede defeat at her own accord. Therefore, her effort to acknowledge that she just got beaten was unforeseen.

    The next moment, all sorts of chatter, sighs, outcries, and cheers came through one after another. Most of them were for Zachary since he managed to defeat several Imperial Level warriors at grades higher than his, despite having only the strength of an Imperial Level warrior at the sixth grade. He also won against Nola, who was one of the fiercest female warriors in the Devil Kingdom. It only proved how his sacrifices and struggles paid off. He finally reach

    entioned anything to her about his plan. Maybe it was a quick decision. Although she scowled and was a little unhappy, she knew that publicly declaring the news would be advantageous for the Xiao Clan. Besides, she and Zachary would indeed get married sooner or later, so she accepted it eventually.

    This was not pleasant news for Anthony at all, because if Zachary became his brother-in-law, he would have no luck in handling Zachary anymore. Anthony clenched his fists and was remarkably depressed.

    "Congratulations, Jaxon! You are going to have an ideal future son-in-law!" Marvin immediately expressed his compliments to Jaxon.

    "I''m flattered, Dean Marvin. Thank you very much. If it weren''t for the opportunity you have provided, the Xiao Clan would have missed out on Harley," Jaxon said graciously, returning the courtesy. But what he said was true. If Marvin hadn''t decided to hold a meeting for Zachary in the first place, the Xiao Clan might not have had the opportunity to recruit him.

    Marvin smiled in response, but he felt resentful deep inside. If he had known earlier that Zachary''s talents were extraordinary, Shura College would have taken advantage of his skills and looked after their interests, instead of letting the Xiao Clan take the lead.

    Marvin was not the only one who thought so. Right now, other major clans and sects such as the Xuanyuan Clan were also regretting not being able to recruit Zachary.

    Just as the selection contest concluded, a figure suddenly darted down from the sky and directly on the battlefield. Under the crowd''s observant eyes, she walked up to Zachary and said in a sweet voice, "My man, I have finally seen you. Come with me!"

 Chapter 712 Lady Evil

    The sheer presence of the woman was a startling surprise, but it was her blunt words that shocked everyone even more. The crowd could tell that she was referring to Zachary when she mentioned "my man," but Zachary was now Vivian''s fiance, and his marriage to Vivian was in the works. He would soon become the son-in-law of the Xiao Clan''s leader, so the untimely arrival of the woman made the once harmonious situation turn into a disturbance again.

    However, everyone''s utmost concern right now was the identity of the woman. First, she showed up by blasting down from the sky, which meant that she must be a notable figure at the Sage Level. In the entire Supernal Continent, most of the female Sage Level warriors were around fifty years old. A woman at such an age would not have entered a romantic relationship with a guy her junior, specifically Zachary. Since young female Sage Level warriors were scarce, the onlookers could not help but guess who the woman was.

    Regardless of who she was, she piqued everybody''s interest by referring to Zachary as her man. This unknown female warrior already gained their attention, notably all the male warriors, who pumped their chests out of jealousy for Zachary. They all assumed he was too powerful in making a female warrior who was stronger than him fall in love.

    "Who the hell is this woman?" asked Vivian as she was a little agitated.

    "Humph! This guy is a troublemaker. He seduces women wherever he goes. No wonder a woman has come forward looking for him," Anthony sneered at once, taking the perfect opportunity to scandalize Zachary. "Vivian, I''m afraid your marriage with Harley will end up in ruins."

    "Shut your mouth!" Vivian gave Anthony the death stare.

    Zachary, who was the prime focus of this mess, looked at the woman in front of him with a bitter smile. Although he had long expected that she would come to him one day, he hadn''t predicted that it would

    er eyes at Marvin.

    The expression on Marvin''s face quickly changed. But he had dealt with her before, so he already expected that she would always be cocky and overbearing. Thus he shrugged it off and laughed. "Did you come here mainly for Harley?" After talking, he fixed his gaze at Zachary with a weird expression on his face.

    "That''s right. I''m here for him," Sophie replied cautiously.

    At this point, the crowd clamored again.

    "Sophie, did I hear it wrong just now? What did you mean when you said that Harley is your man? Harley is my future son-in-law. I think it would be imperative for you to explain your side in front of everyone here to avoid any misunderstanding," Jaxon said earnestly. He knew this was a serious matter. He had just announced that Zachary would marry his daughter, but Sophie suddenly showed up and declared that Zachary was her man. She undoubtedly came to steal Zachary. If she refused to explain her point of view, he wouldn''t give up easily.

    "Jaxon, you heard me right. He is certainly my man. You can ask him if you don''t believe me!" Sophie replied disapprovingly and then laid her eyes on Zachary.

    Upon hearing that, Zachary put on a helpless look. He was put in a tight spot and knew that there would be trouble this time around.

 Chapter 713 The Holy Level

    "Harley, what is going on here?" Jaxon turned to look at Zachary because he knew that Sophie wouldn''t have made such an allegation that Zachary was her man without substantial reason. And taking into account Sophie''s stature, she wouldn''t have said malicious claims in front of so many people. Therefore, Jaxon concluded that Zachary might have hidden something from him, and it shouldn''t be insignificant.

    At this instant, the spectators gave their full attention, ready to listen to what Zachary would have to say.

    Zachary glanced at Jaxon, and then took a quick look at Sophie, who was staring back at him playfully. The eagerness to find out his answer was visible in her eyes. He suddenly burst out laughing and said in a comical tone, "Master Sophie, I can see that you still like to crack jokes. Although being your man is every guy''s fantasy, I''m afraid that I can''t afford the luxury of such an opportunity."

    Zachary''s statements confused the audience more because he just implied that Sophie was messing around. No one would believe that the famous Lady Evil would crack such a joke, especially since the mere mention of her name could already invoke fear to people. But if it were the truth, it would be a hard fact for everyone to accept. Thus, the look of astonishment was clear on their faces at the moment. They didn''t know who to believe, Sophie''s joke, or Zachary''s words.

    "Joke? Do I look like I''m kidding?" Sophie expressed her dismay toward Zachary in an indistinct voice that very minute. However, she sounded more like a pampered woman acting provocatively. Suddenly, she looked exceedingly captivating, with the capacity to make one feel sexually excited.

    "Please don''t make things awkward for me, Master Sophie. Otherwise, I''m afraid I won''t be able to leave Shura College safe and sound." Right there and then, Zachary gave Sophie a pleading gaze, hinting at that Sophie not to give him a hard time, or he would be in big trouble.

    "Fine. It''s all right if you view it as a joke, but promise me that we will go back to Dignity College together," Sophie replied, carrying out her demand. In reality, she called Zachary her man because she knew he wouldn''t go back with her freely. So she put him in a shameful position to make sure he would follow her order.

    Before Zachary could reply to her, the crowd went into an uproar after hearing Sophie''s plan. They didn''t expect that even Dignity College already aimed at Zachary. Even the distinguished Sage Level warrior Sophie came in person and attempted to snatch him from the Xiao Clan openly. She didn''t take t

    n astonishing pressure beyond the Sage Level filled the area within a thousand meters, and the halo that spread a thousand meters suddenly lit up like fireworks, which was very dazzling.

    Suddenly, drastic changes took place in the area within a thousand meters. The wind howled, sand and stones flew, and the sky rumbled as if something abnormal had happened.

    Under this astonishing pressure, only Zachary, who was right by the side of Sophie, Marvin, Larry, and Jaxon were able to keep their countenance. In contrast, many other Sage Level warriors and everyone else couldn''t resist the terrifying pressure. Their bodies seemed to have lost control, just like a mountain pressed them. As a result, their legs became weak, and they could not help but kneel on one knee to Sophie.

    "Holy Level!" Larry, who also felt his legs go weak, stared at Sophie in shock.

    Of course, the expressions on the faces of Marvin and Jaxon also changed drastically. They looked a little pale. They swallowed their saliva, unable to hide the distress in their hearts.

    The next moment, all hell broke loose. And this time, the disturbance seemed to be entirely out of control. The whole scene became chaotic because no one had anticipated that Sophie, who was earlier a warrior at the premium stage of Sage Level, could suddenly break through the Holy Level. This was entirely beyond their imagination.

    "Now, do you suppose I can take him away?" Sophie glanced around and asked boastfully.

    Marvin and Jaxon looked at each other at the same time after hearing her words. Despite their unwillingness, they knew that if Sophie insisted on taking Zachary away, they could not stop her. Hence, they had to swallow what they wanted to say.

 Chapter 714 Zacharyâ€™s Refusal

    "Let''s go," Sophie told Zachary, who remained relatively calm with the situation.

    Although Zachary''s reaction changed a bit after Sophie had released her Holy Level aura, he stayed restrained the whole time. Perhaps it was because he had spent much of his time with Anne that he got used to the Holy Level aura. However, deep inside, it shocked him that Sophie''s strength had progressed so quickly. He could not help but think of what Anne had told him about the descendants of the Long Tribe.

    ''It looks like this woman is most likely to be a descendant of the Long Tribe, just like Katrina. Otherwise, her strength can''t possibly have such a fascinating growth over a brief time. Since she has already broken through to the Holy Level, Katrina might have also been...'' Thinking of this, Zachary put on an unpleasant smile. If that were the case, then he would let the two Holy Level warriors, Anne and Sophie, usher him. If Katrina''s strength also intensified just as much as Sophie''s, then he would have three powerful warriors by his side. Specifically, he now had three terrifyingly strong female Holy Level warriors to back him up. From that moment on, nobody would dare to offend him even if he misbehaved.

    Zachary didn''t want to act high profile to avoid others from getting jealous of him and getting himself into trouble. The most urgent thing was to turn down Sophie because he couldn''t go with her for the time being. Although it wouldn''t be a terrible thing if he left with her, he gave up on that plan because he had a more pressing matter to deal with. He had successfully set a trap in the Xiao Clan, so he needed to stick around for the result. If he took off with her now, then all his efforts would be in vain. Besides, if he could control the Xiao Clan, he would have substantial help in fighting his way back to the Enigmatic Kingdom and deal with the Zi Clan accordingly. He needed a lot of support to deal with his enemy, so he would not give up the Xiao Clan easily.

    "What are you waiting for? Let''s go now. It was not simple for me to come here, so don''t let me go back empty-handed. I have been through this last time, and I don''t want to repeat it. If you piss me off, the consequences will be severe. If I''m not pleased,

    things to turn in his favor suddenly. However, he was curious about what Zachary had said to Sophie to make her leave so quickly. But he knew that it was not the right time to interrogate him, so he motioned to Zachary and left the battle area with him.

    Soon, all the members of the Xiao Clan, including Vivian and Anthony, assembled and made their way out as quickly as possible in full view, leaving the still confused onlookers behind.

    At this point, Marvin, who was still standing in the area, suddenly expressed a tinge of worry. "We have underestimated Harley. I never thought that he would have something to do with Lady Evil. But this may not contribute to something positive to the Xiao Clan, Shura College, or even the Devil Kingdom! Previously, to get him to my side, I had offended Celestial College. Now, even Lady Evil got entangled in these matters. Coupled with his impressive growth, maybe shortly after, the four kingdoms will inevitably have conflicts. However, who wouldn''t want to gain such a promising, unmatched talent by his side? Especially now that Lady Evil has broken through to the Holy Level, she is probably the youngest Holy Level warrior in the whole Supernal Continent. This makes the Canopy Kingdom''s strength rise once again and becomes greater than the rest. The Canopy Kingdom has always been ambitious, and eventually, it may want to take over the other kingdoms if things continue to improve. So, no matter what, we can''t let them get Harley to their side!"

 Chapter 715 Solving The Go Problem

    After flying several kilometers away from Shura College, Sophie landed on an isolated and remote hill not far away. Meanwhile, a delicate figure stood on the hilltop with hands behind her back, looking down at Shura College.

    If Zachary were around, he recognize this woman. She was none other than Katrina, whom he had thought of earlier.

    At this time, Sophie had already slid beside Katrina. They had come to that place together, but Katrina did not enter Shura College with Sophie.

    "I''ve warned you it would be hard to bring him back. Now you can finally believe me!" Katrina scoffed after seeing Sophie come back on her own.

    "Humph! Although I didn''t bring him back, he gave me his word that he will come to me after he has wrapped up his plan in the Devil Kingdom," Sophie replied, reluctant to give up.

    "His plan? What exactly is his plan?" It stunned Katrina to hear her comment.

    "Don''t you know? You can ask him yourself." Sophie beamed in an imposing manner after learning that Zachary hadn''t told Katrina anything yet.

    "Just forget it. Even if I find out what his plan is, so what? I won''t be stopping him, anyway." Katrina shook her head in objection.

    "But this guy''s improvement is unbelievable. He has made it to the sixth grade of Imperial Level," Sophie remarked in disbelief.

    "Already? As that fast?" Katrina burst out in surprise.

    "Not only that, but they also declared him the winner in the recently concluded qualifying contest. A few months after that, he will represent the Devil Kingdom on the Imperial Level Warrior Contest," Sophie continued.

    "It looks like he is used to giving out surprises every time," Katrina stated. Although she didn''t show any cheerful expression on her face, there was a tinge of relief in her heart. She was so thrilled knowing Zachary had improved his strength that much since it meant that his days of return to the Enigmatic Kingdom was getting closer.

    "But his growth rate is no less than our own. Could he also be a descendant of the Long Tribe?" Sophie asked in confusion.

    "No, I''m positive he is not. If he were, I would have found it out already. There should be other reasons for his rapid growth. There seems to be an enormous secret hidden behind this." Katrina frowned.

    "It doesn''t matter what secret he has been keeping. If he can help us solve the curse upon our Long Tribe''s reduced lifespan, I''m cool seeing him get promoted so quickly. But why do you think he can help us do that? And you are even willing to give him to me. This is weird," Sophie asked in a confused tone as she furrowed her eyebrows.

    "I already told you it''s my in

    ary said as he studied the board. He recognized that it was not an ordinary Go problem. He speculated that Jaxon was using it to test him, but why this unsolved composition? It confused Zachary. Was there something hidden in the arrangement?

    "This unfinished composition is not about your Go skill but more about one''s judgment. A formidable warrior set it up. I''ve already shown this problem to many capable warriors, but nobody can figure out the solution. So, even if you can''t determine the answer, it doesn''t matter. Just give it a go," Jaxon said calmly.

    "Really? Then I will try." After hearing Jaxon''s words, Zachary scrutinized the board in front of him. He soon noticed that the motionless black and white stones moved, which was weird.

    A moment later, he saw that the black and white stones had stopped moving. He somehow sensed that something was missing on the board, so he picked up a piece and placed it on an unfilled position. He stood up and said, "That''s it!" Then he turned around and left.

    After watching Zachary leave, Jaxon looked down at the board in front of him. After studying it for a while, his mouth dropped in surprise and exclaimed in a shocked tone, "He worked out the problem that my brother left behind! He did it! I''ve been going through this obstacle for a few years, but I can''t figure out any explanation, no matter how hard I try. My brother once said that if I can settle this problem, it won''t be far for me to reach the Holy Level. But Harley is only at the Imperial Level, yet he did it. Is it possible that his destiny is to become a Holy Level warrior? If this is the case, then our Xiao Clan will soon become the great ruler of the entire Devil Kingdom, with him being our member! Ha-ha! I can''t wait!"

 Chapter 716 The Treasure Beast Gene Pool

    After leaving Jaxon''s study, Zachary thought he heard Jaxon chuckle. ''If Jaxon knew my actual motive in joining the Xiao Clan, I doubt if he can still laugh. He thought he had won a treasure for having me, but in reality, I could trigger the Xiao Clan''s downfall, '' he thought to himself. His Flying Boots flickered on his feet. He took off and flew back into the courtyard where he lived.

    Upon returning to his residence, Zachary observed that Goliath was guiding Jimmy and Henry. He hadn''t seen them all for a month. Jimmy and Henry both had significant progress in their strengths, especially Jimmy, who already reached the sixth grade of King Level. The cultivation of heterodox skills had an extraordinary effect. However, Jimmy went through a lot of hardship to make it that far. With his current progress, he would surely grow into one of Zachary''s future helpers, but only if no one found out that he was a heterodox warrior.

    "Is it you, Harley?"

    "Sir..."

    "Master Harley!"

    As soon as Goliath, Jimmy, and Henry saw Zachary descend from the sky, they all seemed a little excited. After all, they hadn''t seen him for more than a month. They just heard about his incredible performance in the qualifying test of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest held at Shura College and were very proud of his achievement.

    "Did they cause you any trouble while I was away?" Zachary asked Goliath after staring at the three of them. But he meant it as a pun because he knew that Jimmy and Henry would not create any problem when he was not around. They should have known his temper by now after living with him for so long. In contrast, he was more concerned about Goliath that he would do something dangerous that might ruin his plan while he was gone.

    "If you are suggesting that I did, then my answer is no." Goliath was not stupid. He instantly understood what Zachary meant.

    "That''s good to know." Zachary nodded and said to Goliath, "I''ll talk to you later. I have something urgent to do now."

    "Okay," Goliath replied.

    Afterward, Zachary went straight into his room. He shut the do

    e qualifying test of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. The rewards included a rare treasure with the effect of increasing cultivation, three bottles of purple cultivation-aiding pills, a few scarce refining materials at the Imperial Level, and the additional rewards given by Jaxon. He immediately sorted out his warehouse afterward.

    "Mimi, please help me identify this treasure." Then he took out the rare piece of item for cultivation enhancement to identify whether it had that effect.

    "Starting identification..." Several laser beams soon shot out from all directions and focused on the treasure in Zachary''s hands.

    "Item identification completed. It is an Imperial Mysterious Crystal, a rare supreme treasure at the Imperial Level. After refining the essential energy contained in it, you can enhance your strength by one grade within a few months," Mimi said.

    "A few months? It should take at least one or two months. Although it is a little slow, for the sake of improving one grade of one''s strength, I think it would be worth the wait. Nonetheless, it can be refined together with the Celestial Energy Crystal and the Dawn Fluid. The result should be excellent." Zachary calculated after listening to Mimi''s words. However, what he was looking forward to the most was cultivating with Anne. After finishing things in the system, he headed to the Living-dead Tomb straight away.

 Chapter 717 The Giant Spiritual Bee

    When Zachary arrived at the Living-dead Tomb, he chanced upon Anne walking out of the tomb. She was just about to leave.

    "Anne, are you going somewhere?" Zachary asked at once.

    "You came right on time. I''m planning to go to Fairy island," Anne said with a smile when she saw Zachary approaching.

    "Fairy Island? Are you looking for Tania?" Zachary asked out of curiosity.

    "No, I''m going there to get the Giant Spiritual Bee''s honey." Anne shook her head in response.

    "Giant Spiritual Bee... The name alone sounds scary already," Zachary replied through pursed lips.

    "If it scares you, you can stay here and wait for me," Anne mumbled, unhappy to hear his remark.

    "Scared? You got to be kidding, Anne. I won''t get scared with you protecting me," Zachary said, waving his hand dismissively. He knew this would be his first official date with Anne, so he would never miss such an excellent opportunity. He was now only one step away from sleeping with Anne, so he wanted to grab the chance.

    "Let''s get going." Anne regained her composure and walked straight ahead.

    Zachary followed closely behind as they made their way to Fairy Island.

    As soon as they reached the island, Zachary observed that the place had already returned to its original vibrant state since earlier it was full of powdery snow and thin ice. With the twittering birds, the lush forest, and fragrant flowers, the island was as beautiful as a fairyland.

    "By the way, Tania mentioned that when she left Fairy Island last time, it just became unmanageable. Fortunately, you brought Fairy Island back under control, or its problems would have been even more significant. So, I think Tania''s perception of you would have improved as well. Although I don''t know what is on her mind, from my understanding of her, as long as you can successfully pass her trials, she will welcome you as her disciple," Anne, who hardly ever spoke, suddenly said spontaneously en route on the island.

    "Really? That is excellent news! However, I haven''t passed the second trial yet!" Zachary said with a sullen look.

    "There is no need to worry about that. From what she disclosed, you could pass the second trial as long as you catch the third elite treasure beast," Anne said assertively.

    "Just catch the third one, and that''s it? As specified in the original goal, I had to catch at least five or six treasure beasts," Zachary said, raising an eyebrow.

    "It was originall

    ause of the injury on her back, she wobbled when she landed. Fortunately, he was there to support her.

    "Anne, are you okay?" Staring at the alarming bloodstain on her back, Zachary''s eyes narrowed. He knew Anne wouldn''t have gotten injured if she didn''t try to save him. He felt touched yet uneasy because he was not the kind of man who needed protection from women.

    "I''m okay. How about you? Are you hurt?" Anne shook her head and looked at Zachary with grave concern.

    "No, but it''s so powerful that it could even hurt you," Zachary said at once.

    "It is considered legendary, and it is Fairy Island''s guardian beast," Anne replied.

    "A legendary beast?" Zachary''s eyes widened in shock. No wonder that Anne was also at a disadvantage. "But why did the bee suddenly go berserk?"

    "I don''t know. Everything was all right before. Unfortunately, I couldn''t hurt it, so I had no choice but to stay away from its path," Anne said with a scowl.

    "Why can''t you hurt it?" Zachary asked.

    "Because it is the beast guarding this island. If I inflict harm on it, Tania will be displeased," Anne replied.

    "Birds of the same feather indeed flock together. The Giant Spiritual Bee is as bad-tempered as Tania!" Zachary said promptly, thinking that he was right.

    "Who is bad-tempered?" A sweet voice suddenly came from not far away.

    Zachary and Anne looked to the direction where the voice came. They saw Tania flying down and landing right in front of them with glaring eyes.

    "Tania, you came just in time. Your guardian beast just bullied Anne here," Zachary complained, feeling bitter with what happened to Anne.

 Chapter 718 Treating Injuries

    "The Giant Spiritual Bee? I forgot to mention that the bee is now on its breeding period, so it could get cranky fast," Tania replied. Then she studied the severe injuries on Anne''s back and said, "The attack must be ferocious. Are you okay?"

    "I''m fine," Anne replied calmly.

    "Apply the ointment to your wound as soon as you go back. If the bee''s injury is left untreated in time, even your strength will suffer." Tania instantly took out a bottle of ointment from her sleeve and handed it over.

    Zachary took the bottle and stated, "Anne, let''s go back first!"

    Anne nodded her consent.

    "I''ll send you the honey you have asked later." After saying that, Tania flew away.

    Then, with Zachary as her guide, Anne left Fairy Island and returned to the Living-dead Tomb.

    After entering the tomb where the Ice Jade Bed was, Zachary took out the ointment and gaped at Anne''s back. He was a bit reluctant. It would be challenging for her to treat the wound by herself, and someone must help her do it. However, the wound almost covered her entire back and was so deep. To treat it would not be an effortless task.

    Just as Zachary paused, Anne took two steps forward, with her back facing Zachary.

    Except for the

    gan to cover the wound on Anne''s back with the Green Snail Ointment and then applied it evenly.

    "Does it hurt?" Zachary asked, trying to distract himself from Anne''s fair, smooth back.

    "Not really," Anne said, but she winced. The pain was excruciating. However, if she were not strong enough when handling the Giant Spiritual Bee, the attack could be even more damaging. It was already a stroke of great luck for her.

    "All right, it''s done now." After controlling his desire for a long time, Zachary finally exhaled in huge relief, as if he had completed a tough task. Then, he planned to get up.

    But Anne turned around and asked solemnly, "Will you stay to keep me company?"

    "What?" Zachary looked dumbfounded.

    Later, they sat on the Ice Jade Bed, face to face, starting their primary cultivation.

 Chapter 719 Fifty Thousand Gold Coins

    With Zachary''s current strength, he couldn''t cultivate with Anne more intimately, so his cultivation was currently focused more on his personal development. On the other hand, she simply guided him using her martial energy and protected any mishaps from happening when he used the Sage Access Meridian to cultivate. To some extent, he had sped up his cultivation.

    Six hours later, Zachary and Anne finished their cultivation. Although they practiced only the most basic, he felt that with her guidance, his cultivation''s outcome was much better than that of himself. Moreover, the speed of fusing with Celestial Energy Crystal''s spiritual energy in his body also increased a lot.

    When Zachary opened his eyes, he instantly saw something that astonished him. He became restless.

    Anne opened her eyes as well. Seeing that he was staring at her meaningfully, she instantly felt sheepish, but she didn''t hide her sentiments. She just asked, "Are you done gawking at me with your hungry eyes?"

    "Yeah, sure. Besides, if I continue, I might make a mistake." Zachary laughed and shifted his gaze away.

    Anne then stood up and retrieved her clothes to cover herself up. When she turned around, Zachary saw that the wound on her back had practically healed, leaving only a mild scar in its place that resembled a small snake.

    "Tania''s ointment works wonders. Anne, your wound healed so fast!" Zachary exclaimed in surprise.

    "Certainly. Aside from the alchemy skill she inherited from the strongest one among the Five Gods, she has an innate talent since her early years. The talk going around is she has started practicing alchemy when she was just five years old," Anne answered. Tiana''s medical skills no longer surprised her.

    "Since she was only five? Is she that powerful?" Zachary asked in surprise.

    "Even though the Long Tribe aren''t her ancestors, I have observed that she possesses the same great potential as the Long Tribe''s descendants. Otherwise, at her age, she can''t have the strength equal to mine," Anne confirmed.

    "How did she do it?" Zachary asked out of curiosity.

    "I don''t know the full details, but she has made use of alchemy to transform her body since childhood," Anne replied after a moment''s hesitation.

    "Body transformation with alchemy? Does it even work? I''ve only heard of genetic modification." After learning this, Zachary became more interested in Tania''s dependence on this world''s alchemy to alter her body. Judging from her current strength, he assumed that her result was awe-inspiring. If given a chance, he would ask her to teach him the process of magically transforming one''s body. By nature, Tania could not teach him anything because he was now an official disciple of hers.

    "We still have a few months left before the Imperial Level

    up their work under the supervision of none other than Ryder.

    It stunned Ryder to see Zachary suddenly show up. Then he walked up to him and bowed, saying, "Congratulations, Manager Harley. No, I should call you Guardian Harley now. I heard you had done an incredible performance. What a glorious feeling you must have felt! You earned a reputation by defeating so many opponents. You''ve brought honor to the Xiao Clan and the beast barn."

    "When will the expansion end?" Zachary asked without delay.

    "The project will be completed in three days," Ryder replied.

    "Cool, it seems that Steward Shaw is very efficient in his job," Zachary commented, nodding in satisfaction.

    "Yes, I agree. But I''m also overseeing their work day and night and making sure they do not slack off at work," Ryder said proudly.

    "I know. That''s why I will give you fifty thousand gold coins as a reward for your hard work," Zachary said. He didn''t want to talk nonsense with him anymore. He shortly took out gold notes equivalent to fifty thousand gold coins and handed them over to Ryder''s hand.

    Not believing what he just heard, Ryder widened his eyes as he stared at the gold notes in his hands. Although they were paper notes, they worth a lot of money, and it was something he had never expected to happen.

    "Also, please give these five hundred thousand cold coins to Steward Shaw for me," Zachary added as he took out another stack of gold notes and gave them to Ryder.

    Seeing the pile of gold notes in his hands, Ryder almost lost his balance. He thought, ''No wonder Steward Shaw has been urging us to work hard for the past month. It turns out there would be compensation, and the amount of benefits is substantial!''

    "Send someone to inform me once you''re done with the expansion. I want to check it myself later," Zachary said, and then he took off.

 Chapter 720 Increase The Treasure Production Rate

    When Zachary returned to his house, he saw that Vivian was in the yard. She seemed to be in a hurry to come in, but Jimmy stopped her outside.

    "Master Vivian, Harley really isn''t inside. He just left," Jimmy explained, unable to bear the pressure.

    "Then I''ll wait for him inside," Vivian said. She suspected that Zachary had deliberately shut the door, refusing to see her. He knew that she would definitely come to him for an explanation about Sophie.

    "He doesn''t like other people entering his room," Jimmy said with a grimace.

    "I''m not other people. I''m his fiancee and will soon be his wife." Vivian''s tone became imperious.

    "Well..." Jimmy was facing a dilemma. After all, Vivian was the daughter of the head of the Xiao Clan. She would also be Zachary''s wife in the future, so he couldn''t afford to offend her.

    "Dear fiancee, don''t make things difficult for him," Zachary said with a helpless smile while shaking his head at Jimmy''s inability to deal with Vivian.

    "So you really weren''t inside." Vivian turned around and found Zachary.

    Seeing that Zachary was back, Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief and went back to his room.

    "I merely went to check on the expansion of the beast barn," Zachary explained.

    "I see." Vivian looked at Zachary, not knowing what to say. Although she was eager to know about his relationship with Sophie, she didn''t think he would tell her the truth.

    "If you came to ask about Sophie, I can only tell you that we do have some relationship, but it''s just for mutual interests." Zachary admitted straight off the bat since he knew that was why Vivian had come here.

    "So, did something happen between you two?" Vivian''s beautiful eyes narrowed. She thought he must be quite capable to win even the heart of the famous Lady Evil. No wonder he was always indifferent to her. It turned out that it was because he already had Lady Evil as his lover. After all, Sophie was one of the most beautiful women on the Supernal Continent. Although Vivian was very confident in her appearance, she still felt a little ashamed of her inferiority to Sophie.

    "If you want to know about it, I don''t mind telling you. But considering our current relationship, I think it''s better for me not to tell you. Anyway, it is a matter of mutual interest and nothing else. We need only to do our respective jobs well. You need not worry too much," Zachary said seriously.

    "I''m not worried! I''m only upset that you hid such an important thing

    were extremely inefficient when it came to treasure beasts. As they didn''t have any talent in that respect, almost all the Imperial and Sage Level warriors of the Xiao Clan raised their treasure beasts by themselves, making the Xiao Clan''s beast barn dispensable. However, since Zachary became the manager of the beast barn, he had thoroughly reformed it. Moreover, he had kept his promise to the head of the Xiao Clan, making more than half of the treasure beasts in the beast barn produce treasures. Therefore, everyone could see that Zachary was indeed very capable.

    Of course, Zachary being Vivian''s fiance played a vital role. After the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, he and Vivian would hold a wedding ceremony. With it, his status in the Xiao Clan would entirely change.

    Soon after, the Imperial Level warriors who had come with Shaw scrambled to sign up. Zachary told Ryder to go through the registration procedures with them and record the information of the treasure beasts they would entrust the beast barn to raise.

    In the next few days, the news quickly spread. More of the Xiao Clan''s King Level disciples and Imperial Level warriors also fostered their treasure beasts in the new beast barn. They did so for two reasons. The first was that Zachary was Jaxon''s future son-in-law. The second was because Zachary had promised to double the treasure production rate. Several of the Xiao Clan''s Sage Level guardians and elders even did the same, considering Zachary''s current position.

    There were already more than seventy treasure beasts in the new beast barn in less than ten days. That included both the old ones and the new ones.

 Chapter 721 Further Studies At Crane College

    Zachary saw the perfect window of opportunity when night fell, emerging at the now quiet beast barn with nobody around to intercept him.

    "Mimi, connect the entire beast farm including its surrounding area within a hundred-meter zone and the second world," Zachary ordered.

    "Connection begins!" Mimi''s usual sweet voice echoed. Suddenly, the Treasure-hunting Compass on Zachary''s chest reflected a sparkling white light before it floated up.

    The next moment, an unusual column of light beam shot up into the sky from the barn''s midsection. It expanded nonstop, turning into a massive ray of light and enveloping the whole beast barn. It only stopped once it covered an area of a hundred meters around the barn.

    The strange occurrence shocked the Xiao Clan''s entire population.

    Shortly, some disciples responsible for patrolling the beast barn also rushed over. Upon their arrival, the white light had disappeared without a trace, and there was no sign of a break-in. They had no choice but to leave in disappointment.

    Meanwhile, in a desolate spot close to the Peach Blossom Forest, a massive shadow crashed from the sky. It was an extensive building with a landscaped background. The Xiao Clan''s beast barn had just surfaced.

    Zachary walked out of the beast barn in a casual, relaxed air. Then he spun around to look at what the system just did, nodding in satisfaction. He never thought this system could be that impressive.

    "The connection has been successfully executed. The real world''s scenes got synchronized with the second world. No matter what you do in the second world, it will also affect the real world, but the people in the real world will not notice your presence," Mimi explained.

    "Let me start with the treasure beast''s gene pool in the barn first!" Zachary said at once.

    He returned to the beast barn and began collecting blood samples of the treasure beasts in the barn. He then used the information in the gene pool to analyze their genes one by one, and included his new analysis into the gene pool. This was his first course of action in reforming the treasure beast system of the entire Supernal Continent.

    As he was preoccupied, he didn''t notice that days had passed by so quickly.

    In the system, Zachary, who was very committed to performing gene comparisons, suddenly heard the security alarm go off, so he stopped working and quickly left the system. When he returned to his room in the northern part of the courtyard, he heard a frantic knock on the door. When he opened the door, Henry was standing outside.

    "Something wrong?" Zachary asked.

    "Guardian Harley, the leader had somethi

    parent that she was still mad at Zachary.

    "This is to prevent anything unexpected from happening. If you accompany him as his fiancee, Crane College won''t act rashly. Moreover, this is a perfect opportunity for you to gain experience," Jaxon said thoughtfully.

    Hearing this, Vivian frowned. But she also understood her father''s reasoning, so she had no choice but to go along with his plan.

    "Father, it''s too dangerous for Vivian to go there alone. Let me go with her." Anthony seized the opportunity and made the suggestion. He thought it was the ideal time for him to deal with Zachary.

    "I''m afraid that''s not a wise idea. There is no legitimate reason for you to go there. I''m afraid Crane College won''t allow you to stay. But if Vivian goes with them as Zachary''s fiancee, then Crane College won''t refuse." Jaxon shook his head.

    Anthony gritted his teeth after hearing those words but was reluctant to give up. He winked at Kemp, stood up, and exited the Magnific Martial Hall. Kemp followed closely behind.

    Just a minute after Kemp walked out of the hall, he saw Anthony walking towards him.

    "What can I do for you?" Kemp asked, cupping his hands.

    "Kemp, I know you''re a wise man. Harley is an absolute disaster to our clan, but my father is so naive. Thus, I''m hoping that you can help me get rid of Harley," Anthony said bluntly. He knew Kemp also hated Zachary, so he knew he could make use of him.

    "You are so smart. I also think that Harley is dangerous, cunning, and extremely despicable. Don''t worry. I promise he won''t have the chance to return after he goes to Crane College," Kemp replied with a sinister look.

    Now that they had reached an agreement on how to take care of Zachary, they cracked up and started laughing.

 Chapter 722 The Meet Up

    After Zachary left the Magnific Martial Hall, he went back to the courtyard to look for Goliath. Since he was about to set out for Crane College, he had to organize everything well and let Goliath meet Daniel before leaving.

    Upon his arrival, Zachary went straight to Goliath''s room. When he stepped inside, he saw Goliath sitting cross-legged on the bed and cultivating. Goliath opened his eyes after he heard the sound of the door opening. Seeing that it was Zachary, he immediately straightened up and got out of bed.

    "Are there any replies from Logan?" Zachary asked at once.

    "Not yet." Goliath shook his head.

    "I will go to Crane College for further study in a few days, so I want to arrange everything for you before I depart. Try to persuade him a bit. I don''t have much time left here," Zachary instructed.

    "I see. I''ll send him another message right away." Goliath didn''t want to waste more time after hearing Zachary''s words. He nodded at Zachary and went out of the room to put out his message and deliver it straight to Logan.

    Meanwhile, Zachary returned to his room and continued his genetic research on the treasure beasts.

    He had gained a preliminary understanding of their genes through the recent gene samples he had extracted from the treasure beasts in the beast barn. He also compared the genes between martial beasts and treasure beasts. After performing fundamental analysis and comparison, he had reached some conclusions about treasure beasts.

    A treasure beast was stronger than a martial beast and could produce treasures because there were two groups of genetic sequences in the treasure beast, while an ordinary martial beast only had one group. One group of the two groups of genetic sequences in the treasure beast was a complex combination that was very similar to the genetic sequence of a martial beast. In contrast, the other group was relatively simple. In terms of length, this simple group was not as long as the complicated group. However, this shorter genetic sequence was the key to allow the treasure beast to produce treasures, and it also contained information about the probability and frequency of producing treasures.

    To distinguish the two groups of the genetic sequence, Zachary named them as beast genes and treasure genes. The so-called beast genes referred to the group of genes that decided if the creature would become a beast, and the treasure genes had to do with the group that controlled the treasure production.

    Since Zachary had a powerful treasure beast system and the magic liquid that could boost treasure production and hatch the treasure beast directly, he put aside the study of the treasure genes first. He focused more

    hurt her father. I''m nobody with not much help to offer, so I have to remain on neutral ground. I want to keep myself uninvolved in family affairs and whoever wins will not matter to me." Zachary explained his position.

    Bruno''s face darkened after he heard him. He was naturally unhappy to hear Zachary refuse Daniel''s offer. Daniel got to know Zachary''s perspective, and he would never let go of him quickly. After all, with his current growth in strength, he was bound to make Jaxon''s side even more powerful, so Daniel might do something awful to Zachary to prevent Jaxon''s side from becoming stronger.

    "Harley, have you made up your mind? You should be aware of Master Daniel''s temperament. If he can''t have you by his side, he won''t let his brother take you as well." Bruno gave Zachary a friendly reminder. He considered Zachary a good person, and since they were partners now, he didn''t want to break his path to wealth building with Zachary.

    "Of course, I know what Master Daniel is thinking, so I prepared something unexpected. This surprise might be even more useful than me," Zachary said.

    "What kind of surprise is it?" Bruno couldn''t help but ask.

    "This surprise can only be revealed when my friend sees Master Daniel. I''m hoping you can take my friend to see him," Zachary stated calmly.

    "I''m afraid that''s impossible. Master Daniel won''t meet outsiders easily." Bruno quickly shook his head. He was reluctant to bring Goliath to see Daniel because he had no idea about his background.

    "My friend is not an outsider to Master Daniel. If you trust me, please take him with you so they can meet. I promise that Master Daniel won''t be disappointed. Perhaps he will be grateful to me in the future," Zachary said firmly.

    His words just made Bruno have second thoughts.

 Chapter 723 The Deans Test

    "If it weren''t because I am about to go to Crane College, I would take him to see Master Daniel in person," Zachary said.

    Bruno glanced at Zachary and said, "I''ll have to consult with Master Daniel first."

    "Okay, but I''m afraid I can''t wait any longer. If Master Daniel agrees to meet my friend, please inform him then." Zachary nodded.

    Afterward, Zachary and Goliath left under Bruno''s gloomy gaze.

    On the way back to the Xiao Clan Castle, Goliath kept looking at Zachary now and then, as if he wanted to say something but was having second thoughts.

    "Just spill it out now." Zachary caught sight of Goliath and urged him to speak up.

    "It looks like you have made the plan in advance. You used me to please Daniel, but you also don''t want to offend the Xiao Clan''s leader. In that way, you can get an advantage from both sides," Goliath said with a frown.

    "So what? Let''s go our separate ways without meddling in each other''s business. Even if you wreaked havoc on the Xiao Clan, I would have no participation in your plan. Regardless of what happens, I will be the one who gets the advantage." Zachary didn''t hide his ambition even a little.

    Goliath was speechless for a moment because he had to marvel at Zachary''s strategy. He could efficiently deal with such complications, especially the Xiao Clan''s intertwined grievances, with no hesitation. No wonder Logan changed his attitude toward him.

    "I have done what I needed to do. You can do the rest on your own! But remember that Daniel is difficult to deal with. If the situation is unfavorable to him, he might sell you out to protect himself. So, you''d better be on the lookout against him. If you want to finish Jaxon, you''d better take him by one stroke. Otherwise, with Jaxon''s ingenuity, he will turn things around. No matter what, the entire Xiao Clan is still under his control," Zachary reminded.

    "I believe that you won''t give Jaxon any chance to turn the situation to his advantage," Goliath said firmly.

    Zachary smiled and went ahead.

    When the two arrived at the castle and stepped foot into the courtyard, they noticed Jimmy and Henry seemed to wait for them. "Harley, the leader sent a directive that you should set off to Shura College tomorrow at noon," Jimmy said.

    "Okay, I''ll make a mental note of it. I''m going to study at Crane College for three months, and it would be inconvenient to take you both with me. You can stay here with Goliath for now," Zachary ordered Jimmy and Henry.

    The two nodd

    est, I don''t think you will fail. If you really can''t pass, I won''t make things awkward for you," Marvin continued.

    "Then I''ll give it a shot," said Zachary, preparing to go up to the second floor.

    However, the moment he stepped on the stairs, it became flat and suddenly turned into a smooth sloping surface.

    "Is this an illusion?" Zachary''s face turned serious, but he immediately realized that it was not as simple as a figment of his imagination. He felt that something was wrong with the entire building.

    He soon activated the Energy Perception Technique. As expected, he discovered that energy circles filled the entire building, as if somebody had complete control over it.

    ''No wonder he is Shura College''s dean. With his strength at the peak of Sage Level, he can easily manipulate the whole building under his energy circulation, allowing me to enter it as well, '' Zachary thought to himself.

    However, he wouldn''t give up so fast since the Sage Level self-defense treasure offered by the dean was quite intriguing. He used the Energy Perception Technique to find the defects in the energy circulation around him. He knew that even a warrior like Marvin couldn''t entirely control this building, and there would be some loopholes.

    As expected, Zachary didn''t take long to locate an area where the energy circulation was relatively weak. His momentum rapidly soared, and he even activated his martial energy to its limit. With that, he flew to that position. The moment he rushed over, the surroundings shifted again, but they did not return to its initial state. The original single staircase had turned into four, but he knew only one was real.

 Chapter 724 Reward

    "Are you kidding me?" Zachary pursed his lips. However, he was not the one to give up halfway, so he continued to use the Energy Perception Technique in search of any flaw.

    This time, it didn''t take him long to notice it. He used the same method to break the illusion, but it still did not completely break. Although the real staircase had revealed, it was broken.

    Zachary stood still, deep in thought. Marvin must have set up this trap to test out how many hidden skills he had, not allowing him to pass until he had shown all his cards. Zachary knew Marvin wouldn''t give up his treasure so easily. But he still had a card up his sleeve he could use to deceive him. Soon enough, he smiled and looked up at the roof as if he had finally figured out how to pass the test.

    Next, he released the Lady Swordsmanship. In an instant, the sword and his body had merged into one, and then rushed towards the roof.

    A loud bang came as the entire pavilion shook violently.

    Just then, Zachary broke through the roof and reached the second floor, but he couldn''t see Marvin.

    "Young man, I admit that you''re quite smart. Knowing that I won''t let you out of my Illusory Astral Array so easily, you rushed up to the second floor. Unfortunately, this entire pavilion is part of the array. Even though you''ve broken through and made it to the second floor, you won''t be able to get out." Marvin''s voice echoed.

    "Dean Marvin, are you deliberately making things difficult for me? I don''t think we have any bad blood between us. You asked me to meet you on the second floor. I''m here now. You can''t break your promise and refuse to meet me," Zachary replied as he shook his head with a bitter smile on his face.

    "Of course I will keep my promise. After you use all your skills to break the array, I will come to see you. If not, you will have to stay inside the Illusory Astral Array until the Imperial Level Warrior Contest commences!" Marvin answered instead. It was obvious that he was trying to corner Zachary.

    "You must be kidding. Dean Marvin, I have used almost all of my skills in the selection test and you''ve already seen what I can do. I really don''t have anything else left," Zachary stated in a helpless tone. For the first time, he felt forlorn that a strong warrior like Marvin had overestimated his abilities. As a matter of fact, he had almost shown all his skills and abilities during the competition earlier. What was more, luck had helped him perform in a way he shouldn''t have been able to accomplish. As a result, he had nothing else to show the rest. Not to mention, even if he had another trump card he hadn''t used yet, it was impossible for him to break the Illusory Astral Array that Marvin had set up as it was extremely powerful.

    "

    utside is a witness after all," Zachary said with a wicked smile, seeing the hesitation on Marvin''s face. When he had come out of the system just now, he sensed that aside from Tracy, several powerful Sage Level warriors were also standing in wait outside the pavilion. He reasoned that they must have come here to see if he could pass the test. Now, they had become unwitting witnesses. Then again, he was extremely confused over why Marvin had set such a trap to test him. Was he merely curious about his strength? Or did he have any other intentions? Zachary could not figure it out.

    "Well, I have always been a man of my word. Although I hate to part with my defensive treasure, I will give it to you just as I have promised. However, after you take this treasure, you will be regarded as a partial disciple of mine. And if you encounter any difficulties in strength improvement as a warrior or as a weapon refiner, you are free to come and ask me. I will definitely give you any useful advice I can help you with," Marvin said with a smile as he waved his hand. He was somewhat pleased with this result. Although the test had been an order from the highest level at Shura College, he himself actually had his own intentions by conducting this test. In his opinion, Zachary was a rare talent. Whether in terms of weapon refinement or other aspects, he was obviously much stronger than ordinary warriors. Therefore, he hoped that he could have Zachary as his disciple. He also understood that Zachary already had a Holy Level warrior as his master, and thus, he might not be willing to be an official disciple of his. So, he did this only in order to get closer to Zachary. At least, the relationship between them would be closer than before.

    There was no denying that he really appreciated and attached great importance to Zachary.

 Chapter 725 Back In His Room

    Zachary had known what was on Marvin''s mind, but he didn''t point it out since his impression of him was way better than other Sage Level warriors in Shura College. But what mattered most was what the dean knew well about Logan. Perhaps he would have to rely on Marvin''s help later so he wouldn''t turn him down.

    "Dean Marvin, since you have already mentioned that, I won''t refuse because I look up to you with reverence. Well, I''ll take the treasure, and accept to be your partial disciple," Zachary answered warily.

    "Ha-ha!" After Zachary expressed his consent, Marvin smiled with satisfaction. It had bothered him that Zachary wouldn''t give the nod. Then, he took out a treasure that looked like a birdcage and passed it to Zachary.

    "Is this the Mysterious Cloud Shield? Why is it like a birdcage?" Zachary said with subtle distaste.

    "Although it looks a bit unattractive, I had it with me since I broke through the Sage Level. It has rescued me a lot, so it is genuinely a valuable treasure. This time, I have to live through the agony by giving up my prized possession," Marvin said, looking distraught.

    "Please take it easy, Dean Marvin. Since it''s a Sage Level treasure from you, I assure you I will make good use of its importance under my possession," Zachary replied with a smile.

    Marvin nodded, "On a side note, you have to grab the opportunity to gain further skills and practice in controlling beasts once you''re at Crane College. This will be particularly useful to you in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. Also, with your capacity to control beasts, you will stand out there in Crane College. As far as I know, Imperial Level warriors at the premium stage who can control three beasts from that college are surprisingly limited. Yet, it is an easy task for their warriors to handle two beasts altogether. In terms of the treasure beasts, Crane College is unmatched among all colleges in the Supernal Continent!"

    "Thank you for taking the time to help me. It meant a lot. I''ll keep everything in mind. I was also thinking the same as you advised. I don''t have many advantages. My only advantage is my motivation to become competent in my craft. I still have much to le

    r his assistant.

    Hearing what Zachary said, Vivian fumbled for words. Some incidents flashed through her mind, and she couldn''t prevent herself from shuddering. More disturbingly, Zachary had already walked in front of her.

    "I didn''t pay enough attention to you last time. You certainly have a wonderful figure," Zachary praised her generously.

    However, the compliment meant different in Vivian''s ears, which made her unable to subdue herself. Often, she would have forced Zachary out hastily, but seeing him in front of her, she could do nothing, because she realized that fate led her to be his woman. It was just a joint effort of commitments between them, but if they got married, there were some issues she had to endure, such as what he said just now.

    "If you want me now, I won''t refuse. In any case, I will eventually become your wife," Vivian said through gritted teeth.

    "When did you turn out to be like this?" Zachary said sarcastically.

    "Only in this way can I confirm how absorbed you are in me. You are a normal man, after all. If you are uninterested, that''s what I should worry about." Vivian gave Zachary a reproachful look. She realized that the more she chose to exploit him, the less she could manipulate him. On the contrary, she felt that she was getting more and more curious and engrossed with him.

    "Oh, is that so? I won''t refuse a woman throwing herself at me." Zachary had an impish grin and suddenly stepped forward.

 Chapter 726 The Imperial Level Warrior Contest (Part One)

    Zachary''s crazy behavior made Vivian dizzy. She felt like she was dancing in an abyss. Just as she was finally finding her footing, he suddenly let her go. He calmly adjusted his clothes and said, "Let''s call it a day."

    Vivian was stunned and couldn''t help but ask, "Why?"

    "It would be a pity to finish my entire dish in one bite. So I want to savor it. I can relish in it for a long time. It''s a good mean to kill time. Don''t you think that will be more fun?" Zachary answered with a mocking smile.

    "What? Are you deliberately making fun of me?" Vivian blurted out in anger and glared at him with wide eyes. Zachary had been purposely making fun of her from the start. After slowly making her trust him, he used that trust to give her a hard time. What a hateful man!

    "Am I?" Zachary said disapprovingly. "Are you that desperate to give yourself to me this way?"

    "Of course not!" Vivian answered vehemently as she gritted her teeth. Her body still trembling with passion.

    "Let''s wait and see. You will be mine soon enough. Stay here tonight. I won''t come back today," Zachary said as he reached out his hand and stroked her long hair. Then he turned around and left without looking back.

    Vivian stared blankly at his back, a myriad of thoughts in her mind. She seemed to have been deeply trapped in a net called love that he had set around her. She was never one to willingly admit defeat, even when faced with love. Though she now realized that she was far gone in love with him, she would want the same from him. She would make him feel crazy for her too.

    "I''ll seduce you and show my charm every day from now on. Let''s see how long you can resist," Vivian yelled after Zachary, who was already gone.

    A burst of laughter sounded from outside the door and it lasted for a long time.

    Zachary had been busy in the system training all night. Early the next morning, he returned to the house arranged for him. He saw Vivian and Kemp standing there as if waiting for him.

    "You''re finally back!" Unlike the other times, as soon as Vivian saw Zachary enter the disciple dormitory, a warm smile immediately appeared on her face. She threw herself into his arms like a shy young bride. Their intimacy made Kemp, who was standing beside them, jealous with his eyes flashing viciously.

    "Shall we set ou

    r studies. You should have gone to Shura College, but you missed your chance. With your talent, you might have been able to make some progress in weapon refinement if you had gone," Linda added promptly.

    "Oh, really? But I''m not interested in that," Alisa Ling merely replied, shaking her head.

    "Then let me tell you something more interesting. I''ve heard that among them, there is a warrior the same age as you who can control three treasure beasts at the same time. How does that sound? Same age, same ability to control treasure beasts...Isn''t that amazing? Moreover, he is only a warrior at the medium stage of Imperial Level," Linda added, hoping this piece of information would catch Alisa''s attention.

    "What? He is only at the medium stage? How is that even possible?" Hearing this, Alisa Ling was definitely surprised. As far as she knew, it was almost impossible for a warrior at the medium stage of Imperial Level to control three treasure beasts at the same time. Nothing like this had ever happened in Crane College or even in the Vanity Kingdom.

    "I didn''t think it possible either. But the news seems to have spread all over the Devil Kingdom. It can''t be a lie. It was the first time for me to hear of a warrior from another kingdom able to control three treasure beasts simultaneously. Actually, I''ve only heard of very few warriors who can control two treasure beasts at the same time. But this guy is said to be able to control three. That''s just so unbelievable and I''m very intrigued by him," Linda added excitedly.

 Chapter 727 The Imperial Level Warrior Contest (Part Two)

    "You need not be so curious. He is merely a talented warrior not from our kingdom. I''m not from the Vanity Kingdom either. I was just sent here. I don''t know where I came from though..." Alisa''s voice trailed.

    "What? Haven''t you regained your memories yet?" Hearing that, Linda slightly frowned. She was aware that Alisa Ling had an unusual background. Having lost her memory, she had yet to recover it.

    Alisa Ling shook her head.

    "Did your savior never tell you where you came from?" Linda couldn''t help asking. "Did he really care about you? He saved you, but he never told you anything about your former life. That''s awful!"

    "He had merely saved me by accident. If it weren''t for him, I''d have probably been dead a long time ago. Even if I haven''t regained my memory yet, I''m already grateful because at least I''m still alive. But I believe I''ll regain my memory sooner or later," Alisa Ling said with a pair of hopeful eyes. She had been trying to reach a higher level, to get her memory back and remember everything in her past. That was also why she had reached the premium stage of Imperial Level in just a few years. Her progress had advanced rather quickly.

    "What a poor girl! You always make me feel sorry for you, but it''s a pity that I''m not a man. Otherwise, I would have definitely married you and taken wonderful care of you for the rest of my life." Linda immediately leaned over with a coquettish smile, put her arms around Alisa''s waist, and flirted.

    "Were you a man, I promise you wouldn''t have been able to get within three meters of me. Don''t forget that I''m afraid of men," Alisa Ling replied.

    "Oh, I almost forgot that. But I wonder if your aversion to men came from an underlying cause or it was something you were born with. If it''s the latter, then I''m afraid you will have to live with me for the rest of your life. Of course, I wouldn''t mind and I would be glad to have you by my side," Linda said with a coltish look.

    "Stop making jokes. Are you so free now that you have nothing to deal with? If yes, then I suggest you go back and concentrate on practicing. You should have qualified to participate in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest this time around. But you lost at a critical moment! That''s because you weren''t focused,"

    asts, and are good at beast taming. Yet, you are still not skilled enough. We are staying here for only three months. To improve your beast taming skills and gain more experience, you will receive the most rigorous beast taming training here," Jay said seriously.

    Hearing this, Zachary and the others exchanged meaningful looks with each other.

    "I don''t think they are all so proficient in weapon refinement," Kemp commented dismissively.

    "That''s true, but the Imperial Level Warrior Contest is not meant to measure the ability to refine weapons. It focuses on the candidates'' comprehensive strength. It may be hard to understand, but let me explain something. Although Dignity College is the strongest among all four martial colleges, Crane College students have been winning the contest for years. The reason is that most of their Imperial Level warriors at the premium stage could control two treasure beasts at the same time. What''s more, I just heard that during Crane College''s qualifying test, a young female stood out. She could control three treasure beasts simultaneously." Jay gave a detailed explanation.

    "Really? That''s amazing. Then I must ensure I get the chance to test out how powerful she is!" Nola stated with a dynamic expression on her face.

    "The chance will come, eventually. Well, that''s enough for now. Let''s go. These Imperial level warriors will take us to our rooms first," Jay replied.

    Then Zachary and the others followed the warriors from Crane College to their rooms.

 Chapter 728 The Bamboo House

    Zachary, along with other Imperial Level warriors, including those from Crane College, made their way into the island. They kept going through its undulating terrain, but soon, they discovered something weird. After a half day''s walk, they seemed to get farther away from Crane College, as if setting off in its opposite direction, going toward the island''s mountainside. Before long, they arrived at a dangerous territory infested by martial beasts. Additionally, these martial beasts had strength so powerfully built, and practically all of them were above the Imperial Level.

    Along the course of their travel, they ran into an ambush of countless Imperial Level martial beasts. However, before Zachary and his companions could do something to retaliate, these Crane College warriors who led the entire group, handled the beasts well. It was only until now that Zachary realized why these warriors escorted them here. It became apparent that they functioned as their guards to ensure their safety.

    "Jay, did they guide us in the wrong way?" Tracy asked with uncertainty.

    "I don''t think so," Jay replied. Although he also considered it odd to go through that trail, he felt that Crane College wouldn''t make such a foolish mistake.

    Almost an hour later, they arrived at a bamboo forest. The Crane College guides stopped before several small shacks made of bamboo and wood. All these houses looked abandoned and unoccupied for a long time. One of them turned to Jay and said, "Jay, this is your house."

    "What do you mean? Is this the place Barnes has prepared for us to stay?" Jay blurted out in dismay as his face became disheartened. He never expected that Crane College would provide them with such a dreary place in the forest''s remote area far from Crane College.

    "That''s right." The warrior nodded at once.

    "Are you being serious right now? How could you let us live in such a disgusting place? Why? Are you patronizing on the entire Devil Kingdom and us?" Kemp queried harshly. He was one of Xiao Clan''s well-respected and high-ranking Imperial Level warriors at the premium stage, so he was used to receiving special treatment. Therefore, it was only logical that he became irate at the sight of this shabby residence provided by Crane College.

    "Please don''t take this personally against me. It was Barnes who made the arrangement. If you have any criticisms, you can discuss it with him tomorrow when you meet him. Right now, we are simply adhering to the orders," the man coolly replied, just as though he was not upset by the guests'' outburst.

    Kemp was about to add some more in retaliation, but Jay waved him off and signaled to him to relax. He then said, "Well, since we don''t have a choice, let''s settle here tonight and get some much-needed rest. We''ll deliberate about it tomorrow."

    "I agree. Have a good night''s sleep. We are leaving now. Please excuse us." The man nodded to the other warriors after speaking, and slowly spun around to take off. However, b

    cultivation potential. So, if we meet this condition, we can start the formal cultivation," Anne explained.

    "I get you. But how do we carry out the formal cultivation?" Zachary asked. He knew Anne just delivered him some great news. The sooner his formal cultivation with her started, the more beneficial it would be for him. His promotion speed would have accelerated, and it could bring him a bigger chance to be more intimate with her.

    "The cultivation methods in the world vary from each other, but the realms are practically the same. There are five realms in total. The first one gets their basis on the mutual cultivation of the warriors'' energies. In this realm, the cultivators would both reach the state where their bodies and minds connect. When we cultivate, we have to enter a state where we only care about our partner, no other outsiders. The cultivators are required to trust each other with their entire hearts fully," Anne explained.

    "This should be no problem for us. We can do that," Zachary exclaimed eagerly.

    "Yes, I think so too. I think we can enter the first realm of mutual cultivation ahead of time. I intended to wait for one more month before doing this with you, but now, I don''t think we should wait that long." Anne nodded in approval. She originally planned to delay for another month before proceeding to the next stage because she was worried that Zachary wouldn''t be ready yet. If they forced themselves to continue cultivating to the next step, it would be disadvantageous to him. But after observing him for a few days, she established that he was unusually good at cultivating with her. She even enjoyed cultivating with him even if she wouldn''t admit it. She could safely begin the formal cultivation with him.

    "Then, can we start our formal cultivation tomorrow?" Zachary asked, his voice full of enthusiasm.

    Anne nodded her consent.

    Zachary laughed out loud. After all, he had been waiting for the next step to happen for a long time.

 Chapter 729 A Surprise Visit From Linda

    Zachary left the Living-dead Tomb and returned to the system. When day broke, he went back to the Tiger Bamboo Forest. It was still early, and everyone else seemed to be busy cultivating, so he didn''t disturb them. Since he couldn''t enter the system again, he hung a hammock on a couple of the bamboo trees and closed his eyes to rest as he waited.

    Just as Zachary was about to doze off, he felt a sudden aura appear. A strange fragrance filled the air soon after. His eyes shot open only to land on a delicate figure hanging onto the bamboo tree above him. She stared at him as her hands crossed over her chest.

    "Beautiful lady, are you staring at me while I was sleeping?" Zachary asked as he calmly got up and looked back at the woman hanging upside down on the tree. He noticed that she looked quite exotic. She was tanned and was very well built. Even though her physique was rather masculine, she was both enchanting and fascinating. Her tight purple outfit revealed her slim figure. She was a wonderful work of art.

    As he studied her, the woman dropped down in front of Zachary. She folded her arms across her chest and asked, "Are you the attendant for the Devil Kingdom warriors?"

    "Attendant?" Zachary echoed in confusion. Did he look like a humble attendant? The comment made him look down at himself. He realized he was dressed in shabby clothes and looked quite a fright. No wonder she thought he was an attendant. Thankfully, he could hide his true strength from other warriors. That way, unless he actively used his power, others would think him weak.

    "Yes, I''m their attendant. They are all cultivating their powers at the moment. May I know your name, please?" Zachary asked. He decided not to let her know his true identity for the time being.

    "My name is Linda," the woman replied immediately.

    "Oh, Linda. I heard of several beautiful warriors at the Imperial Level in Crane College when I arrived. They mentioned Linda as one of them. I''m so lucky to be able to see you with my own eyes. I must admit that you really live up to your reputation," Zachary praised in admiration, quickly putting on an act.

    "You are such a sweet talker, but men with sweet mouths all happen to be bastards," Linda said with a meaningful look as she looked Zachary over. Such behavior always made her feel sick.

    "I''m no one. Surely you don''t think I can deceive girls, especially an excellent warrior like you. It would go beyond my imagination to even try t

    thing worth collecting, I''ll tell you where he is now." In reality, he did not mean to collect anything from Linda. He only wanted to make things difficult for her so she would give up.

    "Something worth collecting? What do you want?" Linda asked frankly as she stared at him with her beautiful eyes.

    "Well, something of yours perhaps," Zachary said with a snicker, trying to make her leave and stop questioning him.

    "Something that belongs to me?" Linda was taken aback for a moment but then smiled knowingly. "I know men are nasty creatures. But I don''t care right now. Wait a second." With that, she turned around so that he was facing her back.

    Zachary saw some shifting beneath Linda''s clothes. Soon, she turned around again with a brassiere in her hand.

    "How about this? It should be enough," she said as she threw it at Zachary''s face.

    Zachary caught it with ease and immediately felt a tempting smell waft to his nose, making him restless. He sighed inwardly, ''This woman is too reckless. She gave me her brassiere without hesitation or any shyness. I have underestimated her!''

    "Now, tell me, where is Harley?" Linda demanded.

    "He must have gone out for some morning exercise. He''s probably nearby. I think since you''re at the Imperial Level, you will be able to come across him quickly," Zachary answered after some time.

    "Okay, thank you!" Linda didn''t wait after that and walked away.

    "I didn''t expect such a wild woman to target me as soon as I arrived. It appears that life here will be a bit more fire than I had thought it would be," Zachary murmured and laughed as he stared at the brassiere in his hand.

 Chapter 730 Crane College

    "It''s still early. What are you doing, just standing there and smiling like a goof?" Vivian''s voice sounded. She had come out from one of the bamboo houses and caught Zachary with a leery smile as he held onto something.

    Zachary turned around and saw Vivian. He immediately put the brassiere in his hand into the system and replied, "Oh, nothing."

    "What was in your hand just now?" Vivian asked curiously.

    "That''s a secret," Zachary answered cheekily, raising his brows.

    "Don''t be so stingy. Just tell me. Oh, by the way, I could have sworn someone was here. Who was it?" Vivian asked. She had sensed another aura beside Zachary''s before coming out. Something told her that the aura belonged to someone strong.

    "Oh, yes. An Imperial Level warrior passed by, but he has already left," Zachary replied casually giving her a random excuse.

    "Really?" Vivian narrowed her eyes, clearly having a hard time believing him.

    As they talked, Tracy, Nola, Kemp, and their companion walked out of their bamboo houses one after the other. Jay was the last to come out.

    "Did you all rest well last night?" Jay looked around at them and asked.

    "Not good at all! Those bastards were crying and screaming all night outside. I wasn''t able to cultivate at all!" Kemp cursed angrily.

    "Same here. There were several martial beasts nearby last night. They were so annoying. I sent my beast out to drive them away," Tracy echoed with a nod. This was not a good environment for warriors to cultivate.

    "Jay, I think Crane College brought us here to give us a head-on blow without giving us a chance. It''s highly possible that they want to make us return to the Devil Kingdom as soon as possible," Kemp surmised snidely.

    "That''s not true. Every year, before the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, warriors from each kingdom would go to other colleges for further study. This has been an ongoing tradition for years. I don''t think Crane College is maliciously trying to drive us back home. Moreover, I have led more teams to Crane College than you can imagine. From experience, I know that''s not their intent. It''s possible there''s something else going on this time around, though. To be fair, Barnes, who''s in charge of arranging everything for us, has always been unreasonable. It''s actually my first time working with him. I''ve heard about his

    training today," the guide explained at once.

    "Training?" Jay was perplexed.

    And he wasn''t the only one. Zachary and the rest looked at one another, equally curious.

    "That''s right. If you want to learn how to control a treasure beast, you have to study different kinds of beasts. This is a very important and basic requirement to qualify as a beast tamer. As such, your task today is to bring the treasure beasts that were released earlier back to the beast barn," the guide said.

    "Bring them back in? But how do we know if they are from this beast barn? Isn''t there more than one beast barn in Crane College?" Vivian asked hesitantly.

    "Each treasure beast in this barn has its own plate with the Earth sign engraved on it. You can easily identify the beasts as they''re all at the lowest Earth Level. Don''t forget, some treasure beasts are ill-tempered and won''t want to come back with you. So, it may take you some time and effort to bring them back in," the guide added sternly.

    "Did Barnes also arrange this?" Jay asked, his face darkening. While it wasn''t the first time for him to lead a team to Crane College, none of the previous ones had had to go through this. He was questioning the college''s true intentions now.

    "Yes. He said that if you weren''t able to bring all the treasure beasts back before dark, you wouldn''t be able to see him today," the guide explained patiently.

    Barnes'' true intentions were unmistakable. He had given them this task to avoid meeting them today. He was deliberately making things difficult for them.

 Chapter 731 Beast Taming Training

    "Are you insulting us?" Kemp couldn''t help but called out angrily.

    "Everyone in Crane College receives such training for at least a year, especially if they want to reach the premium stage of Imperial Level from the Earth Level. So, the intention behind this training is not to make things difficult for you. Instead, it will benefit you. We all know that you only have three months staying here. For you to gain some useful experiences and skills in beast taming, this is not the time to complain. I suggest you seize this opportunity," the guide said calmly, not the least bit affected by the anger Kemp was directing at him.

    Hearing this rendered Kemp speechless. He decided not to say anything more.

    "I personally believe that this training sounds interesting. I''ll start right away," Zachary exclaimed ruefully. This was a chance for him to get more genetic samples from the treasure beasts in Crane College''s beast barn. Getting samples from the Earth Level barn alone was going to be difficult of itself.

    "I''ll go with you," Vivian blurted out at once. Before Zachary could say anything to refuse her, she grabbed his arm. She had gotten much smarter than the last time when he had left without bringing her along.

    "You are such a troublesome woman," Zachary commented helplessly as he glanced at her. Since there was no helping it, he brought her with him this time. He was already plotting to leave her behind the second a chance presented itself later.

    "I think things will go better if we team up. Two people in one team. Nola, do you mind teaming up together?" Tracy addressed Nola.

    "Of course I don''t mind. Let''s do this," Nola replied at once, nodding her head.

    Then the two girls left.

    Kemp and the other Imperial Level warrior looked at one another, and then left together as well.

    "Barnes thought that waiting here might bore you. So, he prepared a lounge in the yard beside the beast barn especially for you so you can kill time there," the guide said to Jay after they all left.

    "I see. Thanks." Jay nodded and followed the three warriors from Crane College.

    Vivian was a nuisance to Zachary. With her beside him, he couldn''t use his secret skills as he wished. Not only that, but she also seemed determined on showing off their relationship. She kept purposely holding his arm and leaning on him.

    Zachary and Vivian came across many Crane College warriors once they left the beast barn. They whispered and pointed their fingers at them. Eyes filled with jealousy, they wondered how Zachary had caught such a beautiful woman. After all, his face was currently horrid.

    "Please, stop behaving like this. Everyone here is a stranger. We don''t need to behave

    "I see! You are only looking for an excuse to get rid of me!" Vivian glared at Zachary.

    "If only you could fly, I wouldn''t have minded taking you with me," Zachary smiled.

    "Fly?" Vivian was stunned.

    "Like this." As soon as Zachary finished speaking, the Flying Boots under his feet flashed and lifted him into the air.

    "Oh, I almost forgot that you can fly." At that time, Vivian finally realized that Zachary had a treasure that helped him fly in the air.

    "If you have nothing else to do, you can go relax. It''s about time to return to the beast barn. But take care not to get abducted by other men," Zachary joked.

    "Don''t worry. I won''t turn to other men. I haven''t conquered you yet," Vivian said through gritted teeth.

    With a smile at the corners of his mouth, Zachary flew away.

    Flying around Crane College, Zachary saw that it had many beast barns in various sizes. There were at least seven or eight of them, with at least a thousand treasure beasts raised here. That was a terrifying number of treasure beasts!

    How did Crane College get so many treasure beasts? Did they rely on artificial reproduction? Zachary rubbed his chin and thought it over.

    That was all the information he had gathered so far. Realizing that he couldn''t find anything more interesting, he went back. As he was about to descend to the ground, he caught sight of a snow-white beast shadow rushing towards him at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, it had rushed in front of him. Its speed startled him and made it difficult for Zachary to even identify it. Though he had dodged it in time, the impact still rocked him.

    Zachary knew the Flying Boots were about to reach their limit. He couldn''t maintain his balance in the air any longer, conscious of how dangerous the drop would be.

 Chapter 732 Zacharys Fiancee

    "Watch out!" A sweet voice suddenly came from the snow-white beast. Then, a woman dressed in blue shot a few soft but tough silk threads from the snow-white beast. In an instant, the threads wrapped around Zachary''s wrist, preventing him from falling.

    Zachary adjusted his body midair and slowly landed on the ground with the help of the threads.

    Instead of taking back her silk threads, the woman in blue followed Zachary to the ground.

    Not long after, both of them settled down a few meters from each other.

    "Thank you for your help." Once he was steady on his feet, Zachary checked himself and then breathed a sigh of relief. That drop would have caused some damage if he hadn''t been saved. He immediately looked up at the snow-white beast and the woman clad in blue.

    The woman got off the beast and moved towards Zachary. When their eyes met, he was taken aback for a moment.

    "What? Alisa?" Zachary''s body shook in astonishment. The delicate face right in front of him merged with the woman from his memory. Although she had completely changed and become more beautiful, he found her familiar. Feelings that were constantly surging from deep within him rolled around with memories he couldn''t remember. He was certain this woman was identical to the fiancee of the original owner of the body he was inhabiting.

    Before, Zachary had mistakenly thought Katrina was the fiancee. However, Katrina had only resembled her in spirit. This woman was a perfect fit, from look to spirit.

    When the woman heard Zachary call her Alisa, she instantly stopped. How could a stranger she had never seen before know her name? Despite her memory loss, she still vaguely remembered some man calling her that once. Unfortunately, she couldn''t remember his face. It was all like a hazy dream.

    She stopped moving closer and stared at Zachary without even blinking. It was as if she was looking for something that might help remind her of her past. Sadly, she got nothing out of him. That might have partially been because he was not the original Zachary.

    "Why did you call me Alisa?" I don''t even know who you are," she asked in a steely voice. Zachary''s tone as he called her name made her uncomfortable.

    "Your name is Alisa Ling. Am I right?" Zachary asked with narrowed eyes.

    "Everyone in Crane Col

    hink they will complete this task today. So, I don''t think you will have the chance to see Harley today," Zachary answered, pretending to feel sorry for her. But he was secretly playing hard to get. Some part of him was convinced Linda might know how to make those beasts go back to their home on their own.

    "Barnes always likes to play these tricks. He tricked me with this same before. It''s actually rather easy to get those treasure beasts to go back," Linda stated with a smile before she let out a chuckle.

    "Really? Could you please tell me what it is?" Zachary asked promptly.

    "Take me to find Harley first. I will tell him in person when I see him." Linda was not stupid. She was sure that the man in front of her knew where her target was.

    Zachary hesitated. He couldn''t just tell her he was the person she was looking for. Even if he told her the truth, it was highly likely that she would not believe his words. Not to mention, she might choose to teach him a lesson. With her strength, dealing with her would mean trouble.

    "Linda, you are putting me in a corner here. Crane College is rather big. I really don''t know where to find him. But we can make a deal. If you tell me how to fulfill this task, I promise I will let you meet Harley," Zachary continued.

    "I don''t believe you," Linda said tightly.

    "Well, then I''m afraid there is only one thing for me to do now. I will show what you gave me earlier to everyone and tell them that you have fallen in love with me." Zachary chose to use his trump card.

 Chapter 733 The No. 1 Imperial Level Warrior

    "How dare you! You''d better watch yourself or you''re going to die!" Linda Glared at Zachary. She hadn''t expected him to threaten her; he was certainly a bold follower.

    "Linda, it''s up to you whether you reveal the method to me or not. Or you could kill me and create some serious trouble between the two colleges." He was not actually afraid she would attack him. Firstly, he was from the Devil Kingdom, and secondly, she did not have such ruthlessness in her.

    This threat from him left Linda speechless. She knew fighting him was impossible; he was from the Devil Kingdom after all. He might have only been a follower, but she still could not randomly kill him. And yet she could not allow him to take her close-fitting thing and blab around about it, getting her into trouble. A compromise was her only option.

    "I can tell you the method, but you have to promise not to let anyone know I told you." She pondered a good moment before deciding on these terms. She was no fool and would not let herself be at his mercy.

    "Sure. No problem," Zachary agreed. He then smiled and asked, "So what exactly is the method?"

    "There are a total of four bell towers in the Crane College, each of which is used to recall treasure beasts at different levels from the beast barn. Find the bell tower which can recall the Earth Level treasure beasts and ring the bell. But if this training exercise set by Barnes, the bell tower will be heavily guarded to prevent you from finding any loopholes," answered Linda.

    "I knew there was a way and it''s true!" Zachary replied nodding. It appeared he had guessed correctly.

    "Well, best of luck and take care of yourself, I''ll talk to Harley later. You should give that back now," said Linda. She seemed afraid that he would use her close-fitting thing against her and wanted desperately to get it back.

    "How could I give back the treasure you have given me? Don''t worry, I''ll keep it safe," Zachary said firmly.

    "I held up my end of the deal, don''t be difficult!" Linda growled. Now he was going too far.

    "Ho

    wn managed to catch up to them. Alisa had seriously injured herself in saving Zachary and she had been in life-threatening danger. To protect her, he hid her in a safe place and lured away the pursuing warriors. Zachary was then chased to the end of a cliff and almost went off the edge. Fortunately, Lewis, the leader of the Welkin Sect, came to his rescue. When they rushed back for Alisa, she was gone. It appeared that she had been taken and her whereabouts were unknown. At first, it was assumed that she had been taken by other mysterious warriors, but according to Lewis'' information, Armand had not captured her. It was very likely that someone else had taken her away but who it was remained a mystery.

    Two strange things had occurred that puzzled Zachary. First, someone had saved Alisa and taken her to the Vanity Kingdom, ten thousand miles away from the Enigmatic Kingdom. Second, her strength seemed to have improved by leaps and bounds. Although she had already possessed a decent level of strength and good talent, by now, she should have, at most, only reached the primary stage of the Imperial Level. But to be the No.1 Imperial Level warrior! She must have either had some intense, lucky experiences or the help of some seriously powerful masters in the past few years. Without that, she would not have been able to grow at the incredible rate she had.

 Chapter 734 The Bell Tower

    Although Zachary had occupied this body and taken over its consciousness, he knew that the dearest wish of the original owner of the body was to find his fiancee. Thus, he felt an obligation to do just that, especially since the woman was in Crane College right now. This was a great opportunity to fulfill a task he viewed as necessary. But there was another problem¡ªthe woman seemed to have lost her memory. He wondered why she had no memory of the original owner of this body.

    As he thought about the matter, he glanced over at Linda. His gut was telling him that she knew something about it.

    "Don''t you know that? Alisa has just won the qualifying test of Imperial Level Warrior Contest in the Crane College. She has also defeated the former number one Imperial Level warrior of the college," Linda explained. "That''s why she has been promoted to the number one Imperial Level warrior of our college. This news has spread throughout the Supernal Continent." She met Zachary''s eyes with a strange expression, concerned about the tone of his question. She had assumed he was asking about Alisa because he had heard about her promotion, but judging from the way he had asked if she knew Alisa, she realized that there must be something more he wasn''t telling her.

    Zachary was quick to reply. "Oh, I must admit I had no idea about her accomplishments. I just happened to pass by some disciples who mentioned her name, and they seemed to admire her very much, which is why I was curious about her." His excuse sounded plausible, but Linda was not entirely convinced.

    "Well, now you know her story," she said, giving him a slightly reproachful look.

    "Yes, thank you for explaining it to me. She sounds like an amazing person," Zachary answered solemnly.

    "Great!" Linda said. She pinned him with a fierce stare. "But if you have any evil intentions, I suggest you drop them now. Alisa is my woman! I''ll challenge anyone who hurts her or thinks about having her!" Linda''s announcement shocked him, whose mouth dropped open as she patted her chest with all the bravado of a man.

    "What do you mean?" he spluttered. "She''s your woman?" He couldn''t contain his surprise upon hearing Linda''s outrageous claim. He couldn''t help wondering if Linda actually loved women instead of men.

    "Why?" she asked defiantly. "Is it banned for women to like other women? Alisa''s contempt for men is well-known in Crane College. She hasn''t allowed any men to get close to her, so there is no chance she will marry a man. That''s why I will be her partner for the rest of her life." Linda spoke in a firm, proud tone, as though what she was saying was completely natural.

    Zachary was at a loss for words. For a moment, he was silent. Then he asked, "So when did Alisa first enter Crane College?"

    h disbelief.

    "Don''t you want to know where Harley is? He will appear after I make a move," Zachary said, giving her an unexpected grin. Without waiting for Linda''s response, he swaggered towards the bell tower.

    "Is he out of his mind?" Linda muttered. She stared at Zachary''s back as he walked away from her. She wore a strange expression, but decided not to do anything. She would wait and see how this played out.

    In moments, Zachary was close to the bell tower, but he was immediately blocked by the warrior at the primary stage of Imperial Level. This must be the person in charge of guarding the bell tower.

    "Stay back! By the order of Barnes, no one is allowed to come to the bell tower today," the warrior shouted, scowling at Zachary.

    "I apologize. But I have to get to the bell tower today," Zachary said calmly.

    "Brat, you''re too presumptuous. You''re just a disciple! How dare you make trouble here?" the warrior asked furiously. He was infuriated by Zachary''s tone. The brat sounded like he expected to just walk into the tower.

    Meanwhile, several disciples of the Crane College had noticed the commotion at the bell tower, and they moved closer to see what was happening. They clustered together and traded whispers and gossip as they watched Zachary. They had never seen him before, so they assumed he was a new disciple who had just entered Crane College.

    "Are you sure I''m just a disciple?" Zachary said coolly. As he spoke, he released his aura, which began to grow rapidly. It swept violently across the surroundings, becoming stronger and stronger.

    In an instant, his aura turned into a fierce wind that blew around an area at least a hundred meters in diameter, with Zachary standing at the center. The disciples and the guards were flabbergasted. They instantly recognized that his aura was at the Imperial Level.

 Chapter 735 Showing His Real Strength

    "What? He''s a warrior at the Imperial Level! I didn''t notice at all!" Linda was just as stunned as the rest. Never had she thought that Zachary, someone regarded as an attendant, could ever be a warrior at the Imperial Level. The thought made her frown. ''Even though he''s an Imperial Level warrior, he''s still struggling to enter the bell tower. The one guarding the tower is a top-ranked Imperial Level warrior. He can even control two treasure beasts simultaneously!'' she thought inwardly.

    "Who the hell are you? You aren''t an Imperial Level warrior of our Crane College!" Seeing how Zachary suddenly displayed his strength, the guard was also shocked. Recognizing that the man before him was not a member of the Crane College, he immediately began questioning Zachary rather sternly.

    "You will know who I am when I ring the bell," Zachary said with a mysterious smile.

    "Brat, I don''t care who you are, but I won''t let you get any closer to this building!" As the guard yelled at him, his Virtual Air Space shook all around him. In an instant, two beasts jumped out of the void, one on the left and the other on the right. Neither of them were ordinary¡ªthey were at the peak of King Level.

    "The Imperial Level warriors of the Crane College are really something. You can easily summon two treasure beasts, even though they don''t seem to be all that strong," Zachary mocked sarcastically.

    His insult got the guard even more furious. The next moment, the guard controlled his two treasure beasts and had them rush toward Zachary to attack.

    At this moment, a fire shadow suddenly fell from the sky, landing right in front of Zachary. It spread its wide wings, making its flaming feathers shoot down like arrows, directly attacking the guard''s two treasure beasts. The latter, as a result, hurriedly dodged to avoid being attacked.

    The crowd then burst into an uproar. No one had expected a treasure beast to fall from the sky to Zachary''s defense.

    Then, the real body of the flaming shadow was revealed¡ªit was none other than Zachary''s treasure beast, the Blazing Roc.

    "Hey, isn''t it the Blazing Roc?"

    "That''s right. It''s an ordinary treasure beast, but it''s very advanced with the metal element. It''s born with the natural energy fire. Weapon refiners in the Devil

    other guards at the King Level all grew so scared that their legs turned weak. All they could do was watch him walk up to the bell tower.

    But at this moment, a beast shadow with flames covering its body rushed over from afar. In an instant, a dazzling and strong fire bomb spurted from the beast shadow''s mouth to hit Zachary.

    Bang!

    He was caught off guard. The dazzling fire bomb exploded directly in front of him. In an instant, the flames began burning in all directions, and the heat was absolutely scorching. The power of this explosion was frightening¡ªthe very ground within a dozen meters got scorched instantly. It displayed just how powerful the strike was.

    "It''s Julian!" A great uproar emerged from the disciples of the Crane College.

    Almost simultaneously, a figure in a red robe jumped down from the fire beast¡ªhe was tall and lean, with thick brows and sharp eyes. His very demeanor seemed arrogant, while his aura was at the premium stage of Imperial Level. His arrival had the whole audience completely shocked.

    The man was a warrior at the premium stage of Imperial Level from the Crane College¡ªhe was none other than Julian Huo. Since he had subdued a top-five scarce treasure beast named the Raging Fire Beast, it was no wonder he became famous.

    Now, the thick smoke from the fire bomb also dissipated. Out of everyone''s expectation, an ice barrier appeared in their sight. Once it disintegrated, Zachary appeared, standing there, safe and sound. But his eyes had grown completely cold.

 Chapter 736 You Must Be Harley

    "You must rank among one of the Imperial Level warriors from the Devil Kingdom, right?" asked Julian, staring sharply at Zachary.

    "Yes. May I ask for your name?" Zachary replied calmly. He stopped mounting the stairs, because he knew that Julian was powerful, and it was best not to underestimate him.

    "I''m Julian Huo," he said coldly.

    "So you are Julian. I''ve heard a lot about you!" Zachary clapped his hands, pretending to be polite.

    "Don''t act so hypocritically. Barnes has issued an order. No one is allowed near the bell tower today. If you have any sense, you''ll leave now. Otherwise, proceed at your own risk!" Julian warned arrogantly.

    ''I didn''t expect that Julian would also step in. Things are much more complicated now. Maybe they will have to duel each other. However, with Julian as his opponent, he will certainly suffer greatly. Julian''s Raging Fire Beast is a scarce treasure beast, and it is considered to be one of the most powerful among the treasure beasts of Crane College. Moreover, its strength has already measured to a warrior at the premium stage of the Imperial Level. Therefore, Julian has no need to actually fight himself. His Raging Fire Beast alone is powerful enough.'' Now, Linda was worried about Zachary because no matter how capable he was, he would be no match for Julian.

    "How do you know if you don''t give it a try?" Zachary ignored Julian and proceeded to mount the stairs.

    "You are asking for it!" Julian snorted and balled his fist.

    All of a sudden, the Raging Fire Beast, which had been preparing to fight, transformed into a fireball and pounced straight at Zachary. The roaring flames covered its body, flickering so intimidatingly that everyone felt frightened.

    Before the beast closed in, Zachary already felt its heat burning all over his body, but he was without fear and did not stop. At almost the same time, the Blazing Roc that was loyal to Zachary instantly rushed forward from his side. It spread its wings and dove down, intent on stopping the beast. However, the strength of this Raging Fire Beast far exceeded that of the Blazing Roc, so before the Blazing Roc could intercede, the beast opened its fiery maw and suddenly spurted forth a fierce fire. In an instant, a wave of flame washed over the Blazing Roc,

    required to do this.

    "It''s him! That guy is Harley!" Seeing the third treasure beast¡ªthe Thunder Dragon Horse¡ªappearing beside Zachary, Linda, who previously had refused to admit it, finally exclaimed in surprise.

    Now everyone''s eyes fixated on Zachary. Although they had heard that one of the Imperial Level warriors of the Devil Kingdom had the capability to control three treasure beasts at once, they had not believed it until they now witnessed it with their own eyes. But because they had seen this series of events happening right here, they looked even more shocked. They did not expect that in addition to the Vanity Kingdom, in the realm of the three kingdoms there was a warrior of Imperial Level who could possess this astonishing capability of beast taming.

    After striking the bell, Zachary descended the stairs at a leisurely stroll. He cupped his hands and said to Julian, "Sorry about that."

    "You must be Harley! The champion at the Imperial Level Warrior Contest of the Devil Kingdom." Now Julian knew without a doubt of Zachary''s identity.

    Of course, as soon as Julian said this, the crowd burst into an uproar again, because they had never considered that the young man in front of them was actually Harley. He did not seem like much, appearing ordinary, but he was able to control three treasure beasts simultaneously! In addition, although he was only at the medium stage of Imperial Level, he had become the champion warrior at the recent Imperial Level Warrior Contest of the Devil Kingdom.

 Chapter 737 A Rare Weapon

    "I didn''t expect you to know who I am," Zachary replied, with a slight smile.

    "I''ve heard of you," Julian said, sneering. "But I don''t care who you are and where you are from! As long as you are in Crane College, you must abide by our rules. Just now, you have ignored the warning, disobeyed Barnes'' orders, and rang the bell. I''ll bring you to Barnes, and you''ll get the punishment you deserve for breaking our rules." With that, Julian unleashed his aura. As a warrior at the premium stage of Imperial Level, his strength was incredible, and his aura filled the air surrounding him.

    Everyone watching the confrontation knew that Zachary was in big trouble. No one in Crane College dared to offend Julian, for he was powerful and relentless, and offenders would never know a moment of peace until they had been punished to Julian''s satisfaction.

    "Oh, is it as serious as all that? It sounds frightening!" Zachary replied, faking a look of surprise and fear.

    Julian glared at him. "Of course this is serious. In Crane College, rules are the most important, and no one is exempted. If you violate the rules, you must pay the consequences!" he said solemnly.

    "So what happens if I refuse to leave with you?" Zachary asked. He spoke in a casual tone but there was a gleam of defiance in his eyes.

    "Then I will take you away by force. It is true that with your three treasure beasts, you manage to block my Raging Fire Beast just now. But I have two more treasure beasts. I doubt you''ll be able to deal with them," Julian stated. He was quite proud of his status as one of the few warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level in Crane College who could simultaneously control three treasure beasts.

    However, Zachary did not look bothered by the threat. "That''s true. I have no more treasure beasts to block yours. But anyway, I''m looking forward to seeing how powerful your other two treasure beasts are," he answered lightly.

    "You!" Julian exclaimed. He was slightly unnerved by how indifferent Zachary seemed. For a moment, he couldn''t think of anything else to say. Then he decided it didn''t matter. He had no intention of being polite to Zachary, so he might as well just take him down.

    "Hold on, Julian!" said a sudden, sweet voice from behind him.

    Julian turned to see the figure of a lovely young woman floating towards him and Zachary. She landed in front of them.

    Julian recognized her immediately. "Oh, Linda, it''s you. What brings you here?" he asked. His attitude had changed dramatically, as he dropped his aggressiveness towards Zachary in order to speak politely to Linda.

    "I''m here for him," Linda replied, pointing one long finger at Zachary.

    "Huh?" Julian was stunned.

    "Yes, I''v

    an ordinary dagger. I bring it with me to peel martial beasts sometimes," Linda replied casually.

    Zachary tilted his head, thinking. Linda gazed at him with anticipation. After several moments, he flipped his hand, and something small and gleaming appeared in his palm. He held it out to show Linda and said, "This is the Crescent Dagger, a seven-star Imperial Level weapon. Although it is not very rare, and it doesn''t have any special elements, it''s still good for self-defense. This is my gift to you."

    As soon as she saw the Crescent Dagger, Linda''s eyes widened. She felt as though she had fallen in love with the shining, exquisitely crafted dagger, which was far superior to any weapon she had ever used.

    "Are you sure you want to give it to me? That is a truly rare weapon, and it is very valuable here in the Vanity Kingdom. You don''t need to give me such a priceless and wondrous gift." She was hesitant about accepting a gift of such value, for on her own she could never afford it.

    "Don''t worry about it. Just take this and consider it a gift. After all, I can afford to give it away," Zachary said, reaching out to place the dagger in her hands.

    Linda gripped the dagger, smiling with pleasure at the beauty and balance of the weapon. She tested it for a few minutes, familiarizing herself with how to use it, and Zachary watched her with a grin. Finally, she turned to him and said, "This is a good gift, so I''ll forgive you this time."

    "Thank you for your kindness," Zachary said, giving her a grateful look. In truth, he had decided it would be best to stay in Linda''s good graces because he thought it would help him get closer to Alisa. Judging by what she had said earlier, the two of them were very close friends, so he would need Linda''s help in order to find out more about Alisa.

 Chapter 738 Make Such A Fuss

    "I actually didn''t plan to hurt you. If I did want you to suffer, I wouldn''t have stopped Julian from making a move just then," Linda said while glaring intensely at Zachary, full of disdain.

    "Is this Julian very powerful? Should I be worried?" Zachary asked casually.

    "Yes to both questions! As one of the Crane College''s top ten Imperial Level warriors, he''s qualified for the Imperial Level Warrior Contest and his treasure beast, the Raging Fire Beast, is ranked second in the treasure beasts'' power ranking list, second only to Alisa''s Coco. Not to mention, the total fighting power of his three treasure beasts is ranked third in our college. If I hadn''t stopped him, you''d have been in big trouble!" Linda revealed, nodding and pretending to be serious. Still, she spoke the truth; Julian was definitely one of the top Imperial Level warriors in the Crane College. More to it, he was Barnes'' right-hand man.

    "Oh wow, that certainly is quite impressive! I did not expect to encounter such power just as I entered the Crane College. It seems I should be more careful." He may have spoken the words, but he didn''t attach much weight to them. In truth, he was bothered little.

    "It''s good that you know, so next time you see him, do your best to avoid him. He has quite a narrow mind and is very vindictive. You may have slipped away this time, but I''m afraid if he gets an opportunity to cause you any sort of trouble again, he will take it," Tina pointed out.

    "I see. It''s getting late. I should head back now. Linda, thank you for your help. I wonder if I may have the honor of calling you my friend," Zachary asked suggestively and with a courteous smile. He had known Linda for a little while now, and although she was hot-tempered, she was actually a kind-hearted woman. Plus she had a good relationship with Alisa, which allowed him to establish a friendship with her.

    "Be friends with me? You wish!" She hadn''t expected him to want to make a friend of her and de

    ed and Tracy and the others were worried too. They knew Zachary was in deep trouble now.

    "Where is he?" Barnes demanded.

    "Harley hasn''t come back yet," Jay replied after a short hesitation.

    "He hasn''t come back? He would not dare come back. It doesn''t matter. I''ve sent people to search for him throughout the entire college. I''ll do whatever it takes to find him!" Barnes said with contempt.

    "Barnes, I don''t think such a fuss is necessary!" Jay felt that he was unnecessarily riled up. They were guests after all. Even though Zachary had made some mistakes, he should not be treated like this. They held a high status in the Devil Kingdom, and they couldn''t bear to be treated like this.

    "A fuss? Humph! Do you think our Crane College is the kind of place where people randomly make trouble and are allowed to do so? When you come to our college, you must abide by our rules. Anyone who violates these rules must be severely punished. Now a warrior of the Imperial Level, from the Devil Kingdom, has violated our rules. I won''t turn a blind eye to it. If I do, news will spread and our Crane College will not be respected in the Supernal Continent or any of the four martial colleges." Barnes spoke sternly as he cast a glance at Jay, as if he was sure to find Zachary and punish him as he felt he deserved.

 Chapter 739 Waste Of Time

    At the sight of the current situation, Jay felt a little headache on setting. Never did he expect it to be so difficult to deal with Barnes. As a matter of fact, with his superior strength, he didn''t have to be so cautious about facing Barnes. But Jay and his team had to behave in the Crane College on behalf of Shura College as well as the entire Devil Kingdom. He had to put the overall situation first.

    "Why don''t we go and look for him?" At the moment, Tracy could feel things sort of falling apart, so she felt the proposal to be necessary. She figured it was better for them to find Zachary than to let the people of the Crane College find him first. If they found him first, she was afraid that Zachary would suffer losses inevitably.

    "Yes, I agree!" Vivian also nodded in agreement.

    "I don''t think that''s a good idea. Jay, you and your team can just stay here and wait!" Barnes ordered sternly and waved his hand to refuse their offer. Soon after, some King Level warriors behind him surrounded Jay and his team.

    "Barnes, what do you think you''re doing?" Jay''s tone was cold. While he was well aware that Barnes was making things difficult for him and his team, he wasn''t completely impatient. But now, Barnes was blatantly bullying and insulting him. If he didn''t argue back, other people would think that the people from the Devil Kingdom were all cowardly push-overs.

    "Don''t get me wrong. I just hope that you and your men can stay here in peace and won''t cause any trouble for me before we find Harley. You can move freely after we find him," Barnes explained, rather softly, seeing that Jay was seriously getting angry. Not wanting to irritate him, he decided to react more kindly.

    "Then what are you going to do with Harley once you find him?" Jay asked with a frown.

    "He has violated the rules, so he will be receiving punishment. That''s for sure. But don''t worry, the punishment will not be severe," Barnes said. According to his words, Zachary''s punishment would be a minor one, but his stern demeanor indicated the gravity of his intentions. He wanted Zachary''s consequences to be severe.

    Hearing that, Tracy and the others couldn''t help but feel nervous for Zachary.

    Just then, a figure leisurely walked into the beast barn.

    All the people present turned to the source of the noise. The figure turned out to be none

    ment. Otherwise, I''ll kick you out of Crane College immediately," he said firmly, eyeing Zachary with a sullen face.

    "Barnes, you''ve gone too far now, haven''t you?" Jay remarked gently with a frown.

    "I don''t care if you accept my apology or not, nor do I care what punishment you have prepared for me. But remember that I''m not a man of Crane College, so I''m not under your college''s control. If you want to kick me out of here, please have your dean inform me first. Otherwise, I won''t accept any decision you make!" Zachary said in return, putting on airs. Because he found Barnes'' behavior to be far too unpleasant, he decided to forego showing him any kindness.

    "You!" Never did it occur to Barnes that Zachary could be so stubborn. His anger rendered him speechless, and his body began trembling as though he could burst at any given moment.

    "And the kind of task you''ve arranged for us is just a waste of time! I see no benefits whatsoever. It''s completely meaningless. We''re not some ordinary disciples. We traveled a long way to improve our strength in terms of the treasure beasts. Such childish training is a mere waste of time," Zachary added, criticizing Barnes'' work.

    "A waste of time? To better control the treasure beast, the most important thing is to know the many kinds of treasure beasts and all their habits, and most especially to have more contact with them. How could you say such training is a waste of time?" Barnes'' retort was completely serious. His face had fallen gloomy¡ªZachary''s arrogance and ignorance completely baffled him.

 Chapter 740 Thats Him

    "Thank you for the warning, Barnes, but I''ll still give it a try." Zachary smiled confidently.

    "Let''s start." Barnes waved his hand.

    An immense wooden fence across from Zachary rose slowly, a very huge beast merging from it. Its red eyes were ruthless with scales as hard as copper. While it looked like a lion, it gave off a demonic aura that made people tremble with fear.

    As soon as the gigantic beast appeared, there was an uproar from the audience around the training.

    "Isn''t this the Gigantic Rhinoceros? I hadn''t expected Barnes to bring it out in the first round. It can only mean big trouble for Harley."

    "That''s right. The beast has inflicted a lot of damage on many of Crane College''s rookie Imperial Level beast tamers. It even incapacitated some."

    "Although it''s only a first grade Imperial Level beast, you shouldn''t underestimate it. Once it goes berserk, it will absorb its opponent''s power and increase its own strength. So, the stronger the opponent, the stronger it will become. Not to mention, this beast is utterly merciless. If it targets Harley, it will definitely fight to the death. It''s not going to surrender despite death."

    Jay and Tracy were sitting in the grandstand. They couldn''t help but worry at hearing the discussions going on around them. They knew that Barnes wanted to give Zachary a hard time, after all.

    As soon as the Gigantic Rhinoceros appeared, two beautiful figures with unique auras came through the training ground. They deliberately came quiet. Otherwise, with two beauties like them, the focus of the entire field should have definitely turned to them. The girls, Linda and Alisa, were the youngest Imperial Level warriors in the history of Crane College.

    "Linda, why did you bring me here to the training ground?" Alisa asked with a slight frown. Linda had grabbed her the second she''d ret

    th her own eyes.

    "Even if he can control three beasts at the same time, it only means that he is a talented beast tamer. But he hasn''t been trained by a professional beast tamer. The Gigantic Rhinoceros is really difficult to tame for newbies. Therefore, unless he has some special ability, it will be difficult for him to tame it. I had to risk my life to tame the Gigantic Rhinoceros and barely managed it." From experience, Alisa knew that the Gigantic Rhinoceros was definitely a huge and difficult challenge for an inexperienced Imperial Level beast tamer.

    "If you think so, Alisa, then it seems like he might have no hope." Linda nodded, sharing the same feelings as her friend. Unless Zachary had the same innate beast taming potential as Alisa, it would be impossible for him to subdue it.

    Naturally, Alisa and Linda weren''t the only ones to think this. From the looks of it, almost everyone in Crane College seemed to agree.

    The beast was already at the center of the training ground, standing face to face with Zachary. It glared at him with greedy eyes. Obviously, Zachary seemed a little weak in front of the giant beast.

    "Mimi, analyze this guy," Zachary said, looking at the Gigantic Rhinoceros in front of him.

 Chapter 741 Subduing The Gigantic Rhinoceros

    "The Gigantic Rhinoceros is an ordinary treasure beast. While it has no elements, it is still a very peculiar mutated beast," Mimi replied.

    "Mutated beast? What is that?" This was Zachary''s first time hearing of such a term.

    "In a way, the so-called mutated beast is a treasure beast beyond other normal beasts at that level. However, generally, the probability of this kind of mutation existing is only 1/10000," Mimi explained.

    "1/10000? That''s a very slim chance." Zachary nodded and asked, "Then what''s abnormal about the Gigantic Rhinoceros?"

    "The first strange thing about it is its strength level. It is a common treasure beast, so its strength only reaches the peak of the King Level. However, it is a mutated beast, so its strength has reached the Imperial Level. The second aspect is its abilities. Ordinary mutated beasts, like elite beasts, have special abilities. This Gigantic Rhinoceros can absorb attack power and increase its own strength," Mimi continued.

    "That sounds like my Holy Bone Bracer''s ability, but such a mutated beast should be rare. It''s quite a good source of research." This ability sounded a little abnormal, and Crane College really deserved its reputation. It even hosted a mutated beast, no less rare than a scarce treasure beast.

    As Zachary analyzed the beast''s information, it suddenly raised its head and roared. It rushed towards him like a mad bull.

    Seeing this, Zachary immediately turned over his hand and shook it. A powerful ice aura rumbled out and instantly froze its path. When the beast headed to the ice ground, it slipped. This caused an uproar in the crowd. They had never seen an Imperial Level warrior with the upper hand in a fight with the Gigantic

    urst out, centered on him. It was amazing.

    Everyone''s eyes widened. Even with his strength, Zachary couldn''t withstand the full blow of the Gigantic Rhinoceros. If he defended himself using his own strength, the beast would absorb it again. That was the most terrifying thing about the beast.

    The dust dissipated, and the Gigantic Rhinoceros stopped less than a finger''s length away from Zachary. It hadn''t hurt him and looked rather stiff.

    Everyone present looked at one another unable to make sense of what had happened.

    "Kneel down!" Zachary shouted with a ferocious frown.

    The Gigantic Rhinoceros knelt down, rendering the surrounding silent.

    "He... actually subdued the Gigantic Rhinoceros."

    "That''s impossible. Only the experienced Imperial Level beast tamers in Crane College could do that."

    "How did he do it?"

    The next moment, the crowd cried out loud. No one knew how Zachary had tamed it.

    "He subdued the Gigantic Rhinoceros. How is that possible?" Linda''s mouth dropped in shock.

    A hint of astonishment flashed across Alisa''s beautiful face. She hadn''t had a clear view of what Zachary had done just now.

 Chapter 742 The Demonic Phantom Butterfly

    At this moment, all those present stared at Zachary in surprise. They couldn''t figure out how he had tamed the Gigantic Rhinoceros, and it couldn''t have been tamed without a reason. Therefore, they suspected that something must have happened when he collided with the beast just now, or perhaps he had done something to it.

    Of course, he had used some tricks. Certainly, the ability of the Gigantic Rhinoceros was indeed abnormal, but it still couldn''t hold a candle to the two elite beasts that Zachary had already tamed. Moreover, the God-slaying Formula he cultivated could resist the beast''s ability. The Gigantic Rhinoceros could absorb its opponent''s attacking force; however, if the attacking force was reversed and became absorbed by the beast, it would become weakened. Therefore, he took advantage of this, reversed his own strength, sending it into the body of the beast as soon as the beast crashed into him. Once it assimilated the reverse power, its own energy circulation became completely disrupted. This was how he had tamed the beast.

    The Gigantic Rhinoceros realized this, so it was forced to obey Zachary''s order. Should it resist, he could easily claim its life. No matter how vicious the treasure beast was, it still feared death.

    At this time, Barnes, who had been silently watching Zachary''s every move, saw that he had tamed the Gigantic Rhinoceros so easily. It would have been a huge challenge for many Imperial Level beast tamers. Originally, he had been quite expressionless, but now a complex emotion flashed on his face. His eyes darkened, but he did not have any other reaction.

    "This guy always wins like this!" Vivian said excitedly. Of course, she was overjoyed to see that Zachary had tamed the Gigantic Rhinoceros.

    "I was so nervous earlier!" Tracy heaved a sigh of relief.

    "I didn''t know that Harley is such a talented beast tamer. He tamed that treasure beast so easily." Jay also smiled broadly, feeling proud. After all, Zachary represented the Devil Kingdom and the Sh

    up, because if they didn''t possess sufficient strength or the ability to break the illusion of the butterfly, they would most certainly lose.

    Therefore, as soon as the butterfly appeared, the whole audience knew that there was no hope for Zachary. Compared with the Gigantic Rhinoceros, the Demonic Phantom Butterfly was a much more notorious adversary. This explained the quiet hush, for there was no suspense in this second test at all. What they saw was that Zachary would be defeated.

    "I failed twice in a row before it was subdued successfully on the third time. To subdue it, one must first break its illusion. However, with its own strength at the medium stage of Imperial Level, one must have sufficient power to break its illusion. In addition, even if one can break its illusion, one must possess the speed to catch its speedy flight," Alisa commented with a frown furrowing her brow.

    At this moment, the whole field had become silent, which made Jay, Tracy, and the others feel that it would be impossible for Zachary to pass this round as easily as the first round, or perhaps he could not even pass it at all. Therefore, they silently cheered for him in their hearts. Perhaps it was his performance moments ago that made them trust in him so inexplicably. Plus, they had come to expect more of him; he was a man of miracles!

 Chapter 743 A Little Tricky

    Just when everyone had written him off as doomed, Mimi taught Zachary all he needed to know of the Demonic Phantom Butterfly.

    "It seems this will be somewhat more difficult than the last one." He couldn''t help but frown once Mimi had passed the information on to him. It was obvious the Demonic Phantom Butterfly''s strength and ability were more troublesome than those of the Gigantic Rhinoceros, especially when it used illusions.

    Zachary had already mastered two illusion skills¡ªthe Flawless Illusion and the Thousand-Avatar Skill¡ªand so he knew well how powerful an illusion skill was. He had barely come across any other opponents using one in the past, and this made it difficult for him to face it. He was unaware of the true power of the Demonic Phantom Butterfly.

    However, the tougher the challenge, the more excited he got. The Gigantic Rhinoceros from before was too boring for his taste.

    Just then, the Demonic Phantom Butterfly flapped its wings and slowly flew to the center of the training ground, but did not launch an attack at Zachary. It just continued staring him down with its bell like eyes, analyzing him intensely. Zachary was in no hurry to make a move either and stared right back at it, knowing that once it made a move, he''d be trapped in its illusion. He knew he had to prepare himself to deal with that.

    This stalemate went on for around fifteen minutes. All those present began getting impatient and hissed at them. They watched in hope they would see Zachary humiliated by the Demonic Phantom Butterfly.

    Finally, it moved, but not in Zachary''s direction. Instead, it circled around him and soon all that could be seen of it was a blurry figure, whooshing around before eventually disappearing into thin air.

    No one could see it now, not Zachary, not anyone else present. This was the power of the illusion the beast displayed. There we

    cloud of icy mist.

    This sent the crowd into an uproar once again. These seven ice dragons were clearly quite extraordinary and not a normal martial skill of Imperial Level.

    "Is this a premium stage martial arts skill with an element?"

    "It seems that this Imperial Level warrior of the Devil Kingdom is more than just capable."

    "He is the winner of the qualifying test of Devil Kingdom''s Imperial Level Warrior Contest. With that in mind, he can''t be that weak. Even so, it''s still impossible for him to subdue the Demonic Phantom Butterfly!"

    Many discussions were breaking out among the crowd.

    But when Barnes saw that Zachary had used a premium stage martial skill with an element, his expression changed again. Considering his own strength, he could see that the skill was no ordinary. More to it, he was only at the medium stage and yet he performed a premium stage skill. He was certainly a rare talent!

    "It seems that he''s not a nobody. It''s no wonder I''ve heard that even Lady Evil from the Dignity College went all the way to the Devil Kingdom to get him. But no matter how strong he is, he can''t accomplish anything in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest without the help of a powerful treasure beast," stated Barnes firmly.

 Chapter 744 The Defeated Demonic Phantom Butterfly

    However, when the premium stage skill Zachary had pulled off surprised everyone, an astonishing vortex of power suddenly emerged. It spun nonstop, producing a mighty suction force. Sand and dust flew around and gathered toward the whirlwind. This scene shocked everyone, and they all wondered what was happening there.

    Soon, the Demonic Phantom Butterfly, which had fled using an illusion, appeared from out of nowhere, as if driven by some fear.

    Nothing had spooked it, but the vortex affected its illusion and it lost its effect.

    As it turned out, when the butterfly launched an unexpected assault on Zachary, he also seized the opportunity to infiltrate the flaws of the butterfly''s illusion. To the outsiders, the butterfly was using its powder that had spread out to achieve the deception. Once anyone got caught in the butterfly powder, the vision would affect the person. But in reality, it wasn''t the case.

    Through his experiences, Zachary discovered the Demonic Phantom Butterfly''s illusion was like his Flawless Illusion. He could conceal himself using his martial energy, enabling him to blend with the surrounding environment. Meanwhile, the butterfly''s illusion got its basis from the butterfly powder. If the illusion stayed within the environment where the butterfly powder existed, this butterfly would be invisible. But this butterfly powder had a fatal flaw. It could not bear the impact of any force. Once it neared forcible contact with another object, it would break. Therefore, the butterfly showed itself when it attacked.

    Once the environment filled with the powder got destroyed extensively, the powder would likewise lose its effect. The Demonic Phantom Butterfly could still produce more power to make up for it, but if the damage to the environment continued, the illusion would no longer work. That was why after the vortex appeared, the Demonic Phantom Butterfly also showed up.

    to treasure beast, martial arts, and weapon refining. He has no weaknesses. Strength is not significant for a warrior because, given sufficient time, someone with talent will eventually reach that level of power. But if a warrior has the extensive ability, he will have a bright future ahead!" Alisa knowingly said as she looked at Zachary in the training ground.

    After a short while, under the intense pursuit of several of Zachary''s avatars, the Demonic Phantom Butterfly, which had nowhere to run, got cornered. Zachary showed up in front of the butterfly. "Admit defeat!"

    The Demonic Phantom Butterfly soon let out a very dull scream and then crouched down to accept its loss.

    Zachary pressed his hand on the butterfly''s body and used the system to collect its blood sample. Treasure beasts like the Demonic Phantom Butterfly were precious research subjects.

    Because Zachary once again restrained the butterfly and showed his remarkable martial arts skills, everyone marveled at him.

    Jay, Tracy, and the rest smiled happily. Zachary''s superior performance had raised the Devil Kingdom''s reputation.

    But this was only the second round, and there was still the last one left. If Zachary couldn''t make it, his efforts of the earlier two rounds would be in vain.

 Chapter 745 Wont Give Him A Chance

    As Zachary looked straight at him, Barnes suddenly stood up. Everyone in the crowd turned to watch. Barnes announced, "The test is over. There will be no need to carry out the final part."

    As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd burst into an uproar. No one could imagine why Barnes had suddenly stopped Zachary''s test. He was known for his prickly personality, and since Zachary had offended him, they had never expected him to let Zachary go so easily. Everyone speculated as to why he had changed his mind. Could it be that Barnes believed the last part of the test would not pose any difficulty for Zachary?

    Jay, Tracy and the others stared at Barnes, wondering what was wrong with him. What was the problem? Why did he end the test so soon?

    "Barnes, I don''t understand what you mean," Zachary said. "If the test is over, does it mean I''ve passed?" He also felt somewhat strange about Barnes'' decision. Like everyone else, he did not see a reason for Barnes to end the test prematurely. Although Zachary had already passed two rounds, there was still a final treasure beast that must be even stronger than the Demonic Phantom Butterfly. He wondered if Barnes was just bluffing. Maybe only two rounds had been arranged, because Barnes incorrectly assumed that Zachary would lose early. Maybe there was no third round, and Barnes had only pretended there was so that Zachary would be embarrassed if he never even reached that stage. In any case, Zachary was under no illusion that Barnes had ended the test out of kindness. It must be that Barnes was doing this to avoid being humiliated.

    Barnes gave Zachary a contemptuous look. "Of course you didn''t pass. I''ve decided to end the test based on your performance in the first two rounds. Clearly, you have no chance of succeeding in the final round." The crowd began to mutter to each other, and Zachary''s eyes narrowed. Barnes continued, "Although you have managed to pass so far, I can see from the level of strength you displayed in subduing the Demonic Phantom Butterfly that you are not strong enough. There is no chance you will pass the third round." Zachary said nothing, but the way he looked at Barnes made it clear he was waiting for further explanation. Barnes smiled coldly and added, "Even among the strongest warriors at Crane College¡ªthose who are at the premium stage of Imperial Level¡ªthere are very few who can subdue the treasure beast waiting for you in the final round. It is a violent, ruthless beast that will not hesitate to injure or eve

    ong minutes, nothing emerged.

    "Alisa, do you have any idea what treasure beast that is? What could Barnes have planned for the final round?" Linda asked.

    "There are many treasure beasts in our Crane College that are more difficult to subdue than the Demonic Phantom Butterfly, so it''s hard to guess. But if Barnes is determined to ensure that Harley fails, he will naturally choose the strongest one. If it''s not the one I''m worried about, Harley has a chance. But if it''s that one, then he''s doomed, because the gap in strength is too great to overcome," Alisa replied, closely watching Zachary. It should have been none of her concern, because whether he passed the beast tamer test or not, it had no impact on her. Still, for some reason, she found herself intently following his every move.

    "I think so too," Tina agreed. "I''m afraid that Barnes won''t even give him a chance." She gazed down at the training ground with an expression of deep worry.

    Finally, there was movement behind the raised fence. Without warning, a large brown beast suddenly rushed out. It had a human-like form, and moved very quickly, reaching Zachary in the blink of an eye. While everyone stared open-mouthed, the beast launched an immediate attack, releasing a burst of strong elemental force aimed at Zachary. At the same time, an enormous arm-shaped shadow appeared on the ground. Instinctively, Zachary dodged sideways, and the arm shadow hit the spot where he had been standing. A huge hole appeared on the ground, and cracks appeared around it from the force of the blow. It was a display of strength at least as powerful as that of a warrior at the premium stage of Imperial Level.

 Chapter 746 Demonic Emperor Beast

    At this moment, Zachary also took the opportunity to place himself further away from the beast. Then, he observed it carefully and found that the beast was human-shaped and able to stand erect like a man. It was about three meters tall and resembled a small giant. It had two heads, and each of them sported a sharpened horn. It had a face like a monkey''s, but its body powerfully built. It had four arms, while its legs were also incredibly muscular like a kangaroo''s, hinting at a strong and explosive power. In a word, it appeared completely different from ordinary treasure beasts, and it was definitely a type of treasure beast that Zachary had never seen before. It bore some similarity to the mutated form of treasure beast once it had fused with a human being.

    The instant everyone saw the human-shaped beast appear, they sprang up from their seats.

    "I can''t believe that Barnes has loosed it on the stage. Does he mean to murder Harley?"

    "That''s right. Now it has moved onto the stage, even a warrior at the premium stage of Imperial Level from Crane College can''t defeat it, let alone this guy."

    "It is a famous warrior killer in our Crane College. There was an Imperial Level warrior who died at its hands..."

    "But the senior college leaders have forbidden that it be used for the beast tamer''s test, haven''t they? Why did Barnes bring it to fight?"

    The crowd buzzed with different opinions on the treasure beast brought by Barnes.

    As soon as Jay and Tracy heard this, they sensed that something was wrong, because they also noticed that the treasure beast was obviously very powerful. It was at least at the eighth grade of Imperial Level. And from what they had now witnessed, it seemed that it could still control the power of an element. With these two points alone, Zachary had no chance of winning at all. Although he had defeated Nola, who was several grades stronger than him, in the qualifying test of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, everyone knew that at that time, he seemed to have used a forbidden technique to temporarily enhance his strength. Now, this was not a major competition, and he w

    and a martial beast, so it wasn''t a pure treasure beast. Though it was still classified as treasure beast, it could not produce treasures. As a rule of thumb, a treasure beast that could not produce treasures could not be called a treasure beast. Despite that, it was a natural hunter capable of capturing other treasure beasts, and it had a very keen sense for wild treasure beasts. Because of that, it was still considered a scarce treasure beast.

    However, the Demonic Emperor Beast was violent and ferocious by nature. It was almost impossible to subdue. Even if it was subdued, it would not recognize its master. Therefore, even though it was a scarce treasure beast, its only use was as a treasure beast in beast tamer tests.

    "It''s a waste to use such a formidable treasure beast in a test." Even Zachary felt badly for the Demonic Emperor Beast. He thought that the beast was completely undervalued. However, he also knew that if a treasure beast refused to recognize its master and couldn''t be controlled by a warrior, it would was treated no different from a martial beast. Therefore, the chances of it being valued were slim.

    Compared with the Gigantic Rhinoceros and the Demonic Phantom Butterfly, the Demonic Emperor Beast''s uniqueness had obviously aroused Zachary''s interest. He had an urge to subdue it because if he could subdue it, it would be easier to collect more treasure beasts in the future.

 Chapter 747 Its All Over

    The thought made Zachary smile knowingly. He knew how unrealistic it was to make the Demonic Emperor Beast his own in front of everyone. However, if he could subdue it first, he could find another chance to secure it in secret some other time. Of course, he knew that subduing the Demonic Emperor Beast wasn''t easy. There was a vast difference in strength between them. Not to mention it could manipulate the earth element, so it was naturally more difficult to deal with. No wonder Barnes was so confident that he could not pass the last test. In theory, it was true.

    It seemed that Barnes had underestimated him yet again. Although he had used almost all of his strength to subdue the Demonic Phantom Butterfly, he hadn''t reached his limit yet. Besides, he still had a trump card when it came to dealing with treasure beasts. He would soon let Barnes know what a miraculous performance was like.

    From the looks of it, the Demonic Emperor Beast was getting impatient. It pounced on Zachary again and then launched a series of violent attacks. Although the power of the earth element made it especially good at defense, its attacks were rather formidable. It transformed into a tank beast and ceaselessly crashed into Zachary, all the while countering his attacks.

    Zachary was in a bind. He had to combat the beast''s continuous attacks while guarding against the earth power that kept rushing out from beneath his feet. What was worse, his attack held no actual power against the Demonic Emperor Beast. Although his attack with the ice element was intense, the beast''s strength surpassed his. The beast also used the earth element to up his defense, putting him at a clear disadvantage in this fight.

    Soon, Zachary found himself in a passive posit

    Zachary''s continuous retreat, Barnes wore a cool smile on his face. He knew there was no hope for Zachary to win this last round.

    But, even though Zachary''s moves appeared slow and cautious, he was holding firm against the onslaught of attacks. In actuality, he was doing it on purpose to buy time in order to make the beast put down its guard. Only then would he make his next move.

    "Mimi, are you done yet?" asked Zachary, who was forced into the corner of the training ground.

    "It will take another fifteen minutes," Mimi replied.

    "Fifteen minutes? I''m in a tough spot here!" Zachary''s eyes narrowed. If the Demonic Emperor Beast continued its attack for another fifteen minutes, things would escalate to an alarming level.

    The beast took advantage when Zachary was distracted. It opened its mouth and roared. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet shook as an extremely strong earth element burst out from the ground. It looked like a huge pillar protruding from the ground, throwing him into the air. As that was happening, the Demonic Emperor Beast leaped high. Its four thick arms rushed out, turning into thick spears and moving towards Zachary.

 Chapter 748 The Mysterious Cloud Shield

    Zachary''s expression changed. Because of the Demonic Emperor Beast''s unprecedented move, he had no time to evade the spears'' power despite his timely repositioning midair. In an instant, the impact hit his body like a huge hammer pounding on a door, knocking him to the ground. But this was only the first wave of energy, and the second one soon followed. It landed on his initial position, creating another violent impact.

    The dust on the ground blew straight up, covering the sky. The violent energy engulfed the entire area within a few dozen meters. Deafening sounds rang out one after another.

    Everyone present stared wide-eyed as the place got covered by the dust and energy because they knew no matter how powerful Zachary was, he wouldn''t be safe under such a violent force.

    Feeling helpless and full of worry, Jay and Tracy could only stare in shock.

    The Demonic Emperor Beast went on for a long while. It roared with its head held high, looking fired up like a triumphant warrior.

    The onlookers shook their heads after the smoke cleared off, just enough for them to notice Zachary not moving an inch. They thought about the possibility of Zachary losing his life, or perhaps, how severe his injuries could be.

    "Is he going to be okay?" Linda frowned.

    "Who knows? He deserves whatever trouble he''s gotten himself into. He didn''t listen to Barnes'' advice. If he had some self-knowledge, he should quit at that point." Alisa''s deadpan expression made her appear cold, but she kept staring at the middle where the smoke spread.

    "Despite that, he is still a gifted warrior. It will be a shame if he becomes impaired," Linda said grievously.

    "Linda, why do you care so much about him?" At this point, Alisa glanced at Linda

    d out of curiosity.

    "Who knew what was in his mind!" Tracy shook her head in response.

    Barnes felt annoyed after he caught sight of Zachary taking out a powerful defensive weapon. Even so, he felt Zachary was buying time because he couldn''t pass the test if he didn''t conquer the beast.

    The beast still tried to break through the shield despite it being a Sage Level treasure. Although Zachary couldn''t utilize its full strength now, he could trap beast for a while.

    As time passed, the aura discharged by the shield weakened; the shield seemed to have reached its limit.

    Zachary suddenly waved his hand, and the shield flew. After gaining his freedom back, the beast rushed in front of him in no time. It raised its four arms high like four giant wooden bats, and then thumped down on him. Zachary soared and passed through the four arms like a shadow. In the blink of an eye, he swept past the beast''s neck and dropped back to the ground the next instant.

    The beast suddenly let out a sharp hiss and knelt on the ground with a thud. Its violent aura at the premium stage of Imperial Level faded as if its entire strength had suddenly disappeared.

 Chapter 749 Kill It

    It stunned all those present. They didn''t know what had taken place just now. Why was the ferocious Demonic Emperor Beast suddenly kneeling down on the ground? Its once violent aura had disappeared.

    The next moment, the Demonic Emperor Beast let out a shrill roar, its four arms coming up to its neck. A strange ring had encircled it, shining brightly and emitting a weapon-like aura.

    "Stop struggling. That''s a sealing tool I''ve prepared specially for you. Only I can remove it," Zachary said with a sense of calm.

    His words didn''t go over well with the Demonic Emperor Beast. It turned around and raised its four arms again, intending to hit him. Zachary didn''t dodge. Before the beast''s arms made contact, they stopped above his head as if frozen in place.

    Spectators burst into an uproar, their eyes fixated on the ring around the beast''s neck. They wondered what kind of treasure could subdue a beast like that.

    "Did Harley put a sealing tool on the Demonic Emperor Beast? But as far as I know, only experienced Sage Level weapon refiners can forge sealing tools. Even then, the sealing tools don''t work on all treasure beasts." Jay was also confused. Even at his level, he couldn''t forge a sealing tool, so he knew how rare it was. It was unlike other rare weapons, and very few could even possess it. So it struck him as odd that Zachary had one in his possession.

    "This guy has a lot of treasures! I can''t believe that he even has a sealing tool," said Tracy.

    "So, this means that Harley has won the last round, right?" Vivian was more concerned about Zachary passing

    ts power anymore. Besides, the Demonic Emperor Beast was a treasure beast raised by Crane College. Killing it might incite trouble from Barnes himself.

    "Kill it! Kill it!" The chant came from the crowd. They were eager to see Zachary kill the beast. They were mostly curious as to whether he had the courage to do it or not.

    "How despicable! If he wants to kill this treasure beast, he should do it himself. Why is he forcing Harley to do it?" Vivian was furious at Barnes.

    "Jay, I think you should help him," said Tracy, pleading with Jay.

    Jay hesitated. Without killing the Demonic Emperor Beast, Zachary couldn''t pass the beast tamer''s test. That meant he''d have to be punished severely. But if he killed it, it might not bear well for him either. Perhaps Barnes would take it as an opportunity to make things more difficult for him. It was hard to tell what the right move here was.

    "He''s gone too far." Alisa frowned. Barnes was clearly trying to push Zachary into a corner.

    "Indeed. Neither option would be in his benefit." Linda nodded.

 Chapter 750 Acknowledge Its Master

    Everyone went quiet, focusing on Zachary as they followed his every move and tried to guess what he would do next. Zachary was still standing in the same place. Slowly, he began moving forward, coming towards the Demonic Emperor Beast. With a wave of his hand, the sealing tool the beast''s neck vanished. The breaking of the seal unleashed the power of the Demonic Beast Emperor. Its strength had been completely restored.

    The Demonic Emperor Beast stood without moving, seemingly stunned at the unexpected release of the seal. It did not understand why Zachary had done that. But now that its power had returned, it stared at him with hatred, its eyes glowing fiercely. The beast looked like it wanted to swallow him alive.

    Noise broke out among the members of the audience when they realized what Zachary had done. All were surprised by his behavior, and felt that it was tantamount to suicide.

    "Is he crazy? Why did he suddenly remove the seal on the Demonic Emperor Beast?" Vivian exclaimed, sounding unnerved.

    Jay and Tracy were also shocked. They couldn''t think of any reason for Zachary''s action.

    Linda and Alisa glanced at each other, eyebrows raised, wordlessly communicating their disbelief at what Zachary had done.

    Meanwhile, Barnes watched Zachary with a sneer on his face and his arms folded across his chest. He came to the conclusion that Zachary was planning to give up in this final test. After all, it would be foolish for him to actually kill one of the rarest and most valuable treasure beasts owned by Crane College.

    "Mimi, turn on the mutual communication system," Zachary said calmly.

    "The mutual communication system is now on!" Mimi replied.

    Zachary''s eyes were fixed on the Demonic Emperor Beast. "You should hear what everyone was saying just now. They wanted me to kill you." He paused for effect. "However, I do have standards. There are limits to what I will do to achieve my goal. So I''m giving you a fair chance¡ªif you refuse to submit to me, then we will engage in an all-out battle until one of us dies. But if you are willing to submit to me, we will join forces, and show the people of Crane College just how powerful you are. That means you must agree to recognize me as your mast

    ster before," he said coldly, with no trace of warmth or congratulation in his tone.

    "Then you will keep your promise, won''t you?" Zachary asked, his eyes narrowed.

    "Certainly. Starting tomorrow, I will arrange for the five warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level to give you one-on-one guidance, so that you can try your best to improve the strength of your treasure beasts and master the way to control two treasure beasts simultaneously. In addition, over the next three months, you can freely participate in the beast tamer test and some other tests of our Crane College. If you perform well during this period of time, you may even have the chance to enter the Beast Tamer Space of our Crane College," replied Barnes.

    When Barnes finished speaking, there was an uproar among the members of the audience. The Beast Tamer Space was the foundation of the Crane College. It was widely known as a paradise for beast tamers. In the Beast Tamer Space, there were a lot of treasures which could be used to enhance treasure beasts, as well as many different types of treasure beasts which could be captured and tamed. The Beast Tamer Space was a prestigious and exclusive place, and the permission to enter was much sought-after not only by those in Crane College, but across the entire Vanity Kingdom. However, the restrictions placed upon entering the Beast Tamer Space were very strict and demanding. Only the most talented and the most valuable people were allowed to enter.

 Chapter 751 Get Her Memories Back

    "That sounds good. Thank you so much, Barnes," Zachary politely said, cupping his hands.

    "You deserve it," Barnes said in return with gloomy eyes. Previously, he had indeed wanted to give Zachary and the other four Imperial Level warriors of the Devil Kingdom a hard time, just to test their strength before they participated in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. But never had he expected his plan to be foiled by Zachary in a single day. He had no choice but to give it further thought.

    "Well, if there''s nothing else, I''ll take my leave now." With that, Zachary was ready to leave with the Demonic Emperor Beast.

    "Wait a minute. You can leave, but the Demonic Emperor Beast must stay," Barnes suddenly called out, gesturing for them to come back.

    "Why?" Zachary''s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

    "This beast is our Crane College''s treasure beast. We''ve already given the order to execute it. Of course, it can''t go with you," Barnes said sternly.

    "Because it recognizes me as its master, it already belongs to me. The Crane College should have no more right to interfere," Zachary strongly argued. It wasn''t easy for him to subdue the Demonic Emperor Beast, let alone make it accept him as its master. He wasn''t going to give it up so easily.

    "I hope you won''t go too far. Otherwise, you''ll have to suffer a lot more than necessary," Barnes warned, picking up on Zachary''s stubbornness.

    "I''m afraid of anything but suffering. I''ll be taking the Demonic Emperor Beast with me," Zachary firmly declared, in spite of Barnes'' warning. With that, he put the beast into the system first as a safeguard for if any trouble delayed him.

    Zachary''s response made Barnes'' eyes grow cold. Just as he was about to say something more, Jay suddenly appeared before him and said, "Barnes, it''s a mere treasure beast that is to be executed. It no longer matters to the Crane College. How about letting his one slide for my sake? I''d highly appreciate the favor."

    "Well..." Barnes hadn''t expected Jay to take the initiative and step in to let the Demonic Emperor Beast remain with Zachary, so his expression still seemed overcast.

    "If you can''t make the decision, I''ll visit the dean of your college myself to have a word with him." Jay was a clever man, aft

    le you to cultivate and grow smoothly in the Vanity Kingdom, the system has specifically provided this award for you," Mimi explained.

    "Then what is the effect in the fusion and breakthrough?" Zachary continued asking.

    "Generally speaking, there are three kinds of breakthroughs after the gene fusion. The first is a breakthrough in strength and the second is a breakthrough in elements, while the third is the breakthrough in mutation. In general, the chances of such kinds of breakthroughs are highly wary. The chance of breakthrough through strength is much greater than the latter two, and it''s the least you can do to hope for a chance of breakthrough in mutation."

    "Oh, I see. Is there any condition for the gene fusion?" Zachary asked again.

    "Treasure beasts suitable for gene fusion, as well as the compatible and matched fusion genes," Mimi replied.

    "Is Orion suitable for gene fusion?" Zachary asked after a moment of thought. Among the several treasure beasts he had, the one who was most in need of gene fusion and breakthrough was the Blazing Roc. If that could receive the gene fusion and breakthrough and improve its strength to the Imperial Level successfully, its fighting capacity would be definitely going to improve. To add to that, he had just subdued the Demonic Emperor Beast, and the Thunder Dragon Horse had been cultivating in the training ground for treasure beasts as well. Such beasts were enough to put many beast tamers of Imperial Level from the Crane College in awe.

 Chapter 752 The Integration Of Mind And Soul

    "Analyzing..." Mimi went silent for a moment. Fifteen minutes later she spoke again softly. "After analysis, the Blazing Roc''s state is very suitable for genetic fusion."

    "That''s good." Zachary nodded. Then he asked, "What kind of treasure beast gene matches that of the Blazing Roc?"

    "We need to compare all the genetic samples to find the perfect matching rate. Generally, the higher the matching rate, the greater the success rate will be," replied Mimi.

    "Then compare the samples in the gene pool with the blood of the three treasure beasts I just collected. Let''s see if there is one that is suitable," Zachary said.

    "The matching program starts now..."

    "I''ll go to Fairy Island first. Inform me when you have some news." With that, Zachary left the system and headed for Fairy Island.

    Upon arrival at the bamboo house in Fairy Island, he saw Tania collecting herbs in an herb field nearby.

    Zachary walked up and asked, "Hi Tania, what can I do for you?"

    Tania raised her eyes and asked, "Is it true you''re now in Crane College?"

    "Yes." Zachary nodded.

    "Then I have a task for you," Tania replied immediately.

    "No problem. But what will I get out of this?" Zachary asked artfully.

    "If you complete the task, I will accept you as a disciple as long as you can pass the second trial. Of course, it doesn''t mean that you will be exempt from the third trial. If you do this, I''ll become your master, and it will be an excellent thing for you." Tania glanced at Zachary after offering him such a tempting proposition.

    "Are you serious? Whatever it is, please let me know and I''ll do it." The offer sent a thrill up Zachary''s spine. Becoming Tania''s disciple would benefit him exponentially in the long run.

    "There is a beast called the Fighting Crane in Crane College. I hope you can help me find out its precise location. Remember, what I want is its real location, not the one from myth

    should have met this requirement. But the problem is that I have already sealed one part of my spiritual sense for some reason. That, in turn, made my soul incomplete, which is why we cannot achieve full integration. Therefore, if we want to complete our first cultivation, you must help me release the sealed part of my spiritual sense," Anne explained.

    "Anne, can''t you do it yourself?" Zachary asked.

    "No. The part that has been sealed is so deeply buried that I can''t even touch it myself." Anne shook her head.

    "Then, Anne, what is the danger you''re referring to when it comes to releasing the sealed part of your spiritual sense?" Zachary asked.

    "Yes, because you have to enter the sealed part of my spiritual sense and release it. But if you fail, your spiritual sense may also be trapped in it," Anne replied.

    "Okay, it sounds dangerous, but for the sake of our first cultivation, this is a risk worth taking." Despite hearing the possible ramifications, Zachary looked very calm. Because he knew nothing would stop him and Anne from cultivating.

    "I''ll spare a part of my mind so it can guide you into entering my spiritual sense." Then Anne raised her finger and pointed it between Zachary''s eyebrows.

    Zachary instantly felt something entering his mind.

 Chapter 753 Annes Story

    Anne walked towards the center of the floor. She said, "Next, I will fall asleep. It''s the safest method for you to enter my spiritual sense. Only when you catch me off guard can you reach the part of my spiritual sense that has been sealed." When she reached the center of the room, she stopped and lifted her hand.

    Instantly, the Sage Level spiritual souls wandering on the floor all faced her and knelt down. Bowing their heads, they chanted worshipful incantations, their voices echoing from the walls. Anne closed her eyes. Her body rose from the floor and tilted backwards until her delicate form was lying supine in midair. After a few moments, she drifted gently back down onto the floor.

    "You must start working now." It was Anne speaking, her voice resonating in Zachary''s mind. She had prepared messages for him in advance.

    "What should I do?" Zachary asked immediately.

    "Follow my instructions," Anne ordered.

    "Yes, of course! Sounds good,"

    Zachary answered, unable to contain the glee in his voice. It was not the first time he had seen Anne lying asleep, and every time he saw her like this, he had difficulty restraining himself from enfolding her tightly in his arms. Unfortunately, there was never an opportunity to indulge himself, because in those situations there was always something more urgent that needed his attention.

    "What should I do?" he asked, taking a deep breath.

    "Like this..." Anne''s sweet voice murmured directions in his mind.

    Zachary nodded and did as she instructed. Before long, a strong connection formed between their minds. They even seemed to be breathing in sync.

    "Next, relax your body. Take a deep breath, and then release your spiritual sense gently," Anne continued.

    Zachary followed her instructions, but he couldn''t help feeling a bit annoyed. He found it extremely vexing to be limited in this manner when faced with Anne''s lovely, sleeping form. She looked like an angel in slumber.

    After all, he was a normal man, and it was natural to feel this rush of desire in the presence of such a beautiful woman. But he had to control himself. Otherwise, he could imagine just what the consequences could be. What else could happen between a man and a woman who felt attracted to each other? Indeed, even if he gave in now and went to Anne, she probably would return his embrace.

    Still, Zachary kept a firm hold on his senses, r

    could you save my family?" Anne asked suddenly.

    "Save your family?" Zachary was stunned.

    "They all died because of me," Anne said sadly, her eyes growing gloomy when she thought of her family.

    The sky above them changed. The vast vista of white darkened. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The boundless prairie transformed into a sea of flames, until there was no sign of the idyllic grassland that it had been just seconds ago left.

    Zachary floated above the flames and looked at the darkness around him, finally getting an idea of why Anne had sealed off this portion of her spiritual sense. So, there were memories that she was afraid to face. The young Anne who stood before him looked as lost and lonely as an abandoned orphan.

    "I can''t save them. But you are not alone here. I will stay with you until we can leave together," Zachary said firmly, meeting Anne''s eyes with a determined look. He wanted her to feel safe with him.

    "Really?" Anne said softly. She moved forward slowly, her large eyes fixed on his face. Then, without warning, she leaped forward and threw herself into his arms.

    In that instant, the fire blazed in all directions, engulfing Zachary and Anne.

    Zachary, however, didn''t move an inch as the fire raged around them. He held on to Anne as tightly as he could, surrounding her with his own body to protect her from the flames. He could feel his whole body burning with enough force to reduce him to ashes. The pain was so severe that death seemed like an appealing option, but he gritted his teeth against the agony and kept his arms around her.

 Chapter 754 Spiritual Intimacy

    Soon after, Zachary found that he was losing consciousness. But he told himself that he couldn''t fall asleep, so he kept a firm handle on his last bit of sanity.

    After a while, Zachary suddenly felt something strange. He looked down and found that a golden halo coming from Anne was seeping into his body. It spread around. Wherever it passed, the sea of fire disappeared, and the wind and rain stopped.

    The two people in the strong embrace slowly rose into the air. They were like inseparable, conjoined babies, constantly rotating and circling in the air.

    A very remarkable light burst out from them, instantly illuminating the entire spiritual sense world.

    "Let''s get out of here." Zachary flew away from the ground with Anne in his arms and headed for the endless void above his head.

    The surroundings changed in an instant. Different images were displayed as a movie. Although they were blurry, Zachary sensed Anne''s sadness and loneliness. It looked as if she had suffered all the misfortunes in the world, which was extremely wretched.

    Now, Anne, who was in Zachary''s arms, no longer emitted the golden halo, as if she had fallen asleep.

    Slowly, the spiritual sense world vanished.

    Anne abruptly opened her eyes, looking up at Zachary as if she had just woken up from a dream. Her eyes were very serene.

    "Now, do you know who I am?" Zachary grinned, although he had already seen the answer in Anne''s eyes.

    "Thank

    left.

    After returning to the system, Zachary continued to cultivate. Early morning of the second day, when the time was almost up, he left the system and went back to Tiger Bamboo Forest. When he arrived at the bamboo house, he saw Jay, Tracy, and the others all gathered together.

    "Barnes just sent someone to tell us to head to the Imperial Training Ground. He has arranged for Imperial Level warriors to meet us there," Jay explained to Zachary.

    "Oh, so he has kept his word." Zachary nodded with a smirk.

    Together they went off to the Imperial Training Ground, which was where the college''s Imperial Level warriors usually practiced and trained together.

    It didn''t take long for them to reach the Imperial Training Ground. Twenty or thirty Imperial Level warriors from Crane College were already gathered there. The warriors took note of them the second they arrived.

    Seven or eight of the warriors instantly started walking towards them.

 Chapter 755 Mentor Selection

    "Good morning," one of the warriors greeted. He was at the eighth grade of Imperial Level and about forty years old. Dressed in a robe, he spoke in a very friendly manner. "Barnes asked us to do our best to help you improve the strength of your treasure beasts and your skills to control them for the next three months. You can each choose a mentor from our group."

    "Thank you," Jay replied. With a nod, he turned to the others and ordered, "You can choose your mentors now."

    "I''ll choose first." Kemp suddenly stepped forward, putting on airs as if he was the leader of the group. After glancing at Crane College''s Imperial Level warriors, he pointed at the warrior at the eighth grade of Imperial Level in the lead and said, "I think you should be the strongest, so I''ll choose you."

    "I''m Tristan Song. Nice to meet you," he said politely, cupping his hands.

    Kemp nodded arrogantly.

    Kemp''s attitude naturally bothered Tracy and the rest. However, considering the situation, they said nothing.

    After that, Tracy and Nola chose the only two female warriors present. Another warrior quickly made his choice, as well. Only Zachary remained now.

    "What are you doing?" Vivian asked anxiously seeing that all the powerful mentors had already been chosen.

    "Tristan, do I only get to choose from the warriors present?" Zachary suddenly asked.

    "I don''t think you have to choose only from us. It''s just that we are more experienced in mentoring others. If you choose one of us, it will be more beneficial to you. That being said, if you want to choose someone outside of this group, you are free to do so. But I''m not sure whether the person you choose will be willing to teach you," Tristan Song answered bluntly.

    "I see." Zachary nodded. Then he looked around as if he was searching for someone.

    "Do you have someone in mind?" Tristan So

    beauties wherever he went?

    It surprised Alisa and Linda to see Zachary approach them, Linda, especially. She was obviously guilty because she was afraid he would spill the beans on what happened yesterday. Before he reached them, she stepped forward and blocked him. "Hey, stop. Don''t come closer."

    Hearing this, Zachary immediately stopped two meters away from them. He exchanged a glance with Linda and saw that she was pointedly looking at him as if implying something.

    "I''m sorry. I''m not here for you. I was looking for Alisa." Zachary turned to look at Alisa, ignoring Linda.

    "Me?" Hearing that, Alisa was stunned.

    "What do you want from Alisa?" While relieved, Linda still felt uneasy that Zachary suddenly wanted to see Alisa.

    "I want Alisa to be my mentor." Zachary got straight to the point.

    "What?" Hearing that, Linda''s eyes widened. She hadn''t expected Zachary to be so bold as to ask Alisa to be his mentor.

    Obviously, Alisa was a little surprised as well, but she still looked very calm. However, the way she looked at Zachary had obviously changed. Ever since she''d first seen him, she''d had an indescribably strange feeling. It was as if some part of her knew him, but she had never seen him before.

 Chapter 756 Intention

    "Is there something wrong with you? You know Alisa becomes tensed around guys. She will feel uneasy just to speak to a man, let alone allowing a male stranger to be near her. Making her your instructor is out of the question." Linda refused Zachary on Alisa''s behalf without hesitation.

    "Alisa, do you share the same sentiment with her?" Zachary gave Alisa a steady intent look.

    Alisa meant to nod her head, but when her eyes met Zachary''s, she became distracted instantly. She saw a sense of familiarity in his gaze as if his eyes had already stared at her before.

    "Alisa, turn him down right now. Let him abandon hope." Linda also made a move to convince Alisa.

    "Very well," Alisa replied as she came to her senses. She was about to speak up when Zachary interrupted her. "Would you like to find out how I subdued the Demonic Emperor Beast yesterday?"

    Alisa''s eyes opened wide at once when she heard his words. Zachary read her mind spot on. After he had conquered the beast, her mind kept wondering how he did it.

    "Alisa, don''t let him fool you. Luck was just on his side yesterday, so he overcame that beast with a favorable result," Linda said. She felt like Zachary was setting a trap for Alisa, though she knew the Demonic Emperor Beast was not something that could be subdued simply by luck.

    Alisa pondered for a moment. She peered at Zachary first, and then at Linda. It was tough for her to decide right away. As a beast tamer, she could not keep her curiosity at bay.

    "If you agree to be my instructor, I will share with you the secret. Plus, I will give you any rare weapon or sealing tool that you may need," Zachary added in an attempt to persuade Alisa.

    "You are so despicable!" Linda cast Zachary a resentful glare when she overheard such a tempting offer from him.

    At this point, the other Imperial Level warriors present turned their full attention at Alisa. In their opinion, she would never take Zachary''s bait because she was a stickler for principles.

    "Okay, I can be your instructor, but I have three sets of rules you must agree on first," Alisa soon responded after a moment''s hesitation, surprising the audience. None of them had ever expected she would become Zachary''s inst

    ce.

    "I have other concerns now. Let''s start tomorrow. You may ask Linda to instruct you today and come here tomorrow morning so we can begin." Alisa was brilliant. She quickly handed Zachary over to Linda''s guidance and left after saying that.

    "Follow me." Linda twisted her finger and scoffed at Zachary upon hearing Alisa''s words. Her dark expression showed as if she was looking forward to giving him a hard time.

    Zachary took a glance at Alisa and then at Linda. When he saw the look on the latter''s face, a smile crept up at the corners of his mouth. With no trace of fear, he walked behind Linda.

    Afterward, the other Imperial Level warriors, including Tracy, left with their respective instructors one after another until only Jay and Vivian remained.

    "Vivian, would you mind taking a stroll with me?" Jay asked.

    "Okay." Seeing Zachary leave together with Linda, Vivian had no choice but to give Jay her approval.

    Meanwhile, not far from the Imperial Training Ground, Linda could no longer suppress her curiosity and turned to face Zachary. "Tell me the truth. What''s your intention on Alisa?"

    "My intention? What intention could I have against her?" Zachary shook his head and smiled.

    "You asked me many things about Alisa yesterday, and you claimed you hadn''t seen her before, but Alisa alleged she had run into you in the past," Linda asked with a hint of suspicion.

    "Oh, I didn''t know she was Alisa back then," Zachary answered in a casual tone.

 Chapter 757 Competitions

    "You''re lying!" Linda was certainly not going to believe Zachary so easily.

    "Linda, there''s nothing I can do if you won''t believe me." Zachary shrugged, feigning innocence.

    "I don''t care what you want from Alisa, but as long as I''m here, you better behave yourself. Otherwise, I promise that you''ll suffer." Linda clenched her fists and threatened him.

    "Don''t worry, Linda. Even if I were interested in Alisa, it would be useless. She doesn''t like men, does she?" Zachary replied with a smile.

    "That''s not true. She merely doesn''t like men to approach her." Linda shook her head.

    "Is there a reason for that?" Zachary asked.

    "I have no idea. But it''s been that way since Alisa first arrived at Crane College. It deeply disturbed her every time a man approached her," Linda replied.

    "Does it have anything to do with her memory loss?" Zachary continued to ask.

    "How do you know about that? Why are you even asking so many questions? You just said you aren''t interested in Alisa. That''s a lie." Linda stared at Zachary warily, suspicious of his intentions.

    "I''m only curious. Linda, are you really going to coach me? Or were you kidding?" Zachary asked.

    "Well, I am actually very busy. But if I don''t do it, you''ll definitely bother Alisa. So I accept you as my disciple, although I''m only doing it reluctantly," Linda said, crossing her arms over her chest.

    "Then how do you plan on instructing me?" Zachary wanted to know.

    "To be honest, you''re very gifted as a beast tamer. You can control three treasure beasts simultaneously. You don''t need any special coaching. Your only weakness now is that your treasure beasts are not strong enough. Except for the Demonic Emperor Beast you just subdued, the other three are average in strength. The Blazing Roc is just a common treasure beast, and its strength has already reached its limit. The Thunder Dragon Horse, which is a scarce beast, seems to be at the medium stage of King Level. As for the Hundred-Treasure Beast, it doesn''t belong to the fighting type and you can only use it as a shield," Linda analyzed seriously.

    ding to their strength limit. They divided the coliseum into three areas for the competitions of each group," Linda responded.

    "But why is there only one group now?" Zachary asked.

    "Because this competition is between two disciples of Crane College. The masters normally have jobs to do every day, so they only bring their treasure beasts here after they have finished their work. However, there are a lot of treasure beasts in Crane College, so unless there is a special competition, each warrior can only have one treasure beast participate in each group every day. Besides, each beast only has one chance a day. If it loses the match, it has to wait for another day," Linda added.

    "I see." Zachary nodded.

    "To improve the strength and skills of the treasure beasts, we need to let them join actual combat, and then analyze their shortcomings. So, from now on, you should come to the coliseum and let your treasure beasts join in combat," Linda suggested.

    "No problem." It was not until Zachary had arrived in Crane College that he realized that it was an authoritative and professional college.

    "Sigh up the Blazing Roc and the Hundred-Treasure Beast for competitions in the common group and the scarce group, respectively."

    "Okay." Zachary nodded.

    Then, Linda led Zachary to the registration desk to sign up and fill in all the information regarding his treasure beasts.

 Chapter 758 The Winning Streak

    After filling out the forms, Linda and Zachary sat in the grandstand next to the battlefield and waited.

    "The treasure beasts in this match are all chosen randomly. If you win, you can stay for the other battles, but if you lose, you have to go home with your treasure beast. With your Blazing Roc''s strength, it can probably win several rounds if it is lucky enough to come across weaker opponents. However, if you''re unlucky, you might lose in the first round," Linda said to Zachary.

    "Is there a time limit for the competitions?" Zachary asked.

    "Yes, the time limit is one hour. If the winner isn''t decided in an hour, the round will be considered to be a tie. If the two parties are tied, they have the chance to fight against another randomly selected treasure beast. Unlike warriors who restrain their strengths during battles, treasure beasts usually go all out to fight without reservation. Unless the opponents'' strengths are on the same level, one could decide the result in several minutes. Some even voluntarily quit if they face extremely strong opponents," Linda replied patiently.

    "Then there are many rounds of competitions each day, right?" Zachary asked further.

    "Yes. Generally, there are around fifty rounds for common treasure beasts and thirty rounds for scarce treasure beasts. The number of fights among the rare treasure beasts is the least, usually around ten rounds. Even in Crane College, there are very few rare treasure beasts," Linda said.

    "How many rounds do you think Orion can win this time around?" Zachary asked Linda to make a guess.

    "If your Blazing Roc is lucky enough, it can win seven or eight rounds. As for your Hundred-Treasure Beast, I guess it can win one or two rounds. After all, the Hundred-Treasure Beast''s attack is not that aggressive or strong. There are many scarce treasure beasts at the premium stage of Imperial Level in its group. So, the chances of your beast winning are not very high," Linda guessed.

    "What about the Demonic Emperor Beast?" Zachary asked, squinting his eyes as he weighed the situation.

    "The Demonic Emperor Beast? Oh, yeah! I almost forgot that you subdued it yesterday." Mention of the Demonic Emperor Beast reminded Linda that Zachary now possessed one of Crane College''s most powerful

    asts. I have never seen such a treasure beast before in our college."

    "It seems that its strength has reached the limit of King Level. Does it belong to some Imperial Level warrior?"

    For a moment, suspicion filled the area. However, all information on the master of the Blazing Roc was confidential, so no one knew who owned it.

    "Cool. It has won five matches already." Linda nodded with satisfaction.

    "Of course, it has a great owner after all." Zachary laughed in response.

    "Don''t be so smug. There are many common treasure beasts in our college that are stronger than your Blazing Roc," Linda retorted back as she rolled her eyes at Zachary.

    What Linda said was true. Winning seven consecutive matches caused a great sensation in the crowd. It was only in the eighth round that the Blazing Roc finally got some real competition. Its opponent was also a treasure beast at the peak of King Level.

    "Oh, my god! Your Blazing Roc will now be facing a strong opponent," Linda teased as at the sight of the Blazing Roc''s opponent.

    "Why?" Zachary asked.

    "The opponent is one of the top five common treasure beasts in Crane College. It''s called the Swift Evil Ape. Not only because it''s very agile, but also because it has an amazing jumping ability. It is also good at attacking from the sky. Although it doesn''t have a flying ability, its fighting style is very similar to that of the Blazing Roc," Linda replied, a wicked smile lingering on her lips as if she was looking forward to a wonderful fight.

 Chapter 759 Their Relationship

    Zachary studied Blazing Roc''s opponent. The Swift Evil Ape had changed. It was able to stand on its feet, with a slender body and long limbs. It seemed like an ordinary ape with nothing special about it.

    However, as soon as the fight began, the Swift Evil Ape had an enormous advantage. It was incredibly swift and agile. The Blazing Roc had the advantage in the air, but the ape''s speed on the ground hindered the attempts of the roc to attack it. The roc was forced to fly at a lower height in order to be able to launch a strike that could reach its target before the ape darted off to a different spot. But the lower the roc flew, the higher the chance that the ape could launch a counterattack of its own, for the ape had an immensely powerful jump. When the roc swooped too low, the ape leaped up to attack it.

    The Blazing Roc retreated to a safe distance, but this meant that neither the roc nor the ape could attack each other. The roc was in an unusually passive position, waiting to see what the ape would do instead of being the one to engage actively in battle.

    "It seems that your Blazing Roc has no way of winning this battle," Linda observed, grinning at Zachary. She couldn''t quite keep the gloating tone from her voice.

    "I don''t think so," Zachary said coolly.

    Linda was unconvinced. "If it is under the command of a beast master, there may be a chance for it to win. However, without their masters engaged, the Swift Evil Ape is obviously the better fighter. Beast tamers are not allowed to participate in the fight, which puts the Blazing Roc at a disadvantage. Even if you tried to cheat by giving it orders secretly, I don''t see how the roc would be able to hear your commands from such a long distance," she said, glancing shrewdly at Zachary, as though she had guessed the direction of his thoughts.

    Zachary only smiled. "Are you sure?" he asked lightly. He gave Mimi orders to be conveyed to the Blazing Roc through the treasure beast system.

    After a few moments, the Blazing Roc suddenly changed its style of fighting. Without warning, it swooped down and landed on the ground some distance away from its opponent.

    Of course, the Swift Evil Ape was quick to respond, rushing without hesitation towards the Blazing Roc. As the ape approached, the roc spread its wings wide. Every movement raised a strong wind and scattered sand and stones throughout the arena. The air was soon congested with dust, blocking everyone''s vision.

    No matter how fast the ape was, it dared not act rashly when its eyes were unable to see its target clearly.

    Suddenly, something heavy landed on the ape''s back. The Blazing Roc had pounced on the Swift Evil Ape from behind. The ape snarled and turned to fight back, but the roc had already flown back up, too high for the ape to reach. After a few moments, it repeated the same tactics to deal another blow to the ape.

    However,

    e?" Evan Kong repeated. He looked critically at Zachary. He sensed that Zachary''s aura was not strong, and looked down upon him. "Hey, you''re lucky to have Linda personally bring you here," he said to Zachary with a mocking grin.

    Zachary saw that Evan Kong was interested in Linda, and he did not hesitate to exploit that weakness. "Oh, Linda brought me here because we are close friends. No ordinary disciple would be lucky enough to get this kind of personal attention from her. I''m quite special to her," he said, giving Evan Kong a meaningful smile.

    "Close friends?" Evan Kong scowled. His mood darkened at Zachary''s words. Obviously, this disciple was flaunting the fact that he and Linda were "close friends."

    "That''s all we need to see for today. We''ll be leaving now, goodbye," Linda said abruptly. She was aware that Evan Kong liked her and found it extremely exasperating. If she had to stay in his presence any longer, she might be tempted to lose her temper with him, so it was better to leave with Zachary now. Anyway, her purpose for bringing him here had already been achieved.

    "Of course," Zachary said agreeably. He was tempted to wink at Evan Kong but decided that might be pushing him too far.

    Evan Kong shifted so he was blocking Linda''s path. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave, Linda? How about letting my treasure beast compete with your Dragon Finch?" he suggested. He smiled, hoping his proposal would be attractive to her.

    "Forget it. If our beasts fight, there''ll be gossip about us, and I hate it when that happens," Linda snapped, glaring coldly at him.

    Evan Kong was undeterred. "Well, how about this? If my treasure beast loses the fight, I''ll let you have something you might want¡ªthis treasure, which can increase a beast''s strength by two grades." As he spoke, he took out a strange object. It exuded a strong magical aura, reminiscent of the essential power of a strong beast.

 Chapter 760 The Thunder Dragon Horse

    Zachary knew all about this type of beast essential power, for he had once owned a very rare treasure of King Level, which could significantly increase the strength of a beast by three grades. Therefore, when he saw Evan take out the treasure, his eyes gleamed with delight.

    "A treasure that can increase a beast''s strength by two grades?" Linda barely glanced at the treasure, for she was not interested. A treasure of King Level no longer held any attraction to a powerful beast tamer of her caliber.

    "What do you think? How about we fight a match between us, Linda? Just you and me." Evan''s eyes gleamed expectantly.

    "I''m not interested." Linda snorted dismissively. However, as she was about to leave, Zachary suddenly said to Evan, "Linda isn''t really interested, but I am."

    "You?" Hearing this, Evan glanced at Zachary as he clearly had not taken him seriously at all.

    Linda was puzzled as to why Zachary wanted to duel against Evan. But soon she understood. She realized that Zachary, in fact, wanted Evan''s treasure. Although she was beyond wasting time on Evan, she knew that Zachary had a scarce treasure beast of King Level. If he were to win this treasure, he could increase the strength of his treasure beast by two grades.

    Understanding this to be his motivation, Linda said to Evan, "My disciple wants to compete against you. You may fight him! However, should you lose, you must relinquish this treasure to him."

    "Well..." Evan hesitated after hearing what Linda said. If by some happenstance he lost, he did not want to lose his treasure to Zachary. But Linda had already said so. If he refused, there would be no chance for him to woo her in the future.

    "I''m not unwilling to fight him. But I don''t think his treasure beast is a match for my Golden Fire Eagle. There''s no need for a fight then." Evan glared at Zachary, and it was obvious that he did not want to give his treasure to him.

    "In fact, the treasure beast your Golden Fire Eagle has just defeated is his," Linda added, her beautiful eyes becoming slits.

    "He owns that Blazing Roc?" Evan frowned in surprise. Zachary was just a disciple

    than Blazing Roc.

    "Why don''t you choose the Hundred-Treasure Beast to fight Evan''s Golden Fire Eagle? You may have stood a chance to win if you did that!" Linda didn''t understand why Zachary had chosen the Thunder Dragon Horse either.

    "Don''t underestimate it!" Zachary beamed with confidence.

    Having heard this, Linda couldn''t help but study the Thunder Dragon Horse. Although she had seen it yesterday, she had been too busy with Zachary at that time and did not pay any heed to the beast. When she looked at the Thunder Dragon Horse now, she realized that the aura of the beast was behaving strangely. Soon, she noticed the crown on the beast''s head.

    "What''s that on your treasure beast''s head?" Linda asked intently.

    "It''s merely a trinket," Zachary answered perfunctorily. Of course, he would not confide in Linda that it was a very rare accessory.

    "You''re kidding me." It was not easy to pull the wool over Linda''s eyes.

    "You''ll see later." Zachary deliberately prolonged her suspense.

    Linda rolled her eyes at Zachary in frustration.

    At this moment, the Golden Fire Eagle had already begun hovering in the air, staring down at the Thunder Dragon Horse on the ground. Suddenly, it swooped down, with a tremendous velocity, heading straight to the Thunder Dragon Horse. Meanwhile, flames sprang up from its wings, becoming like a gigantic roaring dragon, shooting straight towards its opponent.

 Chapter 761 The Peak Of King Level

    Facing the fierce attack from the Golden Fire Eagle, the Thunder Dragon Horse didn''t bother dodging at all. Instead, with flashing thunder radiance cloaking its body, the beating thunder current spread all over it, growing larger and stronger, Eventually, it formed a protective thunder shield with a diameter of several meters, enveloping itself.

    In the next moment, the two flames ejected from the Golden Fire Eagle rushed toward the thunder shield. In the next instant, an explosion erupted throughout the sky. The fire radiance and thunder current intersected, causing a stalemate. But a moment later, the flames from the Golden Fire Eagle were counteracted before being completely eliminated.

    An uproar broke out across the arena¡ªno one had expected the Thunder Dragon Horse, known to be weaker than the Golden Fire Eagle, to resist its opponent''s attack head-on. In fact, its performance was rather awe-inspiring. Naturally, everyone applauded in praise.

    "This scarce treasure beast isn''t all that strong but it can surprisingly use the power of thunder very well."

    "I haven''t seen such a treasure beast in our college."

    "From my point of view, this treasure beast''s master must be the one who owns the Blazing Roc. Who could that person possibly be?"

    Because of the Thunder Dragon Horse''s beautiful performance, everyone present couldn''t help but guess about its master.

    "Your treasure beast actually managed to comprehend some martial skill!" Witnessing what the Thunder Dragon Horse had done, Linda also turned to Zachary in surprise. "Oh?

    Is Kiwi''s move some sort of martial skill?" Zachary asked with raised brows, asking her a question in return instead of answering her clearly.

    "Theoretically speaking, this is a kind of beast martial skill. The difference between this and an ordinary skill lies in their shape¡ªan ordinary skill usually appears in a very simple form, while the shape of a beast martial skill is more complex. The aura of its power is also far stronger than that of an ordinary skill. Just now, your treasure beast formed a thunder shield for defense with its own thunder element. That alone is clearly not an ordinary skill. But the defensive thunder shield is not yet perfect¡ªit''s still riddled with flaws," Linda pointed out.

    "That''s very interesting. Linda, when will you train Kiwi and teach it how to perfect its beast martial skill?" Zachary then asked.

    "This is not my specialty, but you can ask Alisa for help if you really want to do that. She''s good at a

    agle was about to approach the Thunder Dragon Horse, the latter suddenly raised its head, releasing a great roar. In turn, the Crown of Thunder on its head instantly flickered brightly, the thunder radiance flashing across the sky. Violent thunder struck down from the sky, striking the Crown of Thunder. The next moment, the Thunder Dragon Horse''s originally calm and stable aura instantly rushed up, completely overwhelming its surroundings. Its level soared.

    The seventh grade! The eighth grade! The ninth grade!

    In the blink of an eye, the aura of the Thunder Dragon Horse had risen to the peak of King Level.

    Everyone present was completely flabbergasted at the sight, their mouths all ajar. No one knew how the Thunder Dragon Horse suddenly erupted with such astonishing power.

    Under the public''s watchful eyes, the Thunder Dragon Horse opened its mouth and shot a thunder ball to the Golden Fire Eagle. The latter didn''t expect its opponent''s power to surge so suddenly. But it was already far too late for it to retreat¡ªit had already rushed in front of the Thunder Dragon Horse. Because of that, while it tried to avoid the thunder ball, it failed to dodge it completely.

    But the Thunder Dragon Horse''s thunder ball was still approaching, turning into radiation, exploding into the shape of an arc. While the Golden Fire Eagle had tried its best to avoid it, it couldn''t avoid the effect of the explosion''s impact. One of its wings was injured by the shock wave, keeping its body from balancing midair. After spinning quickly a few times, it fell to the ground. After rolling itself a few times, it finally stabilized itself on the ground, wailing miserably.

 Chapter 762 Fight Another Day

    "Hey, did I see it wrong? This treasure beast defeated the Golden Fire Eagle in an instant. It''s unimaginable!"

    "It''s true! I clearly felt the strength of the treasure beast increase in the blink of an eye, rising to the same level as that of the Golden Fire Eagle. How did that happen? What''s going on?"

    "This treasure beast is unbelievably powerful!"

    The onlookers chattered nervously about the shocking battle they had just witnessed. Nobody had expected that the Thunder Dragon Horse could unleash such enormous power, especially after it had lost its protective thunder cover. It had managed to defeat the Golden Fire Eagle in a single move. It was an incredible and astonishing victory.

    Linda was as surprised as anyone else. She turned to Zachary. "What exactly is that thing on your treasure beast''s head?" The thunder crown worn by the Thunder Dragon Horse was obviously no ordinary item. Indeed, based on what had just happened, it seemed to be a valuable and powerful treasure.

    "It''s a kind of powerful item unique to treasure beasts. Think of it as a weapon, but one that only treasure beasts can wield," Zachary explained. "Don''t you have such dedicated items for treasure beasts in the Vanity Kingdom?" Logically speaking, it was natural to assume that a place like the Vanity Kingdom, concerned with the professional training of treasure beasts, would have items dedicated to enhancing the strengths of treasure beasts.

    "No," said Linda at once, shaking her head. "Or at least not that I''ve heard of. I''ve never seen any treasure like this before." Linda had always believed that it was impossible for treasure beasts to use weapons like human warriors. It was the first time she had heard such an idea.

    Evan was standing motionless, his face twisted with rage at the swift and unexpected defeat of his Golden Fire Eagle. It was infuriating that his powerful treasure beast had been brought down by the Thunder Dragon Horse, which was supposedly much weaker. But he was determined not to concede so easily. Since the Golden Fire Eagle was severely and likely fatally injured, he called it back, and sent out his second treasure beast. It was a Black Dragon Leopard at the fourth grade of Imperial Level. It loped out gracefully into the battlefield.

    The appearance of the Black Dragon Leopard caused the crowd to burst into another uproar. While the leopard was not as powerful as the Golden Fire Eagle, it was still a scarce treasure beast, and one that was reportedly among the best fighters among all known scarce treasure beasts. The Black Dragon Leopard had been able to defeat treasure beasts with higher strength levels than itself. Its primary weapon was a hidden skill that allowed it to paralyze opponents in an instant, leaving them unable to resist any further attack. Thus, the Black Dragon Leopard was

    rong? Don''t you want to fight anymore?" Linda asked, seeing that Evan had gone still after calling back the Black Dragon Leopard. He didn''t seem like he was about to summon another treasure beast.

    Evan shook his head, trying to salvage the situation. "I''m sorry. I suddenly remember that I have something else to do, so today''s fight is over. How about fighting another day?" he said brusquely, unwilling to admit that he had lost.

    "Fine," Linda said. "But you must hand over your treasure, the one at the second grade of King Level. It will serve as your guarantee." She stretched out a hand expectantly.

    Evan''s face darkened. He had made such an excuse only because he didn''t want to hand over the treasure. What Linda said made him feel angry and resistant.

    "Or are you just pretending you''ll resume the fight, but in reality you''ve given up? Are you afraid you can''t win?" Linda taunted. She could see his anger and hesitation and felt determined to provoke him.

    Many in the crowd heard Linda''s words, and they began snickering and pointing derisively at Evan.

    Evan clenched his fists, but he had no choice. "Who says I''m giving up? I just need to take care of something, but we will definitely continue this fight. Since you doubt me, I''ll hand over the treasure as proof of my sincerity. You must return it to me after I defeat Harley next time." He slowly took out the treasure and held it out to Linda. It was painful for him to do this. However, the only alternative she had left him was to be ridiculed by everyone.

    Linda snatched it from Evan. Without another word to him, she stepped towards Zachary and said, "All right, let''s go."

    Zachary nodded and called back the Demonic Emperor Beast, placing it back into the system. He met Evan''s gaze and saw that his eyes were burning with hatred. Zachary was unaffected by this. He smiled and turned to leave with Linda.

 Chapter 763 Treasure Fragments

    After Zachary and Linda left the coliseum, they looked around to check for other people. When the coast was clear, Linda handed the treasure to Zachary.

    "Thank you very much!" Of course, Zachary was thrilled as the treasure could help the Thunder Dragon Horse enhance its strength in a short amount of time.

    "You know how to use it, right? Although it could improve the strength of a treasure beast by two grades, try not to let the treasure beast absorb it in one breath. You should divide the whole process into different parts so that it would not cause any burden on the treasure beast," Linda warned.

    "I see." Zachary nodded. He had previously gotten into big trouble when he let the Thunder Dragon Horse take a treasure at the third grade of King Level. Thus, he now knew that he could not use the treasure entirely in one go.

    "You may go to the coliseum by yourself tomorrow. I will come if I am free," Linda said and quickly left.

    As for Zachary, he also went back to the cave behind the waterfall.

    A few moments later, he entered the system and heard Mimi''s sweet voice that said, "We have compared the gene samples, and two of them matched the Blazing Roc''s gene at about ninety-nine percent."

    "Oh, whose samples are these two?" Zachary asked.

    "They are the gene samples from two of the three treasure beasts you collected yesterday. They are the Gigantic Rhinoceros and the Demonic Emperor Beast."

    "Really? Are their genes that good?" He was honestly a bit surprised to hear the news. After all, he did not expect that those two gene samples, which he had just casually collected, turned out to be so useful.

    "These two kinds of genes both possess their own unique qualities. The Gigantic Rhinoceros has a special gene that enables it to break through its strength''s limit, while the Demonic Emperor Beast has a peculiar combination of mutant genes," Mimi answered.

    "It seems that I made the right decision when I went to Crane College this time," Zachary muttered. He knew that if the Blazing Roc successfully fused the genes and made a breakthrough this time, he would surely be off to a good start with his gene research.

    "Now, you can choose the direction of the gene breakthrough you want. Do you want a breakthrough in strength or in mutation?" Mimi asked.

    "I prefer a breakthrough in strength, which is what the Blazing Roc needs the most for the time being. As for the breakthrough in mutation, I can try that wh

    e more treasure very soon!" Zachary exclaimed as he rubbed his chin and nodded.

    "It will only take three days to collect all the rest of the fragments, but that is still not enough. You cannot activate the treasure unless you inject them with strong power that is at least above the Holy Level," Shadow added.

    "Oh, I see. It''s easy. I can ask Anne for help." When Zachary finished speaking, he left the Death Arena and went to the Living-dead Tomb.

    He saw Anne, and told her about the collection of the treasure fragments.

    "The Ice Armor? It is a reasonably decent low-grade Divine Level treasure. It also falls in the ice element category, so it''s quite suitable for you to use. It is said that the Ice Armor has existed for more than a thousand years, and a famous divine caster cast it a thousand years ago," said Anne.

    "A low-grade Divine Level treasure? Are the Divine Level treasures divided into different grades?" Zachary asked in surprise.

    "Of course, even Divine Level treasures also have strong ones and weak ones. Therefore, they are divided into low, medium, and high grades. The truth is, the so-called Divine Level treasure refers to treasures with the Divine Level potential. Most of them could grow, but their chances of reaching the Divine Level depend on their owners'' abilities. Take the Ice Armor as an example. Even if you can collect all its fragments, your strength could only allow you to use it as an Imperial Level treasure at the most. However, you can improve it to the Sage Level if you break through and become a Sage Level warrior. You can deduce the rest in the same manner," Anne explained.

 Chapter 764 Communicating With The Treasure Beast

    "I see. Please help me when I collect all the rest of the fragments, Anne," Zachary said.

    "If the system allows me to help you, there would be no problem," Anne replied. With their current relationship, she was willing to carry Zachary''s worries and burdens as her own.

    "I think the system may have some restrictions, but there should be room for negotiation," Zachary commented. He was hopeful as he already had a good understanding of the behavior mode of the system.

    "By the way, did Tania ask you to help her find the legendary beast, the Fighting Crane?" Anne asked, changing the topic of the conversation.

    "Yes. But how did you know? Did she tell you?" Zachary asked promptly.

    "No. But I know she has talked to you, so I''m guessing she wants to find it," Anne replied.

    "Do you know why she wants to?" Zachary could not hold his curiosity.

    "It is said that the Fighting Crane can heal all diseases and bring back the dead to life. It can also pass this ability to chosen descendants. Maybe Tania wants to obtain it," Anne presumed.

    "Isn''t she already very good at medical skills? Why does she need such ability?" Zachary asked in confusion.

    "No matter how powerful medical skill is, it is unable to bring back life. If she possessed the ability of the Fighting Crane, she would definitely become someone the whole world worships," Anne explained, blinking with her eyebrows furrowed.

    "It seems that Tania has the ambition to show mercy to every living creature in the world. I think she wants to become an immortal after making a great achievement in this respect," Zachary joked.

    "Become an immortal? What does that mean?" Anne asked.

    "Simply put, to be an immortal means becoming a god to some extent, never becoming old nor dying," Zachary answered.

    "Isn''t it said that a warrior can live forever if they cultivate to the highest level?" Anne asked as she recalled.

    "Has anyone reached the highest level?" Zachary asked casually.

    "As far as I know, not yet. Even the Five Gods who had already reached a high level didn''t make it. They still couldn''t escape death. However, they seem to have lived at least three hundred years."

    "Three hundred years? They''re considered old freaks already," Zachary smiled as he shook his head.

    "Ha-ha. Well, now that you''re here, let''s cultivate

    ir treasure beasts.

    "Hey, are you really that capable? You shouldn''t act recklessly!" Vivian worried that Zachary couldn''t handle the situation.

    Zachary, on the other hand, stayed calm.

    "Anyone who wants to come first?" Linda asked.

    The warriors scrambled, intending to present their treasure beasts. It seemed that they wanted the opportunity to show off in front of the two beauties. They appeared to try to show Zachary of the Devil Kingdom how powerful the Imperial Level warriors of the Crane College were.

    "Well...you!" Linda looked at them one by one before pointing at one fat warrior among the crowd.

    The warrior raised his head as if he had won a big prize. He took his treasure beast to Zachary excitedly. "My treasure beast has a bad temper. If you can really communicate with it, please tell me why this is so," he said arrogantly.

    After hearing this, Zachary asked Mimi to turn on the mutual communication system at once.

    He heard the treasure beast of the fat warrior muttering, "How dare you say I have a bad temper! You feed me cold leftovers every day and often ride me for no reason. You even vent your anger on me when you''re drunk. I was blind to admit you as my master in the very beginning!"

    After hearing its complaint, Zachary''s narrowed his eyes. Through the mutual communication system, he answered the treasure beast, "I see. Your master seems to abuse you terribly!"

    The treasure beast was awestruck as it heard the human talking to it. It looked up at Zachary and said, "What? You can hear my words!"

 Chapter 765 Chatter

    "Of course," Zachary nodded.

    "Tell my master not to abuse me anymore and to treat me better. Otherwise, I''d rather die than be his treasure beast," the treasure beast lamented in agony.

    "Don''t worry about it." After persuading the beast, Zachary turned to the pot-bellied warrior. "Your treasure beast claimed its cranky mood was due to your abusive nature."

    The fat warrior shuddered with guilt after hearing those claims. "You''re speaking rubbish. I never maltreated it. The foods and drinks it consumes daily are delicious and full of nutrients, and I often take it out for sightseeing."

    "Nonsense! He will only ride me so he can order people around and trifle with girls!" the treasure beast grumbled as it heaved two sharp breaths.

    "Is that so?" Zachary smiled. "It seems your master has not shown a single ounce of remorse. I think you must teach him a lesson."

    "But he is still my master, and I can''t defy his command. Or else, I would have trampled him to death some time ago," the beast said with indignation.

    "You can humiliate him by disclosing his scandals," Zachary suggested.

    After a moment''s hesitation, the beast replied, "He has done lots of misconduct!"

    "Choose something substantial, like a distinctive hobby of his," Zachary put forward.

    "That''s right. I just recalled his fondness of collecting women''s brassieres, and he even puts them on often!" The beast confessed the warrior''s secret obsession.

    "This is incredible news!" Zachary grinned from ear to ear with this unusual discovery. Then he turned to the fat warrior and stated, "Your treasure beast mentioned you have a heart of stone and full of trash, so it has to give you a lesson and make you wake up to reality."

    "It wouldn''t even dare!" The fat warrior glowered at his treasure beast. He refused to believe that it would have the nerve to rebel against him.

    "It even told me something very disgraceful. If you don''t apologize to it, then I''ll have to disclose this classified detail aloud to reduce your beast''s bitterness." Zachary folded his arms over his chest. A determined look painted on his face.

    "Go ahead. I want to find out what you''re talking about

    else dares to have a try?"

    The remaining warriors looked at each other and stepped back. None of them dared to become easy targets.

    "That''s it, Linda. There''s no need to go on with the test." Alisa could tell Zachary was capable, and he had enough proof to back him up. But it wasn''t something to mess around with, so she stopped Linda.

    "Linda, it''s true that my fiance has a special ability," Vivian gloated.

    "No, I can''t allow him to be so cocky." Linda seemed very keen to take Zachary down. Since nobody dared to stand out, she waved her hand and summoned her treasure beast, the Dragon Finch.

    The Imperial Level warriors gasped as soon as they saw the Dragon Finch because it was one of the top five scarce treasure beasts in the list created by Crane College. They regarded it as very rare due to its dual elements. It had a delicate peacock-like shape, bursting with vibrant colors. Its tail looked like a colorful fan. It had a standout beauty among the treasure beasts.

    "This treasure beast looks unique!" Zachary''s eyes lit up like a kid watching fireworks when he caught sight of the Dragon Finch. With his experience, he could see at a glance that the treasure beast had incredible potential.

    "Finch, this guy wants to have a chat with you," Linda addressed her Dragon Finch.

    The Dragon Finch glanced at Zachary and raised its head with arrogance, showing animosity. It looked down upon him like he was a mere mortal.

 Chapter 766 Thorough Examination

    "You and your master seem to share the same temper," Zachary said to the Dragon Finch with a smile.

    "You can really hear me?" the Dragon finch asked in surprise.

    "Yes. Unfortunately, your master doesn''t believe me," Zachary responded, crossing his arms over his chest.

    "If I were her, I wouldn''t believe it either. I''ve never heard of humans who can communicate with treasure beasts using words," the Dragon Finch replied.

    "Well, you can consider me an exception. Can you please tell your master that I can actually talk with you?" Zachary asked with expectant eyes.

    "Why should I do this for you?" The Dragon finch was not buying Zachary''s story.

    "If you tell your master, I will help you out," Zachary said, trying to coax it.

    "How?" the Dragon Finch snorted with disdain.

    "I have many treasures exclusive to treasure beasts, such as the Growth-promoting Pill. I think you''ll find them useful," Zachary answered.

    "Here is the thing. I don''t know what''s wrong with my body, but it has been a while since I was able to produce treasures. There is one treasure inside me that has completely matured. If I can''t give birth to it soon, I will have to destroy it to avoid any unnecessary impact on my body. However, it would be a pity to do so. My master has also been waiting for this treasure, because it''s super important to her," the Dragon Finch admitted.

    "Oh, really? Well, I can arrange a full medical workup for you to see if there is anything wrong," Zachary suggested at once.

    "Why should I believe you?" The Dragon Finch seemed to be very suspicious.

    "As a treasure beast, you are intelligent, aren''t you? I think you can tell what kind of person I am," Zachary replied with a smile.

    The Dragon Finch looked at Zachary for a bit and found a strange and attractive aura emitting from him.

    "Well, I can believe you to some degree. But I can''t tell my master myself. She may not believe me," the Dragon Finch replied, finally relenting to Zachary''s plan.

    "As long as you tell me something about your master that no one else knows, that will be the proof I need and she will definitely believe my ability," Zachary said with a snicker.

    "Well..." The Dragon Finch hesitated.

    "Don''t worry. I won''t hurt your master. Besides, n

    s favor by offering such a useless examination. While he might be able to communicate with treasure beasts as he claimed, they refused to believe he wanted to cure the beast. He was merely an Imperial Level warrior from the Devil Kingdom, after all. None of them believed he could do something the Imperial Level warriors of Crane College were unable to do.

    "I promised your Dragon Finch to conduct a thorough check on its body," Zachary added, trying to convince Linda to agree with his plan.

    Linda quickly turned to look at the Dragon Finch. She was shocked that the Dragon Finch would trust a stranger like that. The Dragon Finch gave a slight nod, confirming Zachary''s words.

    "Okay, but you can only do it right here," Linda replied with a nod.

    Originally, Zachary had planned on bringing the Dragon Finch into the system for inspection. But something told him Linda would not willingly allow him to be alone with her treasure beast. So he smiled and then said to Mimi in secret, "Mimi, help me do a thorough examination on the Dragon Finch to see if there is anything wrong with it."

    "No problem! The examination will start now. The thermal image is loading! Analyzing..."

    In order to convince Linda he was the one doing the check, Zachary touched the Dragon Finch here and there.

    Five minutes later, Mimi''s delicate voice sounded again. "The examination is complete. This treasure beast''s production organs are obviously damaged. That is creating an obstacle in the delivery of the treasure."

 Chapter 767 The Dragon Finch Crystal

    "Can you heal it?" Zachary asked.

    "Yes, but we''ll have to make the Dragon Finch deliver the treasure first. It''s inside its belly right now. We''ll have to get it out before proceeding with the treatment," Mimi replied.

    "Isn''t it seriously ill already? How could we force it to deliver the treasure? Won''t that hurt?" Zachary''s face was marred with a frown as he tried to figure out what to do.

    "There''s a new pill in the treasure beast system. It''s called the Speeding Up Pill. Like what its name suggests, it can speed up the formation of the treasure and make the beast deliver it all at once. However, it only applies to mature treasures that are ready to come out," Mimi patiently explained.

    "So that means this pill is suitable for the Dragon Finch? Right?" Zachary asked though he had already understood what Mimi was trying to say.

    "Yes, but the Speeding Up Pill is very expensive. It costs one thousand gold coins for a single pill," Mimi added.

    "One thousand gold coins? That''s crazy!" Zachary exclaimed, extremely shocked at the astronomically high price of the treasure pill.

    "Do you want to buy it?" Mimi asked.

    Zachary could only shrug helplessly. What choice did he have, really? "Fine. Let''s do it!"

    "Alright! It''s done!" Mimi announced.

    Zachary stopped touching the Dragon Finch and began his report to Linda. "I''m done with the examination. Something is indeed wrong with the Dragon Finch."

    "Impossible. I''ve had several Sage Level beast tamers check on it. All of them said that it was healthy," Linda refuted, not believing Zachary at all.

    "I also checked the Dragon Finch and found nothing wrong with it," Alisa added. She did not understand and was very much confused with Zachary''s claim that there was something wrong. She herself ascertained that everything was fine.

    The Imperial Level warriors began to whisper amongst each other when they heard this. No doubt this Zachary only said that there was something wrong with the Dragon Finch in order to curry Linda''s favor. Such a dirty trick!

    "Are you sure you didn''t make a mistake?" Vivian asked. She was a bit worried after hearing the whispers from the crowd.

    Zachary pointed at the Dragon Finch''s belly and shot Vivian a look. "Has this part of the Dragon Finch been hurt before?" he asked.

    Linda could only look on in astonishment when she saw where he was pointing at. The Dragon Finch did indeed get injured there but that was a few months ago. She thought it would have totally healed and recovered by now. There was no negative response from Linda so Zachary figured that he might have hit the bull''s eye.

    "If it has been hurt here before then

    to the Imperial Level.

    "Alright, the fun''s over! Everyone leave now!" Linda told the warriors that had gathered around them.

    Seeing this, the warriors shook their heads and reluctantly made their leave.

    Zachary turned to Alisa. "Is there anything else you want to know?" he asked. He knew what he just did must have made Linda think highly of him and since Alisa was Linda''s close friend, he assumed that it would be much easier to seek her help with Linda beginning to trust him.

    Alisa shook her head. "No. Don''t you want me to teach you how to make the treasure beast learn beast martial skills? Come with me." Without another word, she walked away before he could even give a response.

    Zachary nodded and chose to follow her wordlessly towards the side of the Imperial Training Ground.

    Vivian''s eyes were glued onto him this whole time, afraid that her future husband might be snatched away by another woman.

    Linda noticed her jealousy and was quick to tease her, saying, "It seems you''re not as charming as Alisa. From the way I see it, his soul seems to have been seduced by her."

    Vivian let out a hopeless sigh. "This guy has always been attracted by other women so easily. I''m already used to it."

    Her revelation made Linda cast her a look of disdain. "You are a lady from a decent clan. How can you stand him behaving so ridiculously?"

    Vivian merely shrugged. "What can I do? He doesn''t listen to me anyway."

    "That is true. This type of guy is indeed different from ordinary people. I think it would be best to change your tactic since a man like him won''t fall in love with you if you cling to him so annoyingly," Linda advised. Her advice made Vivian turn to her.

    "What should I do then? Do you have any ideas?" Vivian asked in curiosity.

 Chapter 768 Breakthrough To The Imperial Level

    "Do you think you deserve him?" Linda suddenly asked, her eyebrows raised.

    Vivian was taken aback by the question, but she immediately responded, "As the daughter of the dignified Xiao Clan in the Devil Kingdom, why wouldn''t I?"

    "Besides your identity, what else do you think you have to deserve him?" Linda asked once again, only shrewdly this time.

    Vivian fell silent. The question left her speechless.

    "If you want to be his woman, you have to become someone who truly deserves him. Playing tricks and pestering him would only make him more disgusted with you. Take Alisa as an example, she usually keeps her distance from men, but she is willing to instruct this guy. The only reason is she might be concerned about something in him. If you want him to notice you more, you should do something to attract his attention," Linda reminded Vivian, hoping the latter caught her every thought.

    "Okay." Vivian was not stupid. She exactly understood what Linda meant. She admired that Linda was mentally mature compared to her because she was quite a childish woman. She then asked without hesitation, "Do you care about him, Linda?"

    "Of course I do, but the reason why is because he is too dangerous. If he spends too much time with Alisa, it may not be good for her. Moreover, they are destined to be opponents. Although Alisa always keeps away from men, she is kind-hearted and has no sense of vigilance. It will be easy for a person with an evil intention to take advantage of her," Linda said frowning slightly.

    "It seems that Alisa is special to you, Linda. Do you...?" Vivian asked, seeming to piece a puzzle together.

    "It''s not what you think. I''m straight," Linda interrupted, rolling her eyes at Vivian.

    "If that''s so, I could only say that you do treat her like your own sister or a very close friend," Vivian said as she nodded her head.

    "You only have to keep close watch on your man. Don''t let him do things that freely with other women." Linda gave Vivian her last advice and left.

    From a distance, Alisa first taught Zachary some knowledge and experience in beast martial arts. He felt he benefited a lot from these theories.

    They appeared to get along well, causing Vivian to be more displeased as she watched. Before they knew it, four hours had passed.

    "It''s almost time. Let''s call it a day. I heard that Linda arranged for you to train the treasure beasts in

    Vivian followed him looking upset. She realized how her trip to the Crane College with Zachary had become so frustrating. She just got angry over and over again. However, Linda''s words echoed in her mind. She couldn''t help thinking Linda was right. ''Maybe I have to change my strategy, '' she thought to herself.

    "I''m leaving now. Come see me in the evening," Vivian told Zachary as she clutched her things and left coldly.

    After Vivian left, Zachary found a remote place and entered the system to check if the Blazing Roc had completed the gene fusion.

    As expected, Mimi''s sweet voice came through as soon as he entered the system. "The Blazing Roc has completed the gene fusion and successfully broken through to the Imperial Level."

    While listening, Zachary took a look at the huge screen revealing the graphic data about the Blazing Roc. He observed that some of the data were much higher than anticipated. The gene fusion was indeed very successful.

    Zachary went to the Peach Blossom Forest next. He came across the Blazing Roc and found that it had already returned. Its appearance didn''t seem to have changed, and even its aura remained at the top of King Level.

    "Mimi, why is the aura of the Blazing Roc still at the top of King Level?" Zachary asked curiously.

    "Because the Blazing Roc is a treasure beast with an element, its growth in all aspects is mainly displayed through its element. Therefore, in a normal state, its aura is still at the top level of King Level," Mimi explained.

    "Oh, I see. That''s good. It''s better to keep a low profile." Zachary nodded, satisfied.

 Chapter 769 Knocked Out In The First Round

    Once the Blazing Roc had completed the gene fusion, Zachary left the system. He headed towards the coliseum so he could participate in the competition. He was determined to enter the top three and win the opportunity to enter the Beast Tamer Space. This would allow him to cultivate the Thunder Dragon Horse and the cub as soon as possible.

    He entered the coliseum. It was as full as it had been yesterday, crowded with the lively disciples of Crane College. They seemed to be quite keen on fighting beasts.

    Right then, there were several fights taking place in the three arenas in the center of the coliseum.

    Zachary pushed his way through the crowd, heading towards the registration area so he could sign up. When he had completed the registration process, he was given a number plate. He looked around until he spotted an empty seat and went to sit down.

    About an hour later, Linda appeared.

    "Have you signed up?" Linda asked, squeezing in beside him.

    Zachary nodded.

    Linda grinned at him. "When I got here just now, I checked your points. Yesterday, the Blazing Roc performed quite well and won a lot of consecutive rounds, so you have broken into the top 200. You did that in a single day! In fact, your point total has already exceeded the points of most of the King Level disciples of Crane College in this month. That''s pretty amazing for a newcomer," she said. Her words of praise pleased Zachary.

    "Really? So I''m allowed to show some pride in that accomplishment?" Zachary teased.

    Linda rolled her eyes. "Don''t get too excited. So far the competition in the coliseum has been random, but once you get into the top 100, you''ll only fight against other top 100 treasure beasts. That rule ensures a level playing field. But virtually everyone in the top 100 is either a top King Level disciple or an Imperial Level warrior of Crane College. It matters less whether their treasure beasts are common, scarce, or rare; the most important thing is that they''re all incredibly powerful. Your treasure beast will be entered in a round robin competition and find itself facing one fierce battle after another. Most beasts in the top 100 get exhausted after just a few rounds, win or lose." Her sober description of the upcoming challenge was like a splash of cold water.

    "I understand." In fact, although Zachary appreciated Linda''s warning, he wasn''t too worried about getting into the top 100. His Blazing Roc had already broken through to the Imperial Level, and had become one of the best common beasts in the competition. Moreover, he had the Demonic Emperor Beast. He thought it wouldn''t be too hard f

    ter defeating the Scale-tailed Scorpion, the Blazing Roc fought all the way up the ladder, advancing more quickly than anyone could have predicted. It won five rounds in a row, and its ranking rose with every consecutive victory. It was now only a step away from top 100 on the ranking list.

    Everyone watched the rise of the Blazing Roc, first with admiration, then with feelings of uneasiness and reserve. They felt instinctively that there was something unusual about the power of the Blazing Roc. It had not ranked high on the list of common group, so its performance now was far beyond what could be expected. Indeed, the higher the point total of the treasure beast, the more powerful its opponents would be, yet the Blazing Roc was winning each of its battles with ease. The five consecutive matches it had won today were even more impressive than its string of dozen victories yesterday, for today its opponents were stronger than ever¡ªthey were all at the peak of the King Level, or almost on par with it. When treasure beasts were evenly matched, factors besides strength level became decisive factors. It was extremely impressive that the Blazing Roc was still standing strong after fighting fierce opponents continuously.

    "Did you feed the Blazing Roc something?" Linda demanded, looking suspiciously at Zachary. She couldn''t help but wonder at the improved abilities of the Blazing Roc. What had he done to it? Could he have given it some treasures that would temporarily raise its power level?

    "No," Zachary said simply, shaking his head.

    "You''re lying. The Blazing Roc''s speed, strength, and other abilities have all increased massively since yesterday. This is definitely not a normal rate of improvement," Linda said firmly.

 Chapter 770 Six Consecutive Wins

    "Perhaps that is not the case. Maybe Orion was just not in a good state yesterday!" Zachary continued to lie.

    "Anyway, with the Blazing Roc''s current state, it probably is strong enough to fight the Golden Fire Eagle if they face each other again," Linda said as her catty eyes narrowed into slits when she heard Zachary''s words. If only the Blazing Roc had been in a better state yesterday, the Golden Fire Eagle wouldn''t have defeated it so easily.

    Linda turned out to be a doomsayer. As soon as she finished speaking, the Blazing Roc''s next opponent climbed up the stage. It was none other than the Golden Fire Eagle, who had defeated the Blazing Roc yesterday.

    At the same time, Zachary also felt a hostile gaze from beside him, so he turned around to look. He saw Evan, who stood not far away and was looking at him with resentment. It was clear that he still hated Zachary for winning his treasure yesterday, but Zachary did not care about it.

    "It seems that Evan refuses to admit defeat. This could be bad for you. I''m afraid your Blazing Roc has to be careful," Linda frowned and reminded Ricky.

    "Well then, let''s see if he can do anything to us," Zachary sneered.

    Meanwhile, the Golden Fire Eagle had already entered the arena. Its disdainful gaze landed on the Blazing Roc, which might be because it had defeated the latter yesterday.

    On the other hand, the Blazing Roc pretty much reserved its momentum. It was not in a hurry to reveal its real strength.

    At the next moment, however, the two beasts soared into the air and directly began to fight with each other, which was quite a rare sight to see.

    Just like yesterday, the Golden Fire Eagle subdued the Blazing Roc in no time because its overall ability and talent were better than the Blazing Roc.

    About fifteen minutes later, the Golden Fire Eagle''s attack struck the Blazing Roc square in the chest. The Blazing Roc fell straight to the ground with a smattering of dust.

    Upon witnessing the scene, the people present shook their heads. They thought that just like the previous fight, the Golden Fire Eagle would defeat the Blazing Roc, which would end the latter''s consecutive wins.

    "It appears that the Blazing Roc''s potential is still quite inferior to that of the Golden Fire Eagle. Even though it''s in excellent condition today, it only lasted for fifteen minutes," Linda lamented in regret.

    At that point, the Golden Fire Eagle took the opportunity to swoop down aggressively and murderously, as if it was going to kill the Blazing Roc on the spot.

    "Watch out!" Linda warned Zachary when she sensed that s

    t between the Blazing Roc and the Golden Fire Eagle, so she just watched the battle first. She was also surprised when she saw that the Blazing Roc had broken through the limit of its strength.

    However, after she had watched the entire battle, she hesitated for a bit. She looked at Zachary and Linda, then turned around and left.

    Coincidentally, the Blazing Roc had won six consecutive battles and defeated the Golden Fire Eagle, which had beaten it yesterday. As a result of its marvelous performance, Zachary''s points had entered the top one hundred on the list.

    Almost at the same time, Zachary''s number quickly appeared at the bottom of the big list beside the coliseum, which recorded the top one hundred beast tamers. Every beast tamer who had participated in the contest was given a number during the registration process, which was used for the ranking of points.

    As soon as Zachary''s number appeared on the list, it caused a sensation. Thanks to the battle between Zachary and Evan, everyone who had been present yesterday knew that the Blazing Roc''s master was him, the Imperial Level warrior from the Devil Kingdom who had just subdued the Demonic Emperor Beast. Another reason why they were shocked to see Zachary''s number was because, in the entire history of Crane College, there had never been an Imperial Level warrior from another kingdom who had entered the coliseum''s top one hundred list in just two days. It was surely a record!

    More importantly, Zachary was ranked in the top one hundred only because of the Blazing Roc''s performance in the common group, while the Demonic Emperor Beast had yet to enter a battle. Once the Demonic Emperor Beast joined the battle, he would have a terrifying amount of power.

 Chapter 771 A Different Attitude

    The Blazing Roc continued and won four more battles in a row. Since it had almost reached its strength limit, Zachary called it back. His ranking had risen by two ranks.

    "Do you want to go on?" Linda asked, looking at Zachary. If the Demonic Emperor Beast fought battles, it wouldn''t be difficult for Zachary to raise his ranking to the top ninety.

    "Let''s call it a day. If the Demonic Emperor Beast fights as well, I''m going to be a public enemy," Zachary answered calmly. He knew that once the Demonic Emperor Beast came onto the stage, it would definitely defeat its fair share of treasure beasts. But as a newcomer, he thought it would be better to keep a low profile. After all, he still had a month left. With the combination of the Blazing Roc and the Demonic Emperor Beast, he should be able to reach the top three.

    "You are right. Let''s go. But something is wrong. Alisa said she would come, didn''t she? Why isn''t she here yet? Forget it. I don''t want you to see her, anyway." With that, Linda glanced at Zachary and left the coliseum.

    Zachary followed at her heel.

    "When did your Blazing Roc break through its strength limit?" Linda asked when they were outside of the coliseum.

    "Yesterday," Zachary admitted.

    "Yesterday? That''s impossible. That breakthrough isn''t that easy." Linda found it implausible.

    "I have my own ways," Zachary said with a smile.

    "What ways?" Linda continued to ask, her eyes narrowing. She had never heard of a beast tamer who could make their treasure beast break through its strength limit in one day. Chances for a treasure beast to break through the limit of its strength was small. So she also wanted to know how Zachary had managed it.

    "I can''t tell you that. It''s my secret," Zachary said with a secretive smile, keeping Linda in suspense.

    "Forget it. But you won''t be complacent for long," Linda said, squinting her beautiful eyes.

    "What do you mean?" Zachary glanced at her.

    "Do you think the Imperial Level warriors of Crane College will let you, an outsider, do whatever you want in the coliseum? Yes, you met some powerful treasure beasts today. Yet only o

    Before he knew it, midnight had struck.

    It was the first time both of them had been alone for so long, and in such an amicable atmosphere.

    "It''s late. Do you want to sleep here tonight?" Vivian asked calmly.

    "It''s not appropriate for a man and a woman to stay in a room alone overnight. Aren''t you afraid of what I might do?" Zachary snickered.

    "Don''t think on it too much. If you stay here, I''ll go and stay with Tracy," Vivian said after casting a glare at Zachary.

    "Oh. You don''t have to do that. I have something else to do, so I must leave now." Zachary stood up, intending to leave. But before he did, he turned to Vivian and said, "It was so unlike you to come to Crane College. You should seize the opportunity to learn the beast taming skills. If possible, I''ll catch a treasure beast for you. Until then, if you find anything you don''t understand, just come to the coliseum and ask me. I think that''s where I''ll be spending most of my time from now on."

    "I see." Vivian nodded.

    Then Zachary headed out and left.

    "What Linda said was right. His attitude towards me tonight was completely different from before. If things go on like this, maybe one day I will make him fall in love with me," Vivian said with certainty.

    After returning to the cave behind the waterfall, Zachary entered the system. Since it was almost time, he headed straight to the Living-dead Tomb to cultivate with Anne.

 Chapter 772 The Six-tailed Demonic Fox

    After finishing the cultivation, Zachary returned to the system.

    "Mimi, I''m going to collect all fragments of the Divine Level treasure, but they need the power at the Holy Level to activate them. It wouldn''t be a problem if I ask Anne to help me activate them, right?" Zachary assured.

    "Since Anne is your girlfriend to some degree, she is not restricted by the system. She may help you if she wants to," Mimi answered.

    "That''s good," Zachary answered smiling. He thought that the system would make things difficult for him again, but it seemed to show him some mercy sometimes.

    He went to the Death Arena and worked hard for the last three pieces of the magic treasure.

    Hours went by and the night passed by Zachary working.

    On the early morning of the second day, Zachary went to the coliseum to register for the fight. After yesterday''s battle, his Blazing Roc was now a renowned treasure beast. Of course, his identity as its master had already spread to the whole college. As soon as he appeared, everyone else turned to him as he caught their attention. Many of them stared with hostility.

    Compared to yesterday, Zachary could tell that the number of present Imperial Level warriors evidently increased. At least twenty of them seemed to be coming for him.

    As soon as the Blazing Roc came on stage, the crowd went to a state of uproar. They cheered wildly as if they all looked forward to what was about to happen.

    So far, no one was disappointed by its performance. In only two hours, the Blazing Roc won three matches in a row. Its opponents'' strengths ranked at least forty or fifty on the common treasure beast list.

    However, just as Linda had expected, the Blazing Roc was to encounter a powerful treasure beast in the fourth round. It was the Six-tailed Demonic Fox ranking ninth on the common treasure beast list.

    The Six-tailed Demonic Fox was a treasure beast that underwent a mutated breakthrough¡ªit was also a mutated beast. The mutated beast had already reached the limit of its strength. Its strength was at least the first grade of Imperial Level. What was terrifying was the mutated beast had an extremely strong physical body that could not be hurt easily.

    The fox had six giant tails varying in length¡ªall of them exhibited extra flexibility and agility.

    "I didn''t expect that the Six-tailed Demonic Fox to actually show up today! It had disa

    ts weakness then?" Zachary asked promptly.

    "Look," Alisa said as she pointed towards the fox. "Have you noticed that its six tails vary in length? Because of that, its attack will have a certain limit. If it is forced to initiate an attack with all its tails, its advantage will become the opposite. There will be a chance to overthrow it," Alisa suggested.

    "Oh. That''s clever!" Zachary nodded. He then gave the order to the Blazing Roc through the system.

    After receiving the message, the Blazing Roc continued to attack the Six-tailed Demonic Fox. It kept striking forward, which created no harm. When the fox decided to fight back, the roc suffered slight damage to its power and physical strength¡ªthey both decreased a lot.

    Just as the Blazing Roc stood to attack again, the Six-tailed Demonic Fox seized the opportunity to identify its opponent''s weakness. A giant tail appeared from the back of the roc, making it impossible to stand guard. By the time it reacted, the giant tail had already twisted around it. The tail squeezed tight and ruthlessly swung the roc to the ground afterward.

    Boom!

    A loud sound thundered from the fall. The smashed Blazing Roc looked seriously injured as it struggled while trying to get up.

    The Six-tailed Demonic Fox stopped hitting the Blazing Roc after its victory. It observed its opponent for a while, and after confirming its loss of fighting power, it became active once again. The fox activated all its six tails as it prepared to launch its last strike. The tails shot out like six sharp spears, intending to stab the roc to death.

 Chapter 773 Giving Up On The Battle

    Just as the Six-tailed Demonic Fox was about to attack with its six tails, the Blazing Roc, who was left lifeless on the ground, suddenly rose on its feet. It was not as weak as it was a second ago. Instead, it recovered within a few seconds. Just then, the roc dashed towards the six tails with tremendous energy. As it charged, it turned in the air and made a whirling curve as it avoided the attack from the fox. On the other hand, the fox could not retreat because of the force. Because of this, the roc rushed before it and launched a powerful thunderbolt strike.

    An ear-ringing scream came out of the Six-tailed Demonic Fox. Within a second, its fur burnt to ash, leaving only wrinkled skin.

    Due to the all-out blow of the Blazing Roc and the metal element-contained flame, the Six-tailed Demonic Fox suffered both mentally and physically. It lost all its passion to fight, and without any resistance, it held its head low and admitted defeat.

    The people''s jaws dropped as they witnessed the Blazing Roc win. No one had anticipated such a turn of events. However, most of them could tell that the Blazing Roc allowed itself to be hit as to lure the Six-tailed Demonic Fox to launch the attack with all of its six tails. Everyone was speechless with the Blazing Roc''s tactic and they assumed that it could potentially be smarter than ordinary people.

    "What did you do this time?" Linda asked Zachary.

    Zachary turned around and saw Linda staring at him with a concerned look. She seemed as if she had already figured out that it was through his trick that the Blazing Roc won again.

    "Ha-ha, I don''t think I can even defend myself if you''ll insist that I did something in secret. So, let it be." Zachary shrugged his shoulders. He thought it was best to neither admit nor deny.

    "It seems that after the Blazing Roc broke through to the Imperial Level, its ability improved greatly. At this rate, it will be listed as one of the most powerful common treasure b

    can it be?" Zachary couldn''t help but bounce up and down in excitement. He and the rest had no clue that the Demonic Emperor Beast would win before it could even warm up. If he had known this earlier, he wouldn''t have let the Blazing Roc fight so hard to earn points for him.

    "I guess the two previous opponents are at the primary stage of Imperial Level. Maybe their masters did not want them to be hurt so they were instructed to pull out." Linda tried and analyzed the situation. After all, it was no secret that the Demonic Emperor Beast was cruel and merciless. If anyone fought against it, they might as well be walking into their graves.

    During the third round, the opponent surprisingly did not back out. However, a few minutes into the fight, the Furious Bear which was at the medium stage of Imperial Level showed up. It seemed that the opponent was forced to fight.

    As it saw its opponent approach, the Demonic Emperor Beast stretched its four arms and raised its head, letting out a deafening roar. The next moment, it charged towards the Furious Bear with accelerating speed.

    All of a sudden, the latter let out a cry and curled up into a ball. The Demonic Emperor Beast stopped in its tracks and watched the bear tremble in fear. Moments later, the bear turned around and ran away like crazy.

 Chapter 774 Cruelty

    Seeing what happened, everyone present booed and hissed. They had believed that the opponent of the Demonic Emperor Beast was brave by being willing to challenge it, but they didn''t expect that the creature would flee before the beast had even made a move.

    Perhaps because the Furious Bear was frightened, it didn''t notice that it had run into the hard defensive wall surrounding the coliseum. The wall was made of huge stones, and the bear hit it with such force that even the wall caved in. It stumbled to the ground, shaking its dizzy head, before regaining its strength.

    By then, the Demonic Emperor Beast had already rushed up to the Furious Bear, taking it by complete surprise. The bear simply collapsed on the ground, as if it was begging for mercy.

    However, given the Demonic Emperor Beast''s reputation, even if its opponent begged for mercy, it would not relent. The Demonic Emperor Beast swung its two huge arms downward. As it was about to hit the scarce treasure beast, that was only at the medium stage of Imperial Level, a voice stopped him.

    "Stop!" Seeing that the opponent of the Demonic Emperor Beast no longer had any fight in it, Zachary didn''t want the Demonic Emperor Beast to kill it, so he immediately ordered off his beast.

    Instantly, the Demonic Emperor Beast was stunned and stood stock-still. Although it wanted to obliterate its opponent, it couldn''t disobey Zachary''s order. In the end, it could only retreat a few steps and wait for its opponent to admit defeat.

    However, just as the Demonic Emperor Beast stepped away, the Furious Bear suddenly bared its steel teeth and lunged at the Demonic Emperor Beast, biting its leg with a lightning speed. Instantly, the Demonic Emperor Beast let out a thundering roar of anger.

    Everyone present hushed into a stunned silence. They didn''t expect that the Furious Bear would launch a sneak attack when the Demonic Emperor Beast had shown it mercy. This seemed to have been the Furious Bear''s plan all along. It was clearly a similar strategy as the Blazing Roc had used to defeat the Six-tailed Demonic Fox, but it was much more despicable!

    Seeing this, Zachary''s eyes narrowed. He hadn''t expected that the Furious Bear would use sympathy as a weakness and pounce on his beast.

    "This is karma!" Linda said with a gloating laugh. Zachary had used this exact diversion tactic earlier to defeat his opponent, and

    ly forced the beast back a step. Instantly, the bear savagely attacked the wound of the beast again. The purpose of its attack was crystal clear. It was obvious that the bear had already formed a plan even before it had launched its last attack.

    However, the Demonic Emperor Beast didn''t try to avoid the attack at all. When the Furious Bear focused on the beast''s wound, the beast stretched out its four arms and grabbed the bear, lifting it into the air. Then it slammed the bear down onto the ground.

    The Furious Bear was obviously disoriented by the thunderous impact. Seizing the moment, the Demonic Emperor Beast completely ignored its injury and instantly released the power of the earth element, crushing down on the bear like a bulldozer. Seeing that the situation had turned against it, the bear wanted to retreat, but it reacted too late. The bear''s huge body was suddenly hoisted up by the beast and flung into the air.

    "Woo!" The next second, the Demonic Emperor Beast hammered its four powerful arms onto its own chest, and it then raised its arms high to catch the falling body of the Furious Bear. In a ghastly display, it grabbed the bear''s limbs and summarily tore them apart with its prodigious strength in front of the stunned audience. With a miserable scream, the bear''s blood spurted forth, and its broken limbs dropped to the ground. It convulsed on the ground without its limbs, just like a headless chicken and let out a heart-wrenching howl.

    The cruel and merciless attack of the Demonic Emperor Beast had stunned everyone present. No one could help but tremble!

 Chapter 775 Evan

    "No! My treasure beast!" An anguished cry resounded from the grandstand, eliciting pitying looks from the spectators.

    Linda glanced at Zachary with a frown. She did feel like the Demonic Emperor Beast was a little too cruel, but its opponent deserved it anyway. It was fair that the one with bad intentions suffered losses.

    "All right, let''s call it a day!" Zachary announced as he stood up expressionlessly and took the Demonic Emperor Beast back to the system.

    Meanwhile, Alisa and Linda were looking at each other in confusion, but they decided to say nothing. Instead, they followed Zachary out of the coliseum.

    "You can leave first. There is something else I need to do," Alisa told the other two. Then she turned to Zachary and said, "Come and meet me at the Imperial Training Ground later in the afternoon." She didn''t wait for his response, as she turned around and left.

    As soon as she disappeared from their sight, Evan and another three Imperial Level warriors rushed out of the coliseum, where they instantly surrounded Zachary and Linda. One of the Imperial Level warriors, who was wearing a yellow robe and seemed to be at the medium stage, pointed at Zachary with his finger and cursed, "You bastard! You must be tired of living. How dared you disable my treasure beast!"

    Zachary simply glanced at Evan and the other three Imperial Level warriors as if he didn''t see anything worthy of his attention. He continued to walk forward, completely ignoring them.

    The yellow-clad Imperial Level warrior turned livid because of the way Zachary snubbed him. His face darkened, and his hands trembled in barely repressed rage. A violent stream of Imperial Level martial energy rushed out of his upturned hand and slowly turned into a dark palm shadow, which soundlessly zoomed toward Zachary''s back. Zachary walked on, seemingly unaware of the sneak attack that was coming for him.

    "Harley, watch out!" Linda didn''t expect these guys to be so despicable, so she was taken aback by their actions. She intended to stop them, but in the blink of an eye, a figure suddenly sprang out and stopped her. It was Evan.

    "Linda, this is about a personal grudge between him and us. Please don''t interfere, or our camaraderie would be at risk," Evan said viciously.

    "You..." Linda glared at Evan, but because he was standing in front of her, she couldn''t get to Zachary on time.

    Just as the yellow-clad warrior''s attack was about to reach him, Zachary suddenly disappeared from where he was standing. It happened so fast that it looked like he disappeared into thin air.

    The Imperial Level warrior was taken aback. But before he came back to his senses, a violent ice force came toward him like a hurricane. Thankfully, he realized it in time to raise his hands, intending to resist the attack.

    However, as the fierce ice force approached, it instantly turned into seven shadows

    ive nor a friend to me, so why am I treating him so well? Do I...? No way, that''s impossible..." Linda could not help but dwell on why she was doing all of these for Zachary. It was so out of character for her. Suddenly, a stray thought passed through her mind, making her blush and squeal like a teenager, but she immediately shook the thought away. She refused to think about it ever again!

    On the other side of the college, Evan and the other three Imperial Level warriors had arrived at Barnes'' office.

    "Barnes, please uphold justice for us!" Evan cried out as soon as he had stepped foot inside the office.

    They came upon Barnes, who was silently leafing through the accounts. When he heard Evan''s voice, he raised his head and looked at him sternly, asking coldly, "What trouble did you cause this time?"

    Since Evan had a Sage Level elder as his grandfather and another Sage Level warrior as his elder brother, he had caused a lot of trouble in the Crane College. Barnes was now used to dealing with the aftermath of his action.

    "I didn''t cause trouble! The fact is Harley Bai from the Devil Kingdom injured our fellow..." As he explained, Evan pointed at the Imperial Level warrior, whose yellow robe was now stained with drying blood.

    "Really? What happened? How dare he hurt the warrior of our Crane College! He is so bold!" Barnes shouted angrily, closing the accounts in his hands forcefully.

    "That''s right. He is so arrogant and impudent. Since he came to our Crane College, he has been looking down on the disciples here as if he was so much better than us. Just now, his treasure beast injured this fellow''s treasure beast badly and disabled it completely in the coliseum. Therefore, our fellow went to argue with him. As a result, Harley used violence and beat him badly. More importantly, he not only hurt our fellow, but he also looks down upon you," Evan said immediately, adding fuel to the fire.

 Chapter 776 False Accusation

    "The last time he caused trouble, I turned a blind eye to it. I can''t let him go without being punished this time!" Barnes exclaimed furiously. After thinking for a moment, he called out to one of his men.

    An Imperial Level warrior immediately walked in. He approached Barnes and bowed in front of him.

    "Go to the Tiger Bamboo Forest and bring Harley from the Devil Kingdom here. You have to do whatever it takes to bring him to me even if he refuses," Barnes ordered firmly.

    The warrior cupped his hands and accepted to carry out the task. When he turned around to leave the hall, a delicate figure suddenly flew in and landed softly. She stretched out her hand to block the Imperial Level warrior. "You don''t need to invite him here," she said in a sweet voice.

    Hearing this, Barnes and the others stared at her with various expressions.

    The figure was none other than Linda.

    "Linda, why would you stop him?" Barnes asked in a serious tone.

    "I don''t think it''s necessary. The reason he hurt people is all because of me," Linda said indifferently.

    When Evan and the three other Imperial Level warriors heard her claim, they exchanged glances in confusion. They had no idea why Linda would get herself into this trouble.

    "Because of you? But why? I don''t see any connection," Barnes asked with doubt in his eyes.

    "Didn''t Evan tell you everything? I thought they would tell the truth, but it turns out they still kept something," Linda assumed in response to Barnes'' question. She then cast a disdainful look at Evan and his three companions.

    As their eyes widened, they had a bad feeling as to what she would explain in detail.

    "Evan, did you withhold some parts of the truth?" Barnes instantly turned to look at Evan and the other three, sternly raising his eyebrows.

    "No, no!" Evan shook his head hard as he denied.

    "Then may I ask you, Evan, why did Harley hurt your friend?" Linda interrogated him.

    "It was only because Harley was so unreasonable and arrogant!" Evan was stunned for a moment but he quickly responded with a made-up excuse.

    "Really? Why can''t you tell Barnes that the real reason Harley hurt him is that he molested me?" Linda chuckled scornfully.

    Evan was speechless with her appalling response. The warrior, who had been beaten by Zachary, was shock

    ful because he had been beaten heavily by Zachary earlier.

    "He won''t be so lucky next time. I might have to ask help from my elder brother," Evan said complacently.

    "Really? That''s cool!" The warrior and the other two exchanged looks expectantly.

    "Isn''t Alisa also guiding Harley? Everyone in the Crane College knows that my brother has a crush on Alisa, and she likes him back. If I do something to stir up conflict, my brother will definitely go against him!" Evan said in a vengeful tone.

    The other warriors also flashed a sly smile.

    After returning to the Tiger Bamboo Forest, Zachary went to his private cave and entered the system to do his work. He didn''t leave the system until afternoon. Later, he went to the Imperial Training Ground for Alisa''s guidance. Of course, he did not mean to seek help. He just took advantage of the opportunity to get close to her. For the time being, his priority was to earn her trust. Then he would have the chance to bring her into the system and help her regain her memories.

    When Zachary arrived at the Imperial Training Ground, he saw Alisa practicing with a female Imperial Level warrior. Many Imperial Level warriors watched from the surroundings, so he joined the crowd as a spectator.

    Before long, Zachary noticed that the treasure beast controlled by Alisa was what hit him last time. At the time, he paid all his attention to Alisa, so he didn''t notice the treasure beast that much. Now after careful observation, he discovered that her treasure beast, Coco, was a rare one.

 Chapter 777 Beast Merging Skill

    The Vanity Kingdom was known for its treasure beasts but even then, those rare beasts were seldom available. Among all Imperial Level warriors of the Crane College, only two people had rare treasure beasts and one of them was Alisa.

    Generally speaking, a rare treasure beast had the potential to grow to the Sage Level. This, coupled with its extraordinary talent, made it extremely terrifying. Not to mention the fact that most rare treasure beasts had two elements while a select few had three. The gap between a rare and a scarce treasure beast was truly huge.

    After observing for a while, Zachary realized that Coco exhibited power with both wood and water elements along with very balanced and comprehensive abilities.

    Coco''s opponent was also a scarce treasure beast yet it was obviously inferior in all aspects.

    At that moment, Alisa and Coco held the upper hand.

    All of a sudden, water light flashed around Coco as the power with the water element spread out and shot towards its opponents, effectively surrounding them with ripples.

    "Ice Sealing Skill!" Alisa shouted. As she raised her hands, a stream of power with the ice element raged through her and instantly merged with the water on the ground. A powerful ice tide soon enveloped her opponents and sealed them on the spot.

    With this, the female Imperial Level warrior saw it best to admit her defeat.

    After this declaration of submission, Alisa calmly withdrew her power.

    "Her martial skill could merge with the beast''s. What kind of martial skill is this?" Zachary was a bit surprised.

    It wasn''t just him. Everyone around them was abuzz with discussion.

    "Alisa''s Beast Merging Skill is really powerful! One hit with her Beast Merging Skill is enough to defeat her opponent because it''s almost impossible to get rid of!"

    "That''s right! It''s what is expected of the number one Imperial Level warrior of our Crane College."

    "No wonder she''s the Crane College''s goddess. She''s both beautiful and powerful! It''s a pity she doesn''t seem to like men."

    "Beast Merging Skill? It seems to be different from beast martial skills. As expected, there are indeed many things to learn here at Crane College," Zachary muttered to himself

    He quickly walked up to Alisa who had already put Coco away.

    "Alisa, that wa

    ot know where he got his guts from.

    "Because I am a genius," Zachary boasted shamelessly.

    Once again, Alisa rolled her eyes at him. He could truly be shameless if he wanted to be.

    "So, Alisa, won''t you please teach me the Beast Merging Skill?" Zachary insisted.

    "I told you, I can''t," she told him.

    Her refusal made him pout. "Fine then, I have no choice! I''ll go ask Linda to teach me! I''m sure she won''t be as good of a teacher as you, so if she ever teaches me something wrong, then that will be on your conscience." he declared hardheadedly.

    "It''s none of my business if you make a mistake or not," Alisa replied to his unreasonable logic.

    "Yes, it is because you refuse to teach me!" Zachary insisted.

    Alisa sighed in resignation. "Do you really want to learn it?" She did not know why but her heart softened with the way he insisted on learning the skill.

    "Of course!" Zachary nodded almost immediately.

    "Fine. I''ll try teaching you, but if you can''t do it, then we''ll stop." Alisa thought about it for a bit and figured that there was no helping it since this guy truly seemed to want to learn.

    "No problem!" Zachary assured her with a triumphant smile.

    There was a voice in Alisa''s head that told her that maybe it wasn''t such a good idea to have agreed with Zachary. The Beast Merging Skill was very risky to learn and he wasn''t even a beast tamer of the Crane College. Yet, there was also a part of her that couldn''t refuse when he insisted on learning the skill. This took her by surprise.

 Chapter 778 In Need Of Actual Combat

    Alisa knew that if she didn''t help Zachary, he might try to comprehend the Beast Merging Skill on his own. But that was a skill not easily learned. Without proper instructions, he was likely to go astray. Logically, she knew that even if that happened, it had nothing to do with her. Yes, she didn''t like men coming close to her, but she still didn''t want something bad to happen to Zachary only because she refused to teach him. That wasn''t who she was, that much she knew. Her kindness had always been her weakness.

    She would give it a try, and if Zachary didn''t grasp her teachings, she would have an excuse to stop.

    "But, wouldn''t it be against the college''s rule to teach me?" Zachary asked tentatively.

    "If I don''t, will you give up on learning it?" Alisa asked, frowning.

    "No, I won''t," Zachary said firmly.

    "That''s why I have to do it or you might do something reckless and try to do it by yourself. While the college prohibits teaching this skill, no one will know as long as we both keep it a secret. Only Linda will know," Alisa said calmly. She was not one to stick to the rules.

    "It appears you are much more reasonable than I thought, Alisa. If I can successfully learn the Beast Merging Skill, I will definitely repay you," Zachary promised.

    "No need. After you learn it, I only have one request. I want you to stay away from me," Alisa said seriously, staring at Zachary.

    "Naturally, once I learn the skill, I won''t be disturbing you anymore," Zachary said reasonably. All the while, he wondered how to get Alisa into the system without her noticing.

    "But if you want to learn the Beast Merging Skill, your treasure beasts have to comprehend the beast martial arts first," Alisa said.

    "Kiwi has already comprehended a beast martial skill. However, according to Linda, its skill is not perfect," Zachary said.

    "Well, call out your treasure beast and let me have a look first," Alisa said after giving it some thought.

    e part in the competition at the coliseum. However, if it does, then the Demonic Emperor Beast wouldn''t be able to compete. Your treasure beasts could help you rank better. But sometimes you have to sacrifice something," Alisa said.

    "I have a way to let Kiwi fight a lot of actual combats without going to the coliseum. Anyway, I still want to thank you, Alisa. Your instructions were more useful than ten years of book reading," Zachary complimented Alisa.

    "It will depend on the final result. But whatever works, it shouldn''t be a problem," Alisa said bluntly, after some hesitation.

    "Why did you say it that way?" Zachary asked with a smile.

    "I don''t know what you intend on doing. But the result is all that matters." Alisa shook her head.

    "Then I hope that''s true." Zachary smiled.

    "All right. I''m leaving now." With one last look at Zachary, Alisa left.

    Looking at Alisa''s back, Zachary smiled knowingly and left as well.

    Two figures walked out of the darkness in the corner of the Imperial Training Ground. One of them was Evan, and the other was someone who resembled him, but looked much more valiant and powerful. He looked very powerful even in a loose gray robe. The reserved Sage Level aura made him seem sophisticated. Nothing about him was simple to the casual onlookers.

 Chapter 779 Collection Completed

    "Brother, did you see it just now? That guy has been pestering Alisa these days. See the way he looks at her? He obviously wants to win her affection and I can''t stand it anymore. That''s why I invited you to come here so you could see it with your own eyes. Alisa is likely to marry you and become my sister-in-law so I couldn''t just let him do whatever he likes to her!" Evan said indignantly.

    The man in the grey robe beside him was his elder brother, Nathan Kong, a new Sage Level warrior in Crane College. Nathan Kong was a bit older than Barnes, making him less impressive. If not for that, he would have become the youngest warrior at the Sage Level in Crane College.

    Everyone knew he was in all likelihood the most talented new Sage Level warrior. Not to mention, his clan, the Kong Clan, was one of the prominent clans at this college. Their grandfather himself was a senior elder in the college. That was why Crane College''s management revered Nathan Kong more than Barnes. Sadly, as Nathan Kong was the future leader of the Kong Clan, he did not hold any important position in the college. Instead, he focused on his cultivation. As a result, he rarely appeared in public.

    "Is that Harley? The man won the Imperial Level Warrior Contest''s qualifying test?" Nathan Kong asked with a frown, emitting an aura of authority. He had enormous eyes, and his body was sturdy with a powerful aura.

    "Yes, that''s him," Evan answered, nodding at once.

    "He looks like an ordinary warrior and the aura he''s emitting isn''t that strong," Nathan Kong commented in a disdainful tone.

    "Brother, please be careful. His appearance fooled me earlier as well. I''ve confirmed that he is indeed quite strong," Evan said, his heart still fluttering with fear.

    "Even with your strength, are you unable to deal with him?" Nathan Kong asked with a snort of derision.

    "Don''t mock me. If I could handle him, I wouldn''t have come to you for help," Evan groaned.

    "You''re so useless. You can''t even deal with an Imperial Level warrior from the Devil Kingdom! He is not even a beast tamer. If news spreads, it will di

    of Zachary.

    "Why did you stop the fight? I wanted to learn from you," Zachary said with an unattractive pout.

    "Learn from us? We would have killed you. You''re too bold to barge in when we were fighting with our spiritual energies. If we hadn''t stopped in our tracks just now, you would have suffered terrible consequences!" Tania scolded in a cool voice as she glared at him. "I asked you to look for the Fighting Crane. How is your search going?"

    "It''s not that easy to find it! Please give me some more time. I''m working on it. But shouldn''t you give me some powerful treasures or treasure beasts to help me locate the Fighting Crane? I would really appreciate that." Zachary took the opportunity to extort her.

    Tania glanced at him a second time. She hesitated for a moment and then took out a bottle and handed it to him.

    "What''s this?" Zachary asked immediately.

    "There is a drop of liquid secreted by the Giant Spiritual Bee, the guardian of the Fairy Island. It can make your treasure beast master a new element in a brief period. If it is used on a treasure beast that is about to break through to the Imperial Level, it can help it get there in no time," Tania replied.

    "What? It can make a treasure beast master a certain element? That''s crazy! And it can even make it break through to the Imperial Level in no time." Zachary''s eyes lit up at once. That was an impressive gift.

 Chapter 780 Look Around Crane College

    "Don''t you want it? Just give it back to me!" Tania caught a glimpse of Zachary.

    "How can I say no? But I don''t think a single drop will suffice for all of my treasure beasts," Zachary said without shame.

    "The Giant Spiritual Bee makes this special kind of liquid once in a few months. You are lucky to avail a single drop of it this time, so don''t act too persistent!" Tania said, leveling a glare on Zachary.

    "Come on." Anne gestured to Zachary, recognizing the situation.

    Zachary snorted as he and Anne made their way back to the Living-dead Tomb.

    "Tania appeared to have regarded you as her disciple, and she is even willing to let you have such a drop of rare liquid." A radiant smile of joy lit up Anne''s face after they arrived at the tomb.

    "Is it hard to come by?" Zachary asked despite knowing the reason behind it. How could he not know how scarce it was to possess a drop of such liquid which could make a treasure beast master a certain element? He realized he stroke a fortune this time.

    "This is considered a supreme treasure for a beast tamer." Anne nodded in response. But she quickly changed the topic and shifted the attention to something else. "However, it''s trouble-free for Tania to get her hands on it. You can often ask her for treasures from now on for your use."

    "Anne, I never expected you to be more savage than me!" Zachary exclaimed with a laugh.

    "Concerning treasure beasts, I could only offer you minimal guidance, while Tania is more suited to help you than me. Her research on those beasts is far more extensive than my study. If you can retrieve the Fighting Crane for her, I suppose she will give you whatever you want," Anne stated, blinking her striking eyes.

    "That sounds pretty good to me. It seems I have to begin my search for the Fighting Crane right away." Zachary nodded. "I''ve finished gathering the Ice Armor''s treasure fragments. Please activate them for me, Anne."

    "Sure, but it takes so much energy to set the fragments in motion, especially with a Divine Level treasure. I have to cultivate for an entire day in seclusion on the fourth floor underground before I can initialize the treasure for you. Hand over the fragments to me!" Anne pointed out.

    Zachary asked Mimi to take out the treasure fragments from the system. He handed Anne a sizeable stuffed

    had dared to oppress her, so she must let him see and feel her power to show some respect.

    "That would be awesome." Zachary''s voice was calm and composed, despite knowing what was in Linda''s mind.

    "But you have to tag along with me first. If you can''t keep pace, I won''t wait for you." Linda gave Zachary a sidelong glance, then she vanished in a flash.

    With a faint smile, Zachary watched her vanish from sight. In a second, he also disappeared on the spot.

    It didn''t take long for Linda to leave the coliseum. She looked back and noticed Zachary was nowhere to be found and didn''t seem to catch up with her. She sneered at once, "This guy is only good at bluffing. The speed I used was lesser than fifty percent, but he couldn''t even catch up. It''s a complete shock how he ended up first in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest''s qualifying test!"

    "Linda, it''s not good to speak ill of other people behind their backs!" Suddenly, a figure appeared silently by the side of Linda.

    "Huh? When did you reach me?" It startled Linda to find out that Zachary spoke because she hadn''t felt his aura coming just now.

    "I''ve been following behind you the entire time. Didn''t you sense my presence?" Zachary retorted. He had already gained on Linda since she took off from the coliseum. But to make her feel pleased and arrogant first, he had purposely used the Flawless Illusion to conceal his body and carefully observe her.

    Linda went hysterical after she heard his statement. She contemplated the man standing before her was too exasperating.

 Chapter 781 The Fighting Crane

    "Show me your persistence then!" Linda sneered. She was not one to give up and easily admit defeat. Her agility was among the best of the Imperial Level warriors in Crane College. So she was confident in herself.

    In an instant, she sped up and rushed away as fast as lightning.

    Zachary sighed inwardly, thinking of her stubbornness. He shook his head helplessly and continued to give chase.

    Linda had nearly circled the entire Crane College, but to no avail. She was still unable to get rid of him. Zachary was hot on her trail and she couldn''t beat him. He seemed to be skillful as he followed at her heel.

    Finally, she conceded that Zachary was as agile as her. Linda gave up on trying to humiliate him and stopped in her tracks.

    "Why did you stop?" Zachary halted and asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

    "It''s becoming rather boring now. I don''t want to play around like this anymore." Linda turned her head to avoid facing him. She was acting like a willful child.

    "Then, be my tour guide, please," Zachary said with a smile.

    "Fine, come with me," Linda replied briskly and then headed for a slope not far away. Her attitude changed abruptly, which confused Zachary. But he did not care, as long as he achieved his goal.

    Once they set foot on the slope of the hill, the road became rugged and steep. Not long after, they arrived at the cliff several hundred meters high. At the end of the cliff, there was a huge bird nest with a few fledglings inside it.

    "Is this the nest of some martial beast? Why did you bring me here?" Zachary asked in confusion.

    "You said you wanted to know the history of Crane College, right? Let''s start with the origin of Crane College. I''m sure you know the name of our college comes from a legendary beast, the Fighting Crane, right?" Linda started.

    "Yes, I''ve heard that." Zachary nodded, feeling thrilled to see Linda tell him more about the Fighting Crane.

    "It is well-known that the legendary beast is very powerful. It is said that when our college was founded, we encountered a lot of difficulties. A large area of the college was originally one o

    is was precisely the information he was after. Linda had done him a big favor just now.

    "But I don''t think you have the guts. Let''s leave," she added, trying to goad him into action.

    "What do you mean by that? I do have the guts." Zachary pretended to be irritated. With that, he used the Shadow Pace and approached the nest.

    The second he entered, the fledglings immediately cried out in fear. However, he was not in a hurry to catch them, because they were not his real target. Their cries would have their mother rushing to their rescue, which was what he really wanted. Therefore, all he needed to do was wait. He was confident that the Godly Phoenix would definitely appear soon.

    Sure enough, not long after, a purple and black phoenix shadow flew over, as fast as lightning. When it saw Zachary in the nest, it let out a piercing scream, as if warning him to leave.

    Zachary looked at the creature carefully, and his eyes narrowed in concentration. The Godly Phoenix had a powerful aura at the Sage Level.

    If he irritated a Sage Level beast, the result would be catastrophic.

    Unfortunately, to get some clues on the Fighting Crane, he had no choice but to risk it. So, he reached out his hand and pretended to grab one fledgling.

    Seeing Zachary threaten its offspring, the Godly Phoenix was naturally out for blood. It swooped down, its enormous claws and teeth instantly covering his head.

 Chapter 782 Communicate With Godly Phoenix

    Seeing this, Linda couldn''t help but wonder if Zachary had a death wish. Yes, she had wanted to see him suffer and to frighten him in an attempt to get him off his high horse. That was why she had deliberately told him about the Fighting Crane. However, she had not expected Zachary to remain where he was once he saw the Godly Phoenix. Instead, he threatened its offspring, which was the equivalent of committing suicide.

    After all, the Godly Phoenix was a very powerful beast. Moreover, it was considered Crane College''s guardian beast and was respected by everyone in the college. No one in Crane College dared to provoke it, let alone threaten its offspring.

    Now that Zachary was in actual danger, she regretted her impulsive decision. Linda rushed up without too much thought, intending to take him away from here.

    She didn''t realize that Zachary was waiting for this opportunity.

    As the Godly Phoenix approached with its outstretched claws, Zachary used the Shadow Pace to avoid them. Then he shot out the Heavenly Silk Thread to entangle the claws. At the same time, the phoenix rose into the air, instantly bringing him up with it as well, as if it had caught him.

    By the time Linda made it to the nest, the Godly Phoenix had already flown away with Zachary.

    Biting her lips, Linda worried about what would happen if the Godly Phoenix dropped him from such a distance. If Zachary got in trouble because of her, she would not only feel guilty but she''d have also brought unavoidable disaster to Crane College. After all, he was an excellent warrior representing the Devil Kingdom in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. If something happened to him, Crane College would be responsible.

    Linda knew she couldn''t let that happen. She had to go to Alisa. Since she couldn''t fly and had no bird-like treasure beasts, she had no way to catch up with the Godly Phoenix. Therefore, she needed to borrow Coco from Alisa to

    uldn''t believe Zachary that easily.

    "Have other beast tamers from Crane College dared to come to you to ask about its whereabouts?" Zachary asked.

    "No, no one would dare offend me even if they wanted to!" the Godly Phoenix said proudly.

    "That''s right. With my limited strength, I dared to do so, which should be enough to prove my sincerity," Zachary continued.

    "There''s no telling if you are self-righteous, bold as brass, or think you can easily fool me with just a few words," the Godly Phoenix replied shrewdly.

    "What can I do to show my sincerity?" Zachary asked.

    "Jump off my back. If you want to know the whereabouts of the Fighting Crane, you must risk your life," the Godly Phoenix suggested after glancing back at Zachary.

    "That''s all?" Zachary smiled. He knew that the Godly Phoenix was deliberately testing his courage. If he didn''t have the courage, then he wouldn''t be able to find the Fighting Crane.

    "Yes, it''s that simple, but it depends on whether you dare to do it. You are an Imperial Level warrior without the ability to fly. If you jump down, you will most likely die," the Godly Phoenix said firmly.

    Zachary and the Godly Phoenix looked at each other. Without even blinking his eyes, he jumped off of its back and plunged to the ground.

 Chapter 783 The Ice Armor

    ''He jumped down. He''s so brave to do it! Why don''t I just give him a small but useful piece of practical advice? The Fighting Crane once mentioned if a fearless warrior wants to seek it, there''s no need for me to stop such a brave spirit. However, even after a lifetime spent searching, he won''t be able to find the crane''s location unless it is part of his destiny to connect with the crane.'' The Godly Phoenix appeared a bit unsettled after watching Zachary leap without reluctance. The last time it came across such a daring warrior was so long ago. Although Zachary''s strength was still a little inadequate, he could depend on his bravery. He could grow into a dominant figure with lots of accomplishments to back him up.

    Zachary gained remarkable speed as he neared the ground. Before long, he was only less than a hundred meters away from touching down. If his momentum went on, he might drop hard and end up a muddy flesh. He did not activate his Flying Boots despite his predicament because he knew the Godly Phoenix planned this out as a test, so it would not let him plunge to his death.

    When Zachary was about to land, the Godly Phoenix''s grim purple shadow soon turned into a sparkling purple mark and sailed past him at warp speed. In a split second, Zachary vanished.

    A minute later, Zachary alighted on the Godly Phoenix''s back, and they climbed into the sky.

    "Do you believe me now?" Zachary asked as he heaved a sigh of relief.

    "I will give you some advice out of consideration for the courage you''ve shown," the Godly Phoenix said in a calm voice.

    "I appreciate your help. Thank you so much!" Zachary nodded, sounding grateful.

    "If you want to find the Fighting Crane, you must enter the Beast Tamer Space before anything else and get a hold of a feather left by the crane. Once you retrieve that crane feather, come see me again," the Godly Phoenix advised.

    "The Beast Tamer Space? A crane feather? But how can I get it?" Zachary uttered.

    "Your decisions will determine your destiny," the Godly Phoenix responded in a somewhat cryptic remark.

    "I see your point." Zachary assumed it was pointless to ask questions since he knew this w

    boo Forest.

    Zachary had sent his three treasure beasts to the training ground for their cultivation of beast martial arts, and it could take a while to learn, so he set out to continue his study on treasure beasts now that he had some spare time. The successful gene fusion of the Blazing Roc had helped Zachary gain more data and understanding, which would prove useful for his succeeding research. His next step was to carry out a physical research. He planned to try all kinds of gene fusion. The treasure beasts in the Xiao Clan''s beast barn, which he had integrated into the system, would become his ready-made experimental samples.

    One night later, thinking it was the perfect timing for his plan, Zachary went to the Living-dead Tomb.

    He saw Anne waiting for him in the tomb hall as soon as he arrived. She waved her hands when she saw him coming in. An elegant set of ice blue armor surfaced on her hands. It appeared as if countless sparkling and translucent ice pieces made up the armor, and it emitted a unique, powerful aura. It was precisely what a legendary treasure should be like.

    "Is this the Ice Armor? It looks exquisite," Zachary said to Anne after studying the armor.

    "Why don''t you try it on now?" Anne suggested. Then she threw the Ice Armor into the air. It split into several parts, which made their way to Zachary''s body one by one. The broken piece fused again and transformed into a complete set of Ice Armor.

 Chapter 784 Diamond-shaped Thunder Shield

    Zachary''s aura changed dramatically once he put on the Ice Armor. The ice dragon carvings on his shoulders rose high, making him more extraordinarily handsome. On his chest was a three-clawed ice dragon soaring into the sky as two of the three-edged ice claws wrapped around his palm. An ice dragon-shaped waistband folded around his waist. It separated his lower body armor from his upper body rendering him taller. However, the most eye-catching thing on him was the dragon-head ice helmet that almost covered his entire head. It looked like an ice dragon with its teeth and claws bared. He looked powerful and extremely irresistible.

    "You look great!" Anne looked Zachary up and down and nodded with satisfaction.

    "It feels good, but I''m afraid it will frighten people if I wear it outside." Zachary tried to move around a bit. He felt that the Ice Armor was as light as an ordinary robe.

    "I made sure to refine the Ice Armor so it can look like ice patterns on your skin and be hidden from onlookers," said Anne.

    "Does that actually work?" Zachary raised his eyebrows.

    "Not usually. But the Ice Armor has an ice element like the one you use and was made of ten-thousand-year-old magic ice. That way it can integrate into your body, and you can activate it whenever you use your element," Anne explained.

    "Oh, I see. Anne, you are very considerate." Zachary was very grateful to her.

    "Although the Ice Armor is a defense treasure, it has the ability to demonize whoever wears it. It can help you enter the demonizing state and increase your ice element''s power. But you can''t use it too frequently. The demonizing state can easily affect your mind. It will make you cold, ruthless, and bloodthirsty," Anne warned him.

    "I see," Zachary nodded.

    Then, Anne taught him how to hide the Ice Armor. After two attempts, Zachary successfully integrated the Ice Armor into his body. There were many wild icy patterns on his skin making it look magical.

    "Your strength seems to have reached the seventh grade. Let''s start cultivating early today. Let me help you break through the seventh grade of Imperial Level," Anne said.

    "That sound

    ack on that list again after today''s fight. Maybe I can even rank higher this time around!" Zachary smiled lightly.

    "By relying on the Blazing Roc? I''m afraid it will be difficult for you to reach your goal today. There are two treasure beasts already signed up before you. They rank fifth and sixth among Crane College''s common treasure beasts. It''s likely that your Blazing Roc will encounter them," Linda said.

    "Okay," Zachary answered indifferently.

    "Although you''re relaxed now, you won''t stay that way for long." With a glance at Zachary, Linda felt that he was up to something.

    Zachary turned to look at her and continued, "I''ve been looking for Alisa these days, but I haven''t seen her. Is she deliberately hiding from me?"

    "Why would she be hiding from you? She was under orders to go off on some errand. She should be back soon. Who do you think you are to be able to make Alisa hide from you? As if!" Linda rolled her eyes at Zachary.

    "I see. That''s good to know," Zachary nodded.

    Suddenly, there was an uproar in the crowd. Zachary and Linda looked to the direction of the sound. A treasure beast with wood patterns all over its body appeared in the common group''s area, which was located in the center of the coliseum. It was like an elk with deer horns like branches coming out of its head. Its tail was waving in the air like a wooden whip. The treasure beast was emitting a strong Imperial Level aura.

 Chapter 785 A Bet

    "As expected, compared to the one you''ve fought before, this one''s more powerful." Linda''s eyes narrowed.

    "What is this beast?" Zachary asked and looked at Linda.

    "This is the Demonic Chital, which ranks the fifth among the common treasure beasts in Crane College. It can use the martial energy of the wood element and has learned the beast martial arts. Its strength is very extreme and has a record of thirty consecutive wins in the coliseum''s common group," Linda answered.

    "Thirty consecutive victories? That is very impressive. To have the physical strength to fight thirty battles in a row is remarkable enough already," Zachary agreed.

    "I''m afraid your Orion won''t be able to win even a single round today." Linda gave Zachary a smug look.

    After the Demonic Chital came onto the stage, its opponent who had just secured two successive wins surrendered at once. Its next two competitors'' bodies were full of bruises in less than ten minutes. The terrifying thing was that this beast won with ease just by using its tail.

    "The Demonic Chital is beyond my belief! Its tail moves so fast that I could hardly notice it. It has a great deal of tactical flexibility in attacking and defending itself," Zachary said with a deepening frown.

    "You''re having second thoughts, are you?" Linda glimpsed at Zachary.

    "But I don''t think it can beat Orion''s prowess," Zachary insisted.

    "Although Orion is more dominant in the air, it has to approach others first if it wants to initiate an attack. And once it gets close to others, it will lose its aerial advantage," retorted Linda.

    "I''m willing to bet that if Orion wins, you will marry me." Zachary made an unwanted romantic advance to Linda.

    "You bastard!" Linda glared at Zachary with her cheeks flushing, knowing he was flirting with her.

    "Don''t you dare to bet this big with me?" Zachary snickered with pleasure.

    "Let''s make a deal. If you lose, you will become my servant and follow all my orders!" Linda put forth her thoughts.

    "Deal!" Zachary smirked as he saw how simple it

    "Orion seems much more powerful than it was several days ago. Even if it broke through the Imperial Level, it didn''t make sense because its talent has peaked and its ability in all aspects has reached its limit. Because of it nature, it can''t improve further. It can only remain at the first grade of Imperial Level." Upon realizing the two beasts were about to draw, Linda stared in disbelief.

    "Don''t belittle Orion!" Zachary simpered.

    "I''m not belittling it. I''m downplaying you." Linda gave Zachary a death stare.

    Zachary shook his head and smiled.

    Just as the two beasts were about to end the battle in a tie, suddenly, when Orion was about to avoid another wave of attack from the Demonic Chital''s tail, its horns produced creepy looking flowers. Soon, those flowers exploded without delay, and the flowering spikes floated into the air at once, rushing towards Orion.

    When the spikes touched Orion''s wings, it felt unusually heavy. Soon, it lost its balance in midair and plunged straight to the ground.

    Almost at the same time, the Demonic Chital''s tail rocked back and forth at high speed, forming a large whip in the air. The force it generated was strong, and the momentum was overpowering.

    "It''s the Demonic Chital''s skill, Enormous Whip Shadow! If it reaches Orion, its injuries will be fatal." The air inside the coliseum was full of chaos.

 Chapter 786 Winning Thirty-five Consecutive Matches

    The huge and thick cyan whip was coming swiftly at the Blazing Roc. Not to be bested, the Blazing Roc raised its head and let out a deafening roar. Rage flames burst out on its wings in an instant while it spun rapidly in the air. The movements caused its flaming wings to form a flaming wheel. Ferocious energy shot out and spread, filling the whole space nearby. It made for an astonishing sight.

    It was the martial skill that the Blazing Roc had mastered¡ªthe Blazing Wheel, which collided with the cyan whip. Green and red intertwined, the energy force caused by the collision shot out in all directions. Because a metal attack was naturally more powerful than a wood attack, the Blazing Roc was at an advantage. It instantly devoured the green whip, and then approached the Demonic Chital bursting with energy.

    Having not expected the Blazing Roc to use a beast martial skill, the Demonic Chital was caught off guard and enveloped by the Blazing Wheel.

    The wheel shot to the ground, turning into a fire ring that quickly spread out.

    The fire ring expanded over ten meters away, completely engulfing the Demonic Chital.

    A while later the chital found its way out of fire circle covered in burns. It looked flustered by this unexpected but terrifying attack.

    "Beast martial skill! The Blazing Roc used the beast martial skill to attack!"

    "No way! I''ve never seen it do this before! Did it just comprehend and master it?"

    "A common treasure beast''s chances of comprehending beast martial skills are very low. It wouldn''t have been able to accomplish it so easily."

    "The Blazing Roc is not that powerful compared to other common treasure beasts in the Supernal Continent. But ever since it came to Crane College, it has broken through to the Imperial Level, and now it has comprehended the beast martial skill. It has grown at an incredible speed."

    Seeing the Blazing Roc release the beast martial skill stupefied everyone in the audience. They all felt like they were in a daze.

    "What? Did the Blazing Roc actually comprehend the beast martial skill?" Linda exclaimed in shock. Based on experience, she thought the Blazing Roc''

    as only five fights away from that record in the common treasure beast list. Judging by its performance, it could easily break the record soon.

    The thirty-five consecutive victories were already amazing., especially when the treasure beast was from another kingdom.

    With this amazing performance, Zachary''s rank went up to the top eighty, not just the top one hundred.

    Zachary said goodbye to Linda and went back to the Tiger Bamboo Forest. He had been in the system for days, so he hadn''t been in contact with Tracy and the others.

    After returning to the Tiger Bamboo Forest, he found Jay, Tracy, and the other Imperial Level warriors gathered in front of the bamboo house. When they saw Zachary, they surrounded him.

    Vivian was the first to step forward and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, I heard that your treasure beast won thirty-five consecutive rounds in the coliseum!"

    "Has the news already spread so fast?" Zachary asked with a laugh.

    "We came the second we heard. It''s true, then?" Tracy smiled joyfully.

    "Harley, you did a good job. You brought glory again to the Devil Kingdom. But you are too outstanding. I''m afraid that the others will be jealous of you, so you must be careful." Jay suggested in a worried tone.

    "Yes, I will. Thank you for the kind reminder," Zachary answered and nodded.

    After talking for a few more moments, Vivian dragged Zachary away with an excuse of asking for advice.

 Chapter 787 The Invincible Winner

    After two excruciating hours of torment, at last, Zachary had gotten rid of Vivian. He went back to the cave behind the waterfall and hurried to enter the system to get back on his research.

    But not long after Zachary set foot in the cave, another figure stepped inside but could not find him there. The figure mumbled in a distant voice, "How weird! I saw him come in just this minute with my own eyes. Has he discovered that I was following him? No, that would be ridiculous. This guy is a bit strange!" The figure disappeared the next minute.

    As soon as Zachary entered the system, Mimi''s alarm sounded. Through the system''s surveillance program, he detected the presence of someone inside the cave.

    "Is someone stalking me?" Zachary squinted, but just shrugged it off. After all, he had provoked a few people in the coliseum earlier, so it was not surprising that somebody would go after him.

    "Congratulations! Since your treasure beast won thirty-five successive battles in the coliseum''s common group, you have earned the title of ''Invincible Winner.'' Thus, the system will award you with free one-time usage of the treasure beast system''s super recovery function. This can aid in a treasure beast''s complete recovery back to its full physical energy and strength and extend its combat power by two hundred percent for a brief period." Mimi''s quiet, gentle voice echoed.

    "I had no clue such a function existed in the treasure beast system." Zachary arched an eyebrow in amused skepticism.

    "After the system''s rehabilitation finished, it brought back this original function. It is limited for a one time use daily, but it would cost one thousand treasure-hunting coins per consumption," Mimi went on.

    "I should have known how overpriced it would be! But with that function, winning thirty-five continuous battles was just the start," Zachary said. He must now focus on landing a spot in the top three of the coliseum''s standings as soon as possible and get the qualification to gain access into the Beast Tamer Space. So the Blazing Roc''s condition, together with the Demonic Emperor Beast''s, were most crucial. By now, the Blazing Roc had already grasped the beast martial skill, and as long as the Demonic Emperor Beast could master a skill too, it would do just the job.

    However, three days had already passed, but

    ad made a strong impression at Crane College. Unfortunately, despite their dismay toward Zachary, they couldn''t do anything to prevent his great achievements.

    With Zachary''s incredible power, the college''s warriors would not dare disgrace themselves by confronting him, so the common group''s total registration should have decreased sharply. On the contrary, however, the result was quite different. Today, the volume of registration was over two hundred, twice the average sum of registered warriors. Even if two treasure beasts fought in a group, at least a hundred battles would take place. The college members decided if they couldn''t defeat Zachary''s treasure beast, they would drain its energy instead. They banded together to stop Zachary, so he would no longer act proud.

    Zachary also noticed everyone seemed to be plotting against him. Still, he was not surprised, because an outsider like him who had become an overnight sensation in other people''s territory would receive lousy treatment.

    After signing up, he didn''t find a secluded place to sit down like before. He deliberately sat in the most eye-catching spot, right in the middle of the coliseum, and draw in the crowd''s full attention.

    Simultaneously, several of the college''s warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level gathered on the opposite side.

    "Walter, everything is all set," a warrior at the primary stage of Imperial Level came over to report.

    "Perfect. Today, let''s teach this bastard a lesson!" There was something sinister with Walter and the other warriors.

 Chapter 788 Super Recovery

    At this point, Zachary had no clue they had singled him out. Soon after he took a seat, he heard the Blazing Roc''s number being called. The next fight was about to start.

    Today''s substantial volume of registrations for the common group was as absurd as the Blazing Roc''s first opponent. As soon as it showed up, it looked ready to crash into the roc head-on. It spared no effort in its aggressive attacks until its full strength got drained out.

    One by one, the battles went on in that manner. Because the Blazing Roc''s opponents all set out to a full-scale attack right after they stepped into the arena, the roc won thirty fights in succession in just half a day, which was very close to yesterday''s track record. But due to the continuous battles'' lengthy and intense nature, the roc''s physical strength weakened much quicker than the day before.

    The Blazing Roc''s next opponent soon entered the arena. It was a treasure beast ranked within Crane College''s top twenty list of common treasure beasts.

    "The top thirty treasure beasts are all weaklings and easy targets! Up next is what I would consider a proper battle." Zachary squinted when he realized at last something was amiss. He noticed how intentional today''s arrangement of beast battle was. However, he figured out his Blazing Roc wouldn''t hold back to such a deliberate course of action.

    As opposed to the earlier treasure beasts he regarded as unworthy opponents, this one started a radical style of defense by thwarting the Blazing Roc''s attack after their fight commenced. The opponent struggled for thirty minutes before it could no longer resist the roc''s charges and failed.

    In the next round, the opposition used an identical approach against the Blazing Roc. But since it had more muscular strength and brawn, it persisted for a long while.

    Because of the steady vicious fights and the prearranged deal, most of the Blazing Roc''s physical strength diminished. It was put at a disadvantage, especially when dealing with a powerful treasure beast.

    During the thirty-fifth round, the Blazing Roc came across a treasure beast ranking eighth on the list of common treasure beasts, the Double-headed Red Python.

    Although the python didn''t have any element, it could d

    en the Blazing Roc and the Double-headed Red Python. A ray of rainbow-like light fell from the sky and shot into the roc''s body, which looked quite overworked from the deadly spiraling of the python.

    This incident shocked everyone. They didn''t know what had happened and why this colorful light beam appeared from out of nowhere!

    With everyone''s attention fixed on the rainbow-colored light, the Blazing Roc, which was seized by the Double-headed Red Python, suddenly raised its head and roared after the light got infused into its body. A menacing power of Imperial Level burst out from the roc, forcing the python to go away. It then rolled on the ground a few times before halting.

    The crowd looked more shocked, because the Blazing Roc, which they had witnessed struggling to survive without enough energy left just now, suddenly flashed out an extraordinary power after the rainbow beam shone on it like it was reborn.

    What startled them more was how the Blazing Roc rose into the sky, spun in midair and released the Blazing Wheel. It charged toward the Double-headed Red Python, which had just pulled itself up and seemed not to understand what was going on.

    When the Double-headed Red Python saw the Blazing Wheel rushing to its direction, it didn''t dare confront it head-on. Instead, it shed its skin again to avert the wheel''s frontal attack. However, just as the python peeled off its skin and bolted away from the wheel''s attack range, the Blazing Roc released another wheel.

 Chapter 789 The Mysterious Figure

    The Blazing Roc''s unexpected repetitive strikes caught the Double-headed Red Python off guard, and the Blazing Wheel released by the roc hit the python. In a flash, the rising flames besieged the python''s entire body, and it let out a miserable cry. A minute later, the red flames died out, and the python''s skin had burn scars all over, giving off a roasted meat aroma. It was dying on the ground.

    The full battle scene took the people in attendance by surprise for two reasons. First was the sudden upsurge of the Blazing Roc''s power, and next was how it continually used its martial skill like it had recovered its absolute strength.

    "The Blazing Roc''s power was already stretched out to its limit. How was it able to recover so fast?"

    "I''m with you on this. What kind of magic pill did it swallow?"

    "What the hell is happening? That''s just ridiculous!"

    The spectators yelled out their doubts one after another for a moment.

    ''These ordinary people must have been super surprised by my roc''s performance. They would never know I made that happen!'' Zachary grinned as he thought to himself after he saw his treasure beast''s impeccable performance.

    Walter and several other warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level paled at the scene unfolding before their very eyes. They never regarded Zachary''s treasure beast to be so capable that it could suppress the Double-headed Red Python.

    "Walter, that guy''s treasure beast is impressive! Even though it had joined so many battles, it still overpowered the Double-headed Red Python. What is the rainbow-like light beam just now?" a warrior asked, casting Walter a glance.

    "Damn it! This guy must have applied the unconventional ways. If not, why could his treasure beast quickly regain its entire strength even after it already reached its limit?" Walter grunted.

    "Then, what would our next move be?" another warrior asked restlessly.

    "Let''s match it against the Four-winged Flying Tiger!" Walter countered back at once.

    "If the tiger couldn''t prevail over his treasure beast in the end, we would have no more trump cards to stop that guy from gaining more victories! We would lose altogether!" Walter''s companions said, feeling fear at the thought of this possibility.

    "I don''t believe this guy''s treasure beast is undefeatable!" Walter snapped with a

    ectacle any longer. They felt so embarrassed that they stood up and left the coliseum.

    Until the competition at the coliseum halted, the Blazing Roc had already won fifty battles back to back, breaking the highest single-day winning record among the common treasure beasts. Up to now, the roc had won more than one hundred battles. The time it took to achieve one hundred wins at the coliseum was the shortest in the history of the Crane College.

    Relying on the Blazing Roc''s fifty consecutive wins, Zachary''s ranking in the list of points in the coliseum increased. Coming from top eighty to top sixty, he was only a few more steps away from entering the top fifty.

    Because of the Blazing Roc''s reliable performance, it caught the attention of Crane College''s senior leaders the following day, which prompted them to give Zachary more scrutiny. But they didn''t take any steps and chose to wait and observe his actual work.

    Even Crane College''s senior leaders appeared shocked, let alone its remaining population.

    Early the next morning, when Zachary stepped out of the cave to proceed to the coliseum, a mysterious figure with a strong aura suddenly popped up before him.

    "Hey, you finally came out. You have been following me these last two days. What can I do for you?" asked Zachary. The mysterious figure''s appearance did not startle Zachary. He had already known that somebody was trailing him behind. However, he didn''t take the initiative to strike early, because he knew this figure wouldn''t stay still and would take action first.

 Chapter 790 The Medium Stage Coliseum

    As Zachary spoke, he studied the man from head to toe. Dressed in a tight dark blue brocade robe, the man wore a pair of white boots and heavy steel wristbands around his wrists and ankles. Thick eyebrows draped over his enormous eyes, with a ferocious scar on the left side of his jaw. To Zachary, he seemed shrewd and capable with the sixth grade Imperial Level aura oozing out of him. One glance was enough to determine he was special. What Zachary found to be especially interesting was that he didn''t cover his face. He didn''t care if Zachary knew who he was.

    "How did you know I have been following you?" Hearing Zachary''s words, the man frowned.

    "I also know you went into the cave, though you didn''t find me. You wouldn''t have shown up so late otherwise," Zachary said, crossing his arms over his chest.

    "You really are as bold as I heard. You know that I have targeted you, yet you''re running around as if you don''t have a care in the world. Do you think I am not capable of hurting you?" the man snorted and glanced at Zachary.

    "On the contrary. I knew you would attack. I was merely waiting for you to show up. Fortunately, you didn''t disappoint me. Otherwise, I would think that all the people of Crane College are cowards. Since you want to attack me, go ahead," Zachary sneered.

    "You are quite arrogant, but you are mistaken. You see, I''m not from Crane College," the man pointed out.

    "You aren''t? Then where are you from?" Zachary''s eyes narrowed. If the man wasn''t from Crane College, then he was at a loss to who he would be. He didn''t recall provoking anyone outside of the college. However, it was also possible that the person in front of him was following someone else''s orders.

    "My name is Alloys Xia. That''s all you''ll need to know. If you want to seek revenge in the future, my name will help you find me," the man said, introducing himself.

    "Alloys Xia, right? I know your name now, but it won''t be me seeking revenge in the future!" It was clear to Zachary that Alloys Xia didn''t plan on leaving without inflicting some damage.

    "Don''t talk big! I have come h

    mance with her own eyes yesterday. But as Zachary''s instructor, she was proud of his outstanding improvement in such a short time, though she hadn''t personally done anything.

    "Oh, what will the special award be?" Zachary asked, raising his eyebrows.

    "I don''t know, myself. It could be a rare treasure that enhances the strength of a treasure beast, or the egg of a scarce treasure beast," Linda replied.

    "Really? That sounds good. I have to work harder and make persistent efforts to rank among the top fifty as soon as I can." Zachary smiled easily.

    "You''re daydreaming! Do you think it will be that easy to get to the top fifty? Besides, even if you reach that level, a real test will await you," Linda snorted.

    "What do you mean?" Zachary asked immediately.

    "I forgot to tell you that Crane College''s coliseums are actually divided into three stages. All those below the top fifty will compete in the primary stage coliseum. Once you enter the top fifty, you will compete in the medium stage coliseum. The competition rules at that level are different. While competing in it is more difficult, you can gain more points for a win than in the primary stage coliseum. There is also the premium stage coliseum. Only the top twenty beast tamers can compete in it. Therefore, once you get to the top fifty, it will no longer be this easy for you to enhance your ranking," Linda explained.

 Chapter 791 Beast Soul Renting

    "I see. That was why that guy mentioned the medium stage coliseum," Zachary murmured. Linda''s explanation helped clarify what Alloys had meant before he left. He meant that if Zachary got to the top fifty list, there was a chance he would fight Alloys in the medium stage coliseum.

    "Who did?" Linda could not help but ask, catching Zachary''s words.

    "Not important. Though, how come you didn''t tell me such important information before?" Zachary''s eyes narrowed. It hadn''t occurred to him that even the coliseums were divided into different grades. However, he had to admit this arrangement made sense. Most treasure beasts competing at the primary stage coliseum belonged to disciples or warriors at the primary stage of Imperial Level in Crane College. He hadn''t really come across warriors at the medium stage or the premium stage of Imperial Level. Aside from those intrigued by his performance, he saw few powerful treasure beasts. Also, he hadn''t spotted any powerful treasure beast in the scarce group or the rare group, and those in the rare group could even be considered as mere ornaments.

    Of course, Zachary couldn''t really view this as good news. He had assumed he had met some of the strongest treasure beasts in Crane College already. But it seemed that he hadn''t been anywhere near close to that. That was alarming. Although his Blazing Roc had become invincible in the common group, it was still a common treasure beast essentially. That meant it could only defeat those at the same level. He had known that only the extraordinary Imperial Level warriors in Crane College could be ranked among the top fifty. From what he could see, common treasure beasts were undoubtedly the most useless for the Imperial Level warriors here.

    "I didn''t know you would rank so high and so quickly. It would have been good enough to rank among the top one hundred. But you shot up like a bullet. Anyway, I don''t think telling you now is too late. After all, you haven''t reached the top fifty yet," Linda said, casting him a glance.

    "Are you underestimating me?" Zachary shook his head and smiled.

    "Yes. Are you going to complain?" Linda asked.

    "Even if

    ''s, looking down at the primary stage coliseum. It was Barnes.

    A warrior of Imperial Level appeared behind Barnes and said, "Sir, I''ve arranged everything as per your request. There won''t be more than five matches in the common group for the next two weeks."

    "Good. I defy him to enter the top fifty with no chance for consecutive wins in the common group. He has to know that it wouldn''t be that easy for him to win a special award from our college''s senior leaders," said Barnes with a smirk.

    "Doesn''t he have a Demonic Emperor Beast as well? It''s among the most powerful here in the primary stage coliseum. Its strength should be sufficient for consecutive wins," the warrior asked in confusion.

    "The Demonic Emperor Beast is indeed powerful, but it also has a significant weakness. It''s not worth fearing," said Barnes with disdain.

    On the other hand, Zachary said to Mimi inside the system, "Mimi, has the Demonic Emperor Beast comprehended the martial skill yet?"

    "No," Mimi replied.

    "Does the treasure beast system have a new function that can help? One that can temporarily allow a treasure beast to get a strong enough ability to fight for me in the coliseum?" Zachary asked hopefully.

    "You are very lucky. The last repair to the treasure beast system gave the system a brand new function. Not only did it add a super recovery function, but it also added a beast soul renting function," Mimi said excitedly.

 Chapter 792 How Dare He

    "Beast soul renting function? What''s so special about it?" Zachary asked as he raised an eyebrow.

    "With this function, you can exchange treasure-hunting coins for beast souls of different levels and merge them with your own treasure beast to obtain power that surpasses your beast''s own level for an entire day," Mimi answered.

    "Really? What a great function! Why didn''t you notify me about it earlier?" Zachary asked, squinting his eyes.

    "Because you cannot use this function unless you reach the Sage Level first," Mimi replied.

    "Oh, I see. But I''m in critical need of it now. Can I go through it before I make it to the Sage Level?"

    Zachary said deliberately. "I have to inquire first,"

    Mimi responded. Then she fell silent for a moment.

    Not long after, her gentle voice came through again. "Considering the fact that the Blazing Roc broke numerous records of Crane College yesterday, to enable it to set more records, the system would like to make an exception and let you experience the beast soul renting function in advance."

    After Mimi finished speaking, three palm-sized shadows of beast souls with different shapes emerged before Zachary. "For you to fully experience the beast soul renting function one step ahead, the system will give you three beast souls of different levels for free. These beast souls have their individual characteristics and capabilities. Once they merge with your treasure beast, their respective powerful strength and abilities will become naturalized to your treasure beast,"

    Mimi explained. "Three? So that means that I can use the function three times. Terrific! It could prove beneficial in critical situations." Zachary nodded.

    "By the way, how do I utilize the beast souls?" "As long as a single beast soul is merged into your treasure beast''s body, it will activate at any time!"

    Mimi responded. Zachary gave the three beast souls the once-over and picked the seemingly weakest one, which resembled a green dragon. Then he told Mimi, "Please put the other two away for me for now!"

    After giving the order, he set aside the green dragon''s beast soul and went to the Peach Blossom Forest.

    After arriving at the forest, he summoned the Thunder Dragon Horse to appear in front of him. Then he released the green dragon''s beast soul to merge with the Thunder Dragon H

    um. Barnes turned his head to look at the middle of the arena after hearing the commotion. He saw a treasure beast enter the coliseum. It had not reached the Imperial Level yet, and a flash of thunder radiance was all over its body, while its opponent had the strength at the third grade of Imperial Level. The massive difference in their strengths was noticeable.

    The next instant, the thunder beast darted toward its opponent, as if it was courting death. Its opponent did not hesitate to fight back, emitting an aura several times stronger than the thunder beast, looking like it would tear the thunder beast apart at any time.

    In a flash, the two beasts collided, but a minute later, the thunder beast swept past its opponent.

    "Ouch!"

    The thunder beast''s opponent soon broke out intense thunder radiance around its body. The opponent suddenly let out a strange cry like it just got electrocuted and then fell to the ground, twitching in agony. It passed out on the spot.

    There was dead silence inside the whole arena as if no one knew what had happened. The crowd wondered why the thunder beast''s opponent fell to the ground and passed out, while the thunder beast stood there safe and sound, looking proud as a queen.

    Barnes felt something was wrong. He shifted his eyes to Zachary''s seat, only to find nobody there. Soon enough, Zachary reappeared on his chair. He raised his head and stared back at Barnes arrogantly. Sparks flew when their eyes met. "Is he provoking me? How dares he?!" A gloomy smile splattered on Barnes'' livid face.

 Chapter 793 Breakthrough Took Place

    After Zachary gave Barnes a bold and provoking look, he withdrew his gaze, and took his seat. Linda was already staring at Zachary in astonishment. She recognized that the thunder beast that just killed its opponent with ease was none other than his Thunder Dragon Horse.

    "Don''t ask me anything. Just wait and see," Zachary said to Linda. He sensed she was full of doubts, but he couldn''t explain it to her.

    Linda took back what she intended to ask after hearing his words. If she made a fuss about it, he would know how restless she was at the moment! But still, she couldn''t prevent herself from glancing at Zachary a couple more times. She wondered how he did it and how the Thunder Dragon Horse, which was not even at the Imperial Level, was able to kill its opponent in seconds. Although Zachary''s treasure beasts had shown amazing performance before, the performance this time differed entirely from the previous ones. The scarce treasure beasts were much better than the common ones in terms of experience and ability. Under standard conditions, the former couldn''t be killed so fast by a single move unless there was a massive gap in strength.

    Soon, the entire coliseum was in an uproar, and different exchanges developed one after another.

    "What just happened? Why did the treasure beast at the third grade of Imperial Level drop to the ground?"

    "It''s impossible for it to lose against a treasure beast whose strength is lower than the Imperial Level, right?"

    "The winner looks a bit familiar!"

    "Isn''t it the one that defeated Evan''s Golden Fire Eagle last time? So in other words, it is..."

    It didn''t take long for the crowd to recognize the identity of the Thunder Dragon Horse. Recently, it had shown up in the coliseum and defeated Evan''s Golden Fire Eagle. Its victory left a lasting impression on the spectators ever since then. The most remarkable thing was that Zachary sent it to fight instead of his Demonic Emperor Beast. Everyone was puzzled by his strange behavior because they all thought that the horse was weaker.

    After careful deliberation, those present like

    s martial skill was quite extraordinary. Also, defensive beast martial skills were rare. Making the treasure beasts master the defensive type was more difficult than the offensive type. Thus, she had a better understanding and admiration for Zachary''s taming ability.

    "Is that so?" Zachary smiled coolly.

    The horse''s opponent had risen from the ground, looking furious. It appeared to have felt great humiliation after taking a beating, so it promptly let out a deafening roar. Afterward, it rushed toward the horse again, using up all its strength. It flew so fast that it left rows of deep marks on the ground.

    But the Thunder Dragon Horse remained motionless before its aggressive opponent.

    Just as its opponent neared, the thunder shields surrounding the horse fled to the front and quickly merged into a larger thunder shield.

    The next minute, its opponent crashed straight into the thunder shield with all its strength. The moment it collided, the thunder shield shook, as if it was about to break.

    Logically, with such a big difference in strength, it was imminent for the thunder shield to break down into pieces.

    Just when everyone thought the Thunder Dragon Horse couldn''t resist such a violent impact from its opponent this time, the horse''s aura soon changed. The lightning around its body shifted sharply. Almost in a flash, its aura broke through to the Imperial Level.

 Chapter 794 Golden Flame Tusked Beast

    A thunderous sound filled the air above the coliseum. Suddenly, the thunder radiance surrounding the Thunder Dragon Horse spread in all directions. The radius it covered changed from one to three meters. It was like an expanded thunder field. The thunder currents constantly pulsing, as if forming their own domains.

    Of course, the most shocking part was that the Thunder Dragon Horse had broken through to the Imperial Level so abruptly.

    "Huh? It reached the Imperial Level! How could it break through to such a level like this?"

    "Are my eyes deceiving me?"

    "This is impossible. Could the thunder beast have been hiding its strength all the time?!"

    Chaos traveled through the audience. Everyone gazed anew at the Thunder Dragon Horse.

    Logically speaking, the Thunder Dragon Horse should not have been able to withstand a violent impact without equaling its opponent in strength.

    As the horse''s opponent tried to break through the thunder shield, the shield disintegrated suddenly. That left it diving headfirst into the thunder field''s range. Once it was inside, a thunder current like stormy waves filled the field.

    The current rushed into the horse''s opponent''s body and kept building up, producing a destructive force. In an instant, its abdomen exploded, shooting out blood and flesh every which way. The scene was gruesome.

    Lying on the ground, the opponent gave an agonizing wail.

    The crowd couldn''t stay calm anymore. They whispered to each other and looked at the Thunder Dragon Horse with strong doubts. If winning the previous match was due to mere luck, it was obvious this one couldn''t have been. The Thunder Dragon Horse had released such astonishing power to injure its opponent, proving that it was indeed a powerful beast.

    ''How is this even possible? From what we''ve investigated, this treasure beast of his should have been the weakest among all his treasure beasts.'' Barnes was fuming over what had transpired. But he quickly

    ''s watchful eyes, the Golden Flame Tusked Beast walked to the center of the coliseum. Since it was much larger, it looked down at the Thunder Dragon Horse with obvious disdain in its eyes.

    Everyone present immediately started discussing the upcoming pairing. Did the Thunder Dragon Horse have more tricks up its sleeves, or would the Golden Flame Tusked Beast defeat it easily? Logically, the latter was more likely. After all, the gap in their strengths was obvious. The Thunder Dragon Horse had already broken through to the Imperial Level. It should not be able to make any more shocking improvements. However, its previous performance gave them doubts about this outcome. They could only wait and see.

    A moment later, a sparkle appeared on the Golden Flame Tusked Beast''s enormous tail. As it slowly formed, the beast flew towards the Thunder Dragon Horse like an arrow off the string. Seeing its opponent''s fierceness, the horse did not use its Diamond-shaped Thunder Shield to resist. Instead, it took a few steps back and tried to distance itself from its large opponent.

    However, the Golden Flame Tusked Beast was obviously faster. When it was less than two meters away, it opened its mouth and spurted out a flame wave with a tornado of fire. It instantly rushed towards the seemingly weak horse.

 Chapter 795 The Sixth Grade

    Black flames enveloped the Thunder Dragon Horse, and the burning intensity was scorching. When the blazing fire reached the horse, it left a burning sensation on its skin. The next minute, the horse set its Diamond-shaped Thunder Shield in motion to withstand the flames'' impact. After a moment of standstill while suspended in midair, the thunder shield, which had displayed a spectacular advantage during the earlier two rounds, soon turned transparent under the violent shock waves of the flare-up, and its power appeared to have weakened.

    Within a few seconds, the Golden Flame Tusked Beast''s flame waves broke through the shield and approached the horse again.

    Exclamations of astonishment erupted from all over the arena. The crowd didn''t expect the horse''s shield had no upper hand before its opponent''s flame waves, placing it to a dangerous position. In terms of strength, the Thunder Dragon Horse was already far weaker than the Golden Flame Tusked Beast. Now, with the former''s beast martial skill inferior to the latter''s, the horse was trapped in a worse situation.

    But the beast martial skill of the Thunder Dragon Horse was not just an ornament. After the flame waves smashed through one of the shields, a replacement surfaced at once, only to be damaged again.

    Then, a third shield had emerged. And it was followed by another one!

    After three thunder shields were destroyed, the fourth one finally was able to resist the flame waves wholly. At this moment, only two thunder shields remained.

    It required a lot of the horse''s energy with the thunder element to create these thunder shields. Once these shields vanish from sight, the horse wouldn''t have the capacity to rebuild in a brief period. If only a couple of the shields were left, the horse''s defensive position would scale down by more than half. If the last two pieces were gone, it would be tantamount to it being powerless.

    The Golden Flame Tusked Beast continued its attack. It no longer spewed out any more flame waves to attack. Instead, it brandished two of its flaming tusks and launched an impending strike on the horse. Despite its massive body, its movements weren''t clumsy at all. In addition, its tail seemed to have a particular accelerated structure which could cause it to speed up in a flash, setting up a brilliant attack.

    If it was using the flame to attack the horse from afar as the pr

    Thunder Dragon Horse bearing the two cyan wings soared. It looked safe and sound as if the Golden Flame Tusked Beast''s martial skill did not affect it at all.

    What was more startling was that the Golden Flame Tusked Beast looked stiff as if it could not move at all.

    At this time, the Thunder Dragon Horse had taken off into the air, and the thunder surrounding its body was getting more intensive. The next moment, it flapped its cyan wings and suddenly plummeted down toward the Golden Flame Tusked Beast on the ground.

    Suddenly, the Thunder Dragon Horse transformed into a dragon shadow with cyan wings, radiating a terrifying intensity.

    "Howl!"

    When the Thunder Dragon Horse touched down, a fearful dragon roar sounded. In an instant, the cyan lightning covered the surroundings within a radius of several meters.

    Not a faint sound reverberated from inside the coliseum. Everyone''s eyes were staring at the middle of the arena, and everyone was numb and was still processing the incidents taking place before them. They wondered why the Thunder Dragon Horse could improve that fast. Besides, its increased strength was no inferior to that of the Golden Flame Tusked Beast! That was incredible. They were also curious about the horse''s thunder wings which materialized from out of the blue. Why did that arise? They didn''t seem to be the horse''s property. And the cyan lightning in front of their eyes stunned them as well. They clearly felt that the power of the cyan lightning was no weaker than that at the premium stage of Imperial Level. The crowd was filled with puzzles.

 Chapter 796 A Strange Beast Appears

    While the audience was still stunned, the dazzling green lightning gradually dissipated. Two beasts remained in the center of the coliseum, with one of them lying on the ground, motionless.

    "The Golden Flame Tusked Beast lost!"

    "What kind of strength does this thunder beast have? It even defeated the Golden Flame Tusked Beast!"

    "If it can defeat the Golden Flame Tusked Beast, no scarce treasure beast in this coliseum can be a match for it."

    Fierce whispers broke the silence in the crowd as they discussed what had transpired.

    "This is strange. I noticed that the Thunder Dragon Horse didn''t use its own power just now. What''s going on?" Linda asked eventually, unable to restraining her curiosity anymore.

    "I can only tell you that you are right about that. the power Kiwi just broke out is not its own power. But as for how it did that, I''m afraid I can''t tell you that. It''s a secret." Zachary looked to Linda and winked at her mischievously.

    "Bastard." Linda frowned in dissatisfaction. Zachary had been leading her by the nose from the moment they had met. However, she knew that not only her, but everyone present had fallen victim to him. That was why they were more and more shocked after each of the Thunder Dragon Horse''s performances.

    The Thunder Dragon Horse had exceeded everyone''s expectations. Even Barnes was surprised by its amazing performance.

    "I can''t believe the Golden Flame Tusked Beast lost!" Barnes growled.

    "This thunder beast''s power is unusual. It can''t have been its own," the Imperial Level warrior beside Barnes added, equally confused.

    "No matter where that power comes from, it doesn''t change the fact that the thunder beast won. What we need to do now is to stop it from winning more battles!" Barnes'' eyes grew colder.

    "Then, shall we send the last treasure beast to fight today? But it would be our last attempt. Otherwise, I''m afraid we won''t be able to stop it," the Imperial Level warrior asked, awaiting instructions.

    "No, fro

    monic Fighting Bear. It''s a very scarce treasure beast. Since its strength is capped at the peak of Imperial Level, it would be almost impossible for it to reach the Sage Level. That''s what stops it from becoming a rare treasure beast. The Demonic Fighting Bear is one of the strongest among the scarce treasure beasts because it can fight like a warrior. It can easily release martial energy and display martial skills. It''s also exceptionally smart," Linda explained.

    "Oh, it sounds very strong. Since it has reached the eighth grade of Imperial Level, it would be a tough opponent." Zachary immediately studied the Demonic Fighting Bear.

    "But it''s strange. I haven''t heard that any Imperial Level warrior in this college had caught a Demonic Fighting Bear. Where did it come from?" Linda continued.

    "Really?" Zachary smiled and quickly came to an conclusion. If the Demonic Fighting Bear was really as rare as Linda said, then only Sage Level warriors could be strong enough to capture it. Bares'' name popped up in Zachary''s mind at once. He assumed the Demonic Fighting Bear must be Barnes''. Naturally, he understood why Barnes had sent it to fight. The Thunder Dragon Horse''s performance must have rattled him. If he didn''t send some really powerful treasure beast to fight, the Thunder Dragon Horse would be unstoppable.

 Chapter 797 Reaching The Eighth Grade

    Returning to the platform, Barnes looked around the auditorium. His gaze landed on Zachary, who still remained very calm. Naturally, Barnes'' face turned grim at the sight of Zachary''s calm reaction. After everything he had done to ensure that Zachary stayed out of the top fifty, the man had sailed through all his challenges. But that would end now. While he hadn''t expected Zachary to make it this far, bringing in his own treasure beast would put a stop to his winning streak. Barnes had enough confidence in his treasure beast to be certain of that.

    Down in the arena, the Demonic Fighting Bear and the Thunder Dragon Horse were all ready to start the fight. Since the horse had activated its power at the sixth grade of Imperial Level, it was still in a rush and full of energy and fighting spirit.

    Deciding to make the first move, the Thunder Dragon Horse rushed to the Demonic Fighting Bear. As it moved, it summoned six pieces of thunder shields. On the other hand, the Demonic Fighting Bear didn''t bat an eye or look the least bit affected. Instead of going into a defensive stance, it threw out its fist as the horse approached it. The move created a powerful force that transformed into a fist''s shadow and faced off the Thunder Dragon Horse.

    The bear''s fist hit one of the thunder shields and collided with a loud bang.

    The thunder shield shook, but it didn''t break. Despite the fact that it still stood, its power had been noticeably reduced.

    It was apparent to all those present that the fist shadow was just a tentative attack to test its opponent. There was no doubt that the Demonic Fighting Bear was a smart beast to start with it. Suddenly, it soared into the air and then used its short and thick legs to hack down like an ax. The move was akin to that of a warrior. Breaking through the thunder shield with the attack, it approached the Thunder Dragon Horse. Thankfully, the horse was quick to erect another thunder shield to protect itself.

    However, just like the human warriors, the Demonic Fighting Bear was obviously more flexible and smarter than normal treasure beasts, and it was more proficient in the use of strength. Therefore, after that, it launched a series of sharp attacks towards the Thunder Dragon Horse. All its moves were straight to the vital parts of its opponent, making the latter have no choice but to retreat. The gap in strength of the two

    rial Level''s peak stage.

    The sight in front of them dumbfounded all those present in the stands. Not one of them uttered a word.

    Right then, the thunder tide that had been spreading, suddenly retracted. Promptly, it rose several meters high. To the naked eye, it appeared as if the Thunder Dragon Horse was controlling the thunder tide.

    The Demonic Fighting Bear hadn''t realized its opponent could manipulate the thunder waves like this. As a result, it had no time to dodge while still in midair and was sucked directly into the thunder waves. Scorched, it was sent flying and crashed into the wall on one side of the coliseum.

    Silence reigned the space around the arena. It was hard to digest everything that had happened in such a short time. So many surreal things had followed one after another in this strange battle that left them reeling.

    All eyes were fixed on the Thunder Dragon Horse. It was standing in the middle of the coliseum, exuding strength at the peak stage of Imperial Level. To them, it was almost legendary now. When it had first shown up in the coliseum, its strength had not reached the Imperial Level yet. But now it had almost reached the Imperial Level''s limit. It was unimaginable for it to make such a tremendous leap in such a short time. It was reasonable that ordinary disciples hadn''t been able to predict the Thunder Dragon Horse''s potential. But strong Imperial Level warriors should have done so.

    Barnes should have done so as well. But like everyone else, he was just as dumbfounded as the rest. This was beyond anything that he had ever seen.

 Chapter 798 The Invulnerable Treasure Beast

    "Sir, what''s happening here? Why was his treasure beast able to make headway beyond the Imperial Level''s limit? All of us know that its master''s strength is only at the medium stage of Imperial Level! As a general rule, a treasure beast''s power should not exceed that of its master. Otherwise, its master would have a tough time handling it," the warrior standing next to Barnes asked at that point. As expected, he seemed startled, just like majority of the crowd.

    "The power exhibited by the Thunder Dragon Horse, by any means, can''t be its own strength. Did it integrate its power with some other forces? It is not even an Imperial Level treasure beast. Even if it can incorporate its power with others, it will most likely arrive at the primary stage of Imperial Level. It''s just impossible for it to reach the Imperial Level''s limit at any cost!" Barnes shared his interpretation with his brows furrowed. The whole thing just looked odd. He couldn''t figure out where the Thunder Dragon Horse''s power could come from. But his instincts told him it was not the horse''s real power. He resolved that something was not quite right here.

    "Sir, I never predicted that even your Demonic Fighting Bear was no match for this Thunder Dragon Horse. It looks like Harley might make it to the top fifty of the leaderboard today," the warrior said in a pitiful tone as he shook his head.

    "You have got to be kidding me. You''re all foolish to even think that my treasure beast is vulnerable. So what if the Thunder Dragon Horse now holds the strength at the peak of Imperial Level? Just check out the ongoing fight with your eyes wide open! This is not the end of this battle yet! My bear will definitely beat the shit out of the horse eventually!" Barnes exclaimed coldly, his tone full of arrogance at that point. He was rather agitated when someone suggested his treasure beast was incomparable with Zachary''s.

    At this moment, the crowd, who was still engrossed in the Thunder Dragon Horse''s sudden outburst of remarkable power, suddenly heard a vicious roar. It startled them at first and they instantly looked in the direction where the deep cry sounded. They caught sight of the Demonic Fighting Bear, who was knocked off earlier by the horse, had regained its footing. The feeling of rage caused it to let out a furious roar. Although it was caught in an inconvenient situation as its skin was full of lacerations and blood seeped out of its body, the power of its aura did not weaken at all. Instead, it continued to grow the more it became vicious.

    The next minute, a bizarre aura surged out from the Demonic Fighting Bear. It was not the usual aura of strength, but was much more forceful. It gave the cro

    thrust it forward to repel the palm attack.

    Boom!

    The next moment, the palm''s intense strength smashed with the thunder shield. The explosive force flared out, and the magnitude of the collision spread around the arena. As a result, even the coliseum''s spectators could also feel the great impact. The Thunder Dragon Horse and the Demonic Fighting Bear were like two Imperial Level warriors at the peak state as they fought relentlessly. The insane and uncontrollable residual energy from the continuous clash had driven everyone''s expression into grimness as they activated their internal power to protect themselves.

    After the two forces counteracted each other''s attacks, none of them sustained injuries in this round. But the Thunder Dragon Horse took the upper hand as it had already rushed forward before the Demonic Fighting Bear, using its thunder shield as cover, bracing to launch its defensive counterattack.

    However, the bear seemed to have discerned the horse''s plan. All of a sudden, its bear-shaped beast soul rose and touched down on the ground. Just when it landed, the area in front of the horse gave way a few meters deep, and the crack extended steadily beneath the horse''s feet. The latter did not expect the bear would launch this move. Since it charged too fast, it did not have enough time to break its speed. As a result, one of its feet stepped into the crack. Its whole body lost its balance, and it fell directly into the pit.

    Almost at the same time, the Demonic Fighting Bear leaped out. It stopped in midair for a few seconds as if it was collecting all its energy. Then, it threw out its punches while moving its upper limbs quickly. This action sent out destructive energy waves, smashing toward the Thunder Dragon Horse, who was still trapped under the ground.

 Chapter 799 Temporary Soul Use

    Everyone was worried about the Thunder Dragon Horse. It could do nothing but endure the Demonic Fighting Bear''s forceful palm attacks. If the horse''s thunder shield could not withstand all the attacks, the Thunder Dragon Horse would be severely injured if not dead.

    This time, even Linda couldn''t help but stand up and look at the Thunder Dragon Horse nervously.

    "Don''t worry. Kiwi will be fine," Zachary reassured her as if it didn''t concern him.

    "What are you talking about? There is no way Kiwi can counter a full-on attack from the Demonic Fighting Bear!" Influenced by Zachary''s constant use of the nickname, Linda found herself using it as well.

    "Maybe. Let''s just watch and see what happens," Zachary answered nonchalantly.

    "What do you mean ''maybe''? You are its master and you are acting as if you don''t care at all about its welfare! How could you be so heartless?" Linda burst out at Zachary''s unchanged demeanor.

    "I''m rather offended by the insinuation. Of course, I care about it. But voicing my worries won''t do much to help in such a dire situation. I prefer to help it by finding solutions for the obstacles it is facing. For now, Kiwi has to rely on itself to find a way out of this situation. Worrying about it aloud won''t be of any help to it," Zachary said slowly.

    Linda rolled her eyes at Zachary in displeasure. Then she looked back at the Thunder Dragon Horse uneasily.

    Everyone''s eyes were fixed on the horse as well. It was completely surrounded by the Demonic Fighting Bear''s burst of power.

    Just as expected, the Thunder Dragon Horse lost its balance and had no time to adjust itself. All it could do was forming new thunder shields to combat the ferocious incoming attack.

    The beast soul''s attack was too strong for the thunder shields created to withstand. Before long, those shields began to disappear one after the other.

    It didn''t take long for the nine pieces of thunder shields to be entirely used up. The Thunder D

    e. The Thunder Dragon Horse and its soul stood alone in the arena.

    The Demonic Fighting Bear''s sudden departure took everyone by surprise. They had been expecting a fierce battle up ahead. Although the dragon-shaped beast soul appeared stronger, they felt the Demonic Fighting Bear''s soul would have been a match for it. But then it had left unexpectedly. This only showed that the Thunder Dragon Horse could scare even an extremely powerful scarce treasure beast.

    Since the Demonic Fighting Bear left, that counted as a victory to the Thunder Dragon Horse. This made it an invincible superstar in this primary stage coliseum.

    As the matches went on, all the Thunder Dragon Horse''s opponents were too scared to fight it. They quickly forfeited once they came face to face. It didn''t take long for the Thunder Dragon Horse to win all the fights.

    Normally, there were thirty battles in the scarce group throughout the day. But because all the Thunder Dragon Horse''s opponents gave up without a fight, the thirty matches were concluded by midday. Winning thirty matches in a row broke the record of twenty-five consecutive wins. As a result, Zachary made it into the top fifty on the list. He was now ranked number forty-five. Next, they would promote his treasure beasts to fight in the medium stage coliseum.

 Chapter 800 Treasure Beast Synthesis

    When they left the coliseum, Linda kept staring at Zachary with all kinds of doubts and speculations in her eyes. She knew Zachary would never reveal the truth to her about how the Thunder Dragon Horse could merge with the beast soul for a short while, so she did not ask him any question head-on.

    Zachary swung around to look at Linda and asked, "Thanks a lot for keeping me company today! You may get back now. I need to be at the medium stage coliseum tomorrow, right?"

    "What?" Linda was speechless for a moment, but she soon came back to her senses and nodded. "Yes, since you have joined the top fifty, you will be promoted to the medium stage coliseum. But I feel it would be better for you not to participate in tomorrow''s competition. You should learn the medium stage coliseum''s rules before anything else. You can just hang around the Tiger Bamboo Forest as you wait for me tomorrow, and I''ll bring you over then."

    "Sure. See you there," Zachary replied and took off.

    "Whenever I watch this guy''s battle, I always feel a sense of uneasiness. I''m infinitely perplexed, but he''s competent. If not, his place in the rankings wouldn''t belong in the top fifty in such a short period. I wonder what kind of performance he''ll have next," Linda mumbled to herself, looking at Zachary''s back as he walked further and further away.

    Afterward, she planned to leave. But then she caught sight of a delicate figure moving towards her direction.

    "Alisa, what are you doing here?" It took Linda by surprise to see Alisa.

    "I came to have a few words with Harley. Have you seen him?" Alisa inquired as soon as she saw Linda making her way out of the coliseum.

    "He''s gone. He left a few minutes ago," Linda responded.

    "Gone where? Is he done with today''s beast fighting competition?" Alisa seemed surprised by what she just heard. It was just past noon, and there was still half a day left. She also found out that Zachary''s treasure beast had won fifteen consecutive battles in the common group yesterday. Thus, she hadn''t predicted for his battles to end so soon today.

    "Today''s competition has ended ahead of schedule," Linda replied.

    "It ended early?" Alisa asked, looking puzzled.

    Seeing Alisa''s confusion, Linda explained to her how Zachary''s Thunder Dragon Horse''s performance impressed everyone today and told her that Zachary had entered the top fifty rankings. He would move on to the medium stage coliseum tomorrow.

    After Alisa heard what Linda had shared, her gentle face exhibited a hint of reverence. The look of shock on her face soon disappeared, and she regained her composure.

    "It seems that

    Level and have it synthesized with the Sunny, I can make Sunny''s strength rise to the peak of Imperial Level, right?" He named the Sun-swallowing Beast''s cub as Sunny. "Yes, of course, but only if you can catch a treasure beast at the peak of Imperial Level first,"

    Mimi replied. Zachary''s eyes lit up when he heard Mimi''s explanation. After all, the cub of the Sun-swallowing Beast was a rare treasure beast with dual elements, which had considerable potential on becoming a sacred beast. If it could use synthesized strength, perhaps only a limited number of treasure beasts could contend with it.

    "That''s the problem. If I attempt to capture one, I may not succeed the first time. However, Anne or Tania may have some incompetent treasure beasts at the peak of Imperial Level. I have to go and find out," Zachary whispered to himself, rolling his eyes wickedly. Then, he went straight to the Living-dead Tomb.

    After reaching the Living-dead Tomb, Zachary informed Anne about the situation.

    "A treasure beast at the peak of Imperial Level? I don''t have one. My weakest treasure beasts are at the premium stage of Sage Level. If I can leave the system, I can grab one for you," Anne replied thoughtfully, but she immediately continued, "But I can''t leave the system. How are about this? You can ask Tania to help you catch one. She is free to move around outside."

    "Would she be eager to do that for me? I just took advantage of her last time!" Zachary said, raising his eyebrows teasingly.

    "That''s not for me to know but for you to find out," Anne said with a smile.

    "Ha-ha, I understand what you mean. I''m going now." When Zachary saw the expression on Anne''s face, he knew she had the same idea as him. Tiana would surely help him.

 Chapter 801 Sudden Interest

    After leaving the Living-dead Tomb, Zachary went straight to the Fairy Island. He had better luck this time around. As soon as he arrived at the bamboo house where Tania lived, he saw her on her way out.

    "Master Tania, where are you going?" Zachary asked curiously.

    "I''m not your master!" Tania retorted immediately, casting Zachary a glare.

    "Of course you are! Even if you have not accepted me officially, I can still consider you my master. You''ll be soon enough anyway," Zachary said shamelessly.

    Tania rolled her eyes, overwhelmed by Zachary''s audacity. Then she asked, "Why are you here? What is going on?"

    "I wouldn''t have come to you for no good reason. I am actually here today to ask you for help. You have to help me," Zachary said with certainty.

    "What''s the matter? What do you need my help with?" Tania asked, glancing at Zachary with a slight frown.

    "It concerns the whereabouts of the Fighting Crane," Zachary answered seriously.

    "Oh, have you found out where it is?" Tania''s eyebrows relaxed a little when she heard it was about the crane.

    "I just heard that it might be impossible to find the Fighting Crane. The only way for me to find it would be with the help of a scared beast called the Godly Phoenix. However, I''ve already talked to the Godly Phoenix. It told me that if I want to find the Fighting Crane, I have to enter the Beast Tamer Space first. There, I must get my hands on a feather the Fighting Crane had left behind. That''s why I am striving to enter the Beast Tamer Space, but it''s not that easy to do. I won''t be able to do so, unless I rank among the top three on the coliseum list," Zachary said, embarrassed.

    "Well, if that''s the case, I really need to lend you a hand. Tell me, what can I do?" Tania said with a nod. In this case, she admitted that Zachary had been right to come to her for help. If he couldn''t rank in the top three, he would lose his only chance of finding the Fighting Crane. With that in mind, Tania believed her priority was to get him into the Beast Tamer Sp

    lege. As Zachary''s fiancee, the rumors offended her, but there wasn''t much she could do to stop them.

    "There are so many people here." After casting a glance at the three women, Linda turned to Zachary and asked, "Are they going to the medium stage coliseum with you today?"

    Zachary started to shake his head. "I don''t think they plan on doing that¡ª"

    "Of course I will go. Even though my fiance has been in Crane College for a short time, he has already been outstanding. Naturally, we have to support him more. Since today will be his first day at the medium stage coliseum, we must cheer him up. Don''t you agree, Tracy?" Vivian interrupted before Zachary could finish what he was saying and gave Tracy a look.

    "Yes, I too want to see Harley''s beast competition," Tracy said, echoing Vivian''s sentiments.

    "I''m also interested." Nola, who seldom spoke, joined them.

    "You..." Zachary hadn''t anticipated that all three women would want to go to the medium stage coliseum with him.

    "Since you all want to go, let''s do so together. But he may not have a battle today. His goal today is to learn the medium stage coliseum''s rules. As for whether he''ll get a chance to battle or not, we''ll have to wait and see," Linda said graciously.

    Then, with the four women walking alongside him, Zachary left for the medium stage coliseum of Crane College.

 Chapter 802 Idol

    The medium stage coliseum was at the other end of Crane College, a different location than that of the primary stage coliseum. It was also known as Crane College''s Imperial Coliseum. Since the top fifty ranked warriors were all at the Imperial Level, it was a place for them to compete and learn new skills.

    For that reason, there were many differences in rules between the two kinds. First, there was no distinction between the types of treasure beasts in the Imperial Coliseum. It didn''t matter if it was a common, a scarce, or a rare treasure beast. Second, there were two types of competitions here: attrition battle or one-blow battle. Third, which was the most unique, it followed a challenge system. What that meant was, the opponents weren''t randomly chosen. The warriors at the bottom of the board got to choose who to challenge. Not only could they challenge those of higher ranks but also those at the top of the board. Of course, that also meant that the points they gained differed according to the ranking of those challenged.

    In addition, each warrior could only have one match a day in the Imperial Coliseum. If he lost, he wouldn''t get any points. But if he won, he could get a lot of points, even if his opponent was only one rank higher than him.

    Therefore, winning or losing several consecutive rounds in the Imperial Coliseum would make a vast difference especially for those in the lower ranks. Losing two or three consecutive rounds would have him fall out of the top fifty and return to the primary stage coliseum. On the other hand, if he won a few consecutive rounds, he might reach the top in a short time. When that happened, he would find himself on the fast track to the top twenty. Once there, he could enter the premium stage coliseum and fight for the top three ranks.

    So, doing well in the Imperial Coliseum was of vital importance for a chance to rank among the top three.

    However, the top fifty Imperial Level warriors were not weak. More than two-thirds of them were at the med

    eing a warrior from another kingdom didn''t matter. He would still have admirers.

    "When did I become so popular? I''m not used to this attention. It''s embarrassing." Zachary let out a smug laugh.

    The girls rolled their eyes at him. He couldn''t possibly understand what real embarrassment was like.

    Fearing the group''s excitement going overboard, the girls guarded Zachary. They wanted to prevent the disciples from getting close and causing trouble. Zachary was quick to take advantage of the situation. He immediately waved his hand to his new fans.

    Since they were surrounded by the group of disciples, it took Zachary and the four girls a long time to reach the gate of the Imperial Coliseum.

    "Why are you so noisy? Why aren''t you at practice? Why are you all standing here?" A stern voice came from behind the crowd.

    Hearing this, the disciples surrounding Zachary and the girls turned their heads. They saw a cold and frightening figure approach with several Imperial Level warriors behind him.

    "It''s Barnes!" Someone shouted. Then, the expressions on the disciples'' faces immediately changed. They instantly retreated to both sides, not daring to crowd Zachary and the girls anymore.

    Zachary and the girls exchanged glances when they saw Barnes. They were a little surprised at his appearance. It could mean nothing good.

 Chapter 803 The Special Award

    After a moment''s hesitation, Linda took two steps forward and asked Barnes with the utmost respect, "What brings you around here, Barnes?"

    Zachary, Tracy, and the other two girls likewise made a slight bow to Barnes to show their reverence.

    "I''m here today to present Harley a special award on behalf of the senior leaders of Crane College for his entry into the top fifty of the coliseum''s beast competition," Barnes said with a deadpan expression.

    As soon as he wrapped up his speech, the crowd was in an uproar once more. They could now speculate that the college''s senior leaders manifested great interest to Zachary since they had sent Barnes, an essential figure of the college, to bestow the award in person. It was also a clear indication that they looked upon Zachary in all seriousness. Also, Barnes was notorious for being stern and fussy, not allowing anything to go beyond his control. So, his willingness to come and hand over an award to Zachary while speaking for the college''s top management meant he also acknowledged Zachary as a formidable beast tamer.

    "Barnes, I must admit it''s surprising that you would be so eager to go here and give out the special award to him for what he has accomplished so far." Linda playfully spoke as she darted Barnes a glance. Barnes didn''t need to do this on a large scale since any ordinary Imperial Level warrior could do this function. After all, this was no big deal, and Barnes'' presence was not mandatory. With this in mind, Linda suspected Barnes might have some other objectives.

    "It''s nothing much. I''m just following orders," Barnes replied casually before turning to Zachary and said, "Given your outstanding performance in the beast competition nowadays, I feel you''re deserving of receiving this special award. However, don''t expect that the entire competition would be an easy task. After you get in the Imperial Coliseum where Imperial Level beasts will clash with each other, it will be an absolute challenge for you and your treasure beasts. So, stay humble! Do things within your capabilities. Refrain from doing something you''ll regret for the sake of becoming popular!"

    "I''ll consider those, and thank you for your kind reminders. But can you explain in more detail about this special award? Could I check it out now?" Zachary asked. He didn''t care about the warnings Barnes had mentioned. All he wanted to know was what the mystery award would be.

    At this point, Crane College''s discip

    y suspected that they had some other intentions.

    "We have all seen your superb performance in the beast competition these days. The top management of our college is also fully aware of your achievements, and they much appreciate you. Their chosen award is consistently not an ordinary kind. However, I feel this particular award is indeed a bit unexpected, but I am turning this over this to you as ordered. The senior leaders gave a specific instruction that if your ranking continues to move up, and if you get in the top twenty, there will be more awards waiting for you," Barnes added, even though his voice was full of misery. He was initially against the idea of giving Zachary any special award. However, the senior leaders stood firm on this offer and seemed intent on pleasing Zachary. Barnes was just a Sage Level warrior at the primary stage, so his objections were not accepted and he could only follow orders.

    "What? There will be more awards for him if he makes it to the top twenty?"

    "No way! The college had given him so much special treatment! I''ve never heard of such a practice before."

    "Even our Imperial Level warriors rarely receive such treatment."

    At this time, the disciples and Imperial Level warriors became disheartened, appearing somewhat agitated, as they exchanged opinions. The Imperial Level warriors, in particular, were unhappy. They didn''t understand why their senior leaders were so gracious toward Zachary. Everyone anticipated Zachary to be a fierce competitor of their college''s warriors in the coming Imperial Level Warrior Contest. So why was the top management helping Zachary at this stage?

 Chapter 804 Challenge Accepted

    Hearing this, Linda squinted suspiciously at Zachary. She couldn''t help but think of how odd the whole thing was. What did Crane College''s leaders want from Zachary? They were being so generous and she was certain they had hidden motives for such generosity.

    Zachary appeared to be the only one to remain calm. He was already aware of why the senior leaders of the college were treating him so well. They anticipated outstanding achievements in his future. In anticipation of that, they decided to curry his favor now, by sending him special gifts. That way, they would be able to come to Zachary if they ever needed help. Though he was well aware of their sinister plans, Zachary did not refuse the gift. Frankly, he quite liked it. As for the future, he would know what to do when the time came. Besides, if they wanted to give him gifts, then he might as well make use of it until he reached the top three on that list. Surely the gifts would get better the higher he ranked.

    That would be what Zachary wanted more than anything right now. But he could wait. Zachary put the box away, cupped his hands and said respectfully, "Barnes, thank you so much for bringing me this gift. I would appreciate it if you convey my respect and gratitude to the senior leaders for me. I promise that I will not let them down."

    Barnes simply snorted disdainfully before he left with his men.

    As soon as he left, the Imperial Level warriors who had walked out of the Imperial Coliseum glanced at Zachary before going back inside.

    "This is an Imperial Level treasure beast at the second grade. This is awesome. Does that mean one of your treasure beasts will be able to increase its strength by two grades? This is an exceptional gift this time around," Vivian commented dotingly, her eyes glued to him.

    "Well, perhaps," Zachary answered indifferently. He did not want to show off so that others wouldn''t be envious.

    All four girls, including Linda, gave Zachary a sour look because they knew he was hiding his glee.

    "Let''s go inside," Linda said.

    Together they entered the Imperial Coliseum under the watchful eyes of the other disciples.

    As soon as they set foot inside the Imperial Coliseum, Zachary saw a large enclosed area covered in an iron net. It resembled an enormous cage. There were many obstacles to imitate a real terrain w

    y. I won''t fall in love with a woman like you either." Zachary smiled in response.

    For some reason, his words made Linda even angrier. She glared at him and turned her head away, refusing to talk with him now.

    While the two were bickering, a staff member came up to Zachary and asked, "Are you Harley by any chance?"

    "Yes, I am," Zachary replied and nodded at once.

    "Nice to meet you, Harley. I received a message from Lind who ranks at forty-eight. He would like to challenge you. Do you accept the challenge?" the member of the staff asked.

    "Well..." Zachary hesitated for a moment. The Demonic Emperor Beast hadn''t finished its cultivation yet. He wasn''t sure he would be able to keep up with only the Blazing Roc and the Thunder Dragon Horse. Although he still had two other beast souls he hadn''t used yet, he didn''t want to bring them out so soon to help either the Blazing Roc or the Thunder Dragon Horse if he made them fight.

    "You can refuse to accept the challenge. But, as punishment, some of your points will be deducted and given to your opponent," Linda explained immediately when she noticed Zachary''s hesitation.

    "Well, in that case, I think it would be better to accept the challenge. Even if I lose, I won''t lose any points," Zachary responded with a frown at Linda''s words.

    "That''s okay. If you don''t intend to improve your rank, you can accept challenges just to familiarize yourself with the Imperial Coliseum. If you make good use of it, the outcome will help you a great deal," Linda replied and nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 805 Cooperation

    "Then I accept the challenge," Zachary said after giving it some thought.

    "Okay, I''ll arrange it right away," the staff member said, and then quickly left.

    Not long after, the man returned and took Zachary to the training area to draw lots.

    In the drawing area, Zachary caught sight of his opponent. It was a common-looking middle-aged man in a grey robe. Judging from his aura, he should be at the third grade of Imperial Level, not that powerful.

    "Lind." Zachary nodded in greeting.

    "You are Harley? You are so young! As they say, the world belongs to the youth," Lind said, studying Zachary with ease.

    "I''m flattered. I''m actually new here. I hope you can show me mercy in the coming competition!" Zachary said modestly.

    "Of course, I don''t want to bully the younger generation," Lind said with an amiable smile.

    As Zachary and Lind exchanged greetings, the result of the draw came out. It was a one-blow battle.

    Zachary''s treasure beasts would go against Lind''s two treasure beasts. They were the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast at the peak of King Level and the Thunder Demonic Bee at the third grade of Imperial Level. The Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast ranked seventh among Crane College''s common treasure beasts. Everyone knew its strength. As for the Thunder Demonic Bee, it was powerful, too. Zachary and Lind entered the cage-shaped arena and summoned their treasure beasts.

    The Blistering Poisonous Fire Beas Lind summoned had amazing speed and was good at offensive attacks.

    Zachary summoned the Blazing Roc and the Thunder Dragon Horse. He knew their collective strength was weaker than that of their opponents. However, his purpose today was to get familiar with the rules here. As such, the results were not that important. Naturally, if Zachary had a chance to win, he would take advantage of it.

    After releasing their treasure beasts, Zachary and Lind left the cage-shaped arena.

    Zachary went straight back to Linda while Lind walked around the arena before he reached the other end of it. Afterward, he walked up to two men.

    Zachary would have immediately recognized them once he saw them. On

    Level beast tamers could do that. She began to look at Zachary differently.

    Hearing that, Zachary just smiled and said nothing.

    Since the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast and the Thunder Demonic Bee couldn''t find the horse, they split up. That immediately gave the roc and the horse a chance.

    Now that their opponents had separated, the roc howled. The horse immediately understood what the roc meant through the howl. In response, the horse suddenly appeared in front of the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast.

    As soon as the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast saw the horse, it let out a roar. The Thunder Demonic Bee immediately rushed to it, only to be intercepted by the Blazing Roc.

    Soon, all four treasure beasts had formed separate dueling battles. That confused all the Imperial Level warriors around them.

    In their opinion, the Thunder Dragon Horse should face off the Thunder Demonic Bee while the Blazing Roc should fight against the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast. This way, Zachary''s side would be at an advantage. But now, the situation was the opposite. No wonder everyone was confused. Those around didn''t know that yesterday the Thunder Dragon Horse had relied on its soul power to win. Today, without it, at most, it might be able to fight against the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast. But against the Thunder Demonic Bee, it would have no chance to succeed. Therefore, such an arrangement was reasonable.

 Chapter 806 A Slim Chance Of Survival

    The Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast stared at the Thunder Dragon Horse with its large, bulging eyes ferociously. Its toad-like appearance and protruding belly looked a bit ridiculous. However, the fire beast''s power, which ranked seventh among the common group, shouldn''t be undervalued. Without the beast soul power, the Thunder Dragon Horse only had the seventh-grade strength of King Level. Its image paled in comparison to the fire beast under this situation.

    At this moment, the Imperial Level warriors following the battle looked skeptical because they noticed the horse''s aura seemed to be a little unusual. Yesterday, it had demonstrated considerable power in the primary stage coliseum, and it had even defeated the Demonic Fighting Bear that had possessed a beast soul. But now, its aura hadn''t yet reached the King Level''s limit, which was wholly unjustifiable.

    "Does the Thunder Dragon Horse still possess the capability to use the beast soul today?" Linda, who was the only one knowing the truth apart from Zachary, asked in concern.

    "Nope," Zachary responded, shaking his head.

    "Then Kiwi won''t stand a chance of overcoming the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast! Although Kiwi had established its martial skill and had rather strong defensive strength, the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast gave off toxic energy fire that could continue to spread in the air, leading to real damage once inhaled by other treasure beasts. The more they sucked it in, the more significant damage it would cause. With its strength at the King Level''s limit, the fire beast was ranked seventh in the common group because of its deadly energy fire. The beasts most appropriate to deal with the fire beast are the treasure beasts under the bird category. If it were up to me, I would let the Blazing Roc deal with the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast. The roc''s strength is above the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast, and the toxic energy fire can''t build up to high altitudes that could impair the roc," Linda growled and then brought forward her point of view.

    "That should be the usual case. But I wanted to make Kiwi deal with it because Orion has approximately achieved its limit, and it can''t carry out further breakthroughs in a limited time frame. I''m expecting Kiwi to fight more so that it could grow stronger. It should not harm to let it experience a few more physical encounters." Zachary shared his own opinions.

    "That''s a wonderful theory, but you need to remain vigilant because the situation in the Imperial Col

    n, intending to save the horse first.

    But the Thunder Demonic Bee, which was about to break through the Thunder Dragon Horse''s last line of defense, suddenly swirled in the low altitude and rushed towards the Blazing Roc that had already plunged from the sky. The roc did not expect the bee to change its attack target. Because the roc rushed too fast, it was unable to change its direction to avoid the bee.

    "Damn it! The Blazing Roc is in danger!" Linda sensed something after seeing the scene, and her face shifted in an instant.

    Zachary''s eyes turned cold, but he remained calm because the Blazing Roc had to deal with its situation on its own.

    In a second, the Blazing Roc and the Thunder Demonic Bee collided head-on. Because the speed''s impact was quick, the two beasts brushed past each other in an instant.

    However, the Blazing Roc''s right wing could no longer flap and appeared paralyzed. Its entire body lost its balance in the low altitude and plunged to the ground.

    The Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast, which was all set for action and ready to attack, had jumped at a high angle and spewed a flow of toxic energy fire towards the Blazing Roc that just plummeted. Since the roc couldn''t adjust its body to avoid the fire, it was enveloped by it. With a loud bang, it flopped to the ground with a painful howl, not getting up for a long time. It appeared to have gotten a serious injury.

    The Thunder Demonic Bee had also spun around from the low altitude and accelerated down again, aiming to give the defenseless Blazing Roc a fatal blow.

    The onlookers shook their heads after watching the spectacle. They knew that the Blazing Roc was fated to die!

 Chapter 807 Mutation

    Linda clenched her fists with her eyebrows furrowed, looking a little nervous. Zachary''s frown grew more ferocious. He noticed this whole thing had been a trap from the start, specifically set up for his treasure beasts. His opponents'' goal was obvious; to destroy Zachary''s treasure beasts. As much as Zachary wanted to replace the Blazing Roc with his another beast, it was already too late to do so now.

    The precarious situation led the Thunder Dragon Horse to act. It suddenly jumped directly in front of the Blazing Roc, protecting the latter by activating its thunder shield.

    "Kiwi!" Zachary couldn''t help but tremble at this sight. He hadn''t expected the Thunder Dragon Horse would risk its life to protect its friend.

    Soon enough, the Thunder Demonic Bee crashed into the thunder shield. When the two forces collided, the collision immediately burst with shining light energy.

    However, there was a huge difference in strength between them. Slowly, the thunder shield started to crack, and then completely dissipated. Now, the Thunder Dragon Horse was completely exposed and defenseless to Thunder Demonic Bee''s attacks.

    Not to be forgotten, the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast once again spewed out poisonous energy fire. It instantly enveloped the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Blazing Roc at the same time. From the looks of it, it was hoping to kill two birds with one stone.

    At the other end of the cage-shaped arena, Alloys and Evan smiled conspiratorially. This was exactly what they had been hoping for. They were confident that Zachary''s two treasure beasts were doomed. Zachary would finally pay for his arrogance.

    Zachary and Linda, on the other hand, wore long faces, especially Zachary. He couldn''t intervene and provide assistance to his treasure beasts at the moment. What was worse, there was no beast soul power inside either the Blazing Roc or the Thunder Dragon Horse. So it would be impossible for them to break out their energy as they had done yesterday. Although the Thunder Dragon Horse wore the Crown of Thunder on its head, it would take some time for the crown to accumulate energy. Judging from what was unfolding, it would be too late.

    In an instant, both the Thunder Demonic Bee and the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast launched attacks. Their vehemence mercilessly enveloping the Blazing Roc and the Thunder Dragon Horse.

    Boom! Boom!

    After the two forces collided, a strong light flashed. Strong and crazy energy instantly devoured th

    ulsive!" Linda was acting out of kindness believing that the loss of the Blazing Roc had made Zachary lose his mind.

    "We''ll wait and see what happens next," Zachary responded lightly, refusing to give up this match.

    Linda was taken aback for a few seconds. The man was stubborn, but she knew him to be reliable. He would protect everything he cared about. Eventually, she stopped trying to convince him to give up. It wasn''t like he would take her advice anyway. So she turned to look at the Thunder Dragon Horse who was in the process of mutation.

    Seeing the Thunder Dragon Horse safe and in a strange state, the Thunder Demonic Bee and the Poisonous Fire Beast acted again. It was time to take it down altogether. The Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast approached the Thunder Dragon Horse with a malicious aura. It once again spurted out the poisonous fire, intending to kill the horse completely. However, the moment it did, a pair of wings flashing with thunder and fire appeared on the Thunder Dragon Horse''s back. The wings had fused with the golden flame power coming from the Blazing Roc. It flapped its wings violently, creating a rapid storm of both thunder and fire. Not only did it blow the poisonous fire away, but it also engulfed the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast in an instant.

    A burst of miserable howls rang out. The Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast was sucked in by the fire sea and scorched. Its flesh was torn open, with smoke rising from it. A moment later, it could no longer bear the burns and its whole body exploded, blood and flesh splattering in all directions in a rain of blood. The whole scene was very bloody and savage.

 Chapter 808 Inheritance Of Will

    "That blow held the power of two elements!"

    "Yeah, that''s what makes this whole thing weird. Isn''t the Thunder Dragon Horse a holder of the thunder element?"

    "Is it possible he''s using the Blazing Roc''s element power?"

    "But how could a thunder-element treasure beast digest the metal element power so easily? That doesn''t make sense."

    Shock overcame the spectators because of the Thunder Dragon Horse''s amazing performance. It was surreal, like nothing they had ever seen. The Thunder Dragon Horse, who had needed the Blazing Roc''s protection seconds earlier, was suddenly bursting with power. One single blow was all it took to instantly kill the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast, which ranked seventh among the common treasure beasts. And for the second time since yesterday, the Thunder Dragon Horse released its beast soul power, stunning everyone present.

    "What''s going on? How is Kiwi releasing power with dual elements?" Linda couldn''t help but blurt out in shock. Even she was in shock over what she was seeing.

    "Because Orion''s death fulfilled the requirements for Kiwi''s mutation. Kiwi is now absorbing Orion''s metal power as it mutates," Zachary answered dispassionately, telling her the truth.

    "What? Mutation? Kiwi is mutating?" Linda repeated, her voice growing more surprised.

    The onlookers were divided on what they thought of the scene in front of them. It surprised some, while it made others unhappy. Alloys and Evan were two of those it had made unhappy.

    "This thunder beast is troublesome. It was weak before, but now it''s transformed into an entirely different treasure beast. It destroyed Lind''s Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast in one blow. How did it even do that?" Alloys murmured with a frown.

    "I think his thunder beast is merely struggling and at its last breath. Even though it could kill the Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast, it''s no match for the Thunder Demonic Bee. The only way to defeat it is that it releases a massive power like what it did yesterday. However, if it could have done that, it would have already done it earlier, and that stupid roc wouldn''t have died," Evan snorted with disdain. Then he turned to Lind. "Lind, it killed your Blistering Poisonous Fire Beast in an instant. Will you remain calm over this?" he sa

    rdian. Rushing towards the Thunder Demonic Bee, it had strong killing intent.

    The Thunder Demonic Bee didn''t foresee a flaming soul shadow would rush to fight it and was caught off guard. As a result, the soul shadow''s hit landed. The golden flame-like light spread all over its body, heavily burning it. But the light wasn''t an actual flame. It merely caused the Thunder Demonic Bee to suffer a great deal of pain. The bee retreated and rolled on the ground before extinguishing the golden light.

    Obviously, the flaming soul shadow was a kind of beast soul power. Even though it didn''t materialize in a corporeal form, if one cultivated it, it would soon become a real beast soul.

    In other words, the Thunder Dragon Horse had the potential to cultivate the beast soul. To all, this proved it had a promising future.

    "What is that? Is that..." Linda asked as she looked at Zachary in surprise.

    "Yes, that''s Orion''s beast soul. It appears that Kiwi absorbed not only Orion''s power element but also inherited its will and soul," Zachary said with a frown.

    "I''ve never seen such a thing happen before. I''d never even heard of such an ability either. This entire thing with the mutation is just so hard to believe. But it''s helping Kiwi, so that''s great." Linda was still coming to grips with this development. But her gut feeling told her that the Thunder Dragon Horse''s mutation would make it even more powerful than any scarce treasure beast. It was possible that it had already become a rare treasure beast.

 Chapter 809 Revenge

    "We have to credit this great achievement to Orion''s death!" Zachary said. His gaze turned icy as he watched every detail that went on, and his voice sounded a bit gruff when he responded. The Blazing Roc was his first treasure beast, so he had a profound affection for it. Although it was nothing short of being a very powerful or unique treasure beast, he couldn''t have gone this far without its company and assistance throughout his journey. So, the sadness he felt within him was beyond words, but he chose not to show it.

    Linda could tell Zachary must be grief-stricken after hearing his voice''s tone due to the Blazing Roc''s death. She had come to understand how precious it was to Zachary. He was not only a master to the roc but also became its close ally. He never regarded his treasure beast as a tool, unlike how most beast tamers would consider theirs.

    Under the immature beast soul''s protection, the Thunder Dragon Horse went through the mutation process successfully and broke through to the Imperial Level. Aside from that, it also involved the Blazing Roc''s metal power, turning itself into a rare treasure beast with dual elements. Two beams of contrasting light covered the Thunder Dragon Horse, one with thunder element and another with metal element. They entwined with each other, which looked strange and fascinating. The entire scene was a sight to behold. A striking pair of wings made of a mixture of thunder and flame appeared on its back. The Thunder Dragon Horse looked compelling as it emitted an overwhelming aura to its surroundings. It had just gone through a tremendous transformation.

    A look of awe crept into the spectators'' faces as they stared open-mouthed at the Thunder Dragon Horse. It seemed like they still could not accept the fact that the Thunder Dragon Horse had mutated, and they were in denial that it had infiltrated the Imperial Level. But their reaction did not matter and would not affect anything. What had happened to the horse was an undeniable phenomenon.

    However, despite the Thunder Dragon Horse''s success in entering the Imperial Level, it was still treated as a neophyte at this new level. Its opponent, the Thunder Demonic Bee, possessed the strength at the third grade of Imperial Level. Both its fighting experience and power outweighed that of the horse. Although the bee suffered a bit of a disadvantage after the horse released an immature beast soul, it wasn''t injured severely. On the contrary, the horse stirred the bee''s fury. The Thunder Demonic Bee

    chance to fight back. The sudden turn of events was beyond their imagination. This was not the first time they got rocked to the core.

    On the other hand, after seeing that the Thunder Demonic Bee wasn''t able to destroy the Thunder Dragon Horse, and was instead slaughtered by its opponent in one go, Alloys and Evan felt agitated. The reaction on their faces looked awful. Although it was good news to them that Zachary''s Blazing Roc had died, the fact that his horse got stimulated and promoted to become a stronger treasure beast sounded unpleasant to their ears.

    "Oh my god! My treasure beast!" Lind felt like weeping loudly. He didn''t expect the Thunder Dragon Horse would kill both his treasure beasts in an instant.

    "This guy is so lucky. Even though one of his treasure beasts died, the other has mutated and grown more powerful. That''s it for today," Alloys snorted coldly and left with Evan, leaving Lind behind, who was still furious over his two treasure beasts'' unexpected death.

    After Alloys and Evan went ahead, Lind stood motionless as his mind had gone blank. Afterward, he felt a figure with a cold aura appear before him.

    It was not until then that he regained his senses. He looked at the figure up ahead and subconsciously shivered because this man''s eyes looked ferocious.

    This man was no other than Zachary, who appeared to settle the score with Lind.

    "You! You killed two of my treasure beasts! You are so vicious!" Lind cried out even though he was not innocent.

    "So what? In my mind, you and your treasure beasts'' lives are less valuable than my Orion''s life!" Zachary hurled back coldly with a strong sense of resentment in his voice.

 Chapter 810 Becoming The Idol

    "You! How dare you!" Lind shouted with pangs of guilt in his voice.

    "Why don''t you try me then?" replied Zachary with a sneer. As he spoke, a violent Imperial Level aura erupted from within him and an unstoppable force with murderous intent filled the surroundings, including Lind.

    After feeling the intimidation behind Zachary''s bloodthirsty aura and killing intent, Lind thought his eventual death was nearing. His legs went limp, and he knelt on the ground with a resounding thud. He had no choice but to beg for mercy to spare his life. "I''m so sorry, Harley. I was wrong. It''s all my fault. I had no plans of making matters difficult for you. It was Alloys and Evan who ordered me to do so. Please forgive me!"

    "Alloys and Evan?" Zachary repeated. When he heard the two names, his eyes instantly turned more biting. He recalled the features of the two men. He knew both of them had always resented him, but what he least expected was for them to team up and work against him in tandem.

    "Yes, I swear to you it''s them. They forced me into doing this, and they even threatened me! Harley, please show me some mercy and let me leave! I promise I will never condemn you!" Lind pleaded, his facing showing sheer innocence.

    "Is that so? In that case, I''ll let you go. But keep in mind what you had just said!" Zachary nodded subtly. He knew this guy was used as a pawn who got exploited. He should concentrate more on how to tackle his real enemies.

    "Really? Thank you so much for your clemency, Harley. You are such a sympathetic man!" Lind considered himself absolved like he was granted amnesty. He was filled with gratitude.

    "I will spare your life, but you cannot escape your crime. A well-deserved punishment is still waiting for you. For the next month, you will experience life much worse than death!" Zachary said. Before Lind could even react, three Ice Needles materialized in Zachary''s hands. In a flash, these needles pierced through three of Lind''s vital body parts.

    A sudden piercing scream sounded, like a pig being slaughtered echoed throughout the skies. A second thereafter, Lind coiled on the ground, overwhelmed by the stabbing pain. Zachary had already disappeared without a trace.

    "How was he able to take off that fast? Where the hell did he run off to? Did he go someplace to grieve because he is extremely sad?" Just outside the Imperial Coliseum, Linda, who had just stepped out, also glanced around. Just a moment earlier, Zachary mentioned he would summon the Thunder Dragon Horse back and secure Blazing Roc''s lifeless body. But since the minute he left, he never showed up for the rest of the day.

    While she was lost in her thoughts, a deep voice spoke fro

    advantage and used blackmail.

    "It''s okay. I''ll just go and get that information on my own." Zachary refused to give in to her threats.

    "Unbelievable." Linda had the urge to freak out, but after a moment''s consideration, she said, "Okay, I can help you get some intelligence about his treasure beasts, but you have to promise you won''t mess around until I get it. You have to behave yourself for two days before sending your treasure beasts to fight against his. It would be better if you enter the top forty first before confronting him."

    "No problem." Zachary nodded. Linda''s plan fit in accurately with his intentions since he needed some time to prepare. His Demonic Emperor Beast hadn''t come out of its seclusion yet, and the Sun-swallowing Beast hadn''t trained well either. Also, the Thunder Dragon Horse required some time to recover and hone its strength.

    "You must keep your word!" Linda warned in a worried tone, fearing that he would not act obediently before she even took off to do her task.

    Afterward, Zachary went back to his cave. He entered the system first and went to the Peach Blossom Forest. At this moment, the Thunder Dragon Horse and other treasure beasts had surrounded the Blazing Roc''s remains, as if mourning. He walked up to join them, and bade farewell to the roc. He then asked Mimi to arrange a cremation service for the roc. After everything was all set, he collected the ashes and put it into an urn. He chose a spot next to a tree as its burial place and carved the Blazing Roc''s name onto the tree in its loving memory.

    Zachary was in a foul mood because of the Blazing Roc''s death, so he went to the Living-dead Tomb early.

    "Why did you show up here so unexpected today? Is something wrong?" Anne asked when she saw Zachary arrive earlier than usual.

 Chapter 811 Amazing Progress

    "Alas..." Zachary sighed and told Anne what had happened in the Imperial Coliseum today. Hearing this, Anne turned livid too.

    "How dare these guys treat you this way? If I could leave, I would definitely make them suffer for the spiteful things they have done!" Anne growled in a cold tone.

    "Don''t get so riled up. Despite Orion''s death, things turned out okay. I feel sorry for its loss. I truly do. But the fact that Kiwi successfully sucked Orion''s metal element power into its body and mutated successfully has brought me some relief. Now, it has the power of dual elements. Not only has it already broken through to the Imperial Level, but it has also undergone significant changes to the core. With enough care and vigilant training, I''m confident that it will be invincible. Orion''s death didn''t go in vain. If anything, I''m grateful," Zachary said and admitted, his eyes clouding because of Orion''s death. He attempted to see the benefits of its loss, though the sting of pain still ate at him.

    "Don''t be too sad. I know that Orion was your first treasure beast, so you must have cherished it very much. But remember; it was still a beast. It was meant to face death earlier than human beings. Even if it were still alive, it would not have been much help to you with the upcoming competitions. Yes, it must be painful, but don''t let it bring you down. Orion would prefer to see you in high spirits rather than being constantly depressed." Anne tried to comfort him.

    Hearing her soft voice, Zachary felt much better. He nodded in agreement. She was right, of course. After the Blazing Roc had broken through to the Imperial Level, it had reached its limit. It was still an ordinary treasure beast, after all. That was as far as it could go. Every beast it would have to face from there on out would be exceptionally powerful. Had the Blazing Roc survived, Zachary would not send it out to fight anymore.

    "Now that you''re here, let''s cultivate. All I can do for you now is to help you reach the limit of Imperial Level. It''s almost time for the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. Of course, it would be best if you can break through to the Sage Level. However, it will be very difficult to make it t

    onlookers were desperate to approach, they didn''t dare. The air around him was different this time around, more frightening.

    Under the crowd''s watchful eyes, Zachary walked into the Imperial Coliseum.

    He found himself surrounded as soon as he set foot inside. Several powerful Imperial Level warriors at the medium stage, ranking at the top of the list, attempted to provoke him.

    "Hi, Harley, how about fighting my treasure beast today?"

    "Challenge my treasure beast to a fight. I promise it will be worth it."

    "Forget it, he must be a coward. He wouldn''t dare compete with us."

    Obviously, these warriors wanted to stir up trouble.

    Zachary ignored them and looked at Alloys and Evan, who were standing not far from the gathering crowd. He guessed that they had instigated this little scene.

    From the sinister look in their eyes, Zachary surmised that he was right. They had wanted him to lose his cool. That was one more way to give Zachary a hard time.

    Zachary knew what was on their minds, and it made him angry. He sneered at those in the crowd, "Which of you ranks highest right now?"

    "That would be me! I''m twenty-eighth on the list, making me eighth in Imperial Coliseum. Why? Do you want to fight me? If so, I warn you; you''ll regret it!" A tall and strong warrior in black thumped his chest confidently.

    "Cool. I will choose you as my next opponent then. What''s your name?" Zachary asked before casting a disdainful glance at the man.

 Chapter 812 The Sinister Plan Resumes

    "You can call me Jerome," the man in black responded at once. Seeing Zachary boldly chose to challenge him, he thought him reckless.

    Zachary then turned around and went to the registration office to sign up for the next challenge. He had hoped to challenge Alloys directly, but chose not to. Since he had promised Linda that he would do so later, he kept his anger towards Alloys inside him for a bit longer. Now that the man in black was provoking him per Alloys'' order, he would use him to retaliate.

    After Zachary left, the man who went by Jerome, and the other Imperial Level warriors, exchanged puzzled looks. At a loss of how to respond, they walked to Alloys and Evan and said, "Sir, you predicted everything entirely. You are so smart. The guy was bold enough to challenge me!"

    "He is a conceited man. I''m sure you''d be able to use that against him. Thank you for accepting his challenge, Jerome," Alloys said, giving Zachary a sidelong glance.

    "It would be my honor to help you in any way I can. I promise you that I will make his remaining treasure beasts suffer today!" Jerome laughed sinisterly. "Serves him right for strutting around Crane College as if he owned the place!"

    "As an outsider, he should show some respect. He needs to be taught a lesson!"

    "Of course we should teach him a lesson! But doesn''t he own a Demonic Emperor Beast?"

    "Yes, he does. I''ve heard that the Demonic Emperor Beast hasn''t shown up since it got hurt last time. It''s probably still recovering."

    Other Imperial Level warriors gossiped among themselves over what was going on.

    Before long, a staff member came by. After looking around and making sure no one was watching, he said to Alloys, "Sir, Harley has registered two treasure beasts to fight in the next battle. They are the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Demonic Emperor Beast."

    "What? The Demonic Emperor Beast? It appears to have recovered. Alas, things may be a bit troublesome for us," Evan immediately said to Alloys upon hearing the information.

    "Although the Demonic Emperor Beast is powerful to some extent, it has a fatal weakness. You can easily make it go berserk. Once it does, it will lose its mind, making it go out of control. In that case, even its master will have no hold over it. Jerome, when the battle begins, you can..." Alloys turned to Jerome and gave him

    er ranked among the top twenty ordinary treasure beasts. To be fair, it was quite strong. However, compared with the Thunder Dragon Horse''s current state, it stood no chance. It didn''t take long for it to be lying on the ground, lifeless before being lifted out of the arena.

    Seeing how quickly his treasure beast was defeated, Jerome looked a little unhappy. "Though I hate to admit this, this thunder beast is indeed quite powerful. It defeated my King Level treasure beast so quickly. But if it meets my Demonic Bat, it won''t stand a chance."

    Then, he sent out his second treasure beast, the Demonic Bat, onto the stage without delay. The Demonic Bat was at the fourth grade of Imperial Level, even more powerful than the Thunder Demonic Bee Zachary had come against the other day. It had a unique fighting skill enabling it to pierce through any of its opponent''s defenses, killing them with one blow. The only drawback was that such skill could only be used once a day. But it was almost impossible for any treasure beast on the same level to counter it. So, the Thunder Dragon Horse which was weaker wouldn''t be able to face it.

    After the Demonic Bat came onto the stage, a well-matched battle began. If the Demonic Bat defeated the Thunder Dragon Horse, then Zachary''s Demonic Emperor Beast would replace it in the following rounds. No matter how powerful the Demonic Emperor Beast was, it would be difficult for it to fight many rounds when Jerome had two more treasure beasts to fight. So, this battle would determine the outcome of the whole challenge.

 Chapter 813 Shadows Killing

    After the battle between the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Demonic Bat started, the much weaker horse approached the bat. It flapped its fiery wings, and two gusts of Thunder Flame Storm sailed out and charged at the bat at full speed.

    Although the Demonic Bat had a set of wings, it was a treasure beast that was unable to fly. So, when the Thunder Flame Storm was coming, it didn''t have the chance to elude. It decided to face the attack head-on. Its wings puffed up like capes, and two waves of energy burst out, surging forward to meet the impending attack.

    Boom! Boom!

    The onlookers could hear a muffled thud as the strikes collided. They both blasted off in opposite directions and offset each other.

    The Thunder Flame Storm released by the Thunder Dragon Horse was superior to the Demonic Bat''s energy waves. Soon enough, the former absorbed the later and engulfed the bat. The horse could do so because it possessed the power of dual elements.

    The Imperial Level warriors watching the battle let out a few gasps. Even though the Thunder Dragon Horse had used an impressive power of dual elements, which killed the Thunder Demonic Bee, a beast that was two grades higher than the horse, the attack took place utilizing its entire strength. Its energy now was lesser, but its rival was the more powerful Demonic Bat. Thus, nobody had expected that dominant strike.

    The bat was a medium stage beast at the fourth grade of Imperial Level, so it couldn''t act defenselessly.

    Just as the Thunder Flame Storm''s enduring power rippled over, the Demonic Bat suddenly swung around. In an instant, many bat shadows shot out in every direction, and its actual body disappeared. The Thunder Flame Storm''s prevailing power missed its target, and after a bright explosion, it also faded.

    However, the bat shadows came together again and mutated into the Demonic Bat.

    "Ha-ha, your attempts are useless. You can''t inflict harm to my Demonic Bat with that ability!" Jerome sneered smugly. Although the Thunder Dragon Horse had taken decisive action, its power was not sufficient to hurt the Demonic Bat. If given the opport

    prevented the Demonic Bat''s destructive attack.

    "But, how? How did it defend itself from the Shadows Killing of the Demonic Bat?"

    "It''s so strange. I saw it got hit just now!"

    "Does it have any other defensive beast martial skill?"

    For a moment, everyone was shocked. It was apparent that Crane College''s Imperial Level warriors couldn''t explain what was taking place in front of them.

    "What the hell is going on? Why didn''t the Demonic Bat''s Shadows Killing injure it?" Evan was also startled.

    "I''m afraid it''s because of the armor it wore!" Alloys'' eyes turned icy. Although he was also surprised, he soon established the reason. He almost forgot that Zachary was an Imperial Level warrior from the Devil Kingdom and was good at weapon refining. If he guessed it right, the Thunder Dragon Horse''s armor was perhaps a defensive weapon at the Imperial Level. Thus, it was logical for it to repel the Demonic Bat''s Shadows Killing.

    "The armor?" The stunned Evan seemed to have just realized it.

    Jerome''s face turned red with indignation, and he glared at Zachary after seeing his Demonic Bat''s failure to impair the Thunder Dragon Horse.

    At this moment, to everyone''s surprise, an intense light mixed with thunder and fire broke out from the Thunder Dragon Horse. Its whole body shone and it brightened the sky.

    It instantly showed an aura that was close to the fourth grade of Imperial Level.

 Chapter 814 Alisas Story

    This turn of events stunned all the Imperial Level warriors again. The Thunder Dragon Horse had only broken through to the Imperial Level yesterday. Yet today, its strength was close to the fourth grade of Imperial Level. Such a leap was really hard to swallow. They had never heard of such progress overnight.

    Now scared from the Thunder Dragon Horse''s sudden burst of power, the Demonic Bat couldn''t help but retreat. Before it could take its second step backward, the horse rushed forward. Thunder flame covered its body and then spread out, enveloping the Demonic Bat.

    After some time, the light gradually faded away. Towering above the Demonic Bat''s broken body, the Thunder Dragon Horse raised its head and roared into the sky as it claimed its victory.

    "Damn it! Damn it!" Jerome hadn''t expected the Thunder Dragon Horse to defeat his Demonic Bat so easily. His rage made all the muscles in his body twitch.

    The audience was in an outrage over this unbelievable development.

    Outside the Imperial Coliseum, the disciples watched the Demonic Bat''s nameplate get taken off. Surprise overcame them too.

    "I can''t believe that Harley''s thunder beast defeated the Demonic Bat who is at the fourth grade of Imperial Level!"

    "Harley''s treasure beast really has unlimited potential! He constantly astounds us. I''m afraid it won''t surprise me anymore with its astonishing performance at this rate."

    "Keep in mind that it won''t be that easy for it to deal with Jerome''s remaining treasure beasts. They are at the sixth grade and seventh grade of Imperial Level, respectively."

    The inside of the Imperial Coliseum had now grown silent. Digesting the overwhelming change in the Thunder Dragon Horse''s level took some effort.

    "His thunder beast is very troublesome," Evan complained, irritated at the twist in the battle.

    "From what I see, he must have used the beast treasure he had been awarded on the Thunder Dragon Horse," Alloys said slowly with a schooled expression.

    "I thought Jerome would be able to stir things up. But now, I don''t know anymore! All of these guys are pretty useless," Evan muttered.

    "We can ignore the Thunder Dragon Horse today. Instead, we should focus on bringing the Demonic Emperor Beast down." As Alloys spoke, he looked in Zac

    her, waiting for an opportunity to launch the first strike.

    The Demonic Emperor Beast moved first and rushed towards the Snow Mink holding all four of its weapons.

    The mink was surprisingly agile. Seeing its opponent coming closer, it immediately dodged to avoid the strike. But once it did that, the Demonic Emperor Beast struck its Mad Shield to the ground. The move released its earth energy. In an instant, a strong power burst out of the ground and restrained the Snow Mink''s speed.

    Seeing this, the mink immediately slammed on the brakes and swiftly moved in the other direction. The Demonic Emperor Beast wouldn''t let it escape, having already anticipated its move. Its huge body blotted out the sky and covered the sun as it stood in the mink''s way. There was no escape.

    The Snow Mink''s tiny body began to tremble. While to those looking it might appear scared, but that wasn''t true. As the Demonic Emperor Beast approached it, the water-element shone brightly around the Snow Mink. In an instant, the light spread. Then water rolled up and formed a curtain-like shape before it dashed towards the Demonic Emperor Beast at a wicked speed.

    The Demonic Emperor Beast''s spear pierced through the water curtain. But before it knew what was going on, its violent strength melted away. The water curtain fell. Even though it looked weak and timid a moment ago, the Snow Mink suddenly jumped up. Its entire body curled up in the air and spun rapidly shooting water arrows directly at the Demonic Emperor Beast.

 Chapter 815 Ice Tiger

    The Demonic Emperor Beast didn''t show any sign of weakness. It roared and pushed forward with the shield in one arm. As it blocked the arrows, it slashed its shield at the Snow Mink.

    The Snow Mink swiftly turned away and created a spiral water column around it from the ground up. It was the Snow Mink''s beast martial skill, Water Tornado.

    The two Imperial Level forces collided, and massive energy waves spread in all directions around them. But unexpectedly, it was a stalemate.

    Despite the Snow Mink being two grades weaker than the Demonic Emperor Beast, it was still able to reach a draw against the mightier beast. The onlookers present were taken aback by the strength of the Snow Mink. Jerome seemed to be very proud of his mink.

    But what they all seemed to have forgotten was that the Demonic Emperor Beast was a mutated treasure beast. Moreover, they did not know that it had comprehended and mastered its martial skill.

    Ignoring the stalemate, the Demonic Emperor Beast removed its shield, letting the Water Tornado hit it square in the chest. The Imperial Level warriors burst into a confused uproar at the sight of this.

    Even Alisa had a puzzled look on her face. ''Why did the Demonic Emperor Beast suddenly give up on its defense?'' she wondered, watching the beast intently.

    The answer was soon clear. The Demonic Emperor Beast was not being pushed back or injured. It wasn''t even reacting to the attack of the Water Tornado because, on its chest, was the armor made of the same material as that of the Thunder Dragon Horse. The Water Tornado was being blocked without much effort by the strong defense of the armor. The onlookers could not help but feel surprised. What a high-end Imperial Level weapon it was!

    While the Demonic Emperor Beast resisted the martial skill of the Snow Mink, the weapons on the former''s other three arms started emanating a strange light with the earth element, as if they were being charged with a special force.

    The three weapons then transformed into beams of ferocious light. They emitted a strong aura at the Imperial Level, and hit the Snow Mink''s Water Tornado.

    The warriors were flabbergasted. They had never imagined that the Demonic Emperor Beast would be able to use weapons to release po

    k. It was as fast as lightning, and it deliberately used a speed attack to fluster the Demonic Emperor Beast, which had weak mobility.

    Although it tried to fend off the quick attack, the Demonic Emperor Beast seemed to be at a disadvantage. It soon became restless and its attack started to become disorderly.

    A sinister smile appeared on Alloys'' face when he saw the turn of events. "Good job! If the Demonic Emperor Beast goes berserk, it will soon lose its self-control and the tiger could disable it!"

    Evan nodded with a satisfied grin.

    The Demonic Emperor Beast couldn''t keep up with the pace of the Ice Tiger, and was attacked and injured continuously by the tiger''s quick movements. The Demonic Emperor Beast was getting impatient and moved around to avoid the attacks, but it looked like it was about to go berserk.

    "Well done, Ice Tiger. Kill it!" Jerome yelled with clenched fists. He wanted to wash away the shame of losing three consecutive rounds.

    "If this goes on, the Demonic Emperor Beast will lose!" Alisa told Zachary.

    "The Demonic Emperor Beast is large and strong, but it has a bad temper. Just let it be," Zachary said calmly.

    Alisa was stunned to hear his words.

    Back to the arena, The Demonic Emperor Beast was a complete mess and it was obviously out of control. All the Imperial Level warriors present figured that the battle was favorable for the Ice Tiger. It would be hard to turn the tide in favor of the Demonic Emperor Beast that was now out of control.

 Chapter 816 At Your Disposal

    While the Imperial Level warriors present thought that the Demonic Emperor Beast was done for, the corners of Zachary''s mouth curled up into a smirk. "Demonic Emperor Beast, it''s about time you show these people your real strength."

    Hearing his words, the Demonic Emperor Beast roared deafeningly as it hammered into the ground with its four limbs. The weapons on the limbs were immediately removed and then it threw those four weapons into the sky.

    The onlookers were confused and looked at one another in puzzle. Without the weapons, the Demonic Emperor Beast would neither be able to defend itself, nor use its martial skill to attack the Ice Tiger.

    The beast seemed to have given up.

    Seeing this, the Ice Tiger rushed forward, intending to launch the final fatal blow.

    In the blink of an eye, it was in the attack vicinity, and with ice blades covering its entire body, the Ice Tiger ran towards the Demonic Emperor Beast. They collided with a boom, and blood splattered all over the body of the Demonic Emperor Beast.

    In that instant, the ground beneath them shook violently. At the same time, the roaring Demonic Emperor Beast emerged with its peak strength at the ninth grade of Imperial Level. The arena shook, while all restrictions were removed from the beast.

    The Imperial Level warriors watched in stunned silence as the beast roared in its full glory.

    Alloys and Evan were no exception. Their faces had turned pale from the abrupt change in momentum.

    The moment the Demonic Emperor Beast reached its full strength, the four weapons that had been flung into the sky earlier shifted directions and headed straight for the Ice Tiger, followed by the Demonic Emperor Beast. First, it grabbed the shield from the air and brought it down on the Ice Tiger.

    It was too late for the Ice Tiger. Before it could defend itself, the tiger took the full brunt of the shield and was sent flying into the air.

    Next, the Demonic Emperor Beast grabbed the Angry Sword and Malicious Saber, which swept through the air towards it, simultaneously. The beast sla

    "If you lose, you will have to free all your treasure beasts and get out of here. Go back to your Devil Kingdom, and never show your face in Crane College again." He intended to use this chance to humiliate Zachary and kick him out of Crane College for good.

    "And if you lose?" Zachary asked casually.

    "Then, I will free my treasure beasts and I will be at your disposal from that moment," Alloys replied coldly.

    "Deal. See you tomorrow," Zachary sneered and walked away.

    "Sir, he seems confident," Evan said to Alloys hesitantly, staring at Zachary''s receding back.

    "The Demonic Emperor Beast has reached the ninth grade of Imperial Level, which is indeed a little troublesome. But he has no other strong treasure beast. My treasure beasts will fight together, so I have nothing to be afraid of. But just to be on the safe side, I need to make some other arrangements," Alloys said. Then, he turned around and left the arena.

    Soon after Zachary left the coliseum, his ranking on the points list changed again. Since he had defeated Jerome who was ranked twenty-eighth, he had secured some hefty points and rose to the thirtieth place on the list in one go. This once again shocked the members of Crane College. Now, Zachary was only ten steps away from the top twenty and he would soon enter the highest-level beast fighting below the Sage Level in Crane College.

 Chapter 817 Treasure Beast Fusion

    As soon as Zachary entered the system, he promptly heard Mimi''s message. "Tania asked for you to go to her as soon as you came back."

    "Oh, did she? She''s rather efficient," Zachary murmured almost to himself. Then, with a smile at the corners of his mouth, he rushed to Fairy Island.

    When he arrived at the bamboo house, he saw an enormous cage out front. There was a treasure beast at the ninth grade of Imperial Level inside. The beast didn''t look very happy. Solemnly lying down in the cage; it didn''t even look up at Zachary when he approached. To him, it didn''t appear to be a powerful treasure beast with an overwhelming aura. Zachary speculated that it must have taken a bad beating before being subdued. So, the aura coming from it now was sad, as if coming to terms with its miserable fate.

    "Hi, Tania. I''m here. Are you home?" Zachary called out as he studied the beast, intending to thank Tania sincerely. What she had done had helped him a lot, and he definitely owed her. But after waiting for a few minutes, there was still no response.

    "Where did she go? Maybe she doesn''t want to see me after all. Anyway, I have this beast now and that should be enough for now. I can express my gratitude later when I get the chance," Zachary murmured to himself. He then asked Mimi to transfer the huge cage along with the treasure beast inside directly to the Peach Blossom Forest. After that, he returned to the system.

    "Mimi, get ready to combine the treasure beasts!" Zachary ordered once he was inside.

    "Preparation to combine two beasts will now start. Analyzing data for the fusion..."

    After a while, Mimi''s voice sounded again, "The analysis is complete.

    I have transferred the two treasure beasts into the gene pool.

    Do you want to start merging them now?"

    Mimi sent out a series of prompt notifications.

    "Yes, let''s begin!" Zachary answered with a nod.

    "Fusion of the two treasure beasts will now begin. It will take some time to complete the process. Please wait patiently."

    "Okay." Zachary turned to conduct his genetic research in the meantime.

    The Thunder Dragon Horse had had a breakthrough and mutated. Merging with the Blazing Roc''s metal element had given it dual elements. That made it a very

    is direction and conversation started up.

    Zachary looked around, and then headed into the Imperial Coliseum with a blank expression.

    This time around, it wasn''t only the outside that was crowded. There were fifty or so warriors gathered inside the Imperial Coliseum. Many unfamiliar faces filled the crowd.

    As soon as Zachary entered, several figures immediately surrounded him. They were Jay, Tracy and his other companions.

    "Why are you guys here?" Zachary questioned tightly.

    "How could we not come to cheer you on? You are about to challenge the number one ranked beast tamer in the Imperial Coliseum! You really are something, aren''t you? Why didn''t you tell us you would do something so important?" Vivian said with a pout.

    "It''s just like any other battle. It''s no big deal," Zachary answered indifferently.

    "Well, you are representing Devil Kingdom as you fight this battle. Naturally, we have to support you," Jay said.

    "Fight with all your might. Show those Crane College snobs what Imperial Level warriors from the Devil Kingdom are like!" Tracy did her best to encourage him.

    They all knew that if Zachary lost this challenge, he would have to pay a heavy price. But in their eyes, Zachary''s very existence was a miracle, constantly surprising them. They didn''t think him overconfident, just calculating, and with a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

    Zachary nodded and smiled in response.

    Then, two more delicate figures appeared in front of him side by side.

 Chapter 818 Battle Royale

    "I told you not to be impatient. Now see what you have done..." Linda grumbled under her breath.

    Alisa was with her.

    "Weren''t you the one who said that I can do this when I get into the top forty? I''m already among the top thirty now," Zachary replied with a grin.

    "Even so, are you sure you want to challenge Alloys?" Linda''s eyes narrowed, waiting for his reaction.

    "Why not?" he asked calmly.

    "I heard about your deal with him. If you lose, you will have to free all your treasure beasts and leave Crane College. This is no joke! I heard that the senior leaders of the college have asked the warriors of Sage Level, including Barnes, to supervise the battle today. And many warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level will be there to witness your battle as well. If you lose, you really can''t go back on your word. You shouldn''t be doing this for fun. Think this over. It''s not too late to call off your challenge!" Linda said in a desperate tone.

    "Did I say I was doing this for fun?" Zachary sneered.

    "But..." Linda started, hoping to persuade Zachary to give up, but Alisa chimed in calmly, "Linda. He has made his decision. Just let him be."

    "Alisa, you..." Linda''s voice trailed off. She didn''t expect that Alisa would agree with Zachary on his decision to challenge Alloys.

    But Alisa''s train of thoughts was different. Zachary was daring enough to challenge Alloys; it meant that he was probably confident about his victory to a certain extent. Although she hadn''t spent much time together with him and thus didn''t know him well enough to assess his current strength, she always had this gut feeling that she had met him before, as if she was very familiar with this man.

    Loud cheers erupted from the other entrance, not too far away from Zachary and the girls. Shifting their eyes to the direction of the noise, they watched as Alloys, Evan and several other Imperial Level warriors of the Kong Clan walked in.

    As soon as Alloys entered the Imperial Coliseum, he looked around. Very soon, his gaze fell on Zachary and he snorted with disdain.

    Since Zachary and Alloys had appeared in succession, the battle was set to begin soon.

    But not long after Alloys'' entry, the Imperial Coliseum on

    warrior at the premium stage of Imperial Level usually had three or more scarce treasure beasts. This was not a strange occurrence in Crane College.

    In contrast to that, Zachary only had the Demonic Emperor Beast, the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Hundred-Treasure Beast. Since the Hundred-Treasure Beast did not have much attacking power, only the Demonic Emperor Beast and the Thunder Dragon Horse could fight the major battles. However, the Thunder Dragon Horse had not even reached the medium stage of Imperial Level yet, so it posed no threat to Alloys'' treasure beasts. It was in plain view that Zachary could never make ends meet in a battle royale. The gap in strength between their treasure beasts was too obvious.

    The Imperial Level warriors in the crowd began to whisper among themselves, discussing the possible strategies and outcomes. They concluded that Zachary would lose the battle. Although he had the Demonic Emperor Beast, which was at the ninth grade of Imperial Level, it was greatly outnumbered. Once the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Hundred-Treasure Beast were defeated, the Demonic Emperor Beast would have to fight five treasure beasts simultaneously. On the other hand, Alloys'' strongest treasure beast was at the eighth grade of Imperial Level. It could easily contend with the Demonic Emperor Beast. In addition, Alloys'' other treasure beasts were quite powerful as well. Zachary was doomed from the start.

    The result of this battle was too predictable.

 Chapter 819 The Four Beastsâ€™ Teamwork

    "Alisa, Linda, in your opinion, what are the odds that Harley will win?" asked Vivian nervously, who was standing beside Jay and their companions.

    Both Alisa and Linda exchanged dubious looks after hearing the question and faltered to make a response.

    After a short while, Linda answered, "It''s hard to say for now. At first, if Harley wanted to do the one-blow battle, he might win. But he chose the free battle. I''m afraid his chances of succeeding would be almost close to zero. Alloys'' five treasure beasts aren''t easy to deal with. Their purpose isn''t just for attraction."

    "I agree with you. And I''m sure Harley already knew that such a battle would be unfavorable to him, but why did he choose this still? Could it be because he has worked out other plans?" Vivian questioned. As far as she knew, Zachary would never fight an uncertain battle without confidence. She guessed he had already come up with a strategy to deal with the opponent''s treasure beasts.

    "Who knows! He''s out of his mind if he thinks his plan is going to work," Linda said lightly. She also found Zachary''s choice a bit difficult to comprehend.

    However, Alisa butted in, "Maybe he''s up to something else." Her words piqued everyone''s interest. Jay, alongside others nearby, likewise swapped perplexed looks after hearing her comment.

    Zachary''s decision baffled the onlookers, but even Barnes and some of the college''s Sage Level warriors at the primary stage looked confused.

    "Barnes, the strength gap between the treasure beasts of the two opposing sides is clearly huge, not to mention that this is a free battle. From my point of view, there is already an obvious winner. I sincerely disagree that the fight will be remarkable. I don''t get it why the college''s senior leaders have shown such a high regard for Harley. They even ordered us to come and supervise the battle. I''m so annoyed. I no longer know what''s going to happen next."

    "What you said is true. Although the Demonic Emperor Beast''s strength has reached the ninth grade, Alloys'' treasure beast is very strong. It''s at the eighth grade of Imperial Level and it''s at the leading position on the power ranking list for rare treasure beasts. Also, he has three additional rare treasure beasts above the fifth grade. If they joined forces, then the Demonic Emperor Beast may not be able to beat them."

    "I think Alloys has at least 90% probability of winning!"

    The Sage Level warriors staying next to Barnes all admired Alloys with enthusiasm while looking down on Zachary.

    "That''s right, but nobody knows the outcome until the last second. Since

    under King Beast followed by releasing thunder waves, which rushed toward the Demonic Emperor Beast at lightning speed. Even the weakest common treasure beast at the King Level didn''t take the Demonic Emperor Beast seriously. It went around to the latter''s back, waiting for the right timing to launch a sneak attack.

    The indirect collaboration of the four treasure beasts delivered an outstanding performance. All warriors close by nodded and applauded. With such teamwork, they could handle the Demonic Emperor Beast with better dexterity, despite the latter''s mighty strength.

    Boom! Bang!

    The four treasure beasts'' first collective attack soon produced a tremendously destructive force, directly affecting and squeezing the Demonic Emperor Beast''s massive body. In an instant, a sudden surge of energy within a radius of ten meters around the Demonic Emperor Beast formed, and dense smoke and dust went up and filled the air.

    After this wave of attacks hit the opponent, the four treasure beasts vanished shortly as their morale got boosted with the crowd''s praises. They were bracing for the next attack.

    However, the Demonic Emperor Beast was not weakened. Although the four beasts inflicted a lot of damage when they moved together, their assaults did not affect because it was bearing the advanced armor that Zachary had customized uniquely for it.

    Just as the smoke dissipated, a spear-like shadow suddenly bolted out, like lightning piercing through thick clouds. It advanced toward the Double-headed Parrot with enormous attacking power. The parrot dug into the ground right away to fend off the attack. Simultaneously, the Demonic Emperor Beast''s large body scrambled out, heading straight to the Aqua King Beast.

 Chapter 820 Sneak Attack

    The Aqua King Beast retreated quickly while the Thunder King Beast released thunder waves once again to attack the Demonic Emperor Beast. The latter raised its shield to defense, deflecting the thunder waves. It intertwined the sword and saber in its hands, creating a shadow of swords to attack the Aqua King Beast. Although the Aqua King Beast tried to avoid the attack, it failed because the Demonic Emperor Beast was too strong. It was bombarded with the aftereffect of the strike from the Demonic Emperor Beast.

    After shaking off the Aqua King Beast, the Demonic Emperor Beast turned its attention towards the Thunder King Beast. The giant beast headed straight to the latter, launching another fierce attack.

    But before it could attack, the Double-headed Parrot returned to the ground and bit hard on the Demonic Emperor Beast. Without losing a moment, the Aqua King Beast swung its long beard fiercely, preventing the Demonic Emperor Beast from approaching the Thunder King Beast. The latter retreated quickly to a safe distance and then released thunder waves from afar to bombard the Demonic Emperor Beast once again.

    The Imperial Level power at the seventh grade from the Thunder King Beast was no joke. So this time, the Demonic Emperor Beast didn''t take the attack head-on. It used the shield to deflect the attack and soon, they were entangled in a dazzling stalemate.

    Although the Demonic Emperor Beast was being sandwiched by four beasts at the same time, it was not really at a disadvantage because it was much stronger. However, the other four beasts had obviously been instructed not to engage the Demonic Emperor Beast in a one-on-one battle. So, they avoided any individual attacks. Instead, they worked together to launch surprise attacks, which was ultimately exhausting the Demonic Emperor Beast.

    The five beasts stayed in the stalemate for more than an hour. Although the other four beasts were injured due to the violent attacks of the Demonic Emperor Beast, the latter was still anxious because it could not deliver a fatal blow to any of them. The Demonic Emperor Beast''s attack began to go out of control.

    "The Demonic Emperor Beast is strong, but it easily goes berserk and loses control over itself. Even

    ly eye-catching.

    "Alloys! That despicable man! He already had an advantage in number, but he still used the Diabolical Crow to launch a sneak attack!" Linda exclaimed with great disdain.

    "The Diabolical Crow is good at sneak attacks. Any beast punctured by its black thorn will bleed. And it is difficult to heal, which is the most troublesome. If the battle lasts for too long, the Demonic Emperor Beast will be in danger. Alloys must have planned this from the beginning. It looks like the Demonic Emperor Beast is in trouble," Alisa surmised.

    Jay, Tracy and some others were furious.

    When the onlookers there saw that the Demonic Emperor Beast had been seriously wounded by the Diabolical Crow, most of them gloated. They were happy to see that the Demonic Emperor Beast had no chance of winning against Alloys'' treasure beasts.

    The flow of the battle was reversed in an instant. The wound on the Demonic Emperor Beast began to spurt a large amount of blood, without stopping. There was already a pool of blood under its feet. If this continued, the Demonic Emperor Beast might not be able to fight for much longer, and it would succumb to the injury.

    On the other side, the Demonic Emperor Beast didn''t care about its injury at all. Enraged, it rushed towards the Diabolical Crow and used its martial skill.

    At that moment, the Diabolical Crow''s aura suddenly exploded and reached the ninth grade of Imperial Level. The audience burst into an uproar at the sight of this.

 Chapter 821 Amazing Turn Of Events

    "The Diabolical Crow reached the ninth grade of Imperial Level! Since when did that happen?!"

    "Well, from the way I see it, the Demonic Emperor Beast has no chance of winning this battle now."

    "Looks like the winner has been decided. What''s the point of continuing the competition?"

    The warriors at present voiced out their opinions as they watched the turn of events. The Diabolical Crow suddenly soared to the ninth grade of Imperial Level, which was the same as the Demonic Emperor Beast. As a result, the situation which was originally favoring the crow became more advantageous for it. The Demonic Emperor Beast was facing a fatal battle.

    "The Demonic Emperor Beast is doomed! Alloys had this all planned out from the very beginning!" Linda cried out, shaking her head in dismay.

    "Hmm... I didn''t think that Alloys would be able to increase his beast''s strength by a whole grade in such a short time. I guess he used a good treasure to make that happen," Alisa added. To be honest, she was a little surprised too. Since the level of the Diabolical Crow had increased, its fighting power was now on par with that of the Demonic Emperor Beast. In addition to that, there were three more beasts on Alloys'' side, ready to assist the crow. It was an absolute disaster for Zachary''s side.

    "Barnes, shall we leave? There''s no need to continue watching this battle." The Sage Level warriors at the primary stage had already lost interest in the fight. They looked at Barnes with a dull expression on their faces. They thought that Zachary would surely lose, so they did not need to spend more time here to witness his failure. That would be a waste of time.

    "What''s the hurry? Let''s see what happens," Barnes answered, refusing to leave yet. His eyes were fixed on Zachary.

    Hearing this, the Sage Level warriors exchanged glances helplessly. However, now that Barnes wasn''t leaving, they chose to stay as well since it would be awkward if they left without him.

    From the other end, Alloys looked at Zachary with a sinister smile on his face, as if he had already seen his victory.

    However, Zachary''s expression remained calm as he passed on an order to the Demonic Emperor Beast.

    The Demonic Emperor Beast which

    ous.

    After a while, the explosive light gradually dissipated and the arena was now completely beyond recognition. It was scorched, with smoke rising from all sides. The other facilities in the field had already smashed into ashes.

    As for Alloys'' four beasts, three of them were already lying on the ground, their skin and flesh scorched. Their bodies were charred and they were dying in pain. Half of the wings of the Diabolical Crow had been completely destroyed too. It was now half kneeling on the ground and wailing. There was no fight left in it.

    Apart from those beasts, there was a mountain-like stone statue on the arena. When the smoke dissipated, the stone statue gradually cracked open, revealing the Demonic Emperor Beast. It looked very embarrassed and untidy, covered in bruises and blood. But its condition was much better than that of the other three beasts.

    Zachary grinned, saying, "Looks like we overdid it a little."

    Alloys turned pale as he looked at each of his scorched beasts.

    It was not just him, but the other warriors at the primary stage of Sage Level, including Barnes, were also shocked by the scene in front of them. They did not think that a rare treasure beast could cause such destruction with ease. But what had unfolded in front of their eyes proved otherwise.

    As they witnessed, the giant beast shadow landed on the ground, revealing its intimidating true body. Like the king of beasts, it proudly stood in the center of the coliseum.

 Chapter 822 The Sun-Swallowing Beast

    When the giant beast shadow showed its real body, the audience burst into an uproar once again. None present was able to recognize what kind of treasure beast it was. All they knew for sure was that it was at least a rare one. In fact, it could even be a sacred beast.

    This giant beast''s aura seemed close to the Sage Level, proving how amazing it was.

    "Barnes, what kind of treasure beast is this? Why haven''t we seen it before?" The sage Level warriors at the primary stage stood next to Barnes and looked at one another in despair. They couldn''t tell the giant beast''s lineage either.

    "It should be a rare treasure beast, close to being a sacred one. To my recollection, I have never come across such a beast before. It can''t be a sacred beast from our Vanity Kingdom. I would have known it otherwise," Barnes said in a surprised tone as he looked coldly at the giant beast in front of his eyes.

    However, he was more concerned over who had summoned it. It turned out it was very easy to guess who could have done that. His eyes had turned cold. The college''s senior leaders were wise to arrange for them to supervise today''s battle. Had they not done that, Barnes wouldn''t have been aware of the real strength that lay within Zachary, this peerless genius who had just risen in the Vanity Kingdom.

    "It appears we have all underestimated him from the very beginning," said Barnes, menacingly.

    Everyone around was trying to determine what type of beast it was, loud whispers filling the air.

    "What? Is it possible that... it is one of the three great sacred beasts in the Devil Kingdom¡ª the Sun-swallowing Beast?" Jay, who was sitting next to Tracy and the others, suddenly stood up and shouted, his body trembling. He had seen the Sun-swallowing Beast a few times. Although the giant beast in front of his eyes was obviously still young, it looked identical to an adult Sun-Swallowing Beast. What surprised and puzzled him most was why this beast would appear here. His mind wondered and he came to an answer. Only one

    ge, Alloys glared at Zachary. He knew, of course, that no matter how hard he glared at him, that wouldn''t change the outcome. Zachary had defeated him.

    "This being the case, it''s time for you to honor our agreement. Free all your treasure beasts and leave them to my care," Zachary continued.

    "You... What are you going to do with my treasure beasts?" Alloyed asked. It was of no surprise to anyone that he wouldn''t be willing to give his treasure beasts to Zachary. He dawdled, trying to come up with a solution to this awful situation.

    "Your treasure beasts have all been seriously injured. I wouldn''t mind sending them to hell for you," Zachary answered indifferently.

    The words made Alloys turn deathly pale. Training these treasure beasts hadn''t been easy. If Zachary were to dispose of them, it would make him feel like all his efforts had gone down the drain. However, he was the one to first propose that bet, and they were under watchful eyes. Even if he wanted to go back on his word, he couldn''t find a way to do so.

    "Be careful of what you do next and don''t be reckless. Our Kong Clan is not one for you to offend. I think you''d better stop here. You have won the battle. There''s no need for you to push your luck," Evan warned, trying to scare Zachary off. He wouldn''t give Zachary the satisfaction of bringing his man to heel.

 Chapter 823 Personal Enmity

    Zachary cast a disdainful glare at Evan and then ignored him. He turned to Alloys instead and sneered, "Admit your defeat and abide by the bet. Keep your promise, unless you want to make a fool out of yourself in front of all these people."

    "Do it if you have the guts, but remember that there will be consequences!" Alloys responded in a low grumble. He hoped that his threat would scare Zachary away.

    The crowd stared at both of them, wondering whether their bet was still on. Would Zachary let Alloys go fearing the power of the Kong Clan? Everyone was curious.

    The Sage level warriors were also intrigued by the events. "From the way I see it, Harley certainly wouldn''t dare to harm Alloys'' treasure beasts. After all, Alloys is a member of the Kong Clan. It will do him no good if he offends the clan."

    "Yes, he is just an outsider to this place. He shouldn''t be so stupid as to offend the Kong Clan."

    "If he intends to go ahead with the bet, Crane College will become a nightmare for him. You know, quite a few senior leaders of the college are elders of the Kong Clan."

    They seemed to agree with each other that Zachary would not ask for more trouble.

    Barnes, on the other hand, remained silent. He had different opinions.

    Zachary looked around; everyone was staring, waiting for him to make a decision. Naturally, he didn''t want to disappoint them. A wide grin appeared on his face.

    "Baby, you remember how they bullied you?" he said, turning to his Demonic Emperor Beast. "It''s time for you to return the favor, with interest."

    The Demonic Emperor Beast, who had been furious because of the siege of the four beasts and their sneak attacks, didn''t hesitate a single moment after receiving Zachary''s order. The beast instantly picked up its four weapons, and in the blink of an eye, the weapons shot towards Alloys'' treasure beasts and quickly killed them all. The latter didn''t even have the time to react or whine before they were beheaded.

    The crowd burst into an uproar. No one had expected that Zachary would actually go through with it and kill all of Alloys'' tr

    in," Alisa warned, turning to Jay and the others.

    The group exchanged looks with each other with concern, and then they all looked to Vivian. She was his fiancee, so they thought it would be best if she tried to stop him from behaving this brashly.

    "He won''t listen to me. It''s useless. He may end up offending the Kong Clan. So what? Our Xiao Clan is not afraid of them. Don''t forget that he is my fiance," Vivian said. The words carried her arrogance as the daughter of the chief of the Xiao Clan. Although she knew that it was bad for Zachary to offend the Kong Clan, she was fully aware that it was impossible to persuade him to stop here. So, she chose to support him instead.

    "Forget it!" Alisa scoffed. She had warned them. As for what Vivian and others intended to do, it was their business.

    "Barnes, shouldn''t we stop him? This kind of bet is no joke. It is getting too serious!" the Sage Level warriors at the primary stage implored to Barnes.

    "This is their personal enmity. Even if we interfere, they may not stop. Besides, the Kong Clan will not let go of Harley that easily. Let them be." After saying so, Barnes left with a wave of his hand. He already knew what Alloys'' reply would be.

    The other Sage Level warriors shook their heads in dismay, but they stayed and waited.

    All eyes in the Imperial Coliseum were on Alloys at that moment, waiting for his response.

 Chapter 824 Advanced Beast Tamer

    Alloys didn''t expect that Zachary would come up with such a bet. From his point of view, Zachary made this offer on purpose to force him to back off. With this in mind, Alloys showed a look of dismal.

    "Alloys, don''t fear him. Just accept the bet. Don''t worry because I''m confident you will win the next round! It is his destiny to lose!" Evan went on to stir up the tension.

    After a moment''s hesitation, Alloys considered whether he should accept it. If he retreated and turned down the proposition, he couldn''t release the anger within himself. Also, he won''t be able to establish his name in the Kong Clan later on.

    "Okay, let''s make a wager. But don''t you regret it once the result is out!" Alloys finally grunted a few words in reply.

    "Consider it a done deal!" Zachary nodded with a smile.

    Once Alloys signified his agreement, it sparked another uproar in the crowd. The ensuing battle would be more sensational because, compared to the recent one, the next match would be an actual battle of life and death. Everyone anticipated what kind of treasure beast Alloys would use to level the playing field.

    "Let''s go." After giving Zachary a final glare, Alloys took off with Evan and other Imperial Level warriors from the Kong Clan.

    After they left, Zachary took the Sun-swallowing Beast first back into the system. Then he returned to join Jay, Linda, Alisa, and his other colleagues.

    Just after Zachary came back, Linda aimed at him and gave a sermon. "You are planning on not having an arm? How dare you carry out such a massive stake with him? Do you think it''s that simple to negotiate with the Kong Clan? You''re thinking too much of yourself. Just one win, and suddenly you''ve turned into an arrogant and naive person!"

    Jay traded dubious looks with the others when they heard Linda reprimanding Zachary in such an unpleasant tone. They were all quite surprised because they all felt that Linda seemed to show much concern toward Zachary.

    Vivian also noticed this, so she cleared her throat and reminded Linda, "Well! Don''t be so uptight, Linda. He is my man, so I will have a short talk with him when we go back. There''s no need for you to worry about him like this."

    Linda knew that she was a bit out of control this time after hearing those words. Her cheeks

    ocess. Therefore, the mother didn''t have to use its entire strength to hatch the eggs. Thus, the three eggs successfully hatched in a steady process.

    "Are you sure you want to give me the two cubs?" Zachary asked at once, squinting his eyes. He was more than willing to get two little Dawn Beasts free since it was an elite martial beast. Although it could only reach the Imperial Level, it was extraordinary. It was born with its spiritual soul. If Zachary could change its genes, the beast could quickly become a sacred elite martial beast. The Dawn Fluid produced by the Dawn Beast was magical since it could help speed up the cultivation process even at the Sage Level. He regarded this a great deal.

    "Of course, just take good care of them, and bring them back to visit me when you have time," the Dawn Beast said seriously.

    "Sure, no problem." Zachary said nothing more. After nodding, he picked up two of the cubs and left the Dawn Beast''s private space.

    After returning to the Peach Blossom Forest, Zachary arranged a separate space for the two cubs to enjoy their world. He also asked the Thunder Dragon Horse and the other treasure beasts to look after them.

    When Zachary returned to the system, he heard Mimi''s sweet voice. "According to the information I''ve just collected, your points just went up to the first place in the Imperial Coliseum, and you''re only one step away from the top twenty. So, congratulations on getting the title of ''Advanced Beast Tamer''. The system has prepared a gift for you."

 Chapter 825 A Sage Level Treasure Beast

    "Oh, what''s the gift this time? Since I already have a rare treasure beast and an elite treasure beast, why don''t you just give me a Sage Level treasure beast now?" Zachary began to let his imagination run wild, his eyebrows dancing with excitement. Although he was yet unable to harness a Sage Level treasure beast with his current strength, he could at least show off with it.

    "This time, the reward is a high-grade gift pack, which includes a Sage Level pill. Your treasure beast can use it to increase the success rate of breakthrough. In addition to that, you also get a fourth grade Imperial Level beast treasure and also a chance to harness a Sage Level treasure beast," Mimi replied in detail.

    "Good, good! But what do you mean I''ll have a chance to harness a Sage Level treasure beast?" he asked, eyes lighting up eagerly.

    "That is, you can harness any many as Sage Level treasure beasts for a single day if you have them," she explained clearly.

    "Really?" Zachary''s eyes widened. "Wow! So if I get a Sage Level treasure beast, I will be invincible!"

    "The premise of this chance is that you can only use it during a competition between treasure beasts. Under no other circumstances are you allowed to harness any Sage Level treasure beast," Mimi warned.

    "That will work perfectly. I was just thinking that if Alloys gets powerful treasure beasts next time, it would be troublesome to deal with him. But it looks like I have nothing to worry about, unless he gets Sage Level treasure beasts as well. If not, I will definitely defeat him," he replied confidently.

    However, if he wanted to harness a Sage Level treasure beast, first of all, he needed a Sage Level treasure beast. Of course, Zachary didn''t have one himself. But he could always depend on Anne or Tania.

    He immediately headed to the Living-dead Tomb looking for Anne.

    "Anne!" he called as soon as he saw her. "Will you lend me a Sage Level treasure beast?"

    "A Sage Level treasure beast? Why do you want to borrow one?" Anne asked with a frown.

    "Well, the guy who fought against me today has asked for a re-match because he is stubborn and wouldn''t admit defeat. I''m worried that he might get some powerful treasure beasts next time," Zachary answered.

    "Isn''t the Sun-swallowing Beast powerful enough? Logically, there shouldn''t be any Imperial Level scar

    ance at him. "Well, choose one!"

    "Can''t I just take them all?" Zachary asked. They were all so good that he found it difficult to make the choice.

    "Although the system gave you a chance to harness Sage Level treasure beasts, I don''t think you are allowed to summon many treasure beasts at the same time. You should choose one now, and if you need more, you can come back to me," Anne said considerately. She was afraid that if he took too many treasure beasts, he would violate the rules of the system.

    "You are so sweet, Anne!" Zachary nodded with a wide smile. Then, after much consideration, he chose the Fire Spirit Lion, the sacred beast with fire element. It looked handsome and powerful.

    After making the choice, Zachary asked Mimi to transfer the Fire Spirit Lion to the Peach Blossom Forest and place it into an exclusive space.

    After returning to the Living-dead Tomb, Zachary and Anne continued their cultivation. Although he had just broken through and reached the seventh grade of Imperial Level not long ago, his strength had been improving greatly day by day with the help of the Celestial Energy Crystal and the Dawn Fluid, along with the cultivation with Anne. It would not take too long for him to reach the eighth grade of Imperial Level.

    After the cultivation, Zachary went back to the system to continue his research on the treasure beasts. He planned on entering the experiment stage. And of course, the samples for his experiment were the treasure beasts in the beast barn of the Xiao Clan, which he had integrated into the system.

 Chapter 826 A One-on-One Battle

    The next two days passed by quickly.

    Zachary headed to the Imperial Coliseum early in the morning after making preparations for his battle with Alloys.

    When he arrived, the coliseum was more crowded than it had been two days ago. The whole place was lively with spectators who had come especially to see Zachary''s performance.

    After his previous battle with Alloys, he had become number one in the Imperial Coliseum, replacing his opponent. He also obtained several points because of the victory, and was now ranked twenty-first in Crane College. If he won again, he would easily enter the top twenty and would be allowed to fight in the highest level coliseum of Crane College.

    For so many reasons, this battle between Zachary and Alloys was attracting a lot of attention. If Zachary somehow managed to win once again, without any issues, he would become the first warrior from another kingdom to enter the top twenty in the history of Crane College. This was another unprecedented record.

    On the other hand, although Alloys had lost his first rank to Zachary, he was still ranked second in the Imperial Coliseum. If he could defeat him this time, he could regain the first place and also enter the top twenty in the college.

    Of course, if it weren''t for his defeat in the previous battle, Alloys would have already entered the top twenty. All things considered, he absolutely couldn''t afford to lose this battle, because if he lost again, he might not be able to keep the second place in the Imperial Coliseum.

    And since all of Alloys'' treasure beasts had been killed by Zachary''s, the identity of the new treasure beasts he would bring in for the fight that day was also the most curious event everyone was waiting to see.

    Zachary walked into the Imperial Coliseum to the screams and cheers of the crowd. The Imperial Coliseum was overcrowded this time with more Sage Level warriors, including many at the premium stage, who were ranked in the top twenty of Crane College. Barnes and several warriors at the primary stage of Sage Level who were in charge of supervising the previous battle had also arrived in advance.

    If Zachary won again, not only would he be able to enter the top twenty, but the senior leaders of the Cr

    lked to the other side of the coliseum.

    "Strange. Why aren''t Linda and Alisa here today? They pay so much attention to you, don''t they?" Vivian asked Zachary in a sarcastic tone.

    "How do I know?" Zachary responded, rolling his eyes at her. He knew that she was just being jealous, so he didn''t give much attention to her words.

    "The Kong Clan has sent a Sage Level warrior to help Alloys. It seems that they are determined to win this time. Harley, you better be careful!" Jay said with concern.

    Zachary only smiled in response.

    When everything was ready, Zachary and Alloys met once again in the drawing area.

    "Alloys, you let me decide the format of the battle last time. As the courtesy demands reciprocity, I''ll let you make the decision this time," Zachary said, pretending to be generous.

    "That''s so considerate of you. Fine, then. I choose the attrition battle, the one-on-one type this time. I''m going to make you pay for humiliating me," Alloys scorned as he stared at Zachary fiercely.

    "Oh, really? I hope you won''t let me down," Zachary sneered in response.

    They exchanged fierce glances and quickly returned to their respective positions.

    After the staff member announced the format of the battle, the competition officially began.

    Zachary and Alloys summoned their first treasure beast.

    As expected, Zachary summoned the Demonic Emperor Beast.

    On the other side, Alloys summoned a treasure beast which was at the eighth grade of Imperial Level.

 Chapter 827 Dragon Elephant

    With the Demonic Emperor Beast''s strength, dealing with a treasure beast at the eighth grade of Imperial Level was a piece of cake. In less than thirty minutes, the Demonic Emperor Beast had defeated its opponent and smoothly won its first round.

    While the Demonic Emperor Beast had defeated its opponent easily, everyone thought of the battle as a test round. The Kong Clan had sent out warriors at the primary stage of Sage Level to fight Zachary. So, in a way, the challenge was between Zachary and the entire clan rather than just his opponent. Even Alloys had become a puppet with Louis, the Sage Level warrior at the primary stage, controlling the battle.

    Having watched the first battle, Louis was lost in thought for a moment. Slowly, his lips curved into a sly smile.

    "Alloys, send out the Dragon Elephant," he told Alloys.

    "Shouldn''t we leave it to deal with the Sun-swallowing Beast? If we send it out to fight the Demonic Emperor Beast now, we''ll be at a disadvantage when facing the Sun-swallowing Beast," Alloys said, hesitantly.

    Seeing Alloys questioning his decision, Louis cast him a steely glare and scorned, "I''m sorry, are you teaching me how to do my job now? Just do as I tell you!"

    Alloys gritted his teeth in anger, but still summoned the Dragon Elephant. It had taken him a lot of work to get this treasure beast. A beast so strong, it was at the peak of its strength at the Imperial Level.

    The Dragon Elephant was once one of the top ten rare Imperial Level treasure beasts in Crane College. It had performed very well in the coliseum, defeating many strong treasure beasts at the Imperial Level. It was because of it that the Kong Clan had recruited its master, Alloys. Now he held a prominent position within the clan and was regarded with respect.

    As soon as the Dragon Elephant came on the stage, the crowd cheered. All those present were familiar with the Dragon Elephant; it was pretty famous in Crane College. Seeing it in the arena showed them how

    un-swallowing Beast," Louis commented with a nod, as if he had expected this. Then he gave Alloys a disdainful look, implying Alloys was one of the said idiots.

    Alloys'' face grew darker. But there was nothing he could do but remain silent.

    "It''s lucky that Young Master Nathan is clever and has foresight. Otherwise, the Kong Clan''s reputation would have been smeared yet again," Louis continued. "I will be sending out my own treasure beast next. You just need to claim it as yours."

    Alloys knew that he wouldn''t be able to defeat Zachary in this battle with his own strength. Therefore, if he wanted to wash off the shame he had suffered, he had to rely on Louis to help him. While he didn''t relish in being looked down upon by the man, he couldn''t deny he had to accept his help.

    "Thank you, sir," Alloys said and cupped his hands respectfully. Then he came to summon the beast to fight again.

    Louis disappeared, and then appeared again a little later with yet another sinister look on his face.

    A giant black-haired beast stood close by. As it stood there like a human, its limbs were as thick as pillars, and held an enormous ax. It had an evil look as it swaggered into the Imperial Coliseum. Its aura didn''t belong to a scarce treasure beast, instantly shocking the audience. This was a rare treasure beast!

 Chapter 828 The Black Ghost Bull

    "Woah! That is a rare treasure beast! How did Alloys even get this one?"

    "If I''m not wrong, that is the Black Ghost Bull. Although it''s a treasure beast without any element, it''s no inferior to any elemental treasure beast because it was born with a very powerful soul."

    "Yes, the Black Ghost Bull has the soul, while the Sun-swallowing Beast has the power with two elements. Since both are at the peak of Imperial Level, the two of them should be on par with each other. But in terms of lethality, I think the Black Ghost Bull is stronger."

    The audience was once again agitated and excited. No one had expected that Alloys would bring in such a terrible treasure beast. It seemed like he was well prepared this time. But Zachary saw through Alloys'' trick.

    "This beast couldn''t have been summoned by Alloys. With his current strength, he should not be able to control it," Zachary murmured to himself with a cold look on his face while everyone else was still shocked by the appearance of the rare treasure beast. He knew that the Black Ghost Bull was not an ordinary Imperial Level treasure beast. Therefore, it could only be controlled by someone else who was incredibly powerful. He figured that his next opponent was in fact not Alloys, but somebody who was playing dirty from behind Alloys. Even without much thought, he understood that it must have something to do with the Kong Clan''s Sage Level warrior at the primary stage.

    Although Zachary knew that his opponent was playing foul, he didn''t say anything to expose the truth. After all, even though his opponent was a Sage Level warrior, he had nothing to fear.

    As soon as the Black Ghost Bull came onto the stage, the fourth battle began.

    Since the Black Ghost Bull was born with a soul, it was not affected by the immense aura of the young Sun-swallowing Beast. Moreover, it had a greater momentum than the young Sun-swallowing Beast. Letting out a deafening roar, it rushed towards the Sun-swallowing Beast, breaking the ground where it stomped on its way. The huge ax in its hand cut through the air, instantly creating a bright energy wave.

    Aware that its opponent would not be easy to deal with, the young Sun-swallowing Beast immediately retreated a few steps instead of meeting it head-on, and spurted out a fierce flame to avoid the attack.

    The Black Ghost Bull''s huge ax cut the flame in half;

    s looked at one another silently in surprise, but very soon they smiled knowingly. In fact, they also hoped that Zachary would lose, because if he won again, he would enter the top twenty. That would not look good for Crane College. If the news spread wide, the college would become a laughingstock. There were a great number of talented beast tamers in their college, yet a foreign warrior was able to climb all the way to the top twenty. It would be a shame.

    Zachary watched as his beast was driven to a corner. ''I didn''t expect this bull to be so powerful. Alas, my Sunny is still inexperienced. It seems like I have to train it hard after this, but right now I have no choice but to use another beast soul to assist it, '' he thought to himself. His eyes twinkled, and he immediately ordered Mimi to release the beast soul that he had already integrated into the Sun-swallowing Beast''s body.

    Previously, Zachary had been given the chance to use three beast souls. He had already used one for the Thunder Dragon Horse, and had planned to keep the remaining two until he entered the top twenty. But now, it was obvious that the young Sun-swallowing Beast could not win against its opponent in terms of beast soul. He had no choice but to use one of the remaining two souls to help his treasure beast.

    Almost at that same time, the Black Ghost Bull gathered its soul energy on the huge ax, intending to finish the Sun-swallowing Beast with a fatal blow. After being forced into the corner, the Sun-swallowing Beast could do nothing but activate the thunder shield to defend itself.

 Chapter 829 Sage Level Treasure Beast

    The Black Ghost Bull''s huge ax came down hard on the thunder shield of the Sun-swallowing Beast, instantly breaking down its defense. The young beast was now exposed to fatal danger, but before the bull could attack again, astonishing soul light burst forth from its body and a giant bear soul shadow appeared with a deafening roar that shook the entire coliseum. The arena cracked under the pressure of its aura, like an earthquake sweeping all over the place. In the next moment, the giant bear soul shadow pushed away the Black Ghost Bull''s huge ax with a sweep of its huge palm. Once the bull had lost its balance, it bent forward and pummeled the bull, sending it flying a dozen meters away.

    The spectators gasped in surprise.

    "A beast soul... How could the Sun-swallowing Beast release the soul?!"

    "No way! This is incredible! With the power of the two elements and the beast soul, it is now pretty much invincible!"

    "The tide has turned once again!"

    As the crowd discussed in shock, someone suddenly yelled from behind, "No! The beast soul...It is not at the Imperial Level! It is... It is at the Sage Level!"

    The excited Imperial Coliseum instantly quieted down, as everyone fixed their eyes on the giant bear soul shadow behind the Sun-swallowing Beast. They finally realized that the beast soul was emitting an aura of Sage Level. Although the aura was only at the first grade, there was a huge difference between this and the Imperial Level aura.

    "The Sun-swallowing Beast hasn''t reached the Sage Level yet. How could it have a soul at the Sage Level? It is impossible!"

    "Yes, this is completely unreasonable!

    What the hell is going on?"

    The warriors at the primary stage of Sage Level couldn''t surmise what was going on.

    Barnes was the only one who still looked calm. He had once seen Zachary''s thunder treasure beast release the beast soul that was above its own level, so he was not surprised to see it happening again. Moreover, he could tell that the giant bear beast soul was not one that belonged to the Sun-swallowing Beast.

    Alloys was speechless. Louis yelled, "Damn it! Why does the Sun-swallowing Beast have the soul as well?" He had imagined that his Black Ghost Bull would be more than enough to defeat Zachary''s beasts. H

    beast snapped the throat of the Fire Hawk and bit hard into its neck. The scene immediately turned bloody. The Fire Hawk couldn''t move anymore. It had become the food of the new fire beast shadow.

    The crowd was horrified by the gory scene happening in front of them. The Fire Hawk had the power at the Sage Level, but it had easily been killed by this fire beast shadow that had suddenly appeared out of the blue. This was another unbelievable turn of events!

    The new fire beast was the Fire Spirit Lion which Zachary had borrowed from Anne. Originally, he didn''t mean to waste the chance to harness a treasure beast of Sage Level so soon. However, when he saw the menacing Fire Hawk, he was afraid that the Sun-swallowing Beast would be in danger. He simply had to bring out Anne''s treasure beast to shock the audience and Alloys.

    "Wow! This aura... The beast is at the premium stage of Sage Level!"

    "That''s impossible! How could a treasure beast at the premium stage of Sage Level suddenly appear out of nowhere?"

    "It couldn''t have been summoned by Harley, right?"

    Everyone turned to stare at Zachary in disbelief.

    In an instant, the crowd burst into a loud uproar. No one else could have summoned the treasure beast amidst the battle between him and Alloys. However, with his current power level, how could he summon a treasure beast at the premium stage of Sage Level?

    Even Jay and his companions were shocked. They hadn''t expected Zachary to summon such a powerful treasure beast either.

 Chapter 830 Final Battle

    "How could Harley summon a Sage Level treasure beast at the premium stage with his current strength? I mean, this doesn''t make any sense! Is anyone helping him from the shadows?"

    "But who? Even the leader of their group is merely at the primary stage of Sage Level. He is not strong enough to help Harley summon such a powerful beast."

    "Barnes, this young man has even summoned a Sage Level treasure beast at the premium stage! If this goes on, I''m afraid there will be more trouble. We better ask Harley to stop this right here! What do you think?"

    "Yes, Barnes. What he is doing is obviously against the rules, and he should be disqualified from the battle."

    The Sage Level warriors at the primary stage looked towards Barnes for his decision.

    Barnes furrowed his eyebrows. There was a trace of surprise on his usually calm face. Although he had figured that Zachary must have hidden his real strength, he still believed that he would not be too surprised by whatever Zachary might do. However, the appearance of such a powerful treasure beast had betrayed all his expectations. He was considering whether he should stop Zachary or not.

    "My Fire Hawk!" Louis screamed as he watched his treasure beast being devoured by the fire beast shadow. His face turned red with rage. He would have already crushed Zachary if it weren''t for the situation they were in. But he could not let him go that easily either. He turned to Alloys and ordered with a sullen face, "What are you waiting for? Go and beat the crap out of that bastard!"

    "But..." Alloys hesitated. He was not a fool. Although he hated Zachary, he was well aware that it would be difficult to deal with that new beast Zachary had summoned. With his power level, it would be like throwing eggs at a rock.

    "He killed my Sage Level treasure beast! He has disrespected and humiliated the Kong Clan. How can we let such a person go without making him pay? You have borrowed other treasure beasts. Send them in! Beat his treasure beast at any cost! Trust me, he is no match for you! But remember, this is a personal grudge between you and him. Whatever happens, it has nothing to do with the Kong Clan," Louis continued. From his words, one could ea

    the seventh grade of Imperial Level¡ªthe Furious Crocodile and the Thunder Bull, both of which were at the premium stage.

    To everyone''s surprise, Zachary withdrew the Fire Spirit Lion and the Sun-swallowing Beast from the arena.

    "Why did you remove your treasure beasts?" Alloys asked, puzzled by Zachary''s weird move.

    The crowd exchanged confused looks as well, not knowing what he was up to now.

    "I can deal with you and your treasure beasts by myself," Zachary replied in an arrogant tone.

    "You? By yourself? Are you crazy?" Alloys asked, narrowing his eyes at him. "Well, since you''ve made up your mind, I won''t object. Be careful! I won''t show any mercy!" he sneered, looking at the madman in front of him.

    "Cut the crap, Alloys. This is the final fight. I''ll make you admit defeat this time!" Zachary said, knowing that Alloys would not stop challenging him unless he beat the living hell out of him.

    "You''ve withdrawn your beasts willingly, so don''t blame me for attacking you with more beasts from my side!" Alloys warned. With a wave of his hand, the two powerful treasure beasts jumped up and rushed towards Zachary.

    The crowd was still shocked that Zachary had decided not to send any of his treasure beasts to fight. They believed that he was crazy. In such a crucial battle of life and death, he refused to summon the powerful Sun-swallowing Sun, and instead, chose to fight alone. This was completely incomprehensible for the ordinary people.

 Chapter 831 Just The Beginning

    Zachary had his own thoughts on the matter. He needed to make a name for himself at Crane College, so that others would not go against him in the future. That was why he felt it was about time for him to display his true strength.

    He didn''t cower when he saw two treasure beasts at the seventh grade of Imperial Level approach him dangerously. He formed an ice blade with one hand and dashed straight to the Furious Crocodile. Via Lady Swordsmanship, endless beams of sword light rushed out. They intertwined, completely enveloping the Furious Crocodile. A burst of sword power exploded and cut through its thick armor. Sustaining injuries, the crocodile let out a painful howl.

    At the same time, the Thunder Bull jumped towards Zachary. It swung its huge head in Zachary''s direction with overwhelming strength.

    Instead of dodging, Zachary stretched out his left hand. In no time, the Ice Dragon Claw rushed out, grabbing the Thunder Bull''s snout. The force helped in throwing it back down, making it hit one side of the wall.

    To see Zachary wading through the fight so easily had everyone in a trance. He was fighting against two treasure beasts at the seventh grade of Imperial Level all on his own. Yet, he wasn''t at a disadvantage.

    In contrast, Jay and the rest of his companions were calm. They had all seen Zachary''s prowess in action before. Tracy and Nola had fought against him, so they knew there were no limits to his potential.

    It surprised Alloys to see Zachary''s ease as he dealt with the two treasure beasts. Zachary was merely a warrior at the medium stage of Imperial Level. His strength shouldn''t have been at the same level as the two treasure beasts. The scene in front of him went beyond his expectation. Though he had to admit Zachary was far more powerful than he had realized, he did not th

    did I see wrong?" Barnes muttered to himself, wondering if there was some hidden secret behind all this.

    Alloys'' eyes widened. How could Zachary fight back and kill his treasure beast in a second after he had already been hit? His anger rose sharply. Zachary was a spoiled brat. Alloys had planned on showing him mercy to spare his life, but now, he gave up on that idea.

    As his eyes turning cold, Alloys and his Thunder Bull thought to strike Zachary at the same time.

    On the other hand, Zachary did not seem affected by the latest tactic.

    The Thunder Bull, with a body like a mountain, headed to Zachary first. Then, it let out a powerful force, rampaging against Zachary. Its thunder power went out like electric sparks, forming an interlaced thunder current. It stopped Zachary from coming too close. Alloys took the opportunity to attack Zachary from behind, ensuring he wasn''t able to move around freely.

    Zachary was trapped, unable to advance or retreat. However, he still dealt with them at ease. With the help of the Shadow Pace, he wandered between Alloys and the Thunder Bull. Even though they attacked Zachary together, they could do nothing to harm him. This situation exasperated Alloys.

 Chapter 832 Beast Merging Skill

    After fifteen minutes of standstill, Zachary still kept the upper hand even though he fought against Alloys alongside his treasure beast. On the contrary, Alloys could no longer hold on. So right after Zachary escaped another concerted attack from him and his Thunder Bull, Alloys quickly popped up beside the bull. His body set off tremendous Imperial Level power followed by the bull, releasing extremely bright thunder power. In a flash, the power with thunder element fused with Alloys'' power.

    "Thunderous Elephant Skill!" In a split second, Alloys waved one hand and a thunder beast shadow looking like a giant bull charged straight toward Zachary with significant momentum. The entire ground shook as it sped up, giving off thunder light with no letup that spread out within a few meters. Wherever the thunder light went by, it left behind a trail of scorched earth.

    When the thunder beast shadow edged nearer Zachary, it shifted into a spectacular thunderstorm that rumbled like an enraged giant bull''s roar, extending to a radius of several dozen meters. The force of its strike was equal to the power at the ninth grade of Imperial Level.

    "The Beast Merging Skill?" Zachary squinted as he took a closer look. The next minute, the thunderstorm engulfed him once again.

    "You can''t resist it now!" Pleased with his performance, Alloys grinned with satisfaction as he watched the thunderstorm hit Zachary head-on without any noise.

    However, before he could stop laughing, a burst of aura that had reached the seventh grade of Imperial Level quickly rushed out from the thunderstorm. But then, another gust of strange supreme power also broke out like an eruption. To the onlookers'' shock, a soul shadow in the shape of a woman came from the thunderstorm.

    When Alloys came back to his senses, he saw that a soul shadow had materialized before him.

    "Is this real? The seventh-grade aura? And a spiritual soul?" he mumbled. The sight stunned Alloys. He had never expected that Zachary had already cultivated the spiritual soul.

    The other spectators looked just as shocked at the scene that unfolded. Although they had previously heard about Zachary''s incredible performance in the Devil Kingdom''s selection test of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, most of them had no clue what the exceptional performance referred to. It was only at this point that they eventually figured out the meaning of the so-called

    ers of the Kong Clan were not going to make a move, so the other Imperial Level warriors wouldn''t want to create trouble for themselves.

    "Barnes, aren''t we going to make a move?" The Sage Level warriors who saw the situation couldn''t help but glance at Barnes again.

    Barnes calmly shook his head. Since they didn''t stop it earlier, there was no point in holding Zachary back now. Besides, even if they interrupted him this time, they still couldn''t rule out the Kong Clan from finding trouble with Zachary later on. There was no need for Crane College to get involved in this mess.

    Just right before the ice saber in Zachary''s hand was about to fall and directly take Alloys'' life, a delicate figure suddenly appeared and quickly shot out a few silk threads to entangle the ice saber in Zachary''s hands.

    "Don''t slay him!" the delicate figure cried out.

    Zachary looked back after hearing the voice and noticed the figure coming to him. It was Alisa.

    Everyone was shocked to see Alisa coming out to stop Zachary. Since Alisa had no direct relationship with the Kong Clan, her reaction took everybody by surprise.

    "Alisa, you showed up just in time!" Zachary said coldly.

    "You can''t kill him." Alisa''s face was very serious.

    "Why not? I made a bet with him that the loser will die, so I have a justification in my plan to kill him. Besides, if I don''t do this now, I will have infinite trouble later on!" Zachary said, shrugging his shoulders.

    "If you kill him, you will be in bigger trouble! He is a member of the Kong Clan, so don''t you do anything terrible," Alisa said with a huge frown.

 Chapter 833 Lost Memories

    "So what?" Zachary asked, glancing at Alloys.

    "The Kong Clan is one of the three largest forces in the Vanity Kingdom. They have unimaginable influence here. Besides, the clan is closely related to Crane College as well. Even the college has to show respect to them. If you kill him, you will offend the Kong Clan, and will be chased out of the college!" Alisa tried to persuade him.

    "Kill me if you dare, you bastard! If you let me go now, I will definitely make you pay for this," Alloys cursed fiercely, even after suffering through the crushing defeat and losing one of his arms.

    "Alisa, he really wants me to kill him. Let me fulfill his wish," Zachary said with a mocking smile.

    "Killing him won''t do you any good. Do you want to be kicked out of the college?" Alisa asked in a warning tone.

    Zachary looked at Alloys thoughtfully for a few seconds, then he said with a smile at the corners of his mouth, "All right, I won''t kill him. But you must do me a favor."

    "A favor?" Alisa asked suspiciously.

    "Yes, if you agree, I will spare his life." Zachary nodded with a half-serious look.

    Alisa was not a fool; she didn''t trust him in these matters. "First, tell me what¡ª"

    "You have to promise now," he interrupted.

    The crowd booed hearing their conversation. Zachary was playing with Alloys'' life.

    "You..." Alisa glared at Zachary with scorn.

    "I don''t mind if you don''t want to. I''ll just go ahead and kill him," Zachary said playfully, and the ice saber in his hand slowly approached Alloys again.

    "Fine! I agree!" she exclaimed, gritting her teeth.

    "Damn that woman! She ruined my plan!"

    Louis cursed under his breath. He had planned to let Zachary kill Alloys, and grab that opportunity to bring him down, once and for all. When Alisa actually agreed to Zachary''s request in order to save Alloys, the spectators who were present in the coliseum were even more surprised.

    But Alisa

    ould not be easy to help her regain her memory.

    After letting out a silent sigh, Zachary continued to walk with Alisa. Soon, they arrived at the end of the wild woods. There was a high slope leading to a cliff. On the side of the slope was a very well hidden cave covered by thick bushes and trees. Back then, he had brought the seriously injured Alisa into that cave. After drawing the pursuers away from her, he had escaped to the high slope leading to the cliff.

    "Where on earth are we going?" Alisa asked in a frustrated tone. She felt an inexplicable sense of fear from being in this place.

    "I need some materials for weapon refining from the cave over there. But there could be dangerous creatures inside, so I need someone to support me." Zachary pointed to the cave where he had hidden Alisa back then, the place where he had seen her for the last time before they had met again in Crane College.

    "In the cave?" Alisa hesitated for a moment, and then looked into the dark cave. Immediately. Her delicate body trembled; she was afraid of dark spaces. She did not like entering such places without light.

    "Are you coming?" he asked her.

    "No, I will wait for you here." She refused without thinking twice. "If you are in any danger inside, just yell out to me then."

 Chapter 834 Soul Psychokinesis

    "Why? Are you afraid to go in?" Zachary asked, noticing the fear on Alisa''s delicate face.

    "I''m not afraid!" she argued. "I just don''t like creepy places without light. Besides, I only agreed to do you a favor; I don''t remember agreeing to do everything you say."

    "All right, I''ll go in by myself. Wait for me here. If I need your help, I''ll call out." He nodded and walked into the cave, leaving Alisa behind.

    She waited a long time, but he still didn''t come out. Gradually, Alisa started to feel uneasy and confused.

    Just as she was getting impatient and worried, a shrill scream came from inside the cave.

    "Harley?!" Alisa''s expression changed abruptly. She panicked and rushed into the cave without thinking twice.

    However, when she entered the cave, she couldn''t sense Zachary''s aura. She looked around desperately. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air.

    "Where is he?" Her brows knitted tightly in worry. The cave looked withered in the absence of any light. Suddenly, she felt a strong sense of deja-vu, as if she had already been to this cave before, but she could not remember anything in particular.

    "Alisa! You are here. Will you avenge my miserable death?" A miserable voice echoed through the cave.

    Even though she was a powerful warrior, Alisa could not keep her countenance when she heard the horrifying voice. Moreover, she was already afraid of the dark environment, so her face turned deathly pale in an instant. She tried to maintain calm and shouted, "Harley, is that you? Don''t play tricks on me, or I''ll make you pay..."

    "I''m not Harley. My name is Zachary Zi, and I''m your fiance. Don''t you remember me, Alisa? On that fateful night years ago, you and I were chased by those who had annihilated my clan and we escaped to this place. You got seriously injured after trying to save me, and to keep you alive, I hid you here in this cave and drew the killers away on my own. When I died and came back to this cave, you were no longer here. I have been waiting for a lon

    "She will say the same. But you can ask her to make sure. Her cultivation is more profound than mine in terms of soul psychokinesis," she replied.

    "Okay, I''ll go to her right away," he said, getting up from Alisa''s side.

    "Let me go with you," Anne said.

    Zachary nodded and headed to the Fairy Island with Alisa in his arms and Anne by his side.

    However, when they arrived at the Fairy Island, Tania was nowhere to be seen. There was a note on the door of her bamboo house which read, "I will be out for a month!"

    "Are you kidding me? No way!" Zachary was maddened by her absence.

    "There''s nothing we can do but wait for her to come back," Anne said with a helpless shrug.

    "Alisa will wake up any minute now. I should get her out of here first. Now that I know that her memory has been sealed, it will be easier to solve the problem. Meanwhile, I''ll try to find the guy who sealed her memory." After bidding goodbye to Anne, Zachary took Alisa back to the system and then took her back to the real world.

    He placed her on a flat rock outside the cave, and waited for her to wake up.

    Not long after, she woke up with a light snort. Then, she blinked once and slowly opened her eyes.

    "Are you awake?" Zachary asked with concern.

    "I... What happened to me?" she asked in confusion, propping up her delicate body.

 Chapter 835 Dean Silas

    "You must be claustrophobic. You suddenly fainted after entering the cave," Zachary lied effortlessly.

    "I fainted? No, I..." Alisa tried to recollect what had happened. "I heard a scream while waiting outside, but I couldn''t find you in the cave. Then I heard someone call my name. He said that he was my fiance, and that his name was...Zachary."

    "Hmm...It was probably just a hallucination. I was in the cave when I saw you come in. I called your name, but you suddenly started yelling and then fainted. I was startled," he explained believably.

    "Really?" She didn''t seem satisfied.

    "Are you afraid of dark places?" Zachary immediately changed the topic to divert her.

    Alisa hesitated for a while and then nodded.

    "Well, that is a symptom of claustrophobia. You must have been locked in a very dark place when you were younger, and it may have become a traumatic memory. Ah, it''s my fault. I shouldn''t have asked you to accompany me here." Zachary shook his head, looking down at his feet, pretending to be guilty of his behavior.

    "Never mind. This is my problem. It has nothing to do with you. Did you find the materials you needed?" Alisa asked, dismissing his words with a wave of her hand.

    "No, I didn''t. It seems I have come to the wrong place. Let''s head back," he said, wrapping up their conversation.

    "Okay." Alisa glanced sideways at him as he got up to leave. She felt a strange emotion swell inside her when she looked at him, but she couldn''t place her finger on it. It was like she had forgotten something important, but she didn''t know what it was. And the name, Zachary, created a ripple in her mind.

    On the way back, the two of them remained silent, absorbed in their own thoughts.

    When they were about to reach the college, Zachary asked, "By the way, you promise to teach me the Beast Merging Skill. You won''t go back on your word, will you?"

    "I''ll find time to teach you. I''m leaving now," she replied and then left immediately. She had so much on her mind and didn''t have the energy to entertain him at that moment.

    Zachary watched her leave with a solemn look in his eyes and then went back to the Tiger Bamboo Forest. By then, Jay, Tracy and the other

    s eyebrows with a smile. However, compared with Marvin, the other dean he knew, Silas seemed to be more decent. But one couldn''t judge a book by its cover, and he wouldn''t be deceived easily by Silas'' appearance.

    At that moment, Silas'' eyes fell on Zachary, Jay and their companions. He nodded at them with an approachable smile. Then, he looked around and said to the audience, "There are two reasons for summoning you all here today. The first is to present an award to Harley Bai from the Devil Kingdom for his outstanding performance in the Imperial Coliseum. He has won several battles and defeated powerful warriors to enter into the top twenty ranking list of our Crane College. He is the first foreign Imperial Level warrior to do so in the history of our college. For his amazing performance, our college has decided to present him some incentives, in order to show that we cherish talents from all kingdoms equally."

    Silas'' words naturally caused a commotion among the crowd. Although they knew in advance that the senior leaders of the Crane College were going to award Zachary for his victory against Alloys, they hadn''t expected the dean to show up personally to give the award. Usually, even if a warrior at the premium stage of Imperial Level were to receive an award, it would be presented by an elder. The dean had never come forward for such a thing before. This only further proved that the senior leaders of Crane College had their eyes on Zachary.

 Chapter 836 The New Challenge

    The crowd in the square looked at Zachary with admiration and jealousy in their eyes. Meanwhile, some wore a sullen face as hatred filled their hearts. Most of them weren''t really jumping with joy seeing a warrior from another kingdom steal all the attention and awards. Zachary even got on the dean''s good side, receiving his award directly from him when no one else had ever had this opportunity.

    "Harley, please come on to the stage," Silas said as he nodded at him.

    This was not the first time Zachary was experiencing a situation such as this; he was not intimidated by the senior warriors. Under the watchful gaze of the crowd, he walked up to the stage and stood in front of Silas and the other two elders of the college.

    "It''s an honor to meet you, sirs," he greeted the dean and the others with a low bow.

    "No need to be so formal," Silas said, waving his hand.

    Then, he nodded to the elder in the white robe who was behind him. The elder immediately opened his Virtual Air Space and drew out a box that was about the height of an adult male. It required three people to carry it.

    After it was placed on the stage next to him, Silas used his mind control to open the box, revealing an abnormally large egg. It was huge, and reached till Zachary''s shoulder. The egg was covered in colorful patterns, and it emitted a strange aura, along with a slightly bright purple light. It was different from a normal treasure beast egg.

    The crowd gasped in shock, recognizing the prize. They immediately became restless and started whispering urgently among themselves. It was a rare, precious treasure everyone in Crane College was familiar with.

    Even the Sage Level warriors, including Barnes, were surprised by the dean''s decision.

    Zachary stared at the abnormal egg. He found it strange, so he looked at Silas and asked, "Sir, is this beast egg my reward?"

    "Yes, but not entirely. If you want to own it, you have to make it recognize you as its master first. If it doesn''t recognize you, then it''s meaningless for me to give this to you," Silas explained with a smile.

    "Recognize me as the master? The egg? I mean, is that even possible?" Zachary blurted ou

    nbelievable that the senior leaders had decided to give Zachary a chance to try this challenge. Also, this was the first time in the past twenty years that Crane College had allowed someone from another kingdom to approach the egg. Regardless of whether Zachary succeeded in this task or not, this event would become an unprecedented record in the history of Crane College.

    In less than a month after Zachary''s arrival at Crane College, he had already broken all sorts of records. If he continued on this destructive path, he might bring irreversible changes to the college.

    "Sir, are you saying that if I make this rare beast egg recognize me as its master, I can have it as my own?" Zachary asked Silas to confirm it. He had to get a clear promise, otherwise, when he succeeded, the college would eat their words and refuse to give the egg to him.

    "Of course. After the former dean obtained this rare beast egg, he made the rule. If a beast tamer can make this rare beast egg recognize him as its master, then the egg would belong to him. However, in the past twenty years, no one in our college has been able to do that," Silas emphasized.

    "Well, now that you are so confident in me and even give me such a rare chance to try this, I will try my best and will not let you down," Zachary said confidently.

    The crowd could no longer remain calm and quiet upon hearing his bold claim. They immediately began to whisper among themselves again.

 Chapter 837 A Sudden Change

    "How was he able to make the extremely rare beast egg accept him as its master? That''s impossible!"

    "I agree with you. Even in Crane College, which has a galaxy of talents, no beast tamer can accomplish such a feat. It should have been even more impossible for a foreign warrior!"

    "You know, even the great Sage Level warriors in our college wouldn''t have been able to do it."

    "He should have at least had the strength of a Sage Level warrior to make this rare beast egg accept him as its master!"

    For a moment, all kinds of doubts and apprehensions traveled through the crowd. Few thought Zachary would succeed in his endeavor.

    "Sir, do you think it possible for Harley to make this beast egg accept him?" Vivian couldn''t help but ask Jay.

    Tracy and the others also looked at Jay. Of all of them, he was the most experienced knowledgeable warrior. They trusted his opinions on the matter.

    "It''s hard to say. However, it has to be said that there hasn''t been a warrior in Crane College capable of accomplishing such a task; not in the past twenty years. That shows how difficult it would be to do so. A warrior would perhaps have to have luck on his side to manage it, and I can''t say for certain if Harley has such luck. Of course, I obviously hope Harley succeeds," Jay said with a cunning smile. What that boiled down to was, if Zachary made the beast egg accept him, he would officially be superior to all the warriors in Crane College. That, in turn, would heighten the status of the Devil Kingdom and Shura College as well.

    "I think Harley has a good chance of succeeding. He''d tamed the Sun-swallowing Beast, after all. That means he must have an innate talent and ability as a beast tamer," Tracy pointed out, not hiding the fact that she thought highly of Zachary.

    "If Harley can make this extremely rare beast egg accept him as its master, then Crane College will suffer double losses." Vivian smiled eagerly.

    Jay and the others looked at one another and smiled.

    aning the beast egg rejected the owner. Or, it would get absorbed, meaning the beast egg accepted the master. Nobody had ever seen the blood neither slide down nor get absorbed.

    Silas and the two elders were also very disconcerted. They immediately approached the egg and observed it and the blood for a while. Then they looked at one another in confusion. Obviously, they had never come across such a situation before and it felt incredible.

    The crowd went back to its chatter.

    "That means he failed, doesn''t it?"

    "Yes. He couldn''t do it. I knew he wouldn''t be able to."

    "There''s nothing to see now. He should just get off the stage. He should stop making a fool of himself!"

    Crane College''s warriors took the chance to go back to their mockery of Zachary.

    But a moment later, more beams of dazzling light shone from the egg. Then it drifted into the air. Floating up high, it rotated slowly, still emitting the dark purple light. It was an unusual scene.

    This stopped everyone in their tracks, confusion marring their faces.

    Deafening cries came from inside the beast egg. The cries spread out and resounded through the air, almost piercing everyone''s eardrums. The weaker disciples covered their ears with their hands, looking pained. Even Silas and the two elders had the color drain out of their faces.

 Chapter 838 The Purple Monster

    It took a while for the shrill scream to finally stop.

    Floating in the air, the egg began to crack, and the shell slowly disintegrated. A pair of purple wings like that of the legendary roc spread out from the hole on top of the egg. The giant wings covered the sky and blocked the sunlight. The world was instantly enveloped in darkness. A dark, menacing aura pervaded the surrounding, spreading in all directions, sending chills down everyone''s spine.

    A fierce wind swept over the square as it whipped its wings once; evil was being born.

    "What the hell is that?" someone yelled. Even Silas and the elders, who had experienced and seen so much in life, stared at the creature in stunned silence. Something was wrong; they could feel it in their bones. The treasure beast egg they had kept for twenty years should have belonged to a rare beast or perhaps a legendary magic beast. However, what was about to break out of the egg was obviously something different from anything they had seen so far. They feared that a fiend was about to emerge into the world.

    It was not just the elders who were stunned to the core. The other warriors were terrified as they watched the scene unfolding in front of them. Despite the shock in their hearts, the only thing that they were certain about was that the egg was hatching, and the beast would come out at any moment. It was clear that Zachary was the one who had made this happen.

    In the past twenty years, no one in the kingdom had been able to make the egg recognize them as its master. But now, a warrior from another kingdom, who had arrived only a month ago to Crane College, was able to accomplish this feat. They watched the egg while cursing Zachary for stealing all the glory.

    After the wings appeared, the egg split into two with a loud crack. A creature that looked neither human nor beast climbed out of the shell and flew towards the crowd in the square with strong murderous intent.

    The crowd panicked and began to run away from the ferocious be

    usly not used to the strange environment and the crowd around it. It was restless and alarmed, and from time to time it would show its sharp teeth to the crowd.

    Barnes was the first one to break the shocked silence. He knew that something was wrong about this strange beast. "Everyone, hurry up and bring it down!" he ordered. In response, more than ten Imperial Level warriors rushed out of the crowd and surrounded the spiritual beast.

    As soon as the beast sensed danger, it became more vigilant. All of a sudden, it produced strange purple energy, which then turned into several beams. It aimed directly at the surrounding warriors.

    The Imperial Level warriors quickly counterattacked. However, when their power collided with the purple beams, their energies were devoured by the beast''s purple stream. In an instant, their energies disappeared without a trace, but the purple energy, on the other hand, grew stronger than before.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    Explosions shook the ground near the Imperial Level warriors, shaking them back for a few steps. Those who were unlucky started spitting blood and collapsed.

    The crowd watched in terrified silence. The winged human-shaped spiritual beast was so powerful that it easily destroyed ten Imperial Level warriors in one blow. The power of this creature was beyond their knowledge.

 Chapter 839 The Deans Dilemma

    Zachary was surprised by the power of the spiritual beast too, but the purple energy released by the beast was inexplicably familiar. The energy of the spiritual beast had something in common with his cultivation method¡ªboth could reversely absorb the opponent''s power and make their own power stronger. It seemed to him that it was not mere coincidence or luck that had led to him being able to hatch the spiritual beast egg; it was his destiny.

    But not everyone felt positive about this destiny playing out. Barnes'' eyes turned cold when he saw how so many of the Imperial Level warriors of Crane College had been taken down by a newly hatched monster. He nodded to the Sage Level warriors at the primary stage by his side and bellowed, "Let''s go! We cannot let this monster go on a rampage here!"

    So, they flew down from the high platform and approached the purple-winged spiritual beast, intending to capture it.

    At the same time, a purple shadow swiftly flew down from the high platform and landed by the side of the spiritual beast before Barnes could reach it. "It''s my treasure beast now. Please stay away from what is mine!"

    Zachary warned, stopping them from approaching the beast any further.

    Barnes and his men had to land in front of him.

    "That''s a monster of unknown origin, not a treasure beast! Get out of my way!" Barnes pointed at the spiritual beast and shouted.

    "Unknown origin? Whatever do you mean? This was hatched from the egg which Crane College, till today, considered to be a rare and precious treasure¡ªa valuable rare treasure beast egg which the previous dean had found twenty years ago. So, how did the origin of this beast become unknown all of a sudden?" Zachary snorted.

    "That doesn''t matter now. This is an ominous monster and its power is too evil. Therefore, no matter what you say, it must be kept at the disposal of our college," Barnes insisted. Of course, he had other intentions. The beast looked extremely powerful and extraordinarily special. He didn''t want to let Zachary have it.

    "The dean hasn''t said anything yet. Why are you so anxious about it?" Zachary shifted his gaze to Silas.

    Silas watched the events unfold silent

    e was not completely sure that it would listen to him in the current situation. However, if he refused to prove his complete control over it, the college would definitely take it back by force. He could take the spiritual beast into the system, but if he did so, it would be tantamount to offending Crane College, which would do him no good. After all, he still had to enter the Beast Tamer Space of Crane College to look for clues about the Fighting Crane. So, offending the college was by no means a good idea.

    "Fine, I will prove it to you." He nodded in the end.

    "Barnes, please," Silas said, turning to him.

    Barnes'' face darkened. After glaring angrily at Zachary, he said, "Let''s begin!"

    "Mimi, can I use the mutual communication system to speak to this spiritual beast?" Zachary asked, hoping for some assistance.

    "Not yet. You hatched the spiritual beast on your own and it hasn''t been registered into the treasure beast system yet, so it is not under the jurisdiction of the system now," Mimi replied.

    "What sore luck!" Zachary shook his head and looked at the purple-winged spiritual beast by his side, who seemed completely puzzled. Then he said to the beast, "From now on, I''m your master. You must obey my orders. No matter what happens, you are not allowed to fight back."

    The spiritual beast turned to Zachary, as if it was listening to his voice. But after a moment, it made faces at him, as if rejecting him as its master.

 Chapter 840 Beast Tamer Space

    The spectators moved far away from the scene, where Barnes was about to fight the spiritual beast. They did not believe that Zachary would be able to control the unknown purple-winged beast.

    Barnes was already prepared for battle. He took a step forward and was transported instantly next to the spiritual beast. A bright ball of flame appeared in his palm and it spun rapidly in mid-air. Without wasting a moment, he flung the condensed flame ball at the beast.

    Sensing the approaching danger, the purple-winged spiritual beast growled ferociously. A purple energy force that looked like flames rose from its body, its power constantly surging. The beast was ready to attack.

    "Hey! Calm down! Don''t fight back!" Zachary ordered, frowning.

    The beast glanced at Zachary, hesitating after hearing his order. But in the face of eminent danger, the beast''s subconscious would only want to protect itself. It looked up and let out a roar that pierced the sky. With a sweep of its giant wings, it got ready to fight back.

    Seeing the purple-winged beast''s disobedience towards Zachary made many of the spectators gloat. They were waiting for this awkward situation where he would have to face utter defeat.

    When the beast refused to obey his order, Zachary''s eyes turned cold. He stood in front of the purple-winged spiritual beast, and then shook the Holy Bone Bracer in his hand violently. The next moment, a blue soul shadow appeared behind him, emitting an astonishing aura similar to that of a human Imperial Level warrior, but full of beast nature.

    "Stop it!" Zachary roared, and the blue soul shadow surged out from behind him, instantly enveloping the spiritual beast. The powerful aura from the soul spread around it in an instant.

    The beast howled in fear, shaken by the power of the blue soul shadow. The next moment, it fell down on one knee and submitted to Zachary.

    The crowd gasped in shock. Only a moment earlier, the beast had been fierce and disregarded Zachary''s order. But after the appearance of the blue soul shadow, it surrendered to him in an instant.

    Zachary''s blue soul shadow was indeed quite amazing. It emitted a strong aura that even surpassed his own strength.

    "I''ve heard rumors that Harley has tw

    ill, the sudden decision was confusing.

    "Is he saying that we can enter as well?" Vivian blurted out in a daze.

    "That''s right. It seems like you have benefited from Harley this time. You are allowed to enter because of him," Jay responded. He knew that the senior leaders had made an exception for the rest of his team only because of Zachary.

    Tracy and the others shifted their eyes to Zachary with gratitude.

    "That''s all for today! You may disperse," Silas announced, waving his hand.

    Soon, the disciples and some of the Imperial Level warriors scattered in groups while discussing among themselves about the tiring events of the day.

    With a snort and a stern glance at Zachary, Barnes left as well.

    "Harley, may I have a word with you?" Silas asked, approaching him.

    Zachary nodded and left with him.

    Walking out of the square, Silas took careful side glances at Zachary a few times, and then said with a bit of surprise in his tone, "Harley, you really are a brave young man! You have already obtained such incredible power at such a young age. Your talent, whether in weapon refinement or beast taming is absolutely amazing. I''m sure you will become a domineering warrior in the future, sooner or later!"

    Judging from the tone of his praise, it seemed like Silas'' words were genuine. Zachary had made a good impression on him.

    "I''m flattered, sir. This is your first time seeing me, yet it sounds like you know me very well," Zachary replied in a casual tone.

 Chapter 841 Friend

    "If we''re being honest, the senior leaders of Crane College have been keeping an eye on you since we all know that you are a peerless genius weapon refiner from the Devil Kingdom. Later, we got to know that you are not only talented as a warrior but also talented as a beast tamer. You can simultaneously control three beasts with ease, even though you didn''t receive any systematic training in beast taming. What''s more, your performance in the coliseum is enough to prove that you are a gifted beast tamer," Silas continued, deciding to be frank with him.

    "I''m flattered, sir," Zachary responded with a calm smile.

    "I''m just telling you the truth. No need to be modest. But this is not what I wanted to talk to you about." Silas suddenly changed the subject.

    "Okay. I''m all ears. What do you want to talk about, sir?" Zachary asked, raising his eyebrows.

    "I heard that my granddaughter has gotten close to you recently. She has even mentioned you several times in my presence," Silas said.

    "Your granddaughter? Are you talking about Linda?" Zachary asked, immediately thinking of something upon hearing Silas'' words.

    "Yes. My granddaughter has never paid much attention to men. But I can see she cares about you very much. That made me curious. I came here today in person, in order to see you," Silas said affectionately, as if talking to someone of his own household.

    "I don''t understand what you mean, sir," Zachary said. It was not that he didn''t understand the dean''s meaning, but that he played dumb on purpose. That wasn''t something he wanted, after all.

    "I''m an open-minded man. If you can get along well with my precious granddaughter, I wouldn''t mind her marrying a warrior from another kingdom," Silas said, getting straight to the point.

    "You must have misunderstood, sir. Linda and I are just friends," Zachary explained quickly.

    "Being good friends is an excellent chance for you two to become a real couple. Even though I''m an old man, I know this much," Silas responded with a pleasant and meaningful smile.

    "No, no, sir. You must have taken things the wrong way. I''m already engaged to another woman," Zachary said bluntly. Silas was acting as if he was desperate for his granddaughter to get married.

    "You are only engaged, not married yet. Am I right? I was merely thinking my granddaughter deserves a chance too. She

    spiritual energy flourished. In addition to that, many beast tamers had tried to approach it and to make it recognize them as its master. As a result, the purple-winged spiritual beast was able to absorb both the rich spiritual energy and the energy from beast tamers for its own use. So, it had been cultivating for the past twenty years. That was why it presented itself as a mature spiritual beast right after the egg broke.

    "You have a humanoid shape. It feels so weird to treat you as my pet. I think it would be better to make you my close friend. Purple, that''s your name from now on," Zachary said. From the way he saw it, the purple-winged spiritual beast resembled a human to him. From what he gathered as they conversed, it was quite clever and good at absorbing new information. So, he did not think he could treat it as an ordinary beast.

    "What? Purple? Name?" The spiritual beast hesitated for a moment, but soon it wore a different expression. Although this one was very unnatural, it showed that it was very pleased.

    Afterwards, Zachary took it into the system. He conducted a series of examinations on its strength and other aspects. It was not until he got the results did he find out this spiritual beast''s strength had reached the fifth grade of Imperial Level. No wonder it could defeat and threaten those Imperial Level warriors who surrounded it so easily. Not just that, all the other data showed that it was a very powerful beast. Even the young Sun-Swallowing Beast was inferior to it. Spiritual beasts were indeed more powerful than treasure beasts.

 Chapter 842 Power Matching

    Zachary wasted no time, and without reluctance, he collected the purple-winged spiritual beast''s blood for genetic analysis. It could help him gather a further understanding of his genetic research and experiment. He then sent the spiritual beast back to the Peach Blossom Forest, where he prepared an exclusive area. Afterward, he brought it into the treasure beasts'' training ground for a brief training to familiarize itself with its skills and strength.

    Since Crane College had already made an exception and granted Zachary access into the Beast Tamer Space, there was no need to keep on fighting for a spot on the top three. However, he also didn''t have any free time. So after completing the matter at hand, he left the system and went back to Crane College.

    Lately, whenever Zachary would show up somewhere, his presence would stir a commotion. The moment he set foot on Crane College, his fans mobbed him like crazy. He saw how bad the situation was, and it was the last thing he needed at that point. So, he promptly used his Shadow Pace, and, in a flash, he vanished into thin air.

    It was a big challenge for him to get inside the Imperial Training Ground. But right after Zachary made his entrance, countless hostile gazes greeted him.

    The multitude of Imperial Level warriors surrounding him all showed an unfriendly attitude. Each one revealed a face full of hate as if they wanted to crucify him if given a chance. They felt bitter towards him because he took away the rare beast egg that several beast tamers of Crane College had dreamed of owning. His action irked them to the core. Their palpable frustration was evident on their stern stares at him.

    However, Zachary didn''t care and just ignored them. He glanced around the Imperial Training Ground and instantly spotted Alisa, who stood on the corner with a petulant attitude. She acted like a total stranger, thus preventing anyone from reaching out. He soon made his way to her location.

    Alisa had already recognized him when he came into the training ground. However, she pretended that she didn''t notice him. She didn''t have much of a reaction when Zachary approached her.

    "Alisa, are you free right now? Can I talk to you?" Zachary asked directly.

    "Are you here to ask me if I could teach you the Beast Merging Skill?" Alisa asked instead. She knew what brought him here.

    Zachary nodded without saying a word.

    "Great. But first, we must go to another place," Alisa suggested. After examining the area to be overcrowded, she sincerely thought it wasn''t an environment appropriate for teaching. After speaking, she left.

    Zachary followed closely behind her despite the hostile gazes aimed straight at him

    Merging Skill with first?"

    "The Sun-swallowing Beast''s martial skill is already very fierce, so it doesn''t need my mutual support anymore. I have the Demonic Emperor Beast left, and the Thunder Dragon Horse as well. In your opinion, which one is more suitable for me to practice the Beast Merging Skill with?" Zachary asked after contemplating for a bit.

    "I have no idea. Maybe you can call them out first and perform some tests to see which one is more fitting," Alisa proposed.

    Zachary then summoned the Demonic Emperor Beast and the Thunder Dragon Horse altogether. Soon, the two beasts showed up beside him.

    "Let them release their element powers, and then fuse your power with theirs," Alisa instructed.

    "Sure." Wasting no time, he asked the Demonic Emperor Beast and the Thunder Dragon Horse to reveal their respective element powers, and then he let his own out to merge with theirs.

    Not long after, the Demonic Emperor Beast''s metal power and the Thunder Dragon Horse''s thunder power integrated with Zachary''s power.

    "Oh? This is strange. Both of your treasure beasts'' powers can combine with your power very well. This is the first instance I''ve seen such circumstances. The element a warrior''s power bears would depend on the cultivation method he practices. Typically, one''s element power can only incorporate into one type of power. It is rare for someone''s power to fuse with two distinct powers smoothly. I''ve cultivated for a long time, yet I can only combine my power with two types of powers at most. But you managed to do it without much cultivation and practice! How could this be possible? What kind of cultivation method have you practiced?" Alisa was stunned to the core to witness it. It was apparent that Zachary had shown his extraordinary ability again.

 Chapter 843 Memory Loss

    However, this didn''t surprise Zachary at all. He had long learned that his power could fuse with the powers of the two beasts because he based the Beast Transformation Skill that he cultivated on merging with the treasure beast''s power. If he couldn''t integrate his power with his treasure beast''s, he couldn''t use the Beast Transformation Skill.

    "Since both of them are up to par, you can decide on either one of them!" Alisa said after a moment''s thought.

    "Can''t I just use both of them at one time?" Zachary asked out of the blue.

    "Both of them at one time?" His question stunned Alisa.

    "I have yet to figure out uniting with both of them, so I''d willingly choose them collectively." Zachary didn''t want to cause more inconvenience by repeating the same process.

    "Do you expect that the Beast Merging Skill is so simple to learn by heart? Besides, it''s not like you can have two distinct minds thinking as one. The Beast Merging Skill requires one heart and one brain," Alisa added with a frown. She felt that Zachary was a bit disconcerted.

    "I suppose not." After Zachary said that, he promptly activated the Thousand-Avatar Skill to produce an avatar of himself.

    "My avatar has the power of my actual body, and it can do things differently from me. In this way, I should be able to cultivate with the two treasure beasts simultaneously," Zachary said.

    Hearing this, Alisa was speechless. She hadn''t expected that Zachary would carry out two tasks at the same time in this way, but she had to admit that it was a feasible solution.

    "Let''s give it a shot!" Alisa said.

    Then, she taught Zachary the cultivation method of the Beast Merging Skill. The cultivation method of the Beast Merging Skill was like that of the Beast Transformation Skill. The difference between the two skills was that the warrior dominated the Beast Transformation Skill, while the treasure beast dominated the Beast Merging Skill. For the latter, the beast tamer coordinated with the treasure beast''s martial skill, making it grow into a more powerful martial skill.

    Easier said than done. There were two basic requirements for the Beast Merging Skill. One was the integration of power, and the other was the balance of power. The power integration made it a condition that the beast tamer''s power had to merge with the treasure beast''s completely. Zachary already met this requirement, and what he needed to do next was to achieve the balance of power.

    There would always be a difference between their powers due to various reasons, even though the beast tamer and the treasure beast shared the sam

    less than half a year since I broke through and entered the ninth grade of Imperial Level. It will take me at least three years to get to the Sage Level," Alisa said, stunned.

    "I can almost consider you as my disciple. It may take others three years to get to the Sage level, but half a year is enough for you," the man said with pride in his voice.

    "You''re not going to feed me with some pills that you refined yourself, are you? I don''t want to be your test object all the time," Alisa said, frowning. She seemed to see through the man''s thoughts. The main reason her strength could develop so fast was because of the self-made pills the man regularly gave her. After she took these pills, her power would grow significantly in a short time.

    "But you''re my most successful experimental object. Plus, if I intended to harm you, I wouldn''t have sent you to Crane College to receive adequate training in beast taming," the purple-robed man said with a smile.

    "Okay, okay. Oh, by the way, there''s something I want to ask you," Alisa said seriously.

    "Sure. What''s it about?" The man''s face grew more solemn when he saw the change in Alisa''s expression.

    "For the past few days, I kept on dreaming that someone was hunting me down. Someone was chasing me in my dreams, but I don''t know why. And a name always comes to my mind," Alisa revealed.

    "What''s his name?" the man asked with furrowed eyebrows.

    "Zachary!"

    "Zachary?" The man''s gaze directly became cold when he heard the name, but he immediately tried to comfort Alisa. "It''s okay. It might have something to do with your temporary, saying, "It''s okay. It might have something to do with your temporary memory loss, and maybe you''ll regain it back soon."

 Chapter 844 Nathans Plan

    "Really? You mean I can get my memory back soon?" Alisa was a little surprised to hear what the man dressed in purple had said. She had always hoped she could regain her memory, remember the past and finally understand why she had lost it in the first place.

    "Yes. But you''ll need to be patient. It would be best for you to relax. The most important thing for you now is to focus on breaking through to the Sage Level before the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. Then, you''ll become the youngest Sage Level warrior in the Supernal Continent," the man dressed in the purple robe comforted her in a soft voice.

    "But there are only two months left before the contest. Can I really break through to the Sage Level in such a short time?" Alisa asked hesitantly.

    "You only need to listen to what I tell you and follow my instructions. Don''t worry too much about anything else." Taking out a platinum round pill emitting a strange light, he handed it to Alisa. "I made this pill for you especially to aid in your breakthrough. Take it now, and I will help you refine it. If everything goes well, you should be able to break through to the Sage Level in two months."

    Glancing uncertainly at the man, Alisa swallowed it as instructed.

    "Let''s go!" With a wave of his robe, the man and Alisa instantly disappeared.

    Six hours later, the man returned with an exhausted Alisa and laid her slowly onto her bed to sleep.

    "I didn''t expect the seal keeping her memories locked to lose its effect so soon. Unfortunately, she is now on her way to a breakthrough. I can''t just forcefully strengthen the effect of the seal. That might have a negative impact on her. But it''s strange. The seal I created from my spiritual sense power shouldn''t be too easy to remove. Is there anythi8ng or anyone provoking her memories of her past? I will have to send someone out to investigate." The purple-robed man then disappeared again out of sight.

    In a separate building built in the Cloud Valley of Crane College, a figure sat cross-legged with his eyes slightly closed, as if meditating. His body emitted a faint golden light. He was a peerless master at the Sage Level.

    Suddenly, a white figure materialized in the hall like a ghost. He knelt down on one knee fac

    hat; do you hear me?" Linda warned him.

    "Yes, I know that," Zachary replied. He was not that stupid.

    "Well, I should go now. Don''t let Alisa know that we talked." Without waiting for an answer, Linda took off.

    "What an impulsive woman!" Zachary couldn''t help but shake his head.

    Then, he went on to where he and Alisa usually met.

    The process had been going smoothly for the past three days. With that pace, the Thunder Dragon Horse had finally mastered the Beast Merging Skill by the fourth day. Their combined skill was called the Icy Thunder Light Shield. It could not only resist the opponent''s powerful attacks, but it could also launch counterattacks at the same time.

    It only took Zachary four days to successfully master the Beast Merging Skill. That was something Alisa had never heard of, let alone seen in person. She suspected that Zachary had already mastered the skill beforehand but was only pretending he hadn''t.

    "Although you haven''t completed the Beast Merging Skill with the Demonic Emperor Beast, the Thunder Dragon Horse''s part is already done. You no longer need me around to teach you anymore. Explore the rest of the procedures on your own and don''t bother me tomorrow," Alisa announced.

    "Oh, I see. Thank you for your help these past few days. I wonder, is there anything I can do for you in return?" Zachary asked immediately.

    "Nothing. Just stay as far away from me as you can!" Then she was gone, leaving Zachary with a bitter smile on his face.

 Chapter 845 Embarrassment

    Zachary still had several days left before he could enter the Beast Tamer Space and, for the most part, since he had already grasped the Beast Merging Skill, he gave his full energy on studying the genes of treasure beasts.

    Before he even realized it, three days went by so fast. Zachary had remained in the system for that duration. It suddenly occurred to him how captivated Alisa seemed in his spiritual beast, who now got an official name; the Purple-winged Beast. So he plotted to use the beast to get in touch with her again, to look into her lifesaver.

    After leaving the system and exiting the cave, Zachary went straight to Crane College.

    However, as soon as he arrived at Crane College, he noticed a large group of disciples clustered together and moving forward in one direction as if they were going to do something fun.

    "Hey, is the news circulating true? Is this the day that Nathan will propose to Alisa? That is amazing!"

    "That''s right. Some delegates from the Kong Clan sent several carts loaded with wedding presents for the planned proposal this early morning. Nathan has already scheduled a rendezvous with Alisa at the Jade Hall. He is planning to propose in the presence of some dignitaries from the college."

    "I have found out that the Kong Clan''s leader himself has requested the vice dean to act as the matchmaker!"

    "I''ve learned that Nathan has a major crush on Alisa, but I never expected it to be true!"

    "But theirs is a match made in heaven. The guy is one of the most brilliant and promising Sage Level warriors in the entire Crane College. Simultaneously, she is a beautiful female Imperial Level warrior who is most anticipated to break through and reach the Sage Level in a few years. They surely fit perfectly together!"

    Zachary overheard the conversations among several disciples as they passed by him in a rush.

    "What? A marriage proposal? Well, he is from the Kong Clan, after all." Zachary frowned after hearing those remarks. He hadn''t anticipated for this random guy named Nathan to extend a proposal to Alisa. It all came as a shock to him. However, he wouldn''t just wait around and do nothing while his future wife was about to get engaged to another man!

    Zachary used the Shadow Pace and took off in an instant.

    In the northeast corner of the Crane College, the s

    eryone''s wildest imagination. Under the crowd''s watchful eyes, the purple figure unexpectedly tipped Alisa''s chin with his hand and gave her a passionate kiss.

    Afterward, the whole place was in complete silence, as if no one had predicted this to happen. How could someone muster up the courage to step forward and harass Alisa while Nathan was proposing to her? This figure was taking a big gamble with his life at stake.

    Alisa appeared stunned for a moment after receiving the kiss. She couldn''t even react, and when she subconsciously opened her eyes wide, a pair of evil eyes looked back at her. Her instincts told her to push this guy away, but she abruptly felt a strong sense of familiarity, and some vague scenes came to her mind. Some parts were similar to what was happening to her now. She couldn''t deny the deep attraction she felt.

    "Wait a minute. This guy looks so familiar. Could it possibly be him? It is him indeed! This bastard dared to kiss Alisa in broad daylight. Is he courting death? And why didn''t Alisa stop him from doing it?" Among the multitude of people who witnessed the scene, only Linda recognized the purple figure who had shown up. She opened her eyes wide and glowered at the man in exasperation.

    The bastard, as Linda referred to, was none other than Zachary, who had come right away as soon as he heard what Nathan was planning to do.

    However, Zachary''s idea of appearing was too conspicuous. He kissed Alisa in public, which put Nathan in an awkward position. As anticipated, Zachary did this on purpose.

 Chapter 846 Proposal

    Nathan''s expression turned grim. Not only was there a man kissing Alisa, but she wasn''t doing anything to resist his advances.

    She was the woman he wanted to be wife, and this was what he stumbled upon? Someone else was kissing her! He couldn''t bear the sight.

    Nathan''s menacing aura emanated from his body, turning into a frenzied golden hue. It seemed like it was as good a time as any for him to teach Zachary a lesson.

    However, having anticipated Nathan''s attack, Zachary broke the kiss and turned around, shaking his Holy Bone Bracer. In an instant, a strong spiritual energy gushed and pounced out.

    The two forces collided head-on, forcing the energy to surge, blowing wind every which way.

    However, since Zachary had used Andrew''s spiritual energy, a power even Nathan couldn''t defeat, his energy immediately overwhelmed Nathan.

    Nathan''s face contorted, but he quickly waved his sleeve and another Sage Level force rushed out to resist the attack. They collided again, but he was still forced back due to the huge impact.

    Everyone present was flabbergasted. In their opinion, Nathan''s strength alone should have been sufficient enough to kill Zachary in seconds. To be forced back by the man had been an unexpected development.

    Zachary turned around and everyone caught sight of who had been hassling Alisa. Needless to say, they were in shock.

    "It''s you!" Nathan clenched his fists in fury at the realization.

    That was simply intolerable. He wanted to step forward and keep Alisa away from Zachary, but the vice dean stopped him. He knew he shouldn''t act on impulse. There were so many people present, and Zachary was a warrior from another kingdom.

    It was then that Alisa regained her senses. When she saw the figure in front of her clearly, she was stunned. She hadn''t expected Zachar

    rately provoking Nathan?

    "Alisa, is this true?" Nathan asked her.

    Alisa hadn''t foreseen Zachary''s excuse, so she could not react for some time. But when she met Zachary''s eyes, she immediately nodded, saying, "Yes, I was expecting a proposal from him today."

    Everyone was confused at the turn of events. After all, it was widely known that Zachary was meant to be the future son-in-law of the famous Xiao Clan. Why would he suddenly propose to Alisa? Was he planning on marrying them both?

    "Harley, don''t lie to us. Have you forgotten that you are already engaged? Why would you propose to Alisa?" Barnes questioned with steely eyes.

    "While I am engaged, I''m not married yet. I can still change my mind any time I please. Besides, even if I were already married, does that mean I can''t marry another? All that matters is that Alisa agrees," Zachary answered indifferently.

    The crowd grew resentful at his words, for, of course, who wouldn''t want to marry both women?

    Barnes studied Zachary and knew he was only trying to cause trouble, so he addressed Nathan, "Nathan, I don''t think it''s a good idea to propose today. How about some other time? If this goes on, it will only sully your clan."

 Chapter 847 Betrothal Presents

    Nathan had to admit that Barnes'' concerns did make sense. The young master of the Kong Clan''s proposal had been interrupted by Zachary. Worse, he had been on the verge of a proposal himself. Proceeding with his plan after that would only cause the clan embarrassment, making a mockery of it.

    "I refuse to cower from such as him. If he wants to propose, then let him do it too. I have never been afraid of anyone and will surely not start now," Nathan snapped. Despite his words, he wasn''t fine with Zachary doing that and he would ensure the other man didn''t win this round. Now that Zachary had publicly challenged him, Nathan was determined to show him his true strength.

    Seeing Nathan had made up his mind, Barnes frowned and looked at Zachary, asking, "Harley, are you certain proposing to Alisa is something you truly want?"

    "Of course! For that, I don''t mind competing with Nathan," Zachary replied in a seemingly conceding tone.

    "In that case, you two can compete first. Show everyone present whose proposal is the most sincere," Barnes suggested after giving it some thought.

    "Sure. What are the rules?" Zachary asked.

    After casting a glance at Nathan, Barnes caught the meaningful look in his eyes. Barnes immediately understood what Nathan wanted him to do. He looked back at Zachary and replied, "Let us see what you prepared for the proposal. I mean, the betrothal presents. According to customs, one must prepare betrothal presents when proposing to a woman. Here in the Vanity Kingdom, the more valuable the presents are, the more sincere the suitor is. Harley, since you''re here now to propose to Alisa, you must have prepared some presents. Or have you come empty-handed? It wouldn''t look good if you did, you know."

    The cunning old fox chose to seize Zachary''s weakness, believing that he hadn''t prepared betrothal presents. In Barnes'' opinion, if Zachary proposed to Alisa, Nathan would be at a disadvantage. While they didn''t look to be in love, they were obviously working together to ruin Nathan''s proposal. As long as Zachary didn''t pass this hurdle, Nathan would still have a chance. Also, he knew that Zachary didn''t have an influential family. Except for the fact that he was to be the son-in-law of the Xi

    e Dragon Pill was one of those treasures as it could accelerate the breakthrough process. However, such treasures were few and found only in nature. Of course, some could be especially refined, but it would take a lot of time to collect all kinds of rare flowers and plants to produce such treasures. Therefore, there was no market for such precious pills in the Supernal Continent, and the demand exceeded the supply.

    With such an extraordinary treasure, Alisa couldn''t help but look at Zachary with concern. She did not believe he could come up with something better.

    "I must admit that as the young master of the Kong Clan, you are indeed rich and generous enough to offer such a precious and rare pill," Zachary responded in a seemingly surprised tone after a quick glance at the gift.

    Nathan''s disdain heightened at Zachary''s words. No matter how powerful Zachary was, he was a mere Imperial Level warrior and couldn''t possibly have access to great treasures like he did. Besides, he had the support of the whole Kong Clan, so an outsider couldn''t possibly defeat him. In actuality, he didn''t really think of Zachary as a threat.

    "Since you were so generous to present such a precious treasure, I couldn''t possibly do anything less myself," Zachary replied calmly. He casually flipped his wrist and a yellow crystal-like object appeared in his hand. It was the Celestial Energy Crystal.

    The crystal immediately emitted a bright orange light, giving off strong spiritual energy.

 Chapter 848 The Celestial Energy Crystal

    Everyone''s gaze was glued to the Celestial Energy Crystal. None of them had seen one before, so they didn''t even know what it was.

    "What kind of treasure is it? I''ve never seen the likes of it before."

    "Me too. It''s emitting a strange aura as well."

    "I don''t think there is anything special about it. It can''t be as good as Nathan''s pills."

    The crowd started to compare the two treasures. Since they didn''t recognize the Celestial Energy Crystal so they felt it was ordinary.

    "Well, is it possible that it''s a rare elite treasure? The Celestial Energy Crystal perhaps?" The higher-ups present were all smart. It didn''t take long for one of them to identify it.

    "The Celestial Energy Crystal? Isn''t it very rare? I heard that the Earthworm-shaped Dog, a rare elite treasure beast, was the one to produce it."

    "It is said that one Celestial Energy Crystal is enough to improve one''s strength by one grade, making it a high-yielding Imperial Level treasure. The Earthworm-shaped Dog can produce one of these crystals a month."

    "However, since the essential power contained inside is rather strong, it has side-effects. So you can''t refine it repeatedly in a short period of time. But refining it once is more than enough. It can save Imperial Level warriors a lot of time in cultivating, and increases the efficiency of their cultivation."

    The higher-ups began to whisper with one another. As powerful beast tamers, they were naturally aware of the elite treasure beast.

    It was not until the on-lookers heard this discussion that they realized the significance of the treasure.

    Nathan had heard of the Celestial Energy Crystal, but he hadn''t expected Zachary to take it out. In terms of rarity, the Celestial Energy Crystal was indeed on par with his pill. But in terms of effect, his pill was better. With that thought in mind, he immediately turned to Zachary and said, "So what? The Celestial Energy Crystal only counts as one. You can''t compare its value t

    qualed the Colorful Tuckahoe, Nathan would win this round.

    "Oh, that''s very generous of you to present such a precious gift. You leave me no choice but to show my other present to prove my sincerity," Zachary said. He found Nathan was quite the hindrance. Zachary''s eyes turned slightly cold as he wondered what he could take out. Fortunately, the system had given him a treasure pill at the Sage Level, so that improved his standing.

    From the system, Zachary took out the Sage Level beast pill. It emitted incredible spiritual power, completely surpassing the Colorful Tuckahoe.

    "What kind of pill is this? It can emit power stronger than that of the Colorful Tuckahoe!"

    "Is it the Sage Level beast pill produced from the essence of all kinds of rare materials?"

    "Where did he get so many valuable treasures? This is crazy!"

    As usual, Zachary was the talk of everyone around, surprising them yet again.

    Barnes turned to look at Nathan. He had initially thought it impossible for Zachary to offer betrothal presents more decent than Nathan''s. But he was wrong. Zachary had taken out the Celestial Energy Crystals and the top-grade Sage Level pill. His presents far surpassed Nathan''s. "Young Master Nathan, it appears that it''s time for you to take out your trump card. Show us what you''ve prepared!"

 Chapter 849 The Little Guy

    What Barnes declared stunned everyone, and they couldn''t figure out the meaning of his words. However, they all directed their attention at Nathan at once, not knowing what his alleged surprise was about.

    "I only wanted to bring it out after Alisa accepts my proposal so I can give her a big surprise. But it looks like I have to show it now to make someone give up hope." Nathan glanced at Zachary with a look of contempt, his eyes glowing red with anger. The next minute, he swung his hand and opened the Virtual Air Space.

    A moment later, a beast shadow almost as tall as an average adult man walked out of the space. Its aura exceeded that of a scarce treasure beast, which startled the entire audience.

    When the treasure beast exposed its real face, the crowd in attendance looked even more shocked.

    "Isn''t this the symbolic treasure beast belonging to the Kong Clan''s collection? It''s considered a top-level treasure beast among the rare treasure beasts, the Heaven Worship Beast! But this one is still a cub!"

    "Yes, I noticed that! This is incredible!

    "The hatching rate of this rare treasure beast is extremely low. I didn''t expect the Kong Clan to hatch one effectively!"

    Soon, a lot of the people present recognized the Heaven Worship Beast as the Kong Clan''s top-level treasure beast. The onlookers were aware of how the clan nurtured and raised it though it was still a cub for the time being. This treasure beast had already reached the peak of Sage Level, ranking fifth amongst the Vanity Kingdom''s sacred treasures. Everyone regarded it as the Kong Clan''s most valuable treasure beast.

    So, as might be expected, the Heaven Worship Beast''s descendant also possessed immense talent, and its value was without price.

    The crowd witnessed Nathan taking out the Heaven Worship Beast''s cub as his present, and they felt his commitment to marry Alisa. In their opinion, even though Zachary was powerful, it would be impossible for him to bring out a treasure beast better than the one Nathan just showed as a token of marriage.

    "The cub of a Heaven Worship Beast?" Alisa''s beautiful eyes became cold at the turn of events. She figured out how utterly serious Nathan was about this proposal. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have offered her the Heaven Worship Beast''s cub. But despite that, she wouldn''t be easily tempted in any way.

    "Damn it! He even took out the cub of the Heaven Worship Beast. Ther

    beast, considering his Imperial Level strength. That was something none of the crowd had ever imagined to be possible.

    The crowd was not the only group of people looking bewildered. Even the notable personalities of Crane College appeared stunned as well as their faces somewhat became pale and drawn because even they couldn''t possibly catch an elite treasure beast.

    "So what if it''s even an elite treasure beast? It will not recognize anyone as its master. Even if you give it to Alisa, what''s the use of it?" Nathan shouted coldly with a dejected face.

    "That''s right. This one won''t recognize anyone as its master, but that might not be the case, especially with the one in my arms," Zachary pointed out. At this point, he flew down and walked toward Alisa under the public''s vigilant eyes. He then held the little white-haired guy on his hand and said, "Alisa, this little guy is yours now. Take a drop of your blood and blend it with this little guy''s, and then it will honor you as its master."

    "What? Are you sure?" Alisa became speechless after hearing his words.

    "Wait. Is this the Dawn Beast''s cub?" Someone soon speculated because the little guy in Zachary''s arms was very similar to the Dawn Beast.

    The people present were shocked to the core as if a bolt of lightning had struck them directly from the sky. Not only did Zachary had an elite treasure beast, but he also gave its cub to Alisa. His unselfishness was overwhelming!

    Unlike the mature Dawn Beast, its cub was more precious. If appropriately developed at such a young age, it could very much perceive someone as its master.

 Chapter 850 Two Mens Proposals

    "So cute!" Alisa immediately took hold of the Dawn Beast''s cub. Studying it, she realized it was extremely adorable. It was like a small dog innocently gazing at her, which went straight to her heart. She held on tightly, making every man jealous of the little thing for being in Alisa''s arms.

    Everyone present, including the higher-ups, felt even more envious over the beast itself. Raising such an elite treasure beast would yield endless elite beast treasures that would help even Sage Level warriors when they cultivated.

    Although Nathan had a rare treasure beast he could have given to Alisa, it was much weaker than the Dawn Beast''s cub.

    With his face clouded over, Nathan couldn''t say a word since he was out of gifts that could surpass Zachary''s.

    "Are both of you done now?" Holding the cub in her arms, Alisa eyed both Zachary and Nathan seriously.

    Looking at each other with hostile eyes, the two men said nothing.

    There was murderous intent in Nathan''s eyes. Zachary had completely overshadowed him with the cub, and he knew that Zachary had won Alisa''s favor. All he could do to restrain the rage inside him.

    "If you are, I would appreciate it if you took back all of your betrothal presents. I accept your sincerity, but all I care about right now is preparing for the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. All of my focus should be on that, and I don''t want to be distracted by anything else. If you really want to propose, I prefer you to wait until after the Imperial Level Warrior Contest," Alisa said intensely. While she hadn''t refused them, she made it clear she wouldn''t consider their suits yet.

    Before this mess, Nathan would have definitely used his clan''s influence to pressure her into giving a response. However, now that he''d lost to Zachary, any insistence on his part would only drive her away. So he decided to cut his losses now instead. "I will respect your wishes

    r me!" Linda immediately caught up with her.

    Elsewhere, Zachary returned to his cave and entered the system.

    "Nathan is going to be a big problem! I will have to ensure Alisa gets back her memories as soon as possible. Too bad Tania is out. She could have had a solution to my problem. Now I will have to find another way to help Alisa regain her memories. Maybe if either of us was put in a dangerous situation, such a chance could help. To save me once, Alisa had taken strike back then. If the same happens again, perhaps that will help jolt back her memories," Zachary mumbled, mulling it over. But a chance like that one wouldn''t be easy to come by. It was all about timing.

    Still, at least he''d managed to ruin Nathan''s proposal. Since he had helped her out of a difficult situation, Alisa would definitely be grateful to him right now. That should make things easier for him to win her trust.

    It was almost time for them to enter the Beast Tamer Space, and Zachary decided to prepare for that. Once he entered it, he would have to look for the feather the Fighting Crane had left behind. He had no clue if he could find it, which would make things difficult for him. That was why he had to be well prepared. Otherwise, he would be returning empty-handed.

 Chapter 851 Opening The Beast Tamer Space

    Time flew and it was finally time for the Beast Tamer Space to open.

    Early in the morning, Zachary returned to the Tiger Bamboo Forest to meet Jay and the others. As per Crane College''s instructions, they headed to the wharf at the west end of the college. On the way, Vivian kept bombarding him with questions on his proposal to Alisa. News of the proposal had spread throughout all Crane College in the past few days, causing a great uproar.

    Jay and the others also knew of it, but since Zachary had disappeared recently, they had no idea what had happened in detail as well.

    Zachary didn''t go into detail with what happened. He briefly explained that he had only done it to help Alisa get out of a predicament. She hadn''t wanted to get engaged to Nathan and wasn''t sure how to get out of it. While Zachary had answered her, Vivian still wasn''t satisfied. It was ridiculous for her fiance to propose to another woman.

    Listening to Zachary''s explanation, Jay and the rest gave him a meaningful look. They found his explanation a bit farfetched. Zachary was aware that he wasn''t qualified as an outsider to resort to a proposal to help Alisa out. But he had still insisted on doing so. None of them believed his excuse, but they said nothing and pretended to accept his explanation.

    After reaching the dock, Zachary and his group found a large ship, enough to accommodate dozens of people. All the top fifty Imperial Level warriors on the list qualified to enter the Beast Tamer Space were already gathered by the dock. Barnes and another two Sage Level warriors were in charge of organizing and preparing everything before they set off.

    Zachary looked around and then caught sight of Alisa and Linda. They stood side by side looking back at him. Realizing he had noticed them, he walked up to them and asked, "Are you going to the Beast Tamer Space as well?"

    "Of course!" Linda responded in a chilly tone. She wasn''t sure why she was angry at him, but she didn''t feel like playing nice.

    Zachary didn''t seem bothered by her hostility. He shrugged and said with a smile, "I assume you guys are very familiar with the Beast Tamer Space. Can you be our guides, please?"

    "No," Linda replied firmly.

    Casting a glance a

    e right direction.

    The white fog around the ship faded away another hour later. Before long, things had become more visible. A small island appeared in front of Zachary. It was about a third of the island Crane College stood on. The entire island seemed completely flat without mountains. Thick ancient trees were everywhere in its periphery. He couldn''t see the inner scene clearly. But, he sensed the powerful aura emanating from various kinds of treasure beasts, even from so far away.

    "This is the Beast Tamer Space," Alisa told Zachary and his companions.

    "I don''t see anything special," Kemp said with disdain after a few quick glances at the island.

    As soon as he said the words, the ship shook violently. A huge beast shadow sprang up from the other side of the ship. It swung its thick whip tail, water spraying into the sky. With a quick jump over the ship, it then dove back into the water, leaving waves floating on the surface of the sea.

    "Wow, is this some kind of treasure beast?" Tracy exclaimed in surprise.

    "Yes, this is a treasure beast unique to the Vanity Kingdom. It has the power to control the water element. However, since it can only survive deep in the sea, normal people won''t be able to subdue it," Alisa replied with a nod.

    ''The Beast Tamer Space is the perfect place to take action. The opportunity to teach him a lesson is coming, '' Kemp, who was standing behind the crowd, thought to himself as he glared at Zachary with a gloomy face.

 Chapter 852 Solo Act

    It wasn''t long before the huge ship started to dock, and the Imperial Level warriors were all set to disembark, their faces flushed with excitement.

    "Pay close attention to me first, everyone. This training will last for a month. After that period, be sure to gather back here on schedule. If you miss the time, you''ll suffer the consequences!" Barnes raised his voice at once as he carried out the announcement. "I''ll go over again the major rule in the Beast Tamer Space. Unless someone''s life is in a life-and-death situation, it does not allow him to execute any treasure beast within the Beast Tamer Space. If he is found guilty of killing any, he will face severe punishment. All of you should keep this fundamental rule in mind!"

    All the Imperial Level warriors nodded to signify their acknowledgment.

    After the ship arrived at the shore, everyone in attendance got off the ship and soon formed groups. Most of these warriors belonged to Crane College''s powerful clans, so they joined forces with their clansmen. Also, the Beast Tamer Space was a treacherous place. Without superb strength, it was best not to act alone.

    After the last remaining Imperial Level warrior stepped off the ship, Zachary, Alisa, and their other companions piled out at last.

    "Which area should we go to first?" Linda spun around to ask Alisa.

    "What do you mean by asking which area?" Zachary asked that instant.

    "Well, here is the thing. The Beast Tamer Space has several districts, and the treasure beasts in each area are of different types and levels. If you came here this time intending to tame precious beasts or collect their eggs, you should go to the novice area. The novice area is the lowest level in all the areas, convenient for the newcomers. Many common treasure beasts found there are easier to tame, and these treasure beasts'' eggs are easy to collect. It should be the perfect place for you to proceed," Alisa explained without delay.

    Zachary and his companions exchanged looks with each other after listening to her statement.

    "With our combined strength, it would be such a waste to go to the novice area. I think we must go straight to the area where Imperial Level treasure beasts at the premium stage are situated. There, we will have the chance to catch a few powerful treasure beasts to make as our second treasure beasts. With the Imperial Level Warrior Contest coming up, we won''t have enough time to train and raise any treasure bea

    and Linda went into the deeper of this area first.

    "With the strength of the five of us, it seems a bit too wasteful if we all gather together, so why don''t we split up as well." Kemp suggested at once after the two women went ahead.

    "Sure. Let''s try that. But it seems like it''s a bit troublesome to split up the five of us," Tracy retorted with a slight nod.

    "I''ll act alone," Zachary answered at once.

    "No way! How can that work? You are the weakest among us. It''s too dangerous for you to work solo!" Tracy rejected promptly and rocked her head.

    "Don''t worry about me, Tracy. Have you forgotten that I now have three powerful bodyguards by my side?" Zachary consoled her with a warm smile.

    After hearing his words, Tracy recalled that Zachary had three powerful treasure beasts, notably the Sun-swallowing Beast, one of the ten sacred beasts. Thus, even if Zachary acted alone, there shouldn''t be too much of a threat to his life.

    "Then I''ll go ahead first." After speaking, Zachary initiated the Shadow Pace and disappeared.

    "Tracy, you will work with Nola," Kemp said to Tracy.

    "Okay, but be careful you guys," Tracy answered with a nod. Soon, the four of them parted ways after forming two groups and explored the area.

    Not long after Kemp and his companion set out, Kemp said, "Hey, my friend, let''s look for beasts separately. If we find a suitable and tamable treasure beast, we will signal and notify the other and then we will unite to tame it."

    "Sounds like a plan," the other warrior replied with no objection.

    Kemp wasted no time. He then left with a sinister smile plastered on his face.

 Chapter 853 Beast Searching Reflector

    After parting with Tracy and the others, Zachary found a remote place and entered the system.

    "Mimi, is there a function in the treasure beast system that can help search for clues on legendary beasts?" Zachary asked, trying his luck. He couldn''t search aimlessly through the Beast Tamer Space, so he had no choice but to turn to the system for help.

    "Yes. However, that function has not fully recovered yet, so it can''t be used for the time being," Mimi replied.

    "Is there any other way to search?" Zachary frowned at the reply.

    "On the fifth floor of the Treasure Cave, there is a treasure called the ''Beast Searching Reflector''. It is specifically for ordinary legendary beasts. Since it reacts to the aura that legendary beasts leave behind, it might be able to help you," Mimi suggested.

    "The fifth floor? So I will have to spend treasure-hunting coins to open it?" Zachary asked glumly.

    "Since the search for the Fighting Crane correlates with your apprentice quest, the system can open that floor for free," said Mimi.

    "That''s great." With a smile at the corners of his mouth, Zachary immediately teleported himself to the Treasure Cave. After taking a floating plate all the way down, he finally arrived at his destination.

    However, once there, he saw that there were only five treasures in the huge space, and they all looked very weird.

    Soon, his sight fell onto one of them¡ªa dark green treasure in the shape of a turtle shell with the size of his palm. He found ''Beast Searching Reflector'' inscribed on it.

    "Found it!" Zachary murmured and immediately walked up to take down the Beast Searching Reflector from where it was floating in the air. After some inspection, he found that it was indeed a turtle shell, but there was only one hole in it, unlike normal turtle shells that had five.

    "I should get it first. Mimi, how many treasure-hunting coins will it cost?" Zachary asked with furrowed brows.

    "Five thousand," Mimi replied.

    "Five thousand?

    re..." Zachary''s voice trailed off. He couldn''t see any treasure beast around the quagmire, but the aura felt very close.

    After looking around, Zachary''s eyes finally fell back onto the quagmire. Was it hidden under it?

    The muddy water surged again and kept rolling up. From within, a giant lizard-looking beast suddenly climbed out and onto the edge as if just getting out of a bath. It shook its body hard, dropping all the mud and sand that had been stuck to its body onto the ground.

    Zachary immediately used the Flawless Illusion to hide. He did his best to avoid the mud falling from the sky, as the momentum would cause considerable damage this close.

    Now that Zachary had inspected the beast, he could make out what it was. It had a lizard''s body, with a long torso and six short limbs. What astonished Zachary the most was that this giant beast had three heads and two iron tails shaped like scissors. It looked very ferocious. If that wasn''t enough, the beast appeared to have just broken through to the Sage Level.

    "This is merely a rare treasure beast. Not a legendary beast, right? The Beast Searching Reflector was completely unreliable!" Zachary let out a frustrated huff, feeling like he had been fooled.

    The giant beast moved to the south. Zachary surmised that it must be returning to its lair.

 Chapter 854 Finding The Feather

    Zachary darted a glance at the three-headed giant beast that was about to walk away, and he then took out the Beast Searching Reflector while mumbling to himself, "Let me check if you will work again."

    As he spoke, the reflector floated up once more, flying straight into the three-headed beast''s direction.

    Zachary shook his head at the sight of this scene. It seemed that the reflector still chased after the beast. Left with no other alternative, he trailed them.

    Because the beast had already reached the Sage Level, the other treasure beasts backed off at once when they saw it heading toward them.

    As a result, Zachary didn''t come across any trouble, and he followed it from behind. After about thirty minutes of pursuit, he noticed it finally stopping in front of a vast cave entrance erected between two colossal rock formations. After a momentary pause, the three-headed beast immediately went inside.

    Just after it went inside the cave entrance, the reflector also flew in at the next instant.

    Zachary lingered outside for a moment, and his eyes narrowed when the reflector didn''t fly back. With a frown, he approached the opening and peered inside from the cave''s entrance. He discovered that the cave''s interior was sloping down rather steeply like a slide, curving downward.

    "Perhaps I should continue going down and find out what''s happening there." After a moment''s hesitation, he ventured deeper into the cave.

    After going inside the cave, Zachary used his Flying Boots to slide down. He was careful to stay on high alert against any situation that might happen. After taking too many turns along the way, he almost lost his balance when he felt nothing was under his feet. Fortunately, he picked up his weight and steadied himself. Then a colossal lair composed of stone and earth turned up before him. The stench of rotten meat permeated the air in this area. It stemmed from some unknown treasure beast''s mutilated corpse with its skeleton exposed lying at the lair''s corner. Its entrails and other internal organs were all over the ground, giving off a pungent smell.

    Then, Zachary searched all over the place and spotted in the opposite corner of the lair the three-headed beast lying on top of stacked mats made of grass leaves, and on its tail were two eggs displayed in plain sight.

    "Where did the Beast Searching Reflector go?" Zachary soon realized that the ref

    ide the cave.

    After Zachary entered the system, he asked Mimi at once to analyze the green feather.

    "After a thorough identification process, this feather was owned by a divine beast, but there''s no guarantee if it belongs to the Fighting Crane or not," Mimi quickly concluded.

    "That should be it, and it''s a no-brainer! I''m just so glad I found it!" Zachary beamed enthusiastically. He didn''t expect that he would be so lucky. Just only a few days after entering the Beast Tamer Space, he had already obtained the Fighting Crane''s feather. This undertaking made him seriously doubt if he could still recover the crane''s feather easily in the space. Otherwise, how could he just casually come across it in the treasure beast''s lair?

    Zachary had already completed his primary purpose of coming to the Beast Tamer Space. At this point, he could focus on his training and practice at ease in the space.

    He had also picked up many beast treasures from the three-headed beast''s lair. Zachary counted them and found over twenty beast treasures, three of which were Imperial Level beast treasures, and the rest belonged to the King Level, the Heaven Level, and the Earth Level.

    After taking into account the beast treasures, Zachary took out the two beast eggs and had them classified.

    "These two eggs are rare beast eggs produced by the Lizard King, which is a rare treasure beast," Mimi said after conducting an analysis.

    "That''s cool. Although such a rare treasure beast is not that great, it should be enough to give its eggs as present to Tracy and the others," Zachary pointed out.

 Chapter 855 Kemps Failed Plan

    "Mimi, what is going on outside?" Zachary asked.

    "The cave has completely collapsed," Mimi replied promptly.

    "What about the Lizard King?" he inquired.

    "It left," Mimi replied.

    "That''s good. But now that the cave has collapsed, I would be buried alive if I go out now. What should I do?" Zachary said, pursing his lips. Since he could only enter and exit the system from the same location, going outside now would only leave him buried under the rubble.

    "Mimi, is there any way to prevent me from being buried alive if I go out now?" Zachary asked after thinking for a while.

    "The system just repaired the teleportation function. It can provide short-distance teleportation service which can be used once a day at no cost. More than that, it will charge one thousand treasure-hunting coins per use," Mimi replied.

    "Oh, I see. How far can it teleport me?" Zachary asked. If he was honest, he hadn''t realized the system had such a function.

    "A few meters," Mimi replied calmly.

    "A few meters? Are you kidding me? Is that all the so-called teleportation function can do?" Such a short distance disappointed him.

    "As the teleportation function was just repaired, it is still in the testing stage. In order to ensure the stability of this function, it can only teleport someone a few meters away for the time being," Mimi explained.

    That could only mean it was dangerous. If it couldn''t teleport him far enough to be a distance away from the destruction, he might still be buried alive. It seemed he would need help to get out of here. Zachary thought for a while as he rubbed his chin. Then he went to the weapon refining room.

    Four hours later, he returned to the system, with a black bomb-like ball in his hand.

    "Mimi, please send the bomb out first," Zachary said to Mimi.

    "Okay." A beam of light instantly shot at the black object in Zachary''s hand. In the blink of an eye, the object was gone.

    "When you teleport me out, I want you to immediately activate the bomb," Zachary continued.

    "Okay."

    "Then let''s start the teleportation."

    "The tel

    uite capable." Low and husky laughter filled the air.

    Zachary squinted his eyes and then frowned. A figure dressed in a purple robe appeared right in front of him. Oddly enough, he looked a little translucent, as if he was a ghost. As much as he tried, Zachary couldn''t see him clearly. When the figure approached, Zachary felt an extremely profound and unfathomable aura. Even a Sage Level warrior''s aura was inferior to his.

    Was he a Holy Level warrior? But why was a Sage Level warrior coming to him? Was he from the Kong Clan? Zachary''s heart skipped a beat. If his opponent was from the Kong Clan, that would only cause trouble.

    "Who are you?" Zachary asked, trying hard to remain calm.

    "It doesn''t matter who I am. What matters is who you are! What''s your relationship with Zachary?" the purple-robed figure asked in a low voice.

    "What? Zachary? I don''t know what you are talking about," Zachary asked calmly as he squinted his eyes cautiously. Deep inside, he was surprised the figure knew his real name.

    "I''ve investigated your background. Before you became famous in the Devil Kingdom, you were a nameless Imperial Level warrior in Celestial College. Zachary is listed as a wanted criminal in the Enigmatic Kingdom for murdering the Welkin Sect. So I''m certain you know who Zachary is. You may even know things that only Zachary knows," the figure said with certainty.

 Chapter 856 The Main Quest

    The mysterious man knew of his background, and it had become clear to Zachary that he wasn''t from the Kong Clan. But how had he known his real name?

    "Wait. Are you the one who saved Alisa?" Zachary asked, squinting his eyes again in a failed attempt to see him. He hadn''t foreseen that Alisa''s savior would appear so suddenly in front of him.

    "I must admit, you are smarter than I thought. But you should know, smart people usually die fast. You seem to know Alisa''s true identity. For that, I can''t let you live!" As the purple-robed man spoke, he started emitting an astonishing aura that instantly shrouded Zachary.

    In an instant, Zachary felt a tremendous pressure pressing towards him. It made him tremble with fear. The aura alone was doing this to him. What would he do if the man decided to attack?

    Realizing he was no match for the mysterious man, Zachary quickly opted to enter the system. However, he found his Treasure-hunting Compass didn''t work.

    "What''s going on? Mimi, why can''t I get in?" Zachary asked Mimi in shock.

    "The top-level main quest has already been activated. The quest entails that you must experience this challenge. If you can escape, you will receive a generous reward," Mimi''s sweet voice explained.

    "The top-level main quest? What kind of mission is this? Is this a joke?" Zachary''s face twitched in anger. For the main quest to come at such a critical time would kill him. It must be an important quest or the system would not have requested he carry it out at the risk of his life.

    Out of options, Zachary had no choice but to face the man head-on. He released all his strength, including Andrew''s Sage Level spiritual soul power and Gisele''s spiritual soul power. He wielded any power he could collect.

    "So, you do, indeed, own two spiritual souls. Only a Holy Level warrior can do this. I thought the rumor about you was false. It seems they were right." The man

    hat important? I had to gamble my life for it!"

    "Completing this top-level main quest was the condition for you to start quests after breaking through to the Sage Level," Mimi explained.

    "Does that mean the system knows the purple-robed figure''s identity? Can you tell me who he is?" Zachary asked.

    "I''m afraid that''s to remain a secret. I''m sorry but I can''t tell you that," Mimi replied.

    "Did the system know that the purple-robed man wouldn''t kill me?" Zachary asked curiously.

    "I''m sorry, but I cannot comment on that either," Mimi replied, refusing to tell him anything.

    "Forget it. You can hand over the reward package now," Zachary said, shaking his head helplessly at Mimi being so closemouthed.

    He received ten thousand treasure-hunting coins and the Imperial Level Cultivation Boosting Pill.

    Although he had had a narrow escape from death, the Imperial Level Cultivation Boosting Pill was worth it. With this pill, he could reach the eighth grade, a grade away from the ninth grade. He would also have the chance to use the Sage Level strength. That would come in handy if he faced another dangerous situation like this one.

    Zachary put away the Cultivation Boosting Pill and went to the Living-dead Tomb to ask Anne for help in refining it.

 Chapter 857 The Unexpected Opponent

    In the past two days, Zachary had managed to break through to the eighth grade of Imperial Level.

    He had previously located the Fighting Crane''s feather''s whereabouts, and he also discovered that the Beast Tamer Space was a treasure beast''s paradise. Subsequently, Zachary collected lots of genes from various treasure beasts to enhance his gene pool. He had already completed analyzing the Purple-winged Beast''s spiritual beast''s genes, and he had obtained a considerable amount of valuable data from it. He ascertained that the spirit beast genes were superior to the treasure beast genes after conducting repeated comparisons. He likewise carried out preliminary experiments on the genetic fusion of the treasure beast and the spirit beast. He wanted to determine if he could integrate the two sets of genes to create a novel beast more powerful than any other beasts on the Supernal Continent.

    Aside from those detailed examinations, he did experiments concerning breaking through the Imperial Level treasure beasts'' limits. Except for the Sun-swallowing Beast, both the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Demonic Emperor Beast were scarce treasure beasts, so they could not break through to the Sage Level. He needed to find a solution to modify the two beasts'' genes and make them break through to the Sage Level.

    With his plans set in motion, Zachary accumulated different treasure beast genes in the Beast Tamer Space. Also, he amassed treasure beasts'' eggs and cultivated the treasure beasts. He then performed a variety of genetic experiments. During this time, all his hard work set an unimaginably solid base for him to grow into the ruler of all treasure beasts.

    Two weeks had already elapsed, and there were only a few days left before everyone was to leave the Beast Tamer Space. At this point, Zachary was moving double time in grabbing every second to collect the treasure beast genes.

    For almost the entire month, Zachary had explored the whole Beast Tamer Space, and the lone area he had never gone to was the space''s most mysterious and dangerous area where sacred beasts gathered. Thus, he decided to go to that area to collect the genes of as many rare treasure beasts as possible before departing the space.

    But just as Zachary was about to take off, an ominous entity quickly flew over from one side. With eyes narrowed into slits, he snatched it at once. He studied it carefully and saw a dart with a piece of paper hooked to it. After taking down the piece of paper, he unfolded it and read its contents. "The fate of your col

    ast Tamer Space to self-destruct on your own, so that you can taste what it''s like to be worse than death!" Louis said with a sinister smile.

    "Since you never captured my colleagues, it seems that there is no need for me to stay here and play with you," Zachary replied coolly. He was not foolish enough to confront Louis head-on, mostly since he was at the Sage Level, and it was challenging to deal with him.

    "Are you sure? Take a look at there," Louis scoffed and pointed at the cliff in the distance.

    Zachary also looked over and found two beautiful figures by the cliff''s edge. Below them was the abyss of several hundred meters high and the bottomless sea. These two attractive figures were none other than Tracy and Nola.

    "Let them go," Zachary scowled at Louis sharply. He had never expected that the people would catch them.

    "Or else, you can stick around and wait until you see get them fed to the sea beasts!" Otherwise, you can wait and see them fed the sea beasts!" Louis put forward an insidious proposal.

    Zachary''s eyes narrowed as his brain raced quickly. He knew that there was no point in talking more with Louis, but it would be impossible for him to sit and wait for death. He suddenly shook his martial energy and then used the Shadow Pace to fly toward Tracy and Nola, trying to save them first.

    "Stop him," Louis cried in no time. He had predicted that Zachary would not give in, so he waved his hand and told his men to stop him.

    The seven Imperial Level warriors who had surrounded Zachary summoned their respective treasure beasts. More than a dozen treasure beasts closed in and moved forward to stop Zachary from reaching Tracy and Nola immediately..

 Chapter 858 Is He Dead

    Zachary quickly summoned the Demonic Emperor Beast, the Thunder Dragon Horse, and the Purple-winged Beast to fight them.

    Although these treasure beasts were not weak, Zachary felt no fear confronting them. Not only had he obtained an Imperial Level beast treasure at the fourth grade as a reward, but he had also collected a great number of treasures. Thanks to them, both the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Purple-winged Beast had reached the Imperial Level strength at the ninth grade, the highest grade in the Imperial Level. Besides, he still had the Demonic Emperor Beast to fight on his side. So, even though this was a battle of three versus a dozen, he was confident that he would win.

    Soon, Zachary''s three treasure beasts had proven their strength, leaving his enemies trembling with fear.

    However, compared to battles between treasure beasts, battles between warriors were more difficult. Zachary was dealing with seven Imperial Level warriors simultaneously. What was more, Louis and the other two Sage Level warriors were watching from the side. They would launch sudden attacks whenever things didn''t go their way. Zachary knew that in that sense, he had no chance of winning. Moreover, he was distracted by the danger Tracy and Nola were in.

    However, Zachary showed no hesitation and completely ignored the seven Imperial Level warriors surrounding him. His priority was to save the two women.

    Two Imperial Level warriors blocked Zachary''s way, using their martial skills to attack.

    "Roaring Dragon''s Leg!"

    "Flashing Finger!"

    The shadow of what looked like a dragon was hovering in the air. Then suddenly one of its claws turned into a strange beam of light and headed towards Zachary.

    "Ice Dragon Claws!" Zachary shouted as he shook his arms violently. In an instant, his arms turned into ferocious dragon''s claws, taking on the upcoming attack.

    Boom! Boom!

    The two warrior''s strikes collided with Zachary''s Ice Dragon Claws, creating a blast of light that spread everywhere. The impact of the clash of energy landed on the sand, throwing it every which way.

    Taking advantage of the chaos, Zachary rushed toward

    ppened.

    "Is he dead?" Louis murmured nervously, studying the mess at the center.

    Before any of the seven Imperial Level warriors could retreat, ice shard rushed out from behind the dust. It grabbed onto the collars of two of the weaker ones. In an instant, they were pressed to the ground.

    Before they had any time to think, two icicles pinned them to the ground.

    They let out sharp screams as blood spurted out of their mouths before passing out.

    "What just happened?" It horrified Louis and his group to see Zachary come out of the onslaught without a scratch.

    Suddenly, Zachary picked up speed with Gisele''s spiritual soul appearing behind him. He employed the Lady Swordsmanship, shrouding three of the warriors with its aggressive aura.

    Before they could even react to what was happening, they were all enveloped by the sharp sword aura. It tore their bodies open, drowning them in blood.

    Zachary still wasn''t done. He clenched his fist and smashed it into the ground. In the blink of an eye, three beams of sword light came out of and pierced through the three Imperial Level warriors.

    At this turn of events, shock rocked through Louis and the rest of his companions. This power displayed by Zachary was beyond imaginable. Not only that, but his hits also kept coming one after the other, as if he had an endless supply of power. That was too impressive for them to accept. This was a living nightmare.

 Chapter 859 One Versus Six

    As Zachary injured the five Imperial Level warriors in the blink of an eye, the warrior in black robe suddenly showed up and went for a sneak attack. He was about to use his unique martial arts, bearing in mind the flaws that Zachary had revealed during the battle.

    However, the Holy Bone Bracer in Zachary''s hand began to shine brightly as the warrior in black robe got closer to him. Suddenly, a blue vortex appeared in Zachary''s palm that continued to expand. Then, the warrior was shocked to the core as he felt that the martial energy inside his body began leaking out uncontrollably. It turned out that the blue vortex was sucking it all up.

    While the martial energy from the warrior in black continued to run dry, his face eventually turned deathly pale. At this rate, his life would be in real danger.

    "Humph! Eat this!" Zachary shouted firmly and crushed the blue vortex in his hand. With this, all of the martial energy that had been absorbed by the vortex exploded and created an astonishing shock wave that spread in every direction. The warrior in black was caught up in it and wasn''t able to resist at all. He was sent flying and spewed out a mouthful of blood in the process. It was such an irony that he was struck down by his own power.

    "You two! Go fight him as well!" Upon seeing that Zachary had effortlessly thrashed an eighth-grade Imperial Level warrior, Louis was extremely exasperated. He immediately ordered two ninth-grade Imperial Level warriors to launch an attack. This time, he wanted to make sure that Zachary would go down by facing warriors at the top grade of Imperial Level.

    Zachary quickly noticed that two warriors dashing towards him. There was a visible expression of disdain in his eyes as if he saw some disgusting and annoying insects.

    The two warriors approached Zachary from opposing directions. After witnessing the violent power that Zachary just released earlier, they didn''t dare to act rashly even though they outnumbered him. To further ensure that they could gain the upper hand, both warriors summoned their strongest treasure beasts to battle Zachary. Immediately after, two wolves appeared out of thin air. The first one had a tall and sturdy blazing body, and its breath could set everything on fire. The other one seemed to have a physique that was made up of stone and iron, making its body almost indestructible.

    At this moment, Zachary''s three treasure beasts were still fighting about a dozen of other treasure beasts. Thus, he couldn''t call them to help him. Right now, he had no choice but to engage this handicapped battle. He wasn''t just outnumbered. The two warriors that had the strength at the highest grade of Imperial Level were obviously more powerful than him. This situation was almost close to being unwinnable.

    However, Zachary was a different type of warrior. No matter who it was,

    s, they found the weaknesses and flaws in Zachary''s attacks.

    Right after Zachary deflected the joint attack of the two warriors again, the martial energy of the warrior in yellow suddenly soared. The power with the fire element surged from his body, making him look like a tiny scorching sun. Upon raising his arms, a wave of flames instantly gushed down from the sky and surrounded Zachary.

    Witnessing this, Zachary instantly became wary. As he narrowed his eyes, he took a deep breath and activated the devouring power of the Holy Bone Bracer. Since he was already surrounded, he intended to get out of this predicament forcefully by taking the blow head-on.

    At the same time, the other warrior in the blue robe also gathered his martial energy. A strong force erupted from within his body and eventually turned into streaks of violent winds that swept the surroundings. As a result, the strength of his companion''s flames was intensified and burned more harshly, raising its height by several feet. The tremendous flames crashed towards Zachary like a raging wave, completely engulfing him.

    Zachary was caught off guard that his opponents were actually fusing their martial skills to increase the power of their attack. After all, this kind of method wasn''t usually being used by beast tamers. However, he didn''t have the time to be fascinated by his opponents'' skills. He intended to evade their attacks but failed. Out of options, he just increased the power output of the Holy Bone Bracer to the fullest and tried his hardest to fight back.

    The next moment, the fused martial skills of the two warriors and the roaring power of Zachary collided with great momentum. The clash created an immense impact, sending gigantic waves of flames outward that formed a vicious firestorm. The sand within the area was sucked up and covered the sky. The scene looked splendid and devastating at the same time.

 Chapter 860 A Divine Level Treasure

    At this moment, the Holy Bone Bracer continued to absorb the power of the two warriors using its devouring ability. However, since there were two of them, not to mention they were warriors at the ninth grade of Imperial Level, Zachary wasn''t able to easily bear the impact from them. Soon enough, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and his face started to grow pale. It seemed that it would be impossible for him to fully devour the power hurled by the two top-grade Imperial Level warriors.

    Boom!

    Instantly, the surging waves of flames suddenly exploded in the air. It must have become unstable because of the loss of power. The strong impact spread in all directions, producing a vehement explosion. The air waves enveloped Zachary.

    "How was it? Can you last a little longer? Ha-ha!" Seeing that Zachary took a massive blow from the fused martial skills of the two warriors, Louis enjoyed the moment. In his mind, he thought that even if Zachary was indeed powerful, facing two warriors at the ninth grade of Imperial Level simultaneously was still too much for him to handle.

    However, much to the surprise of Louis and the two warriors, a surging wave of flames suddenly rushed out towards the two Imperial Level warriors. Moreover, it was identical to the attack that was hurled by the two warriors at Zachary.

    With this sudden attack, the two warriors were a little caught off guard. But due to their fast reflexes, they were able to dodge the vicious wave of flames. However, Zachary''s surprise attack didn''t end there. The thing that shocked them the most was that a ferocious ice wave suddenly swept over and merged with the flame wave. This formed a fusion of martial skills, utilizing two opposing elements.

    "What the hell? How is that even possible?! Did he just fuse and create an attack using two opposing elements on his own?!" Louis couldn''t help but exclaim in disbelief as he saw this scene with his own eyes. Generally speaking, a person couldn''t complete the fusion of martial skills by himself, unless he could control the power of two elements at the same time. Normally, to merge two martial skills, two warriors with different elemental power should collaborate to perform the fusion. Moreover, as far as they knew, Zachary was only able to control the power with ice element. Thus, this display of power was utterly mind-boggling on so many levels.

    Of course, they didn''t know that Zachary''s Holy Bone Bracer had a unique ability. Not only could it absorb a warrior''s power, but it could also release it again in its original form. Therefore, using the fire element that he absorbed earlier, he was able to easily fuse it with his power with ice element.

    With the raging wave produced by Zachary''s fusion of martial skills, the two warriors were thrown out as they couldn''t resist the overwhelming power of the two elements. They fell hard on the ground and weren''t able to get up. Their clothes were all shattered and smoke rose from their bodies. They kept on spitting blood while their faces turned deathly pale. Obviously, they sustained severe injuries and they wouldn''t be able to fight any more in their curr

    at he just performed was not only powerful, but he also poured his full strength in that in an attempt to kill Zachary in one go. Even if he didn''t die, he should at least be seriously injured. However, Zachary stood in front of Louis like nothing had happened and seemed to be completely unharmed.

    Of course, not only Louis but also all of the rest warriors, who had fought Zachary earlier, were dumbfounded. If even Louis failed to hurt this man, then Zachary was some kind of a monstrous entity.

    However, the truth was Zachary wasn''t completely unharmed. He was just able to perfectly time the release of the power of the Ice Armor to resist the Sage Level aura from Louis'' attacks. Together with the defensive power of the Holy Bone Bracer, he had only been slightly injured.

    ''I didn''t expect that the Ice Armor would save me twice in less than two days. It seems that this Divine Level treasure is really useful, '' Zachary thought to himself. He could not help but let out a faint smirk. However, he still shouldn''t be celebrating since his ultimate goal was to get rid of Louis. Considering his current strength, he knew that he wasn''t a match for Louis. But that wasn''t enough to make him give up.

    "What is that treasure on your body?" Louis couldn''t help but notice the Ice Armor that was worn by Zachary.

    "Oh, this? It''s merely a Divine Level treasure," Zachary replied indifferently.

    "What did you say? A Divine Level treasure?!" Hearing this, Louis couldn''t stop himself from swallowing hard. He had lived for so many years, but it was his first time seeing a Divine Level treasure in person. He didn''t want to believe that Zachary would be able to possess such a precious treasure, but after witnessing how Zachary withstood his full-blown attack, there was no reason for him not to believe it.

    At the same time, the warriors of Imperial Level who heard it had their jaws dropped. At the back of their minds, they were actually glad that they didn''t continue fighting against Zachary. Otherwise, they would have suffered more than the injuries that they had already acquired.

 Chapter 861 Sage Level Power

    "Damn you! How were you able to withstand my blow? What kind of trick did you pull?" Louis was so furious that Zachary was still standing firmly in front of him. His eyes widened while shouting angrily. Even though Zachary was saying that he was protected by a Divine Level treasure, Louis was proud enough to think that with his overwhelming strength, a Sage Level warrior like him should''ve at least inflicted a serious injury to his opponent. Since he couldn''t stand the humiliation, he immediately rushed towards Zachary and attacked him again.

    "Crap. This guy has gone crazy. Mimi, activate the Sage Level Mode," Zachary ordered as he focused his eyes on Louis. He didn''t plan to use it until the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, but it seemed that he had no other choice but to do so now. Otherwise, he might not stand a chance against Louis.

    "The Sage Level Mode is now activated, but it will still take some time to infuse power into it," Mimi informed.

    "How long will it take before I can fully use it?" Zachary asked with a serious look on his face.

    "About a minute," Mimi estimated.

    "Fine. Let''s just hope that I can make it until then. Let''s get started!" Zachary declared without hesitation.

    Then, the Treasure-hunting Compass in Zachary''s chest released a dazzling golden light that spread throughout his body. Immediately, he felt a powerful force surging from within his body, filling every corner of his meridians. Soon enough, his breathing became rapid.

    At the same time, Louis, who was still rushing towards Zachary, was flabbergasted upon seeing that Zachary''s aura was inexplicably and quickly increasing. Because of this, he instantly sped up, thinking that he should take him down before completing whatever he was doing. Thus, he immediately launched an attack. Countless Sage Level aura was released from the snake-shaped stick that instantly surrounded Zachary.

    Since the energy was still to be completely infused into his body, Zachary could only stare as Louis dashed towards him. He needed to buy some time before he could finally engage in battle.

    Then, a purple shadow suddenly fell from the sky and blocked Louis from approaching Zachary further.

    "Purple-winged Beast!" Zachary called out loudly. It was the beast that he had just subdued. It should provide him some support to stall his opponent while he was still rendered motionless.

    The Purple-winged Beast showed off its strength and tried to stop Louis with all its might. As a spiritual beast, it wouldn''t be easily overpowered even in t

    plish golden while his Ice Armor was enveloped in bright golden light. His aura had just broken through the Sage Level from the premium stage of Imperial Level. Right now, the aura he was emanating was extremely savage as if he had become a devil king.

    "Sa¡­ Sage Level?" Louis was almost rendered speechless. When he sensed Zachary''s aura, fear started creeping beneath his skin. If he didn''t know that it was Zachary, he wouldn''t even recognize that it was him. Previously, he was already surprised when Zachary summoned a Sage Level treasure beast at the premium stage. But never did he expect that Zachary would be able to use the Sage Level power.

    All the Imperial Level warriors that witnessed this were bewildered. They almost knelt to the ground as if they saw a monster that would vanquish the world.

    "You think that just the fact that you can use the Sage Level power means that you already have the upper hand? I can still kill you with my bare hands!" Louis roared in exasperation. Just the thought of possibly losing to Zachary made his blood boil.

    All he wanted was to end Zachary''s life. He couldn''t let him live because he knew that if he survived, his life would be a living nightmare.

    "Ha! Quit yapping and do it! Be sure to kill me, or else, you''re the one who''s going to end up dead on my feet!" Zachary, who had just obtained the Sage Level power, looked very composed. He walked steadily towards Louis, unconcerned about anything that might be thrown at him.

    Although he just had a limited time to use the Sage Level power, he deemed it more than enough to exact his revenge. His resolve was overflowing and the only thing in his mind was to completely crush Louis.

 Chapter 862 The Unbelievable Outcome

    Seeing that Zachary was walking straight towards him without any hesitation, Louis was kind of startled. He immediately waved the Cyan Snake Stick in his hand with all his strength. At the same time, Zachary condensed his ice blade. However, since his strength was greatly enhanced, the ice blade, which originally looked like an ordinary weapon, had turned into a huge saber. With just a casual wave, a humongous shadow of the ice saber rushed out and slashed towards Louis. As the two forces collided, a deafening sound was created. However, Louis'' stick was hit hard. It suffered a backlash, making his arm feel extremely numb.

    When he realized that Zachary''s Sage Level power was much stronger than his, Louis'' face became more livid. He couldn''t believe that he was being overwhelmed. Wasting no time, he stomped his feet on the ground and stepped back to maintain his distance against Zachary. At the same time, he stretched out his hands and unleashed countless wooden thorns that appeared in the air. At his signal, all of them fell from the sky, like torrential rain.

    Boom! Boom!

    These countless wooden thorns rained over and bombarded Zachary. At the same time, the martial energy emitted from these thorns flashed a bright blue light.

    Just after a brief moment, Zachary''s figure was submerged in this blue light.

    "Prepare yourself! This place shall be your graveyard!" Louis sneered as he saw that his plan was gradually working.

    But unexpectedly, a beam of ice light suddenly broke out from the blue light. At the same time, a giant flaming ice-like blade also emerged and instantly pounced on Louis.

    When Louis saw this turn of events, the smirk on his face was instantly wiped off. He immediately called forth his Sacred Dragon King to act as a shield. The wood light all over its body expanded and transformed into a defensive barrier that protected Louis.

    Boom!

    An earth-shaking rumble echoed throughout the skies as the forces crashed. Right after the flaming ice blade rammed through the protective barrier, streaks of light dispersed and illuminated the area within a hundred-meter radius. The strong wave of martial energy continued to spread in all directions and the residual forces flashed continuously.

    Since the two opposing sides were in a stalemate, the chaotic emergence of forces gradually subsided.

    "Well done, Sacred Dragon King! Let''s teach this arrogant bastard a lesson. We''re going to work together and eliminate him!" Louis praised his treasure beast as he quickly regained his confidence. He was elated that the power of his treasure beast could block Zachary''s Sage Level attacks. With a grin on his face, his eyes opened wide. He then shouted, "Beast Merging Skill!"

    Immediately after, the Sacred Dragon King emitted bright blue light. In an instant, a dragon-shaped flaming shadow flew out. As Louis activated the skill, he integrated his strength into the dragon shadow. Then, the shadow con

    ormous shadows

    "It''s not over yet! This is the final strike. Take this!" A devious smile appeared on Zachary''s face as he stared down at Louis. Immediately after, a huge beast shadow appeared from above, covering the bright sky. It opened its monstrous mouth and blasted out a pillar of light that was as bright as the sun. It rushed towards Louis, who was currently being suppressed by the giant shadows on the ground.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    Three extremely powerful forces exploded at the same time. The earth shook atrociously and a huge cloud of mushroom rose in the air immediately after, covering the sky within hundreds of meters. As the smoke gradually dissipated, it was seen that the ground sank for several meters, and the huge chunks of rocks were diminished due to the massive impact of Zachary''s attack.

    After quite some time, the dust finally settled and the air became clearer. Then, a figure emerged with clothes almost burned up. He was lying on the ground with his entire body covered with dust, and it seemed like his limbs were badly damaged.

    At the same time, an ice shadow with an overwhelming aura walked up to the figure on the ground and stared down at him with a flash of cold eyes.

    "Impossible¡­ Did I lost? Never! I have never lost a battle!" Louis raised his head and looked at Zachary with overflowing despair and disdain in his eyes. "Come here! I''m going to kill you!" he screamed furiously, like a mad man who had gone out of control.

    At this moment, Zachary''s attacking energy had also started to fade. His Sage Level Mode had almost reached its limit, but he somehow hesitated on how he would deal with Louis. However, as he was still lost in his thoughts, a malevolent aura suddenly appeared from behind him and a force full of murderous intent quickly rushed towards him. It was as if this person was patiently waiting to deal a fatal blow, taking advantage of the moment when Zachary''s strength was about to disintegrate.

 Chapter 863 A Vile Enemy

    Zachary''s eyes turned cold, immediately using the ice blade to counter the attack.

    Bang!

    The force hit the ice blade and broke it into pieces in an instant. It was obvious that Zachary was losing ground.

    Looking up, Zachary saw a figure standing in front of him. It was Kemp.

    "I didn''t expect a brat like you to be able to defeat a Sage Level warrior. Although I don''t know what type of trick you used to make it happen, it appears that you''ve reached your limit. So now you can go to hell!" Kemp said with a sinister smile on his face.

    "What a vile guy." While Zachary hadn''t seen this coming, it was clear he wouldn''t be able to deal with Kemp now.

    He used the Shadow Pace to retreat, and then appeared in front of Tracy and Nola, who were hanging on the edge of the cliff. Grabbing each of their hands, he took them into the system.

    "You think you will be fine when you hide? You''ll be responsible for Louis'' death," Kemp said with an ominous smile. Suddenly, he flew up and struck Louis, who was already powerless.

    Louis spat out a mouthful of black blood and rolled his eyes, and then the life seeped out of him.

    Kemp let out a cruel laugh. Then he disappeared.

    Not long after, the surviving Imperial Level warriors assembled. Horror entered their eyes as they caught sight of Louis'' lifeless body.

    "Master Louis is dead? What should we do now?" These Imperial Level warriors looked at one another uncertainly.

    "Let''s go back and report to the young master," one of them said.

    Soon, they all departed, still shell-shocked.

    The moment Zachary entered the system, his Sage Level power disappeared, weakening him to a great extent.

    "Had I been able to hold on for a little longer, I would have definitely been able to dispose of Kemp too," Zachary said regretfully.

    Back at the Peach Blossom Forest, Tracy and Nola slowly woke up. They were surprised to see Z

    ola," Zachary asked with a smile.

    "A rare treasure beast''s egg?" Tracy and Nola immediately looked at each other in surprise. They thought the eggs Zachary had wanted to give them would be scarce treasure beast eggs at most. They hadn''t expected to be offered rare treasure beast eggs.

    Then, Zachary took out two genetically modified rare treasure beast eggs and placed them in front of Tracy and Nola.

    "I''m going to let them hatch with the Hatching Fluid. Then you can drip your blood on them to become their masters." Zachary quickly brought out the Hatching Fluid and put a few drops on each of the two eggs.

    The eggs suddenly flashed, their hard shells beginning to crack.

    "They are hatching already?" Tracy and Nola were entranced with what was happening.

    Soon enough, two rare cubs with completely different shapes came out of the broken eggs. One looked like the Lizard King, but it was red with a pair of flame wings on its back, making it look like a small dragon. The other one had four heads and a very slender figure. Its entire body was milky white, looking like a deer.

    "Tracy, you should choose first," Nola offered.

    "Then, I will choose this one." Tracy chose the deer-like beast.

    That left the remaining red dragon for Nola.

 Chapter 864 The Sudden Arrest

    After that, Tracy and Nola each offered their respective treasure beasts a drop of their blood to make them recognize the women as their masters. As a result, both women effortlessly possessed a rare treasure beast.

    "Thank you so much. I appreciate this a lot." Tracy looked up to Zachary with immense gratitude. Despite their wide age gap, she found him to be more mature than his peers. Although she was older than him, she realized how trustworthy he was the more she got to know him.

    "We are good friends. There''s no need for you to act so formally with me. Besides, I still have in my possession lots of primary stage beast treasures that are useless to me. You can have them and feed to the cubs," Zachary continued. After speaking, he asked Mimi to send his collection of primary stage beast treasures to the Peach Blossom Forest.

    "This is amazing! You have gained so many of them!" The sight of those beast treasures almost piling up into a small mountain before them overwhelmed Tracy and Nola. They exchanged looks of astonishment with each other.

    "Sure, go ahead. You can take as much as you want. I just picked it all up in random," Zachary remarked coolly.

    Both Tracy and Nola looked at Zachary as they were rendered speechless. They had been staying in the Beast Tamer Space for quite a long time. But the treasures they collected were less than one-fifth of that of Zachary''s.

    "The two of you should take some rest first." After suggesting that to the ladies, Zachary wasted no time and went back to the system.

    Upon his arrival, the severely injured Purple-winged Beast was undergoing a medical examination from the system.

    "Mimi, how''s the condition of this beast doing?" Zachary asked at once.

    "Although its heart suffered serious damage, its life is no longer in danger because it has a unique ability to regenerate as a spiritual beast. Besides, through the diagnosis, I just detected that its body is in the process of evolution," Mimi replied.

    "The process of evolution? What do you mean? Why did it suddenly go into that a process?" Zachary inquired out of sheer curiosity.

    "I''m not a hundred percent certain about this. Maybe it''s an inherent ability. It regenerated after being badly injured, so now it will evolve again and come out even stronger than before." Mimi formulated an opinion.

    "Is that so? That''s awesome!" Zachary couldn''t prevent himself from looking at the unconscious Purple-winged Beast, who was in a coma. If what Mimi postulated was accurate, then it should be considered a blessing in disguise for the beast.

    Afterward, Zachary requested Mimi to send the beast back to its private space and to continue observing its condition while reporting any updates back to him. Then he proceeded to the Living-dead Tomb.

    When Anne saw Zacha

    d as he shouted sternly again after seeing the two women defend Zachary.

    "Tracy, don''t do this, please. You can choose to walk away now," Zachary pleaded.

    "Why would we do that?" After the two women heard his words, they turned to look at him in confusion.

    "Listen, the truth will set me free. I believe God will prove my innocence," Zachary responded calmly.

    Hearing the confidence in his voice, they exchanged knowing looks with each other before going away.

    With Zachary''s acupuncture points sealed, he could no longer make use of any more martial energy. With everyone waiting in shock, they took him to the ship.

    At this minute, the Imperial Level warriors discussed with each other. They all thought Zachary was so bold that he even killed a Sage Level warrior of the Kong Clan. But what stirred everyone''s curiosity was how he did that.

    However, this suspicion would remain hidden from everyone until the investigation was clear.

    Kemp, who had succeeded in framing Zachary, was thrilled right now.

    Soon, all the Imperial Level warriors had embarked the ship, and it sailed away en route to Crane College.

    Upon arrival at Crane College, Zachary was imprisoned in the college''s prison room, heavily guarded outside by four Imperial Level warriors at the premium stage.

    Barnes and the other two Sage Level warriors promptly reported this matter to the college''s senior leaders. Soon, news of Zachary killing Louis of the Kong Clan spread like wildfire throughout the entire campus, causing an earthquake-like phenomenon. Zachary had killed a warrior at the Sage Level despite his Imperial Level strength! Also, the fact remained that this Sage Level warrior came from the Kong Clan. The whole matter was just too incredible. It meant a significant achievement for Zachary, but it also signified that he had made massive trouble this time!

 Chapter 865 Not The Real Murderer

    At this moment, Zachary, who had been placed in confinement, took the opportunity to look around and observe the situation outside of the confinement room. Then, he entered the system and went directly into the Living-dead Tomb.

    "Oh, why are you here so early today? Did something happen?" Anne was surprised to see that Zachary appear at this time of the day. She quickly noticed the strange expression on his face, thus she was sure that something must have happened.

    Deeming no reason to hide it, Zachary told her the gist of what had happened.

    "You¡¯re saying that the Imperial Level warrior of the Xiao Clan framed you up?" Anne¡¯s eyes suddenly turned cold as she heard what Zachary told her.

    "Well, if Kemp didn''t interfere, I would have also killed Louis. But of course, I would have certainly destroyed all the pieces of evidence to keep it a secret. I was just too careless. I was already on guard against Kemp for so long, but I didn''t expect that he would show up at that time to frame me up for Louis'' death," Zachary said with a frown.

    "Well, since you didn''t kill Louis, you don''t have to be afraid of being falsely accused. Sooner or later, they will know the truth when the investigation commences. Besides, even if you happened to kill Louis, you were just defending yourself, right? He actually deserved it," Anne said with a hint of righteous indignation.

    "You''re right. But the real problem is that the Kong Clan will definitely make a fuss about it and won''t let me off the hook that easily. As for Crane College, I think they will also be partial to the Kong Clan because of the clan''s influence in the Vanity Kingdom. Furthermore, there are several surviving Imperial Level warriors of the Kong Clan who were testifying against me. Since they are the only witnesses, it doesn''t really help my case. As much as I don''t want to admit it, I am in big trouble this time. I have to carefully think of the steps on how I should deal with them." Zachary let out a sigh as he shook his head.

    "If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t be able to solve this problem by yourself. As you said, the Kong Clan is involved, and we both know how influential they are. According to my experience, I can already see that they will put big pressure on Crane College to prevent it from interfering, so they can deal with you easily. If that happens, you¡¯re really in for huge trouble," Anne warned him.

    "I strongly agree. But I can¡¯t just leave this place alone without solving the problem. Otherwise, Jay and the others will definitely be caught up in this mess. Damn it. It''s so frustrating. All of this is the Kong Clan''s fault and they actually deserve what happened. But even though I''m j

    for you to cause you harm. But in the end¡­" Linda already formulated it in her head, though she still had some doubts. "But how were you able to deal with so many people? Well, I could understand if you¡¯ve beaten all those Imperial Level warriors, but Louis too? Also, who on earth killed Louis if it wasn¡¯t you?"

    "Will you believe me if I tell you the truth?" Zachary looked intently at Linda¡¯s eyes and asked her straightforwardly.

    After hesitating for a moment, Linda finally said, "Just tell me first. I can¡¯t promise you anything without hearing it firsthand. I¡¯ll make my judgment afterward. Although, yeah, I really think that there was something odd with the testimony of the Imperial Level warriors."

    "All right, I¡¯ll tell you." Then, Zachary told Linda the whole story. He knew that she was the granddaughter of Silas, the dean of Crane College. Thus, if she believed him, he could expect her to tell Silas the truth. If this happened, Silas would more likely believe his claim than the made-up story of the Imperial Level warriors. However, even if Silas believed him, Zachary didn¡¯t expect that he would be on his side. After all, the Kong Clan had a very strong influence over the college. Nevertheless, as long as Silas could somehow buy him some time, Tania might be able to help him out of this dilemma before everything turned out into a total mess.

    Linda was shocked after knowing the whole story. She could honestly admit to herself that it was pretty difficult to just accept everything that Zachary had just said.

    "You didn¡¯t finish Louis off, but you were able to injure him seriously? And before you could kill him, someone else swooped in and did it? But who would frame you up?" Linda had already heard and learned everything, but it seemed like she became more confused.

 Chapter 866 The Final Judgment

    "It''s hard for me to explain it straight to the point." Zachary shook his head lightly. He avoided mentioning to Linda that Kemp had set him up since he hadn''t gathered enough evidence yet to back up the allegation. So he opted to keep Linda in the dark for the time being.

    "If what you''re insisting is the whole truth, then what proof do you have to support those claims?" Linda asked in a discerning manner.

    "If I had any substantial evidence, I wouldn''t have been in this predicament now," Zachary responded. A bitter smile worked its way across his face and into his eyes.

    "What can you do at this point then? If you don''t have any means to authenticate your innocence, the prevailing situation won''t be in your favor." Linda also felt a deep concern for Zachary. Although she had some lingering doubts about the certainty of what Zachary said, she showed more enthusiasm in believing him more than the Kong Clan.

    "That''s why I''m asking you to do anything you deem necessary to buy me some time," Zachary said to Linda.

    "You want me to distract them for you? What do you have in mind?" Linda stared at Zachary in confusion.

    "What I need most right now is time. Do you have any idea on how to stall them?" Zachary inquired.

    "If I spoke to my grandfather about this, I''m quite positive he will conduct an investigation. But I fear the outcome would remain the same since you don''t have any evidence. But I assure you, as long as my grandfather gives the college an order to lead the inquiry instead of the Kong Clan, I figure out we could hold them back for a short while, but only for one or two days at most," Linda remarked after a moment''s deliberation.

    "By all means, go ahead. Thank you so much, Linda," Zachary said, nodding his head.

    "But my grandfather might have to deal with the Kong Clan''s influence, so there''s no guarantee this will work. Still, I will try to do my best to help. I don''t want them to accuse you wrongfully," Linda added after glancing at Zachary.

    "I would consider this a big favor that I am indebted to you. I will make sure to repay your kindness when the time comes," Zachary replied, his voice full of gratitude.

    "Don''t worry about it. We can call it even since you came to Alisa''s aid last time. So, consider this as her settlement and she no longer owes you anything," Linda pointed out.

    "Have I ever pressured her concerning that?" Zachary asked innocently.

    "Yes. I believe so." Linda gave Zachary a black look.

    Zachary shrugged it of

    rvise the prosecution.

    "Today is the public hearing regarding the case of the vicious murder of Louis and several Imperial Level warriors. We have with us here right now six college elders, and I will preside over the trial. We will question the suspect and the witnesses. After the trial, I will deliberate with the six elders and make the final judgment," Silas announced directly to the point.

    Then, escorted by two warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level, Zachary appeared in front of everyone.

    "Murderer!"

    "Criminal!"

    "What an atrocious convict! How dare he kill members of our college?!"

    "He must be sentenced to death!"

    As soon as Zachary showed up, many disciples and Imperial Level warriors of Crane College shouted and held him in contempt. Their voices lingered on. They all believed that Zachary was guilty of killing Louis and those Imperial Level warriors.

    "Everyone be quiet!" Silas yelled at the top of his voice.

    Soon, silence gradually took over the entire square.

    "Jay, is Harley going to be okay?" Jay, Vivian, and their companions who joined in the crowd looked at Zachary in a state of nerves.

    "It''s hard to tell yet. But what I''m anxious about is that Crane College might make a ruling against Zachary and hand him over to the Kong Clan because of extreme pressure," Jay stated, shaking his head.

    "We can''t allow that clan to take Harley away, or he will be in grave danger," Vivian echoed with certainty in her voice. "Kemp had the guts to frame Harley? I will get even with him once we''re done here."

    Tracy and Nola nodded in agreement. They wouldn''t let the Kong Clan have Zachary, whatever the cost.

 Chapter 867 A Serious Question

    "Listen up, Harley. I, together with the elders of the college will take turns and ask you a series of questions about the events that happened on that day. I must warn you to only answer truthfully." Silas spoke sternly as he looked intently at Zachary.

    Zachary didn¡¯t utter a word but just calmly nodded.

    Wasting no time, one of the elders began the inquisition. "Good. Now, Harley, tell me why you fought with Louis and the other Imperial Level warriors that day. Be direct to the point."

    Without a hint of panic in his eyes, Zachary told them everything.

    "So, you¡¯re saying that you went to look for Louis and the other Imperial Level warriors after getting the information that your companions were caught?" another elder asked right after.

    "That¡¯s right," Zachary replied while nodding.

    "But according to the statement of the witnesses, you ambushed Louis and the others in advance. How will you refute that?" another elder inquired.

    "First of all, I have no enmity with Louis. I have no reason to attack them. Besides, Louis is a warrior at the Sage Level, why would I dare to attack a peerless master like him? Furthermore, there were several Imperial Level warriors, who are as powerful as me, with him. Unless I have a death wish, I don¡¯t think I will do that," Zachary answered convincingly.

    "You may be right at that part, but they also said that you have a helper. You showed up on purpose to distract and set a trap for them. Then, that was when your helper sneakily attacked them afterward." One of the elders tried to put pressure on Zachary.

    "Then, can they tell everyone who this helper was?" Zachary quickly responded with a straight face.

    "Well, they said that they didn¡¯t see his face clearly, but they were sure that he is a very powerful warrior," the elder rebutted.

    "So, it also means that their statement cannot be considered as solid evidence, right?" Zachary concluded firmly. He clearly knew that these so-called witnesses just colluded to frame him up.

    "That¡¯s not necessarily true. According to our initial investigation, we found several fatal injuries on the corpses of Louis and the other slain Imperial Level warriors. This means that the one who inflicted those injuries must at least possess the strength at the Sage Level. But as you said earlier, you are just at the premium stage of Imperial Level, so it¡¯s impossible that you¡¯re the one who killed them. Therefore, we can clearly speculate that at least one Sage Level warrior was present at that time. If that person wasn¡¯t your helper, then why would he kill Louis and the others?" One of the elders immediately clarified their analysis of the pieces of evidence collected by the investigating team.

    "But you also can¡¯t rule out the possibility that they were killed after I left," Zachary retorted. Although the injuries sustained b

    ly focused on Silas¡¯s voice.

    Nathan, who was standing among the crowd, stared coldly at Zachary with a faint smirk on his face. In his opinion, although the Kong Clan lost a Sage Level warrior in Louis, if they could take this opportunity to kill Zachary, then it wasn¡¯t much of a bad deal. Right now, he deemed that Zachary was indeed a threat to the Kong Clan, and even to the entire Vanity Kingdom. If Zachary was kept alive, he would surely make trouble for them in the future.

    "During our discussion, we decided to delay the judgment and continue the investigation. After we collect enough evidence, we shall make the final decision on this matter," Silas announced sternly.

    The crowd burst into an uproar upon hearing the long-awaited decision. No one expected that the Crane College would not convict Zachary right away. If they were continuing the investigation, everyone realized that the pieces of evidence presented weren¡¯t enough to convict Zachary yet, nor prove that he was innocent. It was only natural for Crane College to delay this matter in order to prevent themselves from treading into a dangerous situation.

    Hearing this, Jay, Tracy, and the others also breathed a sigh of relief. At least, this result was much better for them.

    However, the Kong Clan wouldn¡¯t just sit still and do nothing, since the outcome didn¡¯t go in their favor. Wasting no time, Nathan, the young master of the Kong Clan, suddenly stood and raised an objection. "Sir, I don¡¯t think there is any need to continue your investigation. As we all know, this is a matter involving the Kong Clan. Why don¡¯t you just give him to us? We¡¯ll take over the investigation, and bestow the judgment accordingly after we found the truth."

    The people present also said the same sentiments. They asked the Crane College to hand Zachary over to the Kong Clan. With this, the scene suddenly became a bit chaotic.

 Chapter 868 The Investigation

    "Nathan, do you think our college is incapable of conducting an investigation?" Although Silas had already anticipated the Kong Clan''s demand for Crane College to hand over Zachary, it was an indication that the clan meant to put the college in a dangerous position, since Nathan had asked in front of the public. Silas promptly made a move to set the record straight.

    "I don''t think it''s necessary to involve the college with this matter. Besides, the fact that he killed Louis is certainly beyond reproach. So, he''s still guilty of a reprehensible crime even if we don''t investigate." Nathan gave Zachary a dirty look.

    "Nathan, there''s no reason for us to give Harley up to your clan if you don''t have any proof of his conviction." Jay stepped forward to come into Zachary''s defense.

    "Jay, it''s obvious that he killed Louis and several Imperial Level warriors." Nathan remained very insistent on his belief.

    "Do you have any evidence to prove his crime?" Jay fired back at once.

    "Louis and those Imperial Level warriors were there to teach him a lesson on my orders," Nathan confessed, his gaze piercing through Jay.

    The crowd went into an uproar after Nathan finished talking. Although many people had guessed the same reasoning, it was unusual to hear it straight from him. It was apparent that he wouldn''t stay still until he got what he wanted. He would rather harm his clan''s interests by revealing his sinister intention toward Zachary than let Zachary leave unharmed.

    "Nathan." Harlan frowned at Nathan because his claims wouldn''t bring any good to the Kong Clan.

    Silas'' eyes turned icy. He was not surprised at all because he had already anticipated Nathan''s plan.

    The entire audience was in pandemonium as they began to discuss once again.

    "So, this guy killed Louis and the others to save his life."

    "If that''s the case, then Louis and the others deserved what they got!"

    "I can''t believe that the Kong Clan even sent out a Sage Level warrior to take care of Harley, but when push comes to shove, they got nothing in return!"

    "All of you clan members are so despicable!" After hearing enough, Vivian came forward and condemned Nathan in disdain.

    "Humph! Who cares? He killed our clan members. We will make him pay with blood for sure. No on

    han vanished from sight and then appeared in front of Zachary in a split second.

    "It seems like that you have to do all the hard work yourself, Nathan." Zachary spoke calmly when he saw Nathan standing before him.

    "Today is the day you die!" Nathan threatened, his expression fierce and dreary.

    "Come and kill me then," Zachary replied smoothly. Although he couldn''t use the Sage Level power at this moment, he would never give up without putting up a fight.

    The crowd thought that a fierce battle would ensue when they saw Nathan and his men together, and everyone from the Devil Kingdom huddle at the opposite side.

    In the meanwhile, Silas was still in a quandary. After all, this matter affected Crane College''s reputation and its relationship with the Kong Clan. So, any decision he would make might affect the college.

    On the other side, Nathan, who could no longer hold back, flicked his hand. A blue force that was like a tidal wave surged out, and it incarnated into an astonishingly large, whale-like water beast. It rolled up and progressed straight toward Zachary.

    Zachary had no intention of holding back as he had known that Nathan''s strength was stronger than his. He then released the Ice Armor''s power, and it transformed into an ice demon, rushing up toward the whale. The next moment, nine ice dragons flew out between Zachary''s hands, turning into dragon swords and shooting into the air. They clashed with the power of Nathan''s giant whale, unexpectedly blocking the whale''s momentum.

 Chapter 869 Sage Level Spiritual Soul

    Everyone was startled when they saw that the strangely shaped armor covered Zachary. It was emitting an aggressive aura that surrounded everyone in the vicinity. It exerted an intimidating pressure that made the ordinary people tremble. Furthermore, they could sense that the power it emanated was as powerful as Nathan''s. However, after a brief moment of being in a stalemate, it was still obvious that Nathan''s Sage Level power was stronger. Soon after, the nine ice dragons that were unleashed by Zachary were eventually swallowed by Nathan''s giant whale. Immediately after, the giant whale dove from the sky and rushed straight to Zachary. This vicious creature made the surroundings tremble, creating panic and fear in the hearts of the people on the ground.

    It was known that once the power at the Sage Level was released, it would inevitably generate wide-scale devastation within the area of hundreds to thousands of meters. Therefore, as the fierce battle between Nathan and Zachary broke out, everyone attempted to quickly retreat, avoiding getting caught in such a dangerous situation.

    As the giant whale approached him rapidly, Zachary didn''t seem to have any way to escape. However, his face still remained unusually calm. He just shook his Holy Bone Bracer and immediately formed a huge blue vortex above his head.

    In a flash, the gigantic whale released its power that collided with the blue vortex. This power was then continuously devoured by the blue vortex.

    However, with Zachary''s current strength, it was impossible for the vortex he created to fully devour this tremendous amount of Sage Level power. His face turned pale as he gritted his teeth, and the martial energy in his body began to act wildly. But despite this desperate situation, he didn''t have the slightest intention of backing off.

    The people who witnessed this were appalled by the scene. They didn''t expect that Zachary was tenacious enough to fight against Nathan''s Sage Level power head-on with just his peak Imperial Level strength. This was supposed to be impossible, but Zachary had managed to stand his ground.

    Upon seeing this, Nathan was more infuriated that his eyes were blazing in anger. He was frustrated that a warrior of a lower level could actually go against him. The next moment, he rose into the air again. With a flip of his palms, two more gigantic whales rushed out and soared in the air. They started expanding continuously and attempted to engulf Zachary.

    In the blink of an eye, the three gigantic whales rammed Zachary''s blue vortex at the same time. With the sudden increase of the power that he was absorbing, Zachary immediately spurted a mouthful of blood. His face was already deathly pale under the fierce bashing that he was experiencing. But even with the three ginormous whales simultaneously hammering Zachary with the ferocious Sage Level power, he still pushed forward. His eyes were still lit up, without any hint of giving up.

    "Harley!" At the sudden turn of e

    ely collected himself and got ready for a counterattack. Then, he waved his hand and instantly infused the Sage Level power that he had absorbed back to the bracer. In the blink of an eye, Zachary was able to discharge the same three giant whales that Nathan had. With this, the six immense whales collided with each other and produced an earth-shaking impact. Because of this, both Zachary and Nathan were forced to take several steps backward. As a result, the two ended in a stalemate again.

    All the people present couldn''t believe their eyes. Not only did Zachary block Nathan''s Sage Level power, but he did it by acquiring Nathan''s power and making it his own. This was definitely not something a warrior at the Imperial Level was capable of.

    "You monster! How can you even withstand all of my attacks?!" Nathan was so exasperated that he shouted in pure resentment. As soon as his voice trailed off, a soul shadow suddenly appeared behind him. It was like a kelpie, which was about ten feet high. The light of water flowed all over its huge body. It didn''t have a physical body, but instead, it was like a condensed form of liquid that emitted a terrifying aura at the Sage Level.

    "What the hell? Is that a spiritual soul?!" "Not just any spiritual soul. It''s a Sage Level spiritual soul!"

    "It seems that Nathan''s already determined to finish Zachary with this one."

    "I think so too! Harley is so screwed!"

    In the midst of the noise created by the spectators, the kelpie suddenly gave off a stream of water energy. Like a raging tidal wave, it rushed towards Zachary at an astonishing speed.

    Discerning that it was something more powerful than the rest of Nathan''s previous attacks, Zachary immediately released Gisele''s spiritual soul and Andrew''s Sage Soul power. As the shadows of the two spiritual souls appeared behind him, everyone in the audience was flabbergasted. They couldn''t perceive how much more were they going to be surprised at what Zachary could actually do.

 Chapter 870 Lend Me Your Power

    "I don''t believe this! Two spiritual souls? Is this guy even human?"

    "Although I''ve heard of this before, I didn''t expect this rumor to be true."

    "Even a Sage Level warrior won''t be able to cultivate two spiritual souls, yet he could do it easily even with only the strength of an Imperial Level warrior."

    "This is insane!"

    This discovery bewildered everyone present!

    Even the dignitaries of Crane College appeared astonished, including Silas, basing on their faces'' subtle expression changes.

    When Nathan''s water soul energy drew closer, the power of Andrew''s Sage Soul repelled it at once. It fully absorbed the former in a flash. Zachary then used the God-slaying Formula to repeal the blue vortex''s power and used it for his benefit. Simultaneously, the spiritual soul of Gisele behind him combined with Andrew''s Sage Soul, resulting in Gisele''s direct transformation into something gorgeous. She now wore an elegant icy silk robe while holding a water-like sword in one hand. Her delicate body gracefully swayed like she was gliding midair. In an instant, a massive wavelike sword shadow darted out of the sky and crashed straight into the water soul energy.

    Violent gusts of wind swept all over the entire Crane Wing Square in a split second, bringing along surging energy. The unstoppable and extraordinary power of Sage Level filled the surroundings, much to everyone''s surprise.

    The sudden gust caught everyone off guard. They never predicted that Zachary could set free a Sage Level soul superior to what Nathan could release. But what astonished them further was the vast sword shadow''s next move, as it managed to break the water soul energy and sent it racing back to Nathan with great momentum.

    Nathan looked shocked with what he just witnessed as if he hadn''t expected that Zachary would have the capacity to do so. He also released his power to thwart the incoming attack.

    Boom!

    In the blink of an eye, the sword shadow slit through Nathan''s defensive power. In a minute, flashes of blinding light as sharp as a lightning bolt shot out.

    Threatened by the intense impact, Nathan kept falling back. He didn''t stop retreating until it was about ten meters away. It wasn''t long after that the sword shadow faded away at last. When its power died out finally, Nathan heaved a sigh of relief, despite the trace of blood that smeared the corner of his mouth. The pow

    e my real power. Are you willing to go this far for a woman?" Andrew asked.

    "Lend... me... your power!" Zachary stressed every word firmly.

    "Ha-ha, okay, I will lend it to you. But don''t play yourself to death!" Andrew teased while laughing out loud.

    The next moment, the Holy Bone Bracer shook violently. Rays of dazzling blue light shot out nonstop from it and came together into Zachary''s chest. Soon, Zachary''s aura increased at full speed. His exhaustion slowly faded, and violent power filled his body.

    The crowd at the scene was even more dumbfounded when they saw this.

    "You..." Nathan was speechless as well to see this up close. He had no clue where Zachary''s sudden burst of power came from.

    Before he could figure it out, Zachary transformed into a mass of shining blue light and charged straight to his direction. Nathan''s reflexes prompted him to flip his hand and activate two giant whales once again.

    Even so, Zachary ignored the two whales. With a slight wave of his hand, the whales got eliminated with ease.

    "How is that possible?" With eyes wide open, Nathan initiated another attack, but he still couldn''t prevent Zachary from coming closer, which made the distress he was feeling look obvious.

    Under the crowd''s watchful gaze, Zachary turned up under the nose of Nathan. He didn''t release his martial skill. Instead, he merely smacked Nathan''s face quite hard. A tremendous blue shock wave swelled from the top of his fist in a flash as it continued to expand. It covered a range of a few hundred meters, engulfing anything on its path, including Nathan.

 Chapter 871 Master At The Holy Level

    Soon, the power released by Zachary continued to spread out. The crowd, which had already retreated hundreds of meters away, felt the strong shockwave rush towards them like a violent storm. Many of the weaker ones were swept off their feet due to the terrible force.

    In an instant, the whole place was a complete mess.

    However, the stronger warriors stood their ground. It seemed that they were too shocked to even retreat to safety. Despite the rampant attack, the whole place became silent. Both heaven and earth seemed to be baffled by the seemingly ordinary, yet powerful attack from Zachary.

    It was not until quite a while later that the shockwave settled down. Nathan, who had received the punch head-on, was half kneeling a few meters away. His face was deathly pale as he spat a mouthful of blood.

    "Nathan is down? No way!"

    "This is incredible! Looks like it was no accident that Harley could kill Louis."

    "This guy is on a whole other level! He is terrifying!"

    Once they were out of the initial shock, the crowd boiled with excitement.

    However, before they could recover completely from their shock, a figure with an intimidating aura at the premium stage of Sage Level appeared by Nathan''s side. Harlan, the Sage Level warrior of the Kong Clan, stood beside Nathan with an intense look on his face.

    "Young master, are you all right?" Harlan asked with concern.

    "I''m fine! Just kill that guy for me!" Nathan yelled, shaking his head and glaring at Zachary with contempt.

    Zachary''s gaze also fell on Harlan, who had suddenly appeared. With bright red hair and whiskers all over his face, Harlan was thin and tall. He wore a golden silk robe, and his aura at the Sage Level was something to look up to.

    "I didn''t want to fight you, but you have killed a Sage Level warrior of the Kong Clan and also hurt our young master. You''re vicious, and hence, I will have to enforce justice on behalf of the Kong Clan." With a deadly cold look in his eyes, Harlan launched a palm strike, which soon turned into a huge, aggressive shadow of a fire leopard. It rushed towards Zachary with the intent to kill.

    Zachary''s eyes narrowed. As he prepa

    Tania turned to Harlan, her eyes cold and dangerous. "Were you trying to kill him just now?" she asked.

    Harlan, who was arrogant and aggressive only a moment ago, was now torn by Tania''s threatening look. He wasn''t stupid enough to go against a Holy Level warrior, so he hurriedly waved his hand and stammered, "Oh, no! You have misunderstood my intentions. I made a mistake!"

    "A mistake?" Tania mumbled with a smirk. Then, she gently waved her hand.

    With a bang, Harlan was thrown back a few meters into the air. He landed with blood at the corner of his mouth, and there was a five-finger mark on his face.

    The crowd couldn''t help but tremble. Even with his power at the Sage Level, Harlan still could not even dodge a simple palm strike. The true strength of this Holy Level warrior was simply terrifying!

    "Madam," Silas said, stepping forward. "May I know your name?" He cupped his hands in front of his chest. According to the rules of the Supernal Continent, a Holy Level warrior never showed up anywhere casually. So, this master''s presence here, at this moment, was something very important.

    "You don''t deserve to know my name. I''m only here today because I heard that my disciple was being wrongly framed and accused of murdering a Sage Level warrior of the Kong Clan. Is this true?" Tania asked Silas casually.

    "The case is still under investigation, and we haven''t reached a decision yet..." Silas answered honestly.

 Chapter 872 The New Clue

    "Why should we continue to investigate at all? I am absolutely sure that he killed Louis and the others!" Nathan said through gritted teeth. The appearance of the Zachary''s Holy Level maser threw him off. With this powerful warrior defending him, Nathan was worried that Zachary would escape unscathed. He had to speak up now to convict him on the spot without any further investigation.

    "So what if he did kill Louis? He was a mere Sage Level warrior...a nobody," Tania said indifferently.

    "How dare you!" Nathan uttered unbelievably. He could not say anything else; he was rendered speechless.

    The crowd burst into whispers upon hearing Tania''s arrogant claim. But in front of her powerful presence, no one dared to say anything against her.

    "If the Kong Clan has any objection, I''m willing to fight against all of you in the name of the Dignified Supernal Sect," she added, casting a disdainful glance at Nathan.

    The crowd fell into an eerie silence when Tania mentioned the Dignified Supernal Sect, a superior force to be reckoned with in the entire Supernal Continent. Rumor was that the sect was more than powerful to contend and win against all four martial colleges where talented elites gathered. Aside from that, in the past hundred years, the Dignified Supernal Sect had produced a great number of Sage Level warriors and Holy Level warriors. The sect was unique as it never admitted just any disciple; they chose only warriors who were above the Imperial Level. And not all Imperial Level warriors could enter the sect easily. Only elite ones received permission to become members of the sect after successfully undergoing a series of strenuous tests. For all these reasons, the Dignified Supernal Sect was deemed unimaginably stronger than the rest of them.

    However, although the Dignified Supernal Sect was powerful beyond question, it kept a low profile at all times and rarely got involved in the disputes of the Supernal Continent, unless there was a major discord or event.

    In fact, the Dignified Supernal Sect was not the only powerful sect in the Supernal Continent. Many such sects and forces existed secretly, staying out of usual business on the continent. Some of them were even unknown to the world.

    And now, there was a Holy Level warrior from such a sect in Crane

    dy is at its limit. If you had continued to act recklessly, you would have been crippled for life if you weren''t dead already. Although there is a powerful spiritual soul sealed in your Holy Bone Bracer, the soul power is not something you can easily use. Here, take this pill." She took out a purple pill and handed it to Zachary. She knew him very well, and was aware that he often got into dire trouble. So, as soon as she had gotten the news, she had rushed over to lend him a hand.

    Without saying a word, Zachary took the pill and swallowed it.

    "So, tell me about this new clue," Tania said promptly.

    "Oh, yes. Here it is." He showed her the green feather he had found. "This probably belongs to the Fighting Crane. We should go to the messenger of the Fighting Crane, the Godly Phoenix."

    Tania nodded. She grabbed onto Zachary and they flew to the lair of the Godly Phoenix.

    Before long, the two of them landed next to the lair.

    At that moment, the Godly Phoenix was resting inside its lair. When it noticed their presence, it immediately raised its head vigilantly. Seeing that it was Zachary, it relaxed.

    "I''ll go inside and talk to it," Zachary said. Then, he walked into the lair and stopped in front of the Godly Phoenix.

    "Mimi, activate the mutual communication system," he said.

    Once Mimi activated the communication system, Zachary said to the Godly Phoenix, "I found the feather of the Fighting Crane. Check it out. This is the one!" He raised the green feather and showed it to the Godly Phoenix.

 Chapter 873 Appearance Of The Fighting Crane

    "I hadn''t expected you to find it. As great as that is, there are actually quite a few of the Fighting Crane''s feathers in the Beast Tamer Space. It left them on purpose for those who were destined to meet it someday. Since you managed to find one of the feathers, that must mean you''re one of those destined to see it sooner or later," the Godly Phoenix said indifferently as it looked at the emerald feather in Zachary''s hand.

    "Alas! It appears I was right; the feathers were scattered everywhere. No wonder I was able to find one so easily," Zachary responded, slightly disappointed.

    "No need to feel so disheartened. It''s actually not that easy to find feathers in the Beast Tamer Space. If you didn''t have luck on your side, you would not have been able to hold such a feather in your hand right now," the Godly Phoenix added in a soothing tone.

    "That means I am destined to meet the Fighting Crane now, right? How can I find it?" Zachary asked, feeling a little better.

    "It''s quite simple now that you got this far. All you have to do is burning this feather at the top of the highest mountain on the island. The Fighting Crane will appear soon after," the Godly Phoenix explained.

    "That''s all I have to do? Nothing else?" Hearing that, Zachary was stunned. A legendary beast shouldn''t be found so easily. To only have to burn a feather that could be found almost everywhere in the Beast Tamer Space seemed like an unlikely way to make it appear.

    "Yes, that''s all you have to do," the Godly Phoenix said, confirming with a determined look.

    "You''re not lying to me, are you?" Zachary asked. A part of him couldn''t help but doubt the strangeness of the instructions.

    "Why would I lie? You have a Holy Level warrior on your side. Lying to you will only bring trouble onto my head," the Godly Phoenix said with a snort after a quick glance at Tania.

    "Thank you for the information, then." Zachary slowly turned around and walked towards Tania.

    "What''s going on?" Tania asked immediately.

    "It said that the Fighting Crane would appear once we burn this feather at the top of the highest mountain in Crane College," Zachary informed her.

    "Is that so?" Tania was just as surprised. It appeared too simple to be true to her too. After all, she had been searching for the Fighting Crane for many years so far, but all her efforts were in vain. Never had she expected that it would be that easy to f

    the God of War and my race were close," the Fighting Crane said with a nod.

    "The God of War? I feel like I''ve heard of him before. Wait! Did you just say your race? Do legendary beasts have a race?" Zachary asked in surprise. "Yes, we are a race onto ourselves.

    Back when the Five Gods existed, my race was very powerful. There were even countless races much stronger than us," the Fighting Crane explained with a laugh.

    "Really? That''s amazing!" This piece of information surprised Zachary. That meant back when the Five Gods existed, legendary beasts roamed the world.

    "Since you''re practicing the God-slaying Formula, we were destined to meet. Do you have any wishes? If so, let me know what they are and I will make them happen," the Fighting Crane added.

    "Well, I don''t personally have any wishes. Can my master make wishes on my behalf?" Zachary asked after glancing at Tania.

    "No," the Fighting Crane flatly refused.

    "Well..." Zachary was at a loss on what to do now.

    "In that case, let it teach you resurrection and how to cure different diseases," Tania whispered to Zachary''s after a moment of hesitation.

    "I don''t think that will be easy to do. I''m afraid I''m not smart enough to master that," Zachary said with raised eyebrows.

    "If you really were that stupid, you would not have qualified to be my disciple," Tania responded with gritted teeth.

    "All right, I''ll do as you said," Zachary said, having no other option. He turned to the Fighting Crane and said, "Sir, I heard that you can cure all diseases and bring living beings back to life. Is this true, if I may ask?"

 Chapter 874 Healing Reviving Skill

    "Yes, I assume you are talking about the Healing Reviving Skill. It is an exclusive skill of our race," the Fighting Crane said, nodding its head nostalgically.

    "Will you teach me that skill?" Zachary requested politely.

    "By principle, I am not allowed to. However, I''m the only descendant of our race left in this world. Decades ago, my corporeal body vanished into nothingness because of the law of the world, and now I exist only in the spiritual soul form. Without an heir, I''m afraid the skill will be lost forever. It must be destiny that you and I have met today; I will consider you as my heir and impart you the knowledge behind the Healing Reviving Skill. But remember, this skill goes against the will of heaven. So, when you try to revive a person or a beast, you will have to pay a huge price in return," the Fighting Crane warned.

    "What price?" Zachary asked curiously.

    "Your own body will serve as the oblation," the crane said in a grave tone.

    "What do you mean?" Zachary''s eyes narrowed.

    "I''m saying that you must be mentally prepared for the possibility of losing a part of your body every time you use this skill," the Fighting Crane answered after hesitating for a moment.

    "Well, that sounds a little scary." Zachary''s expression changed slightly.

    "Do you still want to learn it?" the Fighting Crane asked.

    Zachary turned to look at Tania and nodded immediately. "Yes, I do." It was Tania''s wish to learn this skill, so as her disciple, it was his duty to fulfill her wish.

    "You''re a brave young man. Don''t worry, as long as the skill is not used to bring back the dead to life, you will not have to pay such a hefty price. Use it only to cure people or beasts. Besides, there are other benefits from learning this skill as well," the Fighting Crane advised.

    "Other benefits?" Zachary asked.

    "Yes. Once you cultivate this skill, you will possess an almost immortal body. Unless your spiritual soul is destroyed, even a Holy Level warrior will not be able to kill you," the crane explained.

    "Immortal body? Are you saying I will live forever?" Zachary asked incredulously.

    "No, you will not. Even I couldn''t escape the law of heaven and earth in the end, but it is certain that you can live longer," it answered.

    "That''s mo

    It will help with your cultivation."

    "But you so badly wanted to learn the Healing Reviving Skill..." Zachary mused.

    "Nonsense! Just keep it!" Tania scolded impatiently.

    "All right." Zachary couldn''t argue with her anymore.

    "You have reached the eighth grade of Imperial Level, right?" she asked.

    "Yes." Zachary nodded.

    "I have a few rare Imperial Level treasures. Take them for your cultivation. They should be able to help you break through to the ninth grade of Imperial Level in a short amount of time. Besides, you should soon get ready to catch the Undefiled Beast, the third elite treasure beast which can produce the rare treasure used to break through to the Sage Level," Tania instructed.

    "I don''t think that will be an easy task," he murmured with a frown.

    "No need to fret. Although the Undefiled Beast is only at the first grade of Sage Level, it will still be rather difficult to handle alone. You should take Anne with you," she suggested.

    "I''m afraid I can''t do that!" Zachary knew that the system had restrictions on Anne, so she could not leave the system.

    "Don''t be a fool! Just use some kind of trick, okay?" Tania rebuked, hitting him on his arm.

    "What tricks?" he asked, confused by her sudden outburst.

    "I am still not sure what this so-called system is, but I know that it is a special existence and it is closely related to you. If you insist on breaking a few rules, I''m pretty sure that it cannot really stop you from doing it anyway," she said with a smirk.

 Chapter 875 Need Of An Exception

    "That''s true, but if I go too far, I''m afraid the system will react adversely," said Zachary, knowing well that the system was not under his control. Although it usually made exceptions for him, he had to pay a certain price for breaking the norms.

    "If you don''t even have the guts to do what''s necessary, then you can stop dreaming about being my disciple!" Tania threatened in a disdainful tone.

    "Okay, all right! I''ll give it a try!" he said, nodding immediately, or Tania would continue to look down on him.

    "The Imperial Level Warrior Contest will take place in less than two months. You''d better hurry up and break through to the Sage Level before that," she reminded. Tania had placed great hopes on Zachary, and he did not want to let her down.

    "Even if I don''t break through to the Sage Level, I won''t lose," he said confidently.

    "It''s not as easy as you think. As far as I know, several of the Imperial Level warriors who are participating in the contest have kept their true strength hidden from prying eyes. So, winning the first place is impossible unless you break through to the Sage Level," Tania said with certainty.

    "Hidden? What do you mean?" Zachary asked hesitantly. Tania was throwing some hint.

    "You''ll know when the time comes," she said, deliberately keeping him in the dark. Then she continued, "It''s time for me to leave. You should be careful. The Kong Clan may not be willing to give up yet, but as long as you don''t give them a chance to attack you from the shadows, they will not be able to harm you."

    "After your appearance today, I don''t think they would have the guts to do anything," Zachary said with a proud smile. Even though the Kong Clan wanted him dead, they wouldn''t dare do anything to him recklessly after knowing that he was being backed by a Holy Level warrior.

    "Don''t be too complacent now. I''m leaving." Tania gave him a reproachful glare. Then, she rose into the air, quickly turned into a colorful shadow and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    "Goodbye, Master Tania!" Zachary waved in the direction she had disappeared with a sigh. ''She comes and goes as she pleases,'' he thought with a dry laugh.

    Soon after, he went back to Crane College since he was still worried about Alisa.

    After finding the attic where she lived, he sneaked in without making any noise.

    e from me, not unless he decides never to come back to the Xiao Clan again," Zachary snorted in disdain.

    Seeing the anger on Zachary''s face, Jay and Tracy looked at each other and knew at once that Kemp had dug his own grave.

    However, Zachary had no time to waste on Kemp at the moment. He had to catch the third elite treasure beast, so he told Jay and the others that he would be cultivating for the next month and that if he didn''t come back on time, they should go to the Imperial Level Warrior Contest without him.

    Then, Zachary went back to his cave and entered the system.

    "Mimi, I have decided to catch the third elite treasure beast. But this one is difficult to deal with. Can I take Anne with me for assistance?" Zachary asked coyly.

    "No," Mimi replied immediately.

    "Why not? Can''t you make an exception for me this time? I''m going to catch an elite treasure beast of Sage Level. At least let me bring a bodyguard!" He tried to persuade Mimi.

    "I cannot allow it according to the rules of the system," Mimi emphasized.

    "The rules are set by the system, so they can also be changed by the system. If I fail to catch the third elite treasure beast, I won''t be able to win the championship at the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. If that happens, don''t blame me for not working hard enough! And remember that if I don''t win the championship, further development of the main quest would be impacted negatively as well, which would have other repercussions. I don''t think the system would want that to happen!" Zachary said defiantly.

 Chapter 876 The Undefiled Beast

    Mimi fell instantly silent. Seeing that Mimi had stopped talking, Zachary laughed inwardly.

    ''Tania was right. Sometimes threats work.''

    Before long, Mimi''s sweet voice came out again. "I''ve been told that we will make an exception for you this time, but you won''t be able to do it again."

    "Thank you, Mimi." Zachary laughed and then went to the Living-dead Tomb to see Anne.

    Once he met her, he told her that all about how Tania had come to Crane College to help him out.

    "I didn''t think she would be able to make it to Crane College. It''s so glad that she made it eventually." Anne let out a sigh of relief.

    "The system is making an exception this time around. They''ll let you accompany me to catch the third elite treasure beast." Zachary gave her the news.

    "Really? That''s great. I can take advantage of this opportunity to help you break through to the Sage Level," Anne said with a hint of joy.

    "That''s what I was thinking as well. I can break through more easily with your help." Zachary nodded in agreement.

    Now that Anne could accompany him, they headed straight to the Towering Mountains through the Pilgrimage Space''s transmission function. It was where the third elite treasure beast, the Undefiled Beast, existed.

    The Towering Mountains were the gathering spot of sacred beasts. No less than twenty lived there, as well as countless imperial beasts. It was a dangerous place. If Zachary went there alone, it wouldn''t be likely for him to catch the Undefiled Beast since it was as powerful as a Sage Level treasure beast.

    However, with Anne by his side this time around, he shouldn''t have any problems.

    After entering the Towering Mountains, Zachary used honey to trace the whereabouts of the beast just like before. With Anne''s protection and guidance, they successfully found the Undefiled Beast in less than five days. It had been playing in the water nea

    lie to me? This is clearly a sealing tool!" The beast suddenly appeared on the other side of the water. It glared at Zachary. Eight water columns rushed out around its body. They turned into dragons, heading straight to Zachary.

    Zachary, however, pursed his lips. Apparently, he had underestimated the Undefiled Beast.

    Zachary couldn''t risk being careless. He was facing a sacred beast, after all. He quickly used the Ice Armor and released Gisele''s spiritual soul. He followed that by releasing the Sage Level spiritual energy in the Holy Bone Bracer and integrated it with Gisele''s spiritual soul.

    Gisele''s spiritual soul evolved, and then turned into a huge ice sword to take the attack in his stead. Bang! Bang! Bang! In the blink of an eye, the ice sword collided with the eight dragons.

    The astonishing impact submerged the entire stone platform into the water.

    As Gisele''s spiritual soul had merged with the Sage Level spiritual energy, its ice sword destroyed all the dragons. But it hadn''t lost momentum. It rushed towards the Undefiled Beast.

    Zachary''s strength seemed to have taken the Undefiled Beast by surprise. But that didn''t last for long. Soon, a round water film formed around the Undefiled Beast''s body and covered it.

    Bang!

 Chapter 877 The Contest Approaching

    Forged by Gisele''s spiritual soul, the ice sword hit the water film, pressing it firmly until it got out of shape, but the sword couldn''t break through it with success. After a short pause, the water film started to squirm quickly, surprisingly dissolving the ice sword little by little.

    Before long, the Undefiled Beast effectively neutralized Zachary''s power. Its pitch-black eyes were impossible to read, and it then charged toward Zachary without showing any indication. A layer of water waves surged behind it, which was growing bigger and climbing higher as if it was going to swallow Zachary straight away.

    The ice sword was regarded as Zachary''s most decisive weapon of attack. Unfortunately, it also consumed most of his strength. So after just one strike, he could not rerelease its power for a short while, and he couldn''t effectively hinder the Undefiled Beast''s dominance.

    Still, he didn''t show any concern because he wasn''t facing the beast on his own at this point.

    Just as the Undefiled Beast was about to attack Zachary again, several light shadows resembling small wisps descended from the sky and broke through the water film, enclosing all over the beast at once.

    The beast never anticipated that Zachary would have some support to back him up. Besides, the energy seemed to be very strong, so it struggled to break away from the light shadows at once. But it was apparent that it couldn''t handle the force grappling it.

    The situation proved unfavorable for the beast, so its body worked its way to change into water, becoming smaller by the minute. It shifted into a liquid state to escape, and this kind of transformation was one of its unique abilities.

    "Do it now!" Suddenly, a gentle voice echoed from midair.

    Simultaneously, Zachary had already raced to get to the beast. The Ice Armor on his body glowed as it released an astonishing amount of ice energy. It solidified the water surface within hundreds of meters from his position and restrained the beast''s power as well.

    A second later, a damask shadow sailed down from the sky and bound itself around the Undefiled Beast''s body, converting it back into its original form.

    The beast was not yet over and done with Zachary. It glowered at him in rage and discharged a powerful aura of Sage Level like it was going to fight

    k to Crane College to meet up with the rest of his teammates. After two days of standing by, since they still needed to go to Celestial College to make the final preparations, Jay, who was in charge of commanding the team, went ahead first with Tracy and the others. He just left Zachary a message to meet up with them at Celestial College.

    Almost all the participating Imperial Level warriors had assembled in the Unicorn Hall of Celestial College, including Sage Level warriors. They only received information to gather together and then were asked to proceed there, so they had no clue what was going on. They were busy conversing among themselves about the likely reason.

    "Sir, we still haven''t heard anything from Harley. Is there something wrong?" Tracy, asked Jay with concern. Harley had directed them to go to Celestial College first if he didn''t make it on schedule. Being one of the representatives, if Zachary didn''t show up on time, it would be very detrimental to their kingdom.

    Although the Imperial Level Warrior Contest was a competition amongst the top Imperial Level warriors, it was also acknowledged as a battle between the four kingdoms. The contest might end up with a single winner, but the kingdom where the warrior came from would strengthen its power and reputation among the four kingdoms. Therefore, during the challenges, representatives from different kingdoms must cooperate and attempt their best to be on top. Only when they became united as a group could they achieve supremacy or they might lose miserably.

 Chapter 878 A Surprising Figure

    "He didn''t tell me where he was going. He always keeps his whereabouts a secret, but there''s no need to worry about him!" Vivian said, still looking pretty worried despite her upset words.

    "Another ten days left before the Imperial Level Warrior Contest begins. As long as he returns before the beginning of the contest, it will not be a problem," said Jay with a slight frown. "I''m still worried about Kemp. Ever since he ran away from Crane College and returned to the Xiao Clan, there hasn''t been any news about him."

    "Don''t worry about that jerk. I know him well. Even after creating all that trouble, he wouldn''t miss the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. He will show up sooner or later," Vivian said with certainty.

    "Tracy, Nola," Jay said, turning towards them. "When Kemp shows up here, let''s deal with him once we are done with the contest. Otherwise, it may end up affecting your performance."

    Tracy and Nola exchanged a quick glance. The Imperial Level Warrior Contest was the most important thing to take care of at the moment. Their fight with Kemp needed to be put on hold. At the thought of it, both of them nodded in agreement.

    On the other side of the hall was Alisa, who was one among the representative team of Crane College. Every now and then, she stole glances to where Jay and the others stood. After hesitating for a while, she walked over to them.

    Seeing Alisa, Jay and the others nodded to her in greeting.

    "Is there anything we can do for you, Alisa?" Jay asked, even though he could guess why she had come over to them.

    "Ahem. I don''t see Harley around. Isn''t he here yet?" she asked innocently. She had not seen Zachary since she had woken up from her injuries. Later when she inquired about him, Alisa found that he had left Crane College last month and had not returned since. She had been looking forward to seeing him at the contest venue.

    "Harley is yet to arrive. He asked us to leave early. He should be on his way here," Jay replied with a smile.

    "Oh really? I see." Alisa had nothing else to say. She walked back in silence.

    "I think Alisa is in love with

    "I see." Katrina nodded and turned to the leader of Crane College. "What about your college? Is everyone here?"

    "All five Imperial Level warriors of our college have arrived," said the leader of Crane College.

    "Good," Katrina replied. Then she looked at Jay from the Devil Kingdom and asked, "Why isn''t Harley here yet?"

    Jay was stunned, and so were the others. They didn''t expect that Katrina would call out Zachary''s name.

    The participants from the other colleges looked at each other in surprise. They had more or less heard rumors about "Harley", especially from warriors of Crane College. Not long ago, he had caused big trouble by killing a Sage Level warrior of the Kong Clan, one of the three main clans in the Vanity Kingdom. However, he was spared unconditionally because of the timely arrival of his master who was at the Holy Level.

    Despite the rumors, it was still strange that Katrina called out his name in particular. It seemed like she knew him personally.

    Jay and the others understood the reason after some thought. Zachary had originally been a disciple of Celestial College, and it looked like Katrina knew him during that time.

    But to those who didn''t know this information, the situation seemed most suspicious. They wondered what was going on between Katrina and Zachary. Murmurs erupted in the hall as the crowd started discussing about the different possibilities.

 Chapter 879 Riley

    "Harley left Crane College last month to cultivate in seclusion. He had asked us not to wait for him, but he should be on his way here," Jay replied calmly.

    "Is that so?" Katrina nodded slightly and continued to speak. "I heard that something dire happened in Crane College while he was there for his further studies." She had heard that Zachary had gotten into trouble for killing a Sage Level warrior of the Kong Clan. If she had known about the incident while it was happening, she would have dealt with it in person. To her surprise, she heard that Zachary was saved in time because his master from the Dignified Supernal Sect had appeared out of nowhere in the nick of time. Apparently, she was also a Holy Level warrior. She had forthrightly used the name of the sect to suppress the Kong Clan, shutting them up for good. When she had heard the news, Katrina wondered when Zachary had apprenticed under such a master.

    "Regarding the incident at Crane College... Harley was framed, Master Katrina," Jay explained.

    "Framed? Who did such a thing?" Katrina''s brows furrowed in anger.

    Jay and the others looked at each other and then they turned in unison to look at Vivian.

    "Master Katrina, it may have something to do with one of the Imperial Level warriors from the Xiao Clan. Once the Imperial Level Warrior Contest is over, I will deal with it myself," Vivian said in a hurry. She was afraid that Katrina would get involved and destroy their clan to get revenge for Zachary. Although Xiao Clan was the second largest clan in the Devil Kingdom, they could not afford to piss off a Holy Level warrior.

    "And you are?" Katrina asked as she surveyed Vivian and found that she was only at the primary stage of Imperial Level. She didn''t think that Vivian could take part in the contest.

    "I am Vivian from the Xiao Clan," she replied with cupped hands.

    "Oh, you are the Xiao Clan''s daughter who is engaged to Harley." Katrina accessed her from top to bottom.

    The crowd too turned to look at Vivian; many of them turned green with jealousy. They had thought that she was only a representative, but didn''t expect that she would be the daughter of the Xiao Clan who was engaged to Zach

    iciously. After hesitating for a moment, he grabbed the bottle and went inside.

    Not long after, Billy came out in a hurry. As soon as he saw Zachary, he cupped his hands and said, "Harley, how are you?"

    "Not too bad," Zachary said with a smile.

    "This way, please," Billy said immediately.

    He followed Billy to the backyard of the Phoenix House and then to the Phoenix Hall.

    Riley, who was dealing with business in the Phoenix Hall, immediately dismissed the others and stood up to welcome Zachary.

    "You are finally here! I thought you went missing." She was overjoyed. Seeing Zachary again was like a miracle because there had been no news of him till now, which was very concerning. She had even sent out people to look for him everywhere.

    "You only care about the Hatching Fluid," Zachary said with a smile.

    "What are you talking about? I care about you too," Riley complained, pouting like a kid.

    "Here. There are five bottles of Hatching Fluid. It should last for a while."

    "Did you come here just to bring me the Hatching Fluid?" Riley asked after ordering Billy to take the bottles without any hesitation.

    "There is no fooling you, is there? I do have something to ask of you," Zachary admitted.

    "What can I do for you? Tell me," she said simply.

    "The Phoenix House has branches in the Supernal Continent. So, you must have good connections and information regarding the clans and sects of the four kingdoms," Zachary said.

 Chapter 880 A Friend

    "Yes, I know them, more or less," Riley replied carefully.

    "I need your help to get some detailed information about the Zi Clan. The more detailed, the better," said Zachary.

    "The Zi Clan? From the Enigmatic Kingdom? If I remember right, it is the most rapidly developing clan in the Enigmatic Kingdom in recent years. It has risen to be in par with the other great clans and sects. What''s your interest in them?" Riley eyed him suspiciously. Obviously, Zachary was up to something again!

    "Don''t ask me for my reason, Riley. Just help me inquire about the clan in return for the Hatching Fluid," Zachary replied flatly.

    "Of course, I will. After all, you came all the way to deliver the Hatching Fluid. I appreciated the effort," Riley announced, nodding her head.

    "Thank you. Once you find something, send someone to Celestial College. I should attend the Imperial Level Warrior Contest there," Zachary reminded, getting ready to leave.

    "All right, I''ll do that. I will send someone from the Phoenix Pavilion immediately," promised Riley.

    "Okay. I will wait for word from you." He got up and left in a hurry after bidding goodbye to her.

    "Master Riley, Harley used to be a warrior from the Enigmatic Kingdom. He may be harboring some grudge against the Zi Clan. I''m afraid we may get ourselves involved in unnecessary disputes if we help him," Billy warned uneasily after Zachary left the Phoenix house.

    "So what? Are we now afraid of a clan which is not even a superpower? Compared to the huge benefits we reap from the Hatching Fluid, offending a measly clan is no big deal. Moreover, don''t forget that Harley is the future son-in-law of the Xiao Clan. Even if he is planning something against the Zi Clan, the Xiao Clan will be the first to get into trouble, not us. We''ll make sure of that. But in the meantime, we should ensure Harley''s safety while he is in the Enigmatic Kingdom. Head back to the Phoenix Pavilion right away and ask Master Holy Phoenix if she is willing to send a Sage Level warrior and a few Imperial Level warriors to the Enigmatic Kingdom to protect Harley in the pretense of participating in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest." Zachary was the golden goose of the Phoenix Pav

    ch with you soon. Look forward to it." Saying so, Zachary turned around to leave.

    "Wait!" Elva shouted. In an instant, she appeared behind Zachary. There was so much more she wanted to ask.

    However, as her hand touched Zachary''s shoulder, he already turned into a shadow and disappeared from her sight.

    "Where did he go? Hey!" Elva yelled.

    Another figure appeared in the yard. Seeing Elva running around in excitement, she asked curiously, "Elva, what''s the matter?"

    "Sara! Did you see a man pass by here just now?" Elva asked urgently.

    "I didn''t. Why? What''s going on?" Sara looked at her in confusion.

    "You didn''t? But I... It couldn''t have been an illusion. He said that..." Elva murmured. She looked around, but the man she just saw was nowhere to be seen. He was gone.

    "What are you talking about, Elva? Are you okay?" Sara asked with concern.

    "Yes, I''m okay. Well, I''m probably just tired." Elva decided not to tell Sara what the mysterious man had told her. Although she trusted Sara, if Zachary was really alive, then this matter was of great importance and should not be easily revealed.

    "Let''s go. The contest is about to begin. I have to complete my killing martial skill," Sara urged her.

    As the youngest top Imperial Level warrior, Sara was representing the Celestial College in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. She was hoping to get a good ranking in the competition.

    Without saying anything further, Elva nodded and left with her.

 Chapter 881 The First To Reach The Peak

    After leaving Elva something to look forward to, Zachary inquired about the disciple dormitory''s address, where Jay and the others had stayed so that he could meet up with him and the rest of his teammates.

    When he arrived at the dormitory, the faces of Tracy and the others displayed immense relief to see him at last. They were busy getting themselves acquainted with the challenges involved in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest.

    "We''re so glad to know you finally made it. Everyone thought you would be late," Vivian fussed.

    "Sorry to have kept you all waiting. I took a trip back to the Devil Kingdom first before proceeding here," Zachary responded.

    "You went back to the Devil Kingdom? Were you able to visit the Xiao Clan?" Vivian asked out of curiosity.

    "I didn''t get the chance." Zachary shook his head in reply.

    "Well, I just thought you would go back to the Xiao Clan to settle the score with Kemp." Vivian heaved a sigh of relief.

    "I will deal with him sooner or later. I''m not in a rush to exact revenge against that guy. But why isn''t he here?" Zachary noticed Kemp was not around.

    "All of us are also wondering the same thing. He''s probably already here, but he doesn''t dare to show up just yet. He must be scared that we will prey on him," Tracy butted in.

    "Is he being a coward?" Zachary ridiculed.

    Tracy and the others looked at one another, and swapped smiles.

    "Harley, it''s good that you made it on schedule. We are getting ourselves familiar right now with the challenges of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. Come and take a closer look." Jay motioned for Zachary to come over.

    "Sure, I''d want to." Zachary nodded. He then walked up and caught sight of a topographic map of the Sacred Peak on top of a stone table in the courtyard. However, it was different from the regular ones. This particular one was very twisted, and it was apparent to be a mountain map.

    "I don''t know much about the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. Is there somebody who can enlighten me with it?" Zachary asked in good faith.

    "Oh, this contest is distinct from the regular competitions. It doesn''t involve a direct encounter between one Imperial Level warrior and another, but it''s more of a challenge to one''s limit. The content of the challenge for each Imperial Level Warrior Contest i

    ting high and mighty.

    Seeing that Zachary and the rest had no objection, a warrior at the ninth grade of Imperial Level also nodded his consent.

    "Then, who among us should we protect first?" Zachary asked.

    "Without any doubt, it should be me." Suddenly, a deep voice sounded.

    Zachary and the others looked at the direction where the voice came from and saw Kemp making his way into the disciple dormitory.

    "How dare you show your face before us?" Nola scowled and shouted coldly. She subconsciously wanted to make a move, but Tracy stopped her right away.

    "Have you stopped being a coward? I thought you were too scared to come!" Vivian scowled in contempt.

    "Listen to what you''re saying. I''m a decent and respectable man. How can I be a coward?" Kemp pretended to be innocent.

    "How dare you say those words! Why did you set Harley up?" Vivian questioned him at once.

    "Are you accusing me of framing him? Do you have any evidence to support your claims?" Kemp fired back shamelessly.

    "You jerk!" Vivian glared at him.

    "Vivian, drop it for now. Let''s discuss that after the contest." Despite being the victim, Zachary was calm. He knew Kemp couldn''t survive the contest, so he ignored his boldness.

    "Since we are all here, let''s decide who we should protect to make him reach the peak first!" Jay said in an attempt to change the subject.

    "It should be me. Among the five participants, I have the richest experience. If I get to the peak first, I can keep the imperial amulet." Kemp blatantly endorsed himself.

 Chapter 882 Meeting Katrina

    "I think it''s better for the five of us to raise our hands and vote. We each get one vote, but we can''t vote for ourselves. Whoever gets the most tickets can be the first to get receiving help in reaching the peak!" Tracy suggested. There was no way she would allow Kemp to achieve his aim.

    "No way. The two of you are this man''s lovers. With both of you voting for him, I''d be getting the bad end of the deal." Kemp wouldn''t be so easily fooled. He knew that Tracy and Nola were on Zachary''s side.

    Tracy and Nola looked at one another, knowing that Kemp was right, to some degree. They would definitely choose Zachary. While Zachary was a little weak, with the help of his treasure beasts, he would have a better chance of reaching the peak than the rest.

    "Then we should just draw lots," Zachary suggested.

    "Okay!" Kemp agreed after some hesitation.

    Tracy and the rest had no objection either.

    "Vivian, can you prepare the lots?" Zachary asked Vivian.

    "Okay," Vivian said with a nod. Then she turned around and picked up a piece of paper. She divided the paper into five small pieces. As she was about to mark one of them, she suddenly heard a voice in her ear that said, "Vivian, mark all five pieces."

    "Harley?" Vivian was stunned when she recognized Zachary''s voice. Only Sage Level warriors could master the sound transmission skill. She wondered how Zachary had managed it.

    "Just do as I say."

    "Okay." Vivian hesitated for a moment and marked all five pieces of paper. Then she folded them and took them to the yard. She walked to Zachary and the others and said, "Well, they''re ready."

    "I''ll go first." It looked like Kemp was worried that Vivian would do something to the paper, so he quickly picked one and opened it then saw a mark on it.

    "Are you finally convinced?" Kemp said with pride.

    Naturally, both Tracy and Nola weren''t pleased. But Zachary on the other hand only sneered.

    Vivian gave Zachary an odd look. A part of her felt that he had set

    atrina grumbled.

    "What price?" Zachary asked with a frown.

    "Let''s talk about it after the contest. All you need to do now is to prepare for it. If you need any help, all you have to do is letting me know," said Katrina.

    "I don''t think I will need anything for the time being," Zachary said, shaking his head.

    "Don''t make a mess of things. Sara is one of your opponents this time around. Her strength has grown rapidly in a short period of time. It''s hard to even imagine what she''s capable of now. Besides, there is said to be a genius from Dignity College. People claim he is almost at the Sage Level, meaning you shouldn''t underestimate him. Crane College''s champion is also very young, but already capable of controlling three spiritual beasts," Katrina reminded him.

    "Unless they can break through to the Sage Level during the challenge, it would be impossible for them to beat me," Zachary said with confidence.

    "Sage Level? Have you already... How is that possible?" Katrina was stunned for a moment but soon returned to her senses.

    "Nothing is impossible to me," Zachary boasted.

    "You really surprise me every time. If that''s true, then I can only say I''m relieved. Although I really hope that Sara wins this time, if you''re truly at that level, no one can stop you," Katrina said with gratification.

 Chapter 883 Think About It

    "There''s something I need to discuss with you," Zachary said hesitantly.

    "What is it?" asked Katrina.

    "I think I should reveal my true identity after the Imperial Level Warrior Contest," he suggested.

    "What? Are you sure? Once you come out in the open again, the Zi Clan will come after you with everything they have," Katrina reminded, frowning about his decision.

    "I know. I''m fully prepared to face whatever they will throw at me," Zachary replied.

    "The Zi Clan is not what it was before. It has developed rapidly in recent years, and has since taken in many Sage and Imperial Level warriors. The clan is almost as powerful as the other super clans of the continent. It will not be easy for you to fight against them on your own," Katrina warned.

    Zachary smiled. "I''m not the same person they once knew either. Don''t forget that I''m now the son-in-law of the Xiao Clan, and I have connections with several major forces in the Devil Kingdom. I''d like to see how the Zi Clan plans to deal with me. If they are going to underestimate me this time, they are only up for a cruel reality to hit their faces." He smirked with a tinge of arrogance on his face.

    "That''s all well and good, but have you considered Elva''s feelings? When she finds out that you are still alive and engaged to the daughter of the Xiao Clan, she will be torn. She is my disciple now. I don''t want her to get hurt." Zachary remained silent for a few moments. He didn''t know that Elva had become Katrina''s disciple.

    "About that..." He began to confess. "I already met her, and she knows that I''m alive. But she hasn''t recognized me yet. She thinks I''m a friend of Zachary."

    Katrina was visibly surprised. "How could you do that?" she asked. Seeing his sheepish face, with a sigh, she continued, "I won''t stop you from executing your plan of revealing your real identity, but be careful. Once the Zi Clan finds out that you are not dead, they will not spare any efforts to make sure that you stay dead this time."

    "Don''t worry. As I said, I''m prepared this time; everything is arranged. I''ll expose the truth of what had happened, but I may need your help. Sophie should be there too. I plan on forcing Armand to step down from his position as the Zi Clan''s leader," Zachary said with conviction.

    u, who is going to take care of my garden?" Tania asked casually.

    "Gardener?" Zachary''s mouth fell open. Lewis was once the head of a sect. He didn''t think that a powerful man like him would agree to be a gardener. He was flabbergasted. However, being a gardener in the Dignified Supernal Sect, to a certain extent, was amazing too. He said, "I will only be taking him away for a while. I''ll bring him back to you right after I get the job done."

    "Let me think about it. Go back now and wait for my answer," Tania said, turning back to gather the flowers.

    Zachary sighed. There was no point in further conversation. It was hard to change Tania''s mind once it was made up. "Okay," he said in a dejected tone before leaving.

    Zachary then went to the Living-dead Tomb to find Anne and complain about Tania.

    "Don''t worry. Tania would not do anything that could harm you. She will come around," Anne comforted.

    "I''m afraid that she may have other reasons to deny my request," Zachary said, wondering why Tania had to think so much about letting Lewis go. However, Lewis was an important aspect of his plan, so he was somewhat anxious.

    "I''ll talk to her later. But right now, you need to prepare for the contest," said Anne.

    "There''s nothing to prepare. I have planned something special for the Zi Clan before the Imperial Level Warrior Contest begins," Zachary said with a cold smile.

    "Do whatever you need to do. Just be careful," Anne warned.

    "I will." Soon after, Zachary left the Living-dead Tomb.

 Chapter 884 Warrens Whereabouts

    After two days of waiting in the disciple dormitory, Zachary went to see Pollard. Pollard told him that he and his sister had had a wonderful time while out practicing. The experience helped them improve their strength. Now, he was at the fifth grade of Imperial Level and his sister was at the third grade.

    It was on the third day that Zachary finally got news from the Phoenix House. To his surprise, it was Joan who delivered the information he needed.

    "Why are you here?" Zachary was surprised to see her.

    "You didn''t want to see me? I should leave then," Joan said with a pout.

    "No, that''s not what I meant. I was just curious. Pollard is here at Celestial College, too. Have you seen him?" Zachary said with a smile.

    "No. We haven''t seen each other in a while." Joan shook her head.

    "What happened?" Zachary frowned. He''d expected Joan to cling to Pollard now that they were together.

    "Master Holy Phoenix found out about us and forbade me from seeing him again. She claims our relationship would create problems for the Phoenix Pavilion," Joan said, dejected.

    "Is that so? Pollard and I were drinking together the other day. He didn''t mention a thing to me." Zachary found it odd. He had hung out with the man. Pollard hadn''t shown him that anything was amiss.

    "I didn''t tell him. I only told him that Master Holy Phoenix wanted me to carry out some missions and that I''d be gone for a year," Joan replied.

    "Really? So Pollard still doesn''t know about this? I don''t think that''s fair to him," Zachary said, shaking his head in disappointment. Although he knew that Holy Phoenix would object to their relationship, he hadn''t expected her to go about it this way.

    "It''s okay. Maybe he will find someone else. His feelings for me will fade in time. I know him well enough. If he finds out the truth, he will rush to the Phoenix Pavilion and go straight to Master Holy Phoenix." There was

    in Sect.

    "Analyzing data... Warren, leader of the Blazing Lodge, is a warrior at the sixth grade of Imperial Level. He is sinister, cunning and ruthless. As the Zi Clan leader''s confidant, he is highly valued..." Mimi gave him all the information on Warren.

    "Where is the Blazing Lodge located?" Zachary asked.

    "It is in Fire-scorching City. It would take less than half a day to get there from here," Mimi replied.

    "Great. Let''s destroy the Blazing Lodge to avenge those who died in the Welkin Sect back then." With that, Zachary left the system. Locating a secluded area, he turned into a dazzling golden shadow and flew off.

    In a few hours, Zachary arrived at the Fire-scorching City. It didn''t take him long to find the Blazing Lodge. To keep himself hidden, he used the Flawless Illusion to sneak inside.

    However, after searching the entire place, he discovered that Warren wasn''t even there. He headed to the backyard to look for someone he could ask to help locate the man.

    When he got there, he overheard a conversation between people in the woodshed.

    "Hey, are we really going to do this? She was just recruited to our branch. If we are caught doing something like this to a new female disciple, there will be consequences," a timid voice warned.

 Chapter 885 A Massacre Took Place

    "Don''t worry. I have already burned a strong incense and placed it near her. I assure you she won''t wake up in two hours. It won''t matter what we do or how much effort we put in ruining her. She will never find out who did it. Even if she did know, she wouldn''t attempt to tell anyone such a disgraceful matter. She just got recruited into the branch. Does she want to ruin her career? If you don''t want to have a good time, back off and feast your eyes on us. I can satisfy her on my own," the other man sneered.

    When Zachary overheard the conversation, he seemed to remember something. His calm demeanor became stern at once, and in a split second, he vanished from where he once stood.

    During that time in the woodshed, two Blazing Lodge disciples were about to make an indecent gesture toward an attractive female disciple lying on the ground before them. Suddenly, two fast-moving auras broke out, and violently struck the disciples with two direct blows. They squealed in hysteria like tied hogs.

    They covered their backsides and jumped up. Looking back, one of them yelled in annoyance, "Who attacked us? Show yourself!"

    Zachary slowly came into view right under their noses.

    "Uh, you. Who are you?" the thin disciple asked, his voice containing a hint of dread.

    "This is not important," Zachary said coolly.

    "I think you''re just a loser. Don''t act superior to us! Mind your own business and go away!" The other disciple acted even more arrogantly. After noticing that Zachary has no powerful aura, he thought Zachary was just nobody.

    "I''m a loser?" Zachary''s dark pupils shrank slightly, and the surrounding aura became more powerful. He gave off a sense of hostility from his bones, making people tremble in fear.

    "What are you looking at? How dare you spoil our mood and agenda? You won''t even know your last name after I give you a good beating." The overbearing disciple didn''t seem to realize yet that it was him who was in grave danger. He took a big step forward and looked ready to strike.

    "Purple Evil Palm!" He slapped his hands together in front of his chest, and a palm shadow immediately shot out with dazzling mad light.

    However, despite the disciple''s palm edging nearer, Zachary didn''t even flinch f

    ecklessly in their territory. Especially when they observed Zachary''s weak aura, they thought that he was only a desperate warrior who purposely came to provoke them, so they wouldn''t let him go quickly.

    As soon as the crowd of disciples present heard this, they immediately swarmed up to Zachary, and in the blink of an eye, they started closing in.

    When Zachary saw the situation, he just shook his head as if nothing had happened. "If you don''t want to die, get out of my way, I''m not looking for you, but don''t be implicated and lose your lives!"

    The disciples looked at each other and seemed to think that Zachary was bragging, so no one took his warning seriously.

    "Go!"

    With all speed, the disciples rushed toward Zachary. Zachary''s eyes soon widened. His whole body discharged an astonishing aura, like a strong wind spreading all around. Simultaneously, tremendous ice energy circled his body, forming an ice-colored glow that was extremely dazzling.

    The disciples who dashed to the front could no longer endure the ice energy, so they spat out blood and fell to the ground.

    The two guardians looked stunned at the sight. However, before they could react, Zachary suddenly transformed into ten avatars that looked like him and rushed directly into the disciples'' crowd.

    In an instant, miserable screams filled the entire training ground. Wherever the avatars passed by, corpses started falling one after another. Blood flowed into a river. It was a complete massacre.

 Chapter 886 Looking For Me

    The two Imperial Level guardians were astounded. Even though they were dumbstruck, they could see that Zachary''s strength was unfathomable and superior to theirs.

    Not long after, the disciples at the Blazing Lodge were either dead, injured, or fleeing. Eventually, only the two Imperial Level guardians remained. They wanted to run as well, but they were afraid that Zachary would kill them if they moved even a little.

    At that moment, Zachary, who still hadn''t moved, asked again, "Where is Warren?"

    "Well, we don''t know." The two guardians glanced at each other and pretended to know nothing about Warren''s whereabouts.

    "Fine. I''ll cripple the hands of one of you. Perhaps that will jog your memory. You can choose whom I should start with." Zachary didn''t want to waste time on this nonsense. He glared at them, hoping that intimidation would force them to cooperate.

    The two guardians trembled with fear before one blurted, "The Zi Clan''s leader summoned Master Warren three days ago, and so he returned to the Zi Clan. I think he should be back in the next day or two."

    "Really?" A smile tugged at the corners of Zachary''s mouth. His strategy worked! He glared at the two guardians and said, "Well, I''ll come for him tomorrow. I hope he''ll be here then. Otherwise, the Blazing Lodge will become the corpse lodge."

    The faces of the two guardians turned deathly pale. They didn''t even dare to take a deep breath.

    "But before I leave, I want to leave a gift for Warren," Zachary sneered menacingly as he looked at them.

    Realization dawned on them. Zachary intended to harm them, despite the fact that they divulged the information that he wanted. After they had witnessed what he had done to the other disciples, terror overwhelmed the two guardians. All of a sudden, they pivoted, intending to run away. To their astonishment, two of Zachary''s avatars appeared in front of them, blocking their escape paths. Before the guardians could react, the avatars immediately crippled one of each of their arms.

    "When Warren returns, remember to tell him to wait for me!" Zachary disappeared after he conveyed his message.

    The two guardians looked flustered but relieved. They had expected to lose their lives a brief moment ago. Fortunately for them, they escaped certain death.

    A few hours later, Warren, the leader of

    though he knew that Alisa had come in search of clarity. She still didn''t understand why she would sacrifice her life to save him.

    "Forget it. It doesn''t matter anymore.'' Alisa hesitated for a moment but eventually gave up the impulse to ask him. She was afraid to learn that she might have been in love with him.

    "Oh. Then why don''t you return and get some rest? After all, we are competitors now. If people see us together, they will gossip about us," Zachary remarked thoughtfully.

    "If you hadn''t mentioned it, I would have forgotten that we are opponents. I want you to know that if we meet in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, I won''t show you any mercy. Equally, it would be best if you didn''t feel guilty because I saved you once. I hope that you will fight fairly and use your full strength in the final battle. In fact, I''m looking forward to fighting you." Zachary''s reminder seemed to have roused Alisa''s competitiveness. Although she was rather impassive about the contest, she wanted to face Zachary, even though she did not understand why she was so eager. Perhaps it was because she had seen Zachary''s incredible performance many times, and she wanted to test who was stronger between herself and Zachary.

    "Really? I''m flattered to learn that someone of your strength and caliber holds me in such high regard. Since you''ve requested it, I will go all out. We should come face to face in a battle during the contest," Zachary assured with a grin.

    "Thank you. I''ll leave now," Alisa said with a slight nod. Then she turned and left.

 Chapter 887 Zi Clan

    The sky was covered in ominous clouds the next day, like the Fire-scorching City was foreboding that something significant was about to happen. The Blazing Lodge, which had witnessed a brutal massacre the previous day was now eerily silent. Outside the lodge''s main door, the yellow autumn leaves danced to the cold wind, and dust flew high up¡ªthe moment was still and desolate.

    A shadow of a figure appeared in front of the door with no urgency in its stride¡ªas if the person was taking a relaxing stroll in the evening. He stared coldly at the closed door with an opened wine jar in his hand. It was none other than Zachary.

    "What would Warren do? Set a trap? Or would he be so kind as to dig his own grave?" Zachary sneered. He could sense the auras coming from inside the lodge. He lifted the wine jar, raised his head and gulped the wine down. After a few sips, he poured the wine in front of the door and pledged, "Elders and disciples of the Welkin Sect who died in vain at the hands of the Zi Clan... Today, the Zi Clan will pay for their sins and go to hell for what they did to you. I hope you can finally rest in peace, knowing that you have been avenged." Saying so, he smashed the empty wine jar onto the ground.

    Zachary did not have a habit of drinking, especially before he was about to murder. But this day felt special; the alcohol hit him differently. He had a satisfied feeling surge through his mind and body; it was indescribable. Perhaps, he was thrilled because he could finally avenge the dead who had passed in the hands of the Zi Clan because of him. A relief washed over him.

    This was just the beginning. The Blazing Lodge was going to be the first victim of the long grudge between him and Armand. He would do everything possible to make Armand pay the price he owed. So, Zachary planned to be done with this phase soon, so that he could move to the next battlefront as early as possible. After all, he still had a lot of things to do.

    Meanwhile, within the closed doors of the Blazing Lodge, Warren waited. He was in the courtyard, sitting on a big chai

    ck then, he had helplessly witnessed this man killing the people of the Welkin Sect. But back at that time, he could do nothing to stop this hateful man. As soon as he saw Warren, the bloody scene came to his mind, and a strong, appalling murderous aura filled the air around him. The dark aura quickly turned into a violent gale which roared and raged the entire Blazing Lodge.

    ''What a sickening murderous aura! He harbors some deep hatred towards me or the Zi Clan itself! Who the hell is this guy?'' Warren yelled inwardly, shocked.

    Affected by the power of the rampant murderous aura, many of the weak disciples started to feel dizzy and their chests tightened in pain. They were intimidated by the murderous will of the lone man who had come into their lair to attack them. But this was only the beginning of their suffering.

    "Listen well, disciples of the Zi Clan. I will give you one chance. If you don''t want to die here today, get out immediately and never come back to this clan ever again. If you choose otherwise, you will only leave this place as cold corpses," Zachary said and suddenly let out a loud roar. The sound was like thunder, circling in the air above the Blazing Lodge.

    Hearing this, the disciples trembled in fear and felt their legs go weak. Although Zachary was yet to show his true aura, even this much of his power was already terrifyingly intimidating.

 Chapter 888 Pathetic

    "Don''t listen to him. He''s the only one who will die today. Come on!" Warren ordered when he observed that everyone had hesitated. He didn''t want Zachary to wreck their morale.

    Even though Zachary had warned the disciples of the Zi Clan to leave, they chose to attack him. They were afraid of Warren as they knew that they would suffer severe repercussions if they disobeyed him. Since Zachary was alone, they decided it was safer to disregard him. They also hoped that their sheer number would overwhelm him and give them an advantage.

    Soon, those disciples surrounded Zachary, like an iron bucket array, firmly trapping him within, intending to prevent him from escaping.

    But what they did not know was what Zachary was really capable of. The truth was that he could escape easily as long as he wished.

    Zachary frowned when he saw that these disciples didn''t intend to flee. As they were innocent, just like the Welkin Sect''s disciples back then, he had been merciful by giving them the chance to save their lives. However, they decided to stay and follow Warren''s orders. In this case, he could not be blamed for being ruthless now. These disciples were courting death.

    In the blink of an eye, Zachary disappeared.

    The next moment, all the disciples frowned as a shadow flashed past them. Some felt as though the shadow had rushed through them. Bewildering enough, they also sensed an unprecedented intense pressure and a murderous aura, as if the God of death had arrived. They were stunned. Several screams echoed in the space, shaking the others out of their daze. The disciples glanced around with widened eyes, only to see a few of their companions'' heads roll off their bodies and land on the ground with a sickening squelching sound.

    Zachary, who resembled a shadow, hurtled forward with a moon-shaped ice blade in his hand. Before anyone could react, the ice blade flew in the air, and sharp ice force scattered in all directions.

    As Warren was Zachary''s only target, he didn''t want to waste time battling the others. Besides, it didn''t matter to him if they lived or died. He simply focused on his objective.

    "Stop him! Stop him!" Warren screamed with such intensity that the fat on his face wobbled. A sense of dread filled him when he realized that Zachary was headin

    will end up like him!" Warren''s eyes darkened when none of the disciples moved toward Zachary. He stretched out his hand and pulled the nearest disciple toward him.

    That disciple was sucked toward Warren''s hand, as though an invisible force was dragging him. Warren then exerted a little strength, and the disciple''s body crumbled as though all his bones had broken. A moment later, the disciple''s eyes rolled back in his head, and he crumpled to the floor, lifeless.

    Desperation was reflected in the remaining disciples'' expressions. It didn''t matter if they retreated or attacked, as they were going to die anyway. Their complexions turned ashen as they knew that they had no choice but to charge at Zachary and those beasts.

    "They are so pathetic! It''s torture for them to be alive now!" Zachary''s eyes were cold as he uttered indifferently. With a shake of his hands, ten ice dragons shot out from around his body and flew in different directions. In a flash, they turned into sword shadows and drilled into the crowd around. Shrill screams rang out continuously as the ice dragons cut through the disciples.

    Soon, several disciples lost their desire to fight. They began to retreat and escape, not wanting to be killed.

    At the sight of this, Warren didn''t show any mercy. He instantly killed those who were trying to flee. At the same time, he glared at Zachary as he had never encountered anyone bold enough to kill people of the Zi Clan, especially in the Zi Clan''s territory where it had a significant influence.

 Chapter 889 Chance Of One Move

    "Four treasure beasts, and martial skills at the premium stage with ice element. Where does this guy come from?" After dealing with a few fugitives, Warren had already lost his patience. He had thought Zachary''s strength was just about the same as his, but now it seemed like the enemy was mightier than him. After all, he had lived long and had rich experience, so he refused to believe that he was unable to defeat this strange man even after teaming up with the other eight Imperial level warriors.

    Just as the sword shadows caused significant damage, the four beasts went on a killing spree as well. Soon after, only a handful of those few hundred disciples were remaining. The rest of them were already dead or seriously hurt.

    The surviving dozens of disciples withdrew to Warren''s side. Simultaneously, the eight Imperial Level warriors gazed at Zachary with fear in their eyes, as he, together with his beasts behind him, inched closer. Time seemed to slow down as Zachary took each step, but the feeling of dread spread in these disciples'' hearts crazily. At this point, fear had taken over their minds and bodies. In their eyes, Zachary was just like a monster! A psychopath! The devil!

    "You are all just a bunch of losers! It''s such a huge disappointment for me," Warren yelled as he gawked at those disciples cowering in panic alongside him. His expression turned dark, and he knew deep inside that it was useless to count on these cowards now.

    "Warren, I don''t think this guy is easy to deal with. In my opinion, it would be much better if we pull back right away and ask a Sage Level warrior instead to finish him off after going back to the Zi Clan." It was evident that the other eight Imperial Level warriors were terrified of Zachary, so one of them made such a recommendation.

    "There''s no need for you all to worry. His strength is only at the premium stage of Imperial Level. If we join forces in fighting him, he won''t be as strong as we are. Besides, he has to control four treasure beasts, so I don''t believe that his martial energy is enough to sustain him for a long time. It would be best if you struck first. If one of you can kill him, I will reward that person with a rare treasure that can boost his strength by a half grade of Imperial Level. Also, it will fascinate our leader once he finds out we have executed such a ruthles

    l warriors with a single move.

    Even Warren was in total shock as if he was still having trouble envisioning the scene before him. It was not until this moment that he felt a strong sense of dread arising from deep inside him.

    "Warren, you''re my next target. I''m here to get you, so you are the one accountable for their deaths," Zachary warned in a crisp voice as he progressed toward Warren with a cold aura.

    "Who the hell are you?" Warren knew he had angered many people, but most of them had already lost their lives because of his doing, and the rest were mostly cowards. It was unlikely for them to come to him for revenge, so he couldn''t figure out who Zachary was.

    "Do you want to know?" Zachary mocked.

    "Yes. I won''t kill anyone unfamiliar." Warren tried his best to appear brave, but when he saw that Zachary was closing in, he could no longer prevent his body from shaking.

    "Don''t worry. I will tell you who exactly I am a few seconds before you die so that you won''t pass away in confusion!" Zachary responded with a grim smile.

    "Don''t be too proud. Let me see how great you are." Although Warren knew that Zachary was ruthless, he was not willing to concede his defeat that fast. Zachary had killed so many disciples as well as four Imperial Level warriors of the Zi Clan. If he didn''t do anything to avenge their deaths, it would be difficult for him to explain to his leader upon returning to the Zi Clan.

    "You only have one chance to make a move against me, and then you will die!" Zachary narrowed his eyes after giving him an ultimatum.

 Chapter 890 Three Days Later

    Zachary had completely infuriated Warren by now. Since Warren couldn''t bear to be humiliated and underestimated by such a fellow, he decided to be merciless. Flames rose from all over his body in an instant, revealing the burning energy with fire element.

    After Warren released all his strength, he lifted his hands, and the flames spiraled up. They continually intertwined in the air, forming two rapidly growing fireballs.

    Zachary frowned when a sense of deja vu filled him. He had most likely witnessed Warren''s skill when Warren destroyed the Welkin Sect. However, it seemed more powerful than before. Even so, with Zachary''s current strength, he did not take Warren seriously.

    Not long after, Warren seemed to be holding two massive fireballs, with wisps of flames wrapped around his hands like silk.

    "Go to hell! Fury Fire Storm!" Warren roared as he raised the two massive fireballs. The strength he exerted seemed to be on par with lifting two lead balls. Soon, the two fireballs spun rapidly with him as the center. A storm caused by the two giant fireballs'' spinning power roared to the air and swept toward Zachary at an overwhelming speed. It turned everything in its path into ashes, even the corpses on the ground. It was indeed an astonishing power!

    Zachary remained unfazed. With a slight frown, he hurtled into the Fury Fire Storm without using any martial skill.

    Bang!

    An ear-piercing sound emerged from the depths of the fire storm, as though two forces had collided. The aftershock was equally astonishing. All the surrounding buildings collapsed, and the ground was scorched to ash.

    However, this situation did not last long as the fire storm abruptly disappeared.

    All of a sudden, Warren''s eyes flew open, and a snort escaped his lips. He covered his chest with one hand and spat out a mouthful of blood. Incredulity shone in his eyes when he turned and looked at Zachary. How did this man get behind him? Warren couldn''t understand it at all. "Which level your power is at on earth? You are way powerful than you appear to be."

    "Now you understand? You will never be my match even if you cultivated for the rest of you

    This left the warriors from it at a distinct disadvantage. Since most top Imperial Level warriors would usually have a handy weapon, it weakened the only leverage Devil Kingdom''s warriors had. Imperial Level warriors of the Devil Kingdom wouldn''t have the upper hand unless they had a super powerful weapon.

    By contrast, the Canopy Kingdom, where Dignity College was located, was known for refining all kinds of mysterious pills. Many rare pills were so bewildering that others didn''t even know how to make them. So it wasn''t easy to find them in the whole Supernal Continent. Imperial Level warriors of the Canopy Kingdom could rely on these pills to gain an upper hand in the Imperial level Warrior Contest. Crane College had its leverage as well. While most people, aside from Zachary, could control two treasure beasts simultaneously, and Alisa could even control three treasure beasts.

    Although the Enigmatic Kingdom''s leverage was not obvious, it still fared better than the Devil Kingdom. The Enigmatic Kingdom, where Celestial College was situated, was known for studying different martial skills and could maximize their use. Moreover, several movement skills of the Enigmatic Kingdom were unique in the Supernal Continent. The challenge mode of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest would only enhance the advantages of these movement skills.

    Therefore, it was not surprising that warriors of the Devil Kingdom were not favored.

 Chapter 891 Guiding The Way

    Of course, some incredible stories about Zachary had already spread throughout the Supernal Continent, but most people hadn''t seen him. And so, they believed that these amazing anecdotes were mostly exaggerated. Stories such as Zachary having double spiritual souls, controlling three treasure beasts during a fight simultaneously, and even killing a Sage Level warrior were already unbelievable. Moreover, Zachary''s strength was the weakest in the record of Imperial Level Warrior Contests as he hadn''t reached the top grade of Imperial Level. So, it was unconvincing to make others believe those stories about him were true.

    Even so, the people who were familiar with Zachary had high expectations of him.

    Since Jay, Vivian, and the other representatives from the four kingdoms, Jace and Pollard, were regarded as Celestial College''s distinguished guests, they would watch the battle with Katrina, Barney, and the other important persons of Celestial College.

    "Dad, do you think that Harley will be the contest this time?" Pollard asked as he glanced around.

    "Well, it''s hard to say. After all, the warriors participating in the contest are very powerful, and each of them is very strong. It may be a little difficult for Harley to win considering his strength, but it''s not impossible. He is good at surprising people, isn''t he?" Jace replied calmly.

    "I heard that Harley can control three treasure beasts simultaneously, all of which are very mighty. The strength of the treasure beasts alone is enough to contend against Crane College, not to mention that he has spiritual souls." Pollard had confidence in Zachary.

    Jace nodded.

    On the other hand, Celestial College''s beauty team was made up of four women, Queenie, Rebecca, Elva, and Rita. Even though they had caught everyone''s attention, they completely ignored the people around them. The four women, who were also known as the ''Four Most Gorgeous Women'' of Celestial College, were not only beautiful, but they also had Imperial Level strength.

    In contrast, the three men, Chandler, Nelson, and Scott, who stood next to the four women, were overshadowed.

    "Why didn''t Harley come to us when h

    s and use these unbreakable rock platforms as gathering points. It should be safe to traverse section by section," Tracy suggested.

    "It is highly likely that the warriors of other kingdoms would have the same strategy as ours. If so, they will try to stop us. We''d better get ahead of them," Nola remarked with a nod as he gazed at the floating rocks, trying to identify which ones were unbreakable.

    "Whatever you decide, just remember that you are responsible for helping me reach the peak first. I''ll leave the rest to you," Kemp stated selfishly. He intended to wait for the others to clear a path for him.

    Tracy and Nola were annoyed by Kemp and glared at him.

    "Then, who will lead the way?" Nola asked.

    "Not me!" Kemp said indifferently.

    "Well, let me lead the way. You can just follow," Zachary suggested.

    "It''s too dangerous. Let me do it!" Tracy immediately offered. She knew that Zachary had the weakest strength among them and wanted to protect him. As she was more experienced, she believed she was more suitable to be the leader. Of course, the risk of leading the way was naturally the greatest. If she didn''t do well, not only would she be hurt, but the whole team would be affected. It was not an easy job.

    "Don''t worry about me. I''m offering because there is so much danger and I don''t want you to take the risk. My life-saving skill is better than any of yours. Trust me!" Zachary said with a relaxed smile.

 Chapter 892 Blocking The Way

    "Boy, don''t act so arrogant. You might fall off later, and no one will be able to rescue you then," Kemp teased. Actually, he was eagerly waiting for something terrible to happen to Zachary.

    "Thanks for the reminder. I promise I will make it!" Zachary fired back as he gave Kemp a sharp look before shifting his gaze toward Tracy and the others. "I''ll try it first. You can follow me one at a time after I arrive at a solid rock platform that won''t cave in fast," he stated.

    He then led the way and jumped over to the first rock. The gaps between the large rock pieces were about one to two meters, so it was easy to cross. But after stepping on the rock nearest to him, he felt a powerful suction force right away coming from the crevasse under his feet, as if he might lose his balance. This challenge in the Thousand-Peak Rock was indeed unprecedentedly difficult.

    "Mimi, please determine a shorter alternative route for me to reach the first durable rock platform," Zachary directed to Mimi.

    "Analyzing..." Not long after, Mimi''s sweet voice rang out, "Analysis completed. Move in the direction indicated by the radar."

    After a bit, the Treasure-hunting Compass on Zachary''s chest soon emitted a faint light visible only to his eyes, guiding him to proceed forward. With the radar navigating the specific route without martial beasts blocking his way, he successfully made it to the first durable rock platform. Seeing that Zachary had carried out the first section of the exploration so quickly, Tracy and the others felt overjoyed because his speed was much faster than the other three kingdoms'' Imperial Level warriors, who were struggling to fumble their way out.

    Zachary waved at them as a green light. They hopped onto the same rocks that Zachary had stepped on earlier and landed at the rock platform one after another to meet him.

    After observing that Zachary and his teammates had made it in such a brief period, the warriors from the other three kingdoms looked astounded. They all felt that the Devil Kingdom''s pacing was remarkably fast.

    The onlookers that had already crowded around Thousand-Peak Rock to watch the battle exchanged views with great interest. None of them had expected that the contestants

    able to us. As long as we can get through the Mysterious Cave, it won''t be an obstacle for me to win this contest." Kemp, who didn''t exert any effort at all, chuckled complacently.

    Tracy and the others rolled their eyes at him when they heard him gloating.

    "There might be a bit of trouble next." Zachary looked up and saw a few Giant Rock Beasts blocking his way between the third and fourth rock platforms. They were all at the premium stage of Imperial Level and very challenging to deal with. It might be dangerous if they forced their way in, but if they didn''t, they would have to deal with these Giant Rock Beasts first. But it was perilous to fight on top of the rocks that might break up any time.

    "I''m afraid it probably won''t be easy to get through with these Giant Rock Beasts in the way. Since we''re already so far ahead from the other warriors, I think it''s better to play it safe, and we''d better finish the beasts first," Tracy suggested.

    "I''m fine with that," Nola replied, nodding slightly.

    "You guys attack them first. I have to preserve my strength." Kemp decided that he didn''t want to fight.

    "You..." Nola was raving mad at once.

    "Let him be," Zachary said as he shook his head at Nola. "Come with me. Adhere to my instructions at all times."

    The rest nodded in agreement.

    Then Zachary and his companions changed their strategy. Led by Zachary, they cleared up the Giant Rock Beasts that barred their way and approached the fourth rock platform.

 Chapter 893 At The Leading Position

    Even though it was effortless for Zachary and the others to handle a few martial beasts at the premium stage of Imperial Level, things would be different when facing the Giant Rock Beasts, whose most significant advantages were their thick skin and high resistance to withstand lengthy battles. Despite the group''s combined strength, it took them quite a long time to kill only one such beast.

    Suddenly, the radar sent an alert. The rock they were standing on wobbled and was about to give way.

    "Hurry! We need to go faster. The rock is about to fall apart," Zachary warned.

    Kemp was the first to leap over to another rock, followed by Tracy and the others. Zachary was the last one to jump off. After he left, the rock instantly collapsed.

    "Phew! That was a close call." The group heaved a deep sigh of relief after everyone made it to safety.

    "Harley, how were you able to detect that the rock was going to cave in?" Tracy asked out of curiosity.

    "I''m afraid I can''t tell you why." Zachary laughed and then went on to lead the group, leap-frogging his way to another rock and slaying the Giant Rock Beasts that blocked their way.

    After making their way further, they soon arrived at the fifth section of the Thousand-Peak Rock, with four sections left for them to cross. However, these sections were more arduous than the previous ones. At this point, the rocks could disintegrate quicker than before, so they couldn''t stand long. To top it off, the Giant Rock Beasts hindering their progress were more savage, and one of them was the Giant Rock Beast King, a very rare elite martial beast.

    "Looks like we''re still at the leading position." Zachary looked back at the other three kingdoms'' Imperial Level warriors. Since they were at the forefront, they helped clear some hurdles for the teams behind them, making it smoother for their opponents to catch up. The group representing the Canopy Kingdom, which kept up the pace, had just come to the fourth section, but there was still a considerable gap between them and Zachary''s group.

    "I''ll divert these martial beasts'' attention, and you must fight your way over. We will meet up again in the seventh section," Zachary commanded to his team.

    "That''s a hazardous move to make. Let me remind you that the elite martial beast alone is vicious, and the other Giant Rock Beasts could also be cruel. I''m afraid

    able qualities. And he''s capable of much more than that!" Katrina praised without reluctance.

    Hearing this compliment somewhat surprised the dignitaries of Celestial College. Everyone could tell that Katrina thought much of Zachary, and any praise given by her was a great honor for anyone.

    Although Zachary had killed more than a dozen Giant Rock Beasts, the strongest Giant Rock Beast King was still gawking at him, so his life was still in jeopardy. Suddenly, something unforeseen took place. A pair of wings popped up on the Giant Rock Beast King''s back, and it soared into the air right away and rocketed straight toward Zachary, ignoring the Thousand-Peak Rock''s gravity.

    "This elite martial beast is too tricky to handle," Zachary moaned under his breath as he narrowed his eyes. The Giant Rock Beast King inched closer to where he stood.

    Everyone became worried after watching this shocking development. The Giant Rock Beast King was undeniably strong, while Zachary hadn''t even reached the Imperial Level''s peak, so he had no chance of defeating his opponent at this moment.

    On the other hand, Alisa was now heading for the fifth section, and when she discovered that Zachary was about to take on the Giant Rock Beast King alone, a hint of worry was reflected in her eyes.

    "Mimi, is there any way to fly in this area?" Zachary knew that fighting against the Giant Rock Beast King on top of the rock would be unfavorable. Although he was not scared of it, he didn''t want to expose his real strength so soon, so he could only resort to the system''s power for now.

 Chapter 894 The Purple-winged Beast Showed Up

    "Only special martial beasts or treasure beasts can fly here. However, it is possible for the Purple-winged Beast to do so as well," Mimi replied.

    "Why didn''t you tell me that earlier?" Zachary rolled his eyes and called out to the Purple-winged Beast.

    As soon as it appeared, the crowd was astounded. It looked strange, wearing rare armor that Zachary had forged. It held a seven-foot-long spear with an abnormal purple light in its hand. To all, it looked like a fierce and brave demon general.

    "What kind of treasure beast is that? I''ve never seen the likes of it before! How does it look like a human?"

    "Yes, it looks just like a warrior."

    "Is it a treasure beast or a human?"

    Speculation started in the crowd the second the Purple-winged Beast appeared.

    Even the big shots present couldn''t figure out the beast''s origin.

    "Well, its aura seems to be similar to that of Elfin," Rebecca said with some hesitation. She was standing with Queenie and the others.

    While the audience was still trying to take in the Purple-winged Beast, something more amazing happened. The beast rose into the air. It could fly over the Thousand-Peak Rock just like the Giant Rock Beast King. What kind of a beast was this?

    Zachary jumped on the beast''s back at once. The Giant Rock Beast King roared, and an astonishing force burst out and enveloped Zachary.

    Zachary wasn''t going to go down easily. He released the Ice Dragon Strike. Ten ice dragons turned into sword shadows and rushed towards the Giant Rock Beast King.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    When the ten dragons collided with the Giant Rock Beast King, the latter broke apart as two of the dragons directly hit it.

    "This must be a premium stage martial skill with the ice element. Its power is too remarkable."

    "This skill has reached the top level."

    of the Thousand-Peak Rock.

    Although Zachary had attracted quite a few of them, still many remained. Some swooped down to attack his teammates, forcing Tracy and others to rely on their own strengths. However, they were obviously in a tough spot.

    Since Zachary had destroyed the Giant Rock Beasts and the Giant Rock Beast King, the warriors from the other three kingdoms had fewer obstacles. They were already at the seventh section and about to catch up to them.

    "They are going to catch up. You should block them and I''ll rush over first," Kemp said when he caught the other kingdoms'' warriors closing in on them. He suddenly took out a cloak and wrapped himself in it. The crows attacking him immediately rushed towards Tracy and the others instead.

    Kemp gloated as he rushed to the end of the Thousand-Peak Rock on his own.

    The pressure on Tracy and the others doubled. The crows kept them trapped on a rock, unable to take a step forward.

    The rock suddenly started to shake, on the verge of breaking.

    "Damn it!" Tracy and Nola froze, but there was no way to turn back.

    In the next moment, the rock beneath the two women''s feet quickly broke apart, dropping them straight into the abyss.

 Chapter 895 Split Up

    The crowd cried in despair when they looked at Tracy and Nola, plunging into the abyss. Despite their frantic screams, no one could come to their rescue at that point. This was the brutal nature of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. Some exceptional warriors lost their lives during past competitions, so this wasn''t surprising to see.

    Jay''s and Vivian''s faces looked horrified as they witnessed firsthand what happened since both Tracy and Nola were two of the Devil Kingdom''s most prominent Imperial level warriors. They were skilled and had a lot of experience in combat. If something dreadful happened to them in this contest, it would be an unfathomable loss for their kingdom.

    Suddenly, a purple shadow as fast as lightning shot down from one side, instantly grabbing the two women''s arms and pulling them in midair.

    They glanced up and discovered that it was the Purple-winged Beast that was keeping hold of them. But they noticed that Zachary was not riding on its back. The two women soon gazed toward the other side and saw Zachary standing on top of a rock platform, and densely packed Dark Dancing Crows were charging at him from all directions.

    After snatching them to safety, the Purple-winged Beast dropped them off to the end of the Thousand-Peak Rock.

    The crowd was astonished to see Zachary''s treasure beast showing up just in time to save the two warriors from dropping to their deaths. Although everyone considered them as Zachary''s teammates, there were no genuine allies in the Imperial Level Warrior Contest because they would turn into opponents toward the end. The crowd expressed their concern for Zachary as he got cornered in an isolated rock, fighting alone and putting himself gravely in danger. As he was trapped in a dangerous situation, such a daring spirit of sacrifice also commanded a bit of respect.

    "Harley is a reliable and daring man who shows concern for his friends!" Even some notable warriors, including Barney, nodded in admiration and were full of praises for him.

    On the other side, Zachary heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that the Purple-winged Beast had saved the two girls. However, the rock beneath his feet trembled like it was about to come apart.

    "Really? Is my luck that bad?" Zachary shook his head and showed a bitter smile. He was now under siege and couldn''t even transform into a shadow. The neighboring rocks were not restored yet, and his Purple-winged Beas

    pattern of this illusionary array?"

    "If you want to analyze the rules of this illusionary array, you need to secure sufficient data. You have to delve into it first," Mimi replied.

    Zachary frowned, but he soon began to collect the cave''s data. He walked with Tracy and Nola toward a different fork in the road. However, after a while, they returned to the same place again. It was apparent that the illusionary array was too powerful.

    "I have to try the Energy Perception Technique," Zachary said with a grim look on his face. The Energy Perception Technique could help him pay attention to the flow of the air. The illusionary array in the Mysterious Cave used the natural spiritual energy as its medium. Therefore, if he found the place where the energy was thin, he could destroy it.

    However, after trying to use the Energy Perception Technique, Zachary discovered nothing useful. It seemed that the array set up by a Holy Level warrior was not accessible for breaking through.

    "Why don''t we split up so we can have a stronger chance of getting out? Otherwise, it will only be a waste of time walking around," Nola suggested.

    "We don''t have any other choice. We''ll do our best to help." Tracy nodded lightly.

    "You two should team up. Be extra careful." Zachary had no objection to their proposal. The only thing that bothered him was the two girls'' safety.

    "You seem to be weaker than us. You should focus on yourself!" Nola talked back proudly.

    "Ha-ha." Zachary ignored her and just laughed out loud. He then parted ways with the two girls and started to explore the cave in a different direction.

 Chapter 896 The Mysterious Cave

    For the next half an hour, Zachary killed a few premium stage martial beasts that blocked his way. He was on the right path this time, no longer returning to his original spot. Instead, he had entered another path.

    ''I should place a mark here before I go any further,'' he thought as he made a mark on the wall and continued to move forward.

    Sadly, he was back in his original spot yet again. Since he''d marked the place he''d just taken, he went in a different direction this time around.

    After several attempts, Zachary found himself at the center of the cave. Right in front of him was a large cave hall, with strangely colored stalactites hanging down. Besides them was a small pool of clean water.

    He didn''t rush forward. Instead, he went to the pool and took a few sips of water. Then he sat down to the side and asked Mimi, "Mimi, did you find out the rules of the illusionary array here?"

    "The data you collected is being analyzed. It is almost ready," Mimi replied.

    "Then I''ll wait until you finish the analysis or I will end up taking the wrong path again," Zachary said as he closed his eyes to rest. He was not in any hurry to keep going.

    Not long after, he heard a rush of footsteps. He immediately opened his eyes and saw a delicate figure appear in another passage not far away. It was Alisa.

    Soon, another two figures appeared after her, but they didn''t look like they were her companions.

    "Why are you still following me?" Alisa looked back at the two top Imperial Level warriors from the Canopy Kingdom.

    "Who said we were following you? We are just on the same path as you," one of them said shamelessly.

    "What do you want?" Alisa asked coldly.

    "We don''t want anything!" another man said with a sinister smile.

    Alisa couldn''t risk making a wrong move with their strength combined. She knew they were after her and didn''t want to be at a disadvantage. They wanted to corner her and prevent her from leaving the cave.

    Just as Alisa was trying to come up with a plan to deal with them, she heard hearty laughter. "Alisa, you are as popular as alw

    me, Kemp?" Zachary invited him.

    "Don''t try to fool me. I am not buying it." Kemp didn''t believe Zachary''s words. He knew it was a trap.

    "I understand if you don''t believe me. But why don''t we walk for a while? You''ll believe it then." Zachary walked straight without looking back.

    Staring at Zachary''s back, Kemp''s eyes darkened. However, if he couldn''t get out of the cave, there was no hope for him to reach the peak. With no other choice, he finally followed Zachary.

    Soon, he realized that Zachary had been telling the truth. After walking for an hour, he wasn''t back in his original spot. Everything was going well.

    "Did you really find out everything about this cave?" Kemp couldn''t help but ask Zachary.

    "Of course. Why are you still asking after you''ve followed me for so long?" Zachary replied.

    "You don''t have to show me the way in person. Just tell me how to get out of the cave," Kemp said acidly.

    "But why not go out together?" Zachary asked.

    "I''m faster. I''m sure I''ll be the first one to get out of the cave if you tell me how," Kemp said, coming up with an excuse.

    "That sounds good. Okay, I''ll tell you. Listen carefully..." Zachary gave Kemp the instructions to get out.

    Once Kemp had gotten it all, he sneered, "I won''t wait for you now." He then turned into a shadow and disappeared.

    Zachary drew an even colder smile after seeing him leave.

 Chapter 897 The Imperial Amulet

    Kemp proceeded forward following Zachary''s instruction, and the journey onwards went smoothly. Soon after, a flash of blinding white light up ahead made him squint. He immediately thought it was already the exit, a sudden stream of excitement getting the best of him. As he stepped forward toward the light, his smile dissolved gradually. The shimmering light turned out to be a glistening white crystal stone.

    "How strange! I followed his instructions, and I''m certain this is the right way out!" Kemp mumbled under his breath, sounding flustered. He then retraced his steps back to his starting point, and after a while, he found himself standing right before the white crystal again. He scratched his forehead and groaned, "What kind of sorcery is going on here?"

    Zachary suddenly came into view and stood in front of Kemp''s very eyes. "The answer is pretty simple. This is the heart of the Mysterious Cave''s illusionary array. Anyone can go in, but can never find a way out," he explained.

    "You jerk! You deceived me!" It then dawned on Kemp that he got lied to and just went on a wild goose chase.

    "That''s right. I misled you into coming here on purpose," Zachary admitted point-blank.

    "You bastard! Do you have a death wish? How dare you play a mean trick on me?" Kemp huffed, glaring at Zachary.

    "Don''t flatter yourself. You''re not worth my time. I''m only giving you the damnation that you deserve," Zachary replied while remaining aloof and composed.

    "What the hell do you want from me?" Kemp demanded through gritted teeth.

    "I want to cripple you and leave you trapped here until you draw you last breath alone," Zachary replied matter-of-factly.

    "Humph! Just because you killed a Sage Level warrior doesn''t mean you''re invincible. You just got lucky that time," Kemp fired back. Deep inside, he felt anxious, but he still put on a tough appearance.

    "Why don''t you try me? Then you''ll find out." Zachary glared at Kemp with contempt.

    Kemp''s heart skipped a beat out of dread. Since he had witnessed firsthand what Zachary was capable of doing, he didn''t dare to fight him head-on. Determined to avoid Zachary, he only turned around and sauntered away, aiming to find a way out so he could escape.

    But he was out of luck and felt doomed. After circling, he chanced upon Zachary again, who hadn''t moved at all.

    "I already warned you. You''ll never get away from this place." Zachary stood firm as he folde

    him while leaving behind the beasts'' corpses.

    Four hours later, Zachary successfully arrived at the peak. It was already midnight, and the surroundings were pitch black. He spotted a tall stone tablet and as he went closer, he saw the words ''The Peak Of Imperial Level'' inscribed on it.

    There was a three feet amulet placed right on the ground in front of the tablet. It was the imperial amulet, a symbol that would represent the champion of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest.

    Zachary walked up to the stone tablet and picked up the amulet. "So this is the imperial amulet?" he whispered as he examined it closely. A few seconds later, he stashed it in the system''s warehouse.

    At this point, many warriors who rested on their beasts'' backs had made it to the top as well. They were taken by surprise to discover that Zachary had obtained the imperial amulet. It was beyond their wildest imagination that Zachary, who was the weakest among them, would get a hold of it first.

    However, even though Zachary had taken the imperial amulet, he still needed to fight the other contestants. No one knew if he could keep the amulet to himself or not.

    Ethan, the genius Imperial Level warrior from Dignity College, surfaced from the cave four hours after Zachary came out. Without wasting precious time, he climbed up the mountain. So far, except for the two, none of the other contestants had escaped the cave in success.

    Four more hours later, Alisa from Crane College and Celestial College''s Sara also broke out of the Mysterious Cave at the same time. The two of them continued to head toward the peak right away.

 Chapter 898 He Had Four Beasts

    It had been four hours since Zachary had reached the peak. He had been waiting for long, yet there was no sign of the other participants.

    "How much slower could they get?" he said under his breath, bored out of his mind. He yawned and looked around at the people who had assembled at the mountain peak. Some were floating in the air, while the others were standing nearby.

    Just as Zachary was getting tired of waiting, a tall figure appeared on the peak. The man had a jade flute in his hand, and was clad in a green robe with black boots. His belt was corded girdle with tassels. Judging by his attire, he sure had a taste for fashion.

    "You must be Ethan from Dignity College," Zachary said, immediately recognizing the man in front of him. Ethan was the most talented Imperial Level warrior in the Dignity College. Rumor had it that his strength was on par with that of a Sage Level warrior.

    As soon as Ethan showed up, a heated discussion broke out among the crowd. They were convinced that he was way out of Zachary''s league and the result of the upcoming fight was seemingly obvious.

    "And I assume you are Harley, the one who won the selection contest in the Devil Kingdom. I didn''t pay much attention to you earlier. Honestly, I''m surprised that you made it to the peak first," Ethan said as he raised his eyebrow. When he reached, Ethan was surprised to see Zachary sitting cross legged in front of the stone tablet. He had been confident that he would be the first one to get here and was shocked to see that Zachary had beaten him to it.

    "I guess I have your attention now. Do you want to wait for your companions to begin the battle?" Zachary asked with a sarcastic smile.

    Ethan replied with a smirk, "I can very well handle you on my own. There is no need to wait for anyone else." Ethan was young, talented and proud. Convinced that he was stronger than Zachary, he was more than ready to take him on single-handedly. Besides, this was the final round of the competition. He had to compete with all the participants in order to be the winner, even those from his own college. He decided to make it quick and take the imperial amulet away from Zachary before the others arrived.

    "Alright. Shall we get started?" Zachary asked, gesturing at his opponent to make his first move.

    rful and they were ranked high in the Supernal Continent''s list of Imperial Level treasure beasts. However, they seemed powerless in front of the strange treasure beast which looked like a cross between a human and a beast. Needless to say, Ethan was embarrassed. After all, he was the youngest and the best Imperial Level warrior in the Dignity College, and he was to become the youngest Sage Level warrior in the Canopy Kingdom. The Imperial Level Warrior Contest was a good opportunity for him to gain fame and become a rising star in the Supernal Continent. He was resolved to win the contest at all costs. But what was happening right now seemed like humiliation to him.

    Ethan grabbed his jade flute and began to play it. Hearing the music, the Purple-winged Beast slowed down as if it was distracted by the sound. By this time, Ethan''s treasure beasts attacked the Purple-winged Beast with their full might.

    "Looks like he is good at creating illusions using sound," Zachary murmured to himself as he stared at Ethan.

    However, the music didn''t work for too long on the Purple-winged Beast. In a few seconds, the ferocious beast came back to its senses and brandished its Wing Spear to perform the Spear Array¡ªits exclusive martial skill. In the blink of an eye, it created about a hundred spear shadows which covered a range of more than ten meters around them. Ethan''s treasure beasts were caught off-guard. Although they tried their best to avoid the attack, the two beasts still took the hit and ended up getting wounded.

 Chapter 899 Fight In Person

    "That beast is using its martial skill! I thought only Crane College''s beast tamers could help their beasts cultivate and master the martial skill!"

    "Apparently, becoming proficient in the beast martial skills could be challenging for the beasts. Only the experienced treasure beasts could accomplish that."

    "This specific treasure beast seems exquisite!"

    There were a lot of wild uproars after the crowd caught the Purple-winged Beast''s performance of its martial skill. Surprised, the spectators voiced out their opinions with each other.

    However, something more remarkable happened afterward. Just as the Purple-winged Beast''s stellar execution caught everyone''s attention, an enormous shadow suddenly came to light just above Ethan''s two treasure beasts.

    Everyone present turned to look at it in unison and found a glowing orb inside a treasure beast''s mouth while it hovered in mid-air. It was the Sun-swallowing Beast.

    In the next minute, the Sun-swallowing Beast unleashed its martial skill¡ªthe Sun-devouring Skill. The gleaming light ball shot out of its mouth, targeting the two treasure beasts on the ground. The Purple-winged Beast that was fighting them earlier was nowhere in sight. The two treasure beasts could only stare in horror at the approaching light ball.

    Boom!

    Before they could react, the light ball darted straight at the two treasure beasts without warning, engulfing them altogether. The impact generated powerful shock waves as they dispersed in all directions.

    Even Ethan felt some alarm as he scrambled backward to safety.

    Like the situation after a guided missile was launched from the surface, everything within a hundred meters around the explosion spot got scorched to the ground, and billowing smoke arose. Everybody could feel the strike''s intensity.

    Both of Ethan''s treasure beasts sustained severe injuries. Sprawled on the ground like total wrecks, they had lost their strengths to fight back.

    "What on earth? What kind of treasure beast is this?"

    "What happened just now was awful. Was that also a beast martial skill? But that could very much be of the same standard as a martial skill unleashed by a Sage Level warrior."

    "Such treasure beast is out of this world!"

    The spectators following the battle stared with mouths agape, and disbelief crossed their faces. A moment ago, they had just seen what the Purple-winged Beast could bring about, and now they witnessed the catastrophic blow inflicted by the Sun-

    play of power impressed them.

    "Damn it!" Ethan cursed under his breath. He didn''t expect Zachary to be this persuasive. After discharging the third earth pillar, he had already arrived at his limit. He could no longer create the fourth one. Despite that, he didn''t think that Zachary could take his third impending attack.

    Just as the third earth pillar hurled toward Zachary, Zachary let his hands go from the earlier two earth pillars. Three identical copies of himself popped up in a split second and took the blow coming from the three earth pillars. As for himself, he strolled through the pillars leisurely and inched closer to Ethan.

    "How is this possible?" Seeing that Zachary had broken his strike with his avatars, Ethan was shocked to the core. Close-quarter combat was his vulnerability. As he watched Zachary approaching him fast, he activated the movement skill, trying to distance himself from him.

    However, when he stepped back, he discovered that the distance between him and Zachary had shortened. The strange phenomena bewildered him as he stared blankly at Zachary. The movement skill he performed was the Brilliant Lightness Pace, which was famous on the Supernal Continent. Only a few movement skills within their continent could be on an equal level with it. However, Zachary moved even faster than him.

    The truth was that, he didn''t know that the Shadow Pace that Zachary displayed was an exceptional movement skill in the Supernal Continent. Ethan found that he couldn''t get rid of Zachary, even though the Brilliant Lightness Pace was superb. On top of that, Zachary''s strength was outside the realm of his imagination.

 Chapter 900 The Pill

    Realizing there was no way to keep a safe distance from Zachary, Ethan decided to go all out.

    As he played the jade flute, a soul carrying a lute suddenly appeared behind him. "Is this a spiritual soul? No wonder he''s considered one of the most talented Imperial Level warriors in the Dignity College. He even cultivated a spiritual soul."

    It surprised the crowd to see Ethan summon a spiritual soul. Few could cultivate spiritual souls even among the top Imperial Level warriors.

    "Music come out now!" As he roared, both he and the spiritual soul behind him played their instruments simultaneously. Two kinds of music rang out, producing a sound wave. It swirled quickly and soon enveloped the area.

    Zachary, who was in the sound wave''s range, couldn''t see or sense Ethan and his aura anymore. Looking around, he immediately unleashed the Energy Perception Technique. However, there was no trace of Ethan. Ethan''s brilliant spiritual skill helped him remain undetected.

    "You are now in my Magic Sound Domain. You won''t be able to find me. Go to hell!" Ethan''s voice echoed. It was full of confidence as if he was pretty sure that Zachary wouldn''t be able to counter this.

    In an instant, Zachary felt the sound waves coming at him from all directions.

    Then came a series of loud noises. The explosion of sound caused an energy wave sending the dust and debris on the ground into the air.

    Another round of heated discussion erupted among the crowd. It was obvious that the spiritual skill enabled Ethan to attack the enemy and defend himself at the same time. It was a remarkable skill.

    "This is Ethan''s most powerful spiritual skill. I heard that he learned it from Carson, a famous Holy Level warrior."

    "No wonder he is considered a genius of Dignity College. It looks like Harley is no match for him."

    "I don''t think Harley will be able to hold on for much longer."

    With Zachary unable to break through Ethan''s spiritual skill right at that time, they thought that

    this skill. That was why he didn''t unleash this skill until he was out of options. Although he was out of martial energy, he thought it worth it. He didn''t think that Zachary could withstand his spiritual skill.

    Everyone present thought the same. Shaking their heads, they felt sorry for Zachary. The gap between their strength determined the result of the fight.

    However, much to their surprise, as the dust dissipated, a figure sauntered up to Ethan with an ice machete in hand.

    "How.. How are you unscathed?" Ethan exclaimed in utter shock. Ever since he mastered that spiritual skill, no one had been able to escape injury once he used that skill to deal with his enemy. His opponents either died or suffered severe damage. However, Zachary had survived the blow and remained unharmed.

    "Although that spiritual skill you used was potent, it wasn''t enough to hurt me," Zachary said with a defiant sneer. Then he pointed at Ethan with his ice machete and asked, "Do you want to continue our fight?"

    "You... You are insane. I quit. Continuing this fight with you would only mean I''d lost my mind," Ethan said, gaping at Zachary. Ethan was a sensible man. He had gone all out, and still couldn''t even hurt Zachary. It made no sense to continue the fight. With a last glare at Zachary, he walked away in frustration.

 Chapter 901 Someone Lurking Around

    Seeing that Ethan had given up and already taken off, the crowd gasped in dismay. They felt that he dropped out of the fight because Zachary''s strength daunted him. They understood his good judgment for doing so and overlooked his uneasiness. He had mustered up all of his courage, yet he failed to weaken Zachary. Judging by that, they believed Zachary''s strength was beyond everyone''s belief, and Ethan was no match for him.

    Everyone in attendance realized anything could happen before the last second of the contest came. They initially assumed that Ethan would emerge as the winner, but the opposite happened because of a twist of fate.

    When they saw that Ethan had given up, some of Celestial College''s distinguished personalities felt exhilarated. They thought of Ethan''s fighting power to be grander than the other participants representing Dignity College. Still, now that he had lost, they figured out the likelihood of their disciples winning the contest had doubled.

    "I can''t believe that Ethan, a perceived talented Imperial Level warrior from Dignity College, got overthrown. This Imperial Level Warrior Contest is full of shocking surprises. The warriors from Devil Kingdom had always finished the Imperial Level Warrior Contest at the bottom of the pile. But this time, thanks to Harley, they might break their record and stand out in the competition."

    "But there''s no guarantee if Harley will win the contest. Besides, he only defeated one opponent. He might encounter even more stalwart competitors soon."

    "Still, this dramatic first round had me on the edge of my seat! Apparently, the participants in this year''s contest are fiercer."

    At this moment, the crowd following the battle began discussing with much enthusiasm. They speculated who would challenge Zachary next and whether Zachary, who had just engaged in an intense duel, could thwart his subsequent opponent.

    After Ethan quit the contest, Zachary placed the Purple-winged Beast together with the Sun-swallowing Beast back into the system. As he caught his breath and braced himself for the next test, two prominent figures quickly lunged toward him from one side. It appeared that they had plotted this ambush for a long time. In the blink of an eye, they inched closer to Zachary, as if they were about to launch a sneak attack on him.

    "Get lost!" Zachary warned at the top of his voice. There was no way that he would give them a chance to capture him. With a burst of anger, the Ice Armor on his body gave off

    up that fast. Just as they were about to work together to charge at Zachary, two young women showed up and stopped them at once.

    "Here you are!"

    Zachary turned to look at the two charming ladies. They were none other than Tracy and Nola. "Leave them to us. You need to take some rest first," Tracy said to Zachary.

    After Zachary rescued them during the first stage, an idea had crossed their minds. They had decided to help him look after the imperial amulet and ultimately win the Imperial Level Warrior Contest. "Sure, thanks. I won''t turn down your offer."

    Zachary smiled at them. He didn''t refuse their kindness, for he knew what was on their minds. "If you guys want to fight, then we''re here to grant your request,"

    Tracy announced as she rested her eyes on the two warriors from the Enigmatic Kingdom. The two Imperial Level warriors'' expressions darkened. It was none of their slightest expectation that the two female warriors would abruptly show up to defend Zachary.

    "Let''s do this!" Tracy nodded at Nola, signaling the start of their fight.

    The two women soon made their way toward the two Imperial Level warriors while putting on an intimidating demeanor. However, Zachary didn''t take a break because he could sense two more warriors hiding nearby them. They had reached the mountain''s peak even earlier than the two warriors from the Enigmatic Kingdom. When he battled Ethan earlier, they had already arrived, but they never revealed their identities. Zachary directed his gaze at the dense jungle on his left and then scanned the monolith, which stood three meters tall on his right.

    He stated, "Show yourselves. I know you''re here."

 Chapter 902 A Divine Level Weapon

    Just as Zachary finished speaking, two beautiful girls came out of hiding and walked up to him. One came from his left and one came from his right. They were Alisa and Sara. When they were at a safe distance, they paused in their tracks.

    Their presence didn''t surprise Zachary. Calmly, he asked the girls, "Girls, are you going to fight me together, or will you challenge me one by one?"

    "I can''t believe that you got your hands on the imperial amulet. Master Katrina was right. Now that you have it, I don''t see any point in fighting you. I quit!" Sara snapped. Karina had talked to her before they set off. She''d told her she should drop out of the contest if Zachary got hold of the imperial amulet. Although she was unwilling, she knew that Katrina had her reasons. It was thanks to Katrina''s guidance that she''d gotten to where she was today. Therefore, she would never defy the woman.

    Confusion overwhelmed the audience.

    Celestial College''s big shots were more so than the rest. They had placed great hopes on Sara, expecting her to win the contest. It never occurred to them that she would quit halfway.

    "What''s going on? Why would Sara give up just like that?" Barney murmured to himself with a frown. "Master Katrina, do you know why she would do that?" he asked with a skeptical look at Katrina. He suspected that Katrina had something to do with it.

    "It was my idea. I asked her to give up," Katrina replied frankly.

    Her words rendered the big shot of Celestial College silent. They couldn''t believe that Katrina would let Sara, who they''d had high hopes of for the championship, give up the contest. But since Katrina was a Holy Level warrior, none of them dared blame her. Even Barney wore a long face and didn''t know what to say.

    "Why did you ask her to give up?" Barney asked calmly after hesitating for a while.

    "Because she is no match for him," Katrina replied bluntly.

    "What makes you so sure about that? Although Harley

    start then!" Alisa tightened her grip on the Spiritual Cloud Fan, ready to fight.

    "But I don''t have the heart to lay a hand on you," Zachary said with a self-mocking smile. Once they engaged, he would have to go all out. If he didn''t fight with full strength, it would imply he didn''t respect her. ''Alisa is eager to battle, but what if I ended up hurting her? What would I do then?'' he thought to himself.

    "What are you talking about? I''m your opponent. If you want to win the championship, you must defeat me!" Alisa said with a displeased snort.

    "You are right, of course. But you are more than an opponent to me," Zachary replied affectionately, as he looked Alisa in the eye.

    "What do you mean?" Alisa asked with arched eyebrows. She knew that Zachary''s words had a hidden meaning.

    "I don''t want to fight you for the same reason you took a hit from Nathan for me," Zachary answered earnestly.

    Alisa was speechless for a moment. She still didn''t understand why she''d taken that blow for him. This question had been haunting her. But now Zachary was telling her he couldn''t bear to hurt her for the same reason, she was more confused. Blurry images flashed in her mind again. Ever since her injury, those images had popped into her mind frequently as if trying to remind her of something.

 Chapter 903 Devoured By The Vortex

    Soon after, Alisa sought to take it easy and at once placated herself because she knew that she needed to stay on course. She must strive hard to defeat Zachary and emerge as the contest''s champion.

    After a short while, Alisa regained her composure and cleared her head off things. "We''ll sort things out between us later. Right now, I want my close attention here on battling you," she said as she stared at Zachary with a threatening look.

    "Alright, then I''ll do as you wish and bring out my strongest power," Zachary countered as he glared back at her. Suddenly, a daunting cyclone formed and whirled around his entire body, which was an obvious indication of his full strength.

    At the sight of this, the spectators held their breaths, for they all perceived that the duel''s aftermath between the two warriors would determine the winner. If Zachary beat Alisa, he would become inducted as the King of Imperial Level warrior, and vice versa. So, no matter how the fight would end up, it would be a guaranteed intense and exciting skirmish.

    Simultaneously, a vortex materialized, shrouding Alisa''s body in a mist-like whirlpool. The energy with the water element she possessed had a formidable defensive power. Plus, it was the kind that could suppress Zachary''s energy with the ice element.

    It was a well-known fact that there existed five essential elements in the Supernal Continent, and these elements had particular applicability amongst them. The most common was the fire element that was the natural arch-rival of the metal element. Both the ice and the water elements had logical compatibility and distinct connections with each other. Ice would melt into water, and water could solidify into ice. To illustrate these attributes, the warrior bearing a more substantial power of the water element could win over the one with the ice element''s weaker power. If two warriors happened to acquire related element powers, the one with more considerable power could defeat the other.

    Just like the martial energy, the warriors could get hold of the element powers through cultivation. But the average warrior wouldn''t be able to cultivate them because the conditions in grasping these elements were troublesome. Only those who had reached the Sage Level could have the chance of obtaining such powers.

    At this point, Alisa, who had already geared up, brandished her Spiritual Cloud Fan. Then and there, it generated tremendous water energy, transforming into a water beast with sharp teeth a

    g Skill?" Zachary muttered under his breath. Seeing Alisa employ her best martial skill made Zachary squint, his face showing a serious expression. He knew very well how effective this technique was, so he unquestionably could not underestimate it.

    As soon as Alisa called Coco out, the volume of water energy soared as the energy blazed brightly. In an instant, two powers of the water element took off from Alisa''s body, followed by Coco''s. Together they skyrocketed and emitted dazzling blue light. A moment later, they merged into one and blasted, forming a water shadow in the sky. The water shadow continued to shift before turning into several blue beasts that looked like Coco, and they darted toward Zachary.

    "It''s the Aquatic Illusion Beast!"

    Zachary observed the blue beasts for a while and jumped upcoming at them.

    The crowd got all worked up with this progress, for they also felt the power of the Beast Merging Skill that Alisa had unleashed. ''Harley should have stood his ground. Why did he even try to infiltrate the shadows? What did he plan on doing?'' The crowd discussed among themselves with confusion on their faces.

    With everyone baffled, Zachary flew toward the water beasts while making circular motions with his hand. In just a split second, a blue vortex turned up before him. It sucked the blue beasts that were racing toward him one by one.

    In a flash, the blue vortex devoured all the blue beasts without interruption.

    This incident left everyone a bit dumbfounded. None of the onlookers had expected that Zachary could absorb the Beast Merging Skill''s power. His display of incredible strength impressed everyone present.

 Chapter 904 Reaching The Sage Level

    "How... How is that even possible?" Alisa murmured to herself with a stunned expression. She thought she would be able to break the stalemate, forcing Zachary to strike back with her Beast Merging Skill. However, he devoured her power without breaking a sweat.

    Zachary landed on the ground, looked at Alisa, and said, "Just quit. There is no need to go on with the fight."

    "No, I will not give up," Alisa said with determination. As someone who stuck to their guns on whatever decision they made, there was no way she was going to back out of this even if she slammed headfirst into a brick wall.

    "I knew you would say that. Well, take this then!" Zachary said. He knew that if he didn''t defeat Alisa, she would only keep going. So he decided to end the fight quickly. With a slight shake, the spiritual soul, Gisele, appeared behind him. Then, he merged with her and they became one. In an instant, he unleashed the Demon-killing Strike.

    Everyone present was familiar with Zachary''s attack. Seeing him perform this martial skill again filled them with excitement as they fixed their gazes on the two fighters.

    The saber-shaped shadow appeared, releasing enormous ice energy that soon filled the area around them. The crowd shook from the cold.

    In the blink of an eye, the shadow fast approached Alisa. Unfazed, she observed it calmly. Suddenly, her aura mounted, and a water-like shadow appeared behind her. It was a beast soul emanating a powerful aura, rivaling that of a legendary beast soul.

    "Is that a legendary beast''s spiritual soul?" Zachary''s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the beast soul. He''d been too naive to even contemplate that she would have the spiritual soul of a legendary beast as well.

    Legendary beast spiritual souls were rare. Even Holy Level warriors weren''t able to get their hands on one, not to mention Sage Level warriors.

    on''t want to hurt you," Alisa told him. She believed that there was no way for him to block her attack now.

    "What makes you think I''ll lose for sure?" Zachary retorted.

    Alisa raised her eyebrows. Then she waved the Spiritual Cloud Fan, creating Sage Level water force that whirled around. In a flash, it approached Zachary. He hacked at the water force immediately but failed to destroy it. As a result, it hit his Ice Armor, throwing him quite a distance back.

    Such an enormous difference in strength had the spectators shaking their heads. No matter how strong Zachary was, he wouldn''t be able to match Alisa, now that she was already at the Sage Level.

    Suddenly, laughter sounded. "Looks like I gave myself a little too much credit!" After the light dissipated, Zachary walked up to Alisa, though he was unharmed.

    "How did you withstand my water force? It is at the Sage Level!" Alisa''s eyes widened in shock.

    The crowd had been just as convinced of Zachary''s defeat a moment earlier. His unharmed state startled them now.

    "You know what? My Ice Armor is a Divine Level weapon. Of course, it can withstand your blow. But it''s time to end this." As Zachary spoke, he drew closer to Alisa while unexpectedly withdrawing his power.

 Chapter 905 Reunion

    "What the hell are you doing?" Alisa''s eyes widened in shock, and she felt unsettled after she noticed that Zachary was coming straight at her while suppressing his own power.

    "I''m giving you a choice. It''s either you kill me now or give up the fight," Zachary remarked as he studied Alisa''s expression. His fixed gaze insinuated that he was serious about it.

    "How dare you!" Alisa didn''t even think that Zachary would put her on the spot, forcing her to make a tough decision. She didn''t want to hurt him, but she needed to win this contest. She was trapped in a dilemma.

    "Make up your mind. Choose!" Zachary spoke straight to the point.

    "You''re such a jerk!" Alisa blurted out in disgust. A few seconds later, she released all of her remaining power. At a stroke, a thick water mist engulfed the area within a distance of several hundred meters around her. A series of densely-packed water pillars spurted out from the ground one after another, and soon after, they intertwined in the air. It resulted in an unexpected water storm, directly speeding toward Zachary without a hitch.

    Despite this billowing attack, Zachary remained motionless without any intention of shielding himself. In the next minute, the storm engulfed him.

    The occurrence left all the people present flabbergasted. They couldn''t comprehend why Zachary would commit suicide when he had lots of opportunities to protect himself.

    "Oh my god! Did I kill him? No! It can''t be true. I didn''t even want to hurt him. He can''t die. I can''t let him die. I''ll never forgive myself. He seems to be very precious to me," Alisa murmured to herself with a pained expression. It was only until after she executed the attack that she had lost some control of herself. As she watched the water storm swallow Zachary, it overwhelmed her with grief. Haunted by regret, she shook violently, and an extreme feeling of sadness instantly surged out of her. Meanwhile, the blurred images that had once kept surfacing in her mind gradually became more lucid. Soon enough, she regained all of her lost memories back little by little.

    "Alisa!" At this point, Alisa heard a voice calling her. When she lifted her head, an obscure figure radiating a luminous glow stood before her eyes. A bright golden radiance covered his Ice Armor, so she squinted a bit in an attempt to get a clearer image of his face.

    The spectators didn''t have time to react. When they noticed the glowing figure in front of Alisa, they all felt b

    side the whole time, but I didn''t recognize you until now." Alisa admitted her guilt and felt responsible for it.

    "I am not mad at you. You lost your memory for a long time," Zachary comforted her with a doting smile.

    "Even so, I have kept you waiting for so long," Alisa said, still feeling restless.

    "It''s all worth it. I''m just glad you got your memory back," Zachary whispered, gently rubbing her back.

    "By the way, what happened to your face?" Alisa asked as she looked up at him.

    Zachary took off the Thousand-Face Mask and revealed his real face.

    Alisa fought the urge to cry and laugh simultaneously as she gawked at Zachary, who had subsequently lifted his disguise.

    "I originally thought that you wouldn''t regain your memories this soon," Zachary admitted with a long sigh.

    "But this is a good thing, right?" Alisa grumbled.

    "It''s a big blessing. But there is something I must tell you." Zachary''s expression soon grew serious.

    "What is it?" Alisa urged.

    "You didn''t lose your memory. Your memory was sealed." Zachary revealed to her the truth at last. Although it might be too much for her to digest, he thought she had the right to find it out.

    "What did you say? Why would someone seal my memories? Who is it? Tell me!" Alisa demanded in exasperation. She knew that Zachary would not lie to her.

    "You know who it is," Zachary hinted.

    "Are you talking about my uncle? That''s absurd! It can''t be him. There must be some misunderstanding." Alisa''s voice drifted off, and her whole body trembled. She found it hard to believe that the one who once saved her life would lock up all her memories on purpose.

 Chapter 906 Win The Contest

    "You know how powerful he is. He is very much capable of doing it. Moreover, he told me himself that he was the one who had sealed your memory," Zachary told her in a serious tone.

    "What?! You met him already?" Alisa asked, dumbfounded by his reply.

    "I did, and I almost died at his hands," he confessed with a slight nod.

    Alisa arched her brows in a tight knot, lost in thought. ''I can''t believe that Uncle met Zachary, and almost killed him too! I bet he did it because he was worried that Zachary might help me get my memory back. I always felt something was off about him. It all makes sense now. My savior has turned out to be a villain in the end.''

    "I don''t know what he wants from you yet, but he is definitely a very dangerous man," Zachary said.

    "What should I do now?" Alisa asked. She was at a complete loss. It was still difficult to process everything Zachary had told her in such a short interval.

    "For now, don''t let him know that you got your memory back. Pretend like everything is normal, and try not to give yourself away in front of him," Zachary said after giving it a thought.

    "But he will find out sooner or later," Alisa said with a frown. She knew that man''s strength was unfathomable. It would be nearly impossible to keep him in the dark for too long.

    "We have no choice but to play it by ear for the time being. We should first figure out what he wants from you. But one thing is sure¡ªhe won''t hurt you as long as he thinks that you do not have your memory back," Zachary said with certainty. So far, as far as he had observed, that man treated Alisa like a precious disciple. He had no reason to hurt her now.

    "Are you sure that he wouldn''t hurt me?" Alisa asked hesitantly.

    "I really want to be by your side all the time, but we need to pretend as if nothing has happened," he told her.

    "Okay, understood," she replied dejectedly. A thought occurred to her at that moment and she asked him, "You hid your identity from everyone because you didn''t want to be found by your clan, right?"

    "That is one of the reasons." Zachary then told her that his father was killed by Armand and explained everything that he had experienced in the Devil Kingdom.

    Alisa was shocked. "I can''t believe that Armand was such a horrible person the whole time. He murdered your parents and then came after us too! And now, he has falsely accused you of slaughtering th

    achary came up with an excuse.

    "Anyway, you won the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, and even reached the Sage Level! This is good news for the Devil Kingdom!" Jay gushed, smiling from ear to ear.

    As soon as he finished speaking, Jace and Pollard arrived, accompanied by Polly.

    "Master Jace! It has been a while," Zachary greeted respectfully.

    "Ha-ha! Harley! You are such a talented warrior. As they say, the world belongs to the youngsters. You have already reached the Sage Level at such a young age. You have such potential; you are meant to do great things," Jace praised.

    "I''m flattered to hear that from you," Zachary said, cupping his hands.

    "I''m only telling the truth. And I cannot overlook your final opponent either. Alisa is a great warrior too. She is just about your age, isn''t she?" Jace asked.

    "Yes." Zachary nodded.

    "I didn''t expect to see so many talents in this contest. It was fortunate that we, the Devil Kingdom, have you by our side. Otherwise, the Vanity Kingdom would have taken the limelight again." As the leader of a super powerful force of the Devil Kingdom, Jace was glad that the warrior from his hometown had won the contest.

    "By the way, Master Jace, I heard from Pollard that you and the dean of Celestial College are good friends. Is that so?" Zachary asked casually.

    "Oh yes, we have been best friends for years. We even escaped death once together a long time ago. I came to Celestial College on his invite. In addition to watching the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, I''m here to discuss with them about the Five-God Tombs," Jace replied.

 Chapter 907 An Upgraded Reward

    "The Five-God Tombs?" Zachary could hardly believe what he just found out.

    "You heard it right. Barney has solicited my services if I could send my men, alongside his elite team, to find the Five-God Tombs. According to countless reports, many warriors had searched for it since ancient times, but only a few were lucky to have gained access to the tombs. So, only a handful knew what it looks like inside. One of my clan¡¯s ancestors had explored one tomb, and he left some notes of his expedition in a book. Barney allowed us to join the quest in the Five-God Tombs on the condition that I share those pieces of information with him," Jace pointed out in detail.

    "So, what would be your action plan?" Zachary probed, his voice burning with curiosity.

    "Every warrior has dreamt of exploring the Five-God Tombs, and just like them, I am no exception. But I have little interest in the treasures there. I''m aiming to delve into the tomb of Jules, who is reputed as Father of Weaponry. Throughout the ages, tales revealed that he had left behind a secret booklet containing all the methods used in refining all kinds of weapons and tools in the Supernal Continent. For centuries, our clan has looked for that booklet, so I wish to fulfill this endeavor by getting my hands on it," Jace replied in a more serious tone, with a pensive look in his eyes.

    "So, you have agreed to supply them the clue concerning the Five-God Tombs?" Zachary asked further after the response also piqued his interest.

    Jace nodded in confirmation.

    "Harley, it seems like we''ll be going on an adventure with you again this time," Pollard said excitedly, beaming at Zachary. He looked keen and enthusiastic about their upcoming journey together.

    "Oh, you guys are going too?" Zachary inquired as he shifted his gaze at Pollard and Polly. Going through an exploration of the Five-God Tombs was a perilous task. It caught him by surprise that Jace would permit his children to run the risk.

    "Yes, we¡¯ll be there. It¡¯s great to travel and experience the world. Such an opportunity is scarce!" Pollard exclaimed with fervor. With an impish grin, he continued, "But when the time comes, and I need your help, please look out for my sister. I trust that you can keep her safe."

    "What are you saying, Pollard!" Polly called out as she moped at her brother, feeling a bit annoyed yet shy by his sudden mentioning of her to Zachary.

    "Don¡¯t worry. I will keep an eye on her," Zachary declared with quiet assurance.

    Polly also glared at Zachary, his remark causing her cheeks to turn red. She then tur

    gratefully.

    "You''ve earned all this by your efforts. I didn''t help you much," Katrina said with a meek smile as she shook her head.

    After their exchange, Zachary left and went back to the disciple dormitory. As soon as he arrived in his room, he entered the system right away.

    "Congratulations on completing the main quest of retrieving her memories. Since you have done so with success and also won the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, the system will reward you with the upgraded version of the Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons." Mimi¡¯s unsurprisingly sweet voice rang out. Refusing to believe what he just heard, Zachary blurted out,

    "What? Not those stupid cauldrons again! Is it okay if I refuse to accept them?" Zachary frowned in disbelief.

    "Don''t worry. After rebooting this variant, you''re no longer required to use treasure-hunting coins to draw a prize like before in this enhanced version. You''re now entitled to a free draw once a day," Mimi promptly explained.

    "Is that so? That¡¯s not bad at all. Are you sure it¡¯s free?" Zachary sighed with relief.

    "Yes, but the probability of winning the lottery is one in ten thousand. However, if you spend treasure-hunting coins in it, you can narrow the odds. The more coins you put in, the higher your chances of winning will be. For example, if you invest a thousand coins, then you¡¯d have a one in a thousand possibilities. If you throw in ten thousand, then you¡¯d have one in a hundred and so on," Mimi went on.

    "What difference would it make? The upgraded cauldrons are still not useful!" Zachary grew speechless. But he soon saw the bright side of this. ''At least, I have the chance to draw the lottery for free,'' he comforted himself inwardly.

 Chapter 908 The Invincible Sage Array

    "Are there any other rewards?" Zachary asked.

    "In addition, there is a Sage Level martial skill manual for the Invincible Sage Array. Once performed, this skill can take out thousands of people. Moreover, it would weaken the attacks of those trapped inside the array. This is one of the unique martial arts skills in the Supernal Continent," Mimi replied.

    "I like this one," Zachary responded.

    "Besides, there is a new quest. Would you like to claim it now?" Mimi asked.

    "Sure, I''d like to," Zachary said, agreeing.

    "You have already claimed the new main quest¡ªFive-God Tombs. You need to explore one of the Five-God Tombs and get your hands on the legendary Five-God Treasures. Once you complete this quest, your strength will be upgraded by one grade at the Sage Level," Mimi explained.

    "Really? That is one great reward. Too bad getting the Five-God Treasures is difficult," Zachary said, knowing how challenging the task was going to be.

    After receiving the Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons and the Invincible Sage Array''s manual, Zachary began the lottery. Knowing that his odds of winning were very low, he was not optimistic about the results. As expected, he got nothing in the end.

    Then, he went to the Living-dead Tomb and shared the good news with Anne. When she learned he won the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, she was ecstatic, although she had predicted his win. Zachary filled her in on his plan to head to the Five-God Tombs.

    "I''ve been to one of the Five-God Tombs before. It''s very dangerous. Even a Holy Level warrior might not make it out of there alive," Anne said with arched eyebrows.

    "Are there really those treasures in those tombs?" Zachary asked.

    "I have no clue. But according to our records, the Five-God Treasures do exist. They carry the remaining powers of the Five Gods after they fell. Any warrior with that power can make rapid progress. However, I don''t know how much the warrior''s strength can improve with it," Anne replied.

    "It looks like I won

    xpression.

    "It sounds horrible," Zachary remarked. Tania''s grave tone showed him how serious she was. The other continents had to be far more dangerous than the Supernal Continent.

    "Are you going to agree then?" Tania asked impatiently.

    "Since it''s what you wish, I can do nothing but agree. Otherwise, I would be ungrateful. After I get my revenge on the Zi Clan, I will go to the Dignified Supernal Sect with you and spend three years learning how to refine pills." Zachary agreed with a nod.

    "Then you can go back now. I will talk Lewis into helping you," Tania said as she gestured at Zachary to leave.

    "Thank you," Zachary said, beaming. Now that he had gotten what he wanted, he left so that Tania could focus on her work.

    He returned to the system happily. Then he worked on the Invincible Sage Array. As he cultivated, he was taken aback by how powerful it was. It could cover an area of a thousand meters, leaving those within range unable to escape the array. Once the array was activated, it could launch fatal attacks.

    The Invincible Sage Array had three modes: killing mode, defense mode, and illusionary mode. The three modes had their own advantages and one could switch around from one mode to another. Once he learned how to use them, Zachary would be able to defeat a large amount of enemies on his own.

 Chapter 909 The Ugly Truth

    As scheduled, two days later, Celestial College held a grand ceremony to honor some exceptional Imperial Level warriors. Since they sponsored this year''s contest, it was the college''s responsibility to reward the champion of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest generously during this ceremonial occasion. They would also award several contests who did spectacular executions of their skills and those who had made it to the competition''s top twenty. All of those accolades mentioned were the customary practice of the said contest.

    Also, Celestial College had sent out invitations to all of Enigmatic Kingdom¡¯s powerful forces. If they could grace the social function with their presence, the event would be the largest assemblage of all the elites and noble personages throughout the kingdom.

    The college arranged the awarding activity at the square where a large crowd had already flocked together. Simultaneously, many of Celestial College¡¯s disciples, alongside the warriors from the four kingdoms, who all watched the contest at the sidelines, patiently waited outside.

    Within the square, representatives from various sects and clans already took their assigned seats around a three-meter high round platform in the square¡¯s center. The place was jam-packed with delegates who were the leaders of sects or clans. Among those seated were Donald, Virid Sword Sect¡¯s leader; Grady, Dragon Fist Sect¡¯s leader; and Sousa, the Hua Clan¡¯s leader. It was apparent that the all-powerful forces and prestigious clans showed much value and respect to this ceremony dedicated to Imperial Level warriors.

    Armand, Zi Clan''s current leader, also made a personal appearance. At first, he showed no volition in attending the event, but since the one invited him in person was Katrina, who was now a Holy Level warrior, he had no choice. Regardless of how proud he was, he couldn''t decline Katrina''s persuasive request, so he came at last.

    In the meantime, standing right in front of the platform was Zachary, whose piercing gaze was at Armand. Despite his calm demeanor, anger took better control of him. Even though he had never laid eyes on Armand before, he recognized him in the memory of his body''s original owner. Thus, he could very well distinguish what Armand looked like among the crowd.

    At the same time, Alisa, who stood close to Zachary, also stared at Armand with much ire. Unlike Zachary, her face had fury written all over it. Her anger intensity ma

    was talking about, and they all wondered what he was going to announce.

    "From here on out, I fear that the camaraderie in the Enigmatic Kingdom will no longer be harmonious!" Katrina murmured under her breath as she knitted her eyebrows.

    "Do you still remember Zachary, a disciple from Celestial College? A year ago, someone gravely accused him of killing warriors of the Welkin Sect, and because of that charge, he became the Enigmatic Kingdom¡¯s most wanted criminal. Until this day, nobody knows where his hiding place is," Zachary stated directly to the point.

    Almost in a second, pandemonium reigned all over the crowd. None of them had expected that the winner on the stage would remark it. Most individuals from the Enigmatic Kingdom had already forgotten that incident. After all, the Welkin Sect was not a powerful force, and Zachary was not a renowned figure to them.

    However, Elva trembled because Zachary¡¯s words reminded her of the awful past. The young man onstage just hinted that Zachary might be still alive, and he could show up soon. So, she purported that what he was going to divulge next would have some connection to Zachary.

    At the same time, the mere mention of the Welkin Sect made Armand fidgety. He stared at Zachary with intense dislike, seeming to have a foreboding feeling.

    "It appears that many people still remember. What I will tell you next is incidental to the demolition of the Welkin Sect proceedings back then. I¡¯ll reveal the ugly truth behind that murder case. You must have thought Zachary was accountable for that. But you¡¯re all mistaken," Zachary said in a slow and serious manner.

 Chapter 910 Defending The Criminal

    Zachary''s revelation brought about howls of protests from the crowd because he implied that someone else was responsible for the Welkin Sect''s obliteration.

    "It is a known fact that this disciple named Zachary Zi was the primary suspect in the demolition of the Welkin Sect. Plus, I heard that he was also the perpetrator of the Zi Clan''s massacre, including his father''s death."

    "That case was already closed, and the evidence pointing to him was substantial."

    "What does this guy have to do with that Zachary guy? Why is he speaking on his behalf?"

    For a moment, the entire square was in turmoil, and everyone began to discuss it in subdued tone. It was evident that Zachary''s words dropped like a massive bomb, creating a considerable stir.

    "I''m sure you must all be baffled and couldn''t stop wondering why I''m bringing up what happened back then. What I''m about to tell you next is my true identity. Harley is not my real name. I am..." Zachary took off his bamboo hat. Then, he slowly took off his Thousand-Face Mask and eventually exposed his real face.

    Most of the people in attendance gaped at Zachary in astonishment. Those who knew him well seemed more disconcerted than others, which included Elva. None of them had prepared for this unheralded turn of events that Harley, who had just won the Imperial Level Warrior Contest and reached the Sage Level, was actually Zachary.

    "So he is Zachary." Even Barney and other luminaries of Celestial College looked stupefied. Without a doubt, the events unfolding before them were too melodramatic.

    ''Zachary, a convicted felon, has changed his identity and made a name for himself in the Supernal Continent. If he kept on with his disguise, he would have attained much bigger things. However, he had revealed who he is before so many people. It takes a lot of courage to make such a big decision,'' they thought to themselves.

    "What did he say? Did he confess that he is Zachary?"

    "No freaking way! How could he be Zachary?"

    "What on earth is going on? This is ridiculous!"

    Soon, the entire square had become chaotic. It was apparent that Zachary''s disclosure of his true identity made the crowd more perplexed.

    "Why is he still alive? Didn''t Warren say that he died? Was he liable for Warren''s death and the Blazing Lodge''s destruction?" Armand looked more appalled than anyone else. He never second-guessed how fortunate Zachary was to have pulled through it all. Also

    t. Although they were arrogant and dauntless, they had no guts to mess with Katrina.

    Armand''s face darkened. Shifting his attention to Katrina, he asked at once, "Master Katrina, are you trying to defend this wanted criminal?"

    "Defend the criminal? Armand, how confident are you that he is a murderer?" Katrina put forward.

    Armand''s body shook in anxiety. He then realized that Katrina was taking Zachary''s side. It was not until this time that did he realize that Zachary was able to pull in Katrina to help him out.

    "Dean Barney, with all due respect, the criminal who murdered the Welkin Sect is here. You should bring him to justice. As the dean of Celestial College, you should have your judgment. You must never trust a wanted criminal." Armand looked at Barney. ''The only way to suppress Katrina is to have the dean on board,'' he contemplated to himself.

    Simultaneously, Katrina also turned to Barney. Since he was the Celestial College''s dean, people respected him, and his words would have a considerable influence.

    Barney was in a quandary. But he understood right away what Katrina had said to him before about asking for a favor. ''If I speak up for Zachary''s well-being and have his back, there''s a possibility that he would walk away scot-free and go back to Celestial College. That would be a good thing for us both. But the evidence against Zachary that time was rock solid. It''s still doubtful if Zachary could clear up his name. Granted, I support Zachary. What would happen next if he failed to prove his innocence? People might throw the blame at me! What should I do?'' Barney pondered with a frown.

 Chapter 911 He Is Innocent

    Since Barney was not new to such sudden incidents, he quickly calmed down. "This is a matter of grave importance. I think we should investigate thoroughly before drawing any conclusion. Zachary, you said that the Zi Clan was behind the extermination of the Welkin Sect. Do you have any proof for this claim?" he asked Zachary.

    "Yes, I do." Zachary nodded firmly.

    The crowd around them burst into an uproar. If Zachary really had proof, then he might be able to prove his innocence, and the Zi Clan would be put in a very awkward position. If they were really responsible for the massacre of the Welkin Sect, Celestial College and the entire Enigmatic Kingdom would bear its fangs on the clan.

    "Can you show us the proof now?" Barney asked.

    "Of course, I can," Zachary answered.

    "Humph! Don''t believe this man! He has no evidence. He is just stalling for time. If he had any proof, he would have shown it already," Armand said loudly.

    "The reason why I haven''t shown you the proof yet is because the evidence is a living person. He can tell you who did that to the Welkin Sect. Only he and I survived that tragedy," Zachary said, clenching his teeth.

    "Nonsense! Everyone in the Welkin Sect died, except you, which means that you are the murderer. And you ran away to escape punishment," Armand retorted. ''If there really was another survivor, Zachary could have proved his innocence long back,'' he thought to himself.

    "Master Armand, are you sure about that?" Zachary asked as he looked Armand in the eye.

    "Of course, I am!" Armand said with glee.

    "Please step forward, Master Lewis. It''s time," Zachary said in a raised voice.

    The crowd made way as an old man walked to the front. He had white hair and a full beard, and was clad in a white robe. Alive and well, the leader of the Welkin Sect, stood in front of the silent crowd.

    "Wait a second! Isn''t that Master Lewis?"

    "Yes! But... I thought he was dead!"

    "Obviously, he is not! Is this the proof Zachary was referring to?"

    Many of the sect leaders and other representatives recognized Lewis.

    While everyone stared at h

    tood up from his seat and said, "We believe that Zachary was set up."

    The crowd fell into complete silence once the Hua Clan, one of the four major forces, expressed its stance.

    Many of the leaders and representatives of the clans and sects who had had a close relationship with Lewis also expressed their support for Zachary and Lewis.

    Seeing that more and more forces were siding with Zachary, Armand grew a little overwhelmed. Although the Zi Clan was almost as good as the four major forces of the Enigmatic Kingdom, it couldn''t afford to make enemies with such a large united force.

    "Why the hell would I destroy the Welkin Sect? I didn''t have any enmity with them. You are the ones trying to frame me!" Armand defended himself seeing that the situation was not in his favor.

    "Well, since you brought it up, I have another thing to clarify. Before the massacre, the Zi Clan had accused me of murdering my own father. But I had evidence to prove that it was Armand who had killed my father. When he found out that I have evidence against him, he laid waste to the Welkin Sect," Zachary said. As he spoke, he took out two pages of the letter which he had retrieved with great efforts. "This is a letter written by my father before his death. He had handed it to Master Lewis, who had saved me from the assassins at the time. He hoped that I would someday unveil the truth behind the murder."

 Chapter 912 A Letter Written In Blood

    "Such a letter does not exist. Stop talking nonsense. You are a criminal who killed your own father. For that, I''m going to arrest you," Armand yelled at Zachary. Emanating a strong Sage Level aura, Armand jumped up and flew towards the stage. However, it wasn''t Zachary he was after, but the letter in his hand. Knowing fully well that it would endanger him, he had to destroy it.

    Katrina immediately stepped forward in a bid to prevent Armand from approaching Zachary. But before she could make a move, a woman appeared and floated in front of Armand. With a wave of her hand, a terrifying Holy Level force appeared and shot towards Armand. Caught off guard, Armand took the hit and was thrown away. He managed to land on the ground and steady himself.

    "How dare you lay a hand on my man? Do you want to die?" the beautiful woman huffed coldly.

    The mysterious visitor''s words drew everyone''s eyes to her. She was dressed in a red robe and a veil covering her head. They could vaguely see her face through the veil and were impressed by her breath-taking beauty.

    "Lady Evil... It''s Lady Evil!" One onlooker seemed to recognize her.

    In an instant, the crowd rose in excitement. Of all places, Sophie had shown up here. She even claimed that Zachary was her man just now. They wondered what was going on between them.

    Sophie ignored everyone and headed straight to Zachary. "Hey, long time no see!" she greeted him.

    "I wasn''t sure you would come," Zachary said. Zachary had hoped Sophie would help him, he had even told Katrina about it.

    "I got word from Katrina, so here I am. I really shouldn''t be here, but since it concerns you, I decided to take the chance," Sophie said.

    Zachary didn''t understand what she said, but he decided not to ask.

    It dumbfounded everyone to see Zachary surrounded by two incredibly famous beautiful Holy Level warriors.

    "Damn it!" Armand cursed. Katrina alone had already been difficult enough for him. Adding Sophie to the mix was going to be impossible.

    "Dean Barney, this letter is the evidence that can prove Armand murdered my father to take his pla

    that we have to find another way to identify its authenticity," Barney said to Zachary.

    Zachary had to nod in agreement. He knew that Armand had tampered with the book.

    "Dean, there''s no need to verify the contents of the letter. I had nothing to do with my brother''s death. All the members of my clan can testify for me. After he got murdered, this brat went off the grid and has never come back. The evidence we got proved that it was an inside job. So I have every reason to suspect that this brat is the criminal," Armand said, trying to turn things on Zachary.

    "Master Armand, can you show us evidence of that?" Barney asked as he turned to look at Armand.

    "What other proof do we need? Everyone in my clan knows I couldn''t have done it. If you don''t believe me, you can ask several of the elders in my clan," Armand said.

    "Since you can''t present any solid evidence, there''s no proof Zachary is responsible for the murder either. What do you think?" Barney said.

    "Well..." Armand didn''t know what to say because he indeed didn''t have any solid evidence to prove Zachary''s guilt.

    "Besides, I think you owe us an explanation for exterminating the Welkin Sect," Barney continued. Deciding to put Zachary''s father''s murder aside for now, Barney opted to focus on the other case. Since Lewis claimed that the Zi Clan had attacked his sect, Zachary couldn''t have been involved with that.

 Chapter 913 Sect Leader

    "I don''t know much about this matter. Perhaps someone from my clan is accountable for this, but it has nothing to do with me," Armand clarified as he stepped back. He knew deep inside that there was little chance of escaping from the Welkin Sect''s destruction.

    "If the culprit does come from the Zi Clan, then please hand over the murderer to us!" Barney demanded pensively.

    Armand¡¯s expression transformed. If Warren were still alive, he would have made him the scapegoat. But with Warren dead, he was at a loss for what to do next. He couldn¡¯t just pick some random individual to be the fall guy.

    "What now? Why are you having qualms about it? Don¡¯t you know who the criminal is?" Barney pressed on.

    "Well, I have to reopen the case first and delve into it. This is a serious matter and grave accusation, so I must deal with it cautiously." Armand straightaway created an alibi.

    "There¡¯s no need to investigate. The person who led the Zi Clan back then was Warren, and he is the current leader of the Blazing Lodge," Zachary cut in.

    "Master Armand, is Warren one of your clan members?" Barney inquired at once.

    "Yes, but I¡¯m not sure what he has done," Armand answered.

    "You feared that the matter would come out in the open, so you already killed Warren, right?" Zachary taunted. He was certain that Armand couldn¡¯t give Warren away.

    "How dare you point the finger at me!" Armand¡¯s face darkened as Zachary forced him into a corner.

    "Isn¡¯t doing this kind of thing your forte?" Zachary continued to jeer at Armand.

    "Well, the Celestial College will step in and begin the probe. This is not a trivial issue. I hope you can give me your statement about Warren." Barney decided with no delay.

    "I¡¯ll look into it right away, but I affirm I have nothing to do with it," Armand implored.

    "Now that Lewis has proven that Zachary has nothing to do with the Welkin Sect''s destruction, we will drop all of his charges as of today. And for the trauma and disgrace inflicted to Zachary, I sincerely apologize on behalf of the Celestial College and the Enigmatic Kingdom," Barney said sensibly. He was being logical and impartial, which started with the clearing of Zachary¡¯s name first.

    As soon as he finished his stateme

    for something else? I¡¯ll catch up with you after I take care of other things," Zachary addressed Sophie. Zachary had heard from Katrina that Sophie had something crucial to tell him.

    "Don¡¯t make me wait too long. You know where to find me." After their brief conversation ended, Sophie stretched out her body and disappeared in a flash.

    Katrina also left quietly.

    "It¡¯s also time for me to go," Lewis voiced out.

    "Are you leaving?" Elva asked at once.

    "I only came to help Zachary clear his name. Since they have declared that he¡¯s innocent, it¡¯s time for me to go back," Lewis said coolly.

    "Master Lewis, you were the leader of our sect once. Don''t you want to breathe a new life into the Welkin Sect?" Chandler prodded.

    "After a short period of rest and healing, I have found that fame and fortune are just temporary. Now I prefer to live a carefree life," Lewis justified as he stroke his beard.

    "But..." Chandler bit his tongue, looking distraught.

    "Chandler, forget it." Zachary stopped him right away. He could see that Lewis was already very different from before.

    "Take care of yourselves. I hope to see you again someday, although I don¡¯t know when it will be." As soon as Lewis finished speaking, a golden light suddenly radiated all over his body. He soared into the sky and flew away.

    The three of them looked at each other at once. They didn¡¯t expect that Lewis had also reached the Sage Level. He must have recharged a lot during his momentary absence.

 Chapter 914 Sophies Hair

    At this point, Queenie and the others also drew in closer and encircled Zachary.

    "How could you have the heart to keep us in the dark for so long? Why didn''t you tell us sooner who you were?" Queenie groaned in annoyance.

    "So Zachary is Harley, and vice versa. Although it''s a bit confusing, I don''t mind, because you are a close friend. Speaking of that, is it okay if I borrow some of your treasure beasts? I want to study them," Nelson stated. He had set his eyes on Zachary''s treasure beasts.

    "The thought of you already gone had left Elva devastated. It took her quite some time to grieve before she could move on. Now that you''re back, you should make it up to her," Rita clarified as she pursed her lips in a pout.

    "Don''t worry. I''m just waiting for the right timing," Zachary grinned as he winked at Elva.

    A flush of embarrassment rose to Elva''s cheeks.

    After exchanging a little chat with them, Zachary stepped down from the stage and moved toward Jace, Pollard, and Polly.

    "Thank you for extending your all-out support to me. I appreciate your kind gestures," Zachary said warmly, cupping his hands to convey his gratitude.

    "I just did what I thought was necessary. But I''m afraid the Zi Clan won''t rest easy on you after what you did earlier," Jace pointed out worriedly. He understood the struggle happening inside a clan very well. ''Now that Zachary has cleared his name and accused Armand of committing crimes, Armand is doomed eventually,'' he analyzed inwardly.

    "That is precisely what I want. So long as Armand dares to mess with me, I have enough reasons to wreak havoc on the Zi Clan," Zachary responded. As long as he wished, Zachary could ask Katrina and Sophie to take direct action against the Zi Clan. But he knew he first needed an excuse for why they should do so to avoid anyone from blaming him. If he attacked for no reason, he would end up as public enemy number one. Also, he was now the future son-in-law of the Xiao Clan. If things went out of hand, it might lead to conflicts between the two kingdoms. So, he couldn''t do any revenge without considering its consequences. He could only hope that Armand would pursue him first. In that way, he would have a justification once he assaulted the Zi Clan.

    "In any case, be careful always and take good care of yourself. I''ll have to go back to the Devil Kingdom. I''m going to round up a team of elites in my clan and send them over to Cele

    at Katrina''s residence. When he went inside, he saw Katrina and Sophie playing chess peacefully.

    "You both look like you''re having fun. Weren''t you two sworn enemies for the longest time? How did you become friends?" Zachary teased with a cunning smile.

    "I ended up like this because of her. So she has to take good care of me from now on," Sophie grumbled. To demonstrate what she meant, she took off her hood. Suddenly, her long snow-white hair cascaded down, and her originally beautiful face also appeared a bit pale, like a white-haired witch.

    "Sophie, what happened to your hair?" Zachary asked in shock as he gaped at her hair.

    "Why don''t you ask her?" Sophie retorted back to Zachary.

    "Have a seat." Katrina motioned to Zachary.

    Seeing that Zachary sat on the floor, Katrina recounted to him the story. According to her, after Sophie had met him last time, the two ladies then snuck into Dignity College to steal its most valuable treasure.

    Stealing the treasure was supposed to be easy work for Katrina and Sophie, but as it turned out, a large number of masters from other forces also had their eyes on it. The two of them fought hard with those mysterious warriors. Although the enemies outnumbered them, they defeated them all. When they were about to leave with the treasure, a Holy Level warrior from Dignity College caught up with them. He injured Sophie and recognized her. As a result, Dignity College went after Sophie for stealing their precious treasure. To make matters worse, her hair turned white overnight after her injury. Katrina and Sophie couldn''t figure out the reason for it.

 Chapter 915 The Most Precious Treasure

    "Wow! You¡¯ve made such a bang-up sacrifice this time, Sophie!" With a loud sigh, Zachary went on, "Do you have any idea who those people are? Why did they want to get their hands on the Dignity College''s most precious treasure? Do you suppose they also know that such treasure could unlock the Five-God Tombs?"

    "We''re not sure yet. But basing from our brief confrontation with them, we''re certain that they are merciless and would use coercive measures if needed. They put up a good fight and even risked putting their lives in danger to snatch the treasure away from us. If not because of their aggression, we wouldn''t have ended up coming face to face with Dignity College''s Holy Level warrior later on," Sophie replied with arched eyebrows.

    "Although we stumbled across some trouble, we managed to retrieve what we wanted. But I can''t prevent myself from feeling guilty with the outcome. Even though I''m unharmed, Sophie sustained an injury," Katrina said point-blank.

    "There¡¯s no need to blame yourself, as long as you keep your promise and don¡¯t steal this lad away from me. I hope you¡¯re true to your word," Sophie teased as she glanced at Katrina.

    "Didn¡¯t I already promise you before? I will certainly keep my side of the bargain. If he can be of some help to you, then I won¡¯t take him away from you," Katrina said passively.

    After listening to what Katrina and Sophie had discussed, Zachary instantly felt that something wasn''t right. ''They seem to have agreed on something in private, and it has something to do with me. How could they do that without my consent?'' he grumbled under his breath. At the thought of this, he looked at them and asked plainly, "Is there something you haven''t told me?"

    Sophie sneaked a look at Katrina and answered, "There''s no need for you to know this present. We will only tell you once we have confirmation." She didn''t intend to let Zachary know their secret so soon.

    "I¡¯m sure both of you are aware by now that I never make losing deals. If you don¡¯t fill me in at this instant, I will disappear at once, and you will never find me," Zachary threatened coolly.

    When Katrina and Sophie heard this, they swapped glances at each other. ''Zachary has become more audacious than before. He even has the nerve to intimidate us. However, he will do whatever he wants and we can''t let that happen,'' t

    ve already had that treasure in your hands," Zachary reasoned as he looked at Katrina.

    "Because there are also some legends circulating about the method of lifting the curse. It is a well-known fact that the curse-breaking procedure requires a warrior who has the potential of becoming an exceptional warrior like the Five Gods to act as support," Katrina said with a serious expression.

    "What? So you are both implying that I can become a great warrior like the Five Gods?" Zachary directly understood what Katrina and Sophie meant.

    "Although we''re still having second doubts, you''re the only one we know whose strength can make quick progress over a short period. Warriors with ordinary talent cannot do that," Sophie said with certainty.

    "I will take that as a compliment. But this is such a big deal, and if I turn out to be the wrong person for the job, you might get disappointed," Zachary responded with nervous laughter.

    "So, I¡¯m turning you over now to Sophie¡¯s care. I¡¯ll let her try first if you can find a way to lift the curse," Katrina said, looking deep in thought.

    "What about you, Master Katrina?" Zachary asked as he looked at Katrina.

    "I don''t think you''re the only one who''s highly qualified to become a great warrior like the Five Gods. I may as well try to find another such genius to help me," Katrina replied at once.

    "So it''s safe to say that this exploration on the Martial Fire Tomb is your idea because you want to find the method to lift your tribe''s curse," Zachary said to Katrina. He had finally sorted things out.

 Chapter 916 Deal

    "The Martial Fire Tomb is full of dangers. It''s filled not only with sacred beasts, but with traps as well. After all, it is Jules'' tomb. That makes exploring it a great risk. Supposedly, many countless creatures, Jules'' laboratory rats, died and turned into aggressive spiritual souls. They guard the Martial Fire Tomb and prevent any creature from setting foot inside," Katrina said.

    "It sounds like a horrible place. But are you sure we can find the method to break the curse in that place?" Zachary said, looking at Katrina.

    "I''m not sure. But it''s our only hope. Sophie''s injury has accelerated her aging. Her condition is much worse than it appears. I don''t think she can hold on for too long," Katrina said, resting her eyes on Sophie.

    "Is that so?" Zachary looked at Sophie. She did look like very different, very sick.

    "I''m stronger than you think. You make it sound like I''m dying," Sophie retorted, not willing to admit her current situation.

    "So, if there''s a way in that place, I hope you can find it and lift Sophie''s curse. You might run into trouble, but I hope that you can help her," Katrina told Zachary sincerely.

    "Both of you have been good to me. Moreover, if you hadn''t stood up for me, I wouldn''t have been able to prove my innocence. Since you need me, I will do my best. But I have a condition." Zachary never did business without gaining something.

    "Go ahead," Katrina and Sophie said as one after they looked at each other.

    "I heard that the power of the Five Gods remains in the Five-God Tombs. I also think Jules'' remaining power should be found in the Martial Fire Tomb too. I hope you can help me get Jules'' power," Zachary proposed.

    "Deal. We were born with great potential. Gaining the power of the Five Gods means nothing to us. So helping you get that power is fine to us," Katrina replied immediately.

    "Then we''ve got a deal." Zachary nodded at them. He then asked, "When will we set out?"

    "We will set off in half a month. We are selecting candidates to take part in the exploration of t

    fe and sound?" Armand roared, simmering with fury. Those sitting to the side didn''t dare to make a sound.

    "I knew that he was a threat. I can''t believe he would be so lucky to survive all that. I bet he was behind Warren''s death. He must have been the one to exterminate the Blazing Lodge and our other branches," Nick, Armand''s son, snorted coldly. Nick was also there.

    "Zachary proved his innocence. He even handed over the letter and asked the Celestial College to unveil the truth. Where there is smoke, there is fire. I am afraid that they will find what really happened soon," Elijah, who had worked for three leaders of the Zi Clan, pointed out.

    "Father, I think we should send a Sage Level elder to take that brat out. Then, there will be nothing to worry about," Nick offered.

    "Young master, I know you are doing this for the sake of our clan, but I don''t think that''s a good idea. Now those in the Celestial College have begun to suspect us. If anything bad happens to Zachary, they will immediately blame us. Not to mention, Zachary is a Sage Level warrior. Getting rid of him wouldn''t be that easy. On top of that, we can''t afford to mess with the forces that have his back. If Master Katrina, Lady Evil, the Xiao Clan or the Qiu Clan of the Devil Kingdom made a move against us, we would be in grave trouble," Elijah said as he shook his head.

 Chapter 917 Going With You

    "If we don''t kill him now, when the truth comes out, it will be too late," Nick retorted. He didn¡¯t want to become a famous outlaw in the entire Enigmatic Kingdom.

    "Investigating the issues concerning the Zi Clan back at that year is grueling. It may take them a while to reopen the case, so there''s no need for us to worry yet. What we must do now is finding an opportunity to get rid of Zachary in secret without being suspected," Elijah advised.

    "Elder Elijah, what do you have in mind?" Armand inquired as he focused his attention on him.

    "Celestial College has already enlisted masters from various clans and sects for the Five-God Tombs'' exploration, and a Sage Level elder and some Imperial Level warriors in our clan have been chosen. If our men can land an opportunity to eliminate Zachary during the expedition, it would incline no one to think we have something to do with it," Elijah proposed. The corner of his lips curled up into a sinister smile.

    "That''s a great idea. But if our men fail during their first attempt, Zachary will grow suspicious and might even catch us in the act." Armand voiced out his concern.

    "So, I¡¯ve decided that I¡¯ll do it myself." Elijah had already made up his mind.

    "Elder Elijah, are you certain that you¡¯re going to take care of that fool personally?" Armand asked, looking surprised.

    "Yes. This matter has a direct effect on our clan¡¯s fate and welfare. I can¡¯t just stand down and let it all hang out," Elijah countered with a grave expression.

    "Since you¡¯ve volunteered to take measures into your own hands, I trust that you will handle it well," Armand said with relief. Armand had put so much faith in Elijah. A while back, Elijah had helped him develop a plan to seize control of the clan¡¯s highest position.

    "If you¡¯re not having second thoughts with my proposition, I will forward my request to Celestial College right away and make an urgent plea to take part in this exploration. With my reputation in the Enigmatic Kingdom, I don¡¯t think they will refuse my petition," Elijah said with confidence.

    "Elder Elijah, I¡¯m always grateful for the sacrifices you¡¯ve done for our clan," Armand said with a reassuring nod at the elder.

    "It¡¯s my honor, sir, to be of service to our clan. I¡¯m only fulfilling my duty as its loyal follower," Elijah responded with satisfaction. He then added, "But I think you must report this matter to thos

    Celestial College had made the confirmation on the final list of members tasked to explore the Martial Fire Tomb. These representatives were from Celestial College and elite warriors of Imperial Level and Sage Level from various powerful clans. Also, there were three Holy Level warriors from Celestial College, including Katrina, who was to lead the expedition. The total number of members was over a hundred, which was a formidable line-up.

    However, since the Martial Fire Tomb was a dangerous place, Celestial College had requested Katrina to give all team members a short special training, in case they encountered an unexpected circumstance along the way.

    At this point, over eighty Imperial Level warriors and twenty Sage Level warriors gathered at Celestial College''s square.

    Since Zachary was the reigning champion of the Imperial Level Warrior Contest, he was also present. To his astonishment, he saw many people he was acquainted with as part of the exploration team. "Are you going, too?" he asked Queenie and Rebecca.

    They were both new Imperial Level warriors from two influential clans and as per recommendation, Queenie and Rebecca also signed up for the exploration team, together with Rita, Elva, Nelson, Scott, and Sara. Everyone who Zachary met in Celestial College was part of the team.

    "You got a problem with that? Are you looking down on us now that you¡¯re a Sage Level warrior?" Queenie castigated arrogantly.

    "That''s not what I mean! What I''m saying is, your lives might be in danger if you explore the Martial Fire Tomb!" Zachary explained with an innocent look.

 Chapter 918 Special Training

    "Although it''s a dangerous task, an opportunity like this seldom knocks twice. The Martial Fire Tomb is a place that countless warriors have aspired to explore. Queenie and I are proud to represent our clans, and there''s no way we would pass up this chance. Aside from the two of us, all the other chosen members in our clan are, at the very least, Imperial Level warriors at the premium stage," Rebecca exclaimed proudly.

    "My clan had endorsed me. I came here together with three Imperial Level warriors and a Sage Level elder. We will act as the expedition''s official veterinarians, and our sole responsibility is to treat injured treasure beasts," Nelson pointed out as he raised his hand to get Zachary''s attention. At present, he was one of Enigmatic Kingdom''s few superior medical practitioners who was highly qualified to treat treasure beasts. They deemed him as a rare talent in his field.

    "Over there is Scott, who is the strongest among the new talented Imperial Level warriors of Celestial College, next to Queenie. So, with his vigor and strength, the college gave him a spot," Nelson continued as he pointed to Scott, who stayed expressionless.

    "I had no plans of coming. But since my grandfather decided to go this time, he asked me to keep him company," Rita blurted out with a snort. Her grandfather had enlisted himself in the expedition team and dragged her along. He was a Sage Level warrior at the premium stage from Celestial College.

    "Your grandfather?" Zachary asked with a slightly confused expression.

    "Rita''s grandfather is Winona. He is a Sage Level warrior at the premium stage in our school. He is the strongest of the six Sage Level warriors at the premium stage who are joining forces with us," Elva clarified. She had now become best friends with Rita.

    "Oh, so that¡¯s how it is," Zachary responded. He had always thought of Rita as somebody mysterious. And now, it turned out that he was right about her. Her grandfather was at the premium stage of Sage Level.

    "Elva volunteered to go, and you must know the reason she suddenly stepped forward," Rita disclosed on Elva¡¯s behalf.

    ¡®It looks like this undertaking is going to become an exhilarating adventure for us all,¡¯ Zachary mumbled under his breath as he studied his friends¡¯ faces. He had shared a lot of ups and downs with almost all of them. So, he fe

    weakest among the warriors, so they all ended up in the support team. There was not much for them to do but follow the rest until they reached their destination. The three leaders had made such arrangements and precautions to keep them safe. After all, their strength was of no use to the team if they came across any danger in the Martial Fire Tomb.

    Katrina also knew that Zachary was on good terms with Queenie and the others. Plus, she wanted nothing bad to happen to Zachary even before finding the Martial Fire Tomb. Therefore, she appointed him as the support team¡¯s leader. It was his responsibility to look after his team members.

    Before long, the entire exploration team got divided into three groups. There were at least six Sage Level warriors and thirty Imperial Level warriors in each unit. The team led by Zachary was under Katrina¡¯s command.

    "Hey, look at Master Katrina¡¯s team. No wonder they got included in the support team. All of them are new Imperial Level warriors from the Enigmatic Kingdom. These guys can¡¯t be of any help."

    "I couldn''t agree more. They will follow us in exploring the tomb, but in reality, they''re just here to do chores for us."

    "Guess what? Their team leader just a new Sage Level warrior. His strength is the weakest among all Sage Level warriors. He''d better not hold us back!"

    After the entire team got separated into smaller groups, many members of the other two units hurled insulting remarks toward Zachary, Queenie, and other Imperial Level Warriors. It was apparent that they were underestimating them.

 Chapter 919 The Martial Fire Tomb

    Everyone knew that the journey to the Martial Fire Tomb would be full of risks. Those Imperial Level warriors who lacked physical strength and energy could put the entire team at a disadvantage. But since Queenie and the others weren''t that gullible and came from powerful clans, their respective backgrounds paved the way for them to take part in the exploration. These were reasons enough for other team members to treat them harshly and throw offensive remarks toward them.

    Queenie and the others heard all their insults, and although their faces didn''t show any hint of displeasure, they still felt upset because some were half-truths. ''They are right. We are too lame to be of any help to the team,'' they thought to themselves.

    "Don''t mind them. As long as you follow my every word, I promise that each one of you will return from this exploration fully loaded with treasures," Zachary assured his team members as he sneered at those bullying them.

    "Okay boss, we''ll be counting on your help so we can prove them wrong with their criticisms against our team," Nelson uttered with conviction.

    Zachary grinned back readily.

    "May I have your attention, please. Starting today, we are going to teach you some arrays," Katrina announced. Afterward, she and the other two Holy Level warriors presented the different offensive and defensive arrays the team might have to use when dealing with various emergencies.

    After a day of familiarization, the members assembled into groups of five and practiced what they had learned separately.

    Although the others treated Zachary''s team as a mere showpiece with little use, he still urged his team members to familiarize themselves with all the arrays. He further pushed them to become more proficient than the other teams because he knew that in this expedition relying on one''s strength alone would never be enough. He was fully aware of the importance of teamwork within his group during this risky venture.

    Time passed by quickly, and after two days of training, the members of all three teams had become acquainted with the arrays taught to them. They could now handle many unexpected situations after mastering their lessons so fast, mostly since they were the Enigmatic Kingdom''s chosen elite warriors.

    A couple more days later, Jace arrived together with three Sage Level warriors and six Imperial Level warriors at the premium stage, as well as Pollard and Po

    r he emerged from the tent, Zachary left the camp right away. He took out of his pocket the Five-God Compass that he recently got. This compass could point its handler to the Five-God Tombs and the Five-God Treasures'' location as well. He never had the chance to try it before, but now it had finally come in handy.

    "But how do I use this thing?" Zachary groaned under his breath as he carefully studied the Five-God Compass in his hand.

    The compass had three layers of rings, and each ring had different symbols on it. Three silver needles rotated ceaselessly on the surface and between the compass'' gaps, stretching across the three ring layers, making it appear very complicated.

    Since he did not know how to use it, Zachary used his martial energy, trying to make the compass work. Soon, the three rings circulated irregularly, and the hands on the surface of the compass shook nonstop.

    Not long after, the three rings stopped moving. He noticed that the three needles had overlapped in a vertical line, pointing at the three ring layers'' symbolic text.

    Zachary squinted as he took a closer look and discovered that the innermost ring was pointing at a symbol that represented time. The symbol on the middle layer appeared like lake waves and should represent a body of water. The outermost layer''s symbol looked like a tree.

    ''Does this mean that the Martial Fire Tomb''s location is in an area with water and a tree standing nearby? But what does the time symbol mean?'' Zachary immediately pondered. Since the symbols on the compass were a little hypothetical, he decided to turn to Mimi for help.

 Chapter 920 Splitting Up

    After taking the Five-God Compass into the system, Zachary asked Mimi to analyze it. He wanted to learn what the three symbols the compass needles pointed at meant. The answer surprised him, as it was a nature landscape.

    Although Zachary still didn''t understand the exact meaning behind it, he got the literal meaning. It told him to find a lake with a reflection of trees as the sun rose. Above the Ignis Purgatory, black mist covered the sky. No light came through, making it difficult to see if the sun was rising or not. Still, he jumped as high as he could, trying to see if there was a lake around.

    But there was no lake within three miles of where he was, so he opted to go back to the camp since it was getting dark. Just as he was about to leave, a black shadow appeared and approached him. In the blink of an eye, it pulled him deep into the dense forest.

    Zachary didn''t resist. Not long after, the figure stopped. Turning to look at him, her face came to view. Although it was still dark, he could clearly make out the freckles on her face and her pointed chin.

    "Alisa?" Zachary asked tentatively.

    "How did you recognize me so easily?" Alisa sounded frustrated as he''d seen through her disguise with no problem.

    "Although your face has changed, we have known each other since childhood. You''re not that hard to recognize. Besides, no disguise can hide your temperament," Zachary replied with a smile.

    "Where did you go just now?" Alisa asked, casting a reproachful glance at Zachary.

    "I went around to see if there was anything of interest." Zachary didn''t tell her he was actually using the Five-God Compass to look for the Martial Fire Tomb. He knew that if he did, she would definitely go with him. However, Ignis Purgatory was full of danger, and he didn''t want her to take the risk.

    "Is that so? This plac

    omb. If we split up, we will be able to find it sooner." Nate, who had disagreed with Master Russ before, was unexpectedly on his side now.

    Many of the group members also nodded in agreement.

    Katrina''s lips turned in dissatisfaction, but she knew that it wasn''t that unreasonable. Although they were all selected by the Celestial College, they had their own thoughts as they were from different sects and clans. They all wanted the glory of finding the Martial Fire Tomb themselves, but it was almost impossible for them to find it alone. Therefore, if they could find it in small groups, they would undoubtedly benefit more than in a large group.

    Not only that, Katrina knew Nate and Russ had agreed on this point. Facing the temptation of the Five-God Treasures, even Holy Level warriors couldn''t resist it.

    "Are you sure you want to split up so soon?" Katrina asked the two Holy Level warriors to confirm their decision once again.

    "Katrina, you know that it''s not easy to find the Martial Fire Tomb. Moreover, the longer we stay here, the more dangerous it will be. If we can find the tomb quickly, it will benefit us all. There''s no better choice," Russ said with a serious look.

    Nate nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 921 Information Analysis

    "If that''s what you two think, then we don''t have another choice," Katrina said, knowing that there was no point in disagreeing. "Tomorrow morning, we will divide into three separate groups. But remember that once we are deep in the Ignis Purgatory, we will encounter more dangers than we did in the past few days. Be careful, and if you find anything, send a signal to inform the rest of us immediately. Don''t risk your life to¡ª"

    "Yeah, no problem. But I would like Jace in my team tomorrow," Nate interrupted. Jace was supposed to be in Katrina''s team.

    "You already have two premium stage Sage Level warriors in your team," Katrina reminded, frowning at the demand.

    "Well, Jace is in possession of the record from his ancestors; he is the one who knows all the details about the tomb. Coincidently, I wish to search for the tomb according to the record. Naturally, he should be included in my team," Nate argued.

    "That''s..." Katrina hoped to deny, but if she refused the proposal to his face, it would certainly cause some unwanted tension between them. She turned to Jace. "What do you think?"

    Jace was a smart man. He said with a shrug, "You''re Holy Level warriors. I''ll do whatever you guys want me to do.'''' Even though he was the leader of the Qiu Clan and a premium stage Sage Level warrior, Jace was still weaker than the three Holy Level warriors in front of him. It was best to stay neutral and not offend any of them.

    "Alright, Jace. You''re with Master Nate now." Katrina agreed so as not to hurt the harmony among them.

    Nate was joyous¡ªlaughing in his head, while Russ turned away with a look of disdain on his face.

    After the discussion, everyone went their separate ways.

    Katrina returned to her tent, and Zachary followed her in.

    "It''s obvious that Master Nate and Master Russ want to find the Martial Fire Tomb before anyone else. They deliberately found an excuse to separate the whole team," Zachary said.

    "I know that, but there''s nothing we can do. They have seniority over me, and either way, I had no real reason to deny their idea. Going against them now will do no good to the team at this moment," Katrina said with a sigh.

    "It''

    a day''s time, Katrina''s team had already encountered three sacred beasts and a large number of Imperial Level martial beasts. Despite having six Sage Level warriors and a powerful Holy Level warrior in their team, there were still some casualties after the encounter with the beasts.

    That night, Katrina''s team was stationed on a rock hill which was slightly higher than the surrounding. They sent out a reconnaissance team to continue to scout the area within a few miles around them in order to determine the route for the next day.

    A little distance away from the camp, Zachary got into the system. "The analysis is complete." He heard Mimi''s voice as soon as he entered.

    "Good! Did you find anything?" Zachary asked, unable to contain the excitement in his voice.

    "In the record, I did find some information that matched with our data. However, I can''t confirm the authenticity of the information because my reach is limited. If you want confirmation, you will have to go and check in person," Mimi replied.

    "Alright. What''s the matched information?" he asked.

    Zachary had only taken the ancient book from Jace as a reference, but it would be amazing if the record did help him.

    After getting all the useful information from Mimi, Zachary left the system and walked into the night.

    Two hours of flying later, he reached an ice lake. It was impressive and quite unbelievable to see an ice lake in the scorching Ignis Purgatory.

 Chapter 922 The Five-God Compass

    "If the information as suggested by the Five-God Compass refers to the ice lake, then the next step is to wait for the sun to appear. But is it possible for sunrise to show up in such a gloomy sky?" Zachary looked up at the sea of dark clouds above his head and frowned.

    But since Mimi processed the information, Zachary believed it was still reliable, so he felt like waiting for the crack of dawn to see what would happen.

    After finding a safe-looking cave near the frozen lake, Zachary stayed inside the cavern to seek shelter while cultivating.

    In no time at all, six hours had passed. It was almost daybreak.

    Zachary gazed at the sky above the ice lake for almost two hours. His eyes were becoming sore, and there was still no sign of the sun.

    "What a load of crap! When will this damn sunlight appear?!" Zachary couldn¡¯t stop himself from cursing.

    After keeping guard for two more hours and seeing no progress, Zachary rushed back to the camp.

    As soon as he arrived, he noticed that the team was already pulling out of the campsite and gearing up to continue their journey.

    "Where did you go last night? I¡¯ve searched everywhere for a long time, but I couldn¡¯t find you." Katrina materialized beside Zachary after she caught him sneaking in.

    "What? I didn¡¯t go anywhere," Zachary answered with a dismissive shrug. Then he asked, "Did something happen?"

    "Last night, Sophie sent me a message. She¡¯s now tailing Nate¡¯s team. She will communicate with us again if his group finds something," Katrina replied.

    "Sophie thinks Nate¡¯s team could find the Martial Fire Tomb in the shortest time." Zachary raised his eyebrows in suspicion.

    "Today we will divert our route toward the south." Katrina went on.

    "Shouldn¡¯t we be heading east?" Zachary inquired. If they were going southward, he would get farther away from the ice lake.

    "Last night, the scouting team found some clues a few miles to the south, so I want to search deeper," Katrina pointed out.

    "I see." Zachary said nothing more.

    An hour later, Katrina diverted her team to the southbound region and went on with the exploration.

    Another day passed, but there was still no sign of the tomb.

    When the team settled do

    ial Fire Tomb for the rest of their lives.

    "I¡¯m sure. I have in my possession a treasure that can help me pinpoint the Five-God Tombs¡¯ whereabouts," Zachary said after a temporary pause.

    "What treasure?" Katrina inquired with great interest.

    "This compass here." Zachary took out the navigational instrument.

    "Have a look." Katrina glanced at the compass with a doubtful expression.

    "It¡¯s the Five-God Compass, a treasure specifically used to track down the Five-God Tombs. I got it by accident," Zachary explained fully.

    "The Five-God Compass? So it exists! I thought it was just a legendary treasure. Why didn¡¯t you tell me before?" Katrina was amazed because the Five-God Compass came up in some rumors about the Five-God Tombs, but no one had ever confirmed its existence. So watching Zachary take out this ancient treasure caught her by surprise.

    "I wasn¡¯t sure if it would work, so I kept mum about it." Zachary smiled warmly when he met her gaze.

    "Are you confident about it now?" Katrina asked again.

    "Yes. I''ve told you everything. Based on my first try with the compass, I have deduced that common sense can''t determine the Ignis Purgatory''s position. If we want to discern its location, we would need this compass." Zachary now understood the significance of the ice lake. It was like a directional marker for the Ignis Purgatory. He could finally dictate the Martial Fire Tomb¡¯s location based on the giant shadow¡¯s reflection on the ice lake.

 Chapter 923 Clues

    "But this compass doesn''t point in any direction. It just has some strange symbols," Katrina remarked. Confusion surged within her as she continued to study the Five-God Compass.

    "That is what makes it magical. Although Ignis Purgatory''s direction changes every once in a while, everything else about it remains the same. The Five-God Compass will help us confirm the path to the Martial Fire Tomb. That way, we''ll stay on track even if there is a change in Ignis Purgatory''s direction," Zachary explained slowly.

    "Really?" Katrina''s eyebrows shot up. If Zachary were telling the truth, it would be easy to find the Martial Fire Tomb.

    "Don''t you trust me?" Zachary''s expression turned serious as he questioned.

    "Of course, I do. Since the Five-God Compass also leads the way to the other four tombs, you can''t let the others know that you have it. Such a rare treasure will invite their envy. But then again, if you keep everyone in the dark, they won''t believe you."

    "So, what do you suggest?" Zachary chewed his lip as he considered his options.

    "I would recommend that you and Sophie use the Five-God Compass to find the location of the Martial Fire Tomb secretly. If possible, you should enter and explore it first. If it''s more dangerous than we anticipated, come out and wait for us," Katrina suggested.

    "Okay. But would Sophie be willing to do that? After all, it will be more dangerous if only the two of us explore it." Zachary frowned as he turned and faced Katrina.

    "Don''t worry. As she is more eager to find a way to remove the curse than I am, she will agree no matter how risky," Katrina replied. She seemed so confident that Zachary agreed.

    "Then it''s decided." Zachary nodded before he continued, "But I want to take one more person with me."

    "Who?" Katrina''s brows furrowed as she asked.

    "My fiancee," Zachary answered promptly.

    "Didn''t she return to Crane College?" Katrina tilted her head. Last she heard, Alisa was no longer traveling with their group.

    "No, she came with us." A brilliant smile lit up Zachary''s face as he replied.

    Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. After a moment''s hesitation, she shrugged and said, "It''s up to you."

    Then Katrina told Zachary how to contact Sophie. She also gave him the Dragon Fire Bead that would open the Martial Fire Tomb.

    After Zachary left Katrina''s tent, he left and headed for a nearby high

    absorb any soul power and make it its own.

    As Zachary tossed the Soul-gathering Bell toward the lost souls, it flashed and emitted a strange light. In the span of a breath, all the souls charging at him were pulled toward the light. Their shrieks of anger morphed into wails as they were sucked into the Soul-gathering Bell.

    The other souls, terrified of the power of the Soul-gathering Bell, fled in all directions.

    "What kind of treasure is this?" Sophie couldn''t believe what she had just witnessed.

    Even Alisa was astonished. None of them knew of the treasures Zachary carried with him!

    "It''s called the Soul-gathering Bell," Zachary answered indifferently.

    "What? The Soul-gathering Bell? How did you obtain it? Isn''t it a legendary Divine Level treasure?" Sophie blurted. She found it hard to believe that Zachary had so many coveted treasures. It was already incredible that he had the Five-God Compass. Now, she learned that he also possessed the Soul-gathering Bell. This was just too inconceivable!

    "Since I own it and you have witnessed its abilities, it''s no longer a legend. Let''s go!" Zachary smiled calmly as he put away the treasure.

    Sophie glared at Zachary reproachfully. However, inwardly, she was relieved. The man she liked was extraordinary.

    Even with the help of the Five-God Compass, it still took them two whole days to cross the periphery. Along the way, they saw all kinds of souls. This area was simply a paradise for those souls and spirits! This excited the three humans as it meant that the Martial Fire Tomb might be getting closer and closer!

 Chapter 924 Found It

    Finally, after passing through the area for several agonizing days, a strange building formed out of solidified lava resembling a fiery red giant tree materialized before Zachary and his two other companions.

    "Is this the Martial Fire Tomb?" The three of them stopped to gaze at the one hundred-meter-tall strange-looking building just upfront. They all marveled at the sight as the Martial Fire Tomb looked similar to a natural giant rock tree that nature had inherently created.

    "The tree shadow¡¯s mirror image on the ice lake before turned out to be the Martial Fire Tomb¡¯s reflection. No wonder it could accurately pinpoint us to the tomb¡¯s exact location. But I¡¯m confused about how it could be possible." Although Zachary still had many puzzles, it no longer bothered him after seeing the Martial Fire Tomb right before his eyes. It had not much bearing anymore to the task ahead.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the three of them to get close to the Martial Fire Tomb. However, because the tomb¡¯s construction seemed bizarre with such an elaborate design, no one could find the gate¡¯s entrance. Thus, Zachary swapped doubtful glances with his companions.

    "Perhaps you can try using the Five-God Compass to confirm the entryway?" Sophie glanced at Zachary and asked.

    Zachary immediately took the Five-God Compass and studied it for a moment. Seeing that the compass did not respond, he shook his head.

    "Looks like we have to find it ourselves. Let¡¯s split up and look around," Sophie instructed.

    Soon, the three of them spread out in search of any means to access the Martial Fire Tomb.

    "The tomb''s design seems to be enclosed. Normally, no outsiders are allowed to step foot in it, but there will still be a doorway left. But it might be hard to spot this portal in plain sight, and only the Dragon Fire Bead can open it," Zachary analyzed patiently. Then he ascended into the air and scanned the Martial Fire Tomb¡¯s entire surroundings.

    Soon, he noticed that although the tomb''s facade appeared odd, with a closer look, it was like a giant divine weapon, protruding straight into the ground and looking high-and-mighty.

    ''The Dragon Fire Bead is a supreme treasure with metal and fire elements. If the Martial Fire Tomb resembles a divine weapon, then it must be the Dragon Fire Bead that''s missing to draw the finishing touch on the weapon.'' With this realization in mind, Zachary instantly directed his attention to the Martial Fire Tomb¡¯s upper levels.

    After studying i

    es that blocked more than half of the hall, leaving only a gap big enough for one person to pass through.

    Just as Zachary and Sophie were nearing the two bronze statues, the entire hall suddenly started shaking. The next minute, the two beasts'' bodies moved abruptly as if they were alive. Then, they opened their mouths and spewed out two flames, stretching tens of centimeters in diameter, interlaced with each other. It covered the surrounding area and swept across the three of them, preventing them from getting near, as if the statues did not want to let them pass.

    Zachary and Sophie saw the situation and dodged sideways first. None of them wanted to suffer being burnt. The two flames directly passed through them, leaving two deep scorch marks in an instant.

    "I¡¯ll cover for you. You both need to go across first."

    Alisa made a quick decision. Suddenly, she stretched out her petite body and rushed toward the two beast statues in a split second. As the golden light enveloping her body rose, she shouted at once, "Water Dragon Seal!" In no time, two water dragons shot out from her arms. Then they grew larger, racing straight toward the two beast statues and entangling their mouths to stop them from spitting out flames. "Alisa?"

    Zachary¡¯s eyes became focused and worried. However, Sophie pulled Zachary in and rushed through the gap between the two beast statues.

    After making their way through the hall, a building like an altar emerged in front of them. Its steps were thirty meters high, like a staircase to the sky, and were almost forty-five degrees upward.

    Right on top of the altar was a seemingly transparent stone coffin.

 Chapter 925 The Supreme Cloud Lion

    Their surroundings seemed to be completely sealed, much like a large tomb. However, the magnificence that graced the structure did not have the air of an ordinary tomb. Instead, it felt much grander. The thirty-meter-high altar that stood in front of them was, in itself, quite spectacular. However, Zachary and Sophie soon felt that the entire tomb was filled with a shocking resentment. Although they couldn''t see it, there was a clear air around them that made them feel the countless deaths that had occurred here. Numerous ghosts were around them, unseen, but heard in the form of groans from time to time.

    The duo looked at each other with a slightly uneasy glance.

    "This should be the end of the Martial Fire Tomb. You stay here. I''ll go back and bring Alisa here," Zachary told Sophie. Apparently, he was still worried about Alisa.

    "No. Stay with me. I''ll ask my treasure beast to bring her here. And you should stop worrying because with her strength, Alisa isn''t in too much danger. Besides, even if this is the end of the Martial Fire Tomb, it doesn''t mean that we''re out of danger. We might have to face the true power of the Martial Fire Tomb soon, and that is a terrifying prospect," Sophie said as she narrowed her eyes. What she said was true. Without the Five-God Compass, it was impossible for her to pass through so many traps and deal with hundreds of spiritual souls, especially considering her current strength.

    In fact, it wouldn''t be wrong to say that without the Five-God Compass, even a Holy Level warrior might die here.

    On the contrary, even with all its dangers and traps and its reputation as one of the most mysterious Five-God Tombs, the Martial Fire Tomb would not be too dangerous for warriors if they carried the Five-God Compass with them.

    Zachary frowned when he heard Sophie''s opinion, but he knew that she was right. Therefore, he nodded in agreement.

    Sophie immediately summoned one of her treasure beasts and asked it to pick up Alisa. Then she looked around and her eyes fell on the coffin on the altar.

    "Look. That stone coffin might be where Jules is buried. What we''re looking for must be there," Sophie said, pointing to the altar.

    "Let''s go have a look." Zachary was just about to step on the thirty-meter-high ladder when they were attacked.

    ws.

    "Yes, we are facing an elite beast king," Zachary stated.

    "An elite beast king? That''s going to be extremely difficult to deal with. Elite beast kings are easily as strong and rare as a legendary beast," Anne muttered with a frown.

    "I need your help," Zachary requested.

    "You need the system''s permission for that," Anne replied immediately.

    "Mimi, I''m going to find the Five-God Treasures and complete the main quest, but I need Anne''s help." Zachary spoke into the air.

    After a moment''s silence, Mimi replied, "Since you need to complete the main quest, the system has approved your request, but you only have two hours."

    "So short?" Zachary frowned.

    "The time starts now," Mimi replied.

    "Damn it!" Zachary cursed in exasperation and hurriedly left the Living-dead Tomb with Anne. As soon as they left the tomb, he teleported out of the system.

    When the master and pupil arrived at the tomb, they saw a very disheveled looking Sophie trying to stand her ground. Her clothes had been torn apart, and her skin was bloodstained. What was even more remarkable was a more seriously injured treasure beast fighting her. However, it was obvious that she was no match for the Supreme Cloud Lion and would lose soon.

    Seeing Zachary and Anne appear, Sophie immediately distanced herself from the Supreme Cloud Lion and retreated towards their side. When she looked at Anne, her delicate face instantly revealed a look of shock. She couldn''t hold it in and uttered in complete shock, "Master Anne? Unbelievable!"

 Chapter 926 One Blow

    As soon as she heard her name fall on Sophie''s lips, Annie was just as surprised. She asked, "Are you a disciple of the Living-dead Tomb?"

    "Are you really Master Annie?" Sophie asked once again. When she heard Annie mention the Living-dead Tomb, her body trembled. She never had the pleasure of meeting Anne personally, but she had snippets of idea of who she was¨Dshe had seen her portrait. Sophie had heard before that Annie was her master''s master. However, Anne was supposedly dead two hundred years ago. But much to her confusion and astonishment, Annie was right before her eyes in the flesh.

    "I can''t believe Sophie is a disciple of the Living-dead Tomb! Does this mean we are from the same sect?" Zachary excitedly questioned.

    "Your master is Master Anne?!" Sophie asked Zachary as she came back to her sense, putting two and two together.

    "Ha-ha! That''s right. If Anne is your master''s master, while I am Anne''s disciple, then I am senior that you. You should show me respect as much as you give her," Zachary joked. ''What a small world! I can''t believe that Sophie is also a disciple of the Living-dead Tomb,'' he thought, terribly amused.

    "That is not gonna happen! Don''t ever think about that!" Sophie fired back as he shot Zachary an angry glance. It really annoyed her to the extreme that Zachary was actually a senior according the hierarchy of the Living-dead Tomb.

    "Stop it. Let''s talk about it after we terminate this beast," Annie urged the two of them. Her time was limited. Soon enough, she would have to go back to where she should be. Moreover, the Supreme Cloud Lion was not easy to deal with.

    Zachary and Sophie stopped arguing and began to prepare for the battle.

    "We''re crunched on time, and it''s impossible to produce the sealing tool to seal the Supreme Cloud Lion now. So I have no choice but to distract it with my spiritual soul. Zachary, you must try your best to tame it. If we fail to do so, we would have to destroy its beast soul," Anne ordered, her brows furrowed in concentration.

    "Seriously? Do you really think he can tame this elite beast?" Sophie asked, her mouth agape in surprise. She was always cocky and overbearing, but she was obedient in front of Anne. Although she was at the Holy Level, she couldn''t be on par with Anne in terms of strength.

    "I like this idea." Zachary nodded excitedly as he gave the creature a calculating glan

    sbelief.

    Without even waiting for its next words, Zachary took out the Soul-gathering Bell and showed it to the Supreme Cloud Lion.

    "Do you know what this is?" he taunted. His smile was wicked; he knew that he had the upper hand in this situation. "I-It''s the Soul-gathering Bell," the Supreme Cloud Lion stammered. It was clever, and it obviously knew about the Soul-gathering Bell. The scared look in its eyes was a clue.

    "So you know it. Then, this will make things easier for us," Zachary mocked further.

    "So what? You are too weak. There is no way you can use it to absorb my beast soul," the Supreme Cloud Lion confidently answered.

    "Are you sure?" Zachary smiled at it and then said, "Master Andrew, I bet you like this beast soul. It''s at the Holy Level!"

    "Ha-ha! Brat, once I absorb this beast soul, my spiritual will return to its peak." Then, a beam of blue light came out of Zachary''s Holy Bone Bracer. It emanated the aura of Holy Level.

    "It''s a spiritual soul of Holy Level! How did you coexist with this soul?" The Supreme Cloud Lion couldn''t contain its surprise. ''This human is just at the primary stage of Sage Level, but he managed to live in peace with a spiritual soul of Holy Level. That doesn''t make any sense,'' it thought to itself.

    Even Sophie, who was watching the whole scene unfold, was too shocked to utter a word. ''Zachary has so many secrets Katrina and I didn''t know. Who would have thought that his master is Master Annie? He even keeps a spiritual soul of Holy Level in his Holy Bone Bracer,'' she thought, staring at Zachary in sheer amazement.

 Chapter 927 The Ladder

    "Make a choice!" Zachary crossed his arms over his chest as he stared down at the Supreme Cloud Lion. The truth was that he was not sure what to do at that moment. Although he really could absorb the soul of the Supreme Cloud Lion with the Soul-gathering Bell, it wouldn''t be an easy feat. His body wouldn''t be able to withstand the power of the Supreme Cloud Lion, and right now, it was impossible for him to create another Holy Bone Bracer out of nowhere. Moreover, Anne could only stay out of the system for two hours, and he couldn''t possibly absorb the soul of the Supreme Cloud Lion within that time frame. So, his words were mostly empty and alarming to the others.

    Of course, he was fully aware of his situation, and that was why he summoned Andrew to threaten the Supreme Cloud Lion into submission. However, in all honesty, neither he nor the Holy Bone Bracer could absorb another beast soul at the Holy Level.

    As he was trying to find ways to persuade the beast, the Supreme Cloud Lion, who had resigned to death, roared at Zachary with a ferocious face. It was still unwilling to give up, but couldn''t do anything to fight back. It was smart enough to realize that it couldn''t destroy the power that it had painstakingly cultivated all its life.

    "If I submit to you, then you have to prove that you are strong enough to be my master," the Supreme Cloud Lion bargained.

    "No problem. What do you want me to do?" Zachary asked immediately to keep the beast hooked.

    "Climb to the top of the ladder," the beast replied, raising its head to look at the altar.

    "Well, that''s too easy," Zachary said disapprovingly.

    "Easy?! How arrogant and ignorant you are! Do you think of this as an ordinary altar?" the beast roared. "This is the Ghost Altar. It was built on the bodies of live humans and beasts, and hence it is filled with powerful resentments that you cannot even begin to imagine. Not even a Holy Level warrior could make it to the top unscathed, and if you are not careful enough, you will not survive the climb." Saying so, the Supreme Cloud Lion threw back its head and laughed loudly.

    "So, you are saying that you will take me as your master if I reac

    to distinguish between reality and illusion; he began to wonder whether this was real, but he continued to move towards the top of the Ghost Altar without hesitation.

    Anne, Tania, Alisa... Every woman he had met in his life appeared in front of him one after the other, trying their best to stop him, but he didn''t waver. With every few steps he took, a phantom he was familiar with would appear in front of him, challenging his emotions and his limits, touching the most fragile parts in his heart.

    As he ignored the people he loved, he felt a heart-wrenching pain. Many distinct scars were left on his body by these people or their illusions, he wasn''t sure anymore. It was like a divine punishment.

    Before long, Zachary''s body was covered in wounds. He was on the verge of collapse after going through the constant physical and mental torture. Without strong willpower, no matter how powerful a warrior was, he wouldn''t survive the climb.

    Anne and Sophie, at the foot of the Ghost Altar, were heartbroken. But this was Zachary''s choice, and they could do nothing but pray silently for his safety.

    ''He has held on for this long. He has potential and grit. Is he the one I have been waiting for?'' the Supreme Cloud Lion wondered inwardly.

    When Zachary was about to reach the top of the Ghost Altar, another phantom appeared in front of him¡ªsomeone who looked just like him. He was weak, pale and sick. The phantom was him¡ªanother Zachary.

 Chapter 928 Jules

    "Give me back my body! Give me back everything!" The phantom approached Zachary, resentment evident in its every step.

    But Zachary didn''t back away. Instead, he approached the phantom in return and didn''t stop until he was face to face with it.

    And then, he continued onward, ignoring the phantom. The phantom suddenly laughed coldly and pounced on him. But this time, it did not leave any scars on his body. Instead, it turned into a black light and rushed into his body.

    Before he could react, more black lights appeared from all directions, gathering and rushing into Zachary''s body. A collection of resentments!

    In the next moment, Zachary felt his control over his body slip, his head beginning to spin. His eyes turned red, and waves of resentment began to take over his body and mind. All kinds of terrible, evil thoughts began to occupy his head.

    "You are a thief! You stole my body!" A horrible laugh sounded in Zachary''s mind.

    "No, I''m not a thief. If it weren''t for me, you would still be the same weak, useless man as before!" Zachary retorted.

    "You ARE a thief. You occupied my body and stole everything that belongs to me."

    "We are not the same. If you want this body, you can try to take it back. Come on! The most that will happen is we might die together. Come on!" Zachary shouted, his anger obvious. The martial energy all over his body was instantly activated and the aura around his body began to surge, producing a grimly violent scene. He let out a harsh, evil bark of laughter.

    "Damn it!" Anne''s expression shifted. She untied the Supreme Cloud Lion and made to fly towards Zachary.

    But the Supreme Cloud Lion blocked her.

    "I can''t believe you! If anything happens to Zachary, I will tear you into pieces!" Anne reprimanded the lion, feeling that they had all falle

    have been completely different if she had found it earlier.

    "Hey lion! Why is there a beautiful woman instead of Jules buried in the coffin? Is she the one Jules fell in love with?" Zachary asked the Supreme Cloud Lion.

    "Jules is not buried in the coffin?" Sophie and Anne looked at each other in confusion. They used to think that Jules was buried in the coffin.

    "In the last few thousands of years, although there have been many people who came to the Martial Fire Tomb and many who reached the Ghost Altar, you are the only human who has reached the top. It looks like you are qualified to inherit Jules'' power. However, you must be prepared, because you will be told a shocking secret related to the rise and fall of the Supernal Continent," the Supreme Cloud Lion said gravely.

    "A shocking secret? What is it?" Zachary''s eyebrows shot up. He could tell that the Supreme Cloud Lion was not joking.

    "Get on my back. I''ll take you somewhere," the Supreme Cloud Lion instructed.

    Zachary hesitated for a moment and looked at the three women before jumping onto the Supreme Cloud Lion''s back.

    The Supreme Cloud Lion soared into the air and carried Zachary towards the dark, unfathomable sky.

 Chapter 929 Personal Collection

    "Master Anne... Is he going to be alright?" Sophie asked after Zachary left with the Supreme Cloud Lion.

    "Yes, he will be," Anne replied, staring at his receding figure.

    "Lion, where are you taking me?" Zachary was standing on the Supreme Cloud Lion''s back as they continued to fly upwards. The surroundings were completely shrouded in darkness. He was uncomfortable because he had no control over what was going on.

    "To meet someone," the Supreme Cloud Lion answered.

    "Who? Is there a living person in the Martial Fire Tomb?" Zachary asked, stunned.

    The beast replied, "You will get your answers when you see him."

    "Well, fine!" Zachary scoffed, pursing his lips in dissatisfaction.

    After a short while, he saw a floating stone platform above them. The sky around it was covered in a dark red light.

    When the Supreme Cloud Lion landed on to the mysterious platform, Zachary jumped off its back. He saw a very imposing spiritual soul standing majestically in the center of the stone platform. It had its back to them, with hands clasped behind its back. The figure looked almost human, like a real living person. If it weren''t for the absence of a human aura, Zachary would have thought that it was a living man. Although he couldn''t sense a powerful aura from the soul, Zachary felt a long distance between them, as if they were not present in the same world.

    "Is he the one who conquered the Ghost Altar?" The spiritual soul turned around. The figure looked young, around early thirties. His dashing eyebrows gave his face a strong masculine outline.

    "Yes, Master Jules," the Supreme Cloud Lion replied, half kneeling on the ground.

    Zachary''s eyes widened as he stared between the soul and the beast. "Master...Jules?" he stammered in surprise. "Master Jules? One of the Five Gods? But... You should be dead!"

    "Ha! I thought you would be smarter than that," Jules said with a laugh. "Most of the rumors circulating in the world are groundless. While it is indeed true that I''m dead, it is only my physical body that is gone. If I wished, I could always build another body for m

    or another day. You said that this mystery human has already inherited Adrian''s power. But, why is he still looking for the other Five-God Tombs? Isn''t the power of one god enough to rule the world?" Zachary asked in genuine confusion.

    "To release Adrian from his sealed land, he must find the ancient Divine Level treasure that can break the seal. The treasure was divided into four parts, which are now hidden in the other four tombs," Jules explained.

    "I see. I assume this person should be someone who holds a high position in the Supernal Continent," Zachary guessed.

    "Have you made up your mind?" Jules asked.

    "Of course! This is mostly a win-win situation for me! But since I''m here, will you let me have some of the Five-God Treasures?" Zachary asked, raising his eyebrows playfully.

    Jules snickered. "The legend of the so-called Five-God Treasures is nothing but a myth. There are no real treasures. What I do have is my personal collection. If you want them, I will ask the Supreme Cloud Lion to take you there. It''s no use to me here anyway."

    "I''m sure your personal collection will be more than impressive." Zachary smiled, knowing that Jules'' collection would be an extraordinary treasure in itself. After all, he was one of the Five Gods.

    "Come over here," Jules instructed.

    Zachary took a few steps towards Jules, the man who was one of the ancestors of all warriors.

 Chapter 930 Subdue The Supreme Cloud Lion

    "Despite your immense strength, your are just not enough to directly inherit my power. Nevertheless, you practice the God of War''s cultivation methods. It is very evident that there is a special bond between you and the Five Gods. And with the power of the Fighting Crane in your body, it is further hard to gauge your potential," Jules said thoughtfully. "I can merge my power with yours by using the Heaven Fire Formula. Of course, I will also teach you the techniques on how to use it. By employing the skill, you will be able to activate my power. The higher the grade of the Heaven Fire Formula, the stronger the power you can activate. But it is not that simple as it sounds. It can have a catastrophic impact on your body. Hence unless it is absolutely necessary, try to avoid using the skill above the third grade. Under normal circumstances my power will not cause you any problems. So you can breathe easy on that." His explanation was in detailed.

    "Yes I got it. I am ready for the test," Zachary affirmed with a nod.

    "Alright then let''s start," Jules said.

    As he spoke, he started to rub his hands together. Suddenly, a small fiery red ball flew from his hands. Zachary soon realized what Jules meant, when he was explaining about his power. He could clearly sense that the power in that small ball completely exceeded his current strength.

    Jules however did not stop, but continued to rub his hands. Soon, he conjured eight more balls in a row as they formed a circle, while they remained suspended in air. It was truly a sight to behold.

    "Merge!" Jules exclaimed as he pointed at the nine balls. In an instant, they lit up and fused with each other, shining brilliantly like the sun.

    "Seal!"

    Jules commanded. The conjoined fiery ball fused into Zachary''s chest and burnt his clothes, leaving behind a scorching mark.

    As soon as the ball collided with his body, he felt like his entire self was on fire. For a fraction of a second he even panicked, as he thought he would be reduced to mere cinders.

    But soon his body began to cool down and returned to its normal state. Slowly Zachary released his pent up breath.

    "Well, your body''s adaptability is far better than I thought. It seems to have accepted my power." Jules nodded with satisfaction.

    "Is that all?" Relief washed through Zachary.

    Jules wasted no time in teaching

    upernal Continent," Sophie said enthusiastically, as she looked around.

    "Yes. You are right. We should not disregard them." Zachary nodded as he too looked around. Soon his eyes fell on a pile of books located at the corner. He walked over and randomly opened a few of them. They contained Jules'' carefully written notes on the weapon refining techniques.

    "What Anne and Master Jace would react if they got their hands on these?" Zachary put all the treasures into the system.

    After having a final look around, they left the treasure house and returned back to the entrance of the Martial Fire Tomb.

    As soon as they reached the entrance, Zachary put the Supreme Cloud Lion into the system and instructed Mimi to arrange for an exclusive space for the beast.

    "I am beginning to wonder, why hasn''t Katrina come back yet? Didn''t you send her a message with the route map?" Sophie asked Zachary with a worried look.

    "There would be an explanation for her delay. There is no need to worry. Anyway, we have found what we were looking for. Our task is completed," Zachary said confidently.

    Just as he finished speaking, a carrier beast swooped in from the sky and landed delicately on his shoulder.

    "Zachary, we were ambushed! You have to come back quickly!" The beast urgently relayed the message.

    "It is from Elva. They seem to be in trouble. We need to rush soon," Zachary said as he looked at Sophie.

    "Let''s go!" Sophie nodded.

    Zachary and the two women immediately flew out of the Martial Fire Tomb, towards the place where the beast had told them.

 Chapter 931 Badly Injured

    When the three of them arrived at the place the carrier beast had directed them to, they saw a team ensconced in a narrow area surrounded by stones. It looked like the team had suffered heavy casualties.

    "I''m going to have a look," Zachary said to Sophie and Alisa before he went to explore what was going on over there.

    He entered the camp and as he looked around, he saw that Sara, Elva, and Queenie were also there, binding up the wounds for their companions.

    "Elva, what happened? Why were you ambushed?" Zachary asked Elva as he walked up to her, frowning.

    Elva breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Zachary. She''d been worried that Zachary would also be attacked.

    Elva then proceeded to tell him what had happened. On the second day after Zachary had left, Katrina, who had been leading the team to search for the Martial Fire Tomb, received a request for help from Nate. His team had been attacked by a mysterious team, and all of them were seriously injured and trapped in a fog valley.

    Katrina immediately went to their rescue, leading a Sage Level warrior and several warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level to support them. Before she left, she had asked Kolton Cheng, who was at the premium stage of Sage Level, to lead the team to await orders and prepare for reinforcements. However, not long after Katrina had left, the team on standby was also attacked.

    "Yesterday''s attack seriously hurt us. Almost all of us were annihilated. Fortunately, we retreated here in time and escaped death. But more than two-thirds of us are dead or wounded. Except for a few members of the logistics team, almost every other member is injured," Sara said as she came over to them.

    "Where is Kolton?" Zachary asked.

    "He was badly injured. He is healing himself in the tent over there," Sara replied.

    "It sounds like the enemy deliberately lured Master Katrina away. The team was left weakened once she left. And then, they took the opportunity to launch the attack," Zachary said. The enemy obviously knew their situation like the back of their hands. The

    other, most of them shaking their heads. The one thought that was racing through their minds was that since they had suffered great losses, how could they muster the strength to help Katrina and the others? Even if they were able to help them, they would probably die.

    "Looks like no one wants to do that." Kolton Cheng''s sneering voice sounded from behind Zachary. He was much more senior than Zachary and felt vindicated when his feeling that no one would follow the latter was about to come true.

    "I''ll go!" Elva said.

    "Me too!"

    "Count me in!"

    Queenie and Rebecca also stepped forward.

    And then, Polly and her brother also volunteered to go with Zachary. Since their father was in Nate''s team, they were more than willing to go with him.

    "My grandfather is in Master Nate''s team. I''ll go with you," Rita said as she took a step forward.

    "It''s such an exciting thing. I''m in!" Nelson said excitedly.

    "Let me help you, too," Scott, who had been silent all this time, said.

    Kolton Cheng''s face darkened, because he hadn''t expected so many people to volunteer. It was almost one third of the team!

    The other members were also shocked. No wonder they were shocked. After all, they didn''t know that except for Elva, almost all the others had gone through fire and water alongside Zachary. So as long as Zachary needed them, they would unconditionally help him.

 Chapter 932 Trapped

    "Kolton, can I take them away?" Zachary turned around to look at Kolton. He could have left to look for Katrina on his own, but he didn''t want Elva and the others to take risks with Kolton here. That was why he deliberately made excuses to ask them to go with him. He knew that they would definitely support him.

    "Of course. But are you sure you can get out of here with your strength? It''s quite possible that we have been trapped here." Kolton knew that Queenie and the others were all members of the logistics team and that they couldn''t fight. Whether they stayed or not didn''t impact the whole team as such. But according to him, they couldn''t force their way out.

    "I have my ways. I just need your approval," Zachary answered with a solemn smile.

    "Well then, you can give it a go. But if you lose your lives because of this, don''t blame me." Kolton obviously thought that Zachary and the others didn''t stand a chance, which was why he was warning them so seriously.

    Zachary glanced at Kolton, but said nothing. Instead, he turned to Elva and the others and said, "Wait for me behind the camp."

    Elva and the others nodded and left.

    "Do you really want to take them and risk their lives?" Sara, who had been silent all this time, couldn''t help but ask.

    "If we want to turn the tide, we have to help Master Katrina and the others first," Zachary said firmly.

    "But we''re closely hemmed in on all sides. Not just you guys, even if the whole team wants to go out, they may not be able to break through the siege," Sara said.

    "Who said we were going to break through the siege? I can take them away secretly. Do you want to go with us?" Zachary asked, a twinkle in his eye.

    "Really?" Sara said, surprised. She couldn''t help but throw Zachary a sideways glance. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "If you really can, then take them away. I can''t leave. Several warriors have been injured here. If I leave and the enemy launches an attack, the team won''t be able to hold on for long. So I have to stay."

    "But it will be very dangerous for you to stay here. I only want to try and protect you. At least let me take you out of this dangerous ar

    his team and sent out a message for help.

    The two Sage Level warriors were responsible for searching for other exits. They had been searching for three days and nights in the valley, but they still couldn''t find any exit.

    Time was limited. After Katrina learned everything, the two Sage Level warriors brought Katrina and the others to meet with Nate and his team.

    It took four hours for them to reach their hideout and when they did, Katrina''s eyes widened as she saw Nate and his badly injured team.

    "It looks like we have fallen into a trap. They led us to this valley on purpose and planned to kill us all. I have a feeling Master Russ is leading a team to come rescue us. If they are also trapped, we''re very likely to be completely wiped out here," Katrina said.

    At these words, everyone turned deathly pale.

    "Now that we have met, maybe we can get out of this damn place together," said Master Nate.

    "Our enemy has a large number of people, and there may be more than one Holy Level warrior. Even if we fight together, the other members'' fighting power has been greatly reduced because of the suppression of the essential energy in the valley. If we don''t work together, I''m afraid we will die the moment we step out," Katrina said. She was rather worried. Since they were led here, the enemy must have been well prepared and would not let them leave too easily.

    At Katrina''s words, despair settled on all the members.

 Chapter 933 I Have A Plan

    "Is there really no other way out of here?" Nate asked, unwilling to give up yet.

    "If they somehow get the news and come here in time, then we might still have a chance..." Katrina murmured to herself, arching her brows. ''Sophie and Zachary are strong and smart. Perhaps they can help us get through this,'' she thought.

    "Who... Who are you talking about?" Nate asked, his eyes lighting up with hope.

    "How about we try and get to the entrance first? If we still can''t think of a way to get out of here, then we will have to fight our way out even though we might suffer loss!" Katrina decided after giving it a thought. There was no other way. She couldn''t just sit and do nothing.

    "Looks like we don''t have any other options." Nate nodded in agreement.

    Once that was decided, Katrina and Nate headed towards the entrance along with their frustrated team members.

    Meanwhile, Zachary flew quickly and arrived at the valley which Katrina had been bound for. The entrance was being guarded by more than a hundred unidentified warriors.

    ''Looks like Master Katrina and the others have also been ambushed,'' Zachary speculated as he squinted his eyes at the warriors at the entrance. He then brought Elva and Queenie out.

    They soon realized what was going on in the valley.

    "Zachary, what should we do now?" Queenie asked, turning to look at him.

    "They are well prepared. It was a trap, and Master Katrina and the team walked right into it. I wonder if Master Russ'' team is inside with them. If they are, then the whole team has fallen into the enemy''s trap, excluding us," Zachary said with furrowed eyebrows.

    "We are too weak. I don''t think we can get them out of there," Queenie said, her spirits low after she saw what was going on.

    "Well, we can''t leave them be. Our team will be wiped out if we don''t do anything," Zachary said. ''They must have lured all of us here, and probably plan to take us prisoners. If we don''t do anything right away, our team will fall into the enemy''s hands, assuming that they have not been captured yet. I can''t let that happen,'' he pondered.

    "Do you have a plan?" Elva asked. She and Queenie fixed their eyes on Zachary.

    "Wait here. I''ll check the situation down

    on what had happened. She gave the Magical Gourd to him without any hesitation.

    "With your current strength, I''m afraid you will not be able to get the Magical Gourd working. Only warriors at or above the Holy Level can activate it," Anne reminded.

    "Okay. That''s not a problem," Zachary responded.

    "Also, if you want to absorb the reversed essential energy, you must be near its source," she continued.

    "Understood," he responded. He left the system and returned to Elva and Queenie.

    "Sophie, Alisa! Come on out," he called.

    Sophie and Alisa, who had been hiding in the dark all this time, showed up from behind them.

    Seeing the two women in disguise, Elva and Queenie were taken aback in surprise.

    "Listen up! We are now going to rescue Master Katrina and the team. I will tell you what we are going to do." Zachary shared the plan with the women. They listened in shocked silence.

    Zachary intended to stall the group which had over a hundred warriors on his very own.

    "Alisa, Sophie needs to be with me. So, you need to enter the valley and give the Magical Gourd and the pills to Master Katrina," Zachary said as he handed the items to Alisa.

    "Alright, I got this," she replied calmly.

    "I will take Alisa to the valley first. When I cause the distraction, get to your positions and do as I told you. Try to buy Alisa as much time as you can, but take care of yourselves too," he said, turning to Elva and Queenie.

    The two girls nodded at him.

 Chapter 934 Immediate Attack

    "Sophie, if there are enemies I can''t take care of, I''ll leave them to you. But don''t push yourself. You are not in good shape right now," Zachary said as he rested his eyes on Sophie.

    "I know. But don''t get yourself killed either. My welfare for the rest of my life is in your hands," Sophie said deliberately misleading the rest to misunderstand their relationship.

    Elva and the other girls turned to look at Sophie and Zachary in surprise. They could tell that there was something more going on between them.

    "The whole team''s safety depends on this, so we can''t afford to make any mistakes. If we fail, we all die. I hope you can try your best to get your tasks done," Zachary said seriously.

    "Zachary, you and I are good friends. I am willing to go with you wherever you choose and die with you if needs must. I don''t fear death, fighting by your side would be an honor," Pollard said with a laugh.

    "If we were afraid to die, we wouldn''t have come with you," Queenie pointed out determinedly.

    "It''s not as if it''s the first time for us to go through such ordeals with you. I believe that luck will be in our favor and we will get through this," Rebecca cut in.

    "No matter what happens, I will always be with you," Elva said, giving Zachary an affectionate look.

    "Don''t be so pessimistic. Although I haven''t known you for that long, I know you are friends with Zachary. So just have faith in him. He will not get us killed. All you have to do is buying me some time so I can give these things to Master Katrina. That way, they can get out of the valley and join you," Alisa said with a little frown.

    "She''s right. Don''t forget that you have me. Stay focused and try your best to fight our enemy. I will cover you all," Sophie said as she let out a chuckle.

    Queenie and the others looked at each other and nodded solemnly. Their determination to fulfill their roles shone through.

    "Move out!" Zachary instructed. He then sent Alisa into the system before dashing towards t

    til he reached the entrance.

    Over twenty dead bodies lay behind Zachary, leaving a gruesome sight behind him.

    Zachary looked like an unstoppable demon.

    Since Zachary was able to take down many of his men, Bjorn surmised that he was at least an Imperial Level warrior. He had underestimated him. That made Bjorn''s face darken more with dissatisfaction.

    "What are you standing around for? Stop him!" Bjorn yelled, motioning to his men to attack Zachary. Receiving his order, the warriors dashed forward, unleashing their martial skills.

    But before the warriors could reach him, Zachary created several avatars that charged at them.

    In mere seconds, his avatars were colliding with the enemies.

    Half of the enemies stood frozen, their faces deathly pale. They couldn''t move an inch, let alone fight back. They had been killed in a heartbeat.

    "Damn it! What''s this bastard''s real strength? How could he be this powerful?" Bjorn cursed in exasperation through gritted teeth. He hadn''t foreseen Zachary would be able to slaughter that many Imperial Level warriors without breaking a sweat. Only outstanding warriors could do that.

    "All of you, go kill this brat!" Bjorn ordered the rest of his men who were at the primary stage of Imperial Level.

    Soon, they swarmed towards Zachary, determined to take his life.

 Chapter 935 He Was A Sage Level Warrior

    As Zachary saw all the enemies come at him, he wasn''t even fazed. He just summoned his vital energy and soared into the air. With a wave of his hands, ten ice dragon swords instantly shot down towards the warriors and pierced them.

    These Imperial Level warriors didn''t have a clue that they were too inferior to resist Zachary. They couldn''t even dodge or react before the ice swords directly hit them. Immediately after, dust rose from within a hundred meters as the ice force continued to roar.

    After the dust settled and dissipated, a ghastly scene unveiled before them. The warriors who rushed at Zachary were either dead or severely injured. All of them were lying on the ground, having a difficult time even to sit on their own.

    Those who had been belittling Zachary were in utter disbelief. Their eyes opened wide, and their mouths were left hanging.

    "Did he just employ a martial skill at the premium stage of Imperial Level? He is actually this strong? What a surprise!" Even Bjorn was shocked. He didn''t expect that the young man would have the strength of a warrior at the premium stage of Imperial Level. Consequently, he got more infuriated at Zachary''s actions and wanted to deal with him as soon as possible.

    At the same time, before these Imperial Level warriors could recover from the damage they sustained, Zachary took the opportunity to run towards the entrance about a hundred meters from where he was standing.

    "Don''t let him in!" Bjorn shouted sternly. Of course, he knew what Zachary wanted to do, and there was no way that he would let it happen.

    Then, over ten warriors at the medium stage of Imperial Level swiftly surrounded Zachary in an attempt to block his way.

    However, there still wasn''t a hint of panic on the face of the young man. In a flash, he conjured ten avatars and blended himself with them to confuse his opponents.

    Finally, at the entrance itself, there stood five warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level, who were ready to prevent Zachary from breaking in.

    "Humph! Let''s see if you can get past these guys!" Bjorn stood firmly and snorted viciously as he observed the situation.

    At the same time, there were also Imperial Level warriors who chased after Zachary from behind. They tried their best to surround him in order to kill him.

    Then, they started tightening the encirclement and stopped him from advancing further to the entrance. Without wasting any time, they began to use their martial skills. In the blink of an eye, all kinds of strange lights that exuded strong auras filled the area and eventually darted towards Zachary.

    Boom! Boom!

    As the battle ensued, an earth-shaking rumble was clearly felt. The light

    par with a Sage Level warrior, and thus they couldn''t underestimate his power anymore.

    "Hey, lad. Don''t push your luck. Even with your strength, you absolutely have no chance of winning when we fight you at the same time," one of the two Sage Level warriors said indifferently. This was Milton. He looked like a bear, with dark skin and a long sword on his shoulder.

    "Oh, really?" Zachary retorted with a faint smile.

    "We have no time for this. Just cut off his head and finish him!" Kristy, the other Sage Level warrior, said impatiently. Dressed in green clothing, her slender and charming figure was so evident.

    "Then, show me what you''ve got!" Zachary roared defiantly, gesturing them to come at him whenever they wanted.

    "Ha! Do you really think that I''ll fight you? You''re just a waste of time. Hey, Milton, teach this arrogant bastard a lesson." Kristy just stood there with her arms crossed and obviously didn''t take Zachary seriously.

    "Fine. I can do it myself! Prepare to die, boy!" Milton was also irritated by Zachary''s attitude. He forcefully swung his weapon across the air. In an instant, a huge blade shadow fell from the sky and struck Zachary with a vicious aura of the Sage Level. This warrior was certainly incomparable to the ones Zachary had faced earlier. Just a casual slash from him contained an overwhelming power.

    As the ice radiance shone on Zachary''s body, the Ice Armor instantly appeared. He waved his hand and raised an ice shield to block the incoming attack. At the same time, he flipped his hand and unleashed an arc-shaped moon dagger that looked neither like a sword nor a blade.

    This Sage Level weapon was personally forged by Anne for him. It was one of the ten most famous Sage Level weapons in the Supernal Continent¡ªthe Demonic Moon Dagger.

 Chapter 936 Magic Array

    Milton''s eyes narrowed when he saw Zachary clutching the Demonic Moon Dagger in his hand. Of course, he was smart enough to know that this was not an ordinary weapon. Nevertheless, he still thought that Zachary was absolutely no match for him.

    As Milton waved his long sword and slashed the air several times, it produced a windstorm that soared into the sky. Countless blade streaks had violently swept across the ground and left deep rifts. The turbulent wind enshrouded the area hundreds of meters around him.

    Naturally, all the weaker warriors were absolutely shocked to witness such a scene. They immediately thought that this Sage Level warrior was truly powerful.

    Despite this impressive display of power, Zachary proceeded to walk calmly. He was completely unfazed. In the blink of an eye, he had already gotten closer to Milton.

    Seeing this, Milton felt a little annoyed. He soared into the air, and rapidly rotated the long blade above his head. Then, he quickly let go of it and flung it towards Zachary. The force was astonishing.

    Zachary wielded his Demonic Moon Dagger without even looking at the long blade hurtling towards him. The dagger instantly collided with Milton''s blade.

    This collision produced a deafening clang.

    All the spectators saw that the Demonic Moon Dagger had been pushed back.

    "Was that it? Ha-ha! I can''t believe I actually thought that was some powerful weapon. But it turns out, it''s really weak!" Milton laughed arrogantly. He sneered at the thought that the Demonic Moon Dagger could not even withstand a single blow from him.

    But all of a sudden, his long blade buzzed and broke into pieces in midair. Its fragments fell on the ground with a thud.

    "What just happened?! This is impossible! How could my Sage Level weapon be destroyed just like that?" Milton''s eyes widened in disbelief.

    "Ha-ha! That was a Sage Level weapon? I don''t think so. It looked like a junk to me." Zachary chuckled derisively.

    Milton couldn''t bear such humiliation. Right now, he was absolutely boiling with rage. With a wave of his hands, he quickly summoned three treasure beasts from the Virtual Air Space. Two of them were sacred beasts, and the other one was a beast at the premium stage of Imperial Level. It looked like he was going to win this fight with numbers.

    "It seems that Milton wants to go all out. He immediately summoned three treasure beasts all at once," observed one of the warriors.

    "This guy is utterly doomed!" another one chimed in.

    "He''ll proba

    ed down on Milton. When he failed to properly defend himself against all of them, the attacks struck him.

    A loud booming sound reverberated across the entire battleground.

    In the blink of an eye, a massive cloud of dust rose from the ground.

    Milton was beaten to a pulp. He spat out blood after he was sent flying dozens of meters away from where he originally stood.

    Needless to say, those who were watching were completely stupefied. No one ever thought that Zachary could defeat a Sage Level warrior at the same level as him with just one move.

    "Humph! Is that all you got? You are pitifully weak!" Kristy, who had been observing Zachary the entire time, merely scoffed. Then, she suddenly appeared right in front of Zachary. "I already know your flaw, brat! Take this!"

    She stretched out her arms like a hawk spreading its magnificent wings. All of a sudden, countless bird shadows emerged from her body and charged towards Zachary.

    Zachary''s eyes narrowed, as he quickly released his ice force to resist. It immediately turned into an ice storm that attacked the bird shadows. However, they easily diminished his defense and managed to surround him in a flash.

    "Is it merely an illusion? I wonder. Ah, but it couldn''t be," he mumbled under his breath. The expression on Zachary''s face changed slightly. At once, he took a few steps back.

    All at once, the bird shadows dispersed. As this happened, Kristy charged towards Zachary. There was a flash of green light that disappeared right away. Before Zachary knew it, a deep scratch appeared on the chest of his Ice Armor. It did not completely wreck his armor. However, it was clearly a powerful attack.

 Chapter 937 Zachary Got Hurt

    The crowd looked appalled to see that the lethal strike of Kristy, whose strength had reached the second grade of Sage Level, could not hurt Zachary. It only left a trace of the attack on the Ice Armor on Zachary¡¯s chest. They soon realized that the armor he was wearing was not an ordinary off hand weapon at the Sage Level.

    Even Kristy couldn¡¯t believe her eyes either. She made sure that her attack would inflict damage on Zachary¡¯s body, but surprisingly, the Ice Armor blocked it.

    "This fool¡¯s OH weapon is extraordinary. I think I have seen it somewhere before." Bjorn fixed his gaze on Zachary¡¯s Ice Armor. Suddenly, he stared wide-eyed and blurted out, "Could this be the renowned Ice Armor?"

    His remark caused a lot of uproar from the crowd. No one had thought Zachary, who had just reached the Sage Level, would possess such a legendary Divine Level treasure. Its mere existence alone was already incredible!

    "Are you sure about that, Bjorn?" An astonished warrior at the medium stage of Sage Level overheard Bjorn''s comment and couldn''t prevent himself from asking.

    "This tool had appeared several decades ago that caused a state of widespread public excitement and interest. I was fortunate enough to see it back in the day, so there shouldn¡¯t be any mistake!" Bjorn exclaimed with a quick nod.

    The revelation left Kristy open-mouthed and at a loss for words. No wonder her swift attack got deflated. The Ice Armor turned out to be a Divine Level treasure.

    "Looks like there¡¯s a need to upgrade the Ice Armor later," Zachary said calmly. He looked down on the Ice Armor and inspected the scratch. His eyes narrowed slightly. The opponents he had previously met were all at the Imperial Level, and he had never fought an unmatched warrior at the Sage Level. So, the Ice Armor had barely met any intense challenges before. But after his encounter with Kristy just now, he discerned that her strength could break through the Ice Armor''s defense, which meant that the armor had reached its limit.

    But such an occurrence was natural. Although the Ice Armor was a Divine Level treasure, Zachary got it when he was still at the Imperial Level. Thus, the Ice Armor¡¯s level also had its limitations, and it never became a real Divin

    .

    In a flash, a figure appeared right above Kristy. He brandished his sword and slashed away. The Demon-killing Strike swooped down from the sky, with unstoppable momentum.

    "Humph! Trying to sneak up on me? I don''t think it can hurt me!" Kristy cried out with contempt. She charged with all her might. The strongest power she had collected instantly turned into a huge cyan roc. Its aura was billowing, and within a few hundred meters, a strong wind was raging, and dust scattered everywhere.

    In a split second, the cyan roc and the Demon-killing Strike clashed with each other in midair, sending out a powerful force at the Sage Level that spread all around. It was a very shocking scene.

    However, it was apparent that Kristy''s strength was more superior. She was at the second grade of the Sage Level, after all. After a moment of standstill, the cyan roc defeated the Demon-killing Strike, and then flew straight toward Zachary.

    Bang!

    The cyan roc collided with Zachary. It then turned into an eye-popping cyan light that rippled in midair.

    Seeing that the cyan roc had hit Zachary, the crowd cheered as if their side had won the battle.

    "He¡¯s not that strong as I thought," Bjorn sneered. He thought Zachary deserved it. In his opinion, Zachary couldn''t get the better of Kristy, who was at the second grade of the Sage Level.

    "Zachary!" Elva and the others were distressed to see him hurt and not react back. They grew agitated and felt the need to rush out to help him.

 Chapter 938 Surprising Turn Of Events

    However, something unexpected suddenly happened. While Kristy was about to stop her attacks, thinking she had already end Zachary''s life, a beam of purple light appeared among the bird shadows around her. It directly soared high above the sky with a spiritual soul behind it.

    Everyone was dumbfounded at what was happening.

    But Kristy was more surprised than anyone else. Her eyes were completely wide open as she stared at the light.

    Then, the purple light flew past her and landed on the ground. She quickly blinked her eyes as she was brought back to reality.

    "Such little tricks!" Realizing that the purple light was Zachary, she understood what was going on. Now that he did not attack her, she thought he was too weak to continue the fight with her. Determined to end his life for good, she gathered her martial energy for another attack.

    However, just as Zachary landed on the ground, Kristy let out a shrill scream while she was in mid-air. Then, blood spurted out from her body like a fountain.

    A moment later, Kristy broke into pieces as if something tore her apart. Then, her body parts fell to the ground with a thud.

    Seeing this, everybody was petrified, and horror was written all over their faces.

    "He killed Kristy. How could that be even possible?"

    "Kristy was far stronger than him. This doesn''t make any sense at all."

    "Maybe he is actually stronger than Kristy?"

    "No, maybe he just got lucky this time."

    A heated and confused discussion erupted among the crowd.

    Of course, they didn''t know that Zachary had looked for Kristy''s weakness using the Energy Perception Technique. When he flew past her, he subtly shot the Ice Needle towards her. Since Kristy didn''t notice it, she still gathered her martial energy. Due to his Ice Needle, her martial energy was totally blocked and couldn''t properly circulate in her body. As a result, she exploded and died.

    To simply put it, Kristy actually killed herself. Zachary just tricked her into doing that.

    But it would be impossible for him to unnoticeably shoot the Ice Needle towards her if he didn''t have enough confidence and ability. After all, his opponent was a warr

    nts. No one thought that Zachary could survive the Sage Level warrior''s blow.

    Zachary''s Holy Bone Bracer released a Sage Level force as soon as the Demonic Moon Dagger collided with the huge spear. The force was at par with his opponent''s strength and it instantly spread out.

    Everybody was flabbergasted at this. They couldn''t figure out how Zachary could actually release a force at the Sage Level.

    The Sage Level warrior also furrowed his eyebrows as he sensed that the force unleashed by Zachary was as powerful as his. But he easily adjusted and activated his martial energy to its maximum level.

    The collision between the two forces at the Sage Level caused the strong wind to blow violently. Sand and stones also rolled up to the sky because of the force. Many relatively weak warriors were freaked out and retreated to avoid getting injured. The fight between the Sage Level warriors was indeed of high form for common warriors.

    It didn''t take long for the two forces to dissipate. The Sage Level warrior didn''t look so good. He totally underestimated Zachary''s strength, so he was slightly injured.

    Unlike him, Zachary was panting heavily. Although he had withstood the attack, a warrior who was at the medium stage of Sage Level was still too strong for him to handle. He had used almost all his powers just to absorb the force released by the Sage Level warrior with his Holy Bone Bracer so the force would not hit him.

 Chapter 939 Dragon Fire Strike

    "Boy, I admit that you are capable. Unfortunately for you, I am your opponent. Let''s end this!" the Sage Level warrior growled as he glanced at Zachary. Then, he roared, and a spiritual soul appeared behind him. It gave off a sickening, murderous aura.

    "It''s a Sage Level spiritual soul," Zachary exclaimed as he squinted at the spiritual soul.

    His other opponents also burst into an uproar.

    The spiritual souls of most Sage Level warriors at the premium or medium stage would, at best, reach the premium stage of Imperial Level. It was easier for them to cultivate their strength rather than improve their spiritual souls. Thus, it was rare to see a Sage Level warrior with a spiritual soul at the Sage Level.

    As this Sage Level warrior''s spiritual soul surpassed other Sage Level warriors'', it was evident that he was talented. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been able to cultivate a Sage Level soul. This factor alone was sufficient for others to realize that he was more powerful than his peers.

    With this understanding, Zachary decided it would be prudent to be at the apex of his abilities. And so, he used the Healing Reviving Skill to heal his wounds to recover soon. Then, he put away the Demonic Moon Dagger and took out the Illusory Dragon Spine.

    Everyone gasped when they saw the Illusory Dragon Spine.

    Since the Illusory Dragon Spine had upgraded to the Sage Level, it gave off a powerful aura, which allowed the crowd to identify it as an amazing weapon.

    "Is that a Divine Level weapon? Why does this guy have so many Divine Level treasures?" Bjorn was so envious of Zachary that he gritted his teeth. ''I don''t even possess one Divine Level treasure. But this brat has revealed that he has at least two,'' he thought hatefully.

    "Boy, it is a waste for you to own this Divine Level weapon. If you give it to me, I will spare your life," the Sage Level warrior proposed. Greed shone in his eyes as he stared at the Illusory Dragon Spine.

    Even his companions were unable to tear their gaze from the Divine Level weapon.

    "If you want it, you''ll have to defeat me," Zachary sneered at the Sage Level warrior to provoke him.

    "You bastard! You''re already at death''s door, and yet you dare to talk big. I will bring you down with one

    t have other surprising attacks waiting for him.

    "Earth-shaking Spear!" However, the Sage Level warrior pulled himself together. After all, he had a high cultivation base and thought that there was no reason to fear a Sage Level warrior who was inferior to him. Hence, he released more force and hit the ground with his spear. In a flash, earth spears rushed out of the ground around Zachary as if they were going to attack him in unison.

    But, the Ice Armor on Zachary''s body glowed brightly and released a considerable amount of ice energy. In a flash, the ground, including the earth spears, froze for hundreds of meters.

    The Sage Level warrior trembled with fury when he saw how easily Zachary had surpassed another of his martial skills. However, before he could do anything, Zachary had reached him.

    "Dragon Fire Strike!" Zachary waved the Illusory Dragon Spine, and a dragon-shaped fire was created. It soared into the sky and enmeshed the Sage Level warrior in the blink of an eye.

    And then, the dragon-shaped fire exploded.

    Flames surged around the Sage Level warrior and spread out, instantly sweeping across hundreds of meters. Many warriors nearby failed to dodge, and the fire devoured them.

    The warriors in Bjorn''s horde were taken aback by Zachary''s display of power. ''He is so amazing. I can''t believe he has so many tricks up his sleeve.''

    Even Bjorn swallowed with fear. He could tell by Zachary''s strike that he was on par with a Sage Level warrior at the medium stage.

 Chapter 940 The Second Stage Of Heaven Fire Formula

    After a while, the fire and light from Zachary''s strike had finally dissipated. His opponent who was the recipient of this abominable attack was in an embarrassing situation. His clothes were burnt up. After he landed on the ground, he staggered backward until he steadied himself. As blood dripped from his mouth, it was obvious that he had sustained severe injuries on different parts of his body.

    "Hmm. I see he still managed to survive that. It looks like the prowess of the first stage of the Heaven Fire Formula is almost equivalent to the power of a warriors who is at the fourth or fifth grade of Sage Level," Zachary murmured to himself as he analyzed the impact of the skill.

    It was his first time using Jules''s power, thus he didn''t know how potent would the first stage of the skill be. Since a warrior at the medium stage of Sage Level fought him, he took this opportunity to test the skill''s power. Based on the result, Zachary was actually satisfied. With this, he could now easily deal with a Sage Level warrior by using the first stage of the Heaven Fire Formula. Moreover, he thought that if he could eventually master its third stage, he might be able to take down a Sage Level warrior of the premium stage or even a Holy Level warrior.

    Upon seeing that even the Sage Level warrior in floral robes lost to Zachary, the other warriors in Bjorn''s team were flabbergasted. ''What is with this guy? We can''t determine the limit of his strength,'' all of them thought in utter shock.

    "Bjorn, the situation is getting worse. If Master Ronnie learns that we are being stalled by this brat, ruining our plan in the process, we will definitely be screwed when he gets here," another warrior at the medium stage of Sage Level reminded Bjorn with a livid face. He stood next to Bjorn.

    "Damn it! It looks like I have to deal with this brat myself," Bjorn uttered with a visible frown on his face. Finally, he made up his mind and ordered the warrior who had talked to him, "Ernest, enter the valley with our men and wipe out the guys from the Enigmatic Kingdom according to the original plan."

    Upon receiving the command, Ernest began rounding up several of their men. In a jiffy, the warriors who had already been previously taken down by Zachary gathered together.

    At the same time, Zachary had quickly noticed this. He instantly knew that they were planning to enter the valley to eliminate Katrina and the other people from the Enigmatic Kingdom who had lost their fighting power due to inhalation of the reversed essential energy. Once they entered the valley, it would be very easy for them to eradicate all of their targets. Hence, he needed to stop them at all costs.

    "Where do you think you''re going? If you

    the area where he was standing. Soon enough, a veil of dust rose in the air due to the massive impact of the strikes they hurled.

    However, in the blink of an eye, Zachary flew out of the dust column, holding the Illusory Dragon Spine in his hand. He then waved the Dragon Fire Skill and directed it at the group of warriors on the ground.

    After a moment, the dragon-shaped flame emerged and swiftly landed on the ground.

    The devouring flame razed everything within the area of a thousand meters.

    With this, the team that planned to rush into the valley was terror-stricken. They instinctively ran away from the vicious fire, but many of them failed to escape and were burned to ashes.

    "Damn this brat! He''s such a pain in the ass!" Ernest, who had been tasked to lead Bjorn''s team, cursed through gritted teeth. While he was fuming in anger, he was also at a loss and didn''t know exactly what to do. Zachary''s overbearing strength scared him and the rest of his team. They knew that even if they joined hands to attack the young man, they would still fail to prevail.

    Just then, several figures who had been hiding nearby dashed out and stormed at the trembling warriors. It was clear that they also wanted to prevent Bjorn''s men from entering the valley.

    They were caught off guard, but Ernest''s team immediately fought back and retaliated.

    But then all of a sudden, a wave of powerful energy blasted out of nowhere and hit the Imperial Level warriors on Ernest''s side. Unable to dodge it, these warriors either died on the spot or were severely injured.

    In an instant, the situation near the entrance of the valley became very chaotic. However, this was exactly what Zachary wanted. In this manner, he could buy Alisa more time so that she could meet with Katrina and the others within the valley.

 Chapter 941 Master Ronnie

    At the same time, Alisa entered the valley to look for Katrina and the others. Eventually she met up with Katrina and Nate, as well as their team members when they were two miles away from the entrance.

    Since they inhaled the reversed essential energy for too long, all the team members already lost their strength and couldn''t fight, except for Katrina, Nate, and the Sage Level warriors. If anyone launched an attack against them, most of them would die.

    However, since Alisa disguised herself as an Imperial Level warrior to be a part of their team, Katrina and the others didn''t view her with suspicion but was still confused.

    "Master Katrina, Zachary asked me to give this to you," Alisa said as she handed the Magical Gourd and a bottle of Energy Adjustment Pill to Katrina.

    "Zachary? What about him? Where is he?" Katrina immediately demanded.

    "Zachary and the others distracted the people outside so that I could enter the valley and meet with you," Alisa replied.

    "How''s Kolton and his men? Are they coming to our aid with Zachary from the outside?" Katrina fired one question after the other.

    "They were also ambushed so they can''t come to help. Hence, Zachary brought some members of his team here instead," Alisa explained.

    "What? The members of the support team are fighting the enemies outside?!" When they heard this, all the team members felt their hearts grow heavier. ''It''s impossible for Zachary and his team members to handle so many enemies. They''re just asking to be killed. But they really are brave,'' they thought to themselves.

    Although Katrina arched her eyebrows, she quickly changed her expression. "Did Zachary teach you how to use these things?" she asked.

    "He said that this can absorb the reversed essential energy here, but we still need to find the source of the energy. Meanwhile, the pills in the bottle can help increase our immunity to the reversed essential energy for a short time," Alisa explained easily.

    "Really?" Delight bloomed on Katrina''s face when she heard Alisa''s words. ''We might get out of here if we use this,'' she excitedly thought to herself.

    "Zachary has such amazing treasures. It''s truly fortunate news that he came here," Nate gushed. Relief could b

    the Fire Shadow Skill!"

    "This brat even forced Master Ronnie''s hand to deal with him himself. He should have no regrets when he dies!"

    "I bet he wouldn''t survive even half of Master Ronnie''s move."

    Soon, a commotion broke out around them. Almost everyone watching the fight believed that Zachary already had one foot in the grave.

    At the sight of this, even the Sage Level warriors around Zachary got flustered and stepped back. All of them knew that once Ronnie made his move, they would get injured if they stayed close to Zachary.

    Based from the reactions of Bjorn and the Sage Level warriors, Zachary immediately realized that Ronnie would be a tough opponent. In the blink of an eye, the shadow got closer to him. Most shocking to him was that the shadow made him feel like there was no escape. Left with no other choice, Zachary released all his strength to withstand the attack.

    Much to his surprise, the shadow didn''t unleash any energy. Instead, it delivered a punch straight towards him and broke down all his defenses. A surging force which emitted enormous heat penetrated his Ice Armor, rushing into his body and running through all his veins and body. Zachary felt that his body was about to explode.

    Without a doubt, Zachary''s life would be forfeit if he didn''t stop the force. Since he was left with no other choice, he quickly performed the God-slaying Formula and activated the Holy Brace Bracer in the hopes of making the terrible power leave his body.

 Chapter 942 What Is He Made Of

    Bang!

    The Holy Level power inside Zachary was instantly divided into numerous streams. They exited his body quickly and exploded around him, causing the ground where he stood to sink and crack. Several bottomless holes appeared everywhere, and it continued to crack in all directions.

    When he managed to force the Holy Level power out of his body, Zachary spat out a mouthful of blood and his face turned deathly pale. Although he had successfully driven the power out, the attack still caused a lot of damage to his body.

    At this point, the glow emitted by the two flaming balls on Zachary''s chest dimmed out; the Heaven Fire Formula was at its limit.

    "Zachary!" Elva yelled, her face contorted in fear. Zachary''s other friends were flustered seeing that he was injured by Ronnie. They were still in the middle of fierce fights and could not help him. Besides, they knew that they were too weak to save him from that Holy Level warrior.

    But this was Zachary. He wouldn''t go down that easily. Ronnie''s horde was taken aback when they saw that he was still standing. ''Master Ronnie''s strike should have hurt that brat badly, but he is only slightly injured. What the hell is going on?'' they thought in confusion.

    "Few Sage Level warriors in the Supernal Continent would manage to stand like you after taking my attack. Boy, you indeed have something up your sleeve!" Ronnie remarked, as he studied Zachary. Slowly, his eyes landed on Zachary''s Ice Armor and the Illusory Dragon Spine. He recognized that the two items were Divine Level treasures. ''No wonder he could withstand my strike,'' he thought to himself.

    "Oh, that? It was a mere punch. Nothing I can''t handle," Zachary said sarcastically. He was planning to stall them as long as he could.

    Ronnie let out a loud laugh. "Ha! Is that so? Well then, don''t blame me for what''s coming," he warned with a sneer.

    His fire shadow approached Zachary again, and kicked him square in the chest. He was thrown backwards and flew until he smashed against the wall of the valley. The stone structure caved in, and due to the impact, his Ice Armor, which was as solid as a rock, began to crack. It proved how potent Ronnie''s strike was.

    Zachary, who was embedded into the wall, stepped on

    ial skill. This brat is weaker than Bjorn! How is he still alive? Why is he still standing?''

    Ronnie didn''t know that Zachary had mastered the Healing Reviving Skill from the Fighting Crane. Thanks to that, he could fully recover in a short time, no matter how badly he was injured. Earlier, he had gathered all his strength to perform the skill which helped him survive Ronnie''s lethal strike.

    The crowd was speechless. Words failed to describe their shock.

    Ronnie was embarrassed. His face twisted in anger.

    Zachary gathered his remaining strength and spoke clearly. "If you want to enter the valley, you will have to get past me first," he shouted at the top of his lungs, staring down at his enemies.

    Ronnie''s men were startled by the aura Zachary was giving off.

    "Ignore him. He has no strength left to fight. He is not a threat to us anymore," Ronnie shouted with a livid face.

    Hearing this, the warriors looked at each other. Then, they rushed towards the entrance.

    A smile appeared on Zachary''s face when he saw the large group rushing towards him. He quickly formed an array on his chest once again. "Third stage! Activate!"

    In an instant, a third flaming ball appeared on his chest. The next moment, the dimmed glow from the two flaming balls began to shine again.

    "Invincible Sage Array!" With a loud shout, Zachary instantly activated the array. At the same time, the Illusory Dragon Spine materialized in his hand. He dashed towards his enemies with his weapon.

 Chapter 943 Presence Of Lady Evil

    Zachary brandished the Illusory Dragon Spine as soon as he reached his enemies. At once, a dragon-shaped fire whip appeared and burned the warriors who came into contact with it to ashes in an instant.

    The fearless Zachary frightened the warriors who had been in high spirits. Some weak-willed warriors ran away in panic, while the Imperial Level warriors didn''t dare to fight him head-on. Even the Sage Level warriors glanced at each other with hesitation, for none of them wanted to risk their lives battling him.

    In this way, Zachary pulled out all the stops, and he eliminated several Imperial Level warriors and more than ten warriors instantly, with the help of the Invincible Sage Array.

    All the people present stared at Zachary in growing horror as if he were a monster. Some of them were even trembling with fear. Zachary''s display of power had terrified them.

    Ronnie''s face also darkened. He had never thought that Zachary would still have the strength to fight against his entire team on his own. No one had expected that.

    However, the terrifying power that Zachary released was not without a price. If one took a closer look at him, they would find that his skin had started to crack open like a piece of parched land, for the power he had acquired from Jules was masculine and scorching. It was like a double-edged sword because if it was used well, it could not only inflict a great deal of damage, but it could also hurt him if he used it excessively. Jules had warned him that he could, at most, employ the third stage of the Heaven Fire Formula. Like any powerful force, it had negative side effects, and people like Zachary who would risk his life fighting should pay more attention to it.

    At this point, Zachary seemed fearless and unstoppable. However, at the same time, he was also enduring great pain coming from his body that had been burnt by the raging fire. He knew that he could not hold for long, but he would never ever give up until he couldn''t bear it any longer.

    After a while, the team was disbanded, and all the members dispersed to run for their lives. Ronnie could no longer stand by and just watch, so he finally decided to attack Zachary again. Without a warning, a Holy Level weapon that looked like a halberd materialized in his hand. It weighed about a thousand pounds, but Ronnie wielded it like it was feather-light.

    "Demon Slaying Strike!" he shouted. With his halberd in the air, a three-meter crescent shadow inst

    n into the valley."

    "But that brat..." Bjorn cast a glance at Zachary, worried that the latter might get in their way.

    "Don''t worry. He isn''t a threat to you," Ronnie reassured him. He could tell that Zachary was about to reach his limit, and he couldn''t unleash such terrifying power just as he did a moment ago.

    Hearing this, Bjorn nodded at him and began rounding up the rest of his men.

    "You have done your job, so don''t push yourself anymore. Just let nature take its course!" Sophie tried to persuade Zachary, looking at him anxiously.

    "Don''t worry about me," Zachary replied in an offhand manner. He waved a hand in her direction dismissively, which prompted her to back away.

    Since Sophie knew that she could not change Zachary''s mind, she took one last look at him and then charged at Ronnie.

    At the same time, Zachary retreated near the entrance again, readying himself for another round of attack.

    Meanwhile, Bjorn had already gathered the rest of his men, and as he counted them, he found that they had lost over one-third of their cavalry. Without a second thought, he and his team dashed toward the entrance.

    Zachary immediately took out the Demonic Moon Dagger to stall them. However, several Sage Level warriors surrounded him in the blink of an eye, while Bjorn and the other warriors took that opportunity to dash toward the valley.

    Soon, Bjorn and part of his men had entered the valley, leaving the rest warriors to entangle with Zachary.

    Right at this crucial moment, an eye-catching golden shadow appeared in the sky suddenly and landed beside the Sage Level warriors who were surrounding Zachary.

 Chapter 944 Elder Elijah

    "You can now enter the valley. Don''t worry about him. I will take care of him," the mysterious figure who was emitting dazzling golden light declared.

    Upon hearing this, the Sage Level warriors nodded and hurriedly dashed into the valley. They knew who the person was, so they quickly trusted his instruction.

    Seeing that they had finally disappeared from the entrance, the mysterious figure put out the golden light. As Zachary had the opportunity to stare at him up close, he found that the masked figure was a dreadful master. Judging from his figure and attire, he must be an old man with lots of experience, especially in battle. Moreover, he emanated an aura at the premium stage of Sage Level. Zachary couldn''t help but clench his fists as he clearly felt the oozing killing intent from the mysterious elder.

    "So, it looks like you''re on their side too. But why are you alone? Don''t you have any companion?" Zachary asked with a straight face as he studied the mysterious old man.

    overwhelming suction force that absorbed the Sage Level soul''s power.

    Caught off guard, the old man quickly tried to put away his soul but to no avail. It seemed like he had now totally lost control of the soul, and he assumed that it must be the work of Zachary''s Soul-gathering Bell. Hence, he planned to forcefully take the bell away from the young man.

    However, even his response was already anticipated by Zachary. Thus, just as the mysterious man approached, he released an ice force that formed an ice flower beneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, the ice flower turned into waves of ice that quickly spread throughout the area.

    Without any chance to dodge, the mysterious man was directly hit by the gushing waves of ice force. Although he didn''t suffer a fatal injury, his mask was broken. At that moment, his face and true identity were finally revealed. As Zachary saw the face behind the mask, he was greatly surprised. It was none other than Elijah from the Zi Clan.

 Chapter 945 Russ Decapitated

    "It''s you!" Zachary said as he frowned at Elijah. ''Those Sage Level warriors know Elijah and that''s why he''s hiding his identity on purposes! He must be up to something,'' Zachary thought to himself.

    Elijah hadn''t expected his identity to be exposed and this exasperated him. There was no way he would let Zachary live now. But the moment he made to attack Zachary, the sound of a fierce fight erupted from somewhere near the entrance. He looked in the direction of the sound, and saw Bjorn and his men losing ground as they retreated towards the entrance. They had soon left through the entrance, panicking.

    Before long, a group of people rushed out of the entrance, Na

    behind him.

    The Sage Level warrior threw a bag towards Katrina, and when the bag landed on the ground before her, a bloodied head rolled out of it.

    "You... You killed Russ?" Katrina''s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the bloody head.

    Her team was startled. ''Master Russ was a Holy Level warrior, and yet he was so easily decapitated!'' They felt a cold chill run down their spines.

    Zachary frowned. Since he knew Logan, he was not as surprised as his companions were.

    "We still have many captives. You can fight us if you don''t care about them. But I can tell you that none of you will make it out of Ignis Purgatory alive," Logan said threateningly.

 Chapter 946 Logan

    Hearing this, Katrina knew that Logan was being serious. It seemed that he had set up a trap and waited for them to fall into it.

    However, she was very surprised that Logan had gathered so many powerful warriors, as most people wouldn''t be able to do that. "I''ll give you fifteen minutes to think about it," Logan said.

    Katrina discretely glanced at Nate and saw that he had a hesitant expression on his face, and she realized that he, too, didn''t know what to do.

    It was obvious that they were at a disadvantage. Among their enemies, three were Holy Level warriors, while the rest were at the medium stage of Sage Level. If they fought the enemies head-on, they would definitely lose. "Master Katrina, can I have a word with you?" Zachary asked Katrina all of a sudden.

    And when she saw the grave expression on his

    ad, and the girl looked too young, he would mistake her for his wife.

    ''How can two people look so similar to each other? Can the same person exist twice in the same world? It doesn''t make any sense. Is she...'' At this thought, Logan''s eyes narrowed with suspicion. But it passed quickly, and he soon regained his composure.

    While Logan was in the throes of his confusion, Elva and Zachary were still talking. "If there anything I can help you with?" she asked Zachary.

    He shook his head and replied, "Nothing. You and the lion should go and get some rest." With that, he triggered the Treasure-hunting Compass and sent Elva and the Supreme Cloud Lion into the system.

    At that moment, Zachary suddenly felt an exceedingly powerful aura approaching. He raised his head and saw that Logan was coming closer to him.

 Chapter 947 A Private Talk

    "Come with me. I want to have a word with you in private!" Logan said to Zachary in a serious tone.

    "I''ve got nothing to say to you." Zachary shook his head as he refused directly. This was not his first time to make deals with Logan. But now, things had changed. Logan was now his enemy.

    "Don''t be so arrogant, young man. Remember that I can send my men to ambush your team any time I please," Logan threatened in a deep voice.

    Hearing this, Zachary scowled at him. He knew that Logan was not kidding around with his words, so he followed him to a corner with no people around.

    "Well, I was not expecting to see you again," Logan calmly said after seeing that there was no one nearby.

    "I''m guessing that this didn''t come as a surprise to you. Am I right?" Zachary knew that meeting Logan here was not mere coincidence. ''He must have planned all of this all a

    God Stone Tablet for me. If I tell this to the people in the Enigmatic Kingdom, what do you think they will do to you?" Logan reminded him of the consequences.

    "Tell them all you want, but you have no evidence to prove that I helped you. It looks like the people who fought with Master Katrina over the Dragon Fire Bead were from the Moon Shadow." Zachary immediately had an idea of who had assaulted Katrina and Sophie.

    "Speaking of this, did you tell Katrina the contents of the Five-God Tombs? If you didn''t, then how did she know that she needed the Dragon Fire Bead to open the Martial Fire Tomb? You and I are the only ones who know about that," Logan assumed.

    "There will always be people who are stronger than you. Master Katrina is more capable than you think. Just so you know, she has been to the Martial Fire Tomb before," Zachary briefly explained.

 Chapter 948 A Big Success

    "Never mind, I will let that slide. Give me the Dragon Fire Bead first, and then I will let you leave," Logan directly ordered.

    "Not until I''m sure that Master Katrina and her team are safe," Zachary firmly replied.

    "What? Are you saying you don''t trust me?" Logan suddenly shouted in a cold voice.

    "Well, what do you think?" Zachary snorted at him. ''Of course, I have no faith in you,'' Zachary thought to himself.

    "Don''t try and test my patience." Seeing that Zachary was acting so stubborn, Logan was irritated.

    "If you want to kill me, go ahead. But don''t ever think that you can make me do something I don''t want to do," Zachary resolutely said as he intensely looked at Logan. Then, he walked away because he knew that Log

    e for Zachary.

    He had acquired Jules''s strength and tamed a Holy Level treasure beast. On top of that, he found the method to lift the Long Tribe''s curse for Katrina and Sophie. Considering all that, his adventure was indeed a success. However, he ran into Logan which dragged him into a bigger trouble.

    A few days later, Katrina and Nate went back to the Celestial College with their team. Except for the disciples of the Celestial College, the other team members went back to their own clans or sects. Katrina and Nate immediately went to meet Barney to report their journey to the Martial Fire Tomb.

    Meanwhile, Zachary and Elva went back to the disciple dormitory. As soon as they entered it, they saw Alisa waiting for them.

 Chapter 949 The Second Grade Of Sage Level

    Since she already knew Alisa''s relationship with Zachary, Elva wasn''t surprised at all to see her here.

    Knowing that the two girls would discuss sooner or later, Zachary said to them, "You two should talk first. I have something to settle first anyway." After saying that to them, he quietly entered his room.

    Elva and Alisa looked at each other and it was obvious that they were uneasy.

    Since Alisa was franker and more outgoing than Elva, she broke the silence first. "I''m sure that Zachary had already told you about me," she straightforwardly said.

    Elsa nodded over so slightly at this.

    "I know that you have taken very good care of him for so many years, and he has also some sense of responsibility to

    e that to make the Zi Clan act against him. And with that, he would finally have a good reason to destroy their clan for good.

    "Well, take good care of yourself then," Tania gently reminded him.

    Zachary nodded at that. After leaving the Fairy Island, he exited the system. When he returned to his room, he didn''t see Elva and Alisa.

    ''Huh, where did they go? Did they go to some place to fight?'' Zachary wondered to himself. He was aware that he shouldn''t intervene at all. Besides, he knew that Elva and Alisa were reasonable women, and they would solve it among themselves.

    "I should go meet Master Jace first," he finally decided. Zachary headed to the disciple dormitory where Jace and the others lived.

 Chapter 950 Lift The Curse

    When he arrived at the disciple dormitory, he saw that Jace, Pollard, as well as Polly, were packing their things. It seemed that they were ready to leave at any minute.

    At the sight of Zachary, Pollard turned around and strode towards him. "Zachary, here you are. We were just on our way to say goodbye to you," he gushed.

    "Master Jace, you''re leaving so soon?" Zachary asked with a slight frown.

    "Yeah. It has been a while since we came here. I planned to visit several of my old friends with them, so we are leaving. It''s a pity that we didn''t find the Martial Fire Tomb!" Jace said with a sigh.

    "Although we haven''t found it, I have a gift for you. Please accept it," Zachary said,

    "I don''t know, but I will try my best to minimize the risk," Zachary said seriously.

    "I don''t want you to push yourself too hard," Katrina said with a concerned look on her face.

    Hearing this, Zachary took a look at Sophie and said, "It''s okay. I can handle it."

    "Then you have my full trust." Sophie had faith in Zachary, and counted on him to stop her curse.

    "Before that, you also need to cultivate. So from tomorrow on, we''ll begin our training," Zachary suggested.

    "No problem." Sophie nodded in agreement.

    "I''m leaving the Celestial College for a few days. You can prepare in the meantime. When I come back, we''ll take a crack at banishing this curse," Katrina said.

 Chapter 951 Conspiracy

    "Wait. Where are you going?" Zachary asked.

    "The dean asked me to immediately investigate the people who assaulted us in the Ignis Purgatory and figure out which force are supporting them. This matters a lot to us in the long run. We will not just stand by and do nothing about this," Katrina answered him with a serious expression.

    "Is it going to be risky?" Zachary asked again. ''The Moon Shadow is an assassin organization. They have the best hit men in the Supernal Continent. If Katrina tries to uncover the truth, she might get killed,'' he thought to himself.

    "I''m just going to look into it for the meantime. I don''t think it will get me into trouble. Besides, only a few people in the Supernal Continent could actually hurt me," Katrina confid

    his? You use Armand to get rid of Zachary. In that case, even if those forces that sided with Zachary find out the truth, we can put the blame on Armand. When he quits from his position, we can let another puppet take his place. In this way, we can kill two birds with one stone. The Zi Clan is our most important pawn in the Enigmatic Kingdom. We can''t possibly lose it." Ronnie thoroughly planned.

    "I know what I must do. Does Logan know about this?" Elijah asked him.

    "Well, that''s none of your business. Just follow my orders. Fill me in when you''re done mapping out the plan," Ronnie sternly said as his face darkened.

    "Yes, sir. I understand." Elijah immediately nodded his head at this.

    With that, Ronnie disappeared from where he stood.

 Chapter 952 The Betrayal

    After studying the Healing Reviving Skill in the system the whole night, Zachary headed to Katrina''s residence the next morning to meet Sophie.

    When she saw him enter, Sophie asked, "Are we going to cultivate now, or will you take me to Master Anne first?"

    "That''s up to you," he answered with a shrug.

    "Then I''d like to meet her first," she replied after a short hesitation.

    "Okay," Zachary replied. Then, he held her shoulder, and in the blink of an eye, the two of them were in the system. Without much ado, they headed to the Living-dead Tomb.

    "This is..." Sophie stuttered, shocked by the structure in front of her. "It''s the Living-dead Tomb! But how could this be possible? The Living-dead Tomb was sealed after Ma

    thing for her now was to break the curse and get healthy.

    "Okay. I''ll teach you the cultivation method of the Living-dead Tomb," Zachary said. He began to share with her the knowledge of the cultivation method that he had practiced with Anne.

    Once Sophie memorized the formula, Zachary tried to practice it with her.

    He had already practiced it with Anne. Moreover, Sophie was a quick learner. Hence, it went more smoothly compared to his cultivation with Anne the first time. Of course, they didn''t enter the process of cultivation immediately, but it was a good start. Countless male warriors dreamt of cultivating with this famous beauty¡ªthe Lady Evil. If they knew of this, they would be incredibly jealous of Zachary.

 Chapter 953 The Past

    After one whole night, Zachary and Sophie successfully completed their first cultivation.

    "So, this is what happens during cultivation. It feels so good!" Sophie loudly exclaimed as she opened her eyes.

    "I''m sure there will be better ones in the future!" Zachary playfully teased.

    "Let''s talk about that later. I don''t want to think too much now." Sophie glared at Zachary, but her face couldn''t help but turn red. Although she was older and stronger than Zachary, she had never fallen in love. It was not until she met Zachary that she realized that she was the kind of woman who was full of desire and lust.

    "Ha-ha!" Zachary excitedly laughed and continued, "Let''s continue this tomorrow. Since the cultivation is especially important, we must consolidate it."

    "A

    ow, Elder Brock. I''ll take your life myself. But I don''t know much about what happened that year, so I hope you can tell me the truth," Zachary coldly said.

    "What happened that year is unforgettable to me. I remember it like it was only yesterday. It started three days before your father was killed. On that day, when I was arranging the guards on patrol as usual, Master Armand personally came to me and said that he wanted to give me a promotion. At that time, I was just an elder in the Logistics Hall and had no status in the Zi Clan at all. Besides that, my strength was the weakest among all the elders, so no one really respected me. Since Master Armand offered me a chance, I naturally seized it..." Brock began to tell him what really happened during those times.

 Chapter 954 Atone For Your Sin

    "What did Armand ask you to do in exchange?" Zachary asked coldly.

    "Your father was going to entertain a number of distinguished guests. At that time, Master Armand asked me not to assign guards to protect the south gate of the Zi Clan, saying that he himself would be the one to take care of it. I believed him and didn''t think too much of it anymore. Then, as your father was entertaining the guests three days later, a group of mysterious and powerful people suddenly rushed in and killed everyone. It was not until then that I realized what had happened," Brock continued.

    "So you had no idea that Armand was planning a hostile takeover?" Zachary asked further, the coldness in his tone never leaving.

    "No, I didn''t. If I did, I would have definitely tell your fath

    "My secret base. Only I know about it. And now, you do too!" Zachary said with a conservative smile.

    Katrina and Sophie looked at each other immediately.

    "I suggest that we begin our cultivation first. You may release all your power and transfer it into my body. I''ll keep your power for the time being. After you lose all your power, there may be some side effects, which may accelerate the aging of your body. You will then slowly enter the state of death. After that, I will use the Ice Needle to seal your vital acupoints to make sure that you won''t really die. Then, I will use the Soul-gathering Bell to force your soul out of your body. Then finally, I will use the Healing Reviving Skill to bring you back to life." Zachary told Sophie the steps in detail.

 Chapter 955 The Healing Reviving Skill

    "Okay. So, what do you want me to do?" Katrina asked.

    "I''m worried that my strength may not be sufficient enough to unleash the Healing Reviving Skill. When the time comes, I may have to borrow your power," Zachary replied.

    "No problem. But didn''t you say that you would have to pay a heavy price if you used the Healing Reviving Skill to resurrect people?" she asked in a concerned tone.

    "Don''t worry about that. As long as we follow the procedure correctly, I will not be in any danger," he assured. If Sophie followed his method perfectly, she wouldn''t really die, and thereby, he wouldn''t need to bring her back to life using the Healing Reviving Skill.

    "Good." Katrina nodde

    fe-changing experience in the Martial Fire Tomb that she didn''t know of. That was why he was doing such an amazing performance now.

    Once he had reached the Holy Level, Zachary had enough power to get the Healing Reviving Skill working well. But something was still going haywire in his body. His skin split open and his hair began falling out. The scene was appalling.

    Katrina couldn''t bear to watch. Every cell in her body wanted to persuade Zachary to give up on this foolishness. However, she didn''t say a word. This was his own decision and she respected it.

    At this point, Zachary didn''t care about himself at all. The only thing he wanted was to bring Sophie back to life.

 Chapter 956 Sophie Left

    After an extended period, Sophie¡¯s body had fully recovered with the aid of Zachary.

    Wasting no time, Zachary shook the Soul-gathering Bell to release Sophie¡¯s soul. Then, he carried out the Healing Reviving Skill to allow her soul to get back inside her body.

    Although it seemed like a quick process, Zachary¡¯s body found it hard to endure and was on the verge of breaking down. If he went on with the procedure, he might die at any moment.

    Katrina was also panic-stricken and worried. She feared that Zachary would lose his life by doing so, but on the other hand, she felt conflicted and kept on hoping for Zachary to succeed. Once he made it at this stage, he could help her break the curse too next time.

    And for that brief period, time seemed to have come to a standstill. She held her breath as

    By the way, I have to continue my investigation outside. If you have nothing important to do, don¡¯t go around. Just stay inside Celestial College," Katrina warned.

    Zachary spun around and asked, "Are you still looking into the incident at the Ignis Purgatory?"

    "Yeah. I got nothing substantial last time, but this time I want to proceed in a different direction," Katrina replied with a nod.

    "Since the other party had the nerve to go against the Enigmatic Kingdom in public, it either means they are not afraid of being exposed, or they are hiding very well. Also, I think they''re not a force in the Enigmatic Kingdom," Zachary divulged.

    "This is none of your business. Be careful. The Zi Clan is still getting their eyes on you," Katrina advised.

    "Got it." Zachary waved his hand and took off.

 Chapter 957 The Descendants Of The Long Tribe

    Meanwhile, Zachary initially thought that Elva and Alisa would be waiting for him at the disciple dormitory as soon as he arrived. However, they were nowhere to be seen at that time. The entire dormitory sounded of nothing but crickets and Zachary''s breathing.

    "Hmm. That''s odd. Katrina said that they were worried about me. But why aren''t they here? I won''t waste my time waiting for them. I might as well go and visit Anne first. I bet she''s worried sick about me, too." After giving it some thought, Zachary finally decided to enter the system.

    Not long after, Zachary arrived at the Living-dead Tomb. There, he saw Anne anxiously pacing back and forth in the chamber, with a worried look on her face.

    "Hey, Anne," Zachary greeted as he waved his hand.

    "So, where have you been these days?" Anne asked as she heaved a sigh o

    ''s...it''s nothing. Well..." Zachary paused, wondering if this was the right moment for him to tell Elva about her real identity. But after thinking twice, he chose not to do it¡ªnot today, at least, because he felt that he should have a talk with Logan before doing it.

    "So, is there anything else?" she asked. Seeing that Zachary was looking at her in a bizarre way, Elva could not help but frown.

    "Yes. Be wary of your surroundings, especially in the next couple of days, and more importantly, when you are alone. I''m afraid that the Zi Clan will take action during this period of time," Zachary warned her.

    "Okay, I see. If there is nothing else, I will go to the training ground first. Another batch of new disciples have just arrived," replied Elva.

    "Sure, go ahead and have fun." Zachary nodded and watched Elva leave.

 Chapter 958 A Fatal Disaster

    Worried about Alisa, Zachary left the disciple dormitory and searched for her near the Celestial College, but he didn''t see her.

    "Did she leave the Celestial College?" Zachary''s eyes turned cold. Although Alisa was not really weak, the Zi Clan was strong enough to deal with her.

    But fortunately for him he had no reason to worry, because when he returned to the disciple dormitory, he saw that Alisa had already come back.

    "Where have you been? I have been looking for you everywhere," Zachary said as his eyes lit up.

    "I went to the Celestial City to buy some daily necessities," Alisa said, as she showed Zachary the packages of different sizes in her hands.

    "OK I see. Well, remember to leave a note next time you go out," Zachary said.

    "Don''t worry. The

    m. The person that Elva trusted most was Zachary. If he wanted Elva to recognize him as her father, he needed Zachary''s help.

    "Well, I won''t force you, but I hope you can promise me one thing instead," Logan said after thinking for a moment.

    "What is it this time?"

    "It is better for everyone if you stop messing with the Zi Clan," Logan suggested.

    "It''s impossible. Armand killed my father. He will have to pay with his blood," Zachary said, refusing firmly.

    "How you feel is understandable. There are some things that I can''t tell you now, but if you continue to provoke the Zi Clan, you will inevitably cause a fatal disaster, and even Elva and the people around you will get involved. I can''t promise that the result will be to your favor," Logan warned.

 Chapter 959 The Plan Began

    "So, you''re saying that the Zi Clan has really colluded with the Moon Shadow. Back then, the murderers that were sent by Armand to kill my father were members of the Moon Shadow, right?" Even without saying it directly, Zachary drew this conclusion from everything Logan said. This also confirmed what Brock told him.

    "I''m telling you the truth. I don''t know what exactly happened to the Zi Clan at that time and of course, I wasn''t involved with the murder of your father. I''m only responsible for the actions of the Devil Kingdom. In fact, I only knew recently that these things happened that year. Moreover, I didn''t expect that you were the young master of the Zi Clan back then. Well, fortunately, you were able to survive. It seems that there are a lot of things that you can''t just predict," Logan sighed, convincing Zachary that he had nothing to do with what happened in the past.

    However, as he heard what Logan said, Zachary couldn''t help but clench his fists. There was a fit of surging anger in his chest that was a

    re impossible for me to get my revenge. It might sound ridiculous, but I need to force them to do something. Besides, this plan is already in progress. Whether you support me or not, I will see this through." Zachary expressed his unyielding determination.

    "I''m just worried that it will be too dangerous for you to invade the Zi Clan alone. If you were caught, then all your efforts would have been for naught." This was actually the reason why Katrina didn''t want to approve of his precarious plan.

    "Don''t worry. I''ll see to it that everything is well-arranged," Zachary replied with an optimistic smile.

    "Fine. If you have already made up your mind, then I don''t have any choice but to give you my support. I only have one condition. You have to promise me to protect yourself no matter what." From the expression on Zachary''s face, Katrina knew that there was nothing she could say or do to change the mind of the young man anymore.

    "Of course. Thank you." Zachary was truly grateful from the bottom of his heart.

 Chapter 960 The Kidnapping

    "But are you sure that you can really do something to make the Zi Clan take action first?" Katrina asked in a skeptical tone. ''If the Zi Clan hasn''t made their move until now, it must be because they don''t want to mess up with the forces backing Zachary up. Moreover, there is no solid evidence left regarding the death of his father. Even if the Celestial College digs deeper into this matter, they won''t be able to get any useful clue. The only evidence left is that letter. But even with it, this isn''t enough to prove that Armand is guilty. This must also be the reason why they aren''t laying a hand on Zachary yet,'' she contemplated.

    "I''ve yet to see with my own eyes, but there''s no need to worry. I''ve made the necessary preparations. If everything goes smoothly, the Zi Clan will definitely take action the day after tomorrow," Zachary said with a confident smile.

    Then, just

    nted time.

    At the same time, the group of warriors on the roof around the Spiritual Martial Hall unleashed their powers upon seeing the figure who was enveloped in golden light.

    However, they were too weak to resist the mysterious visitor just with their powers.

    Afterward, more than ten treasure beasts of Imperial Level or King Level were summoned and surrounded the figure in an instant. Each one of these beasts looked extremely ferocious.

    Immediately after, a fierce battle broke out between the figure and the treasure beasts in the air. As the expected visitor waved his blade, a supreme ice force surged out and blasted off seven of the treasure beasts. All of them crashed on the ground with a loud thump and died on the spot. The rest of the beasts were utterly freaked out and hurriedly dispersed in various directions in order to escape from the dreadful figure.

 Chapter 961 Zacharys Plan

    At the same time, the figure which gave off a dazzling golden light landed in front of the Spiritual Martial Hall. He stared at the people around him, showing no fear as if he had already seen this coming.

    He counted the heads of everyone there and found that there were hundreds of warriors in front of the hall. A few hundred of them were below the Imperial Level. At the front lines stood thirty Imperial Level warriors and behind them were several Sage Level warriors at the primary stage. It was an army which was already waiting for the visitor.

    Armand, Elijah, and the other elders of the Zi Clan were also gathered at the gate of the Spiritual Martial Hall. Armand was calmly sitting on a throne li

    She looked at the map for a while and figured out where the elder was being held. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared from where she stood.

    Meanwhile, Zachary took out the Demonic Moon Dagger as he glanced around the warriors who had surrounded him. Looking at them, he sternly said, "If you don''t want to die, get lost. The only person I want to destroy here is Armand. You don''t have to sacrifice your lives for him. But if you continue to get in my way, I will show you no mercy at all."

    Looking at the indifferent expression on Zachary''s face, the warriors were filled with fear. When they looked into his eyes, they felt that he was a heartless demon who could kill them with just his stare.

 Chapter 962 Slaughter

    "Don''t listen to him. He has just become a Sage Level warrior, so he''s not a threat at all. And to motivate you further, whoever kills him will be promoted and rewarded with a box full of treasures." When Armand saw that all the warriors of the Zi Clan were shocked and intimidated by Zachary''s momentum, he was immensely alarmed. He had to offer them rewards to boost their morale, or they could lose before they even started the fight.

    The soldiers, of course, were unable to fight the lure of money and power. In the next breath, they rushed like a tidal wave to Zachary, and Zachary was soon inundated by the sea of people.

    In an instant, numerous martial skills with varying strength shot toward Zachary at the same time. Although these skills were not that

    more chaotic.

    At this moment, the Sun-swallowing Beast suddenly rose into the air, and dazzling sunlight blasted from its mouth. All the treasure beasts present instantly reeled back as if they had seen something alarming, and they all lost control and went berserk.

    As the sunlight landed on the ground, it turned into an astonishing ray and spread out, covering a range of hundreds of meters. The warriors of the Zi Clan in the area were affected and suffered a large number of deaths and injuries. Meanwhile, the warriors of Imperial Level who were besieging Zachary also found it difficult to escape. The most miserable ones were those treasure beasts summoned by them. They became out of control, as more than two-thirds of them were killed or injured.

 Chapter 963 Elder Stein

    Everyone was thunderstruck by the scene. None of them had expected that the Sun-swallowing Beast would be this powerful. Although they knew that it was the famous sacred beast, this was the first time for most of them to see it, not to mention, witness its strength.

    However, the battle had not ended yet. Right after the Sun-swallowing Beast defeated a horde of beasts with one strike, a creature appeared in mid-air like a ghost. It waved its spear and attacked the remaining beasts. Since it resembled a human, it was easy to mistake it for a human warrior.

    The creature was no other than the Purple-winged Beast!

    It killed all injured beasts in its path. It was so fast that its victims didn''t even have the time to defend

    uddenly when they were in the Ignis Purgatory.

    While everyone was dazed and confused, Zachary took the opportunity to charge at Stein.

    Sensing imminent danger, Stein returned to his senses. The fact that he hadn''t eliminated Zachary with one strike embarrassed him. He went ballistic. His body shook all of a sudden, and his sleeves fluttered in the wind. After several gestures, a colossal wind ball containing powerful Sage Level force materialized before him.

    "Sky-shaking Strike!" Stein roared as he pushed the wind ball out. With a quick wave of his hands, he forced the ball forward with such intensity that it was difficult to track its movement. Moreover, it grew bigger as if it would devour anything in its path.

 Chapter 964 Fight Against Many

    The wind ball''s strength reached its peak the moment it approached Zachary. Then, it massively exploded, affecting the entire Spiritual Martial Hall with its force. In an instant, a gust of soaring wind caused everyone to retreat. Some weak people were completely blown out, and the scene became very chaotic.

    To everyone''s surprise, Zachary was still standing in the raging wind without even changing his expression. He was completely unaffected by what happened.

    "Stop moving if you don''t want to die!" With that, Zachary suddenly rushed out. Before Stein could even react, Zachary had already brushed past him and went straight to Armand who was surrounded by Elijah and several Sage Level warriors.

    Seeing this, Stein wanted t

    heir eyes and looked at Zachary in disbelief.

    Then there was a loud burst that sounded. "He is incredibly insane.

    He is fighting desperately!" "He already hurt so many Sage Level warriors.

    Is he a demon of some kind?"

    "Anyway, he is exhausted now. He''ll end up dead here today!"

    When the soaring dust dissipated, Zachary was seen half kneeling on the ground. The Ice Armor on his body had also disappeared. He looked extremely exhausted. He must have reached his limit.

    "Is that all you can do, brat? That''s all? Pathetic." Seeing that Zachary finally ran out of energy, Armand couldn''t help but sigh with relief. He then stood up from the chair with a gloomy expression on his face and slowly walked towards Zachary.

 Chapter 965 Testimony

    When Zachary saw Armand coming, he immediately propped up his body and faced him.

    "Since you have enough strength to hurt the elders of my clan on your own, it''s clear I''ve underestimated you! Had your father been alive, he would have been very proud of you," Armand sneered.

    "Yes, my father would have been proud, because your death will be on my hands," Zachary retorted, showing no sign of weakness.

    "While I must admit you have done better than I expected, but you still don''t stand a chance against me. Sending you to your father in the hell would be much easier for me,"

    ned the life out of Armand''s face. He hadn''t anticipated that Zachary would find him. Brock was the only man alive who could testify against him. Armand had always planned on killing Brock, but as his obvious scapegoat, it served him best to keep him alive. He''d ensured his imprisonment and kept him in seclusion, thinking he was safe. Clearly, he had been wrong.

    "Who is this?" Barney asked while looking at Brock.

    "Sir, this is Brock, a former elder of the Zi Clan. Armand had bribed him into allowing the murderer to enter the clan and kill my father," Zachary explained.

 Chapter 966 Activate The Third Grade

    "Brock, is that true?" Barney asked immediately.

    "Young leader, you are right. Back then, I accepted a bribe from Armand. That is why I arranged things so that there wouldn''t be a patrol in the South Gate of the Zi Clan. That''s where the assassin entered and assassinated our former leader." Brock nodded solemnly.

    The Zi Clan members around were greatly shocked to hear Brock''s confession. Many of them had refused to believe that Armand would do such a nasty thing. After all, he was the former leader''s biological brother! How could he do such a terrible thing to murder

    nd they had no right to interfere or step in. But they could not help but look worried.

    As Armand''s overwhelming aura approached, Zachary took a deep breath and fixed his eyes on the man.

    ''Although this might be a little risky, it will be worth it as long as I can kill Armand,'' he thought to himself. Taking out the pill Tania had given him before he set out, he quickly put it to his mouth and swallowed. It would slow down the side effects of the Heaven Fire Formula. Activating the power of the third grade of the Heaven Fire Formula was the only way to kill Armand!

 Chapter 967 Die Together

    After Zachary swallowed the pill, he began to release the power of the Heaven Fire Formula at the third grade. At that moment, astonishing martial energy and fire radiance instantly rushed out of his body, shrouding him with a dazzling halo.

    It appeared that he had already used up every ounce of energy left in his body. Undoubtedly, this sudden burst of power stunned all the people in the area.

    Meanwhile, the inflicted wounds on Zachary''s body continued to heal. Whilst this happened, the Ice Armor emerged again, and his aura continued to surge.

    On the other hand, Armand''s Red Demonic Whip was rushing towards him at lightning speed. This might seem just like any other ordinary shake, but it actually condensed a very intense Sage Level power at the end of the whip. In addition, it was said that a massive amount of power would erupt from it the minute it touched its target.

    In the blink of an eye, the Red Demonic Whip was already less than a finger away from Zachary. Despite this, Zachary stayed still as if he was not alarmed to see the incoming whip right in front of him.

    Boom!

    Finally, the whip landed, spreading an explosive force at the Sage Level. Dust and dirt from the ground flew into the air up to several dozen feet high because of

    ming attack.

    Since there was no active suppression of the attack, he spat a mouthful of blood.

    This caused the crowd to begin an uproar. They didn''t understand why Zachary took the blow from Armand without any attempt to resist it.

    "Zachary..." Alisa murmured to herself as her heart beat fast from tremendous anxiety.

    Of course, everyone couldn''t find out any reason why Zachary would do this. But just as everyone was confused and bewildered, he suddenly reached out a hand and grabbed Armand by the shoulder.

    Caught off guard, Armand was initially stunned. But soon after, he knew that something bad was going to happen anytime soon. Drenched in anger, he wanted to destroy Zachary. But just when he was about to fight back, he found that his body seemed to be frozen.

    "You must be crazy!" Armand glared at Zachary grimly.

    However, Zachary only gave him an evil smile as a reply. At the same time, the fire dragon that had been circling the sky turned into a shadow. Quickly, it rushed down from above and passed through both Zachary''s and Armand''s bodies continuously.

    Seeing this, the people froze to their seats out of shock. All of them looked at Zachary, for they could not believe that he would actually plan to die together with Armand.

 Chapter 968 A Mole

    "No¡­ You... What is... What¡­did you just do?" Only Armand realized that Zachary didn''t intend to die with him. As the fire dragon passed through his body, he felt that something seemed to have been placed into his body.

    "It''s too merciful to let someone like you die so easily! I''m going to make your life a living hell first before you die," Zachary lightly said.

    "Humph, I will never fall into your trap!" Unwilling to admit his failure, Armand immediately waved the Red Demonic Whip again. But when he stretched out his hand, he noticed that the skin on his arm was burning and cracking inch by inch.

    Then, he got the same feeling on his chest. So, he immediately opened his clothes and saw that the skin on his chest was also burning.

    Seeing this, the onlookers came to realize that Zachary directly resisted Armand''s attack to make him defenseless.

    After a while, all of Armand''s skin was burning. This made him heavily wounded and it seemed that the fire was going to devour his body bit by bit.

    However, the most terrifying thing was that he didn''t feel anything. He could do nothing but watch his body destroyed. This

    No, I did not do anything." Elijah struggled to explain himself until the end.

    "Only my side of the story? You''ve got to be kidding me. Elder Elijah, do you still think I don''t know that those killers were actually from the Moon Shadow, the most mysterious organization in the Supernal Continent?" Zachary suddenly sneered at him.

    "How on earth did you know..." It never crossed Elijah''s mind that Zachary knew that the killers were from the Moon Shadow.

    "The Moon Shadow? Might I also add that based from some clues I obtained lately, I''ve found that that Holy Level warrior called Ronnie, the one we met in the Ignis Purgatory, is said to be a member of the Moon Shadow," Katrina exclaimed as she furiously stared at Elijah when the realization suddenly hit her.

    "You two are just conspiring against me!" Elijah still denied the accusations to the end.

    "Elijah, if you really want to prove your innocence, go back to the Celestial College with us first!" Barney seriously said. Although there were many witnesses, this matter was of great importance. So, it must be thoroughly investigated before a decision could be made.

 Chapter 969 Two Senior Elders

    "You''re so engrossed on framing me. Do you honestly believe that I''m foolish enough to go back with you?" Elijah realized right then that there was no way he could escape. After speaking, he immediately stretched his muscles to make them limber. He had made up his mind to leave the place no matter what the cost.

    However, Katrina would never allow him to walk away without putting up a struggle. As if right on cue, she quickly took actions to restrain him from leaving, which was effortless on her part, considering her immense strength.

    After battling for a few rounds, Katrina sneaked a swift strike that directly gashed Elijah. It left him severely wounded, and his face was horrifying to look at. He was frantically gasping for breath while striving to support his body in a half-kneeling position.

    But almost at once, a man clad in tight black clothes with a frightful aura suddenly materialized beside him in a split second. Several other mysterious men showed up soon after, each of whom seemed to be greatly powerful.

    "Master Ronnie, help! Save me!" Even though he struggled to speak up, Elijah summoned all of his remaining strength. He felt that a glimmer of hope had flickered before his eyes after he caught sight of the newcomer.

    The newcomer was Ronnie, a Holy Level warrior, who

    ng man at the back of his mind.

    "Did you know that he was responsible for the translation for the Five-God Stone Tablet inside the Five-God Tombs?" After a moment''s contemplation, Logan divulged the truth that sounded more convincing to Ronnie.

    "How is that even possible?" Ronnie was speechless after hearing the truth. Although he had known that Logan had found someone to translate the Five-God Stone Tablet, he didn''t think that it would be Zachary.

    "Leave at once!" Logan directly commanded Ronnie.

    "Damn it!" Ronnie cursed, obviously showing his unwillingness.

    Right at the moment, two streams of Holy Level auras suddenly appeared. After the crowd in attendance realized what had happened, they then saw two old men with white hair and youthful face. They both looked at least a hundred years old, and their Holy Level auras made everyone change their expression. Even those Holy Level warriors couldn''t compare with them, including Logan.

    "The two senior elders have finally arrived." Barney instantly felt relieved after seeing the two old men. Actually, just as Armand admitted that he was the mastermind in killing Zachary''s family from way back, he sent someone to report this news to the senior cabinet of Celestial College and also invited them to come out to do the justice.

 Chapter 970 The Top Quest Mode

    The Zi Clan was a sect at the premium stage and one of the most valued clans in the entire Enigmatic Kingdom. According to the rules of the Celestial College, if such a situation like this happened, it wouldn''t be enough for the dean of the college to deal with it. The elders from the cabinet of the college must be the ones to take action.

    "What are they doing here?!" Ronnie''s voice almost trembled as the senior elders of the Celestial College made an appearance. His face turned pale, indicating that these elders must be stronger than him.

    Logan, who had his face covered with a mask, immediately winked at Ronnie, indicating him to behave properly.

    "Sirs, this person is one of the masterminds behind our team''s ambush in the Inis Purgatory," Katrina said with a straight face as she directly pointed at Ronnie.

    "Oh, this one? You dare attack the Enigmatic Kingdom?" One of the senior elders glared at Ronnie with his piercing gaze.

    "Brat, I swear this isn''t over! Just you wait. I will finish you off someday sooner or later!" Ronnie cursed. Seeing that the situation was already unfavorable for him, he attempted to make an escape.

    "Ronnie, take me with you!" Elijah shouted from the sidelines. He was struggling desperately

    nt tone. Right now, there were a lot of complicated emotions within him. The death of Armand meant that had offended the Moon Shadow. Because of this, he didn''t know what exactly could happen next.

    Due to the tedious battle in the Zi Clan, and the overdraft of the power of the Heaven Fire Formula, Zachary felt extremely exhausted. After Queenie and the others finally left, he went back to the system and prepared to have a good rest.

    As soon as Zachary entered the system, he was welcomed by Mimi''s sweet voice. "Congratulations on your successful revenge. Now, the top quest mode has officially started."

    "The top quest mode?" Zachary''s eyes instantly narrowed as he heard this.

    "The top quest mode is a new chapter, which will replace the main quest. Moreover, from now on, all the rewards from the quest will be improved greatly, helping you reach the peak of warriors as soon as possible," Mimi explained in detail.

    "Really? That''s awesome," Zachary said, letting out a faint smile.

    "However, you will soon encounter an unavoidable crisis that involves life and death. Only after you survive this can you claim the top quest. Whether you can survive it or not depends solely on you. Thus, best of luck to you!" Mimi added.

 Chapter 971 A Divine Level Warrior

    After listening to Mimi''s words, Zachary couldn''t help but ask at once, "Can you tell me exactly what kind of crisis are you talking about here?"

    "Sorry, I''m not in the position to tell you about it. You''ll eventually find out when the right time comes." No matter how hard he tried to convince her, Mimi still kept mum about it.

    "Hmph!" Zachary pursed his lips in annoyance, but he decided not to treat the issue seriously. Throughout his entire cultivating experience, he also had his share of life-and-death situations. So considering all the great deal of troubles that he had run into, the matter at hand was nothing of importance to him.

    "Also, with the quality of your performance in recent years, the system has decided to reward your efforts with a rare opportunity to worship a master randomly," Mimi unexpectedly declared.

    "You''re giving me another chance to become someone else''s disciple again?" Zachary raised his eyebrows with the unanticipated offering as he now had two masters.

    "This time is a bit different from the previous ones because you will have the chance to become a disciple of a Divine Level warrior," Mimi explained further.

    "What? A Divine Level warrior? I get to become a Divine Level warrior''s disciple?! Are you serious?" The announcement caught Zachary by surprise for a few moments. No matter how

    erns, and inserted into the waist of her jade belt were two short swords. Her aura was full of courage, but what astounded Zachary most was her complexion. Although her beauty wasn''t precisely incomparable, she had a unique charm. Her thick crimson lips were so lustful that it made people want to have a taste, and her captivating eyes seemed to be full of power as a queen.

    Just as the lightning above Zachary was about to fall, she casually waved her hand, and the lightning soon disappeared without a trace.

    "Fighting Cranes'' divine power with the wood element, Jules'' Heaven Fire Formula, two spiritual souls, and two divine weapons. Boy, you seem to have many exciting stories!" The mysterious woman finally broke her silence as she looked at Zachary with a playful look.

    "Beauty, you don''t look much older than my age, right?" Zachary noticed that she was very young, and there was no powerful aura around her, but she could give people a sense of shock that was hard to brush aside.

    "Well, it''s not that big of a difference. Maybe I''m just a few thousand years older than you," she replied in an indifferent tone

    "Really? Is it okay if I ask for my new master''s name?" Zachary asked in disbelief.

    "It doesn''t matter who I am. What matters is whether or not you are qualified to be my disciple," she replied disdainfully.

 Chapter 972 Ninety-nine Bolts Of Divine Lightning

    "So, am I qualified?" Zachary asked in a hurry.

    "Look at yourself. You look like a mess! You just took nine divine lightning strikes. You must be able to withstand ninety-nine of these strikes if you want to be my disciple. Come back once you are ready to bear more," the mysterious woman answered him.

    "What the hell? Are you fucking kidding me?! There''s no way that you''re serious!" Zachary hurriedly returned to the system as soon as he finished ranting.

    "Hey, Mimi! I''ve got a question for you. Can I please change my master?" Zachary began to complain the moment he was in the system.

    "Uh, nope," Mimi replied plainly.

    "I mean, come on. She''s too savage for me. She actually asked me to take ninety-nine bolts of her divine lightning. I wouldn''t have to ask her to be my master and learn from her if I were already strong enough to take all of them," Zachary whined.

    "Aren''t you getting the hang of it?" Mimi said further.

    Zachary immediately fell silent, for he clearly knew what Mimi had meant. As his masters, both Anne and Tania had made sure to test him in every single way before they accepted him as their disciple officially. However, these tests were nothing compared to the ninety-nine lightning strikes!

    "Anne and Tania may be powerful and stern on the outside but I assure you that they are

    th great satisfaction, but soon, he asked further, "Ronnie has reported what happened there to me just now. Logan, do you have anything to explain?"

    Hearing this, Logan''s eyes narrowed. He had already expected that Ronnie would definitely report the matter to Dominic, so he was very calm. "You must be referring to the young man named Zachary, right?"

    "Yes, Ronnie said Zachary is the one who destroyed our plan in the Ignis Purgatory. Am I right?" Dominic asked.

    "Yes," Logan responded vaguely.

    "If that''s the case, then why did you stop Ronnie from killing him?" Dominic continued to question.

    "Didn''t Ronnie mention that it was Zachary who translated the writings on the Five-God Stone Tablet?" Logan returned the question thoughtfully.

    "Is that so? He didn''t tell me, but you didn''t report it to me either, did you?" Dominic asked.

    "I didn''t tell you because I made an agreement with him not to expose his identity, and that''s what made him agree to translate for me," Logan replied.

    "I see. I didn''t expect such a coincidence!" Dominic suddenly burst into a deafening laughter.

    Hearing what Dominic said, Logan felt utterly confused. "Wait, what do you mean by that?" he asked.

    "Logan, do you think this person would be useful to the Moon Shadow?" Dominic asked as he laughed condescendingly.

 Chapter 973 Dominic

    "Given his ability to extensively translate the complete information on the Five-God Stone Tablet, I think that is enough to prove his worth. Besides, I believe that you''ve heard about his recent performance as well. It would be greatly beneficial to us if we can make use of such a talent," Logan replied after a moment''s hesitation.

    "Since you highly recommend him for us to employ, it sounds like he could be valuable," Dominic said and nodded after listening to his statement.

    "Thus, I hope you will allow me to handle this matter personally. When the time is right, I plan to recruit him and ask if he wants to be a part of the Moon Shadow." Logan asked for instructions right away because he had a sinking feeling that Dominic might send someone else to deal with Zachary if he did not volunteer. In that event, the truth behind Elva''s true identity being his daughter would be revealed to him inadvertently.

    "I have big faith in your capability to execute things, but I intend to take care of the issue with Zachary on my own." Without warning, Dominic echoed his sentiment.

    "You''re going to take charge of the situation in person? But, why¡­" Logan''s voice drifte

    "If that''s the case, then I won''t force you." Seeing that Zachary had already made up his mind, Barney didn''t say anything more. He just continued, "To continue, the second thing I want to take up is also essential. Based on yesterday''s confirmation by the Zi Clan members together with Master Katrina''s previous investigation, we have reason to suspect that the force responsible for the ambush and attacks on our Enigmatic Kingdom team in the Ignis Purgatory is inextricably linked to the Moon Shadow. For the last ten years, they are the fastest-growing group in the Supernal Continent. They have a close relationship with the heterodox forces, making them a formidable opponent against us. I have issued a warning to the other three colleges and asked for their help with the investigation over the Moon Shadow. What we need to do next is to figure out the conspiracies and intentions of the Moon Shadow, and eventually getting rid of it to prevent future trouble!"

    "Dean, the Moon Shadow has always acted mysteriously and strangely. No one has ever seen their leader. I''m afraid it won''t be easy to investigate the Moon Shadow." An elderly Sage Level warrior disclosed.

 Chapter 974 An Uninvited Guest

    "Well, that pretty much is true. However, if the Moon Shadow dares to attack our Enigmatic Kingdom, we can''t just sit still and wait for our deaths!" Barney replied. There was an intense look upon his face.

    "You must always be on your guard, Zachary. It was you who exposed the collusion between Armand and the Moon Shadow. Therefore, there is no doubt that they will target you," Katrina reminded Zachary at once. They were obviously worried about his safety.

    "I understand. I''ll be careful." Zachary nodded. However, he thought to himself, ''Me being their target right now is not the real problem here. It''s just that I have been keeping in touch with the Moon Shadow for a long time now, though in a roundabout way. So if Katrina and the others find out about that, it will definitely cause a huge mess for me.''

    "We''ll talk more about the details next time. That''s all for today. You may go now," Barney announced and slightly waved his hand.

    With that, everyone bowed and then made their way towards the door. Zachary and Katrina talked as they went out of the meeting hall together.

    "Just a while ago, you said you were leaving. Can you tell me where you''ll be going?" Katrina pressed on. She obviously wanted to know more about his upcoming trip.

    "I''m planning to cultivate in seclusion together with my master. I''ll be gone for a certain period of time." Zachary had no intention of hiding it from Katrina.

    "Your master? Who is this again? Is this the one who helped you and Sophie in the Martial Fire Tomb?" Katrina inquire

    using some top-grade casting materials he got in the Martial Fire Tomb.

    In just a blink of an eye, three days had already passed. The whole place seemed tranquil and quiet.

    But then a few hours later, around seven or eight dazzling beams of light suddenly appeared over the Celestial College. These auras felt extraordinary, as they enshrouded the entire college. Everyone felt so intimidated that they couldn''t help but tremble.

    Shortly after, these lights flew above the central square of the college. One after another, they revealed their true selves. They were wearing the same robes that had an embroidered moon on the back. These people looked aggressive and dominating. Naturally, their sudden appearance immediately attracted the attention of the entire Celestial College.

    Because of this commotion, some Imperial Level warriors quickly gathered at the square. Together with a large number of disciples, they formed an array. Unfortunately, their enemies'' strength was much too overwhelming. They did not dare to do anything rash. Instead, they immediately ordered some people to inform the senior leaders of the college.

    As soon as he heard that some powerful and uninvited guests broke into the college, Barney and the college''s elders rushed towards the square. They were shocked when they sensed those people''s strength. At least three of them must be Holy Level warriors while the others must be premium stage Sage Level warriors. To top it off, their leader possessed an unfathomable strength based on his aura alone.

 Chapter 975 The Man Who Saved Alisa Once

    "Who are you? How dare you trespass into the grounds of the Celestial College?!" Barney shouted sternly.

    "I presume you''re the dean of the college? Barney? I''ve actually heard a lot about you. By the way, I''m Dominic, the leader of the Moon Shadow. I think you must have already heard of me," Dominic said flatly as he willingly revealed his identity.

    "What did you just say? You''re the leader of the Moon Shadow?" Hearing this, Barney and all the people present were utterly shocked. They didn''t expect that the leader of the most mysterious high-level killer organization in the entire Supernal Continent would just suddenly appear before them.

    "Yes. You heard that right," Dominic replied rather calmly, and not a hint of fear or panic could be perceived in his voice.

    With this, Barney and the rest of the elders exchanged glances. They didn''t exactly know what to do because it wasn''t that long ago when they confirmed that the Moon Shadow played the role of the mastermind behind the attack against the Enigmatic Kingdom''s team during the siege in the Ignis Purgatory. It was also revealed that they had secretly supported Armand, as the Zi Clan rebelled against Zachary''s father several years ago. Right now, the Celestial College and the o

    l Level warriors and other disciples of the college. Additionally, several Sage Level warriors were also gathered. At this moment, Barney and the other elders of the college were standing in the middle of the square, confronting about seven or eight people from the Moon Shadow.

    "Wait¡­ Uncle?" When Alisa saw the group of people, she immediately recognized the man standing in front. Therefore, she called out loudly to him.

    Hearing this, Zachary hurriedly looked over to see who Alisa was calling. Then, he saw the man who once saved Alisa''s life before. ''Is that Dominic?'' he guessed.

    "Hey, did you hear? The leader of the Moon Shadow came here personally, saying that his female disciple was enticed by Zachary."

    "Oh, come on. Zachary is a true master of love! Unfortunately, it seems like he has taken the wrong person this time. This is such great trouble!"

    "What does the female disciple look like? Did someone already see her?"

    The people of the Celestial College in the square were discussing with each other.

    Upon hearing their conversations, Zachary and Alisa looked at each other and were surprised at what they were talking about. After all, they were pretty sure who this female disciple was¡ªit was none other than Alisa.

 Chapter 976 Compromise

    "Hey, Zachary. What is this all about? Who is this female disciple that you seduced? And to think that she''s a disciple of the Moon Shadow''s leader. What were you thinking?" Elva asked immediately. Her eyes suddenly widened in disbelief as she heard about this news. Zachary never told her about this, so it was rather shocking for her.

    Hearing this, Zachary fell silent for a while before he turned to Alisa.

    "Actually, I am the female disciple that they''re talking about¡­" At this point, Alisa had no other choice but to admit it. The truth was she had just known about this fact, and she didn''t have any intention to cause any trouble.

    "What? It''s you? How is that possible? How could you be the disciple of the Moon Shadow''s leader? I''m so confused right now." Elva almost had a headache when she heard this. Never did she expect that of all people, Alisa, Zachary''s fiancee, would turn out to be the disciple.

    "It''s kind of complicated, but she just knew it as well. We didn''t expect that Dominic was actually the one who saved her back then," Zachary briefly explained. At the same time, he was a little worried about the situation. He knew that once it became public that Alisa was Dominic''s disciple, it would be extremely troublesome for her. Moreover, whatever he said, he would be regarded as someone who had a connection with th

    these just to have Zachary? Do you really want me to believe that it''s just because he enticed your disciple? I''m not that stupid. Why don''t you tell me what you really want?" Barney still thought that it wasn''t fair to give Zachary up, so he asked Dominic about his real intentions.

    "Well, you''re a smart man. However, you don''t need to know any of that. Just hand that guy over to me and I will guarantee you that the entire Enigmatic Kingdom shall experience peace immediately after. Think about that and be sensible enough! I''ve already been waiting for such a long time, and I don''t have all day for you to test my patience. This shall be my last warning. Hand him over to me, or the Celestial College will greatly suffer." Dominic finally gave Barney his ultimatum.

    "You!" Barney shouted through gritted teeth as he clenched his fists. He was fuming in anger, but he couldn''t do anything to stop Dominic. These people from the Moon Shadow were too powerful that even if he gathered all the strong ones in the Celestial College, they might still not win.

    However, in this critical situation, Barney still solidified his resolve. "I don''t know where Zachary is. If you really want to have him, then find him on your own," he said coldly.

    "Oh? Are you sure?" Dominic''s eyes gradually narrowed as he heard the defiant tone of Barney.

 Chapter 977 The Only Choice

    "You may search here. But I forbid you from hurting any member of Celestial College," Barney warned in an assertive tone.

    "Haha! I don''t have to look for them. They are already here." Almost instantly, Dominic fixed his gaze straight toward Zachary and Alisa in the crowd. "Show yourself, Alisa. If not, I can''t guarantee what will happen next."

    Zachary and Alisa looked at each other at once. They knew that if they didn''t come out, Dominic would do something out of the blue. So, they directly flew high into the air, breezing through the onlookers, and landed right in the middle of the square, facing Dominic in front of the crowd''s direct sight.

    "Alisa, it took me a long time trying to locate your whereabouts. I''m quite surprised to see you together with him. It''s apparent that you have already regained your memories." Dominic''s face looked solemn as he spoke. He found it quite unbelievable to see both Zachary and Alisa standing right before him.

    Simultaneously, the people surrounding them turned their attention to Alisa.

    "Hey! Isn''t that young girl the talented Sage Level warrior from Crane College?"

    "Yeah, I think it''s her. She''s a disciple of the Moon Shadow organ

    Alisa shouted at Dominic. She would rather die together with Zachary than leave with Dominic alive.

    "Don''t worry. I won''t let you die. And I promise that you won''t remember him afterward once you go back with me," Dominic sneered. For him, taking Alisa away was as simple as taking Zachary''s life.

    Alisa''s eye opened wide with horror when she heard this, because she knew that Dominic was a man of his word.

    "Go ahead, but don''t lay a finger on Alisa." Dominic''s eyes narrowed as he issued the order to several Sage Level warriors at the premium stage. They were his men.

    In a flash, the warriors took off and charged toward Zachary.

    "Alisa, I''ll have to send you to the system first," Zachary immediately said to Alisa upon seeing the scene.

    "No, I want to be with you." Alisa shook her head emphatically.

    "Listen to me, okay? I will be fine. They will come after you, and I won''t allow that." After he finished speaking, Zachary forcibly sent Alisa into the system despite her objections.

    Dominic squinted when he saw Alisa vanish without a trace. However, he didn''t look worried at all. As long as he could defeat Zachary, he believed that Alisa would naturally appear.

 Chapter 978 One Against Five

    Zachary took a deep breath and released the Ice Armor. Soon after, the Illusory Dragon Spine emerged in his hand as well. Several premium stage warriors at the Sage Level stood in front of him, and he immediately knew that they were a force to be reckoned with. Two of them had reached the seventh grade of Sage Level, one at the eighth grade, and two at the ninth grade. At that moment, he knew that he could not afford to be careless at all. Once these Sage Level warriors decided to unite against him, he would not have the slightest chance of surviving.

    Without thinking twice, he released the power of the Heaven Fire Formula at the third grade. In the blink of an eye, the flame radiance began to surround his body, allowing his body to diffuse his incredible aura all around the area. At that moment, ash-like dots started to scatter into the air, making him resemble a soldier walking out of a fire.

    At once, his strength began to increase quickly, breaking through to the premium stage of Sage Level.

    With this display of amazing development in Zachary''s strength, everyone''s jaws began to drop in shock, causing them to burst into an uproar.

    "Wait, am I seeing this rig

    to seeing Zachary battle opponents that were more powerful than him.

    "Cut the crap. Don''t show any trace of mercy. Slaughter them one by one," Zachary ordered the beast coldly.

    "Lad, do you think I will show mercy after I make a move?" the Supreme Cloud Lion roared, and in the next moment, its aura began to soar as well, instantly shocking the entire arena.

    Meanwhile, Zachary was now able to control the five treasure beasts alone, surprising everyone once again. In the entire Supernal Continent, it was widely known that there was no warrior who could control four treasure beasts, let alone five of them.

    Nevertheless, Zachary was enough to shake the entire Supernal Continent all by his lonesome!

    Despite this, it was still unwise for Zachary to underestimate who he was dealing with. The power of the joint efforts of three Sage Level warriors at the premium stage, coupled with six Sage Level treasure beasts, was beyond anyone''s imagination. Most of the people present had never seen such an amazing battle with great warriors ready to fight against one another. This moment was so special for everyone, for it could only be seen at a Sage Level Warrior Contest.

 Chapter 979 A Warrior At The Eighth Stage Of Sage Level

    Seeing that a fierce battle was going to be inevitable, Barney became more flustered. After all, he knew that once Zachary went all out to fight his opponents, the square would surely be destroyed. Moreover, most of the people in the vicinity were disciples of the Celestial College, who wouldn''t be able to resist the overwhelming power of a Sage Level warrior. Therefore, he immediately issued an order. "Ask everyone to evacuate the area at once!"

    Hearing this, several Sage Level warriors rushed out and worked separately to ask the Imperial Level warriors to escort all of the disciples out of the square.

    At the same time, Zachary and his five beasts charged towards the three warriors at the premium stage of Sage Level and their six beasts. Even though the young man and his beasts were outnumbered, there wasn''t a trace of fear that could be seen on their faces.

    However, Zachary''s opponents also didn''t show any sign of weakness and confronted Zachary and his beasts straight ahead. Then, the six beasts on their side also clashed with the Supreme Cloud Lion and Zachary''s other four beasts. In just the blink of an eye, the sky was filled with beast shadows that swept across at an incredible speed. As the fierce battle ensued, energy waves were produced, and their violent auras erupted, immediately spreading throughout the area.

    As Zachary fought against the three warriors at the pre

    k!" Seeing that Zachary was devoured by the Thunder Bird Shadows, the warrior scoffed coldly and assumed that he already acquired the victory in his hands. He was so sure that the young man would not be able to stand up after that.

    However, to his surprise, just as he finished speaking, an ice shadow suddenly dashed out of the thunderstorms and darted directly toward him.

    "Demon-killing Strike!" Zachary''s roar reverberated in the air. As he released the spiritual soul¡ªGisele, he infused the power of the Heaven Fire Formula into her.. When he cut through the air, a menacing flame strike fell from the sky, like a blazing comet, and crossed the entire square.

    The warrior was panic-stricken as he saw Zachary emerge from the vicious thunderstorms. Not only was Zachary unharmed, but he had also released a staggering power to strike back. Therefore, the warrior tried his very best to dodge, knowing that his life would be in grave danger once he was hit by the young man''s sublime attack. However, his speed wasn''t enough for him to escape. In a flash, the Demon-killing Strike drilled into him, and its explosive power gushed out wildly, forming perilous waves of flames that engulfed the area.

    Consequently, his body instantly turned into charred flesh. As smoke rose from his body, his hair and beard was almost fully burnt. He could barely stand on the ground and was totally defeated.

 Chapter 980 The Aura-Locking Finger Force

    "How is this even possible? How could he possess such tremendous power?" The warrior at the eighth grade of Sage Level had a look of horror in his eyes as he was utterly defeated by Zachary. It came as a great shock that the young man did not only withstand his full-blown attack but also launched a vicious counterattack that brought him down in one swoop.

    Of course, he had no clue that Zachary was in possession of the Ice Armor and the Holy Bone Bracer that enabled him to resist the power of a warrior on his level or even higher than him. Furthermore, with the aid of the Healing Reviving Skill, even if Zachary was directly hit, as long as it wasn''t fatal, he could easily recover from it.

    In the past half an hour, not only did Zachary took down a warrior at the seventh grade of Sage Level, but he also managed to utterly defeat an eighth0grade one in an astounding manner.

    Seeing this, a complex expression appeared on Dominic''s face. Instead of getting infuriated, it seemed that he was starting to think more highly of Zachary. However, he was still worried that the young man would turn out to be untamable. In that case, he would have no choice but to destroy Zachary.

    Meanwhile, although Zachary seemed to have the upper hand in his battle against the three Sage Level warriors at the premium stage, the battle between his treasure beasts and the opponents'' didn''t loo

    ble foe, Zachary immediately clenched the Illusory Dragon Spine in his hand. It was very clear to him that this upcoming battle should be a tough one. After all, a warrior who was at the peak of the ninth grade of Sage Level wasn''t someone to be trifled with.

    The second Dario rushed in front of the young man, he immediately raised his hands and shot out a noticeable force from his fingers. Then, when the remarkable force approached at an incredible speed, Zachary suddenly felt the sensation that he had nowhere to hide. It was as if the incoming force had locked onto him, and he was going to be hit wherever he went.

    Seeing that the situation was unfavorable for him, Zachary immediately tried his best to dodge the attack. However, even with his amazing speed, the force had instantly caught up to him. At this moment, it was just a finger away from him, and it seemed that there was no way to avoid it. The stealthy force appeared to like a shadow that followed his every move.

    "Ha-ha! Don''t waste your time, brat. There is no way that you can defy my Aura-Locking Finger Force unless you have the strength of a Holy Level warrior," Dario said with a wicked grin. He surely took pride in this peerless skill. After all, it was a rare premium stage skill that was pretty known in the Supernal Continent. Even an opponent who was at his level wouldn''t be able to shake it off.

 Chapter 981 Holy Bone Bracer Suffered Damage

    Seeing that he couldn''t possibly avoid the violent force in time, Zachary had no other choice but to confront it head-on. At this point, he could only rely on the Holy Bone Bracer to block it off. He thought that the bracer could forcefully absorb the power of Dario''s Aura-Locking Finger Force to weaken it. Thus, the moment Zachary activated the bracer and put it in front of him, the devastating finger force directly collided with it.

    However, to Zachary''s surprise, the finger force was way beyond his imagination. Even the Holy Bone Bracer was unable to fully resist its overwhelming power, let alone absorb it. His arm that wielded the bracer eventually grew numb and was unable to move under the domineering pressure exerted by Dario''s attack.

    A moment later, Zachary''s eyes widened as he saw that cracks had already started appearing on his bracer.

    ''Damn it! This can''t go on, he exclaimed silently in fury as he felt that he was totally played by his opponent.

    Seeing Zachary''s reaction, Dario laughed maniacally. "Ha-ha! I knew that you would use that to resist my finger force. Unfortunately for you, the treasure in your arm is only at the Sage Level. It''s useless to try absorbing my finger force with that. Do you think I just watched your previous battles without even observing a single thing? You''re naive, brat!"

    Zachary''s facial expression

    en avatars were hit by the finger shadows. Consequently, most of the shadows were consumed.

    Soon enough, Zachary''s real body was exposed. Thus, the remaining finger shadows changed their trajectory and rushed towards him.

    "Energy Perception Technique!" At this time, Zachary suddenly opened his eyes and used the special martial skill that Anne specifically taught him. The next moment, he swiftly shuttled through the remaining finger shadows and directly confronted Dario.

    "What? He outmaneuvered them?!" Dario was flabbergasted as he witnessed how Zachary easily got past through his finger shadows.

    "Fire-Ice Strike!" When he was just a few feet from Dario, Zachary instantly released the power with dual elements to form a fusion of ravaging martial skill.

    In a flash, a maleficent duo of ice and fire strike shot out and devoured Dario.

    Boom!

    After the savage strike fell, it instantly burst out and generated a violent explosion. Enormous mushroom clouds soared into the air and filled the sky. A moment later, it turned into a beam of light that gradually spread out. In no time, it covered the entire square and even enveloped the entire Celestial College.

    At this point, all the buildings within two thousand meter radius had been severely damaged. The battle was so fierce that everyone spectating couldn''t help but hold their breaths.

 Chapter 982 A Dangerous Decision

    Barney and the rest of the people from the college were baffled at the scene that unfolded before their eyes. Although Zachary was confronted by a warrior at the ninth stage of Sage Level, he could still fight back without even panicking. Moreover, with the strike that he just unleashed, it just proved that his strength was beyond their comprehension.

    "Ahem! Ahem!" After quite a long time, the dust and smoke finally settled. Then, an old man slightly staggered and seemed to have an embarrassed look on his face. It was Dario, the warrior at the ninth grade of Sage Level. His clothes were entirely covered with dirt, but surprisingly, he wasn''t seriously injured after receiving Zachary''s full-blown attack.

    Seeing Dario walking out of the veil of dust unharmed, Zachary''s eyes narrowed as he recognized that his opponent had certainly withstood his Beast Merging Skill. Obviously, he was disappointed with the outcome since he had already used his maximum strength to launch that particular attack. But, he also knew that Dario definitely had something to protect himself.

    "Now, you''ve done it, brat! However, that was your last chance. I won''t fall for you petty tricks again!" Dario had to admit that the young man''s strength had exceeded his expectation, but he still thought that Zachary didn''t have enough power to defeat him.

    "Bring it on, old

    ut any warning, Alan issued the order, and the entire ghost army scampered to devour Zachary.

    At this moment, Zachary reactivated his Ice Armor as he waited for an opening to launch an attack.

    In the blink of an eye, the ghost army swarmed around the young man and began biting him like savage beasts.

    Zachary intended to brandish the Illusory Dragon Spine, but he soon sensed that all of his strength was slowly fading away. It would seem that he had really reached his limits, and he no longer had the ability to control the Illusory Dragon Spine.

    "Damn it..." Zachary was fully aware that if he wouldn''t be able to get past this, death was the only thing that awaited him.

    Therefore, before his consciousness started to fade, he made an extremely dangerous decision without any hint of faltering.

    To everyone''s surprise, Zachary suddenly gave up resisting, completely allowing the ghost army to encircle and devour him.

    Witnessing this, Alan couldn''t help but laugh devilishly.

    As the heartbreaking scene transpired before her eyes, Elva cried at the top of her lungs and attempted to rush into the square to help Zachary without regarding her own safety. "No, Zachary! No!"

    However, a man appeared out of nowhere with a cold aura and stopped her by grabbing her arm. "If you go down there, you''re just going to throw your life away."

 Chapter 983 The Power Of Five Gods

    After realizing that someone had gripped her from behind, Elva seemed baffled for a moment, but she soon turned her back to face the man who caught hold of her. He was clad in a blue robe, and the mask he was wearing added more mystery to his already enigmatic identity. He was someone she didn''t know.

    But, if Zachary were around and caught sight of this strange guy, he would have instantly recognized that this man was none other than Logan.

    "Who are you? Why did you stop me?" Elva asked as she frantically tried to break free from his grasp.

    "I am... Zachary''s friend. I was there at the Zi Clan''s mansion last time, helping him escape," Logan finally said after a few moments of hesitation.

    "His friend? Then what are you doing here instead of helping him right now?" Elva immediately questioned after feeling a sneaking suspicion that Logan could be someone powerful.

    "Because he has provoked a certain someone who he shouldn''t have bothered in the first place. I gave him a warning ahead of time, but, unfortunately, he ignored my plea. I''m sorry to say, but at this point, there''s nothing else I can do to help him." Logan shook his head. If only Zachary had heeded his words and just gave up on aggravating the Zi Clan, Dominic wouldn''t have any reason to come out today. However, much to his surpri

    body, and I feared that it would drive him into a state of hysteria," Logan explained, squinting his eyes to take a better look at Zachary.

    "No! No way. I won''t allow him to end up in the madness. Let me go! Please allow me to save him!" Elva suddenly raised her head with tears welling up in her eyes. She looked profoundly pained and upset to hear such news.

    "There''s nothing you can do to save him," Logan replied with certainty. He had a sensation that the power Zachary had released was far beyond what his body could bear. So, even if it wouldn''t drive Zachary into madness yet, the eventual result would still be unimaginable.

    Zachary was on the verge of being driven into madness. The only thing he could rely on now was Andrew''s power, so he could remain a little restrained. The form he showed was because he had stimulated the fourth-grade power of the Heaven Fire Formula. However, Andrew''s Sage Level power could hardly help Zachary to remain a clear mind under such savage power from the Heaven Fire Formula.

    Knowing that Dominic wouldn''t easily give up trying to take Alisa away, Zachary promptly lifted his head to look intently at Dominic and the two Holy Level warriors beside him. A few minutes after, he rushed out like an explosive cannonball, instantly drawing closer to the three guys.

 Chapter 984 A Noble Sacrifice

    When the two Holy Level warriors saw the situation, they urgently charged at Zachary to thwart him off. However, when they almost reached him, they unexpectedly found that Zachary was giving off an aura at the same level as theirs.

    Just as the two warriors edged closer toward him, Zachary lifted his hand and made a signal. Almost instantly, the Illusory Dragon Spine resting on the ground floated back to his hand in a matter of seconds. He then waved the spine back and forth, causing it to emit an astonishing stream of flame that was surging and rolling nonstop in midair. In no time, the blazing fire illuminated more than half of the sky.

    From a great distance, the scenario looked like a sea of fire burning in the air, which was, by way of exception, breathtaking!

    The two Holy Level warriors felt right away that something was amiss. From out of nowhere, a sizeable flame power came straight at them, creating a sense of trepidation in their hearts.

    The next minute, the fiery atmosphere above them shifted, and the stream of flame suddenly gathered but eventually split up. Shockingly, two gargantuan fire beasts emerged and started pouncing first-hand on the two warriors.

    Shocked to see two fire beasts approaching them aggressively, the two warriors fought back without resistance. However, the fire beasts sp

    r and went on discharging the dark purple aura. Yet, before it could reach Zachary, a beast shadow enclosed inside Zachary''s thunder shield suddenly sped out from the side, sealing off the area for him. However, the aura broke through the thunder shield and struck the beast shadow, causing it to release a wretched scream. The beast shadow then dropped to the ground and appeared to be dying.

    "Thunder Dragon Horse!" The turn of events caught Zachary entirely by surprise. He didn''t anticipate that the Thunder Dragon Horse would make such a huge sacrifice for him.

    When Dominic saw Zachary''s treasure beast risk its life to protect its master, he scoffed, "I''m impressed that your treasure beast is very faithful to you, but how many times can it cover-up for you?" As he spoke, another dark purple force flew from the air and came close to Zachary in no time.

    Right when Zachary was about to take another hit, another huge beast shadow came jumping off from behind him. Simultaneously, it released all its power to form a defensive layer.

    However, despite its efforts, it still failed to resist the dark purple force''s impact. Shortly after, the single blow also killed the huge beast shadow. Its massive weight was about to fall before Zachary.

    "Demonic Emperor Beast!" Zachary''s eyes broadened to a state of shock.

 Chapter 985 Breaking Through Into The Holy Level

    The Sun-swallowing Beast and the Purple-winged Beast rushed over at the same time and firmly stood in front of Zachary in an attempt to desperately protect him with everything they could do.

    "Humph! Animals, you''ll go as far as to sacrifice your lives just to protect him? Fine! You can die first!" Dominic snorted coldly and immediately waved his hand. In an instant, a ball of dark-purple light suddenly appeared in between the Sun-swallowing Beast and the Purple-winged Beast and abruptly burst out to devour the two treasure beasts.

    Consequently, the two beasts let out a roar of pain as they directly received Dominic''s strike. Their bodies were invaded by the dark-purple energy as if they were inflicted by some kind of an infectious disease.

    The moment Zachary saw this, he quickly activated the Treasure-hunting Compass and forcibly pulled both beasts into the system.

    "Such futile resistance! Boy, I''m going to finish you now!" Dominic was already tired of playing these games, and thus, he was hell-bent on eliminating Zachary as soon as possible. With that, he raised his hand and made the young man float into the air. Without any strength left to resist, Zachary was hoisted up in the air by an overbearing invisible force.

    "This is your last chance, brat! Hand Alisa over or you''re doomed!" Dominic shouted threateningly. His fiery eyes spelled trouble, and there was no hint of any hesitation.

    "Ha-ha! Do you think I''m scared of you? Kill me if you can! I''m not going to be defeated by t

    ter Jace decided to leave the Celestial College with his daughter, he took some time to travel to various places within the Enigmatic Kingdom and visit some old friends. It was just only a few days ago when he inadvertently learned that Zachary had successfully exacted his revenge upon the Zi Clan. Moreover, he also knew that the Zi Clan had really conspired with the Moon Shadow a long time ago.

    The matter about the Moon Shadow had quickly spread throughout the Devil Kingdom. With nothing else to hide, some senior figures of the Moon Shadow had even broken into the Shura College and confronted the dean of the college. Therefore, Jace and the others knew that the members of the Moon Shadow were not to be trifled with. In this case, they were worried about what they might do to Zachary. Thus, they made up their minds to come back and check on the situation. But alas, this was what welcomed them.

    With the help of Jace, who was a warrior at the premium stage of Sage Level, their overall fighting power had drastically increased. However, since they were dealing with two Holy Level warriors at the same time, it still wasn''t quite enough to ensure them a victory over their enemies.

    But at this critical moment, the Supreme Cloud Lion, which had been trapped by Dominic before, suddenly raised its head and let out a dreadful roar to the sky. Its aura began to grow at a rapid rate as if infinite energy was about to burst from within it. In a flash, it actually broke through into the Holy Level.

 Chapter 986 Dominics Brutal Attack

    The next moment, the Supreme Cloud Lion pierced the net and sprang straight toward Katrina and the others. With an earsplitting tone, it echoed in a fit of fury, "Back then, if I never gave my master''s body much regard that he couldn''t hold out against my strength, I wouldn''t have sealed my real strength off. Now that he is already in such a bad state, I will no longer consider his condition. I won''t hesitate to kill someone who dares to hurt him!"

    In an instant, a gust of powerful force at the Holy Level broke out from the Supreme Cloud Lion, which proved to be far more overpowering than the other two Holy Level warriors'' strength. Its unexpected increase in strength generated much surprise from everybody watching. Not a single one of them had ever thought that this lion was a Holy Level beast that had previously blocked off its strength.

    As a result, the powerful beast¡¯s help automatically reversed the entire situation.

    Having realized that the Supreme Cloud Lion, Katrina, Jace, and other warriors of the Imperial Level had united their strength against them, the two Holy Level warriors lost face. Even though they possessed immense power, their initially strong auras soon dimmed.

    At this point, Barney and the Celestial College''s elders looked at each o

    ic, who was still hovering in midair, "Dominic! That is enough! This is Celestial College, and you can''t do whatever you please here!"

    "I''ve already mentioned to you that I won''t leave unless I bring my disciple back with me today. And let me warn you again. If you dare to go against my plan today, I swear there will be much more killing and bloodshed not only in your Celestial College but all over the entire Enigmatic Kingdom as well," Dominic declared with much arrogance as if he was a supernatural being who had full control of heaven and earth, and he could easily play with everything in his hands.

    Barney¡¯s expression darkened. But he already made up his mind not to stand by and do nothing.

    After a while, Dominic once again built up his strength, and the succeeding purple-black thunder waves were even more ludicrous. None of them could thwart such a brutal force.

    Seeing that the situation was getting worse, Katrina, Barney, and the other Sage Level warriors directly put up an enchanted barrier to protect everyone. However, due to the steady impact of the purple-black lightning that Dominic created, the enchanted barrier would give way at some point. They could only watch it become exposed little by little as the colors on their faces drained out.

 Chapter 987 The Five-God Compass

    ''No, this is getting worse. If I don''t do anything, we will surely be doomed facing Dominic''s overwhelming strike,'' Katrina murmured in her heart at this critical moment. She was fully aware that the situation would only get worse if it continued like this. Nevertheless, she vowed to herself that she would never allow Zachary to get hurt ever again. So without the slightest hesitation, she immediately unleashed a taboo secret skill of the Long Tribe. Only the descendants of the Long Tribe were able to use such taboo skill. However, once she used it to bring down an enemy, it might as well cost her life.

    But in Katrina''s opinion, it would be a fair price to pay if it could enable her to protect Zachary from getting wounded again.

    Without any warning, she crossed her hands in front of her chest. All of a sudden, her delicate body radiated with golden light. In an instant, she rushed out of the enchanted barrier that was protecting her and charged towards Dominic.

    "Master Katrina?! What are you doing?!" Barney''s and the others'' panicked voices rang out. They were flabbergasted to see that Katrina was planning to drag Dominic down with her to the depths of hell by unleashing this terrible strike. They wanted to stop her. However, it was already way too late.

    Obviously, it also came as a big shock to everyone who witnessed this scene. No one had expected Katrina to do something so desperate that she might perish t

    hing that would pique Dominic''s interest.

    "Huh! Just you? I must admit that''s quite intriguing. I am well aware that you have succeeded in translating the Five-God Stone Tablet that we have obtained. And for that, I want to thank you. Even so, you shouldn''t have more knowledge about the Five-God Tombs than us..." Dominic muttered. He didn''t believe that Zachary would actually take him to the Five-God Tombs.

    "Wait a minute. Zachary, what did he just say? Did you really translate the Five-God Stone Tablet they obtained? No wonder they knew so much about the Five-God Tombs! I can''t believe it! Why did you translate it for them?" Katrina stared at Zachary. Clearly, she was stunned to hear this.

    Everyone glanced at each other in utter confusion. It never even crossed their minds that Zachary had translated the Five-God Stone Tablet for the Moon Shadow.

    "If you must know, the Five-God Stone Tablet is not the only thing that can lead me to the Five-God Tombs within the world. As a matter of fact, there is another item that I think you might have heard of as well," Zachary said to Dominic coldly, ignoring Katrina''s question for now. He winced as he forced himself to stare directly at Dominic.

    "Are you talking about what I think it is? The Five-God Compass? That''s impossible! That treasure had already disappeared a long time ago. It has never appeared in the world ever since," Dominic exclaimed in astonishment.

 Chapter 988 Running Out Of Strength

    "But, it is in my possession," Zachary affirmed as he immediately took out the Five-God Compass.

    "How can you assure me that it''s the real thing?" asked Dominic. Since he had never seen it before, even he wasn''t sure if what Zachary was showing was the genuine compass or not. Thus, he couldn''t help but be thoroughly suspicious.

    "I thought you''re smarter than this. How do you think I managed to get the power that I used just now?" Zachary asked with a meaningful expression on his face.

    "Wait. So, you have already¡ª" Dominic suddenly stopped his sentence midway as he suddenly realized what Zachary was trying to mean.

    Of course, Dominic wasn''t the only one who was dumbfounded. All the people who were hearing their conversation were astounded by Zachary''s confession. Although it wasn''t that direct, they still understood what he meant.

    "Now, let me get to the point. Let go of Alisa in exchange for the Five-God Compass." Zachary offered a deal without hesitation. The truth was that he didn''t have any intention of handing the compass over. He just needed to make an enticing bargain in order to fool Dominic. Once he got a hold of Alisa, he would immediately bring her into the system with him.

    "Zachary! What are you saying? You can''t just give the Five-God Compass to him!" Barney shouted in an attempt to stop him. After all, Barney knew that once the compass fell into Dominic''s hands, he would definitely use it to locate the Five-God Tombs. If this happened, the entire Supernal Continent would face a l

    happen to you." The eyes of the blue-robed elder instantly became serious as he unleashed an overwhelming aura, and in a flash, the surroundings were enveloped by his astonishing aura. Seeing how things were developing, Katrina and Sophie felt rather shocked. They didn''t imagine that the elder''s strength was very far from theirs.

    Then, in the blink of an eye, the elder swiftly passed through Katrina and the others, intending to take Zachary down the first chance he got.

    As soon as the elder made his move, Katrina and the others knew that they wouldn''t be able to stop him. They experienced intense pressure that rendered them almost motionless.

    Realizing that Zachary was in grave danger, the Supreme Cloud Lion immediately rushed forth and tried to interfere, but it was easily blocked by another elder of the Cabinet.

    Soon after, the blue-robed elder made his way in front of Zachary and released his raging aura at point-blank range. At this moment, Zachary had already run out of strength, so he had no way to resist the elder''s power at all. The second he made contact with the elder''s devastating aura, he immediately passed out.

    "Humph! He''s been already severely injured, but he still put up such a fight. However, his condition is worse than I imagined. Even if he manages to survive, he won''t be the same again. All his strength has been drained, and he will just be a useless person." As Zachary lay unconscious on the ground, the blue-robed elder checked his condition and declared an awful truth.

 Chapter 989 The Serious Injury

    Hearing about Zachary''s condition, all of the onlookers were utterly shocked. They didn''t expect that he would be this seriously injured that he was almost about to die.

    "No! That''s impossible. We can''t just let him die!" Katrina was stuck in agony as she learned of Zachary''s current dire status.

    "What are you saying? The death of this traitor isn''t worth pitying!"

    "That''s right! Maybe he deserved to suffer from this!"

    "Before he dies, we should make him hand over the Five-God Compass. That''s more important!"

    Except for Katrina, Elva, Queenie, and Zachary''s other friends who supported him, most of the members of the Celestial College immediately turned against him and treated him as a mere traitor.

    "Dean Barney, we don''t have much time. If he is really about to die, we have to get the Five-God Compass from him. We need it at all costs," the elder in blue urged as he looked at Barney.

    "What do you think you''re trying to do? Have you no shame? I won''t allow you to hurt Zachary further!" Katrina shouted angrily as she heard what the elders of the college were discussing.

    "I''m here too. I won''t let you do anything to Zachary! He tried to stand against the enemies by himself, but this is what he would gain from it?!" Sophie screamed in exasperation.

    "Katrina, don''t be so stubborn. Don''t forget that you''re also a member of the Celestial College! You must put the welfare of the college first," one of the elders reminded Katrina.

    "And Sophie,

    iancee is a disciple of this powerful guy named Dominic, and he wanted to take her back. Because Zachary was unwilling to do so, they engaged in a fierce battle and he ended up like this?" Hearing everything that Tania said, Anne was in utter disbelief. Most of what she learned was very unexpected. She never once heard that Zachary''s fiancee had such a powerful master.

    "Logically speaking, Zachary should have asked your help when he encountered all these powerful enemies, but he didn''t. When I arrived there, he was already like this. Well, thanks to his friends and some of the people from the Celestial College, who tried to protect him until the last moment, he barely managed to survive. Otherwise, he might have been just a cold body when I saw him," Tania said in a gloomy tone.

    "Damn it! It''s my entire fault. This might not have happened if I didn''t quarrel with him. While I was cultivating in seclusion, he was being beaten to death by his enemies!" Anne took it hard and blamed herself. Although she had always been tough, tears welled up in her eyes and fell on her reddish cheeks as she couldn''t contain the surge of her emotions.

    "Don''t blame yourself anymore. There''s no way to undo everything that already happened. Besides, nobody wanted this, and no one expected that this would happen to him. Right now, the most important thing is to urgently find a way to save him," Tania comforted her and reminded her of what their priority should be from here on.

 Chapter 990 Lost Soul Regressing

    "Wait a second. Doesn''t he possess the Fighting Crane''s power? With that, he should be able to heal himself. However, it seems like this isn''t the case," Anne replied curiously. She carefully examined Zachary and found that he didn''t seem to have healed himself.

    "This is truly baffling. Has he ever mentioned if he encountered something special while he was in the Martial Fire Tomb?" Tania''s brows were furrowed.

    "No, I don''t think so. What on earth is happening?" Anne shook her head with a sigh as she looked worriedly at Zachary.

    "Well, here is the thing. When I checked on his body just now, I''ve found that there is another immensely strong power within him that has been deliberately sealed. Mind you, this is different from the Fighting Crane''s power he originally has. In my opinion, he must have used this power to protect his beloved. Unfortunately, his body is unable to bear its effects and is now self-destructing. Moreover, this kind of degradation is so severe that the Fighting Crane''s power cannot heal him spontaneously. From this information alone, we can deduce that this power is not ordinary at all. Therefore, this makes me wonder if he encountered something peculiar in the Martial Fire Tomb that we don''t know about. What do you think? It''s a possibility, right?" Tania asked with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

    "From the train of thought, we can surmise that if this power arises from the Martial

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    ough Anne stated that it might be dangerous, Tania still replied to her ever so calmly. It was because she had already expected this.

    "So in Jules'' records, I''ve found a certain skill that is able to directly repair the body. It is known as the Lost Soul Regressing. Aside from repairing a severely damaged body, it can also bring the dead back to life, even if they have dismembered bodies. However, its effect won''t last long. Moreover, it''s extremely evil and dangerous, because it must be performed using many dead warriors'' bodies provided that strong spiritual energies have already been gathered. Under those circumstances, if a living person like Zachary is repaired using this skill..." Anne immediately stopped speaking as her brows were deeply furrowed. It was as if she was too terrified of the consequence to even say it out loud.

    "What would happen? Please, tell me!" Without second thoughts, Tania immediately prompted her to speak.

    "Well, the best case is that his personality might completely change. And the worst case is that he will become a walking corpse without soul. You, of all people, clearly know Zachary''s current state. If he undergoes this kind of repair, the exposure to strong spiritual energies will likely affect his mind. I think that he might become a totally different person," Anne replied concernedly. The thought of these negative consequences was enough to put her off against this skill.

 Chapter 991 Waking Up

    As she heard what Anne said, Tania''s face immediately turned graver and colder. "Is there any other way to save him?" she asked desperately. This method was such a risky proposition, and if something went wrong along the process, the consequences would be dire. It would be either of the two outcomes¡ªthey could save Zachary or end his life.

    "I''m afraid that''s the only way that I can find," said Anne. She shook her head and bit her lip, fully knowing that she wouldn''t even suggest this if there were other probable means.

    "Fine. It really seems that we have to take the risk this time. After all, if we don''t do this, Zachary is likely to die anyway. We can''t let that happen," Tania said with a frown, unwilling to give up on Zachary. She had a lot of expectations for him that he was the first-ever disciple that she recruited. If he was to successfully complete what she was planning and arranging for him, he would definitely become her competent and capable assistant in the future. Afterward, maybe then, she could finally fulfill her wish that she had been longing for many years. It was just to her dismay that her disciple would encounter such a tragic disaster just before she could embark on her plans. However, she still believed that everything happened for a reason.

    "Then you are responsible for collecting warriors'' bodies. At least one hundred bodies will be needed. The more powerful the warriors were when they were alive, the better. As for the powerful spiritual energies, we can go directly to the secret room in the Livi

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    other than Zachary.

    "I''m still alive?" Zachary sat up on the bed and held his slightly aching head. Then, he slowly tried to get out of bed and stretched his hands and feet. He still felt rather weak, but he was sure about one thing¡ªhe was truly alive. "I''m alive! Whew, I thought that I was already a goner. But where am I? This place looks rather strange." He took a look around the room as a trace of confusion appeared on his face.

    Soon after, the door of the room was suddenly pushed open. Then, a beautiful figure came in and happened to see him completely naked. She was a bit shocked at what welcomed her, and even got open-mouthed as she glanced at Zachary''s lower body. Then, she immediately averted her gaze and turned her head with a red face.

    Zachary was kind of puzzled at the girl''s reaction, and that was when he realized that he was still buck naked. He then instantly grabbed the quilt on the bed to cover himself and said, "I''m so sorry for this!" At the same time, he looked at the girl from head to toe and recognized that she looked pure, elegant, and decent. She was clad in a dark green dress with a jade belt around her waist. Moreover, she had mesmerizing black eyes, a perfectly aquiline nose, and exquisitely-arranged hair. At a glance, it seemed that she was from a noble family, but she had a good temperament and didn''t appear arrogant.

    "Oh, it''s fine. I''ve already gotten used to it. After all, I see it every day," the beautiful girl responded in a slightly casual tone that made Zachary''s mouth open wide.

 Chapter 992 Tanias Last Name

    "What? Every day?" Zachary''s jaw dropped in utter surprise. He just heard that a beautiful girl saw him totally naked every single day while he was still unconscious. What was more surprising was that this lovely girl seemed to be rather calm and composed as she was telling this to him, like it wasn''t a big deal. Then, in confusion, Zachary asked, "How long have I been exactly in a coma?"

    "Hmm. Let''s see¡­ I think it''s been three months since my aunt brought you here," the young girl answered after thinking for a while.

    "Three months? Damn! That long?!" Zachary was in disbelief as he heard this. He hadn''t expected that he was so seriously injured that he had been unconscious for the past three months. He then realized that he was still lucky enough to be able to survive after suffering those kinds of damages.

    "By the way, are you referring to Master Tania when you mentioned your aunt?" Zachary wasn''t sure who saved and brought him to this place, so he had to ask the charming girl. However, the only person that came to his mind that could possibly take him to this strange place was Tania.

    "Yes, that''s right. My aunt mentioned that you are her disciple. I was actually surprised because I never heard that she had finally taken one. In the past, many powerful Sage Level warriors even begged her to accept them as her disciples, but she di

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    d be, otherwise?" Sharon remarked in a matter-of-fact tone.

    "Wait. In that case, my master''s surname is also God? I never knew," Zachary said with a shocked expression. Despite knowing Tania for quite a long time, he hadn''t known this bit of information until now.

    "Really? You don''t even know that? Did you become my aunt''s disciple without even knowing anything about her?" Sharon furrowed her brows and looked at Zachary with disbelief in her eyes. She thought that it was common knowledge that a disciple must at least learn his master''s identity.

    "Well, I''ve always called her Master Tania¡­ And she''s not the type to tell much about herself," Zachary said as he smiled helplessly.

    "Oh well, I kind of get it. If she didn''t tell you, she must have a reason. You can also call her ''Lady Fairy''. I remembered when she first became famous, all of the warriors in the Canopy Kingdom called her this. She is such a remarkable warrior, and for all the warriors in the Canopy Kingdom, she was like a goddess," Sharon said with a very proud expression on her face. She took pride in her aunt''s achievements as if it was her own.

    "What? For real?" Zachary couldn''t help but snicker when he heard this. He remembered the first time he met Tania, he also felt that he saw a fairy. It turned out that it wasn''t only him who had the same impression of her.

 Chapter 993 Bloom Garden

    "Why? You smiled so weirdly," Sharon asked curiously as she saw the expression on Zachary''s face upon mentioning her aunt''s past.

    Zachary just shook his head as he let out a faint smile. "It''s nothing. By the way, could you please grab some clothes for me?" He realized that he was still wrapped in a quilt and he was quite embarrassed to stay that way, especially in front of an attractive girl.

    "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." It wasn''t until then that Sharon recognized Zachary''s situation. He was still almost naked, and it would be quite a problem for him if he got out like that. Thus, she covered her mouth and smiled playfully as she made her way towards the wooden cabinet where she took out a set of folded clothes.

    "Here! My aunt ordered the servants to make these in advance so that you could readily change when you wake up. Put them on." Sharon quickly handed the set of clothes to Zachary, then she stood in front of him, staring at him with her big black eyes. Zachary wasn''t sure if she was just too innocent or if she was deliberately teasing him.

    "Are you just going to stand there?" Zachary couldn''t help but ask when he saw that Sharon didn''t seem to have any intention of leaving and letting him get dressed in peace.

    "Huh? What''s wrong? You''re just going to get dressed. Why can''t I stand here?" Sharon asked in an innocent tone. She had been accustomed to taking care of Zachary for

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    warrior. Because of his unquenchable thirst for alcohol, he rebuilt his cultivation place into a winery," Sharon pointed out.

    "That''s quite interesting! It seems that these masters here can really do whatever they want," Zachary said in surprise.

    Along the way, Zachary saw other cultivation places that belonged to Holy Level warriors. Just as what Sharon said, although these places were adjacent to each other, they covered a large area, so that the masters cultivating and residing here wouldn''t disturb others. Moreover, the styles and appearances of the houses actually said something about the masters who owned them. Since even the cultivation place of a Holy Level warrior was this large, one could just imagine how powerful and astounding the influence of the Dignified Supernal Sect was.

    "I''ll take you to the village now," Sharon said out of nowhere. It seemed that she had completely immersed herself in the role of a tour guide.

    "Village? What village are you talking about?" Zachary was a bit confused and was in a daze.

    "Did you forget? The areas that I showed you before were just for the reclusive masters. Of course, there is still the Dignified Supernal Village! Our sect is different from other clans or sects. In here, every warrior has to be self-supporting, regardless of their strength and age. People need to contribute if they want to continue living," Sharon elaborated.

 Chapter 994 Dignified Supernal Sect

    "What do you mean by ''self-supporting''? I don''t quite understand. What does it have to do with a village?" Zachary was thoroughly baffled. Apparently, Sharon''s statement had overturned his previous impression and notion of secluded clans and sects.

    "You will know soon enough. Come with me." With a slight wave of her hand, Sharon beckoned for Zachary to follow her as she continued to move forward.

    Puzzled, Zachary obliged and followed her closely.

    They were walking along the road that led them to the western part of the area. It took around thirty minutes before Zachary spotted a medium-sized village just a short distance from them. It was a fan-shaped village nestled between two hills. There were many ordinary-looking buildings in it. It was a lot similar to those infrastructures where mortals usually resided.

    Soon after, they arrived at the main entrance of the village. And there, he saw a man in his fifties who was dressed like a peasant. He was pushing an empty farm cart out of the village. But to Zachary''s utter surprise, this mortal-looking person actually had the strength at the Sage Level. However, it seemed like it was hidden deep inside of him so other people wouldn''t easily find out his real strength.

    "Uncle Lloyd! How are you? Did you finish your work so early today? Sharon greeted him as if she knew him very well. The man, Lloyd, straightened up and looked at her.

    "Ah, Sharon! Yes, the herbs sold really fast today, so now I can go home early. That''s really fortunate because my wife told me she would be making a top-grade medicine soup. She''s just waiting for my return," Lloyd answered. There was a sim

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    d as her disciple, I''m afraid you still need to pass the assessment to become a fully-fledged member of the Dignified Supernal Sect. But considering your current condition, I think you''d better not take any chances," Sharon replied bluntly. It was as if she poured cold water on Zachary.

    "Alright. I understand," Zachary answered. As soon as Sharon looked away, Zachary shook his head and smiled confidently. He didn''t care for her warning. He knew that once he regained his strength, it would be very easy for him to become a member of the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    Once again, Sharon spoke. "The inner part of our Dignified Supernal Sect is located in the Cyan Cloud Mountain over there." She pointed to a mountain at the end of the village. It had the shape of a sword and was shrouded in cloud and mist. It looked as though it was a celestial mountain.

    Zachary looked further upwards. Beneath the clouds and mist, he could vaguely see several buildings surrounding the entire Cyan Cloud Mountain. The scale of the building complex was truly magnificent. In addition to that, there were different kinds of birds and beasts flying around it. It certainly seemed like a paradise on earth, one that was splendid and isolated from the mortal world.

    "Am I allowed to go there and have a closer look?" Zachary asked while eyeing the mountain interestedly.

    "Well, theoretically speaking, no. But you''re considered as my aunt''s disciple anyway. For that, I''ll take you up the mountain and help you broaden your horizon!" Soon after she spoke, Sharon summoned a huge, green and cyan peacock-looking beast. Obviously, it was a rare treasure beast.

 Chapter 995 The Chosen One

    "Wow, this is a verdin beast! I had no idea you had such a rare treasure beast! Going by its fighting power, it''s probably among the top five bird beasts. It would be quite hard to tame one," Zachary said, as though professionally evaluating the beast.

    "Wow, you''re not that useless if you can actually recognize my treasure beast at first glance!" Sharon exclaimed. She was surprised that Zachary could identify her treasure beast. What was more, he even knew where her treasure beast ranked in terms of fighting power!

    "I have studied treasure beasts," Zachary said simply.

    "Really? Then you are so strange. My aunt is the most powerful pill refiner in our sect, but you had no interest in learning her skills! Instead, you decided to study treasure beasts! If I were her, I would have kicked you out of our sect already!" Sharon said, looking at him with obvious disgust. It was obvious that she thought that he was careless, not comprehending what was important. After all, her aunt was the strongest pill refiner in the Dignified Supernal Sect, in the entire Supernal Continent even! There were countless warriors in the Supernal Continent who wanted to learn the skill of refining pills from her aunt, but none of them ever stood a cha

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    He was wearing a white robe and had a feathered crest on his head. He looked like a gigolo but emanated an amazing aura, proving that he was at least as powerful as Sharon, if not more.

    "Oh, Fabian, it''s you!" Sharon perfunctorily greeted the young man, surprised.

    Fabian nodded. "And this is?" He glanced at Zachary, as if he was unhappy about even a possibility of an intimate relationship between Zachary and Sharon. It was an open secret in the Dignified Supernal Sect that he nursed an unrequited love for Sharon.

    "He is my aunt''s disciple," Sharon replied. The news of her aunt returning with her disciple had already spread throughout the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    "Oh, he is the disciple that the Holy Maiden brought back! I thought that he was some kind of a strong warrior. But it looks like he is nothing but just an ordinary young man. Besides, from the looks of him, he isn''t even a warrior. I''m wondering why the Holy Maiden brought him back and took so much effort to save him. Such a man isn''t even worth pitying!" said Fabian disdainfully, a sneer on his face. He was obviously trying to provoke Zachary. For someone like Fabian, Zachary, who didn''t even have the strength of a warrior, was indeed considered useless.

 Chapter 996 The Change

    The other disciples of the group, who were followers of Fabian, looked smug and mocking. Now that Fabian did not like Zachary, they decided to treat Zachary disdainfully to curry Fabian''s favor.

    Fabian was one of the most promising disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect''s younger generation. He was only in his twenties, but was very talented and had already reached the premium stage of Imperial Level. That was why the Dignified Supernal Sect had placed great hopes on him. What was more, he had also been accepted as a disciple by one of the eight elders of the Dignified Supernal Sect, which pushed him to a much higher position than that of other disciples.

    All the disciples following Fabian were at the medium stage of Imperial Level. They were young but they were already quite successful and often took advantage of their power to bully the weaker.

    "Fabian, don''t talk nonsense! If my aunt hears you, you will be dead meat!" Sharon warned Fabian, her face darkening. She hadn''t expected Fabian to be so rude to Zachary.

    "I''m not afraid and I don''t need to be. The Holy Maiden isn''t here, after all. And I don''t think this brat has the guts to complain to her," Fabian said, smirkin

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    isciple. She believed that Zachary must have some secrets.

    After that, the two of them talked and laughed along their way.

    Sharon introduced the areal distribution of the Dignified Supernal Sect in the Cyan Cloud Mountain to Zachary. The square they had just visited was the Heavenly Cloud Square, which was used for the daily training of the disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect and for holding some ceremonies. At the end of the square was a building called the Dignified Supernal Hall, where the leader and elders of the sect usually held meetings. The Heavenly Mystery Altar at the south of the square was specially used for making pills. Towards the north was an area used by the disciples to learn beast taming and weapon refining skills. The western area was used by the disciples to cultivate in seclusion and for specific cultivations. The area behind the mountain was a forbidden area. It was where direct descendants of the founder of the Dignified Supernal Sect resided. Only they were allowed to enter that area.

    "It''s time to go back," Sharon suggested to him. She was afraid that Tania would be angry if she didn''t see Zachary on her return.

    Zachary nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 997 Meeting Again After A Long Separation

    On their way back to the Bloom Garden, Zachary and Sharon chatted happily as they were walking towards it. But as soon as they entered, they saw Tania standing outside the gate of the house. There was a cold expression on her face. When she saw the two arrive, she quickly walked towards them.

    "Sharon, where did the two of you go? And why didn''t you notify me as soon as he woke up?" Tania questioned her. There was a reproving tone in her voice.

    "Oh, Aunt Tania! I thought you were still collecting herbs, so..." Sharon''s voice trailed off. She hadn''t expected that Tania would be back so soon. So now, all she could do was staring at the ground guiltily.

    "But didn''t I specifically tell you to inform me as soon as he woke up?" Tania repeated reproachfully.

    "I...I didn''t..." Sharon couldn''t find the right words to say. Therefore, she just lowered her head and fiddled with her clothes anxiously. Obviously, only then did she realize that she had done something wrong. Her aunt seemed like she wasn''t done reprimanding her yet.

    "What''s more, you even took him out of the house! He just woke up, for goodness'' sake! Therefore, we still don''t know how his current physical condition is. Do you know how dangerous that could have been? How could you just bring him outside without even consulting me?" True enough, Tania had not finished scolding her.

    "I...I''m sorry..." Sharon was rendered speechless. She couldn''t quite explain her side of the story.

    "Master Tania, please don''t blame her. I was the one who asked her to show me around. It''s my fault," Zachary explained quickly, as he couldn''t bear to see that he had cau

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    d to control myself." Zachary held Anne tightly in his arms. Then, he stroked her hair and comforted her.

    "But if only I went out to help you at that time, you would not have been severely hurt. Your fiancee would not have been taken away either." Anne shook her head and continued to sob.

    "Alas! I was already destined to suffer through all of that," Zachary sighed deeply. The system had already predicted that. He was aware that he had to experience a life and death crisis. Therefore, he knew that he couldn''t have escaped it no matter what.

    "How are you feeling right now? Do you feel any discomfort? Are you not hurt?" Anne asked, as she looked up and touched Zachary''s face.

    "Don''t worry about me. I''m fine," Zachary answered reassuringly. He smiled gently at Anne to ease her anxiety.

    "That''s good to hear. Tania and I were really worried that you would..." Anne seemed like she wanted to say something but stopped midway.

    "What is it? Why were you worried about me?" Zachary frowned. He stared at Anne curiously.

    "Oh, n-nothing. It''s okay as long as you''re fine. Don''t worry about it." Anne hesitated for a bit. But in the end, she decided not to tell him anything.

    However, Zachary had already sensed that Anne and Tania might be hiding something from him. Nevertheless, he didn''t press on. He knew that they would tell him when the time was right.

    They had not seen each other for months. And because they had been separated for too long, there was an undeniable passion between the two of them. Soon, the temperature in the chamber began to rise as the two began to enjoy the wonderful time they shared.

 Chapter 998 The Luck Lottery

    In the break of dawn, Zachary got up and decided to leave the Living-dead Tomb and return to the system. As soon as he went back, he saw Mimi and said to her, "Mimi, you may continue reporting to me now."

    "Because you have successfully survived the life and death crisis, the top quest mode is hereby officially open," Mimi continued.

    "You know, I almost lost my life this time. But was it even worth it just for the sake of opening the top quest mode? What''s so special about it anyway?" Zachary asked seriously as his eyes narrowed. He believed that he had to endure being on the brink of death because it was needed to launch the system''s top quest mode. Therefore, he concluded that it must have something special to offer. After all, he almost died for it.

    "As you can see, there are many differences between the top quest mode and the main quest mode. For one, the main quest''s reward is fixed. On the other hand, the top quest mode''s reward includes a certain number of choices in a particular range. In this way, you would be able to choose the treasure that you want and need the most. Moreover, the top quest mode will also aid you in regaining your strength and reach a more powerful peak level as a warrior," Mimi expounded.

    "Well, that sounds good." Zachary nodded in

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    ntification completed. Congratulations! You have obtained an Energy Pill at the Imperial Level and a quintuple Martial Speed Spill."

    "Really? Wow, I can''t believe I have really drawn the best pills!" Zachary jumped in excitement. Perhaps, he was in shock because he really had not expected so much before drawing lots. All he thought was that this could be his reward after doing good deeds.

    Without thinking twice, Zachary began to regain his basic strength with the two pills. Even though the strength at the Imperial Level was far weaker than his previous strength, it was still better than nothing. After all, it was still a good foundation. Moreover, the quintuple martial speed was also very crucial, because in essence, the stronger a warrior was, the higher his martial speed should be. Otherwise, his strength would just remain the same and not increase further.

    After an entire day, Zachary''s strength had successfully returned to the first grade of Imperial Level, and he regained quintuple martial speed. Now that he had settled this part, his next goal was to find a way to directly merge Jules'' power in order to bring back the strongest power. However, this was something that needed more time to accomplish since it was not something that could be done overnight.

 Chapter 999 Fast Reading

    Zachary had been in the system for a long time and was now concerned that Tania would need him. Thinking of this, he left the system and returned to the Bloom Garden. But Tania wasn''t in her room, so he went to look for her around the house. He found her in a pavilion by the side of the house, making a vat of medicinal liquid.

    "You''re just in time. Take off your clothes and get in the vat!" Tania said as she spotted Zachary.

    "What?" Zachary said, taken aback. He had no idea what she was up to.

    "Hurry up!" Tania said urgently.

    "Okay." Zachary took off his clothes without hesitation in front of Tania, as if uncaring of her being a woman and that she would see him naked, and got into the vat.

    The moment he was soaked in the medicinal liquid, Zachary felt the medicine permeate his skin, and into his veins, bones, and flesh. It was beginning to nourish his whole body.

    "Master Tania, what is the effect of this medicinal liquid?" Zachary asked curiously.

    "Don''t you want to merge with Jules''s power? This is the body-refining medicinal liquid made using the secret recipe of our Dignified Superna

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    !" said Sharon, narrowing her eyes, as if she had discovered what Zachary was up to.

    "I''ve finished reading all of them," Zachary said. It was, after all, the truth.

    "You''ve finished all of them? You must be kidding me! You have only read for a few hours! How can you finish reading all of them?! There are at least a thousand books in this library. It took me a whole year to read all of them and I wasn''t even able to study them deeply!" Sharon exclaimed, becoming agitated and looking disbelievingly at Zachary.

    "I''ve really finished reading all of them. Test me if you don''t believe me," Zachary said confidently.

    "Okay." Not to be outdone, Sharon picked up a medical book and leafed through it. Soon, she picked a random knowledge point and asked, "If the paeonia lactiflora is used to refine the Heavenly Snow Elixirs, which kind of herb must be added as a guiding herb to enhance the efficacy?"

    "The flower of the astragalus membranaceus," Zachary answered without any hesitation.

    "Why?" Sharon asked immediately, her eyes narrowing. She hadn''t expected Zachary to answer her question so easily.

 Chapter 1000 The Alchemist Test

    "The paeonia lactiflora has a relative cooling quality. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Snow Elixir is known to have a warm and mild effect. Because of this, it can promote healthy blood circulation and aid in healing internal injuries. Now, the former is used as the main herb ingredient to refine the latter. However, the flower of the astragalus membranaceus, which has a hardy nature, must first be used as the guiding herb to neutralize the cold nature of the paeonia lactiflora." Zachary answered the question slowly but surely.

    "Wow! You are right on the mark. I can''t believe it!" After hearing Zachary''s correct and concise answer, Sharon couldn''t help but stare at him in awe.

    Nevertheless, she still didn''t believe that he was able to read all the books inside the library in just a span of several hours. Therefore, she randomly pulled out another medical book and continued to test Zachary''s knowledge.

    She began to ask him a series of extremely difficult questions. Without fail, Zachary managed to answer each and every one of them correctly. There wasn''t even a slightest hint of hesitation on his part.

    "Oh my goodness! You are truly unbelievable! How on earth did you do that?" Sharon now realized that there wasn''t any question that could baffle Zachary. She curled her lips in slight annoyance and looked at him as though he was a weirdo.

    "Well, all I can say is that I have my own magical method!" Zachary smiled teasingly. This left her thoroughly astounded. "But, what are you doing here, Sharon?"

    "Oh, my aunt asked me to supervise you. She thought that maybe you were just slacking off, so she a

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    "The alchemist test consists of nine passes in general. Each pass consists of nine tests. Thus, there are eighty-one tests all in all. Since it''s only your first time taking part in this test, I''m not expecting you to pass many tests. If you can just make it through all of the nine tests of the first pass, then that will be good enough." Of course, Sharon didn''t pin too much hope on Zachary. After all, he had never received any formal education in terms of medicine or alchemy. Even though he had read all the books in Tania''s library, it would still be impossible for him to have mastered all of the contents of the books in such a short period of time. So in her opinion, it would be good enough if Zachary could just make it through the first pass.

    Zachary nodded in understanding and hung the number plate on his waist. Afterward, he walked towards the Alchemist-testing Pavilion. All eyes were on him as he walked past the other disciples.

    Several disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect noticed Zachary and immediately pointed at him. They began discussing among themselves and mocked him a bit.

    "Oh, look! This guy must be a newcomer, right? He doesn''t even have an aura of a warrior. Is he sure he wants to do the test?" one of them whispered to his friend.

    "He kind of looks like a loser, if you ask me. He''s merely a novice at the Dignified Supernal Sect, yet he already wants to take part in the alchemist test? Humph! He''s clearly overestimating himself," an arrogant disciple spat out.

    Another disciple surmised, "Just look at him! I don''t think he can even make it through the first pass!"

 Chapter 1001 Passing Four Rounds In A Row

    Without a doubt, Zachary knew that their words were meant to ridicule him. Despite this, he still walked into the Alchemist-testing Pavilion in a composed manner.

    As soon as he entered the pavilion, a disciple of the Dignified Supernal Sect immediately approached him. The disciple checked his number plate and then ushered him into a room.

    The minute he was led into the room, the disciple who escorted him suddenly walked out and closed the door behind him.

    Looking around the room, he observed that it was so small that it could only house at most three people. Then, his eyes fell at the stone table at the center of the room, which had three herbs placed gracefully on it.

    All of a sudden, a low voice echoed from the top of the room, "Please identify the herbs on the table!"

    "Very well," Zachary replied. After taking a closer look at the three herbs, he began to name them.

    Soon after, the same deep and low voice continued, "You got them all correct. Pass the first test of the first round and enter the next one,"

    At the same time, the door to Zachary''s right opened, revealing another similarly sized room on the other side. After he passed right through it, the door behind him closed in an instant.

    Similar to his pr

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    vilion. Right at the moment, nothing else mattered as he kept his focus on breaking through the fourth round.

    The fourth round was harder than the previous one. This time, Zachary would have to identify the pills with a blindfold on his eyes. Of course, he would have to use his nose to identify the pills, comprehend and state their properties, and even state the ingredients needed to refine these pills. On top of that, these pills were not just some ordinary ones. As a matter of fact, they were exclusively refined by the Dignified Supernal Sect, making this round even harder than ever!

    Therefore, he would have a very tough time finishing this round if it weren''t for the books that he had read in Tania''s library. With his outstanding comprehension and analysis, he managed to execute steady progress all throughout the seemingly impossible round.

    Meanwhile, outside of the Alchemist-testing Pavilion, Zachary''s number plate had already moved up as he beat the others. Now, he ranked third among the five, which instantly caused a commotion to those who had been watching the process closely.

    Seeing this, all the disciples present became discombobulated, pushing them to begin guessing this mysterious disciple''s identity again.

 Chapter 1002 Making New Records

    "Who owns this number plate? How could he still be in there? The top two Imperial Level disciples who rank among the ten most powerful alchemists in our sect have already reached their limit. Can someone explain this to me?"

    "Yeah, that''s just so odd. I have never seen any disciple at the Imperial Level be this proficient in alchemy! I mean, how could even a person suddenly come out from god knows where and pass four rounds in a row? How could that even be possible?"

    "Well, it looks like he''s catching up with the other two Imperial Level disciples. They are both ranked in the top five among the disciples at the Imperial Level. But this just doesn''t make sense. It would be close to being impossible to make it."

    Meanwhile, from the wall, the other two disciples ahead of Zachary have stopped one and three tests respectively ahead of him. Therefore, Zachary had a chance to outdo them.

    However, the fourth round got more difficult, causing the participants to take more time than before. But of course, there was a time limit of six hours for each round.

    At that moment, all the disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect outside the building had their eyes wide open and glued to the number plates, waiting for any sudden change in the ranking.

    Not long after, the staff in charge of moving th

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    to the fifth round. But the worst part of it all was that Zachary was not even a disciple of the Dignified Supernal Sect. Therefore, he was not qualified to take part in the tests in the first place. She allowed him to join out of gaining the experience, but she didn''t expect him to be an overachiever. Moreover, if his amazing performance was spread out, his identity would immediately be known by everyone. One thing would lead to another, and her aunt would surely scold her again for not thinking things through. After all, it was not appropriate for him to show up in public with his current identity.

    Now, the crowd thought that Zachary would have already reached his limit and would be walking out the door anytime soon.

    However, after waiting for quite some time, Zachary still didn''t come out.

    After an hour, there was still no sign of him at the door.

    Although Zachary didn''t come out, it was quite surprising that his number plate moved once again. At that point, he was at the second test of the fifth round, which had even surpassed Fabian''s record. What was even more surprising was that Fabian had not even made it through the second test of the fifth round.

    With that being said, Zachary had just set a new record in the Dignified Supernal Sect with regard to the alchemist-testing.

 Chapter 1003 Evil Thunder Power

    When the disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect outside the Alchemist-testing Pavilion realized what was happening, they erupted into a hubbub. Their voices were full of astonishment, reluctance, regret, and envy.

    On the other hand, Zachary, who was inside the Alchemist-testing Pavilion, had already passed the second test of the fifth round. But he soon found that as a beginner in alchemy, the next test was too difficult for him. So he didn''t hesitate in giving up.

    Of course, if he wanted to, he could use the system to cheat in order to pass more tests. But he felt it unnecessary, because he did not want to attract much attention. He had taken the alchemist test just because he wanted to figure out the extent to which he had understood alchemy and the amount of knowledge he could use after absorbing the contents of so many books.

    Moments later, Zachary walked out of the Alchemist-testing Pavilion, causing every disciple of the Dignified Supernal Sect to look up at him, their eyes soon finding the number plate on his waist.

    "It''s him! I can''t believe it''s him!"

    "No way! How can this be? He looks like a newcomer. How could he have broken the new record in the Alchemist-testing Pav

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    badly must by no means be weak. I''m guessing that that person was at least at the premium stage of Holy Level. Otherwise, he or she wouldn''t have hurt you to the extent that your body couldn''t recover even with the help of the Fighting Crane''s power." The mysterious woman seemed to know a lot about the Fighting Crane''s power in Zachary''s body.

    "So, given my current condition, I can''t recover my strength in a short time, let alone challenging the apprentice quest," Zachary said, smiling bitterly.

    "Don''t you still have Jules'' power in your body? Why don''t you just merge with it? That would work!" the mysterious woman said disapprovingly.

    "It''s easier said than done. You know that Jules'' power is a kind of extremely overbearing masculine power. I can''t bear it without a strong enough body. Even the previous me hadn''t been able to merge with it!" Zachary said, shaking his head.

    "That''s because you hadn''t met me at the time. It''s not difficult to cultivate a strong physical body. If I give you a little bit of my evil thunder power, your body can strengthen at top speed in a short period of time. And then, it will be easy for you to merge with Jules'' power," the mysterious woman said.

 Chapter 1004 Selling Fish

    "Did you say ''the evil thunder power''? Is that so? But you won''t share it with me that easily, will you?" Zachary squinted his eyes suspiciously at the mysterious woman.

    "Well actually, I can share just a little bit of it with you to help in strengthening your body. However, there''s one condition..." The mysterious woman''s voice trailed off.

    "What might that be? I just hope that it''s not too difficult. I''m afraid that I might be incapable of satisfying that condition with my current strength," Zachary responded honestly. He knew that there was nothing free in the world. Everything had a price. Therefore, he had to speak out what was on his mind just in case the mysterious woman''s demands were too much. After all, he was telling the truth when he said that he couldn''t do anything too difficult with his current strength.

    "Don''t worry. My condition is actually very simple. I just want you to procure some good wine and delicious food for me. The wine, in particular, must be a first-rate one. I haven''t tasted fine wine in such a long time." The mysterious woman''s answer had caught Zachary off guard.

    "Is that all?" He looked thoroughly confused. Zachary immediately thought that he had heard it wrong.

    "That''s right. Those are the only things that I require. However, I have to remind you that the food and wine must satisfy my taste. Otherwise, you won''t get anything from me," the mysterious woman answered ambiguously before crossing her arms.

    "If that''s all, then there''s no problem. I''ll fetch you some superb food and excellent wine right this instance," he answered confidently. After saying that, Zachary turned around and quickly teleported himself back into the system.

    "It

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    rely shook his head and chuckled. Then, he walked towards the back of the stall and prepared to pack up all the fish. But at that moment, a female warrior dressed like a peasant suddenly walked up to the stall and asked, "How much is the fish?"

    "What? I''m sorry?" Zachary replied as he was caught off guard. He didn''t expect that there would be another customer after him. "Well... You see, I''m not..." His voice trailed off when he saw the questioning look upon the warrior''s face. But then, he realized that this was another good opportunity for him to strike a bargain. "You can offer any price you like." At first, Zachary wanted to say that he was not the owner of this stall. However, he realized that these fish were more than what he needed. Because of that, he decided to grab this opportunity and began to sell fish.

    "Ah, that''s how it is. Well, your fish certainly looks fresh. How about I exchange three Imperial Vigor Pills for two of your fish?" the female peasant offered after examining the commodities.

    Zachary turned his head a bit. "Mimi, what is the Imperial Vigor Pill?" he asked as he was not aware of this currency yet.

    "The Imperial Vigor Pill is one of the rare top-grade pills among all Imperial Level pills. One Imperial Vigor Pill is enough to increase your strength by a grade at the Imperial Level for seven or eight minutes. Aside from that, one can use it in conjunction with another pill of its kind without suffering from any side effects. The Dignified Supernal Sect makes this type of pill using a secret recipe. Hence, it is popular, yet difficult to obtain in the Canopy Kingdom and even the entire Supernal Continent," Mimi explained without sparing any detail.

 Chapter 1005 A Real Scale

    "Is that pill really powerful? How odd. If so, then why would she just use it to buy some fish?" Zachary was a bit surprised about this piece of information from Mimi. After all, pills like these were priceless and highly valuable to Imperial Level warriors. On the contrary, it was only used to buy fish in the Dignified Supernal Sect. If the warriors outside knew about this, they would probably spit out blood in shock.

    Knowing that it was such a precious pill, Zachary didn''t have to think twice anymore. "Okay! We have a deal," he said to the woman right away.

    Satisfied with their bargain, he exchanged two fish for three Imperial Vigor Pills.

    There were still a lot of fish left after that. First, Zachary picked two of the biggest and freshest ones among them and stored them away. Then, he sat down behind the fish stall and began to sell the remaining ones. Soon enough, he had already sold a few more fish, one after another. He exchanged them for some treasures and auxiliary pills that would help in increasing his current strength level. It was safe to say that he obtained lots of valuable things just from selling the rest of the fish. The treasures and pills, in particular, were important to him. Because as of the moment, he was still unable to use Jules'' power.

    After selling all the fish, Zachary immediately left the stall and went on to collect other ingredients around the market.

    After walking around for quite some time, Zachary noticed a stall not far away. A group of people was gathering around it. The vendor spiritedly ushered customers towards his stall. "Best quality blood bird''s nest! Best qualit

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    clothed in a yellow robe suddenly walked into the crowd. He had two warriors with him, who seemed like his followers.

    "Look! Master Jerrold is here!" someone exclaimed. He was apparently referring to the elderly man.

    Upon reaching the stall, the man spoke. "I heard that there''s someone here who has a scale of the Holy Myriad Dragon. By any chance, is that you, young man?" Jerrold scanned briefly through the crowd before his eyes fell on Zachary.

    "Yes. That is me, sir. Are you perhaps interested in it? These people don''t seem to know just how valuable this scale is," Zachary remarked. Even though the elderly man had a somber expression on his face, his eyes, however, gave people a sense of tranquility. Moreover, his movements and demeanor were very noble and grand. Considering the aura of Sage Level he emitted, it was clear that he wasn''t an ordinary person.

    "Ah, I see. Would you like to let me identify it for you?" Jerrold offered graciously.

    "By all means, sir. I am grateful." Without any second thoughts, Zachary handed the scale to Jerrold.

    As soon as he held it, Jerrold infused a stream of energy fire into the scale with his other one hand. In a blink of an eye, the scale lit up. It was absolutely eye-catching.

    A moment later, Jerrold nodded in satisfaction. "This is indeed the scale of the Holy Myriad Dragon. I didn''t quite expect a young man such as yourself to possess such a rare treasure at the Sage Level," he complimented, as he gave it back to Zachary.

    Naturally, everyone who bore witness to this was stunned. They hadn''t quite expected that this scale was a real Myriad Dragon Scale!

 Chapter 1006 Alcuin, The Holy Level Warrior

    ¡°What? That¡¯s impossible! How could a loser like him possess such a rare Sage Level treasure?¡± Fabian couldn¡¯t believe what he just heard.

    ¡°What are you trying to say? Do you doubt my identification ability, Fabian?¡± Jerrold asked as his eyes darkened while directing them to Fabian.

    Hearing this, Fabian couldn¡¯t help but swallow hard. Although he had a powerful master, who was a respected elder of the Dignified Supernal Sect, there were some people in the outer part of the Dignified Supernal Sect whom he dared not offend¡ªJerrold was obviously one of them. Therefore, Fabian was rendered speechless and he could just stare at Zachary with his hateful eyes.

    ¡°Even if the Myriad Dragon Scale is real, I bet that the Hatching Fluid is fake!¡± Still unwilling to give up, Fabian suddenly questioned the authenticity of Zachary¡¯s Hatching Fluid.

    ¡°All right then. Is there anyone among you who happens to have an egg of any treasure beast? I shall use this Hatching Fluid in order to help you hatch the egg, free of charge,¡± Zachary announced to the crowd after giving Fabian a mocking stare.

    Hearing this, the warriors present looked at each other. It seemed that they still had some doubts, but at the same time, they thought that Zachary was brave enough to use the fluid in front of them just to prove that it was genuine.

    ¡°I have an egg with me.¡± Jerrold spoke up. The next moment, with a casual wave of his hand, an eg

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    uck into the winery.

    As soon as he entered the winery, he instantly smelled the strong fragrance of wine. He felt like he was going to get drunk just by the scent of the alcohol.

    At that moment, the place was very quiet. Nothing could be heard except the sound that was produced by the rotating waterwheel.

    ¡°Excuse me, is anyone here? Anyone?¡± Zachary repeated a few times, but no one responded.

    Since no one answered, he took the opportunity to look around. Soon enough, he found that in the northeast corner of the winery, there were stacks of jars of wine, and each jar had a different name on it. Upon closer inspection, he found all of them seemed quite good.

    ¡°Well, since no one¡¯s here, I guess I¡¯ll borrow one of these jars,¡± Zachary murmured to himself as he gradually approached the stacks of jars.

    However, he suddenly heard someone snoring from behind the wine jars. He looked carefully and saw that there was an old man with a red nose and white hair lying there. He was sleeping soundly while holding an empty wine jar in his hand.

    ¡®Is this supposed to be Alcuin, the Holy Level warrior? Why does he look like a regular drunkard?¡¯ Zachary thought with furrowed brows. Upon seeing that the old man didn¡¯t seem to be waking up anytime soon, he still decided to borrow a jar without permission.

    However, the moment he reached out to the nearest jar of wine, his hand was heavily slapped out of nowhere.

 Chapter 1007 Spiritual Liquid-secreting Beast

    For a moment, Zachary was taken aback. It crossed his mind that Alcuin could have woken up, but to his surprise, when he looked down, he saw the old man still lying motionless on the ground with his snoring getting louder and louder.

    "It''s so weird. Could this be an illusion?" Zachary murmured. He extended his hand once more. Just when he touched the brim of the wine jar, a staggering force smacked his hand in exchange.

    However, he sensed some unknown creature concealed from him tapping on his hand this time.

    "Playing with me, huh?" Zachary''s gaze narrowed slightly, and he extended his hand once again. Only this time, he made one small gesture and held out his hand toward the surface. At this point, he had already enabled his Energy Perception Technique, so when his hand nearly came into contact with the wine jar, he immediately saw a seemingly inconspicuous, palm-sized shadow flashing in front of his hand. Simultaneously, his hand felt a heavy slap.

    "Little thing, where are you off to?" He flipped his hand right away, trying to draw it in, and directly wrapped the shadow up with his martial energy.

    As if on impulse, the shadow fought

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    ich resemble alcohol. These spiritual liquids could be combined, and they can make different flavored wines. Besides, this beast can evolve. The higher the degree of its growth, the more spiritual liquids it can secrete, and the more kinds of wine it can brew. In addition to these, the beast is currently evolving."

    "I see," answered Zachary after having heard the narration. With a smile on his face, Zachary looked at Alcuin and asked, "Sorry, sir, but I want to ask where you got that wine spirit?"

    "Is that it?" Alcuin first looked up and glanced at wine spirit and answered, "I caught it by accident when I traveled around the world a few years ago."

    "Are you familiar with the origin of the wine spirit?" Zachary asked.

    "I have no way of knowing. I know it can make wine, and that''s all I need," Alcuin answered, shaking his head.

    "Well, if I tell you where that wine spirit comes from, can I trade this information for a jar of wine?" Zachary came forward with a suggestion.

    "Do you know where my wine spirit came from?" asked Alcuin in surprise. He had asked several respectable Holy Level beast tamers, but none of them knew its origin.

 Chapter 1008 New Top Quest

    ¡°Yes, I do. This wine spirit is widely known as the Spiritual Liquid-secreting Beast. It is not a treasure beast, but a spiritual beast that shouldn¡¯t have appeared on the Supernal Continent. Moreover, this kind of spiritual beast doesn¡¯t possess much strength, but it can secrete different types of spiritual liquid that are very similar to alcohol. That¡¯s why it can produce wine, am I right?¡± Zachary said bluntly.

    Upon hearing that Zachary mentioned the wine spirit¡¯s ability to secrete different types of spiritual liquid, Alcuin¡¯s expression suddenly changed. The young man was indeed correct, but Alcuin still had doubts about him, so he cautiously asked, ¡°How can I make sure that you¡¯re not just guessing randomly?¡±

    ¡°This wine spirit can evolve, and in fact, it is now in its evolution period. Once it further evolves, it will be able to secrete more types of those alcohol-like liquids. So, as long as I can make it evolve, you will know that I¡¯m telling the truth,¡± Zachary answered with brimming confidence.

    ¡°You can make it evolve?¡± Alcuin glanced at Zachary with doubts in his eyes. This was the first time that he had heard about this, thus he was obviously reluctant to believe right away.

    ¡°I have a pill here that can help any beast in the evolution period to fully evolve. The moment it takes the pill, we shall instantly see its transformation,¡± Zachary said. At the same time, he took a pill from the system and showed it to Alcuin.

    Alcuin immediately took the pill from Zachary''s hand and examined it closely. He seemed curiou

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    head.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tania tried to confirm as she looked directly into Zachary¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zachary said without hesitation, looking back straight into Tania¡¯s yes. Actually, he only used the system to memorize the contents of all the books in the library at the fastest speed possible. Hence, technically, he didn¡¯t cheat.

    ¡°Fine. I believe you. However, you have to know that breaking the record of the alchemist test is such a big deal. It caused quite a stir in the entire Dignified Supernal Sect! Now, I¡¯ll need to introduce you to the leader and the elders of the sect.¡± Originally, it was not in Tania¡¯s plan to let Zachary meet the leader and the elders of the Dignified Supernal Sect so soon. But now that Zachary did something controversial, she would not be able to prevent the leader and the elders from hearing this news. Sooner or later, they would want to meet Zachary, so Tania decided to introduce Zachary ahead of time.

    ¡°Okay then¡­¡± Zachary had no choice but to agree.

    ¡°You¡¯ll go with me to meet them tomorrow. Just rest for now.¡± After speaking, Tania cast a glance at Zachary while lightly shaking her head before finally leaving the room.

    As the door of his room closed, Zachary was able to breathe a sigh of relief. He had thought that something much worse would happen, so he was still thankful when nothing terrible happened. Soon enough, he went back to the system again.

    As soon as he entered, Mimi welcomed him with an announcement. ¡°The new top quest has been released. Do you want to claim it right now?¡±

 Chapter 1009 The Assessment

    Zachary¡¯s eyes lit up and he excitedly said, ¡°Whoa! The quest comes this soon? Cool! I¡¯ll take it!¡±

    ¡°Okay. Now I declare that you have successfully claimed the said quest. It is called the ¡®Assessment of the Dignified Supernal Sect¡¯. The quest requires you to pass the assessment of the Dignified Supernal Sect and become an inner disciple,¡± Mimi briefly explained.

    ¡°The assessment? But I¡¯ve heard from Sharon that it is pretty difficult to pass that. She said that one¡¯s passing chances are usually very low¡­¡± The second he heard the content of the quest, Zachary let out a frown, recognizing that he would need to go through such a harsh ordeal.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The passing rate of this assessment is usually as low as one percent. Normally, about one hundred warriors will participate in this event each time, meaning that there are times that only a single warrior could pass. However, there is a strict rule that those who want to sign up for the assessment must be at the Imperial Level. In case you get in, all of your opponents will also be at the Imperial Level,¡± Mimi added.

    ¡°So, does it mean that I have to defeat about a hundred Imperial Level warriors in order to complete this quest? It seems that I¡¯m about to risk my life again just to get past this." Zachary couldn¡¯t help but shake his head helplessly. It seemed that the current quest was a bit over the top. Although he had participated in the fierce Imperial Level Warrior Contest before, he didn¡¯t need to face th

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    e couldn''t even reach the Imperial Level then?¡± Kendrick asked as he shook his head.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. I will help him recover his strength as soon as possible. He will meet that requirement soon enough,¡± Tania answered sternly as her eyes showed her burning determination.

    ¡°Your grace, we¡¯re just being real here. Based on my experience, I¡¯m afraid that in his current condition, it will be difficult for him just to become a warrior again, let alone reach the Imperial Level. I hope you can reconsider your decision! Why would you waste your efforts on a person who is already destined to achieve nothing? Our sect is full of young outstanding talents both in the inner and outer parts. Any one of them is much better than him!¡± an elder in a blue robe said bluntly. Apparently, no one among the elders thought that Zachary was qualified to be Tania¡¯s disciple.

    ¡°Elder Timothy, I trust my judgment and I can assure you that I know what I¡¯m doing. He will have no problem passing the assessment,¡± Tania declared with brimming confidence.

    Hearing her response, Kendrick and the eight elders were taken aback as they looked at each other. They were perplexed that Tania could easily say all of that when every one of them could see how hopeless Zachary¡¯s condition was. She had the guts to declare that the young man could pass the assessment when Zachary almost had zero chance of even becoming a warrior again. To be frank, they were both shocked and confused.

 Chapter 1010 Breaking The Rules

    ¡°With that said, I really hope that you can allow Hodge to take part in this year¡¯s assessment," Tania said straightforwardly once again as she pleaded to the leader and the eight elders of the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    ¡°Your grace, you know that the registration for the assessment is already finished. Moreover, the number of participants this year has reached the upper limit. According to the rules of our sect, we cannot allow having an extra participant.¡± Timothy, the elder who had expressed his disapproval of Zachary earlier, immediately objected to Tania¡¯s request.

    The other elders also began to discuss among themselves.¡°That¡¯s right. Your grace, even though he is your disciple, if we make an exception for him, I¡¯m afraid that this would create a stir and cause a lot of criticism.¡±

    ¡°The Dignified Supernal Sect has always put emphasis on strictly following the rules, and we never practice favoritism!¡±

    ¡°I also agree with them. Your grace, your request is a bit over the top!¡±

    It seemed that all of them were strongly against the idea of increasing the quota just to make an exception for Zachary, and they had mainly two reasons for this. First, even if Zachary participated in the assessment, no one believed that he could win it, thus it was just a waste of time. The second reason was that if the rules of the sect were broken for his sake, they would receive a lot of backlash from it.

    ¡°Of course, I do know that the Dignified

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    hat it was me who took Hodge to the Alchemist-testing Pavilion so that he could take part in the alchemist test yesterday,¡± Sharon confessed outright.

    ¡°What? Why would you do that? How reckless could you be?¡± Kendrick couldn¡¯t help but heave a deep sigh after knowing that it was his own daughter who deliberately broke the rules of the sect. Of course, being the sect leader, it was natural for him to get angry with her actions.

    ¡°Reckless? I don¡¯t think so. Hodge is Aunt Tania¡¯s only disciple. Of course, he should be extremely amazing. Sooner or later, he would become a member of the Dignified Supernal Sect. So, why does it matter if he has participated in the alchemist test in advance? Besides, if he didn¡¯t take part in it, would we learn that he is even more talented in alchemy than Fabian? Do you really want to pass on such a rare talent?¡± Sharon argued firmly.

    ¡°Sharon, are you sure that he¡¯s more talented in alchemy than Fabian? How can you prove that?¡± Kendrick asked with hints of doubt in his voice.

    ¡°I saw it with my own eyes yesterday. Hodge¡¯s new record in the Alchemist-testing Pavilion involved the test that even Fabian failed to pass! Aunt Tania said that Hodge didn¡¯t even receive any formal training in alchemy before. He just read all the books in her library before he took the test. And just like that, he broke the record. If that isn¡¯t astounding, then I don¡¯t know what is!¡± Sharon exclaimed with sincere admiration.

 Chapter 1011 A Tip Of The Iceberg

    After hearing everything that Sharon said, Kendrick and the elders were all rendered speechless. If it was true that Zachary had never received any formal education or training in medicine or alchemy before, and he managed to break the record in the Alchemist-testing Pavilion just by reading the alchemy and medical books in Tania¡¯s library, it just meant that he indeed was an amazing talent in alchemy.

    ¡°Nonetheless, this can¡¯t be used as an excuse to deliberately break the rules of the sect!¡± Timothy spoke again, still refusing to let Zachary off the hook.

    ¡°Elder Timothy, you should take it easy. In fact, let me tell you something. Just the other day, your disciple, Fabian, said something rude to Hodge. Even though Hodge isn¡¯t technically a disciple of the inner part of our sect, he is still known as my aunt¡¯s disciple. If anyone is going to be rude to him, it just means that they¡¯re not taking my aunt seriously. Am I right? Please make sure that you¡¯re educating your disciple properly,¡± Sharon said as she looked at Timothy with a poker face.

    ¡°Fabian did that?¡± Hearing Sharon¡¯s complaint, Timothy couldn¡¯t help but glance at Tania with a guilty look on his face. If what Sharon was saying about Fabian was true, then it wasn¡¯t a good look for him as well. After all, Tania was the Holy Maiden of the Dignified Supernal Sect. It meant that e

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    ouldn¡¯t imagine. He also knew that she wanted to leave the Dignified Supernal Sect so badly. But, in order to make her stay, he had forced her to become the Holy Maiden. This way, she would have the obligation to remain in the sect. Because of this, he knew that Tania had always resented him. However, he had just done all of that, considering the welfare of the whole Dignified Supernal Sect.

    ¡°After so many years, you can now finally tell the truth. So, that¡¯s it. You were afraid that I would leave the Dignified Supernal Sect, so you forced me to stay here." Tania had already known this, but this was the first time that Kendrick had directly admitted it to her.

    ¡°I watched you grow up. Of course, I know what is running in your mind! However, your thoughts are too outrageous and risky. Why don¡¯t you learn from the failures of our predecessors? Besides, the Dignified Supernal Sect has already reached the peak of this continent. Why do you still want to pursue such unrealistic and empty goals?¡± Kendrick said as he slightly raised his voice.

    ¡°My dear brother, don¡¯t deceive yourself. We both know that this continent is just like the tip of the iceberg. In the entire world, the Supernal Continent is just the weakest existence. Are you really contented with this?¡± Tania glanced at Kendrick as if she was pitying him or looking down upon him.

 Chapter 1012 Enhancing Martial Skills

    "So what? As long as our Dignified Supernal Sect does our job well, maintains the peace and tranquility of this continent, and fulfills every last wish of our ancestors, it will be enough," Kendrick said, his tone serious.

    "Stop talking, Kendrick, please! There''s no point arguing here anymore. We can''t work together because we have different ambitions. There''s no need for negotiations anymore!" Tania said tiredly, unwilling to argue anymore.

    "All right then. I know I can''t persuade you. But I still hope that you will do your job and try your best to protect the Dignified Supernal Sect before Sharon succeeds you as Holy Maiden. Besides, I''ve heard that the Supernal Continent has not been peaceful in recent years and that a mysterious organization has been stirring up trouble in the dark. Interference from our sect doesn''t seem to be necessary yet, but I have still put it on the watch list," Kendrick said, shaking his head.

    Tania didn''t reply, but she agreed with Kendrick. She might hate her identity as the Holy Maiden, but she was an irresponsible person. If she had been, she would have left everything behind and left the Dignified Supernal Sect long ago.

    "By the way," Kendrick continued cautiously. "Shouldn''t you have told me about your disciple''s identity and background? After all, you are the Holy Maiden of the Dignified Supernal Sect. If there is something wrong wit

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    began to cure it with the Fighting Crane''s power.

    A whole day and night had passed. Zachary had used all his strength and had finally managed to wake the Sun-swallowing Beast up. Its injury had healed rather roughly. The Sun-swallowing Beast was excited as it woke up and saw Zachary, as if it was seeing a close friend after a long separation. They had actually not seen each other for a long time.

    Not long after the Sun-swallowing Beast had awoken, the Purple-winged Beast too woke from its state of evolution, as if somehow inspired by the goings-on. And to Zachary''s great surprise, it had broken through to the Sage Level through the evolution this time.

    The Sun-swallowing Beast''s successful recovery and the Purple-winged Beast''s evolution and breakthrough were undoubtedly great news for Zachary. However, he knew that this was far from enough. If he wanted to outdo the other Imperial Level warriors participating in the assessment, he had to be more prepared.

    Since he could not use Jules'' power yet, he couldn''t use the Illusory Dragon Spine either because the spine must be activated by the power with metal and fire elements. As a result, Zachary planned to get another Divine Level treasure that could help him turn the tide at a critical moment. And the only place where he could get one at the fastest speed was the Death Arena, which had been newly upgraded and reset.

 Chapter 1013 The Crossbow

    "Master, what a surprise! You haven''t been here in such a long time," Shadow, who was in charge of the Death Arena, exclaimed as soon as Zachary stepped in.

    "Well, I heard that the Death Arena has been re-set. So, I came to check it out." Zachary crossed his arms over his chest and walked slowly towards Shadow.

    "You heard right, master. The previous mode of the Death Arena has indeed been re-set. Its new mode is much more exciting than before. It will definitely give you the excruciating experience of going through purgatory!" Shadow responded enthusiastically.

    "I see. Anyway, what will happen to the Divine Level treasure''s fragments that I managed to collect before?" Zachary asked without beating around the bush. He had proceeded to collect some fragments of another Divine Level treasure right after he created the Ice Armor. Those fragments belonged to an unidentified treasure.

    "There''s no need to worry, master. As per this new mode, they will automatically forge a Divine Level treasure from those pieces you collected before. Then, you can have it as a form of compensation," Shadow explained briefly.

    "Is that so? Hmm." Zachary was not expecting such a great deal. Nevertheless, he still couldn''t help but become suspicious of it. Due to that, he asked, "Are there any other conditions I need to fulfill in order to get that compensation?"

    "Well, yes. In any case, it''s very simple. As

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    ably be comparable to that of an Imperial Level warrior at the premium stage. Simply put, he was now facing an Imperial Level warrior at the premium stage of Imperial Level, which obviously posed a real challenge to him.

    However, Zachary didn''t quite expect what happened next. The giant employed the same martial skill used by a warrior that was strong enough to even shatter the earth. While it was charging towards him, clouds of dust rose from the ground. It was as though a powerful shockwave was rippling through the arena. Its sheer force made it seem like it was going to swallow Zachary alive.

    "Let me see how powerful you are! Come at me!" Zachary challenged the beast while he stood his ground. Even at the face of this savage brute rushing at him, his expression remained impassive. Instead, he raised the crossbow and aimed it straight at the gigantic figure that was darting towards him.

    At that moment, the magical stone on the crossbow began emitting a flicker of light. A few seconds later, a dazzling glow illuminated the entire stone. Then, a golden-white arrow manifested in the crossbow.

    Zachary pulled the trigger and heard a gust of air.

    In a flash, the golden arrow had shot out of the crossbow and flew straight towards the beast. It effectively hit the opponent''s body and pierced through it. In a split-second, the arrow disappeared into the air after it had finished its job.

 Chapter 1014 The Mysterious Figure

    However, even after getting pierced by the white golden arrow, the giant beast didn''t seem to be affected. It was still standing firmly.

    ''What''s going on? I thought this crossbow to be very powerful. Why isn''t anything happening to that giant beast after the arrow shot it?¡¯ Zachary thought to himself, confused. After seeing what had happened, he felt rather disappointed.

    However, the next moment, the giant beast suddenly collapsed and fell to the ground with a loud thud. Consequently, the fierce force that was approaching Zachary had also disappeared accordingly.

    For a brief moment, Zachary was in a daze. Then, he walked up to the giant beast, still confused about what just happened. He sensed that some kind of power burst out earlier, but he couldn''t believe that the giant beast would suddenly die like this. As he got close to the body of the beast, which was motionlessly lying on the ground, he kicked it just to make sure that it was really dead. But the moment he did, the giant beast instantly turned into ashes that gradually dispersed in the air.

    "Oh, damn! I wasn''t wrong. This crossbow''s power is really terrifying! Even a huge body like that was instantly smashed to pieces. Moreover, this power is too low-key. It suits my standards very well." Zachary couldn''t help but grin as he nodded in satisfaction.

    "Congratulations! You have now experienced the new Death Arena and obtained a Divine Level treasure, which is exactly this crossbow you

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    Soon enough, Zachary left the Living-dead Tomb and went back to the Bloom Garden to cultivate some more.

    The next morning, as Zachary arrived at the Living-dead Tomb, he saw that Tania and Anne were already there, discussing something while checking a human meridians diagram.

    "Are we going to start now?" Zachary asked without further ado.

    "Before that, I should ask you again. Are you sure that you are doing this? Anne told you that it''s going to be very risky, didn¡¯t she?" Tania asked in a serious tone.

    "Yes. Besides, isn''t this also your suggestion, Master Tania?" Zachary replied rather calmly.

    "Yes, I suggested it because I thought of the possibility. But the final decision will still be up to you," Tania replied.

    "If you think that it is possible, then I''m more than convinced to try it. There''s no need to hesitate," Zachary said confidently.

    "Fine. In any normal way, it is actually impossible for an Imperial Level warrior to get the septuple martial speed. However, a few years ago, I accidentally learned of an ancient alchemy skill that has almost been lost through time. It is specially used to cure some diseases related to congenital deformity of meridians by grafting them inside the human body. Over recent years, I have been carefully studying this meridian grafting skill, and I''m still trying to improve it so it can be used for other purposes. Now, you understand why it can be dangerous," Tania said as she stared at Zachary.

 Chapter 1015 Meridians Grafting

    "So, Master Tania, you plan to graft the meridians in my body, thereby allowing me to gain the septuple martial speed. Am I right?" Zachary uttered on impulse. He immediately understood Tania''s intention after hearing her clear explanation.

    "That''s right. The only drawback of this skill is that I haven''t tested it on humans yet, and I am still in the trial and error stage, so I can''t vouch for its success. Also, your body couldn''t use anesthesia during the grafting process because the drugs would intervene in the circulation of the martial energy in your veins. You couldn''t even imagine the excruciating pain you would go through. It would be more painful than death!" Tania said with a squint.

    "Well, let''s get started then!" Zachary said calmly. He didn''t even blink and seemed unaffected by Tania''s warning.

    Seeing this, Tania and Anne couldn''t resist looking at themselves in light of Zachary''s response because they had already felt a subtle change in him. Even though it was nothing substantial right now, they felt some kind of apprehension in their hearts.

    Yet, they had no choice but to show their support after seeing Zachary''s willingness to take the chance. As a result,

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    er flew to Zachary in a flash.

    Zachary caught it and opened it at once. He tilted his head and drank a few gulps. In one shot, the spicy drink poured down his throat. He was quite happy, and the aftertaste was excellent.

    "This is an excellent wine!" Even someone who was new in drinking like Zachary could tell that the wine was of high quality, which was sufficient reason to say that it was indeed superb.

    "Ha-ha! It''s not often I find anyone to drink with me. Let''s get hammered!" Alcuin was delighted. It showed on his expression as he tipped his head back and gulped down a mouthful of wine.

    "You must be kidding, sir. With your position, how is it that you don''t have anyone to drink with you?" Zachary asked as he looked at Alcuin and laid down the wine jar.

    "It''s a lengthy story. There isn''t anything to tell, anyway. I''m used to being on my own," Alcuin responded dismissively. He was a man with stories to tell.

    Zachary simply smiled and stopped asking questions. He directly exchanged from the system three Growth-promoting Pills for treasure beasts to feed the wine spirit on his shoulder. Right after the wine spirit ingested the three pills, it immediately burped.

 Chapter 1016 Dual Inter-fighting Skill

    "By the way, son. I don''t know your name yet," Alcuin said.

    "Oh, you can just call me Hodge," Zachary quickly answered.

    "Hodge... That''s not your real name. Am I right?" Alcuin suddenly said as his eyes flashed with sharpness.

    Hearing this, Zachary was stunned. He didn''t expect that Alcuin would easily see through him even though he didn''t say anything doubtful.

    "Ha-ha! You don''t need to be so tense. Well, I guess that only a few warriors in the Dignified Supernal Sect use their real names. Besides, based on your story, if you had suffered serious injuries, you must have offended some dangerous people, right? I''ll understand if you want to hide your real identity," Alcuin said.

    "Well, sort of," Zachary answered as he shrugged his shoulders.

    "I''ve heard that you''re going to take part in the assessment?" Alcuin asked as he continued gulping down from a wine jar.

    "Yes, that''s right, sir. After all, I can only formally become my master''s disciple once I pass the assessment," Zachary replied with a nod.

    "Yeah. That''s because the Dignified Supernal Sect has always been a stickler to the rules. Even though Tania is the Holy Maiden, she still isn''t entitled to some privileged treatments. But if she¡¯s willing to teach you, there is not much difference whether you become an inner disciple or not. You won''t be able to learn such amazing alchemy skills aside from her. Her skills are unparalleled in the entire Dignified Supernal Sect," Alcuin remarked.

    "I know, but my master ha

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    ''t know if I''m actually doing it right," Zachary asked as soon as he saw Alcuin come back.

    "Ahem! Yes, you''re doing it right, but that''s just the beginning." Alcuin made it sound that Zachary just did something basic in order to cover up his embarrassment. Now that Zachary was able to release two different martial energies at the same time and achieve two different effects, he could now move on to the next step. In fact, the next step was actually the final one. He just needed to learn how to freely control the martial energies that he would release.

    This step would also allow him to determine the power of the martial skill that he could generate.

    However, this step would actually be much easier for Zachary to master, because he had already reached the Sage Level before. It meant that his ability to control his martial energy had long exceeded that of an Imperial Level warrior. Therefore, even though his strength was currently back to the Imperial Level, he was still very much skilled in controlling his strength.

    Realizing that Zachary''s learning ability was way beyond what he had expected, Alcuin panicked slightly, not knowing what to do next. He was actually planning to keep Zachary busy for a few more days by making him learn this unique self-created skill. He thought that while the young man was gradually learning, he could also make the young man do his best to raise the wine spirit. However, he didn''t expect that Zachary was such a fast learner that it was almost scary.

 Chapter 1017 Illusionary Avatar Skill

    Since Zachary had surprisingly comprehended the skill so quickly, Alcuin felt rather embarrassed. So he decided to move on quickly to the next step.

    Controlling the martial energy to determine the power of the skill wasn¡¯t that hard. But the most difficult part in the Dual Inter-fighting Skill was the variation of the skills that one would be using in the end.

    There were three kinds of variation that one could use. The first was to attack using two different skills at the same time, with the aim to surprise the opponent. The second one was to fuse two skills to form a more powerful one, which was almost similar to the Beast Merging Skill. The last one, which was also the most difficult to do, was to make use of the interaction among different kinds of martial energy to generate a skill with varying strengths. In turn, this would cause a devastating imbalance in strength and would be harder to resist.

    However, the last kind of variation was also something that could potentially hurt the user, so it was not advisable to be used unless it was absolutely necessary. The first two variations were the ones commonly used, but the user would need to assess the situation first in order for him to maximize the skill''s potential. Therefore, Zachary would need to practice more, possibly in actual battles, to really master the use of the variations.

    "Congratulations, young man! You have already grasped the essence of the Dual Inter-fighting Skill. All you need is to apply it in battles. That way, you could learn how to use it more eff

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    when he was already a Sage Level warrior, like the Invincible Sage Array, were also unusable because he didn¡¯t have the strength yet to perform them.

    Therefore, after all the simplification and enhancement of Zachary''s skills, he felt that he had somehow returned to the past, yet there was a different sensation.

    "Master Tania, since you have simplified my martial skills to this extent, are you going to teach me other powerful ones?" Zachary asked as he looked at Tania expectantly.

    "If you really want to acquire my martial skills, return your strength first to the Sage Level. Maybe then, I would think about it," Tania said, giving him a cold glare.

    Immediately after, Zachary''s face became sour, clearly disappointed by his master''s response.

    "Listen to me. There are two reasons why I have taken much effort to simplify and enhance your martial skills. First, I did it because I was concerned about your health. Your body has just recovered and you shouldn''t strain it too much. The other reason is to prevent your identity from being exposed. If you use the ultimate skills that you are known for, some people might easily recognize you. What''s the use of changing your name then? Anyway, you will only need your martial skills in the final round of the incoming assessment. And I think that with your experience, you should be able to defeat all of your opponents," Tania remarked. She seemed very confident of Zachary''s abilities even though there was a huge possibility that he would also face several powerful warriors there.

 Chapter 1018 The Ethereal Valley

    "Master Tania, I think you are exaggerating my capabilities. Please do not overestimate me. What if someone else surpasses what I can do? I will be a disgrace to you if such a thing happens..." Zachary said humbly with a bitter smile spread across his face.

    "Does that mean that you would go against my orders?" Tania asked with her eyebrows raised. Her face darkened, showing a dissatisfied expression upon hearing Zachary''s words.

    "That''s...that''s not what I meant. I promise I won''t use any ultimate skill that is likely to expose my identity in the assessment even if I am desperate to," Zachary immediately swore upon seeing Tania''s angry face. At that moment, he knew very well the consequences should he disobey her wishes.

    "Now, that''s more like it! That''s the spirit! Go and cultivate! Take note that you only have a month left to do this. If you slack, then expect to be expelled from the Dignified Supernal Sect! Starting today, you must soak in the medicinal liquid for four hours. You will do this every day, and on top of that, you will train in alchemy. Moreover, you must continue cultivating with all your strength during all the rest time," Tania reminded him sternly.

    "Yes, madam!" Immediately, Zachary stood up straight and gave her an odd kind of salute.

    As a response, Tania gave him a glance. Soon after

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    be open to the outside world as an exception so that it could receive a hundred warriors of Imperial Level who came to take part in the assessment. Generally speaking, people found it a rare opportunity for outsiders to come up the Cyan Cloud Mountain. After all, the Cyan Cloud Mountain was the core territory of the Dignified Supernal Sect. With that being said, the outsiders treated it like a sacred place, making it a dream and an achievement for countless warriors to set foot in this place.

    Since the incoming assessment of the Dignified Supernal Sect was more strict and exquisite than ordinary assessments, it would take at least two weeks for all the assessment items to finish. Therefore, the Dignified Supernal Sect would be responsible for the basic necessities of the one hundred Imperial Level warriors.

    Moreover, in the three days before the assessment, those candidates could also receive the personal instructions of many Sage Level warriors of the Dignified Supernal Sect. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Once an Imperial Level warrior could get some instructions, they would undoubtedly be more likely to go further in the oncoming assessment. Therefore, early in the morning, many Imperial Level warriors who were going to participate in the assessment already gathered in the Heavenly Cloud Square.

 Chapter 1019 Beast Merging Skill

    At this moment, there were about a dozen Sage Level warriors from the Dignified Supernal Sect that were scattered around the Heavenly Cloud Square. They were actually tasked to teach and give a lecture to the Imperial Level warriors. These Sage Level warriors all had outstanding abilities in a variety of fields, including beast taming, weapon refining, alchemy, and martial arts. By sending these very capable warriors, it could be seen that the Dignified Supernal Sect was very willing to impart a broad scope of knowledge to these candidates.

    In fact, such kind of scene would never be witnessed in the four martial colleges. If one could attend in any of the four martial colleges, he could see that only a very few senior warriors of Sage Level were teaching in person. Generally, the instructors would only be at the Imperial Level.

    However, in the Dignified Supernal Sect, an Imperial Level warrior wasn''t even qualified to teach. In fact, they were still classified as disciples. Only when a warrior had reached the Sage Level would he graduate from the title of being a disciple.

    Because of this, one could just imagine how powerful the Dignified Supernal Sect was. Even the four martial colleges, which were well-known on the Supernal Continent and were supposed to be superior to most clans and sects, would not even begin to compare to it.

    Of course, implementing this kind of system wasn''t a big deal for the Dignified Supernal Sect because these Sage Level warriors, who were tasked to teach, were just

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    by myself," Zachary answered indifferently.

    "Well, since you have cultivated it, is it okay if you let me test your Beast Merging Skill? Just think of it as a demonstration for the others who haven''t learned it yet," Norton asked afterward.

    Hearing this, Zachary cast a glance at Sharon, but it seemed that she was really looking forward to seeing his performance. At the same time, the surrounding Imperial Level warriors stared at him with contemptuous and doubtful gazes. He just wanted this to be finished, so he unenthusiastically said, "Fine. I''ll do it."

    Soon enough, the Imperial Level warriors stepped back dozens of meters away, making an open space that was huge enough for Zachary and Norton. Then, they stood on opposite sides and maintained a certain distance from each other.

    "Please go ahead and summon your martial beast," Norton said as he gave the signal to Zachary.

    Zachary just nodded his head and directly summoned the Purple-winged Beast out. At the same time, he masked the Sage Level aura of the beast, making it appear like a treasure beast at the Imperial Level.

    As soon as the Purple-winged Beast appeared with the Wing Spear in its hand, all of the Imperial Level warriors were astonished. It was their first time seeing a human-shaped treasure beast, and it looked pretty rare. Of course, they did not know that the Purple-winged Beast was actually not an ordinary treasure beast but a powerful spiritual beast that was not supposed to exist anywhere on the Supernal Continent.

 Chapter 1020 Beast Transformation Skill

    "What the hell is that? This guy''s treasure beast looks so strange. It doesn''t look like a treasure beast at all!" Sharon was flabbergasted at the sight of the Purple-winged Beast.

    Even Norton thought that it was unique for a treasure beast, but he didn''t comment on it. Immediately after, he summoned one of his sacred beasts that carried the water element.

    "By the way, I will use a power that is equivalent to that at the medium stage of Imperial Level to launch an attack. Try your best to resist it," Norton warned kindly.

    "All right. I''m ready," Zachary said without any hint of nervousness.

    The next moment, Norton raised his hands and instantly released a staggering power with the water element that was indeed equivalent to the power at the medium stage of Imperial Level. At the same time, the sacred beast beside him spurted out a huge water ball. In a flash, Norton''s water elemental power merged with the beast''s water ball, instantly making it grow larger. Meanwhile, it spun rapidly with great momentum, directly increasing the original power of the water ball by a few times.

    Seeing this magnificent scene, the Imperial Level warriors around were dumbfounded. Most of them had never seen the Beast Merging Skill actually being used, and they never thought that it would be this fascinating.

    At the same time, Zachary also released his Imperial Level aura. However, in order to hide his real strength, he had only unleashed an aura that would give the bare minimum power at the Imperial Level.

    "Humph! He never said that he had already regained his strength a

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    just walk away before he completely loses his face!"

    "Why were you talking in a roundabout manner? I dare you to say whom you were talking about," Sharon scolded Fabian sternly as she thought that he had gone too far with his loathing.

    "It doesn''t matter whom I was talking about. I just want some people to be aware of their limitations and their strength. After all, sometimes, just because he has accomplished something trivial, his head gets too big!" Fabian continued to talk indirectly, but it was pretty obvious that he was referring to Zachary all along.

    "Fabian! You shut your mouth already!" Sharon exclaimed in anger. If it weren''t for the presence of all the people there, she would have already taught Fabian a lesson.

    "I really don''t know what you mean when you said that I should be aware of my limitations and strength, but I agree that the Beast Merging Skill is nothing compared with the Beast Transformation Skill. I should''ve known this, because I practice the Beast Transformation Skill most times just for fun." Out of nowhere, Zachary, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly broke the silence and revealed a wicked grin as he stooped down to Fabian¡¯s level.

    "Ha-ha! If you could master the Beast Transformation Skill, then I would be able to fly! You''re such a good joker, aren''t¡ª"

    Before Fabian could even finish his sentence, Zachary waved his hand and called forth the Purple-winged Beast. "Purple-winged Beast!" The very next moment, it shone with dazzling light as a powerful force suddenly surged out of its body and infused with Zachary''s.

 Chapter 1021 Energy Dissipating Platform

    Then, Zachary''s whole body was instantly enveloped by black and purple light that also spread throughout the area. His body features also began to change. Black tattoo-like lines were engraved on his skin and his face became ferocious yet attractive as if he was possessed by an evil god. But the most astonishing and noticeable feat was the appearance of a pair of huge black wings on his back that suddenly spread out. He looked like an angel of death that could vanquish anyone.

    Seeing this astounding scene, Sharon and the other Imperial Level warriors were shocked to their core. Their eyes opened wide and their mouths were left hanging. Even the other Imperial Level warriors, who were listening to the lectures of the other Sage Level warriors in the distance, couldn¡¯t help but look in their direction and be amazed at what they witnessed.

    Even Norton was amazed. "What a formidable beast taming talent this young man possesses!" he exclaimed. In his vast experience, he had never seen anyone perform the Beast Transformation Skill with such a perfect fusion with the beast''s power. There was no hint of rejection, proving that Zachary''s talent as a beast tamer was indeed spectacular.

    "Hodge, you are incredible!" Sharon also shouted excitedly. She even had the impulse to worship Zachary. After all, she was supposed to be the most talented in beast taming among the disciples in the entire Dignified Supernal Sect. However, now that she saw Zachary''s skill, she had to admit that she would fail in comp

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    ition.

    Moreover, two elders of the Dignified Supernal Sect, who were responsible to supervise the assessment, were seated in front of the Energy Dissipating Platform. Beside them were more than twenty Sage Level warriors that would also spectate the event. Just their mere presence would be enough to shock any person on the entire Supernal Continent.

    The Energy Dissipating Platform was located in the southwest portion of the Cyan Cloud Mountain, which was one of the most peculiar areas of the mountain. There was a vortex cave under the terrain where the platform was built, which was well-known to devour all kinds of essential energy and power. No matter what kind of spiritual energy or power it was, as long as it was within the range of the vortex cave, it would quickly dissipate. Hence, the vortex cave was considered to be a very terrifying natural existence.

    This was actually the very reason why the Dignified Supernal Sect decided to build the Energy Dissipating Platform in the area. They envisioned to take advantage of the spiritual absorbing characteristic of the vortex cave to help the warriors train and increase their talent in martial speed. This method was also the reason why the disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect were naturally more talented in martial speed than other ordinary warriors on the Supernal Continent.

    Finally, the Energy Dissipating Platform could also test a warrior''s talent in terms of martial speed by testing his control of the martial speed circulation.

 Chapter 1022 Incredible Performance

    At this moment, the one hundred Imperial Level warriors who would participate in the assessment were ready and just waiting for the assessment to begin. Under the guidance of the assessment''s staff, they were guided inside the Energy Dissipating Platform. Since most of the participants were from the outer part of the Dignified Supernal Sect, and only a small part was from various sects and clans in the Canopy Kingdom, almost all of them were already quite familiar with the contents of the assessment.

    Upon entering the Energy Dissipating Platform, the candidates quickly chose their respective position, sat with their legs crossed, and began to activate their energy.

    With the loud sound of a horn, it signaled the official beginning of the assessment for the first aspect.

    To pass this test regarding the martial speed, one needed to stay on the Energy Dissipating Platform for at least twelve hours. However, if they were aiming to get a high ranking, they had to hold on for as long as they could even if they had already surpassed the twelve-hour mark.

    However, as expected, the test wasn''t going to be easy. The speed at which the Energy Dissipating Platform absorbed the essential power and energy of the warriors gradually increased, thus they didn''t dare to activate their highest martial speed in the beginning so that they could replenish their martial energy smoothly. After all, if they activated a higher martial speed right away, their bodies would definite

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    "Wait. Who is that guy? It seems that his strength is very weak compared to the others. How did he make it this far?"

    "He shouldn''t be a member of the outer part because I''ve never seen him before."

    "He must be from the other clans or sects. But is he really an Imperial Level warrior? He has such poor strength to even be considered one."

    For a brief moment, the people started to be intrigued by Zachary.

    At the same time, many disciples of the inner sect of the Dignified Supernal Sect had also noted Zachary. After carefully observing him for a while, their eyes widened as they realized something.

    "Isn''t he the guy who just broke the record in the Alchemist-testing Pavilion?"

    "Yes, it''s definitely him! But why is he taking this assessment? Does that mean that he is not a disciple of the Dignified Supernal Sect yet? I thought he was already one of the new disciples!"

    "That doesn''t make sense! If he''s not yet a disciple of our sect, how did he enter the Alchemist-testing Pavilion to take the alchemist test that day?"

    "I don''t know either. But the current situation is more surprising. If he''s just relatively weak, how could he stay on the platform up to this point? Is he about to surprise everyone again and execute an incredible performance just like he did last time?"

    Soon enough, as the disciples from the inner part of the Dignified Supernal Sect recognized Zachary, they also made their own speculations that instantly brought an uproar.

 Chapter 1023 A Sensation

    Meanwhile, the audience still had their doubts. As they continued wondering and guessing about what on earth was happening, a few more warriors of Imperial Level fell on the Energy Dissipating Platform. One by one, they withdrew from the competition. By the end of it, only ten participants remained standing on the Energy Dissipating Platform. Of course, this included Zachary.

    Among the remaining ten Imperial Level warriors, all of them, excluding Zachary, were already at the premium stage. And they had all been displaying such an astonishing quintuple martial speed. As a result, Zachary suddenly became the center of attention.

    The audience found out that Zachary was the only one who was still displaying the quadruple martial speed among the ten participants on the Energy Dissipating Platform. At this point, he should have been increasing his martial speed further, but he didn''t. This was the main reason for their utter bewilderment. They couldn''t believe that Zachary had managed to hold on with merely the quadruple martial speed. As a matter of fact, what he was doing was next to impossible.

    Of course, what they didn''t know was Zachary owed this amazing feat to the God-slaying Formula. Just a while ago, he had been relying on the reversed martial energy through the use of the God-slaying Formula. It drastically reduced the amount of martial energy he was losing. While the other Imperial Level warriors were running out of martial energy, Zachary still had sufficient

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    nor differences in strength and martial speed among the four Imperial Level warriors. With that said, it meant that there would always be someone who wouldn''t be able to go on any further. Sure enough, one of them surrendered. To the crowd''s utter bewilderment, Sebastian, who was one of their favorites, was the first to give up. It seemed like he had already reached his limit. He didn''t dare to push it even further. Otherwise, he might be seriously injured, and that was not worth the trouble.

    Sebastian surrendering before the other warriors caused a commotion in the spectators. On the other hand, Zachary, who was still exhibiting the quintuple martial speed, had not given up yet. They couldn''t fathom how Sebastian could have given up before Zachary.

    Before everyone could even come to their senses, Judd had apparently reached his limit as well. He raised his hand and yielded.

    The above mentioned two Imperial Level warriors, the crowd''s favorites, gave up one after the other. Obviously, this exceeded everyone''s expectations. The remaining three Imperial Level warriors were Zachary, Latham, and the wimpy one. Clearly, they weren''t expecting these three to last, especially Zachary.

    Perhaps it was because they were taken aback by Zachary''s current strength level that they didn''t know how to describe their bewilderment. Aside from that, the martial speed test had come to its final and most critical moments. Therefore, the whole place immediately fell into silence.

 Chapter 1024 Septuple Martial Speed

    Despite the rising tension in the air, a seemingly unimaginable scene appeared. Bright light suddenly shone on the sissy¡¯s body, and a shocking air flow burst out from within him. In a flash, his martial speed instantly increased to the septuple martial speed.

    The spectators who witnessed this appeared dumbfounded at once because not a single Imperial Level warrior had reached the septuple martial speed before. Even the two elders of the Dignified Supernal Sect could not hide their astonishment at the sight of this.

    "Aunt Tania, how could this possibly happen? That man is displaying the septuple martial speed!" Sharon voiced out her alarm.

    "In general, this is impossible," Tania replied. The incident also came as a surprise to her because in her mind, only Zachary, whose meridians she had helped graft with Anne earlier, could break through his strength¡¯s limit to reach the septuple martial speed. She had never expected that someone else could also carry it out.

    However, as Tania took a much closer look at the man, she soon found something amiss with him, but she stayed calm and didn¡¯t show it on her face.

    Meanwhile, it also surprised Zachary to see that this man also possessed the septuple martial speed like himself. But he wasn¡¯t the least worried that he would lose to this guy since he was only bearing the quintu

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    p slowly. After glancing around, he left the Energy Dissipating Platform discreetly. The crowd remained unresponsive, and they had not yet realized what had happened. Zachary''s action utterly shocked everyone.

    It was only after Zachary left that the crowd burst into an uproar. Everyone was discussing among themselves about his last feat.

    "Was that real? Did I see something wrong? How did he get the septuple martial speed?"

    "Not only did he possess the septuple martial speed, but he also sucked back the essential energy from the Energy Dissipating Platform. This is absurd!"

    "Yes, even a Sage Level warrior can''t do such a thing! Who the hell is that guy?"

    At the same time, in one corner of the Energy Dissipating Platform''s side, a figure with a gloomy face said ferociously, "That brat even displayed the septuple martial speed just now! It seems the Holy Maiden has put a lot of effort into him. What an utter waste of resources! If it were given to me, I guarantee that I can do better than him. However, he won''t be complacent like this for long! I¡¯ll tear him down." Then the figure vanished into thin air.

    Because of his incredible performance in the martial speed test, Zachary deserved to take the top spot. As expected, several speculations about him also circulated throughout the entire Dignified Supernal Sect.

 Chapter 1025 Beast-taming Test

    Not long after Zachary got out of the Energy Dissipating Platform, Tania and Sharon immediately rushed out and landed in front of him. As soon as the two beautiful ladies appeared, the people couldn''t help but turn their heads for a chance to witness their captivating appearances. In fact, since Tania and Sharon were blood-related, they bore some resemblance. However, their personalities were on the polar opposite. Sharon was very lively and energetic while Tania was almost always serious and quiet.

    In Zachary''s honest opinion, he would be more attracted to Tania than Sharon.

    "Master Tania, Sharon," Zachary greeted the two ladies upon seeing them.

    "I must say that you did a good job today, but that last move was a little too excessive. I told you not to make such a huge scene!" Tania praised Zachary but still couldn''t help criticizing him. After all, the last move that he did during the test was too eye-catching, and she was worried that it would cause him unnecessary trouble.

    "I was just making sure to win. It''s also for my own safety. That sissy-looking guy couldn''t be underestimated. Besides, he also reached the septuple martial speed..." Zachary argued with a bitter smile. The only reason why he h

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    t place in that test. I actually wanted to watch it in person, but I have to stay behind and observe the development of the new wine. But I promise that when the final test comes, I will definitely be there to cheer you on. So, be sure not to let me down!" Alcuin said with a bright smile.

    "Yes, sir. I will do my best," Zachary replied earnestly. Although his master had strictly told him to stay away from the old man as much as possible, he felt that Alcuin''s personality was just to his liking.

    After chatting with the old man for a while and letting him know the status of the growth of the wine spirit, Zachary eventually returned to the Bloom Garden. He then entered the system and continued preparing for the succeeding tests.

    The second basic test would be about beast taming. Therefore, he had to adjust the states of the Sun-swallowing Beast and the Purple-winged Beast to suit his strength. Although he also had the Supreme Cloud Lion, its strength had already reached the Holy level. Thus, he would not be able to control it with his current strength, and he could not use it on the day of the said test. Hence, the performances of the first two beasts would directly influence Zachary''s beast-taming test.

 Chapter 1026 Beast Labyrinth Array

    However, the loss of the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Demonic Emperor Beast had been a huge loss for Zachary, so he had no other choice but to rely on the Sun-swallowing Beast and the Purple-winged Beast, making him cherish the two beasts all the more. The only problem was that the Sun-swallowing Beast had just recovered from its severe injuries and was still relatively weak. As much as possible, Zachary didn''t want it to fight yet. However, since the incoming test was very important, he still had to make sure that the Sun-swallowing Beast was prepared for it.

    Fortunately, due to the result of the asexual reproduction, the embryo that was made from the high-quality genes of both the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Demonic Emperor Beast had finally taken shape. After a period of time, it should be able to hatch, and Zachary would realize his wish of bringing the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Demonic Emperor Beast back into life.

    Two days later, the second test, which was about the beast taming, had finally come.

    The main goal of the beast taming test was to test the warriors'' ability to control their treasure beasts. Hence, they would be tasked to achieve specific goals through controlling their treasure beasts, which would be the basis for assessing their beast taming talents. Therefore, to a certain extent, the beast taming test was actually more complicated than the martial speed test.

    Just like in the first

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    ll competitors here. Your septuple martial speed shouldn''t hold on for long, so you wanted to trick me into admitting defeat, right? That''s why you had no choice but to provoke me," Zachary replied. He had already figure it out since Tania also explained to him that his opponent could just use the septuple martial speed for a short duration only.

    When the sissy heard that, his face, which was even fairer than a woman''s, immediately flushed red. Then, he coughed a little to hide his embarrassment and said, "So, I hope that you won''t hold a grudge against me."

    "Are you apologizing?" Zachary asked casually as he crossed his arms over his chest.

    "What? No. I¡¯m just explaining what happened back there. Besides, you said so yourself. I didn''t do anything wrong. I took my chances in order to win. That''s all," the sissy said hesitantly. Despite what he said, it was obvious that he was still actually feeling guilty.

    "Okay. It''s all right now. It''s not a big deal anyway," Zachary said with a faint smile. He was just actually teasing him. Then, he also asked, "What are you still doing here? Most of the participants have already left."

    "Well, that''s the thing¡­ My beast taming ability is relatively weak. I''m afraid that it won''t be easy for me to find a route map that I could use so that I could easily pass through this maze. I¡¯m still looking for someone with whom I can team up," the sissy answered reluctantly.

 Chapter 1027 Route Map

    "I agree to have you as a partner. But with your strength stronger than mine, what if you suddenly renege on your words once I help you find the route map? If this is the case, I will suffer losses," Zachary said carefully. He never expected the sissy to offer him a partnership.

    The sissy solemnly pledged, saying, "No, I''ll never do it. Once we find a route map, both of us can cross the Beast Labyrinth Array together. With my treasure beast''s strength, I''m positive that we can pass the beast taming test without difficulty."

    "Haven''t you mentioned earlier that your beast taming ability is comparatively low? Your promise doesn''t seem to be trustworthy!" Zachary said, nodding off with a smile.

    "I only stated that my beast taming ability is weak, but not my treasure beast''s strength. My treasure beast is excessively strong, so that I cannot control it yet," the sissy clarified.

    "Is your treasure beast that powerful? Why don''t you bring it out and let me have a look?" Zachary at once said oddly.

    "No, I cannot do that. Its temper is terrible. If I summon it out so nonchalantly, it will be displeased." The sissy''s head shook helplessly.

    "I understand." Za

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    after, a giant centipede-like treasure beast immediately surfaced from the ground at the exact location where they stood a moment ago. Its body was thick and long with a mouth that resembled a pincer. Aggressively, it pounced toward Zachary and Susie, who were still in midair.

    "It''s a Footless Centipede with the strength at the premium stage of Imperial Level." Susie carefully looked down and recognized the treasure beast. Her face then paled dramatically at the validation.

    Zachary and Susie had jumped as high as they possibly could, but they started to fall then. The Footless Centipede was right under them, and they were about to become its food. Because the Beast Labyrinth Array didn''t allow warriors to battle personally, they could only summon their treasure beasts to fight. However, the situation had reached a critical level that calling the treasure beasts wouldn''t be of much help anymore.

    Just when they were in danger, Susie suddenly felt a big hand holding her slim waist. In an instant, her dropping body suddenly stalled in midair. When she returned to her senses, she discovered that she and Zachary were floating in midair and no longer falling.

 Chapter 1028 An Elite Imperial Level Beast

    "What the¡­ You can fly?!" Susie immediately fell into a daze as she looked at Zachary. Normally, only Sage Level warriors would have the ability to fly in the air. That was why she was in utter shock when she saw that Zachary did it.

    Zachary just smiled and hurriedly took Susie away to distance themselves from the Footless Centipede. Then, they landed on the ground a few meters away.

    "Don''t just stand still. Call your treasure beast so that we could take this beast down," Zachary immediately reminded Susie who was still quite in a daze.

    "R-right." Finally, Susie came back to her senses. Then, she took out a red light bead from her chest and tossed it into the air.

    As soon as the bead landed on the ground, it burst out dazzling light that instantly turned into a red foxlike treasure beast with a sturdy body. It proudly raised its head like a queen and immediately let out strident roars.

    As Zachary took a closer look, he immediately recognized that the beast that Susie summoned was the Red Demonic Fox. ''It''s the Red Demonic Fox! It''s one of the ten sacred beasts and as powerful as the Sun-swallowing Beast. This lady never stops surprising me!'' It was one of the ten sacred beasts and it was well-known as a powerful Sage Level beast. However, it seemed that its real strength had been sealed, so he could only sense that its strength was at the premium stage of

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    But now that they already had a copy of the route map, everything became much easier than before. They could now avoid detours, but they still had to deal with randomly appearing treasure beasts. Therefore, their journey towards the exit still wouldn''t be as smooth as they wanted it to be.

    However, since the Red Demonic Fox paved the way for them, Susie and Zachary didn''t come across any huge obstacle. In fact, in no time, they were already about to see the exit.

    But the most difficult part of this test was yet to come as they approached the exit. Because before they could get out, they would need to face a very rare treasure beast that was waiting for them there.

    According to the illustrations on the map, four paths could lead them to the exit, and each one of them was being guarded by an elite treasure beast Hence, no matter which path they took, encountering an elite treasure beast was inevitable.

    Just as they reached a few hundred meters away from the exit, Zachary and Susie finally met an elite Imperial Level Beast that guarded the last ditch, which sealed off every corner of the road that led to the exit. At the same time, no other participants had set their foot on this road yet. It meant that if the two of them wanted to be the first ones to pass the test, they had to tread this road and defeat the elite treasure beast that was waiting for them.

 Chapter 1029 Forging The Sealing Tool

    Generally speaking, an elite treasure beast was known to be a creature not to be taken lightly. Knowing this, Zachary did not act rashly after seeing the beast up close.

    "I can''t believe that the Dignified Supernal Sect has managed to raise marvelous creatures such as the elite treasure beasts. I must say that I''m really impressed!" Zachary could not help but exclaim as he laid eyes on the elite treasure beast in front of him. Looking white as snow and as strong as an ox, the beast had two pairs of long, curved horns sticking out of its head. Without a doubt, the beast''s strength was very noticeable due to its aura that seemed to be close to the Sage Level.

    "What you''re looking at is the Horn Slave. It''s an elite treasure beast with the talent at the Sage Level. It''s a rare treasure beast with earth element, known for its violent strength, with a variety of special secret skills..." Mimi gave Zachary some information about the beast that was in front of him.

    "Wow! This one looks very powerful! Sadly, I don''t think my Red Demonic Fox could handle it! With our current strength, I think that it is going to be difficult for us to pass through," Susie remarked. Immediately after laying eyes on the overwhelming momentum of the Horn Slave, she lost her confidence and fighting spirit. She already felt defeated even before confronting the beast.

    "Well, I have the same thoughts. Usually, an elite treasure beast possesses some very special secret skills. Therefore, it will be more challenging for t

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    ed Beast lifted his Wing Spear and approached the Horn Slave. In the blink of an eye, a spear shadow rushed out into the air. Full of furious strength, it directly attacked the Horn Slave.

    Sensing the danger, the Horn Slave pulled out its sharp horns out of the chest of the Red Demonic Fox. Soon after, it opened its mouth and roared in the direction of the Purple-winged Beast. With a loud and deafening growl, the momentum of the Purple-winged Beast''s spear was destroyed.

    "Whoa, that''s really strong! It really is true to its name. However, no matter how powerful it is, it is still merely at the Imperial Level. Purple-winged Beast, unseal!" Zachary ordered upon seeing that the Horn Slave was quite powerful. He was afraid that he would be in a passive position if he didn''t let the Purple-winged Beast go all out.

    Upon hearing its master''s order, the Purple-winged Beast burst out the purple-black light all over its body, shining blinding light everywhere. Not long after, it released the power at the Sage Level.

    Astonished by what she saw, Susie could not help but exclaim in utter disbelief, "Sage... It''s a Sage Level treasure beast?"

    At the moment, several contestants who had teamed up arrived with the help of the route map they had found. Undoubtedly, they were also startled when they saw the scene in front of them. Obviously, they were a bit disoriented as they had no idea what was going on. All of their eyes showed curiosity as they wondered why there was a sacred beast in the area.

 Chapter 1030 Another Sage Level Beast

    As the Purple-winged Beast released its Sage Level power, its momentum and intensity increased sharply. It lifted the Wing Spear into the air again and caused a terrifying outburst of energy that crossed the sky like flashes of lightning. Although the Horn Slave tried its best to resist the attack, it was still directly hit by the Purple-winged Beast''s spear strike. Its huge body was instantly pushed dozens of meters away, crashed heavily on the ground, and rolled a few times over due to the massive impact.

    "No way! Your treasure beast is so awesome! I haven''t seen anything like it before!" Shocked and amazed, Susie couldn''t even close her mouth from witnessing the might of the Purple-winged Beast. The Horn Slave had easily beaten her Red Demonic Fox but it couldn''t even resist a single spear strike from Zachary''s treasure beast. The strength of the Horn Slave was already close to the Sage Level, but for it to be brought down like this just meant that Zachary''s Purple-winged Beast was far above the ordinary Sage Level treasure beasts.

    Of course, not only Susie but also the other Imperial Level warriors, who had just arrived in the area, were stunned at what they saw. They didn''t even make any move because they knew that they couldn''t get involved in such a fierce fight between the two beasts.

    Zachary glanced at Susie and scolded her, "Hey, you. How could you act so recklessly? What would you have done if I came back a little later? You would have been in grave danger."

    "It''s not entirely my f

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    e in by the Imperial Level treasure beasts, were bewildered to see that he summoned another powerful Sage Level beast.

    Even Susie was rendered speechless. "This guy..." At the same time, she felt so relieved and even rejoiced deep in her heart. If it weren''t for Zachary''s help, she would have no chance of passing the beast taming test at all, so she didn''t want him to be eliminated in such a cruel way.

    After injuring and killing most of the Imperial Level treasure beasts in a single move, the Sun-swallowing Beast continued its assault and flew directly on top of the remaining treasure beasts. With its Sage Level strength, all of those ordinary Imperial Level treasure beasts were not a match for it even if they combined their strength.

    Soon enough, both sides fell into a stalemate again.

    Meanwhile, the news that Zachary was actually in possession of two Sage Level beasts, and that he was controlling them simultaneously to take the Horn Slave down, as well as a group of Imperial Level treasure beasts, quickly reached outside the Beast Labyrinth Array. This instantly caused a massive uproar among the onlookers that were waiting at the exit of the labyrinth to witness the result of the test.

    It was a pretty big deal since among the four elite treasure beasts that were guarding the last pass, the Horn Slave was the most powerful one. Moreover, it was the only one that had the special ability to break through to the Sage Level, and thus it was undoubtedly the most difficult one to deal with.

 Chapter 1031 The Beast Became Obedient

    "Did I hear wrong or is the weakest warrior of Imperial Level participating in the assessment actually manipulating two Sage Level treasure beasts to fight against the Horn Slave? It''s widely known that the Horn Slave is the strongest among the elite treasure beasts!"

    "Exactly! How is that even possible? Controlling one Sage Level treasure beast in itself is impossible. But he is controlling two! The news must be wrong!"

    "This man is probably hiding his strength. But his true strength can only be at the Imperial Level at most. He can''t be powerful enough to control a Sage Level treasure beast!"

    "The Horn Slave''s power can reach the Sage Level at most. And no one has ever even passed through its guarding pass!"

    The people gathered at the exit of the Beast Labyrinth Array were in an uproar, shocked at the news that was spreading. It was said that Zachary could simultaneously control two Sage Level treasure beasts, and also that the elite treasure beast he had met was the Horn Slave, the strongest among the four elite treasure beasts.

    Everyone was anxious as they wondered if Zachary could defeat the Horn Slave.

    "He has two Sage Level treasu

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    Level warriors realized that they could stop the Horn Slave, but at the cost of hurting the warriors on its back. So they hesitated to do so.

    The beast came to an abrupt halt and knelt to the ground, as if it was a low slave. Zachary and Susie slid smoothly off its back.

    "It''s...It''s Hodge! They broke out on the back of the Horn Slave! How did this happen?" Sharon exclaimed, surprise coloring her features.

    The people present were shocked to see this as well, unable to believe their own eyes. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that the Horn Slave, the strongest elite treasure beast in the Beast Labyrinth Array, would be willing to serve as Zachary and Susie''s mount and help them pass the test. This was far more incredible than merely defeating it!

    The crowd was in an uproar for a long moment, the scene before their eyes incomprehensible to them no matter how much time passed.

    "Thank you. You can go back now!" Zachary said to the beast.

    At this, the Horn Slave obediently turned around and ran back into the Beast Labyrinth Array, as if it had been granted amnesty.

    The audience was dumbfounded as they watched this scene.

 Chapter 1032 Amazing Performance

    Even the two elders overseeing the beast taming test and the Dignified Supernal Sect''s Sage Level warriors seemed mystified because they all knew how hard it was to subdue an elite treasure beast, let alone make it abide by a warrior''s order. Nonetheless, Zachary had done it successfully, which was quite incredible.

    Despite their surprise, since Zachary and Susie had crossed the Beast Labyrinth Array simultaneously, they were both declared winners and tied at the top spot.

    However, Zachary was unexpected to take first place quickly after he just stirred a sensation in the martial speed test. Now, he won once again in the beast taming test in such an unusual and remarkable manner.

    At this moment, at the height of the crowd''s attentive gazes, Susie turned to look at Zachary and made him a promise. "Thank you for helping me out. I can truly say that this time, I am benefiting greatly from my alliance with you. But there''s nothing I owe anyone. In return, I will assist you in completing the next test."

    "That won''t be necessary. Just look after yourself." Zachary shook his head and smiled.

    "You are capable of controlling two Sage Level beasts, but why did you agree to be my partner? In fact, with your strength

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    n with Zachary. He always held different opinions of Zachary compared to the other elders.

    "Elder Timothy, if only you were able to witness the martial speed test, I''m certain you wouldn''t say such things. During that time, the Holy Maiden''s disciple didn''t only display his septuple martial speed. Still, he also sucked back the essential energy absorbed by the vortex cave so he could replenish his own martial energy. That was a great performance!" an elder overseeing the martial speed test pointed out in an exaggerated tone.

    "So what? I''m not impressed at all. Maybe it was a unique skill he used to create a spectacle, as instructed by the Holy Maiden." Timothy expressed his dissatisfaction.

    "Elder Timothy, why do I get the impression that you are targeting the Holy Maiden''s disciple? Is it because he broke your disciple''s record in the Alchemist-testing Pavilion? Are you jealous that you feel he is more talented than your disciple Fabian?" another elder chimed in at once, figuring out Timothy''s sore point.

    "Don''t speak foolishly! I''m not as stubborn as you think! I am simply referring to the current situation. I think you all have overestimated the Holy Maiden''s disciple because of her," Timothy retorted.

 Chapter 1033 Repairing Materials

    "We are intelligent people! I think we can all tell whether the Holy Maiden''s disciple is overestimated or not," Donald, another elder, argued, angry at Timothy''s words.

    "All right, all right! Stop arguing, you two!" Kendrick raised his voice, silencing the two elders. "Agreed, Hodge''s performance is beyond our expectations and it looks like Tania''s insistence makes some sense now. But there are two basic tests he has yet to undergo and as long as he fails one of them, he won''t stand a chance. So I think we can discuss his qualifications only if he passes the four basic tests. Are we agreed on this?" Kendrick finished, looking pointedly around at everyone.

    Before anyone could say anything, however, a Sage Level warrior of the Dignified Supernal Sect hurried inside.

    "Sir and elders," the Sage Level warrior addressed them respectfully.

    "What''s the matter?" Kendrick asked, frowning at the urgency in the warrior''s tone.

    "Sir, there is something I need to report to you. We found this on the Horn Slave while checking for casualties in the Beast Labyrinth Array," the Sage Level warrior said, holding up a weapon as he spoke.

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    Level weapon, a warrior had to first analyze the materials used to repair it. However, needless to say, the materials used to repair a rare Imperial Level weapon themselves must be rare. So even if the warriors were well prepared, it was impossible for them to have all the repairing materials needed. Even if there were, there would be at most one or two kinds of them. However, judging from the degree of damage on each weapon, more than three kinds of materials were needed to repair it.

    But though repairing materials were rare, the weapon refining test had been carefully designed, so the materials could all be found in some areas of the Dignified Supernal Sect. Finding them depended on the warriors'' abilities.

    Most importantly, since the weapon refining test was elimination-oriented, there must be at least a few restrictions. Like the martial speed test, this one was also time-bound and was required to be completed in one day. A warrior needed to find the required repairing materials and complete the repairing work within twenty four hours.

    The horn-like sound rang out, indicating the start of the weapon refining test.

 Chapter 1034 Being Set Up

    Every participating contestant analyzed at once what necessary materials they would use to repair the damaged rare Imperial Level weapons assigned to them.

    "Mimi, I''ll leave it in your hands. It''s up to you to figure it out." Zachary knew that the fixed period allotted for the weapon refining test was a bit tight. Instead of wasting time doing the analysis, he knew it would be wiser to let Mimi handle it.

    As already expected, Mimi didn''t let Zachary down. It only took her a short while to be done with the analysis. "You''ve got the Heavenly Thunder Saber to repair. It''s an extremely high-quality and rare main hand weapon at the Imperial Level. Data analysis showed the severity of its damage and the need for restoration. To fix it up, you would need the centennial black iron to repair its appearance, and two other repair materials are also essential. Fortunately, those materials are readily accessible in your warehouse, so you''re only left to locate the centennial black iron''s whereabouts. However, let me remind you about the challenge of restoring it. Since the Heavenly Thunder Saber is a main hand weapon with thunder element, typically, using the energy fire with thunder element is ne

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    oesn''t get buried alive. The incident would be investigated, but it would only appear as an accident," the figure in black said fiercely.

    The others nodded and smiled at once.

    "The nerve of that brat to insult Fabian! The time has come for him to pay the price."

    "That''s right. Fabian is Elder Timothy''s disciple. Once he offended Fabian, it would mean that he had offended the entire Dignified Supernal Sect. That guy is so bold."

    "Fabian said that If we could get this job done and get into the final test, he would put in a nice word for us before Elder Timothy. Maybe he could make an exception to recruit us¡­"

    "Hush, take it down a notch. Be careful. There are ears on these walls."

    "Stop messing around with me. Hurry. This brat might show up anytime soon. We need to do this before he gets out," the leading figure in black urged in a rush.

    Before long, a few powerful martial beasts at the premium stage of Imperial Level emerged straight from the Virtual Air Space. Then the leading figure in black released them and drove them into the mine.

    After confirming that these martial beasts had already entered the mine, the leading figure in black revealed a triumphant smile.

 Chapter 1035 An Easy Suppression

    Meanwhile, Zachary, who had already gone deep into the mine cave, didn''t know that he had been set up and was about to encounter some troubles soon enough. At this time, he happened to find a piece of centennial black iron from the depths of the cave.

    "Wow! I¡¯m so lucky!" Zachary exclaimed in satisfaction. He immediately used the tools that he had to collect the centennial black iron and got ready to get out of the cave afterward.

    However, right after he finished acquiring the iron, he suddenly heard a strong explosion that came from the direction of the entrance of the cave. The fierce impact from the blast shook up the cave, raising dust all over the place and ruining its foundation. Consequently, it seemed that it might collapse at any time.

    After a while, the dust finally settled and the entire cave also fell silent.

    ''What on earth happened?'' Zachary thought as his eyes narrowed coldly. He had a hunch that this wasn''t just an accident, so he immediately walked toward the entrance of the cave to determine what had happened.

    But before Zachary could arrive at the cave''s entrance, he already spotted a few martial beasts at the premium stage of Imperial Level that wandered around the cave. They seemed to be pretty frightened and agitated because of the sudden explosion in the area.

    "Where did all these martial beasts come from?" Zachary was a little surprised to see them, becaus

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    tually, he knelt on the ground and writhed in pain as he screamed ferociously.

    Seeing this, the other warriors were flabbergasted. The black-robed warrior was supposed to be the strongest among their group, but Zachary had singlehandedly put him in this position.

    "Argh! It hurts! Damn it! What are you waiting for?! Make him stop! Kill him!" the warrior in black commanded his comrades at once as he was suffering from excruciating pain.

    As if they had somehow regained their senses, the other warriors nodded at each other and immediately rushed towards Zachary to attack him simultaneously. They thought that with their combined efforts, they would be able to take him down quite easily.

    However, even though Zachary was faced with several Imperial Level warriors, he still stayed calm and didn''t even take a step back. After all, before him, these guys were just weaklings that would not even be a match for him even though they joined hands.

    Just as the warriors got closer to him, Zachary''s body suddenly shone brightly and unleashed an astonishing ice force. Then, the ice under his feet began to condense and also quickly spread out to the feet of these Imperial Level warriors. Before they even noticed this, they felt that their feet and legs were already frozen, and they were stuck to the ground. They were instantly startled, seeing that they were actually suppressed by Zachary''s power.

 Chapter 1036 Natural Energy Fire With Thunder Element

    "Brat! If you have the guts, stop playing your dirty tricks! Fight with me! I''ll torture you to death!" the Imperial Level warrior in black challenged Zachary, boiling with fury as he watched the latter easily lead several other Imperial Level warriors to death.

    Zachary chuckled darkly. "I''m afraid you''ll die sooner if I take this seriously!" he said calmly.

    "How dare such a loser like you challenge me with such arrogance? Just wait and watch! I will twist your head off! Let''s see if you can speak then!" the man in black then threatened. He immediately launched an attack against Zachary, thinking that if he could defeat him, the tricks that Zachary had played would disappear.

    "What did you say? Me? A loser? That''s funny!" Zachary began laughing wildly, a strong evil light flashing through his eyes.

    The man in black was just about to hit Zachary when the latter lashed out with one hand, the Ice Dragon Claw rearing out and grabbing the man, lifting him up into the air.

    The other Imperial Level warriors paled in shock at this sight. Despite his strength being at the premium stage of Imperial Level, the black-robed warrior was no match for even a single move from Zachary.

    "Put me down, you brat! I''m w

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    d cautiously.

    "I only have the natural energy fire here," the mysterious woman said.

    "It couldn''t get any better then!" Zachary exclaimed. But he knew there was a catch. "Under what condition will you give it to me?" he asked.

    "Hmmm, not bad, brat. You are smart! How about this? Get me a few more jars of wine like the ones you brought to me last time," the woman said, smiling mysteriously.

    "No problem. But I''m in urgent need of the natural energy fire. Can you give it to me right away? I promise I''ll bring the wine here later," Zachary said, a hint of desperation lacing his voice.

    "Okay," the mysterious woman said. As she spoke, she stretched out an arm to the sky, a violent thunder instantly surging down towards her. However, the moment it approached the mysterious woman''s arm, it turned into a flame that shone with thunder radiance, which was the natural energy fire with thunder element that Zachary was looking for.

    "This is so awesome!" Zachary said, looking on in awe, his eyes wide as saucers. He realized that his future master was super powerful, given that she could so casually refine such violent thunder into the natural energy fire with thunder element. Such power was truly incredible.

 Chapter 1037 Smelting Materials

    As the mysterious woman waved her hand, the natural energy of fire with thunder element directly flew towards Zachary. Once it was in front of him, he quickly reached out his hand to take it. The moment he touched the natural energy, it swiftly integrated into his body.

    Soon enough, Zachary sensed that his body was beginning to feel numb, but he also noticed that there was no rejection happening. Normally, the process of merging with the natural energy fire was very painful. He had already experienced it before, so he was expecting the same thing. However, this time, he didn''t feel any pain. This was because he already had the mysterious woman''s evil thunder power in his body, making the merging of the natural energy fire with thunder element quite easy.

    ¡°Thank you, my future master,¡± Zachary said gratefully, cupping his hands to show his appreciation for what he had acquired.

    Without saying anything, the mysterious woman just glanced at Zachary, turned around, and continued looking into the distance.

    At the same time, Zachary wasted no time and teleported himself back. As he left the system, he hurriedly went back to the Cyan Cloud Mountain.

    When he returned to the Heavenly Cloud Square, he saw that some of the warriors at the premium stage of Imperial Level had already come back before he did. Obviously, they had successfully collected the materials that they needed to repair their weapons. Amo

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    ne of the highest attainments in this field.

    Of course, in addition to Susie and Sebastian, there were still a few other warriors who also had very good attainments in weapon refining. However, as long as everything went smoothly, the first place should be an exclusive battle between Susie and Sebastian.

    In the previous two tests, Susie had really performed very well. She just lost to Zachary in the last moment of the martial speed test, but she had redeemed herself by tying for first place with Zachary in the beast taming test. If she could also get the first place in the weapon refining test, as long as she could perform well in the last basic test, the alchemic test, she would have huge chances to take part in the final test.

    However, there were still other factors to consider to be able to take part in the final test, and it could only be certain until the last moment. To be able to proceed in the final test, one had to possess very comprehensive talent, but only a few Imperial Level warriors could consistently display that.

    While almost all of the contestants had already begun the repairing phase of the rare weapons, Zachary had just finished smelting his materials. Logically, the next thing that he should do was to begin with the repair of the Heavenly Thunder Saber, but to everyone¡¯s surprise, that was not what he did. Instead, he took the saber, threw it into the furnace, and smelted it.

 Chapter 1038 Furnace Refining Skill

    Seeing this scene, the people watching couldn''t help but be dumbfounded. They thought that Zachary must be insane for putting the Heavenly Thunder Saber directly in the furnace. For many, they thought that this method would lead him to his elimination in the test. After all, repairing a rare Imperial Level weapon would take lots of time and effort, and putting it in the furnace with the intention of re-produce it would actually require more time than the usual method. He was already far behind than most participants, and doing this might even mean that he couldn''t finish the task at all.

    At the same time, Timothy and Weston, the ones in charge of the weapon refining test, looked at each other in astonishment.

    "That is a rookie kind of mistake," Timothy said as he firmly shook his head.

    "What the hell is that guy doing? Why is he smelting the weapon that he needs to repair?!" Sharon couldn''t help but exclaim. She was so surprised at what Zachary just did that her mouth was almost left open.

    However, among everyone that saw Zachary''s inconceivable actions, Susie didn''t feel quite affected. On the contrary, she seemed to have known what Zachary was trying to do. Of course, she wasn''t a hundred percent sure, but she just knew that it would be impossible for him to commit such a stupid mistake.

    ''If he did that, I''m sure that he was going for that method. However, it''s

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    t the only one who recognized the skill. Everyone just didn''t expect that someone would actually use it during this competition. The refining masters present even felt that they had been completely deceived by Zachary. It was not until the last moment that they realized what he was doing.

    Soon enough, almost everyone had already known what Zachary just did. In the beginning, they assumed that he was making a rookie mistake and didn''t expect that he was just pretending to be rather weak. But in the blink of an eye, he showed everyone his mastery in weapon refining by performing a legendary weapon refining skill. With this, the onlookers were more amazed at him than ever.

    "Timothy, it seems that we were wrong about the Holy Maiden''s disciple. This guy is no newbie. He''s even more capable than several of the genuine disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect. Mastering the Furnace Refining Skill that has almost been lost in the Supernal Continent is no easy feat. This kind of weapon refining skill does not only require a firm understanding of the characteristics of all kinds of refining materials, but it also demands a strong and accurate control during the whole process. And since he even made it look so easy, Hodge is without a doubt an outstanding talent!" Weston remarked. As he sat next to Timothy, he couldn''t help but refute the latter''s earlier evaluation of Zachary.

 Chapter 1039 Finishing The Repairs At The Same Time

    "Humph! It''s just a coincidence. How could he learn the Furnace Refining Skill? It hasn''t been passed down for a very long time. And as far as I can remember, even the Holy Maiden hasn''t mastered that refining skill either. Am I right?" Timothy said as he tried to downplay Zachary''s abilities.

    "But how can you explain this? If that is not the Furnace Refining Skill, then what on earth is that skill?" Weston questioned, obviously not convinced with Timothy¡¯s reasoning.

    Hearing that, Timothy was rendered speechless. He knew that he was just making some excuses to deny that Zachary indeed had amazing talents.

    Sharon, who was watching anxiously earlier, breathed a sigh of relief as soon as Zachary finally revealed what he was trying to do. "Ugh! This guy is so annoying! He keeps on making me worry for nothing!" At the same time, she couldn''t help but complain because she felt that she had been always fooled by Zachary¡¯s deceptive acts. Actually, she wasn''t the only one who felt that way.

    Thanks to the Furnace Refining Skill, Zachary had successfully smelted and repaired the Heavenly Thunder Saber. Right now, all he needed to do was to reshape and polish the rare weapon to fully finish the task. However, even though he had already produced a semi-finished weapon, it still wasn''t that easy to execute the finishing touches in a short time. Moreover, several other participants, including Susie and Sebastian, were already about to accomplish the overall repairs.

    Therefor

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    ished a little later¡­" Timothy said as he glanced at Zachary emotionlessly. Sumner was Susie''s assumed name while participating in the assessment as a man.

    "Hmm, I actually think that Hodge finished earlier. His weapon was obviously repaired in the shortest time, but he just didn¡¯t have the time to declare it," Weston remarked after thinking for a while. It was a bit obvious that he was being partial towards Zachary.

    Since the two elders shared different opinions, the other Sage Level warriors from the Dignified Supernal Sect, who were also present and viewing the test, looked and whispered to each other.

    For a brief moment, there was silence in the entire square because the situation before them was absolutely unprecedented. Moreover, Zachary, who was supposedly left behind and acted like a newbie earlier, suddenly came from behind and repaired the rare weapon at the same time as Susie and Sebastian to obtain the opportunity for a triple tie.

    But soon enough, some doubts regarding Zachary¡¯s performance suddenly sparked.

    "Isn''t his rare weapon defective? He repaired it using that insane thunderbolt strike. That¡¯s not normal in any way."

    "I agree. Some people are saying that he used the Furnace Refining Skill, but it was known to be already lost in the Supernal Continent. So, no one should really be sure that he used the genuine skill. Even if it is real, he may only know a portion of it."

    "Or there¡¯s also a chance that he¡¯s just pretending to know it."

 Chapter 1040 Nine-star Weapon

    Timothy and Weston realized that each had their own opinions and that their argument was going nowhere. So, they both made a compromise and concluded that Zachary, Susie, and Sebastian had completed the repairing at the same time. But since it would be unfair to the other contestants, they couldn''t rank all three of them first. They had to decide who would take first place by appraising how perfectly they had repaired the weapons.

    The appraisal would be conducted at the same time by three Sage Level warriors of the Dignified Supernal Sect with outstanding weapon refining strength. They would decide through voting.

    Soon after, the three Sage Level warriors appeared and without any delay, walked up to Sebastian and started their appraisal of the rare Imperial Level weapon that he had repaired.

    Once they had looked it over, they nodded in satisfaction.

    One of the warriors commented, "Sebastian''s repairs are perfect, as far as we can see. The weapon is flawless."

    "Thank you!" Sebastian said, folding his hands before them in thanks.

    They then went on to Susie.

    A careful appraisal

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    e within a few hours?" Zachary said, chuckling.

    "Can''t you? The three people who were responsible for the appraisal are the strongest among the weapon refiners of Sage Level in our sect. They can''t make such mistakes. It''s impossible," Sharon said in some confusion.

    "The weapon I have repaired is indeed a nine-star one, but it can be used just once," Zachary explained.

    Susie''s eyes narrowed. "Are you saying that the nine-star weapon is actually disposable?" she asked. "But it''s more difficult to completely repair a rare Imperial Level weapon into a disposable nine-star one, isn''t it?" Even though the nine-star weapon that Zachary had repaired was disposable, it was as difficult as repairing a damaged weapon to a nine-star one.

    "Kind of. That''s why I chose to use the Furnace Refining Skill to transform it in the furnace. It''s a risk," Zachary confessed. As a matter of fact, he had only used the Furnace Refining Skill a few times. If he hadn''t wanted to win the first place so badly this time, he wouldn''t have taken the risk to use this skill that was so difficult for him to control.

 Chapter 1041 Winning First Place

    "Oh, I see," Susie said with a slight nod of respect. "It seems there''s no need for me to regret having lost to you." She had given her all to win, but she still failed to win first place. Despite losing to Zachary, she couldn''t help but admire his boldness and courage.

    "Of course you have nothing to regret. Hodge is my aunt''s disciple, after all!" Sharon announced proudly. "She only ever accepts extremely talented people." However, as soon as her words left her lips, all color drained from her face. She realized in a panic that she had inadvertently disclosed Zachary''s background.

    "What? Your aunt? Isn''t she the Holy Maiden?" Susie asked, eyes wide with shock. Immediately turning to face Zachary, she asked, "Are you the disciple of the Holy Maiden?"

    "Haven''t I mentioned this before?" Zachary asked, shrugging nonchalantly. Briefly, he shot Sharon a murderous look. ''She really can''t keep her mouth shut,'' he thought to himself in annoyance.

    Guiltily, Sharon pouted at him.

    "I didn''t expect you to be the disciple of the Holy Maiden," Susie cried. "What a surprise!" Secretly, she felt somewh

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    ying her strange little bath. The scene was dumbfounding.

    However, Zachary''s sudden appearance interrupted everything. In a flash, the violent thunderclouds disappeared. In the blink of an eye, the mysterious woman''s body was cloaked in armor, a heroic aura emanating from her being.

    "Well..." Zachary gulped nervously. "I didn''t mean to peep at you..." Naturally, he was afraid that the mysterious woman would be angry with him.

    "Have you brought the wine?" the mysterious woman asked calmly.

    "Yes." Zachary immediately released several jars of wine from the Virtual Air Space and placed them in front of the mysterious woman.

    After picking up one of the jars in her delicate hand, she opened it and took a sip of the wine. Seeming quite satisfied with it, she looked down at Zachary and asked, "What is the result of the test?"

    "Thanks to the natural energy fire with thunder element you gave me, I easily made it to first place." Zachary bowed slightly.

    "Good." The mysterious woman paused. Then, locking eyes with him, she asked suddenly, "But when will you regain your previous strength?"

 Chapter 1042 Alchemy Assist Function

    "Well, I can''t say for sure," Zachary answered hesitantly. "But if I pass this assessment successfully, I will be able to fuse the power of the Heaven Fire Formula in my body with myself. If all goes well, it won''t take too long to recover my original strength. Moreover, I don''t want to wait anymore."

    "You had better not rush things, or the results will backfire on you," the mysterious woman warned him gravely. "Anyway, I don''t require anything more from you. If you want me to be your master, you should first bear ninety-nine strikes from the heavenly thunder."

    "I''m afraid that might be a little difficult..." Zachary said with a bitter smile. This mysterious woman''s request made him feel embarrassed.

    "I believe in you," she said calmly. Then, without saying anything more, she raised her hands, and Zachary was bounced back to the system.

    "Was she encouraging me just now?" Zachary, who had been bounced back into the system, shook his head.

    Just then, Mimi''s sweet voice rang out. "Congratulations on you for winning first place i

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    would emerge victorious, while the losers would gain nothing. What a cruel world!

    Three days later, the twenty participants gathered at the Heavenly Cloud Square once more, anxious for the alchemic test to start.

    The reason why the Dignified Supernal Sect put the alchemic test at the last round was to show how much they valued alchemic skills. After all, the sect''s very foundation relied on alchemic skills. Their founder was an extraordinary doctor in the Supernal Continent who had saved tens of millions of lives. Consequently, he was respected by all the people, and the sect firmly believed that saving the world was their driving force.

    Compared with the previous three basic tests, the alchemic test was under the strictest supervision. For one thing, the sect had always been a stickler to its disciples'' talent in the alchemy. They would never allow a sham to pass. For another, compared with the other tests, the alchemic skills could determine life and death, so they absolutely needed to keep vigilant during the alchemic test.

 Chapter 1043 The Alchemic Test

    Different from the previous three basic tests, this time, the alchemic test would be supervised by four elders. And even the Dignified Supernal Sect''s leader, Kendrick, was present to observe the competition. Such a rare occurrence also thrilled the outer part''s people. After all, for them, it was a lifetime privilege to see Kendrick for themselves.

    The announcement of the test followed the same procedure as before. The people in-charge only disclosed the content until two hours before it began.

    But what was unexpected was that the alchemic test''s content wholly differed from the previous ones. Back then, the alchemic tests were almost always centered on an alchemic competition by testing the participants'' attainments in alchemy. However, this time, it was a medical skill competition between the warriors involved.

    Though inseparable and complementary to one another, the alchemic skill and the medical skill were divided into different areas. While the alchemic skill based solely on medical skill to refine pills, the medical skill relied on alchemic skill in saving patients.

    It might seem that the alchemic skill appeared more complex than the medical skill to the outside world. After all, the alchemic skil

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    m the towns located about a hundred miles from the Dignified Supernal Sect. Each of them suffers from a persistent illness. The next thing you should do is to diagnose, treat their illnesses, and prescribe pill formulas to help cure them. Then, you bring them over to the four elders for evaluation. If both the diagnosis and pill formulas are correct, then you can proceed to the next round. But, if they find even the slightest error, you will be directly eliminated."

    Except for Zachary, the other Imperial Level warriors looked a bit nervous. Most of them had never experienced an on-site diagnosis, so they were bound to feel the pressure.

    When the horn sounded, a villager was immediately brought in front of Zachary and the other warriors. These participants were asked to make the diagnosis one at a time.

    Despite the lack of hands-on experience, most of the warriors quickly went into focus. Even though they didn''t possess strong medical skills, they would at least perform much better than ordinary doctors. Besides, they knew some unique secret alchemic techniques, which could be useful in making their prognosis. So, until they encountered too complicated illnesses, the test wasn''t too challenging for them.

 Chapter 1044 Let Me Save Her

    When the villager had already been diagnosed by the Imperial Level warriors before Zachary, Zachary was the last one to diagnose him.

    Knowing that the alchemic test was much stricter than the others and that not a single mistake was allowed, Zachary decided to use the electronic eye. Although using it might seem like cheating in the test, in order to pass the test, he had to do everything in his power and utilize the best method in his arsenal.

    A moment later, Zachary felt a faint electric current flowing in his left eye, which made it blink a few times. Soon enough, the vision in his left eye became more vivid and directly penetrated the body of the villager, making him see all of the villager''s internal body parts.

    With the aid of the perspective function of the electronic eye, Zachary began to examine the villager. Not long after, he was able to accurately diagnose the villager''s disease.

    After all of the participants had finished their diagnoses, the villager was escorted away.

    "Now, on a piece of paper, write down the correct pill formulas to be used to treat this villager''s disease!"

    Immediately after, Zachary and all the other warriors wrote down the pill formulas on the pieces of paper on the wooden table and handed them to a disciple of the Dignified Supernal Sect afterward. When the disciple collected all of them, he handed them to the four elders of the sect so that they could

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    y''s response. After all, he also didn''t want to disgrace the sect''s reputation.

    Ignoring Donald''s threats, Zachary made his way to the woman and said, "If you trust me, please hand the girl over to me. I promise that I''ll try my best to save her."

    The woman was actually stunned at first, but she had no other choice at the moment but to rely on someone willing to save her daughter. Thus, she immediately handed the girl to Zachary.

    As Zachary held the little girl in his arms, he wasted no time and scanned the girl''s body with his left eye. With the aid of the electronic eye, he found out that there was a large shadowy area in the girl''s lungs. Judging from the symptoms she was exhibiting, it seemed that she was suffering from congenital pulmonary failure.

    Moreover, the girl''s meridians were a bit different from ordinary people''s, which made her condition even more complex and worse. Also, the sudden coma that she experienced must be caused by the sudden change of the pulmonary failure from congenital to acute. Meaning to say, the little girl might actually die within two hours. Now, he realized why Donald confidently stated that no one could save her. Judging from the medical background of the backward age, the little girl would be indeed hopeless. No matter how powerful and effective the pills were, they would be impossible to repair and cure this kind of pulmonary failure in just two hours.

 Chapter 1045 No Aura At All

    However, Zachary wanted to believe that he could still do something to save the little girl. The problem was that in order to save her, he would need to forfeit the ongoing test and lose the chance to proceed to the final stage of the assessment.

    "Hodge! Go back to your position and resume the test. Don''t be stupid!" Donald urged. Since Zachary was the Holy Maiden''s disciple, Donald couldn''t help but feel regretful if he would just throw away his opportunity to become an official member of the Dignified Supernal Sect. Moreover, they had already seen his outstanding talent and potential in the previous tests, so if he could pass the alchemic test, there really was a huge chance that he could also do well in the final test and eventually become a formal member of the inner part of the sect.

    After thinking of every consequence that he might encounter, Zachary had finally made up his mind. "I''m sorry, sir. I can''t just turn my back on her. She''s still alive and I believe that she could still be cured. Knowing that, I will do what I can to save her," he said. He felt so helpless when Alisa was taken away right before his eyes, so he was very much compelled to save this little girl who looked like her.

    It was clear to him that choosing to save the little girl meant that he had to give up the assessment and also lose the chance to become a formal member of the Dignified Supernal Sect. Worst, he would disappoint Tania, who did her best just to help him ob

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    mind, making him more irritable.

    "I can''t let her die. There should be a way to save her. Think. Think!" Zachary murmured to himself as if he was about to go crazy.

    Hearing this, Sharon, who was guarding beside Zachary, immediately felt that something wrong was going on with him. She let out a frown and asked him, "Hodge, what''s wrong? Are you okay?"

    Fortunately, Sharon''s voice pulled him back to reality and made him regain his senses. The next moment, he suddenly opened his eyes wide as if he had finally found the resolve to what he needed to do next. Then, he withdrew his left hand immediately and cupped both his hands in front of his chest. Soon enough, he slowly separated them, revealing a cyan flame the size of a thumb between his hands. This was also the Fighting Crane''s power, but the essential part.

    This was Zachary''s last gamble to save the little girl. However, it was also clear to him that it was very risky since the girl was not a warrior. If her body rejected the Fighting Crane''s essential power and wasn''t able to fuse with it, she would definitely die. However, at this point, this was the only choice that he could think of, believing that if it was indeed God''s will to let her live, then he could save her.

    Without hesitation, Zachary directly shot the Fighting Crane''s essential power into the girl''s lungs. However, almost at the same time, the little girl suddenly stopped breathing and her aura was completely extinguished.

 Chapter 1046 Bringing The Dead Back To Life

    Seeing that the little girl suddenly stopped breathing and that her aura seemed to be completely gone, the onlookers shook their heads, thinking that she had already passed away. "What happened? Did she die?" They couldn''t help but sympathize with the girl''s tragic fate.

    "Oh no! My daughter!" The peasant woman, who had been desperately wishing for a miracle, immediately cried out loud when she saw what happened to her child. She was so depressed that she almost fainted.

    At the same time, Zachary, who had been trying so hard to save the girl even at the cost of consuming his own Fighting Crane''s essential power, looked expressionlessly at the motionless girl in front of him. He clenched his fists and it seemed that his body was trembling slightly.

    "You have already done your best. This isn''t your fault. She was already dying and severely sick to be cured anyway. Restrain your grief!" Sharon, who had been guarding Zachary all this time, comforted him upon seeing the gloomy expression on his face, thinking that he must be feeling guilty for not being able to save the girl.

    "She won''t die¡­" Zachary said softly.

    Despite what he said, no one really took his words seriously, including Sharon. She couldn''t help but shake her head and think that Zachary was just in denial and that he was trying to escape the bitter real

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    ure. She is actually different from ordinary people and might have extraordinary talent in martial arts. When she grows up a little more, you can ask the masters of the Dignified Supernal Sect to examine your child''s talent."

    "I see. Then, why don''t you just take her as your disciple? If it was you, I would be more than satisfied," the peasant woman insisted.

    "Unfortunately, I can''t do that because I''m not a member of any clan or sect. Thus, I¡¯m not qualified to accept a disciple. Well, you don''t have to worry about that right now. You can allot some time later to bring her to the Dignified Supernal Sect. For now, take her back first so that she could rest some more," Zachary explained with a pleasant smile.

    "All right. If you say so¡­" The peasant woman nodded and bowed repeatedly before she left with the little girl under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

    After the peasant woman and her daughter had finally left, everyone''s eyes were once again focused on Zachary. Even though he did an incredible thing by saving the life of a dying girl, he had lost the very chance to enter the final stage of the assessment. They couldn''t help but shake their heads and feel sorry for him. After all, Zachary possessed such astonishing talents that could actually guide him to become a formal member of the Dignified Supernal Sect.

 Chapter 1047 Entering The Final Stage Of The Assessment

    "So, what are you going to do now? Since you forfeited in the alchemic test, it meant that you have given up the chance to take part in the final test. Aunt Tania will be back. How will you explain it to her? I''m sure that you''re going to be doomed! She did her best to get you the chance to take the assessment, and then she will discover that you were eliminated this way," Sharon said as she walked up to Zachary as if adding salt to his wounds. However, though she was acting a bit cold, she was actually amazed at what Zachary had done. He chose to save a stranger''s life over something that could potentially give him an unlimited opportunity.

    "Even if Master Tania was here, she would have supported my actions," Zachary answered confidently.

    "Really? Even though you''re going to lose this huge chance?" Sharon asked, thinking otherwise. After all, she knew her aunt to be a rational and cold person.

    Zachary didn''t utter a word and simply shrugged as he let out a faint smile. Although he also thought that it was such a huge loss to forfeit in the assessment after all the efforts that he had poured into it, he didn''t regret deciding to save the life of the little girl.

    At the same time, Zachary saving the dying girl didn''t really have much impact on the alchemic test. In fact, at this moment, the test was about to conclude. There w

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    going on? It''s highly unlikely that the sect leader would make an obvious mistake!"

    They didn''t understand if he was just mistaken on the number of participants or he was deliberately changing the rules for this year''s assessment.

    "The last person to participate in the final test is¡ª" A second later, Kendrick suddenly uttered an unexpected name. "Hodge Long!"

    The moment Zachary heard that his name was mentioned, he was actually stunned for a second. He didn''t know if he just misheard it, but after a brief while, he revealed a faint smile, thinking that the world still worked fine. ''Well, it seemed that good things happen to good people,'' he thought.

    The people who heard this almost had the same reaction as Zachary. They were flabbergasted and thought that the sect leader might have been mistaken. After all, it was clear that the young man had been disqualified earlier for not finishing the alchemic test. Especially for those who had finished the test and were eliminated, they found Kendrick''s announcement very unfair.

    "How could it be him? Didn''t he give up the test earlier?"

    "That''s right! It makes no sense that he got the chance to participate in the final test."

    "This is unfair. We are more deserving of that spot!"

    Soon enough, those who had been eliminated in the last test began to express their protest.

 Chapter 1048 Spiritual Souls Talent

    "Be quiet, please. I figure you must be very curious why Hodge, who has withdrawn from the assessment, can still be included in the final test list. The elders and I have agreed to let him enter, and the reason is very simple. He cured a dying child at the cost of such a valuable opportunity in assessment, and he managed to save the child successfully. I believe you have all witnessed his high morals and impressive strength in both alchemy and medicine just now. On this note, I''d like to ask everyone a question, please. What would you do if you were him? Would you have made the same decision as his? I''m sure you''re all aware that our Dignified Supernal Sect''s founder considered it our responsibility to save the dying, rescue the wounded, and show our concern for humanity in general. Such a motto has been passed on in our sect for generations. We must always prioritize others'' welfare, even if we''re faced with dangers of our own, or challenges even. And what Hodge showed was precisely like that just now. He did an outstanding job of carrying out his duty. With that kind of talent, we thought, why not give him a chance." Kendrick spoke in an orderly manner, but the tone of his voice brought a strong impression.

    After listening to his speech, the audience appeared

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    en my experience, perhaps it would be a test of talent." Alcuin made some assumptions.

    "Is that so? But haven''t all the basic talents already been tested? What other talents can be tried then?" Zachary asked Alcuin, staring him in the eye.

    "Although the basic talents have already been tested, there is still one important talent that you must possess if you want to become a worthy disciple of the Dignified Supernal Sect," Alcuin said mysteriously.

    "What talent exactly?" Zachary asked right away.

    "It''s no other than the spiritual soul. The Dignified Supernal Sect''s disciples all know that it is necessary to have a talent in the spiritual soul," Alcuin replied without delay. "Besides, to the best of my knowledge, the other eight contestants have already cultivated their respective spiritual souls, so it is most likely that the final test will be a test of talent in the spiritual soul."

    "The spiritual soul? If that''s the case, then I might have some chances to win!" Zachary answered, nodding his head.

    "Really? Have you already cultivated your spiritual soul? But why can''t I have a good sense of your spiritual soul''s aura?" Alcuin asked out of curiosity because if Zachary had cultivated his spiritual soul, it would be hard for him not to detect it.

 Chapter 1049 The Former Leader

    "Well, maybe it''s because of my unusual cultivation method that my aura appears to be weaker than it really is. But you actually guessed it right. Before I was seriously injured, I had already cultivated my own spiritual soul," Zachary remarked.

    "Oh, I see. Ha-ha! Can I have a look then?" Alcuin asked, thrilled to see what Zachary''s spiritual soul would look like.

    Not minding the old man''s request, Zachary immediately stood up and walked towards an empty space in the room. In an instant, he released Gisele. Afterward, a strong spiritual force surged out, causing the entire winery to tremble violently.

    "It''s a Sage Level spiritual soul! You really impress me, brat! I can''t believe that your spiritual soul will already be at the Sage Level! Did you cultivate it yourself? But that''s quite impossible. Did Tania help you integrate it? Hmm. No, wait. Even with Tania''s help, you can''t just integrate a Sage Level spiritual soul into your body unless you have such outstanding talent¡­" The moment Alcuin saw Zachary''s spiritual soul, his reddish eyes instantly widened due to shock. However, he said dismissively, "It doesn''t matter. The important thing is that since you possess this Sage Level spiritual soul, there should be nothing that could hinder you to pass the final test."

    "I hope so too," Zachary responded calmly.

    After that, Zachary continued to chat and drink with Alcuin. Since the old man was under the influence of alcohol, he told Zachary about some

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    where my grandfather has been living in seclusion," Sharon replied as she lightly shook her head.

    "Hmm. So, I guess it will depend on your grandfather whether I can pass this test or not," Zachary remarked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

    "Probably. They actually said that my grandfather has a similar personality to that of Aunt Tania," Sharon said in a gloomy tone, knowing that this fact wouldn''t be good for any of the participants, even for Zachary.

    "Well, I can''t do anything about that. In this case, I really have nothing to prepare for. After all, none of us know what your grandfather will make us do," Zachary said indifferently.

    "What? But you still have to be well-prepared!" Sharon exclaimed as she saw Zachary''s lack of enthusiasm.

    "Don''t worry. I know what I''m doing. Besides, I don''t need to put unnecessary pressure on myself," Zachary answered with a faint smile.

    "Remember this! If you fail the final test, I won''t talk to you ever again!" Sharon stuck out her tongue like a child and then hurriedly left.

    As Sharon''s figure receded, Zachary''s eyes instantly narrowed and became serious. He had been confident that he would pass the final test, but he just didn''t expect the sudden twist in the upcoming event. Since the former sect leader was going to be in charge of it, he could already visualize the difficulty of the final test. However, for the time being, he could do nothing but just wait and see until the day of the test came.

 Chapter 1050 The Supernatural Cave

    The venue of the ultimate test was announced the day before it was to be held. As Sharon had predicted, it would take place outside the Supernatural Cave. But nobody knew yet what exactly it would entail.

    The news caused a commotion among the disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect, because everyone in the sect knew what the Supernatural Cave was. They hadn''t expected the ultimate test to take place outside the Supernatural Cave. From this, they deduced that this time, the ultimate test was probably going to be different from what it had been in the past.

    It didn''t matter what qualifications and strength the nine contestants had displayed in the previous tests. When it came to the ultimate test, all of them would now be on level ground.

    Time flew and before long, the ultimate test was here.

    Early in the morning, the inner disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect and more than forty Sage Level warriors gathered outside the cave. Some masters of the outer part of the sect were allowed to watch the competition. Among them were Kendrick, the sect leader, and the eight elders, who sat on a high platform outside the cav

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    hat the Supernatural Cave was a forbidden area of the sect, and entering it wasn''t going to be easy.

    "You can start when you are ready," Weston said to the nine contestants. He then looked around the field and continued, "Everyone watching the battle must stay as far away from the entrance of the cave as possible to avoid any accident!"

    At these words, the audience retreated from the entrance of the Supernatural Cave.

    The nine contestants, including Zachary, were thirty meters from the entrance, and prepared to enter the cave.

    "Let me try first," one of them at the ninth stage of Imperial Level said impatiently, feeling overly confident. He stomped a foot on the ground, causing his body to shoot out in the direction of the Supernatural Cave.

    But the moment he closed in on the entrance, a giant hand, which was giving off the aura of the spiritual soul, emerged from the cave and swept towards the warrior, sending him flying back and colliding against the stone wall on the other side. His body left a large dent in the wall. The warrior passed out immediately and was now embedded in the stone wall, unresponsive.

 Chapter 1051 Joining Hands

    All of the people watching were extremely shocked when they saw what had happened. They could not believe that right at the beginning of the final test, a participant at the ninth grade of Imperial Level would be eliminated as he was defeated in one move by the huge hand that appeared at the entrance of the Supernatural Cave. The man instantly lost his fighting power and the ability to continue the test. It was such a miserable way to be removed from the competition.

    Soon enough, a few disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect quickly stepped forward to carry the unconscious man away from the area. At the same time, some Sage Level warriors, who were responsible for medical treatment, attended to him and administered first aid.

    Meanwhile, the giant spiritual hand that took down the ninth grade Imperial Level warrior was still at the entrance of the cave, crouching like a beast that was ready to pounce on its prey at any time.

    Due to the shock brought about by the sudden turn of events, the remaining eight candidates, including Zachary, were still stunned and didn''t dare to act rashly. They realized that the difficulty of the final test was really over the top and couldn''t be compared to the previous ones.

    After a brief moment of silence, one of the contestants couldn''t take the situation anymore. Laird Xu, an Imperial Level disciple from the outer part of the Dignified Supernal Sect, suddenly stepped forward and said, "We''ll not accomplish anything by just standing here. Let me try." He then took th

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    imately, he was still the one to decide if he would do it. However, she was also afraid that if the two Sage Level treasure beasts became their group''s decoy, Zachary might not have a chance to break into the cave with his own strength.

    "Yes, I do have two Sage Level treasure beasts, but I could only control them for a short period due to the limitation of my strength. I''m afraid I can''t summon them unless it is a very critical moment," Zachary said after thinking for a while. Of course, he was just making an excuse because he wouldn''t use his trump cards for the sake of others.

    "Humph! You''re indeed useless. Then what else can you do? It''s meaningless to cooperate with you! You might as well give up now or break through the cave by yourself. It is very much obvious that you can''t help us."

    "That''s right. You''d just drag us down, and I don''t want any part of that."

    "It¡¯s final. The six of us can work together and leave this weakling alone."

    The rest of the participants, except Susie, looked at Zachary arrogantly and made a decision to exclude him.

    Seeing that the other participants were against the idea of cooperating with Zachary, thinking that he was useless, Susie couldn''t help but be annoyed. "These guys..." she sighed. She was the only one who thought that Zachary was more capable than he appeared because she had already been with him on several occasions during the previous tests. After hesitating for a while, she made up her mind and said, "You guys can go ahead. I''ll go with him."

 Chapter 1052 The Giant Hand

    The other five participants paled at this. They hadn''t expected Susie to desert them for Zachary''s sake. They knew her strength, what she was capable of, and that she had a sacred, top grade, Imperial Level treasure beast. They didn''t want to lose such an important fighting power.

    "Go on. Go with them. Don''t worry about me," Zachary said to Susie.

    "But what about you?" Susie said, worried. She didn''t want to leave Zachary alone. After all, if it hadn''t been for his help, she would not have passed the previous beast taming test. She had been wanting to repay his favor, but it looked like that wasn''t about to happen.

    "Go ahead. Don''t forget your original intention of taking part in the assessment," Zachary reminded her.

    Susie hesitated at this for a long second before she finally nodded and said, "Then ignore them and try to break in."

    Zachary didn''t say anything. Instead, he merely smiled and stepped aside.

    As the spectators realized that the remaining six Imperial Level participants, including Susie, were not going to join hands with Zachary because of his weak strength, they began to talk excitedly among themselves, some praising the participants and some criticizing them. But most of them thought i

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    her. The other three contestants also released their spiritual souls in a bid to resist the violent energy rushing out of the cave.

    They were now only one step away from the entrance of the cave. The audience anxiously waited to see who could hold on till the end and succeed in taking this step.

    But it was not going to be easy. The five contestants knew this and no longer reserved their strength. They used all kinds of weapons in quick succession to bombard the entrance. They took all kinds of pills to enhance their strength and strengthen their defenses, so that they could take that last step.

    The audience waited with bated breath.

    Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the giant hand broke free of the grip imposed upon it by Dale''s spiritual soul, and released a strong force, sending the spiritual soul flying out towards Susie and the others.

    Susie and the others had no more strength to resist these attacks. It looked like they were about to fall prey to the giant hand''s dangerous attacks when a huge beast shadow with an astonishingly powerful Sage Level aura suddenly rushed up from behind them. It took the beast shadow just a single spear strike to push the giant hand away from these contestants.

 Chapter 1053 An Uproar

    Everyone watching was stunned. How did this treasure beast emanating the Sage Level aura appear out of nowhere? Moreover, the said aura was shockingly powerful, incomparable to any ordinary beast.

    In their astonishment, all eyes shifted to Zachary, who had been standing on the field calmly. Everyone knew it could only be Zachary who summoned this treasure beast, since he had done so back at the beast taming test. However, because not many people were there to witness it the first time, it had been considered to be nothing but a rumor. Now, Zachary proved the rumor to be true.

    "Is this Hodge''s beast?" Sharon murmured, her eyes wide with awe. "It seems to be very powerful!" From among the crowd, she studied the treasure beast carefully, her mind racing wildly.

    "He really has a Sage Level beast!" someone shouted. "I thought it was just hearsay."

    "And he seems to have complete control over it!" another guy chimed in. "How is that possible, given his level of strength?!"

    "How much power is he hiding?"

    Chaos had broken out among the crowd as they speculated over Zachary''s abilities, shouts and arguments ringing

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    hile, Zachary was still fighting the three giant hands head-on. From where they fought, he saw what had happened to the four participants, including Judd. Zachary smiled internally. Those four idiots had unwittingly shown him the way to break into the cave.

    "Sunny, come out!" Zachary cried out, summoning the Sun-swallowing Beast. Then, he immediately flew back a couple of meters, placing some distance between him and the giant hands.

    Once the Sun-swallowing Beast emerged and flew into the sky, the crowd once again broke into an uproar.

    "That''s another Sage Level beast! He has a second one!"

    "He really does have two Sage Level beasts!"

    "That guy''s a freak!

    How is he able to control two Sage Level beasts at the same time?"

    Even the big shots of the Dignified Supernal Sect, including Kendrick and the elders, were shocked stiff. After all, controlling two Sage Level beasts with the strength of Imperial Level was unheard of.

    As soon as the Sun-swallowing Beast joined the battle, it began to support Zachary in the air, blocking the two giant hands'' every move. However, it was obviously not an easy job.

 Chapter 1054 To The Sage Level

    "All right then. Let me help you," Susie offered at once. Upon hearing that Zachary seemed to have come up with an idea, she immediately chose to listen and fight alongside him. After all, in the previous tests, Zachary''s ideas had always come through and helped them out of the predicaments. She didn''t have any doubts that he could so pull it off this time. Thus, together with the Red Demonic Fox, the Purple-winged Beast, and the Sun-swallowing Beast, they worked together in an attempt to take the three huge hands down.

    The very next moment, Zachary, who had been keeping his distance from the cave, suddenly floated in midair and rushed towards the entrance of the Supernatural Cave, like a bolt of lightning.

    Seeing this, all of the people watching shook their heads. They thought that at this point, whatever Zachary did was useless and that he was just putting himself in grave danger. Susie and the other contestants had already miserably failed to break into the cave even with their joint efforts. Thus, it was natural for them to think that Zachary couldn''t do anything to change the situation since he was supposed to be much weaker than all of them.

    In the blink of an eye, Zachary already closed in on the cave''s entrance. At the same time, just as they expected, a staggering force surged out from inside the cave again and directly rushed towards Zachary.

    But at this moment, Zachary activated the God-slaying Formula to the extreme, making his aura suddenly soar to great heights.

    In an instant, his aura reached the fourth stage, and then the fifth stage.

    Soon enough

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    it if he couldn''t surpass his limits.

    "Purple-winged Beast, Sun-swallowing Beast¡­" Zachary finally made up his mind and immediately summoned his two Sage Level treasure beasts by his side.

    As soon as the two beasts stood next to Zachary, their huge bodies shone brightly. Then, two dazzling balls of light flew out of their bodies and soared into the sky. The balls of light intersected in midair and suddenly dived directly towards Zachary, merging with his body.

    "Isn''t that the Beast Transformation Skill? Has he even mastered that advanced beast taming skill?"

    "But this is unheard of! Isn''t that skill supposed to utilize only one treasure beast at a time?"

    "That''s right. But it''s also a fact that this is happening right before our eyes. He''s fusing the power of the two treasure beasts into his body at the same time!"

    Under the watchful gazes of the crowd, Zachary was left with no choice but to fuse the power of his two treasure beasts to himself. With that, his aura quickly grew enormous. In the blink of an eye, his strength broke through to the Sage Level. However, Zachary didn''t stop there. He knew that it still wasn''t enough, so he made another move and released the spiritual soul¡ªGisele.

    "What the¡­ Has he also cultivated a spiritual soul?"

    "Not only that! It''s at the Sage Level! Who the hell is this guy?!"

    "He''s so powerful! It''s crazy! How is this even possible?"

    Seeing that Zachary performed such unique skills one after another, and even unleashed a spiritual soul, everyone was completely struck dumb and didn''t know what was going on anymore.

 Chapter 1055 Remington

    At this point, right after Zachary broke through the limits, he immediately launched an attack to break the cave''s vortex barrier in front of him. However, a powerful force immediately counter-attacked it. In no time, the collision''s immense power soared wildly and directly spread in every direction.

    After a few moments of standstill, Zachary figured out that his strength alone wouldn''t suffice to knock the barrier down. Frowning, he stared at the Holy Bone Bracer where Andrew was hiding inside and said, "Master Andrew, it''s about time for you to go out. I am in desperate need of your help and urgent action."

    "Brat, I''ve been waiting to hear that from you. I''m ready." Subsequently, a wild laugh sounded from within the Holy Bone Bracer. Next, a blue beast soul unexpectedly appeared behind Zachary. It had such an intimidating aura that the faces of those present turned pallid dramatically.

    "Wow! It''s another spiritual soul. He... He owns two spiritual souls no less!"

    "I wonder how powerful that spiritual soul might be..."

    "I don''t believe this! This is insane! Just mind-blowing!"

    While the audience could not contain their innumerable shock and astonishment, Zachary then discovered that his strength had already reached its present limit.

    "Let''s do this!" Without wasting any time, Zachary wrapped his arm around Susie''s slender waist and took a step toward the vortex barrier.

    At once, an eerie red gl

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    hen Susie saw his vulnerable side, she realized that Zachary must have a few stories to tell behind that facade.

    "Son, some things are out of our control. They will eventually happen, so don''t blame yourself for anything. It''s tough to defy your fate, and humans cannot overcome it easily. So, don''t be too hard on yourself, and don''t let such circumstances mislead you!" cautioned the old man. Then, he proceeded, "Since you have entered the Supernatural Cave, the two of you have already passed the sect''s ultimate test. Starting today, you are now official members of the Dignified Supernal Sect. I hope that you can continue to work harder, cultivate further, and continue to uphold the spirit of our sect."

    "Uhm... Am I considered to have passed it already?" Susie asked confusingly. All this time, she had entirely depended on Zachary to enter the Supernatural Cave. Not even once did she rely on her own ability.

    "Of course, the rule had clearly specified that whoever could enter the cave would become an official disciple of our sect. Also, your talents are exceptional. Even though you aren''t as talented as him, you have the potential. Most importantly, it''s rare to see such a brilliant female warrior like you in the Supernal Continent," Remington stated with a meaningful nod.

    "Oh, wow. Sir, how do you know that I am female..." Susie froze at once. She never expected that Remington would see right through her.

 Chapter 1056 Sage Breakthrough Pills

    "Ha-ha! I don''t have a blurry vision yet. My eyes could still clearly differentiate men from women," Remington teased in a friendly manner. He had a relaxed and radiant smile plastered on his face, and there was no indication that he used to be the Dignified Supernal Sect''s respected sect leader.

    "So, would that be all, sir? Because if there''s nothing else left for us to do here, then we''ll stop bothering you already," Zachary sensibly replied because he knew that they had already passed the final test.

    "Before you go, I have two Sage Breakthrough Pills here with me. These are specifically helpful to warriors who want to advance to the Sage Level. Basing on your current strength, the two of you are one step away from breaking through to the Sage Level. So, I''m giving you these two pills as your rewards," Remington stated. He promptly stretched his hand out while pointing an index finger in the air. In an instant, two purple-red pills popped up out of thin air and fell straight into the wide-open palms of Zachary and Susie, respectively.

    "Wow! It''s the Sage Breakthrough Pill! The warriors consider this a top-grade Sage Level Breakthrough Assistant Pill on the entire Supernal Continent. This is truly one of its kind. No other Sage Level Breakthrough Assistant Pill comes e

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    rently, his words unveiled Susie''s actual identity as a female.

    It didn''t surprise Susie anymore upon hearing that her secret was out. She had already understood by now how easy it was for Zachary to figure out her real gender earlier. She was never good at disguising herself as a man. So, she had already gotten used to being recognized as a woman.

    "Since you have both passed the assessment, an initiation ceremony will subsequently take place. Soon, you will become official disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect. But before anything else, the elders and I have something to ask you." Kendrick''s tone and expression suddenly grew serious.

    Zachary and Susie had no problem with it, so they both nodded their heads.

    "Sumner, as far as we know, you seem to have a close relationship with Jerrold from the Dignified Supernal Sect''s outer part. Could you tell us what exactly is your connection with him?" Kendrick asked straightforwardly. He had already assigned people to investigate Susie''s identity and background. However, the only information he had was about Susie''s close contact with Jerrold, while their specific relationship remained unclear. Now that Susie was about to become an inner disciple, he had to clarify this matter to avoid unnecessary trouble in the future.

 Chapter 1057 The Terrifying Divine Level Treasure

    "He is my grandfather," Susie answered without the slightest hesitation. After all, she had nothing to hide now.

    "I see." Kendrick and the elders nodded curtly, satisfied with her answer.

    "You''re Master Jerrold''s granddaughter?!" Zachary asked as he turned to look at Susie, surprise written all over his face. Although he''d only met Jerrold once before, Jerrold had left a good impression on him.

    "Is that so hard to believe?" Susie glared at Zachary.

    "No," Zachary answered hurriedly. Smiling, he continued, "I''ve met your grandfather once."

    "I know," she replied calmly. "Grandpa told me." The truth was, Jerrold had talked about Zachary in length. In fact, it was under his guidance that Susie had chosen Zachary to be her partner in the beast taming test. Jerrold had predicted Zachary would be of great help to her in the test, and Zachary proved him right.

    After he heard what Susie said, Zachary''s eyebrows shot up. It immediately dawned on him why she had asked him to be her partner in the beast taming test.

    "I didn''t know Jerrold had a granddaughter," Kendrick said, evidently

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    his crossbow would not go unnoticed.

    "Can you tell me its name?" Kendrick pressed. "I might have some understanding of Divine Level treasures, but I can''t tell where it comes from. Moreover, I think yours might be an extraordinary one." In fact, Kendrick had profound knowledge about all kinds of Divine Level treasures available on the Supernal Continent. Therefore, a Divine Level treasure that even he didn''t know about must''ve been extraordinary.

    After hesitating slightly, Zachary acquiesced. "My Divine Level treasure is called the Devilish Crossbow!"

    "What? The Devilish Crossbow?!" Kendrick''s eyes widened with shock. "I thought it had disappeared a long time ago! The Devilish Crossbow was a Divine Level treasure that had already appeared before the ancient times, and it was said that it didn''t belong to the Supernal Continent." In the Supernal Continent''s past, the mention of the Devilish Crossbow''s name would send shivers down any warrior''s spine. However, now, not many people knew of this Divine Level treasure. Even so, those who did know of it knew just how terrifying it was.

 Chapter 1058 Taught Her The Skill

    The elders present were also shocked. They had never expected Zachary would have such a terrifying Divine Level treasure.

    "How did you manage to get your hands on the Devilish Crossbow?" Kendrick pressed him.

    "I picked it up by coincidence," Zachary said elusively, waving his hand dismissively.

    His answer left Kendrick and the elders speechless. Of course, they didn''t believe for a second that Zachary had just picked it up "by accident". But they also knew better than to keep pressing him further. After all, it seemed Zachary was unwilling to divulge any more information. Studying Zachary''s expression carefully, Kendrick decided to drop the subject.

    "Elders, do you have anything else to ask them?" he asked, turning to his colleagues.

    The elders exchanged glances silently. Alas, they all shook their head, one by one. Deep down, they were already convinced of Zachary''s talent. This was the very thing the Dignified Supernal Sect was after. Thus, as long as Zachary''s character wasn''t too bothersome, they were more than willing to accept him as a formal disciple.

    Kendrick nodded. "If there are no further questions

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    lax temperament.

    "I will," Zachary promised. "And I will definitely learn all the unique alchemy skills from Master Tania and improve my strength in the shortest time possible. I can''t make Alisa wait for me too long..." At the mention of Alisa, Zachary''s expression darkened. Although he was cautious to not let his emotions get the better of him, whenever he thought about what had happened to Alisa, he felt a surge of emotions within him. It was not anger, but bitterness, which was, at times, worse than anger.

    "You can''t be too hasty. Don''t make the same mistake again," Anne warned, narrowing her eyes at him. She knew that what had happened to Alisa was a great blow to Zachary. Although he was not depressed over it, she was still worried that his state of mind would be inevitably affected. Moreover, when she had saved Zachary back then, she had used Jules'' evil skill in order to bring him back to life. Its aftereffects were immeasurable and unknowable. It was only natural that she was worried about Zachary, but she tried not to let it show.

    Zachary just nodded silently. After a while, he left the Living-dead Tomb.

 Chapter 1059 Demonic Thunder Beast

    To begin with, Zachary had wanted to inform Tania about his victory at the assessment, so he made initial plans to go to Fairy Island to see if he could find her there. Unfortunately, right after he stepped foot at the island''s entrance, he found it impossible for him to gain access into Fairy Island.

    "This is weird. Why am I denied entry into Fairy Island? Mimi, what the hell is going on here?" Zachary demanded from Mimi at once.

    "At this point, for whatever reason, Fairy Island''s connection with the system has ceased, and that''s why you can''t beam yourself down there. The connection must be restored first before your teleportation can happen,"  Mimi clarified at once.

    "What do you mean? It''s temporarily disconnected? Please tell me nothing happened to Master Tania. There''s nothing wrong, right? I honestly would like to believe it''s possible. Given her strength, there should be no problem that she can''t resolve." Zachary couldn''t help himself from speculating. But since he couldn''t get inside Fairy Island for now, he was left without any alternative but to proceed to the laboratory first.

    Because the embryo had effectively fused the genes of both the Thunder Dragon Horse and the Demonic Emperor Beast, it was close to taking shape after a month of vegetative propagation. Because of his deep concern regarding the embryo''s formation, Zachary had paid extra close attention to its progress in the recent days.

    The moment he arrived at the lab,

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    in the Shura Pilgrimage Space. While there, he had collected a lot of seedlings of medicinal herbs. He then planted those in the Heavenly Herb Garden, where the herbs'' growth rate could be enhanced if he did daily quests. For that reason, he deemed it necessary to accomplish these daily quests.

    Accordingly, even though these first seedlings were only been planted in a short time, their growth had been very expeditious.

    ''I think I need to add a few more varieties of seedlings. All I have to do is to perform more daily quests,'' Zachary thought desperately.

    As soon as he left the Heavenly Herb Garden, he went straight back into the system and sought Mimi''s help. He needed to search and analyze the allocation of different varieties of medicinal herbs. He intended to graft all kinds of medicinal herbs within the scope of the Dignified Supernal Sect to his Heavenly Herb Garden so he would have a natural garden.

    Zachary was a man of action. After Mimi analyzed the distribution of different kinds of herbs within the range of the Dignified Supernal Sect, he immediately took action. He began to choose areas and collect the seedlings.

    After Zachary had ascertained areas that he couldn''t enter with his current strength, he decided on choosing the less dangerous spots.

    An entire day had passed with him being busy. When Zachary returned to the Bloom Garden, he caught sight of Sharon pacing back and forth in the house with an anxious expression.

 Chapter 1060 A Multicolored Light Shadow

    "What are you doing here?" Zachary asked, surprised to find Sharon waiting for him.

    "Where have you been?" she demanded, completely ignoring his question. Hands planted firmly on her waist, she continued, "I''ve been looking all over for you! Don''t you know I turned the entire Dignified Supernal Sect upside down searching for you?"

    "I had nothing to do, so I went around to explore," Zachary answered with a nonchalant shrug.

    "Aren''t you forgetting something?" Sharon frowned, narrowing her eyes at Zachary disapprovingly. "Have you already forgotten about the entrance ceremony?"

    "Oh, you''re right!" Zachary exclaimed. Indeed, it had slipped his mind that the entrance ceremony would be held today. "Sorry," he added sheepishly.

    "You''re so unreliable!" Sharon cried exasperatedly. "Why are you still standing there? Change your clothes right this instant! The ceremony''s about to begin."

    Zachary nodded and entered the house. Not long after, he emerged again, this time in decent clothes.

    Sharon sized him up carefully and looked him up and dow

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    l Sect will take Hodge¡ª" Before he could finish his sentence, a multicolored light shadow shot across the sky, catching everyone''s attention.

    "It seems Master Tania has returned!" Zachary murmured as he looked up and smiled.

    Everyone''s eyes were also fixed on the multicolored light shadow that fell from the sky. Everyone recognized it as a sign that the Holy Maiden was approaching, so they all looked on with reverence.

    However, the multicolored light shadow looked like it was falling haphazardly from the sky, as though it was out of control. Confused, the crowd began to whisper amongst themselves worriedly. Before they could do anything about it, the multicolored light shadow plummeted and smashed into the ground with a loud explosion, causing a shockwave to sweep throughout the entire Heavenly Cloud Square. Clouds of dust billowed outwards, enshrouding the entire square.

    The weaker disciples were flung backwards by over ten meters. Some fell on the ground awkwardly, while others were even injured. The entire square was in utter chaos.

 Chapter 1061 Spooky Fire Gas

    The expressions of Kendrick and the elders changed immediately as this scene unfolded before them dramatically. The aura the multicolored light shadow was emitting was obviously Tania''s, but they couldn''t understand why she unleashed such staggering force which hurt the people of the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    Despite knowing that it was his sister, Kendrick decided to err on the side of caution and quickly issued orders to mobilize his warriors. Soon, more than a dozen Sage Level warriors surrounded the multicolored light shadow in case anything unexpected were to happen. At the same time, other Sage Level warriors rushed to the injured disciples'' sides and helped them heal themselves and catch their breaths.

    A moment later, a force in the form of a strong gust of wind instantly swept away the clouds of dust that enveloped the square. As the dust cleared, the multicolored light shadow faded to reveal a tall, lovely figure. It was none other than Tania!

    Upon a closer look, her face was dea

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    ded to respect her decision.

    "Well, that concludes today''s entrance ceremony. You are all excused," Donald announced.

    The crowd dispersed. A few minutes later, the Heavenly Cloud Square was practically empty.

    Kendrick and the elders immediately approached Tania, determined to get to the bottom of this.

    However, before they could even ask her about it, she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Her delicate face went paler and her body went limp once more.

    Zachary was quick to act. Rushing to her side, he let her lean on him for support.

    "Aunt...!" Sharon cried out, her voice filled with worry.

    "Tania!" Kendrick quickly flew over to her side. Grabbing her by the arm, he immediately poured a stream of martial energy into her body to examine her.

    After a moment, the blood was quickly drained from Kendrick''s face. "Tania, were you poisoned?" he asked urgently. "This looks like the work of the Spooky Fire Gas, one of the deadliest poisons in the world. How did this happen?"

 Chapter 1062 Detoxifying

    At the mention of Spooky Fire Gas, all color drained from the faces of the elders. Spooky Fire Gas was one of the three most terrifying poisons on the Supernal Continent. Even a powerful warrior at the Holy Level had slim chances of surviving exposure to it, let alone ordinary warriors. Despite being kept in the dark as to how Tania got poisoned, they knew the situation was grim.

    "Master Tania, is this true? Have you been poisoned?" Zachary asked, staring into her eyes seriously.

    "I''m okay," Tania said weakly.

    "Hodge, carry her to the Myriad Medicine Hall," Kendrick ordered Zachary.

    "I''m not going there. Hodge, take me back to the Bloom Garden," Tania, however, said firmly.

    "No, the Spooky Fire Gas is no joking matter. Go to the Myriad Medicine Hall right now and let me and the elders try to treat you," Kendrick said seriously.

    "It''s useless. The poison has seeped deep into my bones," Tania replied calmly.

    "What?" Kendrick was stunned. He knew what this meant. If the Spooky Fire Gas made it to the bones of its victim, it was over. Death was imminent.

    "So, don''t bother. I''ll do as I see fit," Tania said a

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    ong as us tremble in fear."

    "Leader, considering the Holy Maiden''s condition, I''m afraid she won''t last too long if we don''t do anything about it now," Donald warned.

    "Despite this going against her wishes, I will still go ask my father for help. At the very least, I will let him know what''s happening. He will definitely not just sit by. After all, Tania is his daughter," Kendrick said with a slight frown.

    "But considering the fact that the Holy Maiden didn''t get along well with the former leader, I''m afraid that even if he is willing to help, the Holy Maiden will refuse to accept the help," Weston said worriedly.

    "But, we have Hodge. Just now, his few words managed to convince Tania to let us diagnose her. It''s obvious she trusts him more than she trusts us. If he can help us persuade her, then there shouldn''t be a problem!" Kendrick said firmly. Obviously, he had already thought this through.

    The elders nodded in agreement. None of them had expected that Zachary, a newly recruited inner disciple, would have bearing on the dignified Holy Maiden of the Dignified Supernal Sect''s decisions. It was unbelievable!

 Chapter 1063 Sucking The Toxin

    Zachary took Tania to the Bloom Garden as quickly as he could. When they reached the house, he laid her gently onto the cultivation couch in the garret. She looked extremely frail and weak at this point. Her face was deathly pale and her aura fluctuated, causing Zachary to worry.

    "Master Tania, are you okay?" Zachary couldn''t help but ask.

    "What do you think?" Tania struggled to raise her head slightly to shoot him an annoyed glance.

    "How did you manage to get yourself poisoned?" Zachary asked, frowning slightly.

    "I''ll explain everything later," Tania replied dismissively. Wincing, she managed to sit up on the couch cross-legged. "First, I need you to try detoxifying me with the Fighting Crane''s power you have," she then added.

    "Okay." Zachary nodded obediently. Sitting opposite to her, he stretched out his hands to take hers in his. Face to face and palms against palms, Zachary unleashed the Fighting Crane''s power.

    As the Fighting Crane''s power flowed into Tania''s body, she guided the power towards the area where the Spooky Fire Gas was isolated.

    However, as soon as the two forces met, hell bro

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    much time left," Tania said. "The best thing I can do now is to try my best to minimize the harm the poison is causing. In order to do that, I''ll need you to go back to the Fairy Island and fetch me some pills right away." Then, she listed the names of the pills she needed.

    "Okay, I''ll head there now." Zachary nodded. Immediately thereafter, he entered the system and went to Fairy Island.

    Since the connection between the Fairy Island and the system had been restored, Zachary was able to enter without hitches. Heading for the bamboo house, he quickly collected the pills that Tania had listed. Once he was done, he returned to the garret in the Bloom Garden to give her the pills.

    "Given my current situation, I''m afraid I won''t be able to teach you anything for the time being," Tania said after thinking for a while. "But, you are already a disciple of the Dignified Supernal Sect, so follow their schedule. You will cultivate and study together with the other disciples for now."

    "Okay, I understand," Zachary said. "Please rest, Master Tania. I won''t disturb you anymore. If you need anything, just call me."

 Chapter 1064 One Of The Five Gods

    As soon as Zachary walked out of the building, he saw Sharon running towards the Bloom Garden. When she saw him, she immediately asked, "How is my aunt doing?"

    "She is resting for now," Zachary answered with a sigh.

    "Is she confident that she can remove the Spooky Fire Gas?" Sharon asked worriedly.

    "It''s not that easy to remove it. She only managed to suppress it, at least for the time being." Zachary shook his head.

    "I hope she''ll make it out of this alive!" Sharon sighed. Feeling utterly helpless, she prayed silently. There was nothing else she could do.

    After bidding Zachary goodbye, she then left in a hurry.

    Once Sharon was gone, Zachary immediately entered the system.

    "Mimi, help me analyze the Spooky Fire Gas in my body at once. I want to find out everything I can about it," Zachary ordered.

    "Beginning analysis!" Mimi responded perkily. As soon as she finished speaking, several laser light beams shot towards Zachary''s body and began to scan the wisp of Spooky Fire Gas that he had just absorbed from Tania''s body.

    A few moments later, Mimi''s sweet voice rang out, "The analysis is finished."

    "Tell me the verdict!" Zachary said

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    not..."

    "It''s not me, it''s one of my masters," Zachary explained.

    "Oh, I''m afraid she will die for sure. There''s no antidote to the Spooky Fire Gas," the mysterious woman said bluntly.

    "Of course I know that," Zachary said quickly. "That''s why I specifically came to you, my future master. I know that you must know how to remove the Spooky Fire Gas from a human body!"

    "How can you be sure that I know how to remove it?" the mysterious woman asked in shock. She could tell that Zachary knew something about her identity already.

    "Because you are one of the Five Gods in the ancient times, the Evil Thunder Queen," Zachary declared, narrowing his eyes. The truth was, he hadn''t realized it until the moment he reached the top of the thunder clouds. It suddenly dawned on him that his future master was exactly the Evil Thunder Queen, one of the famous Five Gods in ancient times.

    He had already seen three of the Five Gods, the Evil Thunder Queen included. The first was in the illusion he had seen when he was training in the Pilgrimage Space. The second was Jules. And the third was his future master, the mysterious woman standing before him right now.

 Chapter 1065 The Method Of Detoxification

    Of course, this thought had never crossed Zachary''s mind before. After all, the Evil Thunder Queen was supposed to have been dead!

    "Well, you are not stupid," the woman said calmly. Indeed, she was none other than the Evil Thunder Queen, Evelyn. "You''ve figured out who I am so soon. Not bad," she added.

    "But I''m not smart enough. I should have known that you are no ordinary warrior." Zachary shook his head.

    "Even though you know my true identity now, so what? The most you can do is to beg me to take you as my disciple. I''ve already said that as long as you can withstand the ninety-nine Heavenly Thunder Tribulations, I will be your master," Evelyn said. The truth was, it was not her idea to take Zachary as her disciple. But something was destined to happen and that was one of the reasons why she was here in the first place.

    The real Evil Thunder Queen had actually died a long time ago. Just like Anne, the Evil Thunder Queen in front of him had been summoned here by the system using its inc

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    fter it enters into your body." She paused, and then added for clarity, "After you obtain an immune body, you can absorb the Spooky Fire Gas into your body and remove it by refining it with Jules'' power you have in your body..."

    "That''s all I need to do?" Zachary asked for confirmation.

    "It sounds simple, but it''s not that easy to make your body invulnerable," Evelyn warned. "Even though you have the Fighting Crane''s power to protect you, you will still put yourself into great danger, if you are not careful. Moreover, you will have to absorb the Spooky Fire Gas into your body when the time comes. If you mess up, you will end up dead."

    "If it means I can save my master, I''m willing to take the risk," Zachary said, his eyes full of determination.

    "Honestly, with your current strength, I strongly advise you not to do this. You can''t utilize Jules'' power to the extreme yet, so it''s still unknown whether you will be able to refine and remove the Spooky Fire Gas or not," Evelyn blurted out.

 Chapter 1066 Seal Your Own Power

    "I know, but I will break through to the Sage Level very soon. By then, I''ll be able to merge with the first grade of Jules'' power. I think Jules'' power can help me," Zachary said reassuringly. It seemed he had thought this through.

    "How about this?" Evelyn said after a moment''s thought. "When you have merged with Jules'' power and are confident you can save your master, come to me again. I will give you a little more evil thunder power then."

    "Really?" Zachary was a little surprised to hear her offer. He hadn''t expected that she would be willing to share her evil thunder power with him again. After all, one of the reasons why his body had recovered so quickly previously was because of the evil thunder power she had given him before. This was because the evil thunder power was able to bring his body to its full potential when he was cultivating. The stronger his body was, the faster he could recover his strength. Summarily, he had already had a taste of the benefits of the evil thunder power. If Jules'' power was a kind of destructive power with a strong explosive

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    re up against.

    "Completely seal my power?" Tania was dumbstruck.

    "As I said just now, the stronger the poisoned person is, the greater the damages caused by the Spooky Fire Gas will be," Zachary said slowly. "In other words, the greater your power is, the more destructive the poison will be. On the contrary, if you have less power, the damage caused by the Spooky Fire Gas will also weaken. In order to remove the Spooky Fire Gas from your body, you have to take the risk. Of course, you should know what it means to completely seal your own power..."

    "It means that if you can''t save me by then, I will have no hope of survival," Tania said knowingly, nodding her head.

    "That''s why I hope you can mentally prepare for this," Zachary replied earnestly.

    "Then, what?" Tania pressed onward. "If I seal my power, how are you going to detoxify me?"

    "I can''t tell you that yet. As soon as I have everything ironed out, I will explain everything to you," Zachary said apologetically. He knew that if he told her all the truth right now, Tania would definitely object.

 Chapter 1067 The Past

    "Don''t do anything reckless, okay?" Tania also sensed that Zachary was about to do something impulsive again, so she felt the need to remind him first before he acted on it.

    "You don''t have to worry about it. I won''t do anything unless I''m absolutely sure. Your life is at stake here, after all. Our goal here is to save your life, not throw my life away. Trust me, I know what I''m doing." Zachary gave her a reassuring smile.

    "That''s good." Tania caught the confident glint in Zachary''s eyes¡ªthis immediately comforted her. She trusted her disciple that he knew what he was doing. She gave him a resolute nod.

    "Master Tania, how long do you think you can suppress the Spooky Fire Gas?" Zachary asked. This information was vital, since this would dictate how much time he had left.

    "As long as the Spooky Fire Gas doesn''t change at all, I guess I can hold on for two or three months. But if some unexpected change happens, it will be hard to say..." Tania estimated. With the way things were progressing, it was really hard to decipher how long she could hold on.

    ''Two or three months?'' Zachary pondered as the expression on his face turned grave. Collecting various poisonous herbs would take him a while before he could gather the sufficient amount. Plus, it would take another period for him to transform his body to an immune one, which would take him a longer time than collecting. Hence, no

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    was Tania. During that time, Kendrick was at the ripe age to train as the next leader. I should be satisfied with my life back then. However, I desired more. I wanted to carry forward the Dignified Supernal Sect; to make it more famous. I wanted to cultivate the most outstanding successor for the sect. Although Kendrick was already remarkable, Tania was on a whole other level. In the entire history of our sect, no one''s capacities ever came close to hers¨Dshe was truly one of the best. All I wanted back then was to maximize her potential and let her take over the position as the leader after me," Remington explained, his face regretful.

    "It''s not wrong for you to think so, sir! Any good leader would be after the welfare of his sect!" Zachary replied.

    "Yes, you''re right. It''s not wrong for a sect leader to think so. However, as a father, it isn''t right. I failed her miserably. I pushed her to her limits. In order to optimize her skills, I gave her secret training that common people could never bear. To think that I did all that when she had just learned to walk! I didn''t treat her like my daughter. I treated her as a commodity that could push our sect forward. I honestly thought that she could understand my good intentions, but it slipped my mind that she was just a child. It was all my fault." Remington''s voice was grave. Zachary could see the gravity of regret on his expression.

 Chapter 1068 Morning Training

    "I remember the incident back when Tania was only seven years old, who had begun to understand things. One morning, she finally decided that she had enough and could no longer withstand undergoing such tough training anymore. She lost control and went berserk as she stormed away in defiance. By that time, I was outside and was unable to return in time. Consequently, her mother sustained severe injuries brought about by Tania''s accident in an attempt to save her. With my wife in great danger, I tried treating her with all my might, but ultimately, my efforts ended in vain. Less than a month later, she died. I consider that my biggest mistake up to this day!" As Remington spoke, his face revealed an inkling of indescribable grief. It was hard to believe seeing an unrivaled warrior with supreme power to have such a fragile heart.

    "I can''t imagine what Master Tania must have felt after going through such a heart-wrenching experience. What happened after that incident? How did she take it?" Zachary curiously asked.

    "Maybe it was because of her mother that after a brief period of losing control, Tania went back to her usual self. Sadly, she put all the blame on herself. Since she and her mother lived at the Bloom Garden, Tania has shut herself in there ever since. She isolated herself from the outside world, without even taking trips outside for supplies. Except for her brother, she didn''t bother meeting anyone, specifically me. For

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    are some. But what do you need these kinds of herbs for?" Sharon asked with much curiosity.

    "I already told you not to ask too many questions. I hope you could bring me all kinds of poisonous herbs that you can find in the Dignified Supernal Sect. It would be great if you can find all sorts of varieties, and it would be very helpful if they are more poisonous," Zachary instructed.

    "What on earth are you planning to do?" After hearing his requests, Sharon felt that Zachary must be up to something dangerous.

    "Please give them to me as soon as you can," Zachary said. He didn''t bother to explain, and he turned around to leave. However, Sharon, who was glaring at him disapprovingly, immediately called out to him by saying, "By the way, I almost forgot to tell you that starting tomorrow, you''re required to go to the Heavenly Cloud Square for your daily morning training. Originally, there is no need for an Imperial Level disciple to attend this training. But according to the rules, since you are a new inner disciple, you have to attend and participate for at least one month. If there are no special cases, you are prohibited from missing a single training. Otherwise, you will have to accept your punishment."

    "All right. I got it." Zachary shrugged her off by waving his hand dismissively before going inside the house.

    After taking a last look at the closed room where Tania was staying in, Sharon left, looking disheartened.

 Chapter 1069 Returning To The Sage Level

    Once Sharon was gone, Zachary, who was in the Bloom Garden, immediately entered the system.

    "Mimi, I''m going to break through to the Sage Level. You need to prepare for it, because I want to fuse with the first grade of Jules'' power at the same time," Zachary said to Mimi in an urgent tone.

    "Okay, activate the power fusion cultivation-aiding function," Mimi replied obediently.

    A moment of silence passed. Then, Mimi said in a sweet voice, "Everything is ready. You can fuse with Jules'' power at any time."

    "Okay. Thank you." Zachary then teleported himself to the Peach Blossom Forest.

    At the center of the Peach Blossom Forest, he sat down cross-legged and took out the Sage Breakthrough Pill that Remington had given him. The Sage Breakthrough Pill was considered top grade among all the Breakthrough Assistant Pills in the Supernal Continent. With it, breaking through to the Sage Level would be a piece of cake, as long as Zachary''s strength reached the requirements to break through.

    After taking the pill, Zachary activated his martial energy to its full potential. Then, he used the God-slay

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    the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    Fabian had long learned that Zachary was the Holy Maiden''s disciple. He heard about it from his master, Timothy. However, he didn''t tell anyone about it. Back then, he didn''t want Zachary to steal his thunder, since he was the most eye-catching disciple at the premium stage of Imperial Level in the Dignified Supernal Sect. Additionally, he was also the most promising disciple to break through to the Sage Level very soon among all the inner disciples, so he didn''t want others to snatch the attention away from him. Therefore, to him, Zachary was a thorn in his flesh.

    However, Fabian had learned that Zachary was actually a warrior at the top stage of Imperial Level and possessed even higher talents than him, which he had never expected. Therefore, he regarded Zachary more as an enemy. But he was not the kind of person who would lose his mind over jealousy. The advanced education he had received in the Dignified Supernal Sect was enough to make him behave decently, though on the surface. So he was well aware of how to deal with his enemies by utilizing his advantages.

 Chapter 1070 His Generosity

    "Congratulations, Hodge! I didn''t expect you''d become an inner disciple of our Dignified Supernal Sect. I have to admit, I underestimated you before!" Fabian feigned chumminess, cupping his hands in front of Zachary.

    "Thank you, Fabian. I was just lucky," Zachary replied modestly. He could tell that Fabian was hiding a dagger in his smile, but he was somewhat curious to see how this was going to play out.

    "I was ordered to execute tasks back then, so I wasn''t able to congratulate you at the time. Now, I''m making up for it. In addition, here is a bottle of green cultivation-aiding pills. They are at the sixth grade. Please accept it as my gift," Fabian said ceremoniously, immediately taking out a bottle of pills and handing it to Zachary.

    All the other disciples eyed the exchange avidly. They seemed to covet the pills very much. Fabian''s sudden generosity caused a breakout of discussion amongst them. It turned out that he was not only powerful, but also so kind-hearted. Fabian just proved himself to be the outstanding disciple he was known as¡ªthe Dignified Supernal Sect''s superstar.

    Fabian overheard the other disciples discussing him, which secretly pleased him. This was e

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    according to its grade. You can share them, too." Zachary waved his hand once again, giving out more than two dozens of Growth-promoting Pills. The pills fell directly into the hands of the disciples who had just said they had treasure beasts.

    "There are also some weapons of different grades here. You can divide them amongst yourselves!" Zachary continued to give out dozens of weapons of different grades, which were at least the scarce ones. These weapons had all been refined when he practiced his weapon refining abilities before and had been left in his warehouse. Now, they were at their best state.

    Soon, weapons filled the sky, falling among the disciples.

    "Oh my God! Even the Heaven Level weapon is a rare one. What material did he use to make it?"

    "The one in my hand seems to be a rare one at the King Level, and it has a very high ranking."

    "Mine is very suitable for the martial skill I have cultivated!"

    Many disciples who got the weapons shouted excitedly. All these weapons were so valuable to them.

    At this moment, all the disciples present looked at Zachary eagerly and expectantly, as though they were looking at someone who brought them a great fortune.

 Chapter 1071 Meeting Jerrold

    By contrast, Fabian''s face couldn''t help but twitch. He had never expected Zachary would own so many private collections. Moreover, nothing was rubbish¡ªeach item was valuable.

    However, Zachary didn''t give a damn about what Fabian thought. Simply ignoring him, he then gave out a lot of refining materials at the Imperial Level and below, as well as many primary stage treasures that could improve a warrior''s strength.

    "Well, that''s all for now. Maybe I''ll give you gifts again later," Zachary said with a wave of his hand.

    All the other disciples'' faces fell. It was evident they were unsatisfied. Together, they shouted in unison, "Hodge, give us a little bit more... Please!"

    "Guys, you are all so enthusiastic! Fine, let me see what else I have," Zachary said, probing through his warehouse. Then, he found a few primary stage manuals on martial arts with some certain elements, which had been hidden at the back.

    As soon as he summoned the manuals, the disciples'' eyes widened with excitement.

    Zachary casually tossed these manuals into the air and the disciples broke into fights, trying to get their hands on one.

    It was not until quite

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    and rarely showed up in the Dignified Supernal Village. Moreover, he lived in an isolated hill half a mile away from the Dignified Supernal Village. So, finding him would be no easy task.

    ''I wonder if Jerrold knows Trevor... If they know each other, it might be easier for me to find him,'' Zachary thought to himself. He knew that Jerrold had great prestige in the Dignified Supernal Village, so if he could ask Jerrold for help, it would definitely save him a lot of trouble. Fortunately, Jerrold also wanted to see him, so Zachary was about to hit two birds with one stone. Thus, he headed to Jerrold''s house.

    Before long, Zachary saw a big house that seemed to have a long history. Although it looked a little old, it gave out a sense of grandness.

    As soon as Zachary arrived at the gate of the big house, he saw a delicate figure coming out of its front door. It was no other than Susie.

    "Wow, You''re here!" Susie cried in surprise. She hadn''t thought he would come so soon.

    "Is Master Jerrold home?" Zachary asked.

    "Yes, come with me!" Susie gestured for him to follow her.

    With a nod, Zachary followed her into the big, gloomy house.

 Chapter 1072 Susies Special Life Experiences

    Once he had stepped through the gate, Zachary looked up at the big house and saw an old figure walking past one of the windows. The old figure seemed to have noticed them, for he then hurried out and shouted, "Welcome, Hodge!"

    "Master Jerrold!" Zachary replied, cupping his hands.

    "Grandpa, I''ve brought him to you, like you asked. If there''s nothing else, I''ll leave first," Susie said to Jerrold. Without waiting for a response, she turned around abruptly and left.

    "Please forgive my granddaughter for being so impolite!" Jerrold said to Zachary with a shake of his head, watching Susie''s receding figure in the distance.

    "It doesn''t matter. I heard that you wanted to see me. What can I do for you, sir?" Zachary asked with a smile.

    "Let''s talk inside." Jerrold gestured for him to enter the house.

    "Okay." Zachary then followed Jerrold into a hall at the side of the big house.

    The hall looked simple and crude from the outside, but upon entering, Zachary noticed its unique decorations. There were also many treasures kept here, all of which looked invaluable.

    After leading Zachary into the hall, Jerrold pointed to a chair in the front on

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    t worried about. So, this is also the real reason why I asked you to come here," Jerrold said, his expression suddenly growing serious.

    "You mean..." Zachary raised his eyebrows.

    "Hodge, I hope you can help me straighten out her wrong thinking and persuade her to stop thinking about revenge," Jerrold said bluntly.

    "I''m afraid it''s a little difficult. After all, I haven''t known her that long. Although we are friends, she might not listen to me..." Zachary smiled awkwardly.

    "Although you haven''t known each other for a long time, I know that Susie trusts you, Hodge." Jerrold''s eyes flashed.

    "What makes you say so?" Zachary asked in confusion.

    "Because Susie has never been taken care of by anyone since she was a child, and she has grown up in a competitive and repulsive sect. She is independent and never trusts others. However, after the assessment, she often mentions you in front of me. This is something she never did before. I think perhaps it''s because you helped her in the assessment. She trusts you, and even relies on you. I don''t think I''m wrong about that!" Jerrold said with certainty, as if he knew his granddaughter very well.

 Chapter 1073 The Nine-diagram Weapon-refining Skill

    "Even if she did trust me, I doubt Susie will give up on the idea of revenge. She''s too strong-willed," Zachary remarked. It suddenly dawned on him that he knew how Susie felt. Once upon a time, he too was hell-bent on taking revenge, but it had almost cost him his life.

    "Hodge, I can tell that you''ve been through a lot in life, and that''s exactly why I believe you can persuade her. You and I aren''t related in anyway and I am in no position to ask such a favor from you, but I hope you''ll consider it. I''ll do everything in my power to repay you," Jerrold pleaded. Although Jerrold''s rank was way higher than Zachary, he was willing to stoop down to Zachary''s level to ask for help. Either he trusted Zachary or he loved his granddaughter so much, he was willing to humble himself for her.

    "Sir, I''m flattered," Zachary said somewhat embarrassedly. "Well, I will try, but I can''t guarantee anything." Moved by what the old man said, he finally caved. Besides, he needed Jerrold''s help anyway.

    "Thank you. If you need anything, just tell me," Jerrold said, beaming gratef

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    m.

    "I might''ve created the Nine-diagram Weapon-refining skill, but it doesn''t exclusively belong to my clan now. So, at the end of the day, there''s nothing to be proud of," Jerrold said calmly.

    Hearing this, Zachary eyed Jerrold silently. He knew that there was a story behind that statement, but he didn''t probe further. After all, that was none of his business.

    "Grandpa, do you plan on accepting Elder Kingston''s challenge?" Susie suddenly asked.

    "Well..." Jerrold glanced at Zachary hesitantly. After all, he had just agreed to take Zachary to meet Trevor. However, if he declined to meet Kingston now, the madman would likely keep pestering him...

    "Sir, since I''m not in a hurry, how about I go with you? I want to watch a battle between two famous Sage Level weapon refiners!" Zachary proposed. Judging from their conversation, he figured that Kingston was a difficult character. If Jerrold refused him, this would definitely stir up some trouble for Jerrold.

    "Thank you for understanding, Hodge. Let''s go together then." Jerrold nodded with satisfaction.

 Chapter 1074 Self-Recommendation

    Afterward, Jerrold stepped out of the hall, accompanied by Zachary and Susie. Then they went straight outside by passing through the courtyard before proceeding out into the road until they reached the village center, where Zachary saw a square right in the middle of it. Although its size was not as spacious as the Heavenly Cloud Square, it was already packed. More than a few hundred people had already gathered around it, and all of them were warriors of extraordinary strength. It was such a vibrant scene to watch.

    "Here we go, guys! Here they come!" At this point, the sight of Jerrold approaching, with Zachary and Susie following closely behind, stirred these warriors'' excitement all over the square.

    The three of them made their entrance in full view of everyone. Their eyes caught sight of an old man standing right in the center, and he was donning a green robe that was somewhat unconventional. There was a strange-looking felt cap on his head, and his face was thin and angular. Without thinking twice about it, Zachary knew that he must be Kingston, whom Jerrold had talked about previously. He was also a Sage Level warrior at the premium stage with remarkable strength.

    "Kingston, haven''t you had enough of competing?" Jerrold asked the moment he saw the man''s face while calling out his name.

    "Of course not. I don''t think I''ll ever stop unless I beat

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    est way out of this predicament was not to accept the challenge, for fear that Kingston would have a chance to take advantage of it.

    "No, I don''t want to back out. I have to compete." Susie was bent on pushing her viewpoint.

    "Susie, enough! Stop fooling around!" Jerrold shouted in a deep voice after listening to her whining.

    Susie felt so aggrieved, and her mouth pouted unhappily, showing how annoyed she was right now.

    "Jerrold, stop acting so indecisively. Whether you accept the challenge or not, I need you to hand over the manual of the Nine-diagram Weapon-refining Skill to me. If you do so, then I promise you we won''t cross paths again in the future. Otherwise, I won''t stop making you feel anxious!" Kingston was a ruthless guy, as to be expected of his character. He was doing an even better job of being unashamed in front of so many people by demanding Jerrold to give the said manual to him. He tried to pressure Jerrold by making a threat to his position in the Dignified Supernal Village.

    On the other hand, Jerrold would certainly refuse to hand over the manual of the Nine-diagram Weapon-refining Skill to him. But if he didn''t do this, Jerrold was afraid that he wouldn''t be able to live a peaceful life for the rest of his life.

    "Jerrold, why don''t you let me try it instead?" Zachary offered to put himself up after a moment''s hesitation.

 Chapter 1075 A Fast Refining Competition

    "Are you interested in taking him on?" Jerrold asked in surprise. Looking at Zachary with a puzzled look, Jerrold had always known that Zachary was a discreet guy who didn''t want to hog the limelight. Understandably, he wouldn''t seize the initiative to flaunt his skills. But now, Zachary was offering to compete with Brayan, which surprised Jerrold.

    "I''m doing this not because I find the competition fascinating. It''s Kingston that caught my attention, who''s supposedly a great Sage Level warrior," Zachary stated while simultaneously giving Kingston a deep and serious glance.

    "I understand your point. You think that Kingston might have something in his possession that you want, right?" Jerrold, being his clever self, immediately got what Zachary meant.

    "That''s right, sir. However, I''m wondering if you could afford the possible loss..." Zachary teased in jest. He said those words in order to imply that if he failed to secure a win, Jerrold wouldn''t have any choice but to grant Kingston''s request of obtaining the manual of the Nine-diagram Weapon-refining Skill.

    "What''s there to fear? I trust you and even if you lost, I''m willing to take the consequences," Jerrold replied without showing a bit of reluctance. Clearly, he didn''t mind anything at all.

    "Grandpa, please tell me that''s not true. You''re kidding, right?" asked Susie at once.

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    petition."

    "Thank you. I will take this opportunity then," Zachary said after seeing Brayan treating him with respect. With a smile, he proceeded, "Let''s have a contest in fast refining. The first who can refine an Imperial Level weapon within eight hours wins."

    "Eight hours?" As Brayan listened, his face appeared stunned. It never crossed his mind that Zachary would suggest a fast refining competition. First of all, it was out of the question for someone to participate in a fast refining competition without amazing attainments as a weapon refiner. Next, a time limit of only eight hours was the minimum duration required to refine an Imperial Level weapon.

    The crowd also heard the commentary, and they instantly clamored. They also felt that Zachary''s proposition was too risky. In general, the time limit of eight hours was an impossibility for an average weapon refiner at the Imperial Level to create a weapon at the Imperial Level. Perhaps it was only feasible for weapon refiners at the premium stage of Imperial Level who had extraordinary attainments to accomplish this task. Zachary didn''t look like a weapon refiner with such power at all, yet he was making such a bold proposal.

    Hearing about Zachary''s suggestion made Kingston smile menacingly with a look of victory because his disciple was extremely proficient in fast refining.

 Chapter 1076 His Weird Behavior

    "Grandpa, the time limit of eight hours is not enough at all. Is Hodge really sure about this?" Susie couldn''t help but feel worried. It was impossible to finish refining a weapon within eight hours, unless he had extraordinary weapon-refining skills. Despite having witnessed Zachary''s superb weapon-refining skills first-hand, she doubted he was powerful enough to pull this off.

    "I think he can do it. I''ve seen his refining strength in the previous assessment, but I don''t think he went all out back then," Jerrold said in a low voice.

    "You overestimate him. He''s not that powerful!" Susie frowned in annoyance, obviously unconvinced by her grandfather''s words. While she recognized that Zachary was extraordinarily talented, she doubted he was any better at refining weapons than her.

    "Then, I guess we''ll just have to wait and see," Jerrold said calmly.

    "Are you sure you wish to compete with me? Very few warriors in the Devil Kingdom have defeated me in fast refining. Consider yourself warned," Brayan announced arrogantly.

    "I look forward to seeing your skills in action," Zachary replied with a confident smile, unfazed by Brayan''s taunts.

    "Enough dilly-dallying. Let''s start!" Brayan said eager

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    , in less than one hour, with the help of his furnace, all his materials were melted completely. Thus, he proceeded to the casting phase.

    In the casting phase, Brayan didn''t hesitate to use a refining skill that Kingston had developed himself, a skill that made him famous back in the day. This very refining skill could temper the weapons that were being cast more exquisitely, which made them more stable.

    While Brayan was busy refining his weapon, Zachary continued to sit quietly with his eyes closed. He didn''t budge from beginning to end, which made the bystanders shake their heads in disappointment every now and then. They felt that Zachary had given up¡ªthe young man had barely even put up a fight!

    In this way, six hours passed in the blink of an eye. Brayan was entering the final phase of the weapon refining process. He was about to finish his work.

    All of a sudden, Zachary, who had been sitting motionlessly this whole time, stood abruptly. As he got on his feet, the Heavenly Golden Furnace let out a loud clang. The top of the Heavenly Golden Furnace suddenly cracked open like a blooming lotus, and from this opening a shining weapon at the Imperial Level flew out and fell into his hands.

 Chapter 1077 Bullying The Junior

    "I''m done!" Zachary announced, brandishing the shiny new Imperial Level weapon in his hand.

    The crowd fell silent, too stunned to react. Zachary, who had been sitting motionlessly for six hours, managed to produce an Imperial Level weapon out of nowhere. This meant that, without any help, the mysterious furnace completed all the weapon refining steps in one go. Such a feat was simply unheard of. Was it all a trick?

    "What kind of treasure is this furnace? How did he refine a weapon without lifting a finger? It''s unbelievable!"

    "Yeah, I''ve never seen such a treasure before!"

    "Is he playing tricks on us?"

    Naturally, all the warriors from the outer part of the Dignified Supernal Sect were dubious with Zachary''s success. After all, they had never seen such a feat before.

    Brayan, who was almost done with his refining process, couldn''t help but look at Zachary in surprise. Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected Zachary to finish refining an Imperial Level weapon in six hours. Moreover, Zachary didn''t e

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    rrold hesitated for a while and then glanced at Zachary. Zachary nodded slightly, indicating he was willing to compete with Kingston. "Okay," Jerrold said resolutely. "But Kingston, show him some mercy, please!"

    Kingston only snorted in response. Then, addressing Zachary, he said, "Your furnace looks powerful. Can you refine whatever you want with it?"

    "Almost anything!" Zachary nodded.

    "Can it create even Sage Level weapons?" Kingston asked expectantly, narrowing his eyes.

    "Yes, as long as I have the right materials," Zachary answered honestly.

    "Well, how about this? Since I don''t want to be accused of bullying, I won''t compete with you head on. Instead, if you can create one of the weapons that made me famous back then, you win," Kingston suggested after thinking for a while. Zachary might have won over his disciple thanks to his mysterious furnace, but he figured that Zachary himself was not that powerful, so he felt no need to compete. Anyway, in his eyes, there was no way Zachary would win this round.

 Chapter 1078 The Phoenix Finch Fan

    The instant the onlookers caught Kingston''s proposal to have such a form of competition, an abstruse conversation started to arise between them. Kingston, notable on the Supernal Continent as an exceptional weapon refiner at the Sage Level, had strong strength in weapon refining. Naturally, it wouldn''t come as a shock if he had already refined twenty or thirty famous weapons, at the very least, with only himself holding information about the refining methods he had used, as well as the compositions of refining materials. As a result, the likelihood for Zachary to refine any one of Kingston''s famous weapons was slim.

    "Grandpa, his challenge is way too intricate. I''m willing to bet that Hodge won''t be able to make it." Susie spoke with an expression of distress on her face. In reality, aside from Hodge, she likewise believed that her grandfather might also be unsuccessful if he tried to refine Kingston''s famous weapon. After all, all of those weapons that had earned him his reputation were all his original innovations. As a result, Zachary would end in an unfavorable situation if such a competition would occur.

    Despite Jerrold''s calm demeanor, he was bothered deep inside for Zachary''s welfare.

    "No worries. I accept your challenge," Zachary responded coolly.

    "Remember the stakes. If you fail against me, you''ll have to give your furnace to me," Kingston warned with a sly look.

    "Kingston, don''t go too far. It''s disgraceful to watch you oppress a junior like th

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    ing the Phoenix Finch Fan that fast without any trouble!"

    "This guy''s incredible ability scares me!"

    "However, come to think of it. Even though all the materials are available, Zachary would still need Kingston''s unique method to produce the Phoenix Finch Fan, right?"

    Jerrold and Susie were at a loss for words because they both realized they had been worrying about Zachary for nothing. Apparently, Zachary had more secrets than they had imagined. It shocked them to see him easily take out all the materials needed to produce the Phoenix Finch Fan.

    "Sir, do you think these materials are enough?" Zachary turned to Kingston and asked.

    Kingston couldn''t stop himself from staring at Zachary in incredulity. For a brief moment, he found himself unable to respond because of Zachary''s surprising motility to collect such a complete set of materials so quickly. However, he still pressed on and stated, "Try not to be so complacent. Even though you have these materials in hand, you may still not be able to produce the fan."

    "I guess you''ll have to wait and find out for yourself whether I can do it or not!" Zachary beamed. Afterward, he tossed all the materials right into the Heavenly Golden Furnace. After putting in treasure-hunting coins, he set the production duration of six hours.

    After setting up everything, there was nothing left for him to do but wait. Zachary sat cross-legged right in front of the Heavenly Golden Furnace, just as he had previously done.

 Chapter 1079 Admitting Defeat For Bet

    As all the people present patiently waited, someone had prepared seats for Kingston and Jerrold. They sat comfortably on the side and looked at each other with a complacent expression plastered on their faces.

    Since they had nothing else to do to make the time pass, the entire six hours felt like a drag. However, bored as they might be, this did not dull the enthusiasm of the people present. They were way too excited for whatever surprise Zachary might bring.

    Time passed slowly, with each second feeling longer than the last. When the time limit of six hours was over, the Heavenly Golden Furnace started buzzing and vibrating, and it became more and more intense. The people took notice, and their eyes were heavily engrossed in what was about to happen. It was a completely different phenomenon from the previous one where it was calm and silent while an Imperial Weapon was forged. This one, however, looked like it was about to make the furnace explode.

    With their interest piqued, all the people present started to speculate. Various discussions were thrown in the air.

    "Did he fail?"

    "It''s highly likely. After all, this furnace shouldn''t be so omnipotent. He can''t just refine whatever he wants."

    "Kingston masterfully crafted the Phoenix Finch Fan¡ªit is a unique weapon. It would be unreasonable if it were too easily created by this guy."

    ''Is this how he w

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    tage!" Kingston, who was usually arrogant, suddenly showed a look of regret. One of his most admired people in the sect was Tania, the Holy Maiden. Since Zachary was her disciple, it was obvious that he was one of the best.

    "Hah! This is where your arrogance brought you. It''s too late to regret now. Give them to me!" Jerrold taunted further, smiling broadly.

    Giving Jerrold a pointed look, Kingston waved his hand and said, "Fine, forget it. It''s my fault that I didn''t recognize Hodge, anyway. I accept this result." Then he took out several brocade boxes and gave them to Zachary. "Give them to Jerrold for me."

    "Thank you." Zachary immediately took them from him without hesitation.

    "You don''t have to thank me. I have lost to him multiple times. This exchange is long overdue," Kingston replied unhappily. He sighed audibly.

    "Sir, it''s the first time we have met each other. How about I give you a gift?" As soon as he offered, Zachary took out a top-grade rare Sage Level material and handed it to Kingston.

    "Wait¡ª Isn''t this Iron Dragon Bone? It''s one of the hardest bone materials in the Supernal Continent. It''s the best material for refining the rare Sage Level weapons. It''s definitely difficult to find such a precious material..." With his profound knowledge, Kingston recognized what Zachary showed him at the first sight and his eyes immediately lit up.

 Chapter 1080 Trying Refining The Poison

    Upon hearing this, all of the people present stared at Zachary in amazement. Obviously, they hadn''t expected Zachary to offer such a precious treasure as a gift to Kingston. Moreover, this was the first time they had ever met, yet he was being so generous.

    "Young lad, do you really wish to give me such an invaluable present? If I''m not mistaken, that is a rare Sage Level material. And you''re giving it to me for free?" Kingston asked tentatively. Just like everyone else, he was surprised at Zachary''s generosity. It didn''t seem like Zachary had any reservations about handing out such a rare material. For a moment, Kingston couldn''t quite believe it.

    "Why, of course! It''s just a material, isn''t it? Besides, for someone with your stature, it is just a small thing. Please accept my humble gift," Zachary answered politely. The real reason why he gave Kingston such an impressive gift was because he wanted to establish a good relationship with lots of powerful warriors. In this way, he might be given access to several useful resources in the future. Most of these powerful warriors, including Jerrold and Kingston, were now living in seclusion in the Dignified Supernal Sect. Nevertheless, they must still possess some influence and connections outside the village within the Supernal Continent. If so, then it would be extremely useful when he would need to deal with Dominic and the Moon Shadow someday.

    "Young man, you have a very promising future ahead of you! I can see that

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    cold toxin. Once it had entered a person''s body, it would immediately solidify the blood and freeze the meridians, thereby, instantly making the whole body stiff. Additionally, it could kill the person in less than six hours.

    Zachary held the Magic Ice Herb in his hand and observed it for a while. Afterward, he tore a small piece of it and put it into his mouth. As soon as he took it in, he immediately felt a severe chill running down his entire body. After that, he felt his body gradually stiffening as the poison began to spread. To deal with this, he immediately released the Fighting Crane''s power. It protected his heart. Then, he just allowed the cold toxin of the Magic Ice Herb to spread all over his body.

    In order to refine the poison, he had to take it all in and allow it to spread. He needed to force his body to adapt to the poison before he could refine it. This was the only way he could achieve the desired effect. However, this process was awfully dangerous. If he could neither refine it nor detoxify it in time, he would die right away. Because of this, ordinary people would never dare to try this method. It was much too risky.

    In any case, Zachary possessed the strongest healing power in the entire world. Hence, those that were considered as strong poisons by common folks almost had little effect on him. Even after the cold toxin had spread all over his body, it did not cause any other harm aside from freezing his blood and stiffening his meridians.

 Chapter 1081 Helping Susie Get Over Hatred

    After his body completely adapted to the cold toxin of the Magic Ice Herb, Zachary began to use his own martial energy to refine the toxin in his body. He made the toxin course through his entire body.

    Six hours later, Zachary had successfully refined the cold toxin of the Magic Ice Herb, completing his first refinement.

    Arduous it might be, it was just the beginning for Zachary. As soon as he finished the first one, he quickly shifted his attention to the next poisonous herb to refine. However, as the toxicity of the herbs rose, the refining process became more and more difficult and painful.

    The sun was already rising on the horizon when finally, Zachary finished refining four different types of poisonous herbs. He had successfully taken the first step of his plan. He was exhausted, but satisfied.

    That same morning, he still had a morning training to attend, so he halted his refinement, left the system, and went to the Heavenly Cloud Square.

    Fabian''s ill intentions backfired on him. The day before, he deliberately made things more difficult for Zachary so he could watch him fail. However, when the latter overcame the struggle, he became even more popular among the disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect. Therefore, as soon as Zachary appeared on the Heavenly Cloud Square, he was immediately surrounded by numerous disciples. They benefitted heavily from him, so they regarded him with utmost respect.

    Any other

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    saying all this was necessary¡ªhe knew the anger Susie held all too well. The pain and the price of revenge was a large downfall in his life. He wanted to spare her all of that.

    "This is why grandpa asked me to be acquainted with you, isn''t it? So you could persuade me?" Susie was a smart woman, she quickly saw through Zachary''s words.

    "He just did it because he loves you. You are his only family left, so he doesn''t want you to be blinded by hatred and lose the things that matter most to you," Zachary answered sincerely and earnestly.

    "I don''t think anything matters anymore. I grew up in harsh conditions. As a girl, I was always bullied and pushed aside by others. My desire for revenge is the only thing that propelled me to where I am right now. My sight is entirely clouded with fury. All I know is I have to avenge my parents. But later I found out that I still have a grandfather, and the person who killed my parents is one of his enemies. Tragic it may be, I can''t blame him for that. I can''t pin my anger on the only family I have left. I can only hate the person who killed my parents." Susie chewed on her lip, looking a little pained. Her struggle and her anger were bared and exposed.

    "It seems like there''s still a part of you that still blames your grandfather. After all, if he didn''t have a feud with others in the first place, your parents wouldn''t have been caught in between." Zachary understood how Susie felt.

 Chapter 1082 Trevors Residence

    "Despite the bad feelings that I harbor against him, he didn''t directly cause my parents'' death. He is still my grandfather, and nothing can change that. The rationale of why he left back then was to protect us, but the outcome was contrary to his objective. For that reason, I don''t hold it against him. But one thing that I''m quite certain will happen is that if I don''t do something to even the score for my parents, my grandfather will certainly do it. Although he''s keeping mum about it, I know his way of thinking and everything else. Once he senses that I have someone worth relying on, he will go and do what he has to do!" Susie voiced out her innermost thoughts with no attempt at concealment. Surprised by her blunt honesty, Zachary hadn''t expected to hear those words come directly from her.

    "So you already know about your grandfather''s thoughts. You''re giving me the impression that you already comprehend in your heart what you want to do. There is no need for me to persuade you anymore, considering the circumstances. At first, I didn''t want to get involved and concern myself about such things, if it weren''t for all the goodness your grandfather has shown toward me. Now I don''t find the need for me to meddle." Smiling, Zachary shook his head. Susie''s rationality had surpassed his expectations. He figured out that Susie had an inkling of what she was doing. Just like he did in days gone by, he felt she no longer

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    ook.

    Then, Zachary and Jerrold took flight and made their way to Bald Mountain, a remote mountain located one mile away from the Dignified Supernal Village.

    The instant they set foot at the Bald Mountain, Zachary figured out it adhered to its namesake. The mountain''s peak appeared like a vast arc, but its edges were full of abundant forests. Meanwhile, the cavity found in its central area was completely bare, as if no grass could grow there at all.

    "Since the Bald Mountain depicts a dismal condition, most of the Dignified Supernal Sect''s reclusive warriors won''t pick out this place for cultivation. As a result, Trevor alone has full and exclusive control of this massive area..." Jerrold straightened out as they reached the Bald Mountain.

    "Trevor''s taste seems to be different," Zachary alleged as a joke.

    After alighting the Bald Mountain''s hillside, Jerrold immediately unleashed an eagle akin to a carrier pigeon. Before long, the eagle flew into the forest. Shortly after, a middle-aged warrior wearing a red cloak sprung up before Jerrold and cupped his hands with all due respect.

    "I would like to introduce you to Angelo Ye," Jerrold presented formally to Zachary.

    Without delay, Zachary cupped his hands and received him graciously. "Nice to meet you, Angelo." Meanwhile, he glanced at Angelo Ye and ruled out that he was an Imperial Level warrior at the premium stage. His strength was not puny.

 Chapter 1084 Someone Got Poisoned

    A figure suddenly emerged from beside the poison array and rushed into it. It looked like he wanted to break into the array yet again.

    Zachary could tell from the figure''s huffing breaths that he was at the first or second stage of Sage Level.

    The figure activated the full extent of his protective martial energy the moment he entered the poison array, in order to protect himself from the poisonous fog in the air. His body was also tightly covered and protected against the poisonous powder that floated out of the flora in the array.

    With one breath he took, he moved over ten meters forward. But before long, a thick cloud of green poisonous gas floated towards him from the side. He was quick to notice it and immediately threw out a spiral-shaped weapon that shone dazzlingly in the air and formed a strong wind to battle the gas. Once he had blown this obstacle away, he continued to move forward.

    When the figure was thirty meters deeper into the array, a poisonous vine emerged from the ground and crept up, wrapping around his ankle and piercing through his clothes. The man screamed in agony at

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    n, wrapping around him. It pulled Lachlan out of the storm and the array, and made him land on the ground before Zachary.

    Zachary steadied the man and helped him sit up. Jerrold, after making sure the man was okay, flew back to Zachary.

    The onlookers were stunned. Nobody had thought or even dreamed that Jerrold would risk his own life to save someone.

    "Sir, he has been poisoned!" Zachary said to Jerrold, his eyes concerned. Lochlan was purple all over, his lips pale as he trembled.

    "Is it too late? Since it''s the work of Trevor''s poisons, only he can detoxify Lochlan!" Jerrold said, looking up at the treehouse. He knew that even though he requested to see Trevor in person, he was afraid that Trevor might not show up.

    "Let me try," Zachary said suddenly, his expression serious. He knew that Jerrold had risked his life to save Lochlan, because they were close friends and Jerrold couldn''t bear to see anything happen to the vice sect leader. If he saved Lochlan, it would mean that Jerrold would owe him a favor and that Lochlan also would owe him his life. This would be a worthy business.

 Chapter 1085 Drawing All The Poisons Into His Body

    "Can you really detoxify him? I have to warn you that it''s going to be a difficult task since he has been infected by five different poisons." Jerrold gave Zachary an apprehensive look. The latter was renowned for being Tania''s disciple, so it crossed his mind that the latter must have learned a few alchemy skills from Tania. However, he still doubted that Zachary was strong enough to remove multiple poisons in a single attempt despite Zachary''s unquestionable strength.

    At that exact moment, all eyes were on Jerrold and Zachary. Engrossed in how the events were about to unfold, the warriors present could not peel their eyes off. Since they all came from other various sects, they didn''t know who Jerrold and Zachary were. Hence, their attention was mostly on Jerrold, a Sage Level master. They did not give that much attention to Zachary, because in their perspective, he looked like an ordinary young man who was unremarkable and mundane.

    However, to their confusion, it was Zachary who was claiming that he could save Lochlan. Based on their initial judgment, it seemed like Jerrold was the stronger one between them, and yet, it was the young man who had the guts to say such a lofty claim.

    All

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    my behalf. The ones coursing in my body are much too strong. You don''t have to do anything as dire as that," Lochlan warned. He thought that it was Jerrold who was helping him remove the poisons. He figured that Zachary was just around to assist Jerrold.

    "Oh, it isn''t me who was detoxifying you. It is this young man, Hodge!" Jerrold immediately looked at Zachary, and gave the young man a small smile.

    Hearing this, Lochlan immediately shifted his attention to Zachary, whose body turned purple all over his body¡ªhis condition was alarming.

    "Did he absorb all the poisons in my body into his body?! Is he digging his own grave?" Lochlan was aghast. He didn''t expect that this young man would take the risk to absorb all the poisons into his body.

    "Don''t worry, Lochlan. Hodge is not as ordinary as he looks like. Since he was the one who volunteered to suck out the poisons, he must have his own method to get rid of them," Jerrold explained to Lochlan. Although he was very worried about Zachary, he was quite confident in him.

    "But how could he be able to remove Trevor''s poisons considering his strength?" Lochlan remained skeptical. He didn''t believe that the young man was this powerful.

 Chapter 1086 The Moon Shadows Reappearance

    Naturally, aside from Lochlan, all the other warriors watching the event also held the same thoughts.

    However, precisely at the time when those in attendance cast aspersions on Zachary while considering the notion that he would end up dead, the underlying symptoms of poisoning gradually started disappearing from his body. After almost an hour, Zachary''s body showed signs of normalcy. The colors on his face had returned, almost as if he had never been poisoned.

    The warriors'' eyes shot wide open as they scrutinized Zachary''s physical appearance in complete shock. If only none of them had witnessed in the flesh how Zachary inhaled the toxins coming from inside Lochlan''s body and absorbed them into his own earlier, they would have considered this sight to be an illusion. But obviously, it was apparent to them that what transpired wasn''t a figment of the imagination. Zachary had indeed decontaminated the toxins satisfactorily which were left by Trevor.

    At that moment, Zachary''s eyes likewise opened slowly, and he began to feel more relaxed.

    "I''m filled with astonishment with this guy''s incredible power. I could hardly believe that he found a solution to Trevor''s poisons." Lochlan let out a long, emotional sigh as he stared wide-eyed at Zachary.

    "Hodge, how are you feeling right now? Is everything okay with you?" Jerrold asked in a concerned tone.

    "I''m all right. I''m grateful th

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    " Zachary answered after a moment''s reluctance to speak up.

    "So that''s why you''re well-informed about them as well!" Jerrold nodded in understanding.

    "Now is not the right time to discuss this. Let''s figure out a way to break through the array first!" Lochlan appealed with bated breath. He recalled that the most critical thing at this time was to break the array so he could see Trevor.

    At this stage, Zachary''s expression became determined, and he willingly offered to make the first attempt. "Let me try to break it!"

    "Hodge, reassess your decision!" Jerrold asked at once. He couldn''t resist reminding him, even though he already knew that Zachary had previously expressed his desire to break through the array.

    "That''s right, Hodge. Even my strength can''t break through the array, let alone you." Lochlan tried advising him as well.

    "To effectively break through this poison array, we shouldn''t merely rely on our strength, but we must also use our intellect. The rationale behind your failure to break through this array was because you lack knowledge concerning poisons. In fact, many poisons in this array are neutralizing and offsetting each other," Zachary pointed out bluntly.

    "Neutralize each other? Offset each other?" Both Jerrold and Lochlan stood frozen for a moment. Neither of them was good at alchemy, so they practically had no clue about the toxins'' characteristics.

 Chapter 1087 Poisonous Martial Energy

    "Didn''t you notice this? With his strength, Trevor could have easily set up a poison array five hundred meters in diameter. But look at how it¡¯s only fifty meters. The poisons excreted by the array have been secretly canceling each other out. Oddly enough I think he actually did this on purpose. Otherwise, the poisons would have already spread out." Zachary¡¯s rich knowledge about poisons allowed him to immediately figure out what was happening.

    "I see. It seems like he still has some sense of decency.¡± Jerrold immediately understood what Zachary meant. Trevor only wanted to keep them out rather than to kill every intruder. Hence, it was the reason why he controlled the range of the array.

    "Hodge, can you actually find a way to break through the poison array?" Lochlan immediately asked. He could not help but look at Zachary on a different light after what the latter said.

    "I''m not sure, but it''s worth a try!" Zachary answered with

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    round him.

    Everyone was still clueless about what he was doing. More so, they were surprised at how he was still alive after being exposed to such strong toxins.

    The swarm of insects around him grew impatient and started to make their move.

    However, a mysterious gas suddenly came from inside Zachary''s body and instantly spread around. The poisonous insects that caught a whiff of the gas instantly fell on the ground and trembled as if they were poisoned. Very soon, all of the vicious insects were left lying dead on the ground.

    The mysterious gas was the combination of the poisonous mist that Zachary absorbed inside his body and his original martial energy. But the poisonous martial energy couldn''t stay in his body for too long, or it would cause huge damages to his body. And so, he released it at the same time to prevent himself from being damaged.

    The scene left each and every warrior with their mouths hanging wide open.

 Chapter 1088 Meeting The Requirements

    Countless poisonous insects swarmed towards Zachary with such ferocity, as though their sole purpose in life was to kill him. However, because of the steady release of Zachary''s poisonous martial energy, it was difficult for the insects to get close to him. While he kept the insects at bay, his body continued to refine the poison he absorbed, constantly adapting to it.

    As Zachary inhaled large amounts of poisonous fog, his body began to react. Sometimes his skin turned bluish black, and sometimes it turned as pale as a ghost. At other times, blisters popped up all over his body, festering with greenish yellow pus. Thankfully, none of the effects lasted that long, and each symptom disappeared just as quickly as they came.

    After a while, the dead bodies of the poisonous insects had piled up into a small hill surrounding Zachary, while the rest of the insects seemed hesitant to approach him.

    Zachary''s body, which by now had experienced all the poisons'' effects, finally returned to normal. Moreover, he was done refining the fusion pois

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    r.

    "Sir, if you really want to end my life, so be it. But I won''t leave until you meet my requirements," Zachary said firmly.

    "Do you really think I won''t kill you?" Trevor didn''t expect that Zachary would be so stubborn.

    Seeing that Zachary was so bold, all the warriors present were also stunned. No one in their right mind would dare to provoke Trevor!

    "If you want to kill me, sir, I''m afraid you will have to ask the two masters beside me first..." With Jerrold and Lochlan by his side, Zachary was not afraid of Trevor at all.

    Trevor''s expression darkened. It would''ve been difficult for him to deal with Jerrold alone, let alone Lochlan, too.

    "Trevor, please, for my sake! Can you meet his requirements?" Jerrold asked gently.

    "Then tell me your requirements first," Trevor said reluctantly.

    "I have two requirements, sir. The first one is that I hope you can detoxify the elder brother of Master Lochlan," Zachary said at once.

    "Thank you so much!" Lochlan said to Zachary immediately, cupping his hands in gratitude.

 Chapter 1089 Trevors Trick

    "No, no, no. It was you, not him, who broke the array. Why should I detoxify his elder brother?" Trevor shook his head firmly.

    "Sir, isn''t it too inhumane of you to refuse to save someone?" Zachary frowned at him.

    "So what? It''s up to me, anyway." Trevor snorted.

    "Sir, then what can I do for you so that you would be willing to detoxify his older brother?" Zachary asked after a moment''s thought.

    "Well..." Trevor murmured as he studied Zachary hesitantly. Then, he took out a bottle from the belt on his waist. He shook the bottle gently, and poured out a white pill. "This is a Ten-step Death Pill, refined with ten kinds of rare poisonous herbs. As long as you take it and walk ten steps without dying, I will detoxify his elder brother as you wish..."

    "Trevor, you are obviously forcing him to do something impossible. The others might not know the power of the Ten-step Death Pill, but I know very well that your little white pill is incurable. You''re just trying to kill him!" Jerrold scolded at once.

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    ke the eleventh step safely!

    "What the hell? How is that possible?" Trevor exclaimed, unbelievable.

    Seeing this, Jerrold and Lochlan let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, they could not help showing admiration, because even they might not have had the courage to do what Zachary just did.

    "Sir, I hope you can honor your promise," Zachary said coldly.

    Trevor couldn''t help but tremble with anger as he gritted his teeth. Of course, he hadn''t expected that Zachary was so powerful that he would survive. However, he willed himself to calm down after a while. Now, he was sure that Zachary was no ordinary disciple of the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    The warriors present also began to cheer. Since Zachary was still alive, it meant that Trevor was going to detoxify them all!

    "Sir, I hope you can keep your promise," Zachary repeated himself, narrowing his eyes at Trevor.

    "It''s so noisy. All of you leave first and come back to me tomorrow." Trevor glared at everyone, intending to shoo them away.

 Chapter 1090 The Help From Trevor

    Hearing this, all the warriors present fell silent, afraid that Trevor would go back on his own word.

    Seeing their worried expressions, Trevor rolled his eyes. "Don''t worry. I don''t go back on my promise," he said.

    "I think he''s telling the truth. You may all leave now," Zachary reassured the crowd.

    The warriors present exchanged hesitant glances. After a while, however, they nodded at each other and bowed towards Zachary gratefully.

    "Thank you, buddy. We owe you big time. We will repay you tenfold!"

    "We''ll never forget your kindness.

    If you need anything in the future, just come to us..."

    After all the warriors were done expressing their gratitude to Zachary, they left.

    This left only Zachary, Jerrold, and Lochlan alone with Trevor.

    "Lochlan, what is your older brother poisoned with?" Trevor cut straight to the chase.

    "The Demonic Scorpion Venom!" Lochlan answered.

    "I see," Trevor said as he took out a small bottle. "This bottle is filled with toad''s venom, which is extremely poisonous. Divide it into three dose

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    extremely dangerous. You may die at any time."

    "I know, but it''s a risk I''m willing to take. Also, I hope to accomplish this within a month. I''m worried she won''t be able to hold on for that much longer," Zachary said grimly.

    "Of course. I have collected more than a hundred kinds of poisonous herbs. In addition, I have exclusively refined dozens of poisonous pills. They should be enough to make your life a living hell. As long as you can withstand them..." Trevor''s eyes flashed crazily. He smiled at Zachary deviously.

    "When can we start?" Zachary returned his smile.

    "Come back here by midnight tomorrow," Trevor answered.

    "Okay." Zachary nodded.

    "Don''t tell anyone about this, not even the Holy Maiden. I don''t want to be the talk of the town," Trevor said, narrowing his eyes.

    "I understand." Zachary couldn''t help but chuckle softly. Even though Trevor acted strangely, Zachary could see that he wasn''t so bad.

    "You can leave now!" Trevor scowled.

    "Anyway, thank you, sir!" After saying that, Zachary left the treehouse.

 Chapter 1091 Susies Breakthrough

    Jerrold, who had been waiting for Zachary outside, walked up to him as soon as the latter emerged from the treehouse.

    "Did Trevor make things difficult for you?" Jerrold asked, his expression showed his concern.

    "No, don''t worry." Zachary shook his head with a smile.

    "That''s good. I was worried that he might play some sort of trick." Jerrold felt relieved upon hearing Zachary''s answer.

    "Actually, he''s not as bad as I thought," Zachary said honestly.

    "Did he find out who you are?" Jerrold asked.

    "He might''ve guessed who I was when he heard you call out my name," Zachary answered.

    "If I had known earlier, I would''ve called your name sooner!" Jerrold chuckled. Then he asked, "Were you able to get the poisonous herbs you needed?"

    "Sort of," Zachary answered vaguely. Although he hadn''t gotten any poisonous herbs per se, Trevor had promised to help him turn his body into one immune to all kinds of poisons, which was actually much better than the alternative. However, since Trevor had warned him not to let anyone else know, he couldn''t tell Jerrold the truth.

    "Then let''s go back as soon as po

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    to see Tania first.

    "Master Tania, how are you feeling today?" His tone was riddled with worry. When he entered the room, he found Tania sitting cross-legged on the couch. Her cheeks were ruddy, overall a better complexion than when he last saw her.

    "I''m fine. What took you so long?" Tania asked. Normally, Zachary would visit after the morning training every day, but now it was already past noon.

    "Oh, I took a trip to the Dignified Supernal Village," Zachary answered honestly.

    "Did you go there to meet friends?" She knew Zachary wouldn''t have gone to the Dignified Supernal Village for no reason.

    "The warriors in both the outer part and the inner part of the Dignified Supernal Sect are very kind, so I did make some friends along the way," Zachary said with a smile.

    "That''s good. Anne and I thought you would change mentally after what you went through, but you''ve recovered quite nicely." Tania felt relieved. She and Anne had been worried that Zachary would be traumatized or have a personality change after his meridians were remolded. But now, it seemed that Zachary was the same, if not wiser.

 Chapter 1092 Fabians Trick

    "I''m not the kind of person who will complain and give up after some minor setback. More importantly, there are so many powerful warriors in the Dignified Supernal Sect. If I can make some friends here, they might be able to help me when I deal with Dominic in the future." Zachary spoke openly with Tania. He felt no need to keep things a secret from her.

    "You''re right, but your strength is still far from enough to deal with Dominic and the Moon Shadow," Tania said, waving her hand noncommittally.

    "That is why I plan to look for the tombs of the other four gods when the time comes," Zachary said calmly.

    "It seems that you have made up your mind. If I can survive this disaster, I''ll accompany you," Tania promised.

    "Let''s talk about it later. The most important thing right now is to detoxify you as soon as possible." Zachary eyed his master worriedly. He wondered how much longer she could hold on.

    "I appreciate the sentiment, but don''t push yourself too hard. I''ve already thought about it. If we really can''t remove the Spooky Fire Gas from my body, I will have no choice but to freeze myself. At least in that way I

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    "If I win, stay away from Sharon. Also, you will become my follower and obey my every command," Fabian said, narrowing his eyes at him.

    "Well, what if you lose?" Zachary asked.

    "I won''t lose," Fabian snorted.

    "So, you''re confident you can beat me?" Zachary smiled.

    "What? Are you afraid? Don''t forget that you are the Holy Maiden''s disciple. If you shy away from this competition, you''ll definitely embarrass her," Fabian taunted, worried that Zachary would refuse him.

    "I''m not afraid of embarrassing my master. I''m afraid of embarrassing you when you lose," Zachary retorted.

    "Hodge, you are so funny!" Fabian''s face twitched in annoyance.

    "Well, how about this? If you lose, stay away from me and don''t bother me anymore," Zachary said resolutely.

    "Brat, you..." Fabian grew angry. Zachary''s tone was like nails on a chalkboard to Fabian, but he forced himself to calm down. This was a good opportunity to find fault with Zachary, so instead he said, "Let''s go to the pill refining room!" After saying that, he snorted and left with his followers.

    Zachary sneered behind his back and followed at their heels.

 Chapter 1093 Flawed Pills

    Zachary entered a pill refining room with Fabian and the others. As soon as they arrived, a crowd of inner disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect showed up, filling up the room. Obviously, they had caught the news of the competition between Zachary and Fabian, so they all came to watch.

    After a short while, Sharon arrived, too. When she saw Zachary and Fabian standing face to face, she frowned and walked up to the former. "Why are you having a pill refining competition with Fabian?"

    "He said he wanted to ''compare notes''. I was afraid that if I refused, the others would think I disrespected him," Zachary replied with a faint smile.

    "''Compare notes''? I think he is obviously conning you. He must secretly know the fact that you can''t refine pills at all," Sharon said, glaring at Zachary. How could this man be so stupid?

    "Sharon, how do you know that Hodge doesn''t know how to refine pills? He is the disciple of Holy Maiden, after all!" Fabian said in a loud voice. But the truth was that he did know that Zachary couldn''t refine pills. He once heard his mas

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    e him, he announced, "I choose this one."

    "Okay!" On the other side, with a sinister smile, Fabian walked over to another cauldron on the other side of the room. "Hodge, I must remind you that it''s dangerous to speed up the pill refining process. If you make any mistake, it will end up in failure, and if you fail, you lose. So, be careful!"

    "Thank you for your advice," Zachary answered flatly.

    Then, under the watchful eyes of the public, Zachary and Fabian began their competition.

    As they started, the bystanders began to discuss among themselves.

    "Hey, who do you think will win?"

    "Fabian, of course. He is proficient in eight kinds of pill refining skills, and he is among the leading disciples of our sect."

    "I''m not sure. Hodge is the Holy Maiden''s disciple. He must know some powerful pill refining technique..."

    "But Fabian is the strongest one among the disciples in terms of pill refinement. Even if Hodge''s refining skills are not bad, he''s no match for Fabian!"

    "Unless Fabian shows him mercy, it''s obvious who''s going to win this..."

 Chapter 1094 The Four-beast Alchemic Skill

    At this point, there was a division among the crowd. The majority of the crowd backed Fabian, and only a small portion signified their support for Zachary. However, this was already deemed a good thing since it was only recently when Zachary joined the Dignified Supernal Sect. Hence, his popularity within the sect was undoubtedly not as strong as Fabian''s. But because he had astounding achievements in the sect''s previous assessment, along with the lavish presents he previously gave away, he managed to make an impression on many inner disciples. As a result, he left a mark and became famous in the sect.

    Shortly after, the competition commenced. Almost instantly, Fabian lifted his hands in the air, and a brown martial energy surrounded the entire furnace placed before him, causing it to give off a radiant glow.

    The brown radiance was alchemic martial energy, a unique form of martial energy mainly used for pill refining. Once a warrior acquired skills on refining pills effectively, this type of energy would usually appear close to his lower abdomen. It would serve as the basis when he executed his alchemic skills. Unlike any other ordinary martial energies, this was all about balance and continuity to aid the pills'' proper formation. Additionally, it would ascertain that refined pills would change during the time of fusion and derivation.

    Furthermore, while a warrior was refining pills, he could also cultivate the alchemic martia

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    energy flowed out of his hands and went straight into the furnace again. This energy promptly condensed around the furnace before turning into four strange beast shadows. They respectively guarded the furnace''s four directions.

    "What the hell... Could this be the Four-beast Alchemic Skill?"

    "That''s out of the question! Isn''t the Four-beast Alchemic Skill of the Dignified Supernal Sect supposedly a secret skill? Only the direct descendants of the founder of our sect could have the chance to obtain such ability."

    "The Holy Maiden must have passed it on to him. I never thought she would bequeath this kind of skill. That would be equivalent to treating him as one of her own."

    For a while, the people who finally acknowledged Zachary''s alchemic skill looked taken aback by this development.

    Sharon''s beautiful eyes somewhat opened wide in surprise, but she thought that this was reasonable. What others didn''t know was that her aunt had given Zachary undivided attention to cultivating him. She knew that even if it were the Dignified Supernal Sect''s most vital alchemic skill, not to mention the Four-beast Alchemic Skill, her aunt would gladly impart it to Zachary without hesitation.

    However, what she couldn''t comprehend was that the Four-beast Alchemic Skill typically required someone with Sage Level strength to display the skill. However, Zachary''s strength hadn''t reached the Sage Level yet. This puzzled her to the extreme.

 Chapter 1095 Try His Luck

    As usual, Fabian underestimated Zachary. Therefore, he was completely caught off guard by what he witnessed. Zachary was already capable of using the skill created by the founder of the Dignified Supernal Sect. In addition to that, he began using it right away as their competition started. They seldom imparted this skill to just about anyone. Even as a well-recognized outstanding disciple, Fabian was not given a chance to learn it. However, Zachary had not only learned it, but mastered it very well. This made Fabian all the more jealous of him.

    "Humph! It doesn''t matter if he can use the Four-beast Alchemic Skill. I bet it''ll be impossible for him to refine the pill successfully no matter what he did!" Fabian was too full of himself. He was utterly convinced that Zachary wouldn''t be able to refine the pill successfully.

    Zachary had just used the skill to control the cauldron for the time being. But still, it didn''t stop trembling. On the contrary, the tremors kept getting stronger. Naturally, the crowd was worried. They thought that the pill inside the cauldron might explode at any moment.

    This aberrant and bizarre movement of the cauldron lasted for four hours. It just kept shaking violently the entire time.

    But soon enough, Zachary abruptly withdrew his hands from the cauldron and waved them with a flou

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    traightforwardly.

    "You... You changed the ingredients of the pill? But how? How would that be even possible? The pill was already a semi-finished one before. This means that the ingredients in it should have been mixed already. How were you able to change them effortlessly?" This was the first time Sharon had ever heard of this technique. She didn''t know that the ingredients of a semi-finished pill could still be changed.

    "One can still produce similar pills even after the disruption and recombination of ingredients. This works as long as no new substance emerges. Of course, it''s much easier said than done. Nevertheless, I just wanted to try my luck to see if I would be able to make it. And the result turned out to be good." Now, Zachary was telling the truth. But still, he knew that it didn''t matter how skilled he was in pill refining. He would have never been able to do that without the help of his electronic eye.

    "I never would have believed that this technique works if I hadn''t seen you do it. I''ve never even heard of this before today. You''re really insane, you know that? So bizarre! I don''t suppose my aunt taught you this one, did she?" Sharon was certain that Zachary''s method was way beyond her comprehension. Moreover, she knew that this skill was not something that could be learned from the sect.

 Chapter 1096 No Resistance

    "It''s something I created on my own," Zachary said perfunctorily with a smile. However, what he said was right. In the whole world, nobody except him, who had the help of a powerful system, could do this.

    Sharon cast Zachary a glare, but in her heart, she couldn''t help but care more about him.

    "By the way, when will the assessment Fabian mentioned just now begin?" he then asked casually.

    "It will take place soon, probably in half a month. In fact, you don''t have to take part in the assessment because you are a new disciple of the inner part and you still haven¡¯t adapted to the new environment yet. Generally speaking, new pupils aren¡¯t required to partake in the assessment within three years after they join. Even the recruits from the outer part can opt-out of it for a year," Sharon briefly explained.

    "I see. But what if I want to join?" Zachary asked after a moment of hesitation.

    "With your strength, that won''t be a problem," she answered, nodding her head.

    "Then, is there any benefit to participate?" he asked again.

    "Of course there is. If a disciple displays outstanding strength and prowess, he can be given the opportunity to enter

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    your body is strong enough to resist almost all kinds of toxins, it will also make your body too reliant on it. If you want your body to be immune to all kinds of poisons, you have to avoid using any of your powers to resist them," Trevor explained.

    "Well, how will I be able to survive the toxins if I''m not going to use any power?" Zachary asked immediately. He was starting to panic seeing that only one wrong move would spell his doom.

    "You must have already refined a lot of poisonous herbs before, and thus have more or less adapted to some types of toxins which would help you a lot. Plus, the venom isn¡¯t made to kill you; it will only make you suffer in pain. As long as you can endure it for a night, then there will be nothing to worry about,¡± said Trevor.

    "Are you kidding me?" Zachary asked worriedly.

    "Believe it or not. If you don''t want to do this, then you can ask someone else for help!" Trevor snorted at him.

    "All right. I''ll believe you this time." Zachary thought for a while and finally decided to have a try.

    "Well, enjoy yourself!" After finishing his words, Trevor came back to the treehouse with his hands behind his back.

 Chapter 1097 The Heavenly Pill Array

    Since he couldn''t activate the Fighting Crane''s power to resist the toxins, Zachary had no choice but to give in to the poisonous vines'' grip. As they wrapped around him tighter and tighter, liberal amounts of venom from the vines penetrated into his limbs. It made a steady stream of toxin coursing on his entire body.

    Although the vines were noxious, Zachary could clearly tell the stark difference from the one in the poison array compared to the current venom in him. The toxins from the poison array were strong and abrupt, while the current poison were less active. Instead, it was the chronic kind. The torture it gave was slow and steady, destroying his entire system, especially his mind.

    As more venom entered his body, Zachary felt like his body was being torn apart. He could feel a burning sensation, as if he was being whipped over and over, wherein the strike was stronger than the last. It did not take long before his body started to convulse, tearing and twitching as he tried his best to overcome the unwelcome stream of poison.

    Although this kind of pain was not fatal, it was extremely torturous. If anything, it was more of a mental battle than a physical one. It aimed to destroy one''s psychological

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    antly practice to accumulate experience and improve their skills.

    Since he was cinched for time, Zachary planned to carry out some special training in alchemy to improve his skills.

    "Mimi, is there anything that can help me specially cultivate alchemic skills?" Zachary immediately asked as soon as he entered the system.

    "The system has just repaired a new assisting system, which can help you," Mimi replied.

    "What a coincidence! What assisting system is it?" Zachary raised his eyebrows.

    "It''s called the Heavenly Pill Array."

    "The Heavenly Pill Array? Explain it..." Zachary repeated, curious about the new scheme.

    "The Heavenly Pill Array is somewhat similar to the Shura Pilgrimage Space. It consists of passes, and each one has an array. Once you fulfill the pill refining quest required by each pass, you will be allowed to get through."

    "Is there any award for doing so?" Zachary asked again.

    "The usual loot from the Heavenly Pill Array are pills, pill formulas, herbs, and anything like that. These particular awards have all been extinct on the Supernal Continent. In other words, any award you can get from the Heavenly Pill Array will be unique on the Supernal Continent," Mimi replied.

 Chapter 1098 Another Painful Night

    "That actually sounds good," Zachary said as he nodded in satisfaction.

    "It''s much more than that. If you can break through all the passes in the Heavenly Pill Array, you will have the chance to obtain the Golden Holy Pill, which is necessary for every warrior in order to break through to the Holy Level. With the Golden Holy Pill, your preparation to break through to the Holy Level would be much easier. You can achieve twice the result with just half the effort," Mimi explained cheerfully.

    "Really? That''s great! What are we waiting for then? Let me try it now!" Zachary was so thrilled that he was itching to give it a try.

    "Right away. Activate the Heavenly Pill Array!" Mimi immediately announced.

    A moment later, Zachary was teleported to what looked like an illusory place. He stood on a round platform that appeared as a floating plate at first glance, and it had a furnace at the center. As he looked around, he noticed that there were several round platforms around that came in various sizes. In each platform, he could see that there were several furnaces. Some of these platforms were surrounded by others as if they formed an array.

    "Remember this. The Heavenly Pill Array has two modes. The first one is breaking through passes by refining pills, while the other one is breaking arrays by refining pills. The first mode, w

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    er, Zachary successfully endured all the pain and suffering for several hours.

    When it was almost dawn, Trevor went out of the treehouse again to observe Zachary''s situation. He was actually surprised to see him still sober despite his deathly pale face. He could not help but let out a faint smile as he admired the young man''s tenacity. "You impress me, brat. I can''t believe that you can hold on for two consecutive days. It seems that I have to make an even more powerful venom tomorrow," Trevor said.

    Immediately after, the vines let go of Zachary.

    After landing on the ground, Zachary looked up at Trevor and confidently said, "Although I am not sure of the extent of the power of the venom that you can make, rest assured that I will take it no matter what."

    "Ha! Are you sure that you should be saying that? Well, since you are arrogant enough, I will return the favor and show you no mercy. You better expect that I will make your life a living hell!" Trevor exclaimed as he sneered coldly.

    "I expect nothing less from you, sir," Zachary said, let out a bitter smile and eventually left the swamp.

    After flying away from the Bald Mountain, Zachary directly went to Alcuin''s winery to ease the remaining toxins in his body with alcohol. Once he had recovered, he went back to the Cyan Cloud Mountain for his morning training.

 Chapter 1099 Conversation With The Sect Leader

    After the morning training had ended, Zachary worked out a plan to head straight to the Dignified Supernal Village to stockpile a fresh batch of spiritual herbs. Breaking through the Heavenly Pill Array necessitated him to consume a substantial amount of herbs. Since his Heavenly Herb Garden had just materialized, and he didn''t have a large supply of such herbs yet, he mapped out an objective to gather an initial stack of herbs in preparation for any future problems.

    However, just when Zachary was all set to go out of the Heavenly Cloud Square and make his way toward the Dignified Supernal Village, Sharon abruptly showed up right under his nose at that instant.

    "What''s happening? Is there something wrong?" Zachary asked with a tranquil expression. By now, he had become acquainted with her sudden appearance.

    "Can''t I find you for no apparent reason? Should there always be a complication every time I show up?" Sharon brooded with a small pout.

    "Of course, you can. Nobody''s stopping you. All I''m saying is it''s easy to get the wrong idea. I''m just worried that others will misinterpret your surfacing," Zachary pointed out. To prove his point, he explored the surroundings and noticed quite a few disciples speaking to each other in muffled tones. It was evident that they were discussing among themselves, catching sight of Sharon together with him.

    "What are you saying? Why would people take something the wrong way?" Sharon''s reaction revealed how clueless she seemed that

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    liment, sir," Zachary responded modestly.

    "I''m only being honest. Anyway, do you plan on joining the upcoming assessment this month?" Kendrick asked, switching the topic.

    "If there are no problems along the way, then I''m aiming to take part in it," Zachary replied with a slight nod.

    "Very nice. I was a bit concerned that you might have some apprehensions and decide not to participate. Naturally, as a new inner disciple, you have the prerogative not to join. But with your current strength and talent, it would be a pity if you sit this out. However, if you''ll stand out in this assessment, you will have the chance to enter the Supernatural Cave for cultivation. Maybe you can take the opportunity to break through to the Sage Level," Kendrick declared. It was apparent that he knew of it.

    "That''s true, but the Dignified Supernal Sect''s inner part is loaded with powerful disciples. It won''t be easy to be distinctive among them!" Zachary replied with a light smile.

    "I have high conviction in Tania''s vision, and I hope you can break through to the Sage Level at the earliest opportunity so you can become a new member of our Dignified Supernal Sect''s Hundred-Sage Team," Fabian said with high hopes.

    "I can''t guarantee anything, but I will try my best," Zachary said. He didn''t anticipate that Kendrick would think so highly of him, so he felt somewhat honored. But, in hindsight, knowing that Kendrick loved Tania very much, perhaps he also held in high regard her disciple.

 Chapter 1100 The Organ-Damaging Pill

    "Be diligent and work hard. If you can, always aim to exceed Tania''s expectations," Kendrick encouraged.

    "Thank you for your kind words, sir. I''ll keep them in mind." Zachary humbly nodded.

    "You can go. If you need anything, just ask Sharon. She''ll be able to help you," Kendrick advised.

    "I see. Thank you, sir." As their conversation ended, Zachary turned around and left the hall.

    When Sharon saw Zachary walking out of the building, she immediately approached him and asked, "Hey, what did my father say?"

    "Oh, nothing much. You shouldn''t concern yourself with it..." Zachary immediately dismissed as he shook his head. Skeptical, Sharon squinted her eyes.

    "I don''t buy it. My father is not the kind of person who would go out of his way to invite people without a good reason. Come on, just say it," she coaxed.

    "It was nothing much. He just asked mostly about your aunt and the upcoming assessment," Zachary answered.

    "Is that so?" With her suspicions still unquenched, she asked further, "Did my father persuade you to take the upcoming assessment?"

    Zachary simply nodded.

    "I know that my father thinks highly of you since you are my aunt''s disciple. He wants you to take the assessment so that you can be more exper

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    e was there to prevent Zachary from doing any irrational actions once he couldn''t resist the poisonous pill.

    After ten minutes, Zachary felt a sharp pain in his stomach, as if there were sharp blades circulating inside him. The pain became more and more intense, making him sweat profusely. The color on his face started to drain. He felt like that something was biting and devouring his body bit by bit¡ªlike his body was decomposing slowly.

    "I presume it''s already working?" Trevor asked calmly.

    This time, Zachary immediately used the self-recovery ability of the Fighting Crane''s power to resist the poison of the Organ-Damaging Pill. However, the poison ignored the power''s effects and the toxicity continued to spread in his body.

    "It destroys your organs faster than your self-recovery ability. It won''t do you much favor. If you want to resist the poison of the pill, your objective is to make your self-recovery ability stronger than the poison," Trevor immediately reminded him.

    Hearing this, Zachary''s eyes turned cold. It was easier said than done. He already realized that the Organ-Damaging Pill was as destructive as a Sage Level warrior¡ªperhaps, even more. The pill was like a storm, making a fierce impact on his body.

 Chapter 1101 The Inner Assessment

    However, Zachary did not have the slightest intention of giving up. Even though there was a possibility that he would die, he would still push through until the last moment. Therefore, he used everything in his arsenal, including the self-healing ability of the Fighting Crane''s power, just to continue resisting the toxins of the Organ-Damaging Pill.

    "Brat, show me your determination! Let me see how long you can hold on! If you want to give up, just tell me and I will give you the antidote," Trevor said with a sinister smile. It was pretty obvious that he was provoking Zachary further.

    "I don''t need it. I won''t give up," Zachary answered with a burning determination in his eyes as he gritted his teeth.

    "Ha-ha! You are such a stubborn brat who won''t admit defeat. You can''t even hold on for fifteen minutes while suffering from the toxin of the Organ-Damaging Pill," Trevor mocked Zachary, bursting into laughter.

    However, to his surprise, Zachary managed to endure all the pain and agony for an hour. But it could also be seen that under the brutal corrosion of the toxin, the young man was already so close to his limit and was about to break down. As his body became much weaker, the self-healing ability of the Fighting Crane''s power decreased accordingly.

    "I must admit that you might have the most peculiar power in the world, but I can see that you are not able to use it well yet. The stronger the kind of po

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    ged Beast and the Sun-swallowing Beast, Zachary was able to get the first place in his group. His magnificent performance caused a great commotion, although there was actually nothing surprising with it.

    After all, the entire Dignified Supernal Sect had already known from the outer part assessment that he possessed two powerful sacred beasts. It meant that his performance was within the people''s expectations. But of course, they still could not help but be amazed by his skills.

    After the first test was over, they weren''t given an ample amount of time to rest before the second basic test began. This time, they needed to undergo the martial speed test.

    Again, with Zachary''s septuple martial speed, which was definitely a unique talent among the disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect, it was not surprising that he had won first place.

    Likewise, in the third basic test, which was about weapon refining, Zachary was also able to successfully obtain the highest score with ease.

    When the three basic tests were done, Zachary obviously ranked first in his group but was closely followed by Karson. While Zachary ranked first on all three basic tests, Karson ranked second in all of them. Hence, the gap between them was not really that huge.

    Therefore, Karson still posed a threat to Zachary. In order to obtain the overall first place in his group, Zachary could not let his guard down in the last basic test.

 Chapter 1102 Alchemy Test

    Soon enough, the fourth basic test was about to take place. But before it started, Karson suddenly appeared in front of Zachary, which actually surprised the latter.

    "Hi, Karson," Zachary greeted. Although Zachary had yet to officially meet Karson, he already had prior knowledge of the latter, especially after the three basic tests. It turned that Karson was one of the most popular disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect and was also expected among the ones that could probably become the champion of the inner assessment.

    However, the truth was that this was not the first time that Karson had met Zachary nor the first time that they competed against each other. When Zachary broke Fabian''s record in the Alchemist-testing Pavilion before, Karson was also there, taking the test. Therefore, Karson kept that in mind and swore that he would win the next time they faced off.

    "I didn''t expect that you would accumulate such high scores in your first inner assessment. You really are a rare genius, Hodge! I cannot help but admire your outstanding talent," Karson said. From Karson''s tone, Zachary knew that he was straightforward and honest. There was no hint of insinuation from him.

    "Well, I''m flattered." Zachary nodded slightly and reveale

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    the future!" Donald said in satisfaction.

    "Humph! Are you sure that he has such an outstanding comprehensive talent? I think his strength in alchemy is just at an ordinary level. We all know that he had not received any regular education in that field, and I doubt that the Holy Maiden has taught him anything recently. I would not really bet on him to win it all in his group," Timothy said with a cold snort.

    "But if I remember correctly, Hodge defeated your disciple, Fabian, in alchemy. Isn''t that right, Timothy?" Weston immediately reminded.

    "Ha! Do you mean Fabian comparing notes with Hodge earlier? Obviously, my disciple didn''t intend to win over Hodge in the first place. He just wanted to see Hodge''s strength as an alchemist. Otherwise, why would he only choose to compete with Hodge in alchemy? You are reading too much into it," Timothy retorted.

    "Well, that is your take on it. Didn''t Fabian challenge Hodge in alchemy alone because that was the only field that he had the possibility of defeating him?" Weston asked with a meaningful smile.

    "You can say what you want, but you are going to see it soon. In this group, Karson would definitely outshine Hodge and win first place in the alchemy test," Timothy said in disdain.

 Chapter 1103 A Bet

    "Are you sure about that, Timothy?" Weston asked as he glanced at Timothy with a sneer.

    "Of course. I don''t even know why you are so impressed with that guy, to begin with," Timothy fired back, goading.

    "If that is the case, why don''t we make a bet out of it then? I''ll bet my favorite Holy Level treasure on the line that Hodge will defeat Karson for the first place in their group," Weston suggested out of nowhere as if he was actually waiting for this moment.

    Hearing this, Kendrick and the other Holy Level elders were stunned. They couldn''t help but look at each other in disbelief. If Weston was willing to bet his favorite Holy Level treasure, it just meant that he was overly confident with Zachary''s skills.

    Besides, it was known to everyone in the Dignified Supernal Sect that Weston and Timothy had been involved in a dispute a long time ago. They actually fought each other to become Fabian''s master. However, later on, Timothy pulled some underhanded means to make Fabian his disciple. Therefore, since then, the two elders never got along and they started to dislike each other very much.

    Moreover, there was an incident a few years ago that made Weston almost go mad. Thanks to Tania''s help, he was able to recover from the difficult situation that he was in. Becaus

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    .

    "I think that Hodge''s action is reasonable. He could have played it safe by refining a scarce pill because he already had the highest scores in the previous tests. However, he should have thought that if Karson successfully refined a rare pill, the tables might suddenly turn away from his favor," Donald speculated.

    The other elders nodded in agreement, thinking that what Donald said actually made sense.

    "That is right. He did not want to put all of his efforts in vain, so he decided to risk it all in this one." Kendrick also voiced his opinion.

    "Ha! I think he''s just overestimating himself!" Timothy exclaimed in disdain.

    At the same time, Fabian, who was also watching the test, shared the same opinion as his master. He was just calmly watching from the sidelines since he already had the sure slot in the final round. However, his eyes were still full of hatred as he looked at Zachary. He actually wanted to be in the same group as Zachary so that he could utterly humiliate him and take his chance of proceeding to the final round. But since that did not happen, he could just hope that Karson would defeat Zachary for him. That way, he would need not worry about facing Zachary in the final round of the competition for the title of the most outstanding disciple.

 Chapter 1104 The Magic Dipper Pill

    As time passed by, the atmosphere in the assessment area became tenser. The test was about to end and only a few participants were still up at the stage, giving their all to refine the best kind of pill that they could. After all, this last basic test could determine who could get the overall first place in their group.

    At this moment, everyone''s eyes were focused on the two most promising disciples that were yet to finish¡ªKarson and Zachary.

    Not long after, a disciple at the premium stage of Imperial Level announced that he had already finished refining his pill. It was a rare Imperial Level pill, the Imperial Glory Pill. It was a purple cultivation-aiding pill at the sixth grade, which was quite rare. That was why when the crowd saw what he did, it instantly caused quite a commotion.

    The Imperial Glory Pill was one of the top ten rare purple Imperial Level pills, and generally speaking, only Sage Level alchemists should be able to successfully refine such a pill. For an Imperial Level alchemist to refine it, he must have very high attainment and talent in alchemy. From this, it could be seen that the potential and talent of the disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect were really outstanding compared to those in the other parts of the Supernal Continent.

    This Imperial Glory Pill alone would be enough to help the Imperial Level disciple to get a h

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    still happen until the last moment¡­"

    Soon enough, just when everyone was still talking about Karson''s performance, Zachary, who was still sitting motionlessly in front of his furnace, suddenly opened his eyes. Then, his hands quickly formed some gestures in front of his chest. The next moment, he pointed his finger at the sky and shot a beam of purple and gold light into it.

    In a flash, dense thunderclouds began gathering in the previously cloudless sky. Loud thunders and lightning immediately silenced the noisy surroundings.

    Boom! Boom!

    Then, a flash of thunderbolt suddenly struck down from the sky and shot directly at the furnace in front of Zachary. The next moment, beams of thunder radiance burst out and spread around the furnace, which contained a lot of strong essential power.

    "Isn''t that the Spiritual Thunder Skill? What on earth will Hodge do with that?" Kendrick and the elders were instantly baffled and shocked at what they witnessed, knowing that the thunders in front of them were nothing ordinary. They were spiritual thunders that contained the essential energy in the world. Generally speaking, it would be unnecessary to use them if one was just refining something below the Sage Level. Moreover, the Spiritual Thunder Skill was not something that anyone could just easily learn even if he was at the premium grade of Imperial Level.

 Chapter 1105 The Incredible Excellence Pill

    However, the most inconceivable thing was not the mere activation of the Spiritual Thunder Skill. It was Zachary''s intention to use the skill to refine the pill that was perplexing for everyone. After all, this action defied common sense. In pill refining, it was common knowledge that the process should not be affected by any external power because it would cause the pill to become unstable and explode eventually. However, it could be seen from Zachary''s expression that he was serious about using the Spiritual Thunder Skill in the last phase of the refining phase, which was just almost insane.

    "What the hell? This guy is messing around again! What is he trying to do this time?!" Sharon exclaimed with a frown.

    "This guy is crazy! Why the hell would he use the Spiritual Thunder Skill in such a critical moment? Does he want to die?" Even Fabian shook his head. He had seen his master use the Spiritual Thunder Skill before, so he was familiar with its application.

    "How can he even use that? Has he broken through to the Sage Level already? I thought only Sage Level warriors could freely use the Spiritual Thunder Skill," Susie said with furrowed brows as she was also confused at what she was seeing.

    "I am not sure. It is actually possible to use it but it is hard to explain," Jerrold said hesitantly as he looked intently at Zachary.

    "What do you mean? How can he use that in pill refining?" Susie asked expectantly.

    "If it is just a normal person, I can say without a dou

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    Incredible Excellence Pill? I thought that it was already a long lost super pill?"

    "I know! That''s why I can''t believe that Hodge was able to make such an amazing kind of pill!"

    " Elder Donald confirmed it. Therefore, it must be true."

    "I admit that we have been wrong about Hodge. I thought that his alchemic skills are just ordinary. It turns out that he is terrifyingly powerful! I guess he has hidden his real strength up until now."

    "Based on his performance, it would not be farfetched to say that his talent in alchemy is even greater than Fabian!"

    "No! That''s impossible! How the hell could he produce the Incredible Excellence Pill? There should be some kind of trick!" Fabian screamed in disbelief. He almost went crazy upon realizing that Zachary had indeed done something more amazing than Karson.

    "Really? It is the Incredible Excellence Pill? How far can this guy surprise all of us?" Sharon murmured to herself as she could not hide her excitement either. Obviously, she was very glad that Zachary was able to prove himself to his haters.

    "Ha-ha! I told you! That guy never disappoints us," Jerrold said with a huge smile as he stroked his beard.

    At the same time, Susie was also very delighted. Of course, she wanted Zachary to advance to the final round.

    Then, Kendrick suddenly stood up and took a step forward. In the blink of an eye, he appeared beside Zachary. He asked to confirm, "Hodge, is the pill you just produced the Incredible Excellence Pill?"

 Chapter 1106 The Cyan Jade Pendant

    "Incredible Excellence Pill? No. I don''t think that is what I produced," Zachary said as he shook his head. The truth was that he didn''t exactly know what he refined, because he just followed the pill formula that he acquired in the Heavenly Pill Array.

    "What? How can that be? The elders and I will not make a wrong judgment. Just from a glance, we can attest that it is the Incredible Excellence Pill," Kendrick said sternly with furrowed brows.

    "Well, I''m actually not sure. I just produced it according to the pill formula that I have," Zachary replied indifferently.

    "A pill formula? Can you show that to me then?" Kendrick asked after hesitating for a moment.

    Zachary quickly nodded, took out the pill formula, and handed it to the sect leader.

    As soon as Kendrick took a look at it, he was completely surprised because the formula that was written in it was indeed the recipe for the unrivaled Incredible Excellence Pill. He knew because the Dignified Supernal Sect had also been keeping a copy of it.

    "There was no mistake. Hodge might not know the name of the pill but it is indeed the Incredible Excellence Pill," Kendrick confirmed without hesitation.

    Hearing this, the whole place was instantly thrown into a state of chaos. Everyone looked astonished and there was obvious disbelief on their faces upon realizing that Zachary had

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    found an excuse to leave.

    "You can''t deny it this time. The result is already crystal clear!" Weston snorted coldly while Timothy was walking away.

    "Weston, that''s enough. Don''t push him any more than that. Remember that the harmony within our sect still matters the most," Kendrick immediately butted in to remind Weston. Of course, as the sect leader, he could not let his subordinates have a falling out.

    "Yes, sir. I understand," Weston respectfully answered as he cupped his hands.

    Now that the last group had also finished the test in alchemy, it marked the conclusion for the inner assessment''s preliminary round. The audience saw the marvelous performance of the disciples during the assessment and some of them would be able to fight for the chance of entering the Supernatural Cave. They should just wait for a while before the final list of well-performing disciples was announced.

    The ones who ranked first in the four groups were going to further compete for the title of the most outstanding disciple. Although it would not have a direct impact on the results of the inner assessment, winning the title still meant a huge deal for all the participating disciples. After all, it was a definite proof of strength and honor. Therefore, the four chosen disciples that would participate in the final round were expected to go all out.

 Chapter 1107 An Ancient Book

    Among the four disciples that placed first in the four groups during the assessment, Fabian and Sharon had once won the title of the most outstanding disciple multiple times in the past. Hence, in this competition for the title, the two of them were deemed as the favorites to win, followed by Stuart.

    Stuart, on the other hand, was already a very senior disciple. In fact, he had already won the title of the most outstanding disciple several times even before Fabian and Sharon had grown to their current level of strength. Right now, he was also about to break through to the Sage Level, so he had already caught up with the other two.

    Then, there was Zachary who had zero experience in fighting for the title of the most outstanding disciple. Definitely, at some point, he would be at a disadvantage. However, it could not be disputed that he had already made such an unprecedented record. He was the only disciple that would participate in the final round of the inner assessment with the least experience. He had only been in the inner part of the Dignified Supernal Sect for a month, but he had already shown so much potential. Therefore, even if his performance would not be as good as the other three, who were already very experienced, no one would dare to look down upon him.

    Meanwhile, Zachary had just returned to the Bloom Garden to report the results of the basic tests to Tania.

    "I see. You''ve made

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    Since he was already at the Living-dead Tomb, Zachary decided to cultivate with Anne for quite some time. He also took the opportunity to refine the pill that Kingston gave him earlier that would improve his strength by half a grade.

    "I can see that you are doing great. I didn''t expect that you would even be stronger than before after you have obtained Jules'' power." Anne was greatly surprised upon perceiving the progress of Zachary''s strength.

    "But this is still far from enough. I have to continue merging with Jules'' power in order to get much stronger," Zachary said with a straight face.

    "Don''t strain yourself too much. Remember that it''s already difficult for you to recover to this extent in such a short amount of time. You might hurt yourself if you overdo it," Anne warned. She was just worried that Zachary would repeat the same mistake that he had committed before just so he could quickly recover his strength.

    "Don''t worry. I already learned from my mistakes. I''m leaving now." After saying goodbye to Anne, Zachary left the Living-dead Tomb and eventually returned to the system.

    Since he had already passed the inner assessment, Zachary had stopped breaking through the Heavenly Pill Array. Instead, he focused on improving his strength and enhancing his physique. After all, if he wanted to continue merging with Jules'' power, he had to possess enough physical strength to endure it.

 Chapter 1108 The Title Of The Most Outstanding Disciple

    Zachary''s physique had further improved greatly with the help of the evil thunder power, the medicinal liquid, and his hard work on the physical cultivation, but there was still a lot to be done before he could merge with the second grade of Jules'' power. Thus, he devoted himself to improving his physique even more.

    The competition for the title of the most outstanding disciple was to take place in three days. Thus, after Zachary finished his daily affairs in the system, he entered the Shura Pilgrimage Space and continued his cultivation. In addition, he also brought with him the Demonic Thunder Beast, who had grown up by now.

    He practiced tirelessly at the Shura Pilgrimage Space for a day. Before he knew it, it was already midnight.

    He had been busy with the assessment as of late that he had stopped the special training with Trevor for a few days. Now that he wasn''t so busy, he left the system and went to the Bald Mountain.

    When he arrived at the treehouse, he saw Trevor waiting outside, as if he was expecting him.

    "Sir, I''m sorry. I was busy with the inner assessmen

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    hary replied calmly. Narrowing his eyes, he continued, "I''m afraid that you will lose to me."

    Standing between the two of them, Sharon couldn''t help but burst into laughter.

    "Don''t talk big," Fabian retorted as his face changed color slightly. Seething with rage, he growled again, "Even if you don''t fight with me first, you still won''t stand a chance against the others. You should just give up while you still have the chance!"

    "You don''t have to worry about me. Once we fight, we will know if I stand a chance," Zachary replied lazily.

    "Humph! Let''s wait and see. Don''t cross me, or I''ll end you." Fabian glared at Zachary with immense hatred, as though he was about to pounce at any given moment.

    At this time, a warrior of Sage Level entered the arena with a box containing the four disciples'' names in his hands. Slowly but deliberately, he walked towards them.

    "Please draw lots. Whoever draws stone balls of the same color will fight against each other," the Sage Level warrior instructed.

    "Sharon, you can draw first!" Fabian immediately said to Sharon with a bow.

 Chapter 1109 The Purple Spirit Ax

    "Me? There is no need for that. Let Hodge draw first. After all, he is the newest disciple among us. We should show some consideration for him," Sharon said as she turned to Zachary while she offered the favor.

    Of course, Fabian instantly looked upset upon hearing this. He was trying his best to be on Sharon''s good side, but she blatantly turned it down.

    "Just do it. You''d better appreciate Fabian''s kindness and draw the lots first. Otherwise, I would have a hard time getting along with Fabian," Zachary teased upon seeing the situation.

    "All right. Fine!" After thinking for a while, Sharon eventually stretched out her hand and took out a blue stone ball from the drawing box.

    "Stuart, go ahead," Fabian politely asked Stuart after Sharon finished her turn.

    "It''s fine. Let Hodge do it next," Stuart said unexpectedly, also giving precedence to Zachary.

    Hearing this, Fabian couldn''t help but clench his teeth, feeling somewhat unfair. He couldn''t understand why both Sharon and Stuart would give Zachary such preferential treatment. However, he didn''t have the luxury to freely express his thoughts. So, he just said, "Fine! Hodge, you can draw the lots first."

    "All right then. I''d gladly accept the offer," Zachary said with a faint smile as he approached the drawing box.

    ''Don''t let it be a blue stone ball too¡­'' Fabian thought to himself anxiously. At the back of

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    th also increased.

    On the other hand, Fabian didn''t seem to have any weapon in his hand. But upon closer inspection, one could notice that he had steel arms that looked like armor under his long sleeves. He was actually good at using his fists in fighting since he was personally taught by Timothy. Although his steel arms couldn''t be compared with Sharon''s Purple Spirit Ax, it was also an evolutionary weapon that was at the Holy Level. It was called the Mighty Conquering Arm. It actually took Timothy three years to create it personally using very rare materials. It could not only enhance the power of his fist skills but also give the user an effective boost in defense.

    Meanwhile, Stuart, who was going to fight against Zachary, also took out an iron fan, which looked extremely sharp. However, it could be seen that it was much inferior to the weapon that both Sharon and Fabian wielded. But for an Imperial Level weapon, it was certainly of good quality.

    But as the audience diverted their attention to Zachary, everyone was utterly confused because the young man didn''t take out any weapon yet. Everyone knew that Zachary possessed two powerful Divine Level weapons because he had already used them during the outer assessment. Therefore, they could not see any reason why he needed to conceal his trump cards in the competition for the title of the most outstanding disciple.

 Chapter 1110 Going All Out

    "Why don''t you take your weapons out, Hodge?" Stuart could not help but ask as his brows furrowed.

    "Hmm. I''m not actually used to using weapons when fighting. But if it''s going to be necessary, I will not hesitate to do so," Zachary replied flatly.

    "Oh, I see." Stuart didn''t say anything more, but it was obvious that his fighting spirit rose in an instant. Zachary didn''t want to offend him, but from what he said, it meant that he actually intended to fight Stuart without even using his weapons.

    As the gong was struck and it produced a deafening sound, the first round of the battle for the most outstanding disciple officially began.

    At the other side of the battle area, it could be seen that Fabian and Sharon were impetuous. As soon as they heard the gong rang, both of them instantly rushed to each other and engaged in a fierce battle.

    Sharon started waving her Purple Spirit Ax, ready to strike Fabian from all directions and show her unyielding spirit. At the same time, although Fabian did not have the advantage in terms of the weapon he used, with his mysterious movement skills and excellent physical control, he could easily cope up with Sharon''s attacks.

    After a few rounds of fierce confrontations, the two of them fell into a stalemate, but they continued to unleash their strongest martial skills to take the other down. As two of the best disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect, the martial skills that they exhibited were all at t

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    on your spiritual soul too?" Zachary suggested without hesitation. It seemed that he was really serious about what he said.

    "Are you sure that is a good idea? If I did that, will you be able to have a chance to strike back?" Stuart said with a slight grin on his face.

    "You don''t have to be worried about me. Just do it," Zachary said without a trace of fear or panic in his voice.

    "Fine. I''ll do it!" Stuart actually hesitated for a moment before he decided to really go all out. But soon, he changed his mind. In an instant, a huge shadow of an eagle that spread its wings appeared behind him. It was an Imperial Level soul at the medium stage, which possessed such a violent power.

    It was common knowledge that it was very difficult to cultivate a spiritual soul. Normally speaking, an ordinary warrior at the Imperial Level could only cultivate a spiritual soul at the primary stage of Imperial Level at most. It meant that only a few Imperial Level warriors could cultivate an Imperial Level soul at the medium stage. Moreover, it would almost be impossible for them to cultivate an Imperial Level Soul at the premium stage.

    Hence, it could be said that Stuart was really one of the more talented disciples based on his spiritual soul.

    His unique body skill, together with the Imperial Level soul at the medium stage, would be what made Stuart formidable. He was currently oozing with strong momentum that could easily intimidate his surroundings.

 Chapter 1111 Not Like A Warrior Of Imperial Level

    At the same time, even Fabian and Sharon, who were fighting fiercely with each other, were extremely surprised to see that Stuart had suddenly unleashed his full strength this soon. After all, a warrior would just normally reveal his trump card at the last moment or until he was very sure that his opponent would not be able to counter it.

    "Now, take this!" At this moment, Stuart rushed towards Zachary with the eagle-like spiritual soul behind him. His momentum was so incredible that it could easily intimidate the people that felt his overwhelming strength.

    However, even after seeing this, Zachary just stood still and narrowed his eyes.

    The next moment, Stuart''s figure expanded further and merged with the eagle-like spiritual soul. Immediately after, he turned into a large number of eagle shadows that hovered the sky and directly launched a fierce attack towards the motionless Zachary.

    Boom! Boom!

    In a flash, the space where Zachary was standing was completely enveloped by the ferocious eagle shadows that violently rushed forth. Although the attacking range only covered about a diameter of ten meters, the impact that these eagle shadows inflicted could be felt hundreds of meters away. In fact, even Fabian and Sharon, who were fighting on the other side of the square, felt the violent impact. They had to back off from each other and retreat for a moment, so as not to

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    turn that quickly.

    "That was so unexpected! Humph! I will not lose to him!" Sharon murmured. Even she was stunned. But because of this, her fighting spirit immediately surged up as if she was more pumped up after knowing that Zachary had already won.

    Knowing that Zachary was the first one to hold the slot for the final decisive battle, both Sharon and Fabian had more reason to go all out and defeat the other. For Fabian, winning over Sharon meant that he could finally face Zachary and exact his revenge. On the other hand, Sharon was even more determined to win so that Fabian would not be able to harm Zachary in the final battle.

    "Sir, did you clearly see the move that Hodge made to defeat Stuart?" Donald asked Kendrick, who was just sitting beside him.

    "I think so. It seems that he used a very mysterious movement skill that he paired with his avatar martial skill. Then, he used a sword strike while taking advantage of Stuart''s flaw on the defensive end. He did all of that in one go, smooth and perfect. However, I can say that the most astounding part was the sword strike that he unleashed at the last moment. It was so swift that it doesn''t seem to be a move that a mere warrior at the Imperial Level could perform," Kendrick responded in a serious tone.

    "Yes. I was thinking the same thing as it caught my attention," Donald replied as he slightly nodded his head.

 Chapter 1112 The Decisive Battle

    "But it seems that the martial skill that Hodge used is not from the Dignified Supernal Sect. That is why it''s surprising that it is not at all inferior to the premium stage martial skills that are being taught here in our sect. I wonder where he learned it."

    "Not only that. To be able to resist Stuart''s spiritual skill even without using the protective weapon that he had last time is very impressive. I can just imagine how powerful he really is!"

    "Leader and elders, please don''t overreact. You''re clearly overestimating him. We all saw that he was just able to defeat Stuart because he managed to discover his opponent''s flaw. If it were Fabian, there was no way that he would give Hodge such an opening," Timothy said with hints of envy in his voice.

    "Timothy, should you really be saying that? I think you should brag about your disciple once he already entered the final battle. However, from what we can all see, he even has a hard time defeating Sharon. It''s even possible that Hodge and Sharon would face off in the final battle," Weston said with a defiant sneer.

    "That is right. From what they have shown so far, the strength of Sharon and Fabian was about on the same level. At this point, it is really hard to tell who will win in the end. I think both of them have a good chance of winning it," Donald agreed.

    "Ha! I don''t think so. Maybe before, but Fabian''s strength is already far from what it used to be," T

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    n he saw that Sharon had lost consciousness, there was an obvious hint of anxiety on his face. He wasted no time and asked, "How is she?"

    "Nothing serious. She just passed out for now," Zachary said softly as he lightly shook his head.

    "That is good news then. You can leave her to me," Kendrick urged.

    Zachary just nodded and handed Sharon over to Kendrick.

    "By the way, good luck on the final battle." Then, Kendrick disappeared while carrying Sharon in his arms and returned to the elders. He immediately ordered someone to take Sharon to someplace where she could rest, while he sat back to continue watching the final part of the battle for the title.

    At the same time, Zachary turned around and stared at Fabian, who was still in the middle of the arena. He instantly saw that Fabian was a little breathless. It seemed that he had consumed a lot of power and physical strength just to use the two spiritual souls.

    "Brat! I didn''t expect that we would meet in this final battle. But I have no complaints. Actually, I am very glad because finally, I would have the chance to prove to everyone that I am much stronger than you!" Fabian exclaimed. His competitive spirit seemed to be burning furiously. He had been waiting for this chance for a long time, and finally, it was here.

    "That''s all you want? To prove that you''re stronger than me? How pathetic," Zachary retorted with a look of utter disdain in his eyes.

 Chapter 1113 A Fierce Battle

    "You can''t get in my way anymore," Fabian said fiercely.

    "Is that so? How about I give you a chance to prove your strength, then?" Zachary said calmly.

    "I don''t need to prove anything. My ability to take you on right now should be enough." As soon as he finished those words, Fabian immediately launched an overwhelming attack on Zachary with the help of his two spiritual souls. His fists turned into shadows, soon enveloping Zachary completely in a strong destructive force.

    Fifteen minutes later, seeing no movement in the dust, Fabian stopped with a confident smile. Because his spiritual souls were even stronger than Stuart''s, he was certain Zachary wouldn''t be able to resist his attack.

    Seeing this, those present shook their heads. For them, Zachary had been careless, giving Fabian the opportunity to easily attack him.

    But in the next moment, a figure suddenly charged out of the dust and went straight to Fabian. Immediately, he slashed out with the Demonic Moon Dagger in his hand, forming an over

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    as fast as Zachary''s avatars. Soon, he was bound by one of the Ice Dragon Claws. Then ten more claws appeared out of nowhere. They rushed out and attacked Fabian one after another.

    With things not going in his favor, Fabian immediately took out a jade pendant. As the jade pendant''s light shone, his whole body was instantly covered in its green light, forming an astonishingly protective force. It miraculously withstood the impact of these claws.

    "Timothy, I thought you said you didn''t know where the Cyan Jade Pendant was? But why is Fabian using it right now?" Weston asked, his eyes on the pendant as he immediately questioned Timothy. It was exactly like Timothy''s Cyan Jade Pendant.

    "I don''t know. Maybe he took it while I wasn''t looking," Timothy answered. It was an obvious lie on Timothy''s part.

    If the pendant was sealed, it would have been impossible for Fabian to use it. But since he could use it right now, it only meant that it hadn''t been sealed. Timothy was the only one who could unseal it.

 Chapter 1114 Fabians Breakthrough To The Sage Level

    On the other hand, while Fabian had dodged Rocky''s attack with the help of the Cyan Jade Pendant, he was now in a completely passive stand. That was something he had never imagined.

    "This treasure is much more powerful than I thought." Zachary''s eyes turned cold as he caught the Cyan Jade Pendant''s strong defensive power.

    "How about you try again then, if you think you can?" Fabian said with a laugh. Seeing how Zachary couldn''t break through the pendant''s protective power, he provoked Zachary.

    Zachary''s eyes darkened. He released the spiritual soul, Gisele, and activated the Ice Lady Swordsmanship again. In an instant, the sword''s momentum mixed with the spiritual energy, enveloping Fabian. But despite Zachary forceful attack, it was still useless.

    Seeing Zachary so unsettled, Fabian immediately took the chance to counterattack. Relying on the pendant''s power, he no longer felt at a disadvantage, going forth with ferocity.

    The tension in the air had the spectators fixated on the scene. Fabian''s

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    bian wasn''t equipped to deal with Zachary''s power. But he refused to admit defeat and kept struggling to keep his footing.

    Everyone was in awe, seeing how the tables had turned. No one could predict how the battle would go from there on out.

    Fabian''s susceptibility to Zachary''s attacks was unexpected. So was the extent of Zachary''s strength.

    "Timothy, I think that''s enough. You should tell your disciple to admit defeat quickly. It is clear he is no longer a match for Hodge,"

    Weston said with a sneer as he looked up at the battlefield. To him, there was no question that Timothy would lose this round as well. Timothy startled him by bursting into laughter.

    "Timothy, are you okay?" the other Holy Level elders asked as they all turned to look at him.

    "Let me ask you something. Why do you think Fabian can have two spiritual souls? It''s impossible for an Imperial Level warrior to do so, after all," Timothy said pointedly.

    Kendrick and the other elders immediately understood his meaning.

 Chapter 1115 He Was At The Sage Level In The First Place

    At that moment, Zachary felt a very strange aura from his enemy. He initially intended to beat Fabian beyond recognition, but he noticed that his enemy''s aura was getting stronger and stronger with each attack.

    Eventually, Zachary felt something amiss. Fabian, who had no energy left to expend, started screaming loudly, as if he was summoning everything he had. A strong burst of power instantly left his body, turning into a pillar of air that soared into the sky. The whole place was quickly filled with a tremendous Sage Level aura. Rays of gold light that surpassed the Imperial Level strength shone around Fabian.

    Everyone who stood witness to this phenomenal event was dumbfounded.

    "T-The Sage Level... Fabian has broken through to the Sage Level!"

    "Just two years ago, he broke through to the ninth grade of Imperial Level! How could this be? He has already reached the Sage Level! His progress is astounding."

    "Elder Timothy must have used some special method to train him. It''s really enviable!"

    It was a pandemonium¨Deveryone was in an uproar.

    At the mention of Timothy''s name, Kendrick and the other Holy Level elders shifted their attention towards him. They found it both unexpected and commendable that he would have pushed Fabian to reach the Sage Level quickly.

    Now that his enemy was on a whole

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    as none other than Tania, who was fabled to be cultivating in seclusion due to the injuries she received. Nobody had expected her to make a personal appearance because of this reason.

    Soon, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Tania walked to the front of the Dignified Supernal Hall. Judging from her slow and limping footsteps, she was still on her journey to recovery.

    "Tania, what are you doing here? You should be resting!" Kendrick worriedly asked, immediately stepping forward to support her. "Your body¡ª" he continued, but the beautiful woman raised her hand to stop him.

    "I''m fine. I thought I was late. But it seems that I have come just in time," Tania replied calmly. At the same time, she looked at Zachary, who was in a stalemate with Fabian, as if she knew what would happen next.

    "Come, please take a seat," Kendrick kindly offered. He immediately assisted Tania to sit on his chair. Very soon, a disciple brought another chair for him to sit down by Tania''s side.

    "Your grace, did you just say that Hodge''s previous strength was at the Sage Level?" Weston asked the lady as soon as she settled.

    "Yes, so you don''t have to make a fuss. But Hodge should be even stronger than before. Fabian is no match for him at all," Tania commented seriously. There was an obvious trace of pride in her tone.

 Chapter 1116 Absolute Suppression

    "Your grace, don''t be an alarmist! Even if Hodge reached the Sage Level, that doesn''t necessarily mean he would be superior to Fabian in strength," Timothy insisted. From what he could see, Zachary''s strength would barely make it to the primary stage of Sage Level.

    "Well, Elder Timothy, you will find out the answer soon enough," Tania replied indifferently, glancing at Timothy.

    Zachary narrowed his eyes a moment before a terrifying aura burst out from his body, helping him break through to the Sage Level.

    "The Sage Level... Now Hodge is at the Sage Level too!"

    The outcry from the crowd sent them into chaos. It was hard to come to terms with what was happening right in front of them.

    Even more, Zachary''s aura didn''t stop growing once it reached the Sage Level. It didn''t take long for his aura to completely surpass that of Fabian''s.

    The ice energy around Zachary built up. In an instant, it transformed into ice waves and swept over, freezing the ground beneath his feet.

    "Ice Dragon Explosion!"

    Zachary yelled, triggering ice dragons to rush out from the ground and attack Fabian.

    T

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    gon Spine was real with a mere glance.

    A strong feeling of reverence for Zachary came at the sight. Taking out such a Divine Level treasure made him too terrifying a foe. Fortunately, they weren''t the ones facing him, or they would have certainly died.

    Fabian, on the other hand, wasn''t resigned to such a fate. Instead, once he saw the Illusory Dragon, he immediately used his fist to fight back. Under the increasing demonic power, the tiger shadow Fabian summoned turned pitch black, as if it demonized.

    Soon the dragon and the tiger collided, causing an astonishing burst of Sage Level energy. It affected the entire Heavenly Cloud Square and its surroundings, making the waves rise higher, shaking both heaven and earth.

    Fearing for their lives, the disciples watching the battle hurried to retreat.

    After a short stalemate, it was Zachary''s Illusory Dragon that gained the upper hand in the end. It instantly swallowed the black tiger shadow and swooped down to Fabian. However, it wasn''t intent on impact. Instead, it grew into a few wisps of fire, entangling Fabian and trapping him to the spot.

 Chapter 1117 A Follow-up Quest

    "Let go of me, you fucking brat! I''m going to kill you!" Fabian shouted crazily with bloodshot eyes.

    Zachary''s movement was too quick for him. In just a split second, he was already in front of Fabian. His eyes were cold as steel. "You have lost your sanity. You''d better realize your errors and mend your ways!"

    "I''d like to see you try and kill me. If you fail, I''ll make it my personal mission to kill you and all those you love, and take everything that you have! So go ahead and give me your best shot!" Fabian roared without scruple as he had almost lost his mind.

    Stimulated by Fabian''s words, Zachary couldn''t help but recall how Alisa had been taken away by Dominic and how she had almost been killed back then. This thought gave him a sudden surge of adrenaline within him¡ªhe felt a strong violent force gushing out of his body. His face was now twisted into unexplainable anger.

    "Kill him! Kill him!" This sentence kept repeating over and over in his mind. It felt like he was being bewitched and ruled by his own rage.

    As he was filled with murderous vehemence, the Demonic Moon Dagger instantly appeared in Zachary''s hands. He raised it high, and it quickly fell towards Fabian.

    Everyone watching was engrossed and was on the edge of their seats. They were

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    o much yet, you can''t let down your guard. That''s why I decided to tell you the truth and let you know what happened. I hope you won''t blame us," Tania continued.

    "It''s not a big deal. Although the way you and Anne made me come back to life is somewhat extreme, you did it only in order to save me, so it''s excusable. I don''t blame you. In fact, what you guys did was heroic," Zachary reassured her and offered a small smile.

    "I''m relieved that you think so. Now that you know the truth, you should be wary of your own thoughts. You have to make sure these evil ideas wouldn''t take over you. Otherwise, it will be too late by the time when you realize you''ve done something wrong," Tania exhorted with concern.

    "I know. Don''t worry, Master Tania! I''ll be fine," Zachary soothed her.

    After saying that, he left the attic and returned to the system, ready to receive the award for the quest.

    As soon as he entered the system, he heard Mimi''s excited voice. "Congratulations on fulfilling your quest."

    "I have no time for frills. This has been going on for way too long. Give me the award now," Zachary demanded immediately.

    "There is a follow-up quest after this one. You can''t get the award until you fulfill the follow-up quest," Mimi answered surprisingly.

 Chapter 1118 Bringing Fabian Under Control As A Follower

    "What? A follow-up quest? Are you kidding me? Why didn''t you tell me earlier?" Zachary pursed his lips as soon as he heard what Mimi said.

    "Relax, the following tasks are easier. Surely, it''ll be a piece of cake for you," Mimi reassured.

    "Okay. Tell me all about it," Zachary requested.

    With a deep breath, Mimi stated the follow-up quest. "You are required to cure and subdue Fabian."

    When he heard this, Zachary was absolutely stunned. "What?! Why are the top quests all so strange? I was told to injure Fabian badly earlier, and now I am required to cure him and even subdue him! Am I plagued with too much leisure?" he cursed intensely, annoyed with the sequence of tasks laid out for him¡ªnone of it made sense.

    "That''s because as long as you want to become a real powerful man and an overlord, you have to know how to conquer people with your virtue, how to use people properly, how to subdue enemies, and how to turn resentment into justice. The balance between these things will be your way to achieve staggering success," Mimi answered matter-of-factly.

    "Does this mean the system is requiring me to make Fabian my follower?" Zachary asked. The mere thought of it made him scoff. "Tch! I''m afraid he would rather die than submit to me. His pride wouldn''t take it! He hates me too much to allow it to happen!" he continu

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    Several elders expressed their opinions one after another. All of them sided with Zachary''s rational decisions.

    "You''re going too far! The fact was that he hurt my disciple, but you all speak for him." Timothy became even more furious upon hearing their opinions, as if he was going to fight with them. It annoyed him that none of them sided with him.

    "Timothy, calm down!" Kendrick soothed, waving his hand.

    "Leader, you can''t be partial to Hodge just because he is the Holy Maiden''s disciple. You must give my disciple justice, or it will not be easy to convince all the members of the Dignified Supernal Sect," Timothy stubbornly demanded, intentionally exaggerating the matter. He hoped that Kendrick would punish Zachary for the sake of the image of the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    "It''s not that I''m taking sides here, Timothy. We have to admit that Fabian did something out of the line that propelled Hodge to do such things. After all, he stole the forbidden pill. If he is called for account for this one thing, then I''m afraid that you can''t justify him," Kendrick answered after a moment''s hesitation. The reason why he didn''t call Fabian to account for stealing the forbidden pill this time was because he felt bad for the young man''s paralyzed state. He also made this decision since he wanted to save Timothy''s face.

 Chapter 1119 Save Fabian

    "On some level, we still have to sanction Hodge! I understand that he did what he had to do, but I find it unnecessary for him to damage my disciple terribly! Even if Fabian had fault as well, still, we should do something about Hodge''s berserk!" Timothy realized that his stance was getting weaker, but he was hell-bent on having Zachary involved.

    "I understand that I have crippled him during the battle..." Zachary started, making the elders shift their attention towards him. "But I can bring him back to his normal state as long as he wants," he offered, seeing that the timing was right.

    Everyone inside the hall was surprised. Considering the animosity between the two, they did not expect Zachary to offer something as gracious. Plus, they had already diagnosed Fabian. Upon confirmation, they found that all his meridians had been destroyed and he couldn''t become a warrior anymore.

    "Hodge, do you really think that you can get him back to normal?" Kendrick asked.

    "Sir, have you ever heard of the Ice Needle Skill?" Zachary asked, his eyes narrowed.

    "The Ice Needle Skill? Hmm, it sounds familiar..." Kendrick trailed off. Then, Donald volunteered.

    "I am familiar with the Ice Needle Skill. There is an ancient hidden sect in the Supernal Continent that developed this ability. Legends have told that this skill is exceedingl

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    n to him by the system. If he did not complete it, he would not be able to take top quests that followed.

    Noticing that there was someone else in the room, Fabian suddenly opened his eyes as if he was waking up from a terrible nightmare. There, he saw Zachary standing on the foot of the bed. Dumbfounded and confused, Fabian hurriedly held up his body and retreated until he was squeezed to the corner of the bed. With a frightened look, he mustered a few words. "Wh... why are you here?!"

    "To come and see you, of course," Zachary answered, an evil grin splayed on his face.

    "I don''t believe you. Get out of here immediately, or I''ll call for help." Although Fabian had spiraled into madness before, he could still clearly remember how much Zachary wanted him dead. Therefore, he immediately thought that the man was there to murder him.

    "Go ahead. Call anyone you want. Your master is outside the room. He was the one who let me in here," Zachary taunted.

    "My master is outside the room?! You''re lying! How could he let you in? I''m sure that he wouldn''t allow such a thing to happen since we both know that you desire to kill me!" Fabian looked incredulous and terrified. This paralyzed state made him a different person. He was not as heroic and arrogant as before, but he was more like a mortal who was afraid of his own demise.

 Chapter 1120 Timothys Apology

    Zachary slowly stepped closer towards Fabian, intimidating him further. "Kill you?" he scoffed. "If I had any intentions of doing so, do you think you would still be lounging around in your bed right now?" His voice was low and threatening.

    "Then what the fuck do you want? You already won, didn''t you? What more do you want from me? Did you come here to rub it in face?" Fabian defensively shot back. He bombarded Zachary with a series of accusations as he pushed himself further in his bed. His former egotistic behavior was no more.

    "Yes, I came here to gloat," Zachary answered straightforwardly. He crossed his arms against his chest.

    "You¨D" This riled up Fabian even more. Before he could say anything else, Zachary cut him off.

    "You can go ahead and hate me, but I''m the only one who could return you to your former state," he mentioned, looking straight at Fabian''s dumbfounded face.

    "What do you mean?" Fabian asked, incredulous. Just when he thought things could not get any worse, he had learned that the only person who could cure him was the one he despised the most¨Dhe was thunderstruck.

    "To tell you the truth, you are not entirely incapacitated. I just used the Ice Needle Skill to cut off all the meridians in your body to prevent you from going mad and dying eventually. You left me no choice during our battle since you

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    "Elder Timothy, I have kept my word. I hope you won''t take me as a thorn in your flesh from now on. Plus, you should educate your disciple well. He won''t be so lucky next time," Zachary warned. After saying that, he left with his hands behind his back.

    "Elder Timothy, although you are a senior, you are not as open-minded as a junior. I don''t know what to do with you," Donald sighed, shaking his head. Then he turned around and left too.

    Timothy''s face darkened with embarrassment, but he immediately asked Fabian, "Are you really all right?"

    "Yes." Fabian nodded. His master sighed.

    "It seems that I blamed Hodge wrongly," Timothy murmured. It seemed like he finally saw Zachary in a whole new light.

    "It''s all my fault. If it weren''t for me, you wouldn''t have been humiliated," Fabian apologized.

    "No, I was wrong too. I spoiled you too much. I have to discipline you strictly from now on," Timothy vowed, but he immediately continued, "You must find an opportunity to repay Hodge. He was willing to help you recover despite the previous grudge between the two of you. It only goes to show how much of a kind-hearted and sympathetic person he is. You can learn a thing or two from him..."

    "Even if you didn''t tell me to do so, I would gladly repay his benevolence," Fabian stated, nodding his head and cupping his hands.

 Chapter 1121 The Training In The Supernatural Cave

    Now that Zachary had helped Fabian regain his new life by recovering his meridians, it all ended pleasantly for everyone involved. The reconciliation between the two of them caused Zachary''s popularity to rise drastically. Coupled with his outstanding performances in the assessment, Zachary was now deemed an inspiring example for the inner disciples of the sect.

    A few days later, the fifty disciples who were about to participate in the training inside the Supernatural Cave gathered at its mouth. Prepared to enter it, they were all about to embark on their training journey.

    "So, Sharon, is there anything special about the Supernatural Cave?" Zachary asked as he took a glance at his surroundings, looking at the other disciples around.

    "What do you think?" Sharon asked back, raising her eyebrows at his sudden question.

    "Well, normally, when you''re inside a cave, an abundance of essential power would be seen, along with strong martial beasts and treasures everywhere," Zachary guessed.

    "Is that what you believe? Do you really think that our sect''s Supernatural Cave resembles the miraculous places you saw in the Supernal Continent?" Sharon snorted.

    "Doesn''t it?" Zachary asked.

    "Of course not! Our sect''s Supernatural Cave is... is..." Sharon was trying to find the right words to refute Zachary''

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    ve out the black blindfolds to all fifty disciples who would enter the Supernatural Cave for training, including Zachary. After Zachary and the others had their eyes covered in black blindfolds, they put their hands on each other''s shoulders and began to follow the two elders into the cave.

    They had no idea how long they had walked. When Zachary and the others felt the dazzling light pierced through the blindfolds, they heard Weston say, "You can take off the blindfolds now."

    Everyone obediently followed the order. There, they found that they were at one exit of the cave. In front of them was a magical scene that would surely dazzle anyone. Above their heads was like the starry sky at night, where rays of light continuously twinkled. In front of them were numerous floating mountains, one after another, which made them feel like they were inside a magnificent paradise.

    "You''d better practice hard, but remember not to act alone. Everyone must go in and out at the same time. If there is any irresistible threat you can''t deal with, ask Fabian or Sharon to send a message via the bell. I will come to pick you up with Weston after a month." After Timothy finalized their instructions, he turned around and left with Weston.

    "How can we go inside?" a disciple who had never entered the cave before asked.

 Chapter 1122 The Poisonous Corpse Pond

    "You can fly right through here. Come with me." With that said, Sharon stretched out her delicate body and instantly soared into the air. She flew in the direction of one of the floating mountains.

    "Sharon, wait for me!" Fabian yelled as he chased after her.

    "Do you want to go with me?" Susie, in turn, walked up to Zachary''s side and asked.

    "No, thanks. There''s something I need to do first, so you can go ahead."

    "All right, I''ll go first." Susie didn''t bother trying to talk Zachary into going with her. Instead, she took off.

    The other disciples also followed suit, leaving only Zachary behind.

    ''Should I go look for the Five Gods'' mysterious treasures first? Or should I go to the two main poisonous places and take the tests instead?'' Zachary pondered, uncertain about what to do first.

    "I should go to the two poisonous places first. After all, there is no guarantee I''ll be able to locate the Five Gods'' mysterious treasures." After some contemplation, Zachary finally settled on the latter choice. He then flew towards one of the floating mountains that was not the one Sharon and the others

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    sory Poison Cave disappeared without a trace.

    "So, the poison in this cave is coming from the Illusory Divine Grass." The realization hit Zachary immediately.

    Considering that he had passed the Illusory Poison Cave''s test and got the Illusory Divine Grass, he could safely say that his trip to the cave was rather fruitful. Not only that, but he had both refined and adapted to the strongest illusory poison in the world. This would make him a step closer to having an immune body.

    After leaving the Illusory Poison Cave, Zachary went on to his next target¡ªthe Poisonous Corpse Pond.

    According to the information he''d gathered, the Poisonous Corpse Pond was far more terrible than the Illusory Poison Cave. In addition to terrifying poisonous gas, the Poisonous Corpse Pond was a lair to the Poisonous Viper, a beast that lived on absorbing the poisonous gas. The Poisonous Viper was very rare and close in strength to legendary beasts.

    The viper''s mere breath could kill, which was appalling. Besides, it was said that the viper held a powerful pill in its body, one that could resist hundreds of poisons.

 Chapter 1123 The Dangerous Situation

    Of course, according to the hearsay, no one in the Supernal Continent had obtained this pill inside the Poisonous Viper yet, so no one could confirm whether that rumor was true or not. The Poisonous Viper was elusive in nature¡ªit was hidden in the farthest depths of the swamp, and it would not show itself to any individual easily. Even though the pill inside its body had such highly-coveted effects, no one was willing to risk their lives to take it out. After all, the viper was famed to be very powerful. Apart from it, its venom was so lethal that it could ruin a person''s health. Even Holy Level warriors would lose their composure if they encountered it.

    Since the Poisonous Corpse Pond was more difficult to find than the Illusory Poison Cave, Zachary spent three days scouring numerous floating mountains. After eight attempts, he eventually found the Poisonous Corpse Pond.

    When he arrived, he found that his destination was littered with swamps. Some of them were poisonous, which emanated a strong venomous miasma. Although deadly, they could be easily avoided as long as anyone would stay a safe distance from these swamps.

    However, Zachary intended to find the innermost part of the Poisonous Corpse Pond, where the deadliest swamp would be found. As soon as one entered it, he would be instantly suffocated by the toxic miasma¡ªit was practically impossible to breathe in

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    us beasts," Fabian stated in a hurry.

    "No, I''ll help them. Like you said, I am stronger, so I''d be more suitable. Plus, you are more familiar with this cave than me. You should go to the entrance for help," Zachary countered, waving his hand to dismiss Fabian''s plan.

    "But it''s too dangerous! Besides, I am responsible for the lives trapped there since I was the one who led them to that dangerous situation. I wasn''t careful and now, all of us are in peril. I can''t let you risk your life too because of something I did," Fabian explained. He, too, was worried for Zachary''s welfare.

    "Then you should do better this time and choose the most rational option instead of throwing yourself out there again. Deep down, you know clearly that I''m more appropriate to help Sharon and the others," Zachary said firmly, injecting some sense into Fabian.

    Hearing this, Fabian hesitated, because what Zachary said was right. He knew that compared to him, Zachary was more powerful and also had three Divine Level treasures and two Sage Level beasts. In terms of fighting ability, Zachary was obviously superior.

    "Hurry up. Whether we can come back to the Dignified Supernal Sect alive or not is entirely up to you now!" After saying that, Zachary immediately disappeared from where he stood.

    Fabian clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, and he headed straight for the entrance.

 Chapter 1124 The Detoxification Treatment

    Zachary didn''t know where Sharon and the others were trapped exactly, so he followed the tracks Fabian left. Soon enough, he arrived at an area completely surrounded by a rock wall. On one of its sides, he found a group of hideous, poisonous beasts rushing to get inside. Inspecting the direction where they were headed, he heard sounds of weapons clashing and explosions coming from the depths.

    "It should be here." Zachary narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He immediately noticed the influx of beasts trying to scamper inside. From his estimate, their strength would be at least above the Imperial Level, where most of them would at the medium stage or the premium stage. However, among these beasts, five of them stood out since their strength was at the Sage Level. They were situated behind the plethora of those at the Imperial Level, as though they were commanding an army.

    "Sharon, we did everything we could, and they''re still coming in! What should we do?" While Zachary was preoccupied in his observation, a hurried cry from the inside came to his ears. From what it sounded like, it seemed like Sharon and the others left inside were at their last straw¡ªthey were overpowered by the poisonous beasts!

    Taking this as his cue, Za

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    lt with all of them on his own?

    "I can. Arrange them as soon as possible. Time is running out!" Zachary confidently answered.

    With one final look at Zachary, Sharon nodded her head as she saw the determination in his eyes. She quickly had those with the most terrible state gingerly placed on a corner. Then, Zachary approached them and removed the poison one by one.

    As time went by, even though the Purple-winged Beast and the Sun-swallowing Beast were also there to guard the defense line, it was still difficult to resist the frenzied attacks sent by the poisonous beasts. Many disciples who guarded the area were already fatigued and they had already sustained fatal injuries. Once again, the defense line was starting to weaken.

    Displeased with the progress of the other poisonous beasts, the Sage Level ones took the matter into their own hands. After so many attempts, they lost their patience since it was taking them too long to reclaim this place. One of them, shaped like a bat, opened its six wings and flew into the air, rapidly flying to the area guarded by the Purple-winged Beast and the Sun-swallowing Beast.

    As it inched closer, the poisonous bat spewed out a green mist that instantly filled the atmosphere.

 Chapter 1126 Something Unusual Happened Underground

    Zachary smirked at the incoming Sage Level poisonous beasts¡ªhe was indomitable. No signs of alarm or fear could be seen from his face. The Sun-swallowing Beast and the Purple-winged Beast swooped down to fight against the two Sage Level poisonous beasts. They were roughly around the same strength as Zachary''s beasts were. Meanwhile, Zachary confidently faced the other three.

    "Sharon, lead everyone to safety." Zachary signaled to her.

    "Huh? What about you?" Sharon worriedly asked him.

    "Just go! I can handle this on my own. I''ll stall them," Zachary answered.

    "No, it''s too dangerous! You''re coming with us!" Sharon insisted.

    "Just go! You don''t have to worry about me. These are just a handful of Sage Level beasts¡ªnothing I can''t handle. All you have to do is take them out of this blockade as quick as you can. Otherwise, they might get poisoned again," Zachary imperatively ordered.

    Sharon hesitated for a moment. But eventually, she gave in and trusted Zachary''s intuition. Following the plan, she immediately ordered all the inner disciples to escape somewhere with fewer poisonous beasts.

    Meanwhile, Zachary remained inside, simultaneously dealing with these three Sage Level beast

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    g in the air, saw that Sharon and all the inner disciples were trapped, his expression became serious. He immediately lowered his head to look at the ground, because he faintly felt that there was an extremely strange aura under the ground, and it was extremely powerful.

    "Show yourself!" Zachary''s eyes narrowed and he soared into the air. He took out the Illusory Dragon Spine and infused Jules'' power into it. It instantly turned into a powerful Illusory Dragon in midair, and then swooped down towards the ground.

    Boom!

    As it collided with the ground, an explosion broke out¡ªflames soared everywhere. The powerful blaze of fire instantly covered the surroundings with a radius of a thousand meters. Under its scorching heat, the thick black fluid that was oozing out condensed and stopped flowing.

    Sharon and the others stopped sinking, but they were still unable to break free.

    When the Illusory Dragon disappeared in the air and turned into the Illusory Dragon Spine again, it flew back to Zachary''s hand. Now that the flowing obsidian liquid was now gone, the young man approached the hole where the liquid came from¡ªit was deep and bottomless. From its depths, a deafening roar was heard.

 Chapter 1127 A Monster Appeared

    As the unknown beast from the depths bellowed, a blast of wind gushed out of the cavity, which blew on Zachary''s clothes.

    To his surprise, the faint evil aura he initially felt inside suddenly surged. It was now frighteningly powerful, instantly filling the surrounding area within several kilometers around Zachary''s vicinity.

    Sensing the danger around, other life forms situated in the nearby proximity fled, as though the end of the world was approaching.

    Sharon, along with the other disciples, was still trapped in the same place. Frozen in place, they were panic-stricken and frightened. Some of them couldn''t rein in the pressure and buckled their knees because the evil aura from the huge hole was too overwhelming. Even a Holy Level warrior''s aura might not be able to compare with it.

    "What the hell is this?" Even Zachary was dumbfounded for a split second. He stared at the abyss for a moment, but he immediately came to his senses. Since Sharon and the others were still trapped, he had to help them before anything worse happened.

    Just as Zachary was about to fly towards Sharon and the others, a wet tentacle-like object flew out of the

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    ate the Devilish Crossbow. As soon as I do so, it may cause a huge impact force. By then, you take advantage of it to get out here with the others, okay? It might cause irreparable damage to my body, so I won''t be able to escape with you. Just leave me be. Don''t hesitate..."

    Sharon was thunderstruck and worried. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized what Zachary was about to do, so she immediately looked at his direction and vigorously shook her head.

    "Listen! This is the only way to survive! This is the only thing I can do. Don''t worry about me. Fortune always favors me, and I can''t die now, so I won''t die! Trust me on this one."

    As she heard this, Sharon''s eyes turned red and moist. She bit her pink lip and looked at Zachary with her heart broken. Eventually, she nodded, because she knew that she couldn''t fail him. After all, it was her responsibility to take the other inner disciples to safety.

    "Guys, listen carefully. Hodge is going to do something that will help us escape. Once we get out of the trap, don''t hesitate to rush out and don''t look back. Do you hear me?" Sharon instructed her companions with a grave expression.

 Chapter 1128 Being Pulled Inside The Giant Beast

    As they listened to Sharon''s instructions, all the inner disciples turned to look at Zachary. They were muddled since he, just like the rest of them, was also trapped. How could he possibly remove them from this perilous situation? But if it meant getting them out, they were not in the position to question his methods.

    Meanwhile, on Zachary''s end, the power of the Devilish Crossbow was ready. He gave Sharon and the other inner disciples a determined look¡ªa knowing glance. Then, he pointed the crossbow in the direction of the huge hole again.

    The Devilish Crossbow burst out dazzling light, signaling that it was ready. Zachary shot out a purple, golden light arrow, and like a strike of lightning, it rushed into the hole potently. As soon as it pierced through the cavity, the latter instantly lit up, revealing an unusually huge beast shadow. Based on its size alone, it was comparable to a mountain.

    The collision between the swift arrow and its target caused a powerful impact force, instantly spreading within a thousand meters. It raised a robust and forceful wave, splattering the thick black liquid that captured the other inner disciples.

    Now that the dark muck was cast off, Sharon and the others felt instantly lighter¡ªth

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    on Dagger, he climbed up the wriggling meat wall. He eventually found himself in the windpipe area.

    Since the passage was winding, it was barely enough for just one person to squeeze through. Therefore, it took Zachary a whole lot of effort just to get inside and traverse its length.

    The passage was more labyrinthine than Zachary imagined. Moreover, there were numerous forks, like a maze. Therefore, he had no other choice but to solely rely on his intuition.

    After what seemed like forever, Zachary finally crawled out of the windpipe and entered an even stranger place. It looked like an internal organ, but it was also like a huge room, surrounded by white threadlike things that were connected with each other. There was no poisonous purple aura entering in there, so it was relatively safe.

    Then, Zachary went deeper and deeper along the white thread-like objects. Not long after, he encountered a living flesh column in front of him that was swaying and wriggling gently. At the very center of the fleshy pillar was a huge purple ball surrounded with an ominous glow. This glowing spherical object was emitting a very strange aura. At the first glance, anyone would know that it wasn''t any other pill¡ªit looked very powerful!

 Chapter 1129 Leave The System

    Upon closer observation, Zachary could feel a powerful poison aura emanating from the core, which was, in fact, a bizarre thing since it looked like it was restraining itself, like a time bomb that could explode at any given time. Any interference could possibly unravel the intense pressure inside it.

    "Mimi, is this beast the Poisonous Viper?" Zachary asked immediately.

    "Yes, it is indeed the Poisonous Viper. If this creature right here isn''t a diabolical one, it could even be counted as one of the legendary beasts. But it isn''t a legendary beast. Despite this, that doesn''t mean that this creature is any weaker. In fact, it could match their capacity," Mimi replied noncommittally.

    "I actually came to the Supernatural Cave in hopes to find this. I didn''t expect that I could actually find it! How extraordinary!" Zachary exclaimed and then continued, "Since this is the Poisonous Viper, its core is extremely rare. According to the legends, if one can fuse the power of a Poisonous Viper''s core, he will be able to resist almost every kind of poison thereafter. However, the potency of its poison is as robust as that of a legendary

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    l in the stomach of the Poisonous Viper. I can''t take it off..." Zachary replied.

    "So... I have to leave the system?" Anne hesitated.

    "That''s right," Zachary answered with a nod.

    "Does the system allow it?" Anne asked again.

    "Mimi said that the system won''t give me any help this time and there won''t be any orders to you. In other words, it''s up to you whether you want to leave the system or not," Zachary explained what Mimi had said.

    "Up to me..." Anne frowned at this thought.

    "Why? What''s wrong? Is there something bothering you?" Zachary furrowed his brows, curious that something might be troubling her.

    "No, it''s just¡ª" Anne wanted to tell him everything, but she stopped herself halfway.

    "I understand that you might be dealing with something that''s preventing you from leaving the system, but you''re my only hope at the moment. But of course, I won''t force you. If you''re not ready, I will find another way." Zachary gave Anne a kind look, and reassured her. He didn''t want her to do anything she wasn''t ready for. Although her help would be tremendously helpful, it would be unfair to change her will for this.

 Chapter 1130 The Solar Eclipse

    "Of course I want to help you!" Anne blurted out. "It''s not that I don''t want to leave the system. It''s just that I have already died once. I''m afraid that if I return to the real world now, it might disturb the world''s equilibrium," Anne confessed. She had to disclose her qualms to Zachary, so he could understand her situation.

    "Don''t worry. Since the system did not stop you from leaving, it means you have the permission to put yourself out there without creating a dramatic impact on the real world. Take me for example. You know I don''t belong in this world, too! Since I''m fine, I''m pretty sure it will be fine for you, too. Please, Anne, trust me on this one," Zachary begged. He wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be fine.

    "Really?" Anne remained skeptical. After all, in her mind, no one could be brought back from death¡ªit was against the law of nature.

    "We''ll know whether it''s true or not once we get out. If anything bad happens, we can ask the system to fix it. You know how powerful it is," Zachary urged matter-of-factly.

    Anne breathed in and sighed loudly, as if mustering all the courage she had. "Then, okay! Let''s do it!" Finally, with a firm resolve, she agreed to his proposal.

    "Let''s go." Zachary nodded and smiled. He he

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    the moment Fabian left to look for rescue to the moment Zachary sacrificed himself to make them escape. After hearing what had happened, Timothy, Weston and Fabian looked at the gigantic beast standing in the distance first and immediately recognized it. They were absolutely dumbfounded. They had never expected that the Poisonous Viper, which was rare to see, would suddenly appear. Moreover, it appeared just when Sharon and the other disciples were in trouble. How could this just be a coincidence!

    "It''s not easy to deal with! At this point, we don''t know whether Hodge is dead or alive, but the Poisonous Viper is a formidable enemy. We can''t afford to provoke it..." Weston frowned.

    "Yes, I think the best course of action would be to inform the leader of the situation as soon as possible. He should be the one to make the decision!" Timothy nodded and then informed Weston, "I''ll stay here with Sharon and Fabian to look for Hodge. You''d better go back and report this to the leader..."

    "Be careful!" Weston didn''t say anything and immediately turned into a light shadow again before disappearing without a trace.

    "Let''s circle around the beast in case we can stumble upon Hodge," Timothy suggested as he began to look for Zachary with Sharon and Fabian.

 Chapter 1131 An Essence Core Formed In His Body

    One night had passed in the blink of an eye. Timothy, Sharon, and Fabian had been frantically searching for Zachary the entire time, but their efforts were futile. No matter where they looked, they still saw no signs of him. Their hearts sank as they thought of the worst case scenario.

    "Is Hodge going to be okay? This is all my fault! I let him risk his life for something I should have been doing!" Fabian scolded himself. If anything happened to his friend, he wouldn''t forgive himself.

    "Don''t be too hard on yourself, Fabian. It''s my fault. If only I was as strong as you guys, I could have helped him when the situation was critical," Sharon regretfully stated as she hung her head low. The thought that Zachary sacrificed himself just to save them made her feel powerless.

    "Stop blaming yourselves," Timothy, the elder, kindly reminded them. "Hodge willfully decided to help you guys out, and there is nothing wrong with his decision. If there''s anything, this only goes to show how much he cared for everyone and how responsible he was. At this point, we cannot do anything but look for him. And no matter what happens, we will honor him for his unwavering spirit. I misunderstood him in the p

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    a second.

    Once he endured this stage, Zachary felt something different stirring within him. He checked on his body and found that near the belly of his lower abdomen, there was a form of core nurturing.

    "That material forming in your belly should be your essence core. For any other warriors, it is practically impossible for them to cultivate a core since their physical bodies could not withstand the power. Since you were able to resist, it is obvious that your current physical structure is different from that of an ordinary warrior," Anne explained to him.

    "It doesn''t sound like bad news! It looks like we can do this without a fuss!" Zachary smiled gently.

    "You''re right, it''s not bad. To be frank, I think that there are less than ten warriors in the current Supernal Continent who could cultivate their cores with human bodies. And their strength would have to be at least close to the Divine Level. Hence, if you can cultivate a core with your current strength, this would be good for your future cultivation. Once your core is formed completely, not only will you have an invulnerable body, but you will also improve your strength to a higher level," Anne confidently informed him.

 Chapter 1132 Instant Teleportation

    "Okay, that sounds promising. Does it have a catch?" Zachary was getting hyped to make their plan happen. However, he had to make sure that there would be no room for mistakes.

    "It does," Anne answered candidly. "Your essence core hasn''t been completely formed. And the power source of your core will be acquired from the Poisonous Viper''s core. Therefore, you must absorb its energy to materialize your own essence core before the Solar Eclipse ends. Otherwise, all your efforts will be in vain," she warned him.

    "Is that so? Then, I''d better hurry up!" Zachary''s gaze dimmed at the thought. After realizing that his time was limited, he poured his concentration on absorbing and integrating the power of the Poisonous Viper''s core to cultivate.

    The Solar Eclipse would not last long. Its normal cycle would usually last an entire day. However, when he was swallowed by the Poisonous Viper, Zachary spent approximately much time avoiding various injuries the beast''s core brought. In other words, he didn''t have that much time left.

    At this rate, there were only two hours left before the Solar Eclipse ended. Zachary''s progress was nowhere near finished¡ªhis core hadn''t even taken shape yet. Moreover, the Poisonous Viper was absorbing the essential energy from the Supernatural Cave, which amplified the power of the core. A

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    onous Viper is going back to the underground..." Elder Weston observed.

    "Now that the Solar Eclipse is over, we have to hurry up and look for Hodge!" Kendrick commanded.

    Soon, the four of them headed in different directions to make their task easier.

    However, even after the Poisonous Viper completely disappeared to the ground and the soil completely covered the huge hole, they still couldn''t find Zachary.

    "According to what Sharon said, the last time they saw Hodge, he was entangled by the Poisonous Viper. I think he might have been swallowed by it." Kendrick speculated with a grave look in his eyes.

    "T-Then he would surely die, wouldn''t he?" Elder Timothy''s expression changed dramatically, his heart sinking at this morbid possibility.

    "If that''s the case, I''m afraid we can''t even find his corpse," Kendrick said slightly.

    "What should we do now? How can we explain it to the Holy Maiden?" Elder Weston asked.

    "We must keep it from Tania. Of course, we won''t give up searching for Hodge. You elders can take turns to search here. Not only are you going to search this mountain, but you will also scour the other mountains. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we can''t let it go," Kendrick hopefully ordered them.

    The three elders nodded in agreement, sharing his enthusiasm to look for Zachary.

 Chapter 1133 Leisurely Training

    After that, Kendrick and the three elders rushed back to the entrance. When Sharon and the other inner disciples learned that Hodge was still missing, they were terribly despondent. Judging the situation where they last saw him, it was highly likely that he had already perished in the Poisonous Viper''s stomach. They felt a little guilty over it since he had sacrificed himself to save all of them.

    All of them were inconsolable. A depressive aura hung in their midst.

    "No! He can''t be dead! I refuse to believe he''s dead! There''s no way he''s dead. Until we see his body, we can''t tell for sure." Sharon was in denial. She and Zachary were close, so she emotionally rejected the idea that he was dead. The young woman burst into tears.

    "Why? Why does it have to be him? I can''t believe this!" Even Fabian had a hard time processing his friend''s suspected death. He clenched his fists and couldn''t restrain his grief and indignation. Zachary had already saved him twice from close-to-death situations, and he couldn''t do anything for his case at all. He scolded himself for his incompetence.

    Susie, who was also among the inner disciples, bit her pink bottom lip tightly. When Zachary took them to break through the siege of the poisonous beasts, she didn''t even have the opportunity to at least thank him. And from the way things were progressi

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    it looked like, one of them must be the sect leader. After that, my bees followed them. From the information they sent me recently, all of your companions were safe. They left the Supernatural Cave and returned to the Dignified Supernal Sect. However, they are all terribly grieving since they all thought you were dead," Anne replied unhurriedly.

    "Really? It''s good to know that everyone is safe and sound. You are very considerate, Anne. The fact that they thought I''m dead could work in my favor. I can use this opportunity to stay in the Supernatural Cave for a longer time. In addition, I can use this time to search for the Five Gods'' treasures hidden in the cave!" Zachary was the kind of person who always saw the brighter side in things. He wouldn''t be easily restrained over minute details. So, if they thought that he had died in the Poisonous Viper''s stomach, he could use it to work in his favor. He could take this opportunity to fully improve his strength in the Supernatural Cave. Although his absence would sadden everyone he cared for, it was worth the price to pay if it meant he could garner enough strength to save Tania. This was his top priority.

    After that, Zachary and Anne left the cave and began training in the Supernatural Cave. This was better for either of them since there was no time pressure weighing them down.

 Chapter 1134 He Wont Die

    Meanwhile, outside the Supernatural Cave, Kendrick was worried that the evil monsters and beasts inside the cave would be more rampant than usual. Plus, the inner disciples were still traumatized from the succession of unfortunate events they had experienced. Therefore, he decided that it was after everyone''s best interest to cancel the training. He would let them continue the training in the Supernatural Cave once everything had calmed down.

    Plus, their utmost priority at the moment was to look for Zachary, whether he might be dead or alive. Hence, the sect leader commanded the eight Holy Level elders to lead the investigation into the Supernatural Cave. They were going to try their best to look for him every day.

    Since the matter was delicate, Fabian instructed the other inner disciples not to mention what happened inside the Supernatural Cave and Zachary''s absence to anyone.

    In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed in a hurry. Although time passed quickly, it seemed as long as a year for Kendrick and the others. After half a month''s searching, there was still no news of Zachary, and no one knew whether he was alive or dead.

    At that exact moment, the Dignified Supernal Hall was dead silent. Kendrick and the elders had just received the latest news, and to their dismay, it still wasn''t favorable.

    "Leader, should we still continue with the search? If w

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    " she decidedly replied. She was unflinching in her opinion, which only showcased how confident she was with her disciple''s capabilities.

    "Tania, the reason why I came here today to tell you this in person is because I want to try my best to soften the blow for you..." Kendrick urged. Based on Tania''s confident tone, he merely thought that she couldn''t accept the reality.

    "Do you have anything left to say? If you have already stated your piece, then leave!" Tania demanded.

    He knew that no matter what he would say, she would remain firm on her beliefs. It was best that he left it at that. After all, he already did his part on informing her of Zachary''s case. Hence, with one last look at her before leaving, he informed, "I''ll ask Sharon to move here to accompany you later. If you ever need anything, don''t hesitate to ask her."

    Tania didn''t respond to him at all. He shook his head, turned around, and left the attic.

    After he left, she violently coughed and kept murmuring, "Zachary will be fine... He won''t die so easily... He would never leave me alone..."

    Tania severely coughed again. Perhaps it was because of her concerns for Zachary, or the Spooky Fire Gas eroding her body, but her case was terribly worsening. She suddenly spat mouthfuls of blood due to the tremendous pain. After that, she suddenly fainted on the couch and instantly lost consciousness.

 Chapter 1135 Huxleys Chessboard

    After Zachary''s death was announced in the Dignified Supernal Sect, a great uproar ensued. Neither the inner disciples nor the outer disciples could accept this news. Alcuin and Jerrold, who were in good relations with Zachary, personally came to Kendrick to confirm this harrowing information going around. To their dismay, the sect leader confirmed it to be true¡ªthey were absolutely thunderstruck.

    No one had ever thought that Zachary, a famous personality within their sect, would miserably die inside the Supernatural Cave from their training. His demise was heartbreaking for everyone, but they also lauded his heroic deed, since he had saved dozens of inner disciples from their sect. Therefore, his absence wasn''t just devastating¡ªit was also admirable.

    To commemorate Zachary''s untimely death, Kendrick had especially ordered a mourning hall for him in the sect''s ancestral hall for worship. Generally speaking, the founder''s great descendants were the only ones granted this privilege. However, the sect leader thought of Zachary so highly that he gave the latter such treatment. Zachary''s valiant spirit and selfless act of sacrifice earned him this honor.

    In just a few days, more than a thousand disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect had gathered in the an

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    se calm down!" Zachary politely explained their case. He noticed that the spiritual soul guarding the array was a powerful senior. Given Anne''s weakened state, engaging in an unnecessary fight was the last thing they needed.

    "Humph! I don''t care whether you did it on purpose or not. I advise you not to lay a finger on the array. If you intend to pry into the heavenly secrets, you will only regret it! You would live alone for the rest of your life!" the white haired old man gravely reminded, as though he was speaking from experience.

    "I see. So the legend of the array is true, isn''t it? As long as we can solve this chess game, we can pry into the heavenly secrets and know everything we want to know?" Anne asked.

    "Yes, it is true. However, from then until now, only a few people were able to do this. And even the very few people who did so still suffered a terrible fate! All was because they tried to learn the heavenly secrets! Of course, if you insist on doing this, I won''t stop you. But I have warned you, and I hope you can think twice before you decide to push for this. If you fail to get past the array in a single try, a dreadful fate will await you¡ªit could even lead to your own deaths," the white haired old man noncommittally cautioned the duo.

 Chapter 1136 The Ancient Array

    The reward from the array seemed promising, but it was all or nothing. Anne looked at Zachary hesitantly, as if she was consulting him on what they should do.

    The young man stroked his chin as he considered what the white-haired elderly man stated. From the way it seemed, he was telling the truth¡ªit was indeed Huxley''s Chessboard. If it could really grant him a chance to pry into the heavenly secrets, then it might also tell him where the Five Gods'' treasures hidden in the Supernatural Cave were!

    "Anne, are you sure you can break through the array?" Zachary asked Anne.

    "Hmm. Although I''m not a hundred percent sure, it will be a pity if I don''t even give a try to break into such a powerful ancient array!" It was rare for Anne to show her enthusiasm. After all, with her strength close to peak, she could practically defeat anything that came her way. Hence, a complicated ancient array excited her. It was a challenge that she was not going to miss.

    "Go ahead, Anne. Why don''t you give it a try? I''ll be right here if you ever need help," Zachary urged.

    "The challenger must do everything on their own. She can''t accept any assistance from anyone if she ever tries to break it," the elderly guardian quickly interjected as he heard Zachary''s offer.

    "I didn''t mean that I would

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    I don''t plan to fight these soul shadows face to face," Zachary reassured the beautiful young woman.

    "Then be careful!" Anne was smart enough to know that Zachary wouldn''t act recklessly. She nodded and flew out of the chessboard to give way to him.

    "Young man, that girl couldn''t solve the puzzle on Huxley''s Chessboard. You''re weaker than her! What makes you think that you could do a better job? I suggest that you leave now," the white-haired elderly man advised.

    "We''ll know after we try. Sir, I''ll fight all these soul shadows together. Let''s make it quick!" Zachary said defiantly.

    "Humph! How arrogant! Then so be it. Let me fulfill your wish!" With a wave of his hand, countless soul shadows rushed to Zachary one after another.

    At the same time, Zachary curled his lips and poured his power into the Devilish Crossbow. Its ring-shaped grooves immediately flickered and its power began to increase rapidly.

    As if on cue, the Devilish Crossbow finished accumulating its strength just when the soul shadows were inching towards Zachary. With all of them on the exact range he wanted, he shot out a huge arrow out from the bowstring. The soul shadows took a fatal hit as a streak of dazzling light spread out in Huxley''s Chessboard. It engulfed everything, including Zachary.

 Chapter 1137 Huxley

    "Zachary!" Anne called out. Seeing that Zachary got engulfed by the powerful blow of the Devilish Crossbow, she got extremely worried for his welfare. Plus, the white-haired elderly man was also very powerful and the power of those souls he summoned was extremely remarkable. Hence, one wrong move could mean Zachary''s demise. If she were being honest, Anne also had her doubts whether Zachary would survive this or not.

    Meanwhile, on the other side of the chessboard, the old man furrowed his eyebrows. He sensed that Zachary''s Devilish Crossbow was something he didn''t expect¡ªit was quite powerful. Although he was weaker than Anne, Zachary''s attack caused a tremendous blow, instantly crushing the soul shadows into million pieces.

    "Humph! I underestimated you, brat! But that''s it. Feel my power!" The old man gave a cocky smirk before loudly shouting, summoning his full potential. As he did so, his bright eyes shone again.

    At this moment, Anne, who was outside the chessboard, suddenly furrowed her brows. A strange but undiscerning power spread out in the chessboard, and she also felt that her consciousness instantly blurred. It eventually dawned on her that this exact trick was the same reason she had failed during her attempts. Therefor

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    ch a famous personality on their quest! Most importantly, this white-haired old man had appeared in the cave of the Dignified Supernal Sect in the form of a spiritual soul. It was unlikely that they would stumble upon him in this place since he had existed at least ten thousand years ago. The Supernatural Cave was probably not yet formed back then. Therefore, they were naturally puzzled why this old man would appear in this cave.

    "Sir, if I may ask, what brought you here? With your strength back then, you could have broken through to the Divine Level. Legends say that when you reach the Divine Level, you will no longer be bound by the laws of nature. Even if you die, you could stay within the earth with your corporeal form," Anne questioned him.

    The white-haired old man sighed. "It''s a long story. If there is really a reason, it could only be attributed to my karma," he answered as he smiled bitterly.

    "Karma? Sir, do you mean..." Zachary asked.

    "The reason why I was able to pry into the heavenly secrets was all because of a Divine Level treasure. Back then, I also created this chessboard with the power of this treasure. I used it to predict the fate of heaven and pry into its secrets," the white haired old man disclosed.

 Chapter 1138 The Heavenly Oracle Gem

    "Is there really such a powerful treasure?" Zachary asked in amazement.

    "Yes, there is. It''s a secret treasure left behind by the Five Gods of the ancient times. It''s called the Heavenly Oracle Gem. This gem contains very strange power, which can predict the future, and estimate the fortune and misfortune," the white-haired elderly man answered.

    "Is it one of the Five Gods'' treasures?" Learning this, Zachary was stunned. He gave Anne a knowing look, because he had a hunch that the Heavenly Oracle Gem that the old man mentioned might be the exact thing they were looking for.

    Picking up his signal, Anne immediately inquired, "Sir, I hope you don''t mind me asking, but what''s the relationship between the karma you mentioned and the Heavenly Oracle Gem?" She eagerly waited for his response, hoping that this would be the direction they both were looking for.

    "As the saying goes, the heavenly secrets cannot be leaked. Those who dare pry into the heavenly secrets will definitely harbor misfortune upon them! In the past, I was arrogant. I thought too highly of myself and looked down on everything, so I didn''t heed the warnings at all. I believed myself to be better than anyone else. Not only did I use the Heavenly Oracle Gem to unearth the heavenly secrets, but I also used it to crea

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    his farewell to Anne and Zachary. His form started to fade slowly.

    "Wait, sir! Before you go, I have something to ask you," Zachary asked immediately.

    "Go ahead!" the white haired replied.

    "I want to know if my master can survive the disaster safely," Zachary asked, working his way around his words. He didn''t want to mention Tania''s condition.

    "Although I know what will happen to her, I can''t tell you. It''s against the law of nature. The only thing I can divulge is that if you want to save your master, then you will have to pay a huge price. Any powerful force is a double-edged sword. Now that you possess one of the strongest treasures in the world, it will also lead you to a road with no returns," the white-haired elder cryptically warned.

    "What does that mean, sir? Please tell me!" Zachary narrowed his eyes as he pressed for answers. The senior''s warning seemed ominous.

    "Take care of yourself!" the elder called out. Those were the last words he ever said. As soon as he bade his farewell, he disintegrated and disappeared without a trace.

    Zachary gave Anne a worried look. He had vague guesses to what the old man meant. It was almost like the elder was warning him not to remove the poison from Tania, but how could he just stand idly by and watch his master die?

 Chapter 1139 The Overcrowded Square

    "Don''t think too much about what he told you. You create your own fate! It doesn''t matter what he predicted. Just do whatever you want to do or you''ll just end up regretting it in the end. Besides, it''s you. I''m sure you can think of the best thing to do." Anne offered Zachary an encouraging smile. Although she didn''t want anything bad to Zachary because of his attempt to save Tania, she was sure that he would do it anyway, so it was pointless discouraging him on his quest. Plus, even though she and Tania rarely talked, she was still friends with Tania. Of course, like Zachary, she wouldn''t just sit by and watch the poison get her.

    "Thank you, Anne. I know he was just kindly reminding me. I just didn''t expect that we would get the Five Gods'' mysterious treasure which has prophetic powers. I don''t know how to use it yet, but I''m very excited to see its potential. This trip to the Supernatural Cave has been very rewarding!" Zachary humbly thanked his beautiful companion, gratified for her kind words and help through this journey.

    "Yes, it has. The next thing you''re going to do now is to increase your strength to the next grade. Then, you can finally go back to the Dignified Supernal Sect to detoxify Tania!" Anne beamed.

    "It has been almost a month since I entered the Supernatural Cave. I

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    n to ever walk this planet. Just imagine! If a man could marry her, not only would he get fame, but he would also gain a beautiful wife as well!"

    Hushed whispers and rumors were exchanged among the gathered men around their sect. Zachary listened intently to everything they said. ''What are they talking about? To cure the Holy Maiden? Has master''s situation deteriorated?'' Hearing this, he couldn''t help but frown. He felt that Tania''s situation might have gotten more critical. He briskly walked towards the Dignified Supernal Hall.

    However, just as Zachary took a step forward, he saw Kendrick and several elders coming out. Moreover, there was another person who was walking in front of them. It was none other than the former leader of the sect, Remington.

    Remington wore a grim expression on his face. All the people present showed great respect to him. Although he was no longer the leader of the sect, he had become famous when he became the youngest Holy Level warrior in the Canopy Kingdom with his superb talent. During his term, the sect flourished and entered its prime time. Thus, his prestige in the Canopy Kingdom and even the entire Supernal Continent far surpassed that of the other people in their sect. With such an incredible history and background, no one dared to disrespect him.

 Chapter 1140 She Was About To Die

    "On behalf of the Dignified Supernal Sect, I would like to extend my utmost gratitude to everyone that gathered here today to cure our sect''s Holy Maiden. I won''t elaborate her case any further since I have informed all of you before. She was accidentally poisoned by the Spooky Fire Gas several months ago, which caused its toxins to slowly erode her body. Although she had held on all this time, she was still unable to resist the poison in the end. She has now fallen into a coma and is at death''s door. For multiple times, we have tried our best to look for a cure, or anything that might alleviate her condition, but our efforts were futile¡ªwe still couldn''t find a way to detoxify her. Therefore, I have summoned all of you here, hoping that you might be able to help her case. If anyone of you can completely cure her, then our sect will be indebted to you and we will give you and your sect or clan everything you want," Remington announced, his deep voice reaching the far end of the crowd. He sounded both humble and authoritative, grateful for all the people that bothered to help them cure Tania.

    "Sir, with all due respect, we don''t really care about anything else. As long as you are willing to marry the Holy Maiden into our clan, then we promise that we will do everything in our power to bring back her usual vigor," one of the sect leaders offered. There were no magic pills, important treasures, or any other gifts that could trump the Holy Maiden''

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    t were surprised at what he said. They all looked at Zachary expectantly.

    "I have made my body an invulnerable one. At this point, I am now resistant to all poisons and toxins. If I absorb the Spooky Fire Gas into my body, she will be able to get rid of it," Zachary explained.

    Remington and the others were amazed. They didn''t expect that he could refine an invulnerable body, because this was not something an ordinary person could do. Plus, he also did it in such a short time!

    "But even if you can absorb the Spooky Fire Gas into your body, the toxin inside her is extremely poisonous. Even though you are now invincible, you may not be able to withstand it!" Remington said at once. Although he was worried for the young man''s welfare, he still admired Zachary''s dedication to getting where he was. In order to save Tania, Zachary had been willing to sacrifice himself.

    "I have my own way to resolve it. Please, sir! Don''t worry about me. Our utmost priority at the moment is to save her life," Zachary firmly said. He understood that they were only expressing their concerns, but no matter what might happen, he would never be swayed.

    Remington and Kendrick immediately looked at each other, looking hesitant.

    "Do you know what you''re doing, Hodge? This could endanger not only your life, but also Tania''s," Remington asked once again.

    "I can''t say absolutely, but I will try my best," Zachary answered, with a resolute look on his face.

 Chapter 1141 Argument

    "Although it''s great news that Hodge is confident in his skill to cure Tania, this would be unfair to everyone we have invited here. They all made an effort to come here, and they had traveled long distances. If we suddenly tell them that they are no longer needed, this would surely cause a ruckus¡ªthey would refuse to leave until we give a reasonable explanation. After all, they have prepared a lot so they could have a chance to heal Tania." Kendrick looked around everyone present. He frowned. Once these warriors had realized that their services were no longer needed, surely they would stir up some trouble. Plus, the Dignified Supernal Sect would be put in a bad light since they hassled all of them for nothing. No matter how he looked at this, this would not end well.

    "It doesn''t matter," Remington firmly decided. "We only asked for their help because we were out of options before. But now that Hodge is here with a solution, this competition would just be unnecessary. It''s better to trust a member of our own sect than outsiders. Moreover, Hodge cultivated his body to the point of invincibility just to detoxify Tania. He is our best shot at the moment." For him, there was nothing more important than curing his daughter. It didn''t matter if he had to offend the other major

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    en, what difference does this young man can do by competing with us?" Brantley insulted, a sinister smile on his lips. He felt like the new addition to the competition was nothing but a joke.

    "Although Hodge is a member of our sect, we treat him differently because of his special identity. Of course, we promise that our judgment wouldn''t be biased towards him. We all want to have everyone equal chances. After all, our main objective is for the Holy Maiden to be saved!" Kendrick replied seriously.

    "Don''t you think you are blowing your own trumpet?" Brantley retorted sharply.

    "May I know which one of you present here can get the septuple martial speed when you are a warrior of Imperial Level?" Kendrick interjected, trying to prove a point.

    Hearing this, everyone was surprised. In their opinion, it was impossible to achieve the septuple martial speed for a warrior of Holy Level, what more if one attempted to do it at the Imperial Level? It was impossible.

    When Kendrick noticed their dumbstruck expressions, he knew that none of them were able to do it. "The answer is clear. None of you. But when Hodge made it!" Kendrick announced after looking around at everyone present.

    This caused another commotion among the horde, because this was something unprecedented!

 Chapter 1142 Crane Healing Bead

    "Tch!" Brantley spat out. "How do we even verify this? For all I know, you are just lying so we could be impressed!" If what Kendrick said about Zachary was true, then he would be stunned. Such achievements were not easily attained just by anyone. Although amazed, he had to disguise it because he didn''t want to be seen getting awed by someone so mediocre. Was this young man truly that powerful? Brantley doubted it.

    "Well, may I ask you, in the Peripatetic Pavilion, which warrior of Sage Level has the septuple martial speed?" Kendrick asked further.

    Brantley hesitated for a moment. Although the Peripatetic Pavilion was one of the sects with the most members in the Canopy Kingdom, there had never been a warrior of Sage Level who had septuple martial speed among them.

    "Do other sects have such a warrior?" Kendrick consulted the other sects and clans.

    The people of the other sects and clans also shook their heads. If a warrior of Sage Level could master the septuple martial speed, he would surely have a bright future ahead. Plus, he would be pursued by countless sects for his assets.

    "Are you saying that he is already a Sage Level warrior? It''s impossible! Anyone can see from the initial glance that he is just an Imperial Level warrior." Unconvinced, Brantley rudely snubbed Zachary''s outward appearance.

    "Hodge!" Kendrick immediately turned his head and gave Zachary a knowing look.

    Zachary, who had been si

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    or their strong healing ability. It had the magic effect of curing all kinds of diseases and detoxifying all kinds of poisons¡ªa perfect fit for the Holy Maiden''s case. Moreover, this bead was the only one that had existed since ancient times. Therefore, it could be considered the most powerful Divine Level treasure for healing.

    As soon as the Crane Healing Bead was offered, the Spiritual Energy Absorbing Mirror was instantly overshadowed.

    This caused the superiors of the Dignified Supernal Sect to be hopeful. Remington, Kendrick, and the elders also lit up at the sight of this, because they all knew that the Crane Healing Bead had a powerful healing ability and strong detoxifying function. They felt that it was powerful enough to completely heal Tania from the Spooky Fire Gas.

    "Ha-ha, I don''t believe there would be a better treasure than the Crane Healing Bead from our clan. At this point, we''re sure that we are the ones who could cure the Holy Maiden!" the leader of the Grace Clan declared confidently, looking very proud.

    The other sects and clans present could only shake their heads and sigh helplessly. They knew that the items they had offered could never be a match for the Crane Healing Bead.

    Suddenly, a calm voice commented, "Although the Crane Healing Bead is impressive, it is not enough to remove the Spooky Fire Gas."

    All the people present looked in the direction of the voice. It was Zachary!

 Chapter 1143 Illusory Grass

    Of course, Zachary''s words were not baseless. He had the Fighting Crane''s essential power, and even that in itself could not remove the Spooky Fire Gas in Tania''s body. If this was the case, then how could the Heavenly Crane Healing Bead, which was produced through the essence core of the same beast, even stand a chance? No matter how potent the essence core was, it was formed in the Fighting Crane''s body by using its essential power through years of cultivation. Therefore it was impossible that it could be more powerful than the Fighting Crane''s essential power.

    "Now that you have the guts to slander our treasure, why don''t you show us something greater? I''d like to see what you brought that could compete with our clan''s offering," Wendell, the leader of the Grace Clan, challenged. He raised his eyebrow, upset at Zachary''s interjection. He stared at the young man crossly, because for him, Zachary was nothing but a clueless kid who did not know what he was talking about. Whatever he had, how could it compare with the most precious treasure of their clan?

    "Let me show you," Zachary calmly answered. Then, to prove his point, he took out the Illusory Grass he got when he was training in the Illusory Poison Cave. When he showed it to everyone, they all seemed underwhelmed.

    Wendell expectantly looked at Zachary''s hands. As so

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    so, he had nothing else to say.

    All the people present immediately shut their mouths.

    Eventually, when the commotion died down, the competition among the sects and clans came to an end. After the final discussion of Kendrick and the elders, the ten sects that obtained the opportunity to save Tania were settled.

    Included in the announced list was their sect which Zachary represented.

    "The ten successful contenders are going to draw lots to treat the Holy Maiden with their treasures they have prepared. You have two hours to completely heal her, if you''re unable to detoxify her in the designated time frame, then it''d be considered a failure," Kendrick immediately announced.

    Except for Zachary, the other nine sects that had gotten the chance to treat the Holy Maiden were very excited. Zachary looked calm on the outside, but on the inside, he was terribly worried for Tania''s health.

    Soon, the ten participants drew lots and the sequence was decided.

    Coincidentally, the Peripatetic Pavilion, the Grace Clan and Zachary, who were most likely to succeed, were the last three to treat Tania. This gave the other clans that got the early chances to treat her a little more hope, although, in fact, the hope was very slim. After all, they were facing one of the three most horrible poisons in the world¡ªthe Spooky Fire Gas.

 Chapter 1144 Repeated Failures

    "Leader Kendrick, now that the order is decided, we must tend to the Holy Maiden as soon as we can!"

    "Yes, we can''t afford to waste any more time! Isn''t the Holy Maiden in a critical situation? Don''t dawdle any longer!"

    "What if she misses the best treatment time? Then all of this will be wasted!"

    The chosen clans and sects from the competition started voicing out their concerns. Even the other warriors who were not participating were itching for the treatments to begin. All of them wanted to see the famed beauty of the Holy Maiden of the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    Kendrick consulted Remington by glancing at him. The latter nodded, affirming that they should start as soon as they could. Then Kendrick waved his hand, and soon enough, a palanquin surrounded by purple gauze curtains was carried out by several disciples of the Dignified Supernal Sect from the Dignified Supernal Hall. Sharon was walking beside the palanquin, and inside it, there was a mysterious and graceful woman lying. Everybody immediately figured that the beautiful lady must be the Holy Maiden.

    "Master..." Zachary could feel himself tremble as soon as he saw Tania get carried out of the room in the palanquin. The faint aura she emitted immediately indicated how critical her condition was. If he h

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    into a palm print. A stream energy at the Holy Level was shot towards the inside of the palanquin. The moment it made contact with the Sunrise Dragon Jade, the jade''s green glow turned brighter and more intense.

    However, after less than fifteen minutes, the glow of the Sunrise Dragon Jade dimmed again.

    It took him two full hours, but Tania did not even budge.

    Joaquin was also a little exasperated, but he could only walk away with the Sunrise Dragon Jade.

    This caused heated discussion among the crowd. There had been only two failed attempts so far, but this was a testament of how powerful the Spooky Fire Gas truly was. If a remarkable treasure like the Sunrise Dragon Jade couldn''t wake up Tania, then this only put greater pressure to the upcoming sects and clans.

    Soon after, the contestant who got the third draw went forward to the palanquin, but his treasure couldn''t even hold on for an hour.

    A few hours passed in a blink of an eye.

    The following sects and clans after the Sunrise Dragon Clan also failed¡ªnone of them were able to extract the powerful poison within the Tania.

    In the end, only Zachary and the representatives from both the Peripatetic Pavilion and the Grace Clan were the ones left. They were the Holy Maiden''s last chance for survival.

 Chapter 1145 Wendells Proposal

    The Peripatetic Pavilion was the eighth contender. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as they all watched Brantley approach the palanquin.

    "Listen, everyone! I will use our sect''s secret skill to activate the Spiritual Energy Absorbing Mirror later. It may cause some impact, so I hope you can step back to avoid unnecessary damage," Brantley arrogantly boomed.

    Unsavory remarks could be heard whispering among the audience. Most of them thought that he was merely bragging, so they didn''t take it seriously. After all, the first seven contenders who attempted to cure the Holy Maiden promised huge things earlier. They all made lofty remarks, only to fail in the end.

    A handful of warriors stepped back from the stage, but the rest didn''t budge. Then, Brantley strode to the front of the palanquin. In an instant, he enveloped it with his Sage Level aura, pushing himself to his limit. Then, he threw the Spiritual Energy Absorbing Mirror into the air. While airborne, the treasure swirled on top of the palanquin¡ªeveryone waited with bated breath.

    Brantley then began to activate the Spiritual Energy Absorbing Mirror. Despite the absence of wind, his robe suddenly inflated, and he crossed his hands in front of his chest. A stream of starry energy shot out from his hands and it went straight into the Spiritual Energy Absorbing Mirror. The instant the energy made contact with the mirror, the latter changed its course. It suddenly spun in spiral-like form, and everywhere it went,

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    ad had better chances of curing the Holy Maiden, then why bother dragging it further? If it failed, then the Illusory Glass would be used to revive the Holy Maiden. This seemed to be a better solution.

    "Although the Illusory Glass is indeed unable to detoxify the Holy Maiden, I didn''t say that this is the only thing I have with me. I have another way to detoxify her," Zachary stated as he coldly glared at Wendell. They had been stalling Tania''s treatment for far too long. He was getting impatient.

    "All this is just your one-sided statement. Who could attest to your statements? Even if you have other ways, are you sure you can save her? Many warriors promised the same thing earlier. Look where it brought us. She is still in a critical condition!" Wendell sneered.

    Zachary was about to say something, but he held himself back. On some level, the representative of the Grace Clan was right. He couldn''t guarantee his own success. Of course, at this point, there were no rooms for error¡ªTania''s condition was too critical.

    "Alright. What do you propose then, Master Wendell?" Kendrick asked when Zachary did not answer.

    "Let me use the Crane Healing Bead to treat the Holy Maiden first. If she wakes up and the Spooky Fire Gas is completely removed, then our main objective would be attained. Isn''t that what everyone is after? If I fail, then this young man could use the Illusory Grass to revive her. It''s a win-win solution. No one will suffer any losses," Wendell proposed.

 Chapter 1146 In A Critical Situation

    "Master Wendell, I apologize. I''m afraid your request is against the rules. Since we have agreed to draw lots, we should do it following the orders accordingly," Kendrick immediately retorted, because he also knew that Wendell was afraid that once Zachary tried to use the Illusory Grass to wake Tania up, it would be effective, and as a result, he would lose his opportunity to use the treasure he brought. He felt that Wendell''s intention was not actually after Tania''s welfare, but it was all for his selfish reasons.

    "I brought it up for the sake of the Holy Maiden," Wendell reasoned out. "Of course, you can refuse to accept it. But if the method this young man uses fails, then I will withdraw our clan''s offer to use the Crane Healing Bead," he threatened. His gaze was fiercely locked upon Kendrick, as if challenging him. He knew that his Grace Clan had an upper hand in this situation since he knew how desperate the Dignified Supernal Sect was to save the Holy Maiden. In short, they needed him and the Crane Healing Bead.

    Kendrick frowned as he saw the intensity from Wendell''s glare. Was Wendell trying to threaten them? It was a bold move since the power difference between their sect and his was apparent. Kendrick couldn''t believe that the Grace Clan would openly threaten the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    Even the other sects and clans w

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    ss of the Spooky Fire Gas. He swiftly put the Illusory Grass on Tania''s chest. Then, he activated Jules'' power to integrate the herb into her. In effect, the grass radiated in her bosom, turning into a pattern, which meant that she was temporarily out of risk, but it was still unknown how long it could last. Once the pattern disappeared, Tania would be so dead, and even God himself would not be able to bring her back.

    "Sirs, I need your assistance! Please join hands to help me," Zachary said to Remington and Kendrick.

    "Are you sure? It''s very dangerous for both you and Tania!" Kendrick worriedly asked him.

    "We don''t have any other way!" Zachary frowned.

    Kendrick''s gaze became colder as he looked at Remington.

    "We have no choice. At this point, we can only trust him now." Remington nodded.

    "Let''s start right now!" Zachary didn''t care about the fact that there were still many people present. The most important thing right now was to absorb the Spooky Fire Gas from Tania''s body into his. Otherwise, once the strengthened Spooky Fire Gas continued to counterattack, even if the Illusory Grass was able to help to keep her alive, she wouldn''t be able to live long. Therefore, he had to act fast and precisely. He waved his hand, and the entire palanquin was instantly torn apart, and Tania''s delicate body was lifted into the air.

 Chapter 1147 Sucking The Spooky Fire Gas

    "Hodge! What can we do to help?" Kendrick urgently asked him.

    "You just need to help me direct the Spooky Fire Gas into my body," Zachary instructed.

    The crowd was absolutely dumbstruck. They couldn''t believe what they heard. Was he actually planning to take the Spooky Fire Gas in the Holy Maiden''s stead? It was equivalent to suicide! They did not expect that he would go as far as offer his own life to save Tania. They all thought that the Illusory Grass was his only weapon to cure her.

    Even Remington, Kendrick, and the elders were surprised, but they didn''t have time to hesitate, since Tania''s condition was getting more and more severe by the second. They separated and each took a position. Their movements were agile and coordinated as they formed a circle towards Zachary and Tania who were hovering in the air.

    "Master Remington, please use your strength to guide the Spooky Fire Gas into my body!" Zachary shot Remington a determined look. He prepared himself for this momentous occasion. He had made his body invulnerable just for this instance.

    Putting his two fingers together, he activated a powerful surge of Holy Level power. It instantly devoured the entire Heavenly Cloud Square¡ªthe atmosphere around drastically changed. Then, a beam of light shout out from Zachary''s fingers and it

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    on and Kendrick felt uneasy and apprehensive. After all, this situation should be handled with utmost care. It was Tania''s life at stake in here.

    When Anne noticed the agitated looks on their faces, she added, "If you can''t trust me, you should at least believe in the secret skills of the Living-dead Tomb Sect!" Hearing this, Remington quickly shot her a surprised look.

    "Living-dead Tomb Sect? Are you one of their disciples? I thought they''ve gone extinct!" he exclaimed. He hadn''t heard of their sect for a very long time. He thought that they had completely vanished. Like the Dignified Supernal Sect, the Living-dead Tomb Sect was once a hidden sect that was committed to maintaining the peace of the Supernal Continent, and it even had a longer history compared to the Dignified Supernal Sect. However, because the Living-dead Tomb Sect did not accept new disciples, and there was only one successor for each generation. It was not like the Dignified Supernal Sect which had multiple disciples at any given time, making them expand as time progressed. Moreover, the Living-dead Tomb Sect had completely disappeared a long time ago. Hence, he was astonished to hear that Anne claimed she was one of their disciples.

    At this time, the audience got more and more bewildered as they learned more details.

 Chapter 1148 Fourth Grade Of Jules Power

    Anne didn''t bother explaining herself further. The mesmerized crowd kept their watchful gaze upon her as she sat cross-legged on the ground. With her full attention focused on Tania, she pierced her body with a dozen Ice Needles. At the end of each sharp point was a thread-like energy which was directly connected with Anne''s fingers.

    "Look! She''s using Ice Needles!" one of the warriors from the crowd pointed out. The audience were bewildered. The skill Anne just used was more than enough proof of her ancestry. Using Ice Needles was a unique skill from the Living-dead Tomb Sect. During Zachary''s fight with Fabian back then, most of them saw how he adeptly used the skill to immobilize his target. Since then, they had always suspected that he might have some sort of connection with the Living-dead Tomb Sect. Now that they had seen Anne use it again, they had finally pieced two and two together. From what it looked like, she was the one who taught Zachary how to use the Ice Needle, thereby proving that she was indeed a disciple from the sect they had believed to be extinct.

    "Amazing! I didn''t expect that a disciple from the Living-dead Tomb Sect would suddenly reappear in the Supernal Continent. And look at her! Her beauty is beyond anything I have ever seen before!"

    "How did Hodge get to know her? What''s the relationshi

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    nd roared, using Jules'' power, which was at the fourth grade now, to fight against the Spooky Fire Gas. As the two powerful forces collided within his body, it released an astonishing impact, like the explosion of a small universe.

    The impact of the collision between the two powerful forces rushed out of Zachary''s body and spread around. The entire Heavenly Cloud Square was completely shrouded by the power equivalent to that of a Holy Level warrior. As everyone felt the impact, their faces couldn''t hide how amazed and terrified they were¡ªthe impact was equal to an earthquake or a tsunami. There were even some warriors from the crowd who could not withstand the power it held and spat out mouthfuls of blood. Even Sage Level warriors instantly turned pale. The only ones who managed to maintain a calm and collected composure were the Holy Level warriors like Remington and some elders of the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    The collision only lasted for just a few seconds, but to everyone present, it felt like it was a catastrophe. When they came to their senses, they saw the one who caused the disaster was half-kneeling on the ground, with violent flames rising all over his body.

    ''Zachary...'' At this moment, Anne, who was sealing Tania with her own power, felt her heart sink. She felt uneasy as she saw Zachary on the ground.

 Chapter 1149 Spiraling Into Madness

    Sure enough, the next moment, Zachary, who had been surrounded by Jules'' power, slowly raised his head. His eyes were extremely red, and his face looked evil and frenzy. He had a spine-chilling look on his face as he scanned his gaze towards the frightened crowd. He looked as if he had been possessed by a demon.

    "Hodge..." Sharon softly called out, her voice full of worry. When Zachary heard her gentle voice, he turned into a blazing fire as he rushed towards her, as if he saw her as an enemy.

    "Damn it! Stop him! He''s already spiraled into madness!" Since Anne was preoccupied with healing Tania, she urgently asked Remington and the other big shots to subdue the frenzied Zachary.

    The big shots quickly rushed towards the young man as they heard Anne. Remington, along with the eight elders, took the lead and instantly blocked Zachary.

    "Don''t hurt him. Use our Spiritual Trapping Array to suppress his madness," Remington said decisively.

    Like a choreographed dance, the eight elders quickly released a powerful Holy Level martial energy. In the blink of an eye, they were able to seal the area within a radius of a thousand meters with the strong Holy Level power¡ªit was equivalent to a storm raging.

    However, Zachary was on the borderline of insanity. Needless to say, he wouldn''t allow the elders to have the opportunity to subdue him. He bellowed loudly, and copious amounts of Holy Level flame ro

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    he Ice Needles, the poison could no longer reproduce by corroding her body, so it was lingering on its last breath.

    Not long after, Tania''s porcelain skin started returning to its usual flush, and her face had become rosy once again. Even the meridians that had been destroyed by the Spooky Fire Gas in her body were also repaired by the Fighting Crane''s power.

    After the last trace of the Spooky Fire Gas was removed, Zachary immediately breathed a sigh of relief and drew back the Crane Healing Bead. Then he turned to look at Remington and said, "The Spooky Fire Gas in her body has been completely cleared. She should be fine."

    When Remington and Kendrick heard this, they were absolutely overjoyed. For months, they had been terribly worried for Tania''s health. It felt like the weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

    Everyone else on the square also shared the joy. They regarded Zachary with admiration, like he was a god among mere mortals. When they first saw him, they all thought that he was just an average warrior, but now they were impressed beyond words. Even though they had witnessed his skill right in front of them, they still couldn''t wrap their heads around everything they saw. Never had they seen any warrior fight the Spooky Fire Gas on his own in the Supernal Continent, and moreover, this was done with the precondition that the Holy Maiden could be saved. This was just a miracle!

 Chapter 1150 Marry Me

    "Master Remington, Anne and I will send Master Tania back to the Bloom Garden first. Her condition is not stable yet. We must stay with her until she wakes up," Zachary informed. At this point, Tania''s body was completely devoid of the Spooky Fire Gas and her body had gradually recovered through the Fighting Crane''s power. Even so, the poison still took a toll on her body, and she still felt weak and she needed close attention in case anything went awry.

    "Okay, you can go now. We will handle the rest." Kendrick immediately nodded.

    Then, Zachary handed the Crane Healing Bead to Kendrick. Still under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he gently carried Tania and flew away with Anne. Together, the three of them headed towards the foot of the Cyan Cloud Mountain.

    Meanwhile, the other people on the square obviously hadn''t collected their thoughts just yet from what had happened. Everything that happened felt like an illusion of some sorts; a miracle performed by a deity. It took a long time before they eventually calmed down.

    "M-Master Kendrick?" Wendell, who kept a watchful eye on his treasure the entire time, awkwardly called out. "Can I have my Crane Healing Bead now?" He sheepishly smiled as he asked for his treasure back.

    Kendrick immediately returned the Crane Healing Bead to him. After Wendell received the treasure, he respectfully asked, "Sir, if it''

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    his was beyond any ordinary warrior''s imagination.

    "It''s nothing," Zachary answered indifferently.

    "I can''t believe you! You actually cultivated an invulnerable body behind my back? Do you know how dangerous it is?! You are so reckless!" Tania scolded, a little angry, but still grateful for his help.

    "I don''t care! If it means saving you, then the risk is worth it!" Zachary straightforwardly answered.

    Tania sighed. She knew how headstrong her disciple was. When he wanted something, he would stop at nothing just to get it. "Just promise me you won''t do such things again in the future..." Tania resigned. At this point, it was useless for her to press things further.

    "I''ll see what I can do." Zachary beamed mischievously. "Anyway, how are you feeling now?" he asked concernedly.

    "I feel good, but I''m still very weak. The Spooky Fire Gas has devoured all my martial energy. If I want to recover my strength, I''m afraid I have to cultivate for a period of time," Tania answered as she narrowed her eyes.

    "But with your ability, it shouldn''t be difficult, right?" Zachary smiled.

    "I''ll manage. Anyway, I wanted to thank you, Hodge. If it weren''t for you, I would have been doomed." She smiled sweetly as she looked at her disciple.

    "If you really want to thank me, then why don''t you marry me?" Zachary joked, a hint of mischief glinting in his eyes.

 Chapter 1151 Annes Temporary Leave

    "What are you talking about? Don''t you have Anne? And you have your fiancee, too. Plus, you have other soul mates!" Tania raised her eyebrow, a little displeased with her disciple''s bold proposition.

    Zachary bashfully scratched the back of his head. "I was just kidding, master! Please don''t take it seriously." He waved his hand, retracting his joke.

    Tania paused for a while. "What if I really took it seriously?" she eventually asked.

    Zachary widened his eyes. He was stunned by his master''s response. Never in a million years had he ever thought that someone like Tania would ever like him.

    "Master, that can''t happen," he answered reflexively, his voice almost a whisper.

    "How do you know that?" Tania challenged.

    "W-Well..." Zachary started but he found himself at a loss for words. Tania was putting him on the spot and he didn''t know whether he should laugh or cry. It looked like he just put himself in a difficult position.

    Seeing that her disciple was awkwardly fumbling for words, Tania covered her mouth and daintily chuckled. "You can lighten up. I was just kidding, too," she said.

    Zachary felt appeased. "Oh, you scared me, master." He was relieved not because Tania wasn''t worthy of marriage, but because he didn''t have time for love¡ªhe still had a lot of things on his plate. Back then, his feelings for her might have sti

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    or a while. But it wouldn''t be for a long time..." she told him out of the blue.

    "What are you going to do, Anne? Where are you going?" Zachary asked as he furrowed his brows.

    "I''ll tell you everything in due time," she replied hesitatingly.

    "Okay." Seeing that it might be something Anne was not ready to tell him, Zachary left it at that.

    Once he had helped her settle down in her new home, Zachary immediately went back to the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    But before he returned to the Bloom Garden, Zachary went to the winery first. Although Alcuin had heard that Zachary was still alive, he couldn''t help but cry with joy when he saw the young man with his own two eyes.

    "Ha-ha! You bastard!" Alcuin boomed happily. "I knew you wouldn''t die so easily. If you die, who will raise the wine spirit for me?" He was between laughter and tears as he enthusiastically greeted the newcomer.

    "You''re a Holy Level warrior! When are you going to act like a kid?" Zachary intensely matched Alcuin''s energy as he laughed with him.

    "I''m just being my plain old self." Alcuin shrugged.

    Since he was overjoyed to see Zachary return, he immediately took him for a round of drinks. He didn''t let him go back to the Bloom Garden until he was heavily drunk.

    As soon as he returned, Zachary went straight into the system and continued to do his tasks.

 Chapter 1152 The Sage Level Warrior Contest

    Before anyone could notice, half a month had already slipped by. During that time, Tania''s condition had significantly improved. Sharon had been ordered to move to the Bloom Garden to take care of her. Meanwhile, Zachary was happy to have some free time for himself. If he had nothing else to do, he would frequent the Fairy Island to stay with Anne and study the use of the Heavenly Oracle Gem.

    Although Tania''s recovery was very smooth, it would still take a period of time for her to recover to her original strength.

    These past two weeks, Zachary rarely made an appearance in the Dignified Supernal Sect since he had been cultivating in seclusion. Since he was already a Sage Level warrior, he was no longer restricted by the rules like when he was merely a common disciple before. Moreover, his sect thought he had died when he dealt with the Poisonous Viper before. As an honor for his martyrdom, the Dignified Supernal Sect had conferred him the elder title. Although everyone eventually learned that he was actually alive all this time, the sect did not strip him off of the title and they even gave him a token symbolizing his identity as an elder. Sharon handed it to him just a few days ago.

    Therefore, he was the only Sage Level elder of the sect, and his rank was directly below the eight

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    wouldn''t have sent you there," Kendrick explained.

    "I know." Zachary nodded.

    Then, Kendrick told him a few more things that he needed to pay attention to and then asked him to go back and prepare.

    Zachary headed to the Bloom Garden after his conversation with their sect leader. Once he had arrived, he immediately went to the attic to meet Tania. He told her what they had discussed earlier including his incoming participation in the Sage Level Warrior Contest and his secret mission to investigate the Moon Shadow.

    "I see. In fact, I recommended you to the sect leader to take this task. This is going to be beneficial for you too," Tania said calmly.

    "Really?" Zachary couldn''t help but take a confused look at Tania.

    "I know you have always been worrying about the girl named Alisa, so this is a good chance for you to know her recent situation. However, even if you find her, you can''t have any contact with her, because you can''t risk exposing your identity to Dominic. If he realizes that you are still alive, you would surely be thrown in peril, and the Dignified Supernal Sect might get harmed too. Don''t forget that you have betrayed the Supernal Continent once, so if your identity is exposed, it''ll be dangerous for you. Dominic will not let you go easily," Tania warned.

 Chapter 1153 Dignity College

    "Don''t worry, master. I know where to draw the line. It''s perilous getting exposed so I''ll make sure they''d never find me out," Zachary reassured her.

    Tania sighed. "I''m not worried about anything. Anne can move freely in the real world now; she should be able to help you when you encounter some problems. It''s a pity that I still need some time to recover. Otherwise, I would''ve come with you," she bemoaned.

    "You don''t have to do that. Recovering your health is more than enough help for me!" Zachary beamed.

    "Just come back as soon as you finish your task. Don''t waste too much of your time poking around," Tania ordered.

    "Of course." As soon as he was done with his discussion with Tania, Zachary headed out.

    On his way, Sharon was leaning against the door with her ear pricked. She was unmistakably eavesdropping from the conversation inside the attic. When she saw Zachary step out, she suddenly jolted and immediately pretended that she wasn''t doing anything.

    Zachary immediately saw through her. With an amused smile on his face, he asked, "So, what did you hear?" He crossed his arms over his chest while Sharon fumbled for answers.

    "N-nothing! I wasn''t eavesdropping!" Sharon stammered, her cheeks turning red from getting caught.

    Zachary raised his eyebrows and chuckled at her blatant lie. Just when he was about to leave, Sharon suddenly called him and asked,

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    after them. You must be the one they mentioned. Is that right?" The disciple looked at Zachary expectantly, asking him for confirmation.

    "Two Sage Level warriors?" Zachary''s eyes narrowed, suspicious of these false identities, but he kept mum. In order to avoid trouble, he played along and said, "I think they might be the warriors that our sect leader lately sent. If that''s the case, he must have informed your dean. Maybe you can ask the dean personally to confirm it?"

    The disciple shrugged. "Forget it. It''s not a big deal. Besides, since they are Sage Level warriors of the Dignified Supernal Sect, our dean must have been informed beforehand." He acted respectfully around Zachary. After all, they were a prominent force and he didn''t want to get on their bad side.

    "Thank you very much," Zachary said, cupping his hands.

    Once it was all settled, the disciple handed a number plate to Zachary. After he took it, he immediately put it away, turned around, and left the logistics hall. When he walked to the door, he immediately looked around and said to himself, "Master Kendrick wouldn''t have sent more people here, would he? But if it weren''t the people sent by him, who would have the audacity to pretend to be members of our sect?" He sighed resignedly. "Forget it. I have more important things to attend to for the time being," he murmured. After that, he left quickly.

 Chapter 1154 The Reunion Of Old Friends

    Just as Zachary left, two figures sneaked out from the opposite corner of the logistics department and looked around.

    "Hey, why hasn''t Hodge shown up yet?" Sharon whispered to Fabian. "We were only a step faster than he was. He should be here by now," she added. She kept looking left and right in the logistics department, hoping to see Zachary''s familiar face.

    "How am I supposed to know? He might''ve encountered a hiccup along the way. Or, maybe he came earlier than us." Fabian shrugged.

    "That''s impossible! We took a shortcut. It''s impossible that he arrived here faster than us!" Sharon insisted.

    Fabian sighed resignedly. "Then what should we do?" he helplessly asked.

    "We''re going to look for him, of course! I don''t think he would hide himself. He doesn''t even know we came here!" Sharon snorted.

    "The Dignity College is a huge place. How do you plan on looking for him?" Fabian questioned. Compared to Sharon, he seemed to be a little apprehensive with their reckless plan.

    "Don''t worry!" Sharon enthusiastically mentioned as she gave him a thumb up. "We don''t have to look for him in person." Then, she summoned a tiny canary and whispered something to it. Then, it flew away.

    "Are you sure your canary can find him for us?" Fabian hesitantly asked.

    "Hodge lives in the Bloom Garden, so he is stained

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    otion between the two groups. The leader in brocaded fabric haughtily challenged Queenie, the owner of the feisty voice earlier. "Why are you butting in this conversation, huh? I bumped into that poker-faced man, not you! What are you? His lover?" The man guffawed loudly before he continued, "What a fucking waste! A beautiful woman like you is wasted on a cow dung!" He was relying on his towering figure and his impeccable Sage Level strength. He thought too highly of himself, so he acted all high and mighty around other warriors.

    Unfazed, Queenie blurted out, "Bah!"

    "Ha! You''re a spunky one, aren''t you? I like that!" the man in brocade complacently refuted her.

    Sara stepped forward to stop Queenie from getting provoked. "Forget it, Queenie. Don''t stoop down into their level," she calmly advised. After all, they were new here and were invited to attend the Sage Level Warrior Contest, so it would be best if they avoided causing trouble as much as they could.

    Queenie curled her lips in annoyance, but she was level-headed enough to withdraw herself from an unnecessary fight. She glared daggers at the man in brocaded robe and prepared to leave with Sara and the rest of their team. However, the man in brocaded robe had other plans. He waved his hands, signaling his followers to surround Sara and the others.

 Chapter 1155 Zion Fan

    The commotion they had caused caught the attention of more warriors passing by. Soon enough, the place was crowded with curious people.

    "Where do you think you''re going, huh? If you want to leave, you must apologize to me first. Then, all the women in your group would take turn kissing me. Only then will I let you go." The man in brocaded fabric inched himself dangerously close to Sara''s face. He looked like he was really going to lengths just to make trouble for their group.

    Meanwhile, Sara remained unruffled with his sleazy advances. She glared at him darkly. "Don''t you dare cross the line." She had been graceful and silent at the face of this haughty warrior, but when he demanded that they apologize to him, it struck a nerve. She wouldn''t allow herself or her friends to be disrespected.

    Her entire group thought that the man was getting too cheeky. Even so, they still kept their cool, because they carried the name of the Celestial College. They couldn''t risk sullying its name at their first participation in this content. Plus, dealing with such ill-mannered men publicly would be a waste of their time.

    "Is that a threat?" the man scoffed. "What can you do to me?" He kept on provoking their group, laughing arrogantly at their faces.

    "Ask your men to retreat, or else don''t blame us for being rude," Queenie warned.

    Zion Fan, the man in brocade robes, raised his eyebrows. "I k

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    rn¡ªshe still wanted to attack.

    "Let it go, Queenie. He''s too strong for you," Sara advised concernedly.

    "So? I don''t give a shit if he''s stronger. That doesn''t mean we''ll just let him rampage and think that the people of the Celestial College are easy to bully!" Queenie spat out.

    "I know," Sara suddenly mentioned. "I''ll take care of him." When Queenie met Sara''s gaze, she immediately recognized the fire and intensity in it.

    For a moment, she was stunned. But since Sara had decided to take him on, there was no need to insist. Hence, she simply nodded her head and obediently retreated to the rest of their team.

    "Who on earth are you?" Sara glared.

    "Me? I''m just a nobody." Zion Fan shrugged, pretending to be humble.

    "Who are you kidding?" Sara mocked. She continued, "Judging from the fight just now, you seemed to have the strength at the third grade of Sage Level, but I''ve never heard of your name..." Sara trailed off as she tried to figure out who this man was. Although there were lots of Sage Level warriors in the Supernal Continent, it didn''t reach the extent that there would be anyone of them that she had never heard of. She narrowed her eyes as she perceived the arrogant man in front of her. He seemed young, but he had already reached third grade of Sage Level. It was absolutely rare among their generation, so it was impossible that she hadn''t heard of him before.

 Chapter 1156 An Attempt To Kill Sara

    "As I said before, I''m just a nobody," Zion teased. He grinned cheekily, which irked Sara further.

    "I know you bumped into us on purpose. And now you have the audacity to stop us? What the hell do you want?" Sara suspiciously looked at him. She figured that there must be something more than this deliberate disturbance. He obviously had an ulterior motive.

    "Ha ha ha! Sara, you truly deserve to be the new Sage Level warrior of the Celestial College. You are really thoughtful. I don''t have any hidden agendas. I just wanted to make friends," Zion teased as he suddenly changed the subject.

    "Hah! Friends? Nobody wants to be your friend!" Queenie snorted coldly.

    Elva and the others glared at Zion. There was no way they would be friends with such an egotistical and arrogant person.

    "You''re blunt, aren''t you?" Zion commented. "Although my methods are commonly frowned upon, it is my nature. But if you spend more time with me, I know you''ll eventually warm up to me. I''m a good person inside this hard exterior." Zion winked as he licked his lips lasciviously. Queenie made a disgusted face.

    With her hands behind her back, Sara calmly warned him. "None of us are interested in being your friends. Let us go! Or else, we''d be forced to permanently rift the harmony between us." Alth

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    out several finger forces in succession towards Zachary. Each strike was fast and powerful.

    However, Zachary didn''t even look at him. He gently took Sara in his arms and disappeared. He moved so fast that none of Zion''s attacks landed on him.

    Meanwhile, Zachary sent Sara back to Queenie and the others.

    "Sara! Are you okay?" Queenie worriedly called out. Everyone from their group immediately surrounded Sara. Then, they gave Zachary a confused look. Obviously, they didn''t understand why he spared the effort to save Sara from Zion. Moreover, he looked young, but the strength he had just shown could be at par with any elder.

    "I''m fine." Sara shook her head.

    "Brat! How dare you stick your nose in things that don''t involve you?!" Zion furiously yelled at Zachary, cursing the latter for making an embarrassment out of him.

    On the other hand, Zachary simply looked at Zion''s outrageous expression like it was nothing. He didn''t even bother talking back to Zion¡ªit wasn''t worth his time at all.

    "You!" Queenie called Zion out. "You''re a despicable piece of shit, aren''t you? You promised to use just three moves, but you hurt Sara and even planned to take it even further!" She fiercely stepped forward.

    Rebecca and the others also stared at Zion with righteous indignation.

 Chapter 1157 Detoxify

    The warriors who had gathered to watch the match also started jeering and hissing at Zion''s two-faced methods. All of them thought how truly despicable Zion was. They were there when he promised that he would only use three moves, but they saw clear as day how he still intended to attack her after the third move. It was obvious that he went overboard.

    As Zion saw everyone pointing fingers at him, his face changed dramatically. He knew that there was no way he could wiggle his way out of this one. What he had done was indeed unjustifiable. However, the vile man that he was, other''s opinions didn''t matter to him¡ªthe only thing he valued was that he got his goal. Queenie and the others would definitely come begging him in the end.

    "You have gone too far! Now that you failed to follow your promise, we will show you no mercy!" Rebecca called out, her eyes icy cold. Queenie and the others had the same sentiments. They were all prepared to join hands to deal with Zion.

    "Arguing with you sounds like a massive waste of my time. But don''t worry, you will come begging me soon enough. Ha-ha!" Considering that he was outnumbered, Zion thought it would be unwise to engage. Plus, the young man who just intervened seemed to be very powerful. After ominously dropping his words, he immediately left with his cronies.

    "Quick! He is

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    u. I was just helping you remove the poison. How are you feeling now?" he asked as he gently set her arms down.

    Sara narrowed her eyes for a moment, doubtful whether she should trust the stranger in front of her. But when she perceived her body, she noticed that there were no traces of poison found in her anymore.

    "Is it true? Were you the one who really detoxified me?" Sara suspiciously asked.

    "It''s the only the two of us in here. Who else would do it?" Zachary shrugged nonchalantly.

    When he mentioned this, only then did it dawn on Sara that she didn''t know where she was. "Where are we? Where are Queenie and the others?" Sara looked around and found herself in a strange environment. It didn''t look like she was in the Dignity College, either.

    "They are waiting for you outside. Put on your clothes and I''ll take you out now," Zachary straightforwardly answered.

    "Who are you? Why did you take the extra mile to save me?" Of course, anybody would be suspicious of Zachary''s identity in this situation. No sane being would put their lives at risk for strangers just like he did. It wasn''t anybody''s nature to meddle in other people''s business for the sake of someone they didn''t know. However, on Zachary''s case, not only did he interfere, but he also took the time to detoxify her. For Sara, none of it made sense.

 Chapter 1158 A Mysterious Woman

    "I''m just a concerned passer-by," Zachary answered indifferently.

    "A passer-by?" Sara repeated, incredulous. "I don''t believe you," she added. When Zachary swooped in to save her during the match with Zion, there was a sense of familiarity that washed over Sara. However, she was sure that she hadn''t seen his face before. With his unfathomable strength, she figured that there was more to him than met the eye¡ªthis man before her was shrouded in mystery.

    "If you don''t want to get dressed, I''ll send you out like this." Zachary raised his eyebrows threateningly.

    Sara''s cheeks immediately reddened. She was so engrossed with her own thoughts that she didn''t realize that she was still naked. She hurriedly covered her body, turned around, and got dressed. Once she was done, she glared at him and said, "You can send me out now."

    Zachary teasingly smirked at her defiance. Then, the both of them left the system, showing up in front of Queenie and the others.

    "Sara!" When all her friends saw her, they all simultaneously exclaimed. "Are you all right?" They worriedly ran to her side to check her condition.

    "I''m fine." Sara nodded. Now that they had confirmed her safety, they all sighed a relief.

    "Thank you so much." Elva gratefully smiled at Zachary.

    "You''re welcome. It

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    d break one of your arms as punishment." After fiercely threatening him, she instantly disappeared without even waiting for his reply.

    As soon as the figure left, Zion rolled his eyes and scoffed. "What an arrogant woman! She is just as powerful as me, but the leader gave her an elder''s title, just because she is his disciple. Hah! I bet this woman must have slept with the leader for many times. Although I have met her several times, I have never seen her real face. I have heard that she is a beauty, but I don''t know if it is true. If I could have the chance, I will definitely make her lie down under me," Zion indecently sneered and went straight out of the room. Then, he left the house with his men.

    After he left, Zachary, who was following Zion''s aura all this time, also arrived there. Unfortunately, he was a step slower, so he was unable to hear the entire conversation between Zion and the woman.

    ''Hmm, it looks like this is where he went, '' Zachary thought to himself. ''Was he alone in here? I can sense other people''s aura in here, but it has been deliberately erased. Damn it! I''m too late!'' Zachary''s eyes turned cold. However, he was sure that this guy named Zion seemed to hide something ulterior, so Zion could be related to the mission Kendrick had sent him to do.

 Chapter 1159 A Strong Presence

    Zachary immediately went to the logistics hall of the Dignity College and bribed a disciple to investigate about Zion further. The only knowledge publicly-disclosed about Zion was that he came from an insignificant sect to participate in the Sage Level Warrior Contest. Apart from that, there was not much information found about him.

    Since the clue he was trailing reached a dead end, Zachary was left with no other choice but to devise another plan. He went to the system to clear his mind and racked his brain for new ideas.

    Once refreshed, he went to the Fairy Island to look for Anne.

    "Have you arrived at the Dignity College?" Anne asked when she saw Zachary.

    "Yes, I''ve arrived and wandered around a bit," Zachary answered. Silence permeated the atmosphere¡ªhe found his thoughts wandering towards Elva. Meanwhile, Anne was closely observing his muddled expression.

    Then, she raised her eyebrow as she asked, "You''ve met someone you know, haven''t you?"

    Her sudden inquiry broke Zachary''s reverie. "Are you a prophet?! How did you even know that, Anne?" He couldn''t seem to hide anything from her. So, he nodded his head.

    "Who did you meet?" Anne curiously asked.

    "Elsa, and some old friends from the Celestial College..." Zachary answered, a hint of longing and melancholy in his voice.

    "You didn''t look for them on purpose, did you?" Anne worriedly asked. It had crossed her mind that Zachary would eventually run into his old friends one way or another during the contes

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    . Of course, his statement reflected how he truly felt.

    "Of course, he is important to me. He is the one I love, but I couldn''t even help him when he needed me the most," Elva cried out. Some part of her blamed herself for Zachary''s death, though this was not really the case. In her opinion, if only she was stronger, she could''ve saved him.

    "If he truly loved you, he would never blame you. He would always have a tender spot for you no matter what." Zachary didn''t expect that Elva would felt so guilty.

    "I honestly don''t know what he thought of me," Elva sniffed. "I''m not the only woman around him, and he sacrificed himself just to save his fiancee..." she despondently answered.

    "He sounds like a playboy." Watching the pained expression on Elva''s face made Zachary realize a couple of things. It dawned on him that he had neglected a lot just to exact his revenge, especially on Elva''s end.

    "Not really..." Elva sheepishly answered. She paused for a while, realizing that she was spilling her feelings to a complete stranger. "I think I have told you too much. I should go," she stated as she turned her back to Zachary.

    "If you want someone to talk to, I''m all ears," Zachary teased.

    Elva''s face turned red again. But, she left no comment and went back to the Dignity College the way she came.

    Seeing that Elva was gone, Zachary was about to go back to the Dignity College. However, he suddenly felt a strong presence in his vicinity, making him extremely vigilant.

 Chapter 1160 Alisas Drastic Change

    "Zachary?" a calm and clear voice called out of the blue. "You''re still alive? I can''t believe you made it out in one piece!" Zachary apprehensively looked in the speaker''s direction. Something about the voice was vaguely familiar. He turned his head and saw a figure clad in pitch-black robes standing in front of him¡ªhe was emitting a cold and dark aura.

    "Logan?!" Zachary was stupefied. Not only did Logan have unexpectedly shown up, but he was also able to recognize through his disguise at the first glance.

    "So it really is you!" Logan confirmed his suspicions further when Zachary called out his name.

    "How did you recognize me?" Zachary narrowed his eyes into slits. Despite all the precautions he took just to avoid getting recognized by his former acquaintances, he still got exposed. To make matters worse, it was a senior member of the Moon Shadow who recognized him.

    "Hah! Do you think it''s difficult to see through you? You can only fool my silly daughter with that disguise," Logan sneered.

    "Why are you here?" Zachary asked, incredulous. "Are you following me? Or..." he trailed off, his mind thinking of the worst.

    "What do you think I am doing here?" Logan asked back.

    "You''re secretly protecting Elva, ar

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    rination is much worse than sealing her memories. Although she could still remember you, the fond memories she has for you have been weaponized into something dark," Logan sadly explained.

    "Damn it!" Zachary immediately cursed after he heard it, and a stream of Sage Level energy instantly rushed out from his body. In an instant, countless air columns exploded around, but it was still not enough to vent the anger in his heart. He was livid¡ªhe did not expect that Dominic would turn Alisa into a mass-murderer.

    "And before you get any ideas, make sure that you don''t intervene. Her recovery would be very hard to do. Even if she sees you alive with her own eyes, she will just think that it''s someone pretending to be you. So, don''t do anything reckless just to make her restore her old self," Logan warned.

    "I will definitely make Alisa return to normal," Zachary vowed.

    "Then you will have to pay an unimaginable price." Logan sighed.

    "This is my responsibility. I don''t care what price I have to pay, I will not hesitate to save her," Zachary decidedly answered.

    "Then you have to stop Dominic first, because if you don''t stop at the source of all this, Alisa would just spiral downwards again," Logan instructed.

 Chapter 1161 Pretend To Be Zion

    "Why me? Why do you think I am the right person for this job? Dominic has defeated me once..." Zachary trailed off. Logan''s sense of confidence towards him made him feel unsettled. He had been defeated by Dominic once; he couldn''t possibly be the best candidate for this task.

    "Because from the moment I cooperated with Dominic until now, no one had dared defy him and survived¡ªexcept you. Not only that, but you also managed to make your power grow exponentially since that incident. This indicates that you are the best fit to go against him. I understand that at the moment, you are still not in the best condition to face him, but I believe you will be soon enough. What you need to do now is to endure the disgrace of failure and live until you have enough strength to fight against him again," Logan complimented. In his eyes, Zachary was a rare specimen since he managed to polish himself even after he dealt with such a formidable enemy. The odds were stacked against him, but he emerged victorious in his own way.

    "You don''t have to tell me what to do. I just want to know whether you are on my side or not!" Zachary glared daggers at the man in front of him. If Logan really intended to betray the Moon Shadow, then he could help him to deal with Dominic since no one knew Domi

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    , they might be the key to his dilemma.

    As he was deep in thought, Zachary suddenly noticed a canary flying above his head on purpose, as if it was tracking his location. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion and captured the bird mid-air. He immediately sensed Sharon''s aura from it.

    "Has Sharon followed me here?" His eyes widened as he pieced two and two together.

    After hesitating for a moment, Zachary let go of the canary and instructed it, "Take me to your master."

    The bird seemed to grasp Zachary''s intention and it immediately followed the orders. It flew in another direction inside the Dignity College

    Meanwhile, on the other side, Sharon and Fabian were getting frustrated. They had been looking for Zachary inside the Dignity College for two days now, but to no avail. Since Zachary had changed his appearance, they didn''t have any progress in their pursuit.

    "Where on earth has the canary gone?! Why did it suddenly disappear? And above all, Where the hell is Hodge right now? When I see him, I will teach him a good lesson." Sharon was getting disgruntled. She had expected her canary to find Zachary, but it turned out that it did more harm than good since it had totally disappeared. She felt like she and Fabian were just looking for a needle in a haystack.

 Chapter 1162 Sylas

    "Hodge actually prefers silence and solitude. That sounds like a good place to start. Why don''t we visit some of the less-crowded places here? Maybe we can find him there," Fabian suggested kindly. He noticed that Sharon was getting more and more dejected since they had been looking for Zachary for a couple of days now but they gained nothing.

    Hearing this, Sharon shot Fabian a grateful look. "Really? Then let''s keep looking for him!" She felt a little more hopeful since the areas they would look would be narrowed down. With newfound optimism, she beamed and the two of them started looking for Zachary again.

    Just as they were searching, they had stumbled upon a remote area in the Dignity College. Suddenly, three figures blocked them.

    When Sharon and Fabian inspected the figures closer, they noticed how disgusting and repulsive the three of them looked¡ªthey had weathered skin and faces only a mother could love. They swaggered and brandished themselves with so much arrogance and pride. All three of them were Sage Level warriors. The two on the sides were roughly around the first grade, while the one in the middle should be at the second grade. With this amount of power, it was no wonder they acted so proudly.

    The three of them ogled at Sharon lasciviously. They licked their lips and drooled over her shapely body. Fabian noticed and he protectively stepped forward to shield Sharon.

    "Which clan are you from, miss

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    owned and fought back against him.

    Although she was already very powerful for her age, she was still overwhelmed by Sylas'' skill. As soon as she commenced her attack, he immediately saw through her movement and took advantage of it. He turned one of his hands into a claw and shamelessly grabbed at her.

    She was exasperated. However, her energy had already been sealed off by Sylas'' Sage Level aura, so she could only watch helplessly as she fell into a disadvantage. Suddenly, a cold voice came from the side. "Stop!"

    A strong aura came out of the blue, making Sylas'' blood surge. Sensing this terrible presence, the three hideous men stopped in their tracks and widened their eyes. They simultaneously looked in the direction where the aura came, and saw a mysterious hooded figure. They couldn''t properly see his face since it, too, was covered.

    In just a matter of seconds, he passed through a forest and materialized in front of them. "The fuck?!" Seeing that the mysterious man was suddenly in front of them, Sylas felt goose bumps. But still, he was livid. "Who the hell are you?! Do you want to die for meddling in other people''s business?" he cursed. Just as things were getting good for them, this hooded figure decided to barge in.

    Sharon and Fabian looked at the mysterious man carefully and immediately felt that the aura of the mysterious man was very familiar. The both of them apprehensively looked at each other.

 Chapter 1163 Elder Hodge

    Sharon''s eyes widened when she saw the familiar bird perched on the mysterious man''s shoulder. "It''s the canary..." she trailed off breathlessly. "Hodge?! Is that you?" She turned her head expectantly at the mysterious hooded figure. They had been looking for Zachary endlessly since they arrived at the Dignity College. If it truly was him, then all her efforts had come to fruition.

    "Hodge!" Fabian called out. Even he seemed to be elated with the mysterious man''s intrusion.

    "Three versus two? Don''t you think that''s a little unfair, guys? Why don''t I join them?" Zachary smugly smirked at three Sage Level warriors. He gave Sharon and Fabian a quick knowing glance.

    "Who the fuck do you think you are? Can''t you see that we''re in the middle of something here?! Get the hell out before we make you suffer," the man in blue robes indignantly bellowed at Zachary. He was unable to sense the powerful aura from Zachary so he arrogantly challenged him.

    "Then come at me." Zachary gestured at the warrior to fight him.

    "Space Splitting Strike!" The man in blue robes thought that Zachary was too haughty for his own good. His face turned red in anger as he felt provoked. He rushed towards Zachary like a rolling stone, his fat jiggling as he swiftly marched through. Although he didn''t look intimidating, his pun

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    ackground he had.

    With the astonishing strength that Zachary had just displayed, coupled with the token he just showed him, it was more than enough to prove his identity. Sylas immediately trembled before Zachary''s presence, fearful for his life. "Y-You..." he stuttered. "Are you really Elder Hodge of the Dignified Supernal Sect?!" Sylas couldn''t help but swallow hard, trying to take in what was happening. He couldn''t help but regret his actions earlier.

    "Ah, I see that you''ve read the token. It looks like you''re not blind after all. Then why can''t you see that these two are my followers?" Zachary reprimanded coldly.

    "Followers? No wonder they are so powerful! Elder Hodge, please forgive us! It''s all our fault that we provoked them! Please have mercy on us and let us go," Sylas pathetically begged for his and his brothers'' lives. He kowtowed before Zachary, because he knew how powerful the Dignified Supernal Sect was. If he ever got on their bad side, it would spell his doom.

    As Sylas'' companions heard Zachary''s identity, they quickly scampered from the ground and knelt before him¡ªtheir faces were as pale as a sheet.

    "Get lost! Don''t let me see you again!" Zachary waved his hand coldly. He didn''t bother to deal with them anymore and let them go. It felt like a massive waste of his time.

 Chapter 1164 Stalking Zion

    The Sage Level warriors from the South Sea Sect looked at Zachary as if they were blessed by a holy deity after hearing his words. They kept on thanking him for letting them go unscathed after the arrogance they had just displayed. Even Sylas, the leader of the three, had abandoned his pride and was on his knees when he learned that Zachary was actually the legendary Elder Hodge, the sole disciple of the Holy Maiden. He respectfully handed over Zachary''s token back to him and fled with his two companions.

    As soon as the three of them left, Sharon and Fabian walked towards Zachary.

    "Such impeccable timing, Hodge! You came at the right moment!" Fabian delightfully greeted. Then, he raised his eyebrows, judging Zachary''s outward appearance. "And from the looks of it, you have already disguised yourself. No wonder we had a hard time looking for you! You really look like you have lived in seclusion for many years," he flattered as he shook his head.

    On the other hand, Sharon seemed unimpressed. "What? Is that supposed to make you look cool, Elder Hodge? You are a Sage Level elder after all, so it just fits the bill..." She rolled her eyes and smirked. Although she sounded a little petulant, she was actually glad that Zachary swooped in to assist them. Otherwise, she and Fabian would be in a much worse situation.

    "Why are you two here, anyway?"

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    had appeared. Two of them were lugging around a long black cloth bag on their shoulders. These followers made sure that they were not being followed as they carefully sneaked around. All the time, they made sure they wouldn''t draw any attention towards them.

    For Zachary, he didn''t even break a sweat. Tracking Zion''s followers was just a piece of cake for him.

    About an hour later, Zachary left the Dignity College following those followers. He was eventually led to a single courtyard that seemed to have been abandoned for many years.

    "No wonder I can''t find Zion. It turns out that he has been hiding outside the Dignity College! He really hid himself well," Zachary murmured to himself and frowned.

    Then, he saw the followers he tracked enter the courtyard. The ones who were carrying the black cloth bag sent it to a room on the south. They eventually returned to the yard and met with the rest of the followers before entering the room on the north.

    Zachary took this opportunity to sneak into the south room. When he went inside, he noticed that the cloth bag was placed on the bed and that it had been pulled open. There, he saw a beautiful young woman lying inside, whose mouth was covered by a white cloth.

    Seeing this, Zachary seemed to think of something. With a smile at the corners of his mouth, he instantly disappeared from the room.

 Chapter 1165 Questioning

    Meanwhile, while Zachary was sneaking around on the south side of his enemy''s base, Zion and his cronies were discussing on the northern part.

    "Have you finished your task?" Zion immediately asked his followers as soon as they arrived.

    "Yes, sir. We''ve done everything you asked us to do," th followers respectfully replied.

    "I also have something in store for you. I felt that you might get bored here so I caught a girl on the way back and have sent her to your room," one of his followers proudly added.

    "Really? Are you sure it won''t cause any trouble?" Zion narrowed his eyes as he asked cautiously.

    "I''m certain, sir. She is just a farm girl living near the Dignity College. She knows nothing," one of his men reassured him.

    Zion grinned. "Well done. When this plan succeeds and I get promoted, I will reward you for that." He nodded with satisfaction.

    The follower who had just spoken lustfully rubbed his hands and said, "Sir, once you''ve had your fill with her, leave her to us! We haven''t slept with any girl for a long time."

    "I''ll think about it." As soon as he was done discussing with his followers, he immediately went to the room they indicated.

    When Zion opened the door to the south room, he saw a beautiful woman lying on his

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    anhood¡ªwere on the line, he was left with no other choice but choose the option that would save himself. "The reason why the Moon Shadow sent me to take part in the Sage Level Warrior Contest is to collect information, especially the Sage Level warriors who are participating in the contest. I have studied all the activities of the contest and the terrain of the place. Plus, I have also analyzed the most favorable opportunity to attack. This would help the leader to strategize when to deploy the troops, so that all the powerful warriors at the Canopy Kingdom can be killed in one go!"

    "Oh, I see. So you know all the information about the Sage Level warriors participating in the contest?" Zachary pried.

    "Sort of." Zion nodded.

    "Ah, so was it a part of your plan to provoke the Sage Level warriors of the Celestial College and poison the girl?" Zachary asked.

    "That''s just something I did on a whim. I know that those people of are all members of the elite training program that the Celestial College had recently carried out. Each of them has made great progress in a very short period of time and their strength has greatly increased. I find them annoying and vexing so I took the opportunity to get rid of them once I could," Zion honestly replied.

 Chapter 1166 Zions Request

    "What do you mean the elite training plan? Does the Celestial College have such a thing?" Zachary was a little curious about it. Plus, he, too, was surprised with the way Queenie and the others had improved their strength in a short period of time. It made him think that they cultivated in a different way to achieve such heights.

    "The Celestial College creates a training plan where they select a handful of outstanding warriors among all their disciples. Once they do, these selected few would be implanted by the hidden Holy Level warriors using a forbidden technique. Through this, the strength of these elites would skyrocket in a short period of time without suffering any side effects. However, this particular technique could be very dangerous. In the process of strength imparting, the receivers have to bear an excruciating pain that ordinary people wouldn''t survive. Moreover, each person only has one chance. If they can''t withstand it, they could end up being seriously injured, or worse, paralyzed!" Zion replied obediently.

    "If it''s so dangerous, then why does the Celestial College do it?" Zachary asked. He had a hunch that they took a different route when it came to their improvement in strength, but it just didn''t occur to him that it would be this dangerous.

    "They had to," Zion straightforwardly answered. "Not too long ago, our leader m

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    ll say... I''ll say... I''ll tell you everything, including the poison array''s layout, but I have one condition..." Zion yielded immediately, but he was not going to get manipulated like this.

    "Go ahead." Considering their positions, Zachary had already known that Zion would definitely make a deal with him. However, if he could know the poison array''s layout, it might be helpful for him once he needed to deal with it.

    "If I help you stop the organization''s plan, you must disguise me as another person and make the organization believe that I''m dead. This way, I could still prolong my life without them coming after me..." At this point, this was the best option Zion could ask for. He was still quick to think on his feet as he found the most advantageous condition for himself. He would be lucky if he were to be blessed with a clean slate after this mess.

    "I''ll consider it." Zachary was not surprised that Zion would choose to protect himself in the end.

    "Promise me first!" Zion demanded Zachary''s sworn words. If he were to emerge alive after this contest, he had to make sure that he still had a life to live after it.

    "You''d better confess everything to me. Then, of course, I will think about your condition. Otherwise, I would make sure you suffer." Zachary couldn''t easily make a promise to Zion. After all, Zion was sneaky and dishonest.

 Chapter 1167 The Poison Array In The Hundred-Sage Valley

    Zion wanted assurance¡ªhe wanted something that would definitely save him from all this mess. However, he knew that his life was in Zachary''s hands. He was not in the position to get livid. If he wanted to live, he would have no choice but to take a gamble. He sighed as he thought of this. After some careful consideration, he decided to take his captor''s side and tell him everything he wanted to know. "I report to Elder Alisa. I keep in touch with the organization through her."

    ''Elder... Alisa?'' Zachary was momentarily shocked. Alisa turning into one of Moon Shadow''s elders was something he did not see coming. When he composed himself, he asked, "How do you contact her?"

    "I don''t," Zion answered straightforwardly. "She is the one who contacts me each time. I have no avenues to reach her."

    "Does she send a secret code when she wants to contact you?" Zachary asked further.

    "Yes," Zion answered as he nodded. He continued, "Every time she intends to discuss something with me, she would send someone to give a code to me¡ªsomething that only I could decode. Then, I''ll go to the place she indicated in the said code."

    "Hmm, you''re lucky. It looks like you still have some use to me. I can''t kill you now," Zachary told Zion as he furrowed his brows.

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    chary rubbed his temples. This was starting to cause a headache. He had to guarantee that the poison array would not cause a single injury or casualty. If it did, his intentions to immobilize the array would be futile.

    ''I have to find more people who could help me. To ensure that these helpers can move in the poison array, I have to refine some antipoison pills first, '' Zachary thought as he rubbed his chin. Now that he knew where the poison array could be found, he personally visited its location.

    He acquired a handful of its poison powder samples and brought them back to the system for research and analysis.

    Once he gave them to Mimi for analysis, he had learned that it was specially-crafted toxin. Although it was not potent enough to cause fatality to its victims, it would surely make the warriors lose their fighting power. It would also allow the infected individuals to turn into living puppets if they were doused in the poison for a long time. Through time, they would eventually lose their consciousness, making them easy to control and manipulate.

    "This plan is worse than I thought! It''s terrifying! I can''t let Elva and the others with her risk their lives. I must warn them..." Zachary clenched his fists and left the room in the dark.

 Chapter 1168 Meeting Alisa Again

    Zachary was crunched for time. He urgently went to the disciple dormitory where Sara and the rest of her group were staying.

    In order to call Sara''s attention, Zachary especially released a strong aura that could only be perceived by someone of her caliber. And, just as he had expected, she had sensed it. Her delicate figure appeared in front of him, her eyes looking vigilant and glaring at him dangerously.

    "Come with me," Zachary hinted at Sara and flew away. He presented himself before her as the mysterious hooded figure that had saved her before during her match with Zion.

    Sara, on the other hand, furrowed her brows in suspicion. Although the man''s face was covered, she immediately recognized his voice. Curiosity got the best of her and she immediately followed him.

    "I don''t have much time to explain everything in detail, so you have to listen carefully. Leave the Dignity College with your friends immediately. Don''t come to the contest tomorrow. Trust me on this one," Zachary warned her, his voice soft and concerned.

    "Why?" Sara confusedly asked.

    "I can''t tell you. All you have to know is that the Sage Level Warrior Contest is very dangerous. Once you are involved, the consequences will be unimaginable. I don''t want you and your friends to suffer any harm." Zachary''s eyes were icy cold as he stared into the distance. The grip on his hands was tight.

    "Who exactly are you? How did

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    ed¡ªthis transformed her into an entirely different person. Her warmth and softness were untraceable. He was so pissed after he had seen her in her enraged state.

    However, angry as he was, Zachary still kept his cool. He had more important things to attend to at the moment. He had to stop Dominic''s plan, and only by defeating him could he have the chance to save Alisa from his manipulative control. Therefore, he had to endure for the time being, otherwise, all his efforts would be in vain.

    Now that he had learned the Moon Shadow''s plan in the Sage Level Warrior Contest, it would be much easier for him to concoct a plan. After all, Zion was the one to send the signal so he could use this to his advantage. He was going to destroy the Moon Shadow''s plan and make them pay a heavy price no matter what. Of course, he had to masterfully craft his plan with little to no casualties.

    Therefore, Zachary immediately entered the system to develop the antipoison pill that could resist the toxicity of the poison array.

    It took him the entire night but Zachary was able to successfully develop the pill. However, due to the limited material and time, he used the Dark and Light Wonder Cauldrons. At best, he had only produced no more than thirty antipoison pills at the fastest speed.

    In other words, he could only let no more than thirty warriors help him, and he had to make sure that none of them was a spy.

 Chapter 1169 The Crisis Of The Canopy Kingdom

    The Sage Level Warrior Contest was drawing to its end after a few days of hustle and bustle. At long last, the momentous event everyone had prepared for was about to happen¡ªthe Hundred-sage Treasure Race had begun as scheduled. The excitement could be felt in the atmosphere as animated participants and audience discussed and bantered with each other.

    The day before the race was to commence, the Dignity College had announced that the treasure they were going to fight for was a famous Holy Level treasure in ancient times, the Lightning Wheel.

    According to legends, anyone who wielded the Lightning Wheel would be able to move as fast as the speed of light. Plus, it could also double as a highly destructive Holy-level weapon. Therefore, as soon as it was revealed that this was victor''s reward, the participants got excited and were more determined to get it.

    At the moment, the Dignity College was brimming with countless individuals. Nearly a hundred Sage Level warriors from the Dignity College and other clans and sects had gathered in the Hundred-Sage Valley. These prominent warriors were the elites of the Canopy Kingdom, and they were highly esteemed in their respective forces. To garner their attention surely meant one thing¡ªthe upcoming battle for the treasure would surely be intense and exciting.

    D

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    e helpers we can gather, the more we can delay their plan and have more time for our reinforcements to come. Therefore, whether we can stop this conspiracy or not depends on you." Zachary locked his gaze upon the both of them with such intensity.

    "What about you?" Sharon asked immediately.

    "Someone must be there to distract them so that you can accomplish your task," Zachary gravely replied.

    "Wait... Are you going to deal with them on your own?" Sharon inquired, a little surprised at this plan.

    "That''s too dangerous, Hodge! You could get killed!" Fabian protested as he furrowed his brows.

    "Just focus on your tasks, okay? I have my own ways, trust me. Remember, this is not a game. It''s practically impossible for us to have zero casualties. It''s expected that some people would die in the process, but as long as we can stop the plan of the Moon Shadow, any sacrifice is worth it. Do you understand?" Zachary slapped some truth bombs in them. They couldn''t afford to be hesitant at this point. Their minds should be clear and decisive to make this plan work.

    Both Sharon and Fabian saw the resolve in Zachary''s eyes. He had already made his mind up that he would stop the Moon Shadow''s plan at any cost, so they both nodded. After all, the Canopy Kingdom would terribly suffer if they didn''t do it.

 Chapter 1170 An Embarrassing Misunderstanding

    After he gave the instruction, Zachary left a few antipoison pills for himself in case things went awry. Then, he handed the rest of the pills to Sharon and Fabian. He repeated the key points of their plan and he specially requested them to pay attention to certain things during the race. Once that was settled, Zachary vanished into thin air.

    Soon enough, the Hundred-sage Treasure Race began.

    In the midst of the cheers from the spectators, nearly a hundred participants all set out from the starting point. They all showcased their speed and talent as they turned into light shadows, soaring to the air, or running on the ground. Everyone rushed towards the center of the Hundred-sage Valley.

    The treasure they were competing for, the Lightning Wheel, was placed on top of a very thick stone pillar in the center of the valley. It was enclosed in a highly defensive enchanted barrier that would take immense skill to penetrate. On top of competing against other powerful Sage Level warriors, they had to be strong enough to destroy the barrier to obtain the coveted treasure. According to the usual practice, the enchanted barrier was able to resist the joint attack of at least three warriors at the premium stage of Sage Level, which meant that the enchanted barrier had to be met with an absolutely destructive force to be broken. Otherwise, the barrier would remain intact.

    Of course, this was under the assumption that a participant was able

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    wer Pace. That, plus the gap in strength, Rebecca was inevitably caught up and suppressed by Zachary.

    "Let go of Rebecca!" Seeing that Rebecca was caught, Queenie rushed up angrily, intending to save her.

    Zachary had no time to engage in the fight with them any further. Had they heeded his warning, he wouldn''t have to resort to this method. He unhesitatingly threw Rebecca into the system and requested Mimi to send her in an enclosed space.

    Queenie, Scott, and even Sara, were absolutely flabbergasted when they saw Rebecca vanish in front of their eyes.

    "You bastard! Where did you take Rebecca?" Enraged, Queenie accused Zachary.

    "Don''t worry. You will meet her soon." Zachary smugly smiled.

    Sara had learned that the situation was turning unfavorable for them. Hence, she had decided to join the attack and flew towards Zachary. She initially intended to let Queenie and the other two force Zachary to reveal his flaws before making a move, but unexpectedly, the three of them were still bested.

    Seeing that Sara was approaching him, Zachary ignored her. His body flashed and approached Scott in the air.

    However, Queenie seemed to have seen through Zachary''s movements and blocked him first. What she didn''t know was that Zachary was actually waiting for this to happen. When she saw Zachary suddenly turn into a shadow in front of him and realized what was happening, she was met with a blinding ray of light that devoured her.

 Chapter 1171 Endless Troubles

    Scott felt something was wrong as soon as Queenie disappeared too. Before he had the chance to do something, Zachary suddenly appeared out of nowhere like a ghost. Just like Queenie, Scott vanished in the blink of an eye.

    "Damn it!" Sara was furious upon realizing that all three of her friends had disappeared one after the other. Channeling her rage, she went all out to fight.

    Upon seeing this, Zachary quickly summoned the Illusionary Avatar Skill to create several avatars that trapped Sara at once. She was stunned as several more Zions appeared before her. Not wanting to reveal her flaws to the public, she decided against making any careless decisions.

    "You¡­ What did you do? Where have Queenie and others gone?" Sara glared at him.

    "I''ve warned you against participating in today''s race with your friends, but you all didn''t listen to me. Don''t you know you''re risking not just your life but the lives of your friends as well? You''ve left me with no choice but to do this for your own protection!" Zachary was slightly angry at Sara and the others in her group for not heeding his advice. This forced him to risk exposing his identity to

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    t expect Zachary to be fast enough to avoid his axes'' force and get closer to him. Feeling humiliated, he had the urge to attack again but then, at that moment, his arms felt as heavy as iron. Crosby could no longer move and soon the axes he held fell to the ground and created two large holes in the ground.

    "Rest well here!" Zachary glanced at Crosby before continuing to move forward without looking back.

    The sight of Zachary immobilizing Crosby so effortlessly caused quite an uproar since the latter was a warrior at the third stage of Sage Level in the Canopy Kingdom, making him a standout among the other warriors. However, Zachary still outsmarted him and made him lose his power without making any serious move, just like how he unbelievably made Sara and her three friends vanish out of thin air. No one ever saw how Zachary did that. Even the warriors of the Sage Level who were present couldn''t fathom what had just happened.

    But this managed to garner even more attention from the audience. They all wanted to see if Zachary had even more exciting tricks up his sleeve that he would summon during the remaining moments of this race.

 Chapter 1172 Solomon

    After half a day of incessant fighting, most of the weaker Sage Level warriors had already quit the race since their fighting capacity had been terribly depleted. As the number of participants decreased, the ones who were left were all the stronger warriors. At this point, it was up to Zachary''s strength to determine how far he could go.

    At the same time, because of his outstanding performance, Zion''s background quickly became the favorite topic among the spectators.

    "What a remarkable man! He is on a par with these powerful warriors even though he''s an unknown Sage Level warrior. It turns out he came from a small sect, and that''s why we haven''t heard of him before!"

    "According to his performance, his strength is only around the third grade of Sage Level. I guess he will soon be defeated!"

    "It''s still worth applauding. Since he came from a small sect, it wasn''t easy to hold on ''til now."

    Although Zachary''s performance had garnered positive remarks from the crowd, most of them still believed that he would still have a hard time advancing further. He would never become a dark horse fighting for the Holy-level treasure.

    They all firmly believed that regardless of the capacity a warrior at the primary stage of Sage Level had, they were still no match against those at the medium stage. After all, most of the remaining warriors in the area of the race were at the medium stage of Sage Level. Only a handful of them was

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    st be entirely clueless about how Solomon''s power works. Doesn''t this guy know how powerful Cloud Chasing Swordsmanship is? Maybe he has given up entirely."

    Zachary''s unusual approach kept the audience on the edge of their seats. They were in an uproar, thinking that Zachary''s actions were no different than courting death.

    However, as everyone doubted his actions, Zachary, who was facing the seven words with golden light, suddenly turned into seven shadows. He instantly used a different exquisite swordsmanship. Seven streams of energy also rushed out, just in time to collide with the seven swords from Solomon.

    While airborne, the sword shadows flashed, and the energy whirled, instantly spreading to hundreds of meters away. Even the spectators were able to feel a little sting from the forceful wind. This was a testament to how powerful the both competitors were.

    Above all, the most surprising thing was that the seven swords glittering with golden light were unable to reach Zachary at all. When both the attacks collided, Solomon''s swords were forcefully consumed by the seven streams of sword auras. In the end, their power was completely exhausted and Solomon had no choice but take them back.

    This scene also made the spectators utterly shocked. They found it unbelievable that Zachary could directly suppress Solomon''s famous unique skill¡ªthe Cloud Chasing Swordsmanship with seven seemingly unremarkable sword auras!

 Chapter 1173 Retreating Without Continuing To Fight

    For a split second, the entire venue was silent, shell-shocked with the immense display of power Zachary had just made. Then, it was followed by a booming uproar. Everyone was brimming with excitement as it dawned on them what had happened.

    "That was so cool! This guy is more than meets the eye! From the first glance, his swordsmanship looked nothing special. But in all honesty, it was actually very exquisite! He was able to activate the sword aura to the extreme, all the while blocking the seven strikes in just one breath! Who is this Zion person?" Solomon also stared at Zachary, his expression drastically changing. He, too, was surprised with how his opponent had handled his powerful attack. Before he launched it, he was certain that he already got the win. But when he saw how Zachary countered it with ease, he realized that he was still around the competition, not because he was lucky¡ªhis opponent was actually very powerful.

    "Thank you, sir." Zachary respectfully bowed to Solomon.

    "I underestimated you. Take another move!" Solomon''s fighting intent seemed to be ignited. Suddenly, the seven swords floating above his head spun in an instant. Then, they overlapped with each other, like an intricate and graceful dance, until finally, they condensed into one.

    "Seven swords in one? Is he using a premium stage Sage Level skill? There is no way Zion is going to survive this!" Seeing that Solomon''s seven swords were instantly integrated, the onlookers were visibly exc

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    moment, Zachary vanished. At the sight of this, Solomon immediately heightened his senses.

    However, after Zachary disappeared, his aura also completely disappeared, making Solomon unable to defend himself if Zachary attacked him.

    "Where the hell are you?" Solomon felt like he was being targeted as a prey.

    All of a sudden, a figure appeared in front of him, and then, a huge aura enveloped him, just as the God of Death was staring at him. When the cold light collided with his eyes, he felt like his entire life flashed before him as he froze on the spot.

    "Sir, please don''t stand in my way!" Zachary said, glaring at his opponent icily. He idly walked past Solomon as the latter remained on the spot, still traumatized.

    When Zachary didn''t continue his attack and walked past Solomon instead, everyone felt strange.

    "How strong is this guy?" Eventually, Solomon''s senses returned to him. He turned around and glanced at Zachary. His heart was still trembling in fear, but he immediately laughed in a good-natured manner. "The new generation is truly impressive! I am glad they have exceeded the last. This could only mean that I should retire." After saying that, he flew into the air in front of everyone and withdrew from the race.

    When Solomon retreated, the spectators were absolutely flabbergasted. The chain of events were something beyond what they had expected.

    Zachary, who they had thought would be weeded out immediately, managed to make Solomon surrender!

 Chapter 1174 Ten Sage Level Warriors

    "How did this guy make Solomon quit the race and leave?"

    "It''s quite rare for a small sect to have such a powerful Sage Level warrior!"

    "This is really incredible. How strong is he, really?"

    Soon, numerous spectators who were impressed by Zachary began to discuss among themselves out of astonishment and doubt.

    Meanwhile, on a stone platform in a remote area of the Hundred-sage Valley, a delicate figure clad in a black robe and a ghost-faced mask stared at Zachary who was in the competing area. The mysterious figure''s eyes were full of surprise.

    "This Zion''s strength should be on par with mine. How did he block Solomon''s attack that fused with his spiritual soul? He even made Solomon quit after suffering from some setbacks. Did he utilize some form of treasure? But when I met him last time, I could sense that he was acting a little strange. Forget it. Anyway, he has almost completed his task. We''ll wait for these Sage Level warriors to fight until they exhaust themselves. Then we''ll strike!" Upon saying this, the mysteriously beautiful figure vanished into thin air.

    On the other hand, after Zachary forced Solomon to quit, few Sage Level warriors

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    arlier that left us all unhappy. Don''t blame us for teaming up against you. You may be powerful, but you won''t be able to withstand all of us. You might just lose your life today!" an aggressive-looking warrior at the fifth grade of Sage Level threatened. He was clad in a robe with the word "flame" embroidered on it and flames burning in the palms of his hands as well. His strength appeared to be on par with Solomon''s.

    "Since I dared to say such provoking things, I have no intention of taking them back. All I wanted is to rile you all up. Come on! You can all fight together and let me enjoy it." Zachary continued to provoke them arrogantly.

    The ten warriors surrounding him couldn''t believe that he was still unafraid and continued to poke fun at them. Although they were immensely powerful together, it appeared they might have gone a little too far teaming up against him since this action was actually very dishonorable. But judging by his earlier fight with Solomon, they could tell his looks were deceiving. They believed that this young man might have been hiding his true strength. Therefore, the only way they would find out was to attack him all at once!

 Chapter 1175 Malcolm

    The ten warriors at the medium stage of Sage Level all mercilessly attacked at the same time. A raging fire burned inside their eyes as they intended to finish off the battle using their most powerful skill.

    In a flash, Zachary had been surrounded by streams of energy coming from the ten warriors. The streams burst violently one after the other, completely engulfing him in the raging tides of energy. But much to everyone''s surprise, he still let out a confident smirk.

    The combined power of ten warriors was simply something to look out for. In only a few moments, the area within a thousand meters around Zachary was flooded by a dazzling and colorful light. Even the other Sage Level warriors that were fighting each other had to retreat away from it as far as they could.

    The intense battle turned the head of everyone present. Even the notable figures could not help but watch the fight unfold. The dean of the Dignity College¡ªSimon, several Sage Level elders, and warriors at the premium stage of Sage Level from

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    e premium stage of Sage Level. Unless Zachary could defeat them, his current amazing performance would only prove fruitless.

    As the two parties were still locked on in the intense battle, a figure rushed at a blinding-fast speed and stepped in between Zachary and his opponents. The latter party was thrown away by the violent force released by the mysterious character.

    "What a group of losers! You can''t even deal with a Sage Level warrior from a measly sect! You guys should be ashamed considering you come from a powerful one!" the arrogant figure sneered.

    This struck the nerves of the three warriors. Just as they were about to give the figure a piece of their mind, fear instantly extinguished the anger in their hearts when they laid eyes on him. "Malcolm?!"

    "He is the strongest warrior at the Sage Level among all the participants of the Hundred-sage Treasure Race!"

    "It''s said that his strength is close to that of a warrior at the eighth grade of Sage Level!"

    Soon, the crowd burst into an uproar.

 Chapter 1176 Divine Model Sect

    The Sage Level warrior, Malcolm who suddenly appeared was the personal disciple of the former leader of the Divine Model Sect, one of the four strongest premium stage sects in the Canopy Kingdom. The former leader''s name was Lennox, a Holy Level warrior. Plus, Malcolm was also expected to become their sect''s next leader.

    The tension between Zachary and his opponent was palpable. Zachary''s eyes were glaring daggers towards the man as he observed his physical features. His enemy was wearing a golden and yellow robe, and his head was wrapped in a white turban. Copper earrings of various sizes dangled from his enlarged lobes. His skin was dark. From Zachary''s perspective, he looked absolutely strange.

    Although Zachary had no idea who were the participating Sage Level warriors this year, he didn''t need thorough research to know that Malcolm was powerful. Nevertheless, this left Zachary unfazed. He had a clear objective and he was hell-bent on attaining it. No matter how strong a warrior was, if they made the mistake of getting in his way, he would do everything in his power to destroy them¡ªjust like how he crushed his other competitors in this race.

    Malcolm smirked. "Not bad. Not bad, at all. In the entire Canopy Kingdom, I have never seen anyone who could block ten warriors at the medium stage of Sage

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    a handful of warriors could break the secret skill of our Divine Model Sect. Even warriors at the premium stage of Sage Level couldn''t do it." Malcolm laughed wildly.

    However, he didn''t stop there. Since he vowed that his victory would be sealed in ten moves, he wanted to show his opponent no mercy. He formed a seal with his hands again. Then, under his feet, earth currents quickly rushed up. Like dragons and snakes, the earth currents intertwined with each other and soared.

    "Earth Dragon Flow!" Malcolm summoned loudly.

    The earth currents came crashing towards Zachary one after another.

    Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom...

    Every time the earth current hit Zachary, the surging energy in the air could be seen visibly as it spread like ripples in the sky. Sand rolled all over as strong winds continuously blew. The whole competing area was also enveloped by the whirlwind.

    Since Zachary was completely bound by this skill, he couldn''t do anything to counter the incoming attacks. He could only forcefully let his body take such violent collisions. For an ordinary Sage Level warrior, such impact was fatal, especially when one was caught off guard. Even if the warrior had the martial energy armor to protect himself, it was practically impossible to leave unscathed after receiving these concurrent attacks.

 Chapter 1177 The Sage Level Soul At The Fourth Stage

    It could be said that Malcolm had planned to kill Zachary from the very beginning. And judging from the current situation, he was able to completely fulfill his wish.

    Everyone present was shocked when Malcolm launched several repeated attacks in an attempt to kill Zachary on the spot. It would be impossible to determine who would get the win in ten moves. To their great surprise, Malcolm was so powerful that he caught Zachary by surprise with just a few moves.

    This also displayed Malcolm''s true strength¡ªthe premium stage of Sage Level. It didn''t matter if his opponent revealed a tiny flaw. He would directly seize the opportunity to kill his enemy with all his strength.

    "No wonder he''s the strongest warrior in this Sage Level Warrior Contest! In just a few moves, he defeated Zion who successfully defeated ten warriors at the medium stage of Sage Level moments ago."

    "Awesome! That''s awesome! The power of the most recent blow was on par with that of a blow from a Sage Level warrior at the eighth stage. Zion, of course, wouldn''t be able to withstand it."

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    the Moon Shadow''s plan would be taken down.

    "Come out!" Malcolm shouted then and a huge soul shadow immediately appeared behind him. Although it was shaped like a Buddha, it was full of evil power that made a chill run down the backs of everyone who saw it. The strong spiritual power began to swirl around it, making everyone feel as though the end of the world was near.

    "Is it a Sage Level soul at the fourth stage? I didn''t expect Malcolm to cultivate his spiritual soul to such a level." The faces of all the Sage Level warriors, including Simon, were full of surprise.

    It was well known that the strength of a warrior''s spiritual soul didn''t depend on the warrior''s own strength but on how it was cultivated, because most warriors would only be able to cultivate their spiritual souls once their strength reached the Sage Level. So, when it came to the strength comparison of the Sage Level warriors, it also depended on how well they could cultivate their spiritual souls. These two factors combined would determine the true strength of a Sage Level warrior.

 Chapter 1178 Malcolms Defeat

    In most cases, when the Sage Level warriors were not blessed with outstanding talent, they could only cultivate their spiritual souls to the second grade. They would usually have a hard time making their spiritual souls reach a higher level than that. Due to this, they would have difficulties unleashing strong and potent spiritual soul power. Generally speaking, only after one''s spiritual soul had reached the third grade of Sage Level would they be able to display a powerful spiritual soul.

    This was a testament of how incredibly talented Malcolm was. He had the capacity to cultivate his spiritual soul to the fourth grade of Sage Level, and he even had the potential to improve it even further.

    In other words, with his spiritual soul at the fourth grade of Sage Level alone, Malcolm was able to fight against warriors who were at the premium stage of Sage Level.

    The stronger one''s spiritual soul was, the more powerful their spiritual skill would be. Malcolm was about to use the Soul-tracking Hand, the terrifyingly powerful skill that would leave its victim utterly overwhelmed.

    After Malcolm summoned his soul, the entire audience became tense and silent. They all knew that he was about to summon a very powerful skill that most of them had never seen before. From the looks of it, it could possibly rank as

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    ith you anymore." Zachary curled his lips. He raised his right hand, and then a fire ring appeared on his right arm. Then, the ring of fire instantly flew out of his hand and went straight to Malcolm.

    Naturally, Malcolm dodged the attack. However, the fire ring worked like a tracker, following him wherever he went. Because he had just used a powerful spiritual skill and taken a violent attack from Zachary, he had consumed a lot of martial energy. Moreover, the fire ring was crafted from Jules'' Power, so it would be impossible to escape its grasp. When he was firmly trapped in the ring, he was sent back to the ground and was instantly surrounded by the flames from the fire ring, unable to move forward or retreat.

    "Just stay there, Malcolm!" Zachary shouted at Malcolm.

    "Let me go! Let''s have another round of battle." Malcolm kept on calling after Zachary to continue their fight. For him, it was a great humiliation to lose like this. He would rather fight till he had only one breath left than lose like this.

    "Save your strength!" Zachary briefly looked at Malcolm and ignored him. He went back to his original position, stood in front of the Lightning Wheel that was within his reach, and shouted, "Who else here wants to fight with me? Anyone that can defeat me will have the Lightning Wheel behind me."

 Chapter 1179 The Appearance of the Moon Shadow

    Despite Zachary''s arrogance, the entire area fell into complete silence. Everyone knew that Malcolm was no match for him since it was likely that only a warrior who reached the peak of the Sage Level''s premium stage could stand a chance against Zachary. However, among the warriors at the premium stage of Sage Level who participated in the Hundred-sage Treasure Race, Malcolm was deemed the strongest. Therefore, now that Malcolm was defeated, there was no doubt that no one here was a match for Zachary.

    Despite this, it was still uncertain whether Zachary was able to take the treasure for himself. After all, the treasure was still heavily guarded and it would be impossible to break through the defenses without exceptional strength.

    Therefore, Zachary was still up in the air. He made no other moves. It looked as though he was worried about something but, in fact, he was just buying more time.

    Now, there were only nine Sage Level warriors left in the treasure area. Among them were two warriors at the seventh stage with their strength only second to Malcolm''s. They no longer

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    ss. Don''t try to do anything stupid."

    The figure was none other than Alisa. She had just sent out a signal for her team to take action to set the plan in motion.

    "The Moon Shadow?" Simon and the Dignity College elders were astonished. They never expected this organization to openly enter their college to set up a powerfully poisonous array and trap them all in the Hundred-sage Valley.

    Everyone trembled in fear upon the mention of the Moon Shadow¡ªa name notorious in the Supernal Continent. No clan or sect ever wanted to be targeted by them since that would only lead to one possible ending. However, they never anticipated the Moon Shadow to suddenly appear in the Dignity College. Moreover, this organization was able to trap many of them using the poisonous array in the blink of an eye. It felt as though the organization would murder them all in one fell swoop.

    "We came here for one purpose today¡ªto give you all a chance to pledge allegiance to the Moon Shadow. Those who resist will be executed. You are all only given one chance, so don''t waste it!" Alisa declared.

 Chapter 1180 Helpless

    "Aren''t you a little over your heads? You sent a woman in here to threaten us by releasing some poison? Do you think that''s going to work? We can easily detoxify ourselves!"

    "Exactly! Why would we want to submit to the Moon Shadow anyway? Dream on!"

    "Get the fuck out of here! Once we''re all detoxified, we would never let any of you bastards get away with this. We will attack when you least expect it. And once that happens, we won''t spare you even if you beg for mercy."

    "How are you even going to intimidate us when you''re alone? Where are your comrades? Are you expecting to kill all of us by yourself? You''re delusional, miss!"

    "How many people have you sent here to ambush us? Ask them to show up. How can we know if you are just bluffing?"

    Insults and disdainful comments were hurled from the crowd. They didn''t take Alisa''s threat seriously, since she did not have enough proof to her claims. Plus, it would be farfetched for such a thing to happen since none of them believed that their irrelevant organization, the Moon Shadow, could pull off such a bold move in the Dignity College.

    Alisa''s lips curled in contempt when she heard all of this. She seemed unfazed with their sarcastic comments. "Ambush? Comrades?"

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    nd rebuked him in disbelief, "You''re just scaring us! No one will believe you!"

    The sense of urgency in Zachary made Sara think that he seemed to be telling the truth. Hence, she asked him, "If the Dignity College is indeed poisoned, then who set this poison array? Setting up a poison array in the entire Hundred-sage Valley is not an easy feat!"

    "It''s the Moon Shadow," Zachary answered coldly.

    "T-The Moon Shadow?" Sara and the others were immediately shocked. They would never forget the Moon Shadow, because Zachary was killed by the leader of the organization, Dominic. Hence, when they heard the organization''s name once again, their blood ran cold. They were immediately enraged and couldn''t restrain the impulse to avenge their late friend.

    "Are you sure? But even if it has something to do with the Moon Shadow, how could they have the guts to publicly pull of such a stunt?! Besides, the contest has gathered most of the powerful Sage Level warriors in the Canopy Kingdom. Is the Moon Shadow capable enough to deal with them?" Sara still had lots of thoughts in her mind. After all, everything that Zachary told them sounded unbelievable.

    Queenie and the others also nodded in agreement, sharing her skepticism.

 Chapter 1181 Destroying The Poison Array

    "The Moon Shadow''s plan to deal with the warriors at the Canopy Kingdom began a few years ago. Its purpose was to use the Sage Level Warrior Contest to gather most of the kingdom''s warriors so the organization can get rid of them all at once. They believe this will weaken the Canopy Kingdom. Perhaps through your eyes, the Moon Shadow is incapable of carrying out such a plan. But now, it appears the Canopy Kingdom is under its firm grasp," Zachary explained briefly.

    "Then how did you know the Moon Shadow''s plan?" Sara asked as she stared at him with suspicion.

    Zachary knew that there was no need to hide his identity from Sara and the others. He quickly turned around and revealed his true face to them. He now appeared as the mysterious man that Sara and the others had met before.

    "It''s you? What?" Sara and the rest of the group were shocked at the fact that Zachary was the mysterious man who had saved them during their last encounter.

    "You were pretending to be Zion? But¡­what happened to the real Zion?" Queenie asked once he revealed himself, her anger quelled in an instant.

    "I''ve imprisoned him," Zachary answered.

    "Is it true that Zion works for the Moon Shadow

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    an approach and execute a sneak attack." Zachary revealed his plan.

    "Then you must be careful," Anne warned.

    "Don''t worry!" He shot her a reassuring smile before he left the island.

    Once he was out of there, Zachary quickly summoned his Illusionary Avatar Skill to cover his tracks as he hovered in the air to observe the current situation below.

    Under the stone pillar where Alisa stood, hundreds of warriors donned clothes with the word ''Moon'' embroidered on them. From the first glance, he immediately recognized that many of them were from the Dignity College as well as various sects and clans.

    "It turns out that the Moon Shadow managed to sneak many spies into the Dignity College along with different sects and clans. It appears he was telling the truth. The trap Dominic set up is quite astonishing. I don''t know how much effort it took for Dominic to get that many spies into the college as well as the multiple sects of the Canopy Kingdom. Moreover, Dominic is also intending to take down the whole kingdom this time. He is quite a powerful adversary!" Zachary murmured to himself, his cold eyes filled with worry about what Dominic could possibly have in store next.

 Chapter 1182 Coercion And Temptation

    Even though Zachary was itching to help, he knew better than to act rashly. He just hid behind the shadows as he observed what the Moon Shadow might do next.

    "All of you listen up! I''ll call your names one by one, and I want you to stand up immediately. If I sense even an ounce of hesitation from any one of you, you''ll be killed on the spot!" Alisa shouted from atop the stone pillar as she gazed down at everyone with a sinister look in her eyes.

    Upon hearing this, everyone felt as if they swallowed a piece of glass since the poison administered to them made it impossible for them to resist. All of them began to look around, desperate to find a way to escape, but they were heavily surrounded by the spies from the Moon Shadow who were posing as warriors of the Dignity College. The truth eventually dawned on them that this might be the end.

    "Solomon from the Peripatetic Pavilion!" Alisa suddenly called out the first name.

    A collective gasp was heard. No one expected that Solomon, who had just fought against Zachary, would be the first on

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    oked back at the people behind her and then walked towards the crowd below the stone pillar.

    After that, Alisa continued to call out names, all of which were young and famous Sage Level warriors of the Canopy Kingdom.

    Seeing what happened to Solomon, most of the warriors had little to no choice but to join, and only a handful was willing to die a heroic death.

    "It seems that it only took so many people to die before most of you came to your senses. The Canopy Kingdom will soon fall to our hands, and it is up to you whether or not you''ll choose the winning side! But I''m still curious what Master Simon will choose. Why don''t you stand and show me, Master Simon, the dean of the Dignity College?" She immediately locked eyes with Simon, the dean of the Dignity College, who was sitting in the middle of the crowd.

    "Do you really think that you can control my Dignity College and the Canopy Kingdom by threatening and seducing us like this? Humph! Keep dreaming!" Simon bravely stood up as the expression on his face turned as hard as a rock.

 Chapter 1183 Looking Right Into Her Eyes

    "Sir, you are a renowned individual throughout the entire Canopy Kingdom. With your identity, it would be impossible for you to join our organization. It would be futile forcing you to join us. Moreover, our leader has specifically ordered us to spare you since you once saved his life before!" Alisa smiled wickedly. She purposely announced to everyone that Simon had saved Dominic once before, so that they would doubt him, too.

    And as it turned out, it was quite effective. Murmurs and whispers were heard all around the Dignity College from sheer shock. They did not expect that the dean of the Dignity College had saved the leader of the Moon Shadow. This, of course, was unbelievable, and it planted seeds of doubt among them.

    "Lies! You just want to put a rift among us! I don''t even remember saving your leader! I have never even met him once in my life!" Angered with the baseless accusation, Simon lost his composure and angrily shouted at Alisa. He firmly believed that the Moon Shadow was merely setting him up.

    Alisa smirked. "Ah, yes. This is what our leader was afraid of. He told us that you might not remember, so he asked me to bring you this..." Then, she took out a short dart and shot it swiftly in his direction.

    The dart

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    n who halted the battle, the two men in fighting with Simon did not take any further action.

    "Who the hell are you?" Alisa asked accusingly as she doubtfully squinted her eyes.

    "Elder, are you kidding me?! Why are you asking such a stupid question? Now that the action has begun, there is no need for me to hide my identity!" Zachary smugly answered, mimicking Zion''s arrogant behaviors.

    "Fine. If you are who you claim you are, then why didn''t you send out a signal for action? What''s more, why did you disappear after the operation was on?" Alisa pressed further.

    "I just wanted to be on the safe side. If there is something wrong with our action just now, I can deal with it in time." Zachary made up an excuse.

    "Lies! How do you explain your strength? You were able to defeat warriors at the medium and premium stage like Malcolm! It''s impossible for you to be so powerful..." Alisa continued to debunk him, trying to disclose his lies.

    "It''s just by sheer luck." Zachary shrugged and smiled.

    "Luck? Look into my eyes..." Alisa whispered as she glowered at Zachary.

    Hearing that, Zachary frowned. He knew that he couldn''t make her believe that he was indeed Zion by mere words, so he had no choice but to look into her eyes.

 Chapter 1184 Chaotic

    "You''re not Zion!" Alisa exclaimed as she immediately revealed Zachary''s true identity upon meeting his gaze.

    Zachary, however, had already expected this to happen. He strode forward and immediately trapped Alisa using a strong Sage Level energy that left her immobile. He then swiftly appeared behind her and clasped her neck tightly between his hands.

    Seeing this, the two men in black robes who had just fought Simon rushed towards the stone pillar to try and save Alisa.

    "Don''t come any closer, or your elder might just lose her head. We wouldn''t want you two to be unable to explain what happened to your leader once you return, do we?" Zachary threatened the two men who hurried towards, Alisa still held hostage in his firm grasp.

    The two men gave each other a knowing look. Knowing Alisa''s identity, they didn''t dare to act carelessly.

    Everyone present was stunned by the scene before them. Just a moment ago, Zion launched a sneak attack on Simon. Now, he held Alisa hostage. The recent turn of events was baffling, to say the least!

    By then, Simon managed to get back on his feet. Althou

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    mon was totally caught off guard. The master didn''t expect that this man wasn''t the real Elder Hodge, especially considering that he was the Dignity College representative who took part in the Sage Level Warrior Contest''s activities over the past few days.

    "Master Simon, haven''t we met just now?" Fabian asked with a sly smile.

    "Are you... What exactly is going on?" The master''s eyes were now as wide as saucers as he walked towards the crowd that now gathered around the stone pillar. They were all in a mess thanks to Zachary.

    "It''s a long story. I can''t explain it clearly, either. Master Simon, I need you to take this anti-poison pill first." Fabian quickly took out one of the pills and secretly handed it to the master.

    Simon looked it over once before swallowing it. This might just be his only hope.

    After ingesting the pill, he immediately felt the martial energy that was blocked earlier smoothly begin to flow within him again. It didn''t take long before he returned to his normal self and no longer required his own strength to suppress the poisonous gas that had invaded his body.

 Chapter 1185 The Anti-Poison Pills

    "This anti-poison pill is potent!" Simon''s eyes beamed up in surprise as he felt the poison affecting his martial energy gradually subside the moment he took the pill. As the dean of the Dignity College, he was an expert in alchemy. Thus, he knew right from the start that the pill he took was anything but ordinary. It was not only made from the combination of special herbs, but it also contained the poison of the purple mist. The person who made this was undoubtedly skilled seeing that he was able to perfectly balance the two to maximize the pill''s effects.

    "This pill was refined by Elder Hodge himself," said Fabian.

    "No wonder! Elder Hodge really is worthy of being the disciple of the Holy Maiden. Even I feel inferior to him!" Simon immediately sighed with admiration as he continued to feel the poison dying in his body.

    "I still have some anti-poison pills with me. Elder Hodge instructed me to give them to the most powerful Sage Level warriors who can help him fight back against the Moon

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    sternly, "As long as I''m alive, I won''t let you kill anyone!"

    Everyone paused for a moment in disbelief. Even the warriors of the Dignity College and other sects didn''t know whether or not to believe him. Although he was powerful, they doubted Zachary had a chance to compete against hundreds of enemies all on his own.

    "What are you waiting for? Kill them!" Alisa waved her hand and ordered her men with no hesitation.

    In an instant, hundreds of warriors of the Moon Shadow who had gathered under the stone pillar all rushed towards Zachary and his allies like a fearless and murderous wave.

    Zachary immediately summoned the Purple-winged Beast, the Sun-swallowing Beast, and Demonic Thunder Beast, to help him defend against the attack. Although the Demonic Thunder Beast had just grown up, it had received intensified training in the Supernatural Cave, making it a formidable foe. In addition, Zachary had integrated a Sage Level beast soul into its body, which took it into a whole new level.

 Chapter 1186 Chapter Demonic Lightning Bead

    When Zachary summoned the three beasts, everyone who stood witness to this was utterly surprised. They couldn''t shift their eyes away from the scene as they watched in awe.

    "How did he do that? He just summoned three sacred beasts in one go! That''s practically impossible! Plus, each of them has an astonishing aura?!"

    "Who exactly is this guy?"

    "Maybe he''s our fighting chance to survive this!"

    The trapped warriors of the Dignity College and the other sects were stunned. They looked at each other in absolute confusion. When they saw Zachary summon the three beasts on his own, the desperation they felt earlier had been replaced by a glimmer of hope.

    "Invincible Sage Array!" Zachary summoned. As he did so, golden light rushed out of his body, like a flying dragon soaring into the sky. The blinding light instantly spread in the atmosphere, forming rays of crisscross lines. Soon enough, a huge array with a radius of a thousand meters covered the entire space.

    Although he would risk exposing his identity, he was left with no other choice but to use the Invincible Sage Array since it was the only way he could defeat multitudes of warriors from the Moon Shadow on his own.

    Sure enough, as soon as his array was activated

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    come less and less favorable for her side. Then, she took a blue light bead from her pocket.

    The bead gave out a blinding light. Streaks of lightning flashed, and continuous bouts of electric currents danced. For every minute that passed, their movements intensified. Eventually, the whole bead transformed into a gigantic thunder ball.

    All the people around, both the Moon Shadow warriors and the warriors from the Dignity College and the other sects alike, were shocked at the sight of this.

    Simon, who was in the battle with the two men in black robes, saw the blue light bead and immediately shouted, "Demonic Lightning Bead?! Damn it. She is going to destroy the whole Hundred-sage Valley!"

    Alarmed, Zachary immediately consulted Mimi about this blue light bead. As it turned out, it was an ancient treasure. It could absorb the thunder power between the heaven and earth to form thunder ball. It held such an astonishing power, and it could effectively create a damage within a radius of three-thousand miles.

    In other words, once the Demonic Lightning Bead absorbed enough power, it could make the Hundred-sage Valley instantly disappear. It seemed like the last option for Alisa, one that she would only use when necessary.

 Chapter 1187 Cleanse

    Soon, a blinding light burst out of the Demonic Lightning Bead and formed a huge thunder ball that was roughly ten meters across. It began to rapidly fall from the sky like a meteorite. One could only imagine the terrifying power it held judging from its size alone. Once its full power was released, saying that the entire Hundred-sage Valley would be annihilated wouldn''t be an exaggeration.

    The group of people from the Dignity College and the other sects that had been trapped in the valley witnessed in awe as the huge thunder ball fall from the sky. Just by looking at it alone, they could tell that it could possibly destroy both heaven and earth, which sent them all into a desperate panic. The thunder ball''s power far exceeded that of a warrior at the peak Sage Level. Therefore, even the big shots like Simon and the rest of the leaders wouldn''t be able to stop it despite joining forces. These leaders were in a stalemate with the Moon Shadow warriors, which would prevent them from saving their people. This also meant that no one would be able to stop the oncoming thunder ball.

    Just as the entire Hundred-sage Valley was doomed, a purple and golden light suddenly shot into the sky and rushed towards the thunder ball. I

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    alcolm, who had fought with Zachary earlier, stood out and proclaimed as well, "I''ll fight you, too!"

    "And I..."

    "I''ll join you too!"

    Soon, more than twenty figures stood out from the crowd. Several of them were Sage Level elders from the Dignified Supernal Sect and a few of them were important figures from the various sects and clans. All of them were at least above the medium stage of Sage Level.

    The appearance and union of such powerful warriors immediately boosted everyone''s spirits.

    "How is that possible? Why are they not affected by the poisonous mist?" An astonished Alisa stared at Zachary. He was still being protected by the enchanted barrier while continuously trying to stop the thunder ball. She then understood what was going on.

    But what confused her even more was how Zachary had managed to cleanse the people so quickly. The purple poison mist was special in that it was produced after the toxic powder was activated by the power of the poison array. The toxic power was personally formulated by Dominic¡ªwhich was by no means an ordinary feat. However, considering the current situation, she was led to the conclusion that these people who were so willing to fight had already taken the antidote.

 Chapter 1188 Anne Showed Up

    The more than twenty Sage Level masters of the Canopy Kingdom who stood out quickly formed a line of defense. No conversations or agreements were made, just tacit agreements and a common goal to protect the Dignity College. Through this, they prevented the Moon Shadow warriors from approaching those powerless victims of the poison array.

    One of the elders from the Dignity College instructed Sharon and Fabian, "You two just go and cut off the rear for us. We will deal with these mobs!"

    The both of them nodded in agreement.

    Soon, the barricading warriors summoned their own treasure beasts and Sage Level weapons. They had also activated their fighting power to the limit, more than ready to sacrifice everything just to vanquish their enemy. As a result, their collective auras soared. The warriors of the Moon Shadow, who had been confident all this time, were dumbfounded when they saw the joint efforts of the over twenty warriors.

    The Sage Level warriors from the Canopy Kingdom were mighty in their own way. Although their overall strength was not as potent as the Moon Shadow''s, their collaborative effort gave them a fighting chance. Thanks to this, the two parties were once again left in a stalemate. Unfortunately, the Moon Shadow had more warriors than them, so the Moon Shadow''s side now still had the upper hand by a small margin.

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    the enchanted barrier Simon had previously set up. Fortunately, Zachary had finished absorbing the power of the thunder ball, hence, he was able to dodge in time. An intense Holy Level aura exploded behind him, as if a sharp knife swept across the air.

    ''That was close!'' Zachary thought to himself in shock.

    "It would be easier if you just end your life, boy! If you ever decide to fight back, then I''ll make you experience pain worse than death!" the Holy Level warrior arrogantly told Zachary.

    Zachary glanced at the man and he narrowed his eyes. He knew that once the two Holy Level warriors made a move, the scale of victory would angle toward the Moon Shadow. After all, the strength of the Holy Level warriors was something that all the warriors present could never be able to imagine. However, he was not worried that his efforts would be in vain, since he still had some tricks up his sleeve.

    "Although I''m no match for you, that doesn''t mean I don''t know how to deal with the both of you!" Zachary cocked his lips upward. He immediately opened the system and sent out Anne, who had been waiting to be summoned.

    All of a sudden, an icy blue light appeared in the air. The pressure released by the two Holy Level warriors was instantly covered by the pressure from Anne, because her strength was far above these two Holy Level warriors.

 Chapter 1189 Defeating A Holy Level Warrior In An Instant

    As Anne hovered in the air, all the warriors around looked at her in admiration. Not only were they surprised with Anne''s strength, but they were also blown away with her striking beauty.

    "Who... Who are you?" When the ghost-masked Holy Level warrior saw Anne, his voice trembled. All his arrogance and determination had faded away. He felt like he was blessed with the presence of a deity. Judging from her aura, he could tell that Anne''s strength was above and beyond his. At the very least, her strength must be at the medium stage of Holy Level.

    ''Isn''t she Zachary''s master?'' Alisa thought. She couldn''t help but wonder. ''Why is she with Zion? Is he also her disciple?'' Her mind was running a million miles a minute. She had seen Anne before with Zachary. Although all the evidence was laid out before her, she still kept on denying the idea that Zion was actually Zachary in disguise. Besides, Dominic wouldn''t let it happen, since he would never allow her to be anywhere near Zachary. Plus, she knew that he was dead, so it was pointless to have such false hopes. Anne''s presence could merely just be a coincidence.

    "I''ll leave them to you, Anne. I''ll go down there to assist them," Zachary informed her.

    Anne nodded. In the blink of an eye, she approached th

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    had no fighting power left and was no longer a threat to the Dignity College.

    When everyone saw how Zachary vanquished a Holy Level warrior in just one fluid motion, everyone was completely astounded.

    Zachary spared no time. He soared in the sky, and he quickly rushed towards the troops of the Moon Shadow. He needed to help the remaining Sage Level warriors who were fighting against the organization.

    When Zachary swooped in to help them, the warriors from the Dignity College found renewed energy. Meanwhile, the Moon Shadow''s members cowered when they saw Zachary coming towards them. They were stunned and they trembled all over. They were completely at a loss, since they didn''t know how to stop him. If a Holy Level warrior couldn''t stop him, what do they have against him?

    "What are you waiting for? Kill him!" Alisa angrily ordered. She had never thought that Zachary still had some tricks up his sleeve. She was absolutely infuriated, because there was no way she would let him destroy their organization''s plans.

    Unfortunately, even if the Moon Shadow warriors had the desire to kill Zachary, they didn''t have the guts to fight against him. After all, his strength was now at the Holy Level¡ªand it was more than enough to frighten everyone around!

 Chapter 1190 The Poison Array Collapsed

    Even if the Moon Shadow warriors didn''t dare to fight him, Zachary would never let them leave the Hundred-sage Valley in one piece after all the vile things they had done. He charged towards the enemy, releasing streams of violent Holy Level energy. It exploded and spread out in the entire vicinity. Every path his aura took was left with nothing but the enemies'' guts and blood. It was a terrifying scene to behold.

    Zachary''s unstoppable onslaught changed the entire tide of their battle. The upper hand the Moon Shadow once had was gone¡ªthey were all trembling in fear. They fled in all directions after losing all their will to fight back.

    In the blink of an eye, the several hundred warriors of the Moon Shadow were cut down to less than a hundred, and the number still kept on decreasing as Zachary kept on attacking.

    Zachary''s presence boosted the morale of the warriors of the Canopy Kingdom. The remaining Sage Level warriors who were fighting became more valiant and fearless in the face of the enemy.

    Plus, Anne was a great asset to their side. Thanks to her, the other Holy Level warrior of the Moon Shadow she was fighting against was practically defeated¡ªhe was exhausted and was at the brink of a collapse.

    The desperation the warriors of the

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    ones that have destroyed the poison array! They are our heroes!" Zachary immediately looked at Sara and her friends and reached out his hand to congratulate.

    The crowd applauded and cheered for their heroic deed.

    They found it unexpected that it would the four new Sage Level warriors of the Celestial College who would be saving the Canopy Kingdom in the end.

    "Who the hell are you? Why did you pretend to be Zion?" Alisa suddenly asked out of the blue. Now that their plan had completely failed, she glared at Zachary with complete hatred. At the very least, she wanted to know who he truly was.

    Since the audience was also curious, all the people present looked at Zachary expectantly. They all wanted to know his motive behind sacrificing himself for the sake of Canopy Kingdom.

    "He is Elder Hodge of our Dignified Supernal Sect!" Suddenly, a calm voice rang out. It was Fabian, who was disguised as Elder Hodge all this time. He went beside Zachary, and he took out the elder token and showed it to everyone.

    The people were surprised. After all, they all thought that Fabian was Elder Hodge all this time, but they didn''t see it coming that the real Elder Hodge was the one who had just saved the Canopy Kingdom and everyone that had survived!

 Chapter 1191 The Reinforcements Of The Dignified Supernal Sect

    "Dignified Supernal Sect?!" Alisa repeated. She was thunderstruck as she learned this. Millions of questions flooded her head. Of all the possibilities that crossed her mind, she didn''t figure that it would be Elder Hodge, and how he learned the Moon Shadow''s plan. Also, how did he know that Zion was actually a Moon Shadow member? Plus, this Elder Hodge was able to catch Zion and disguise like him seamlessly that none of them doubted him on the get-go. He had successfully participated in the Sage Level Warrior Contest to foil their organization''s plan, and none of them doubted his identity. Alisa narrowed her eyes¡ªhow was he able to do all this?

    "Elder Hodge," Simon respectfully called out. "Since when did you know about the Moon Shadow''s plan?" Zachary turned his head to him. He didn''t know how to answer him honestly. He knew about the Moon Shadow''s plan early on. Still, He couldn''t explain why he left out the entire Dignity College on this information.

    "When I just arrived to take part in the contest," he answered eventually.

    "Since you knew about it when you arrived, then why didn''t you remind us? All of this could have been prevented. We could have been on guard and all these casualties could have been avoided." Simon frowned.

    "I un

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    edly asked him when he saw the devastating picture in front of him.

    "I''m fine," Zachary immediately replied.

    "Where are the people from the Moon Shadow?" Elder Donald asked.

    "Three of them had managed to escape. The rest of them are here." Zachary pointed to the Moon Shadow warriors who were squatting together a few meters away. They were under the siege of the group of powerful Sage Level warriors.

    "But didn''t you say that the situation is highly critical? Elder Timothy confusedly asked him.

    "Yes, it was very urgent, but time was pressing. I really can''t wait until you come, so I had to find a way to solve it by myself." Zachary shrugged.

    "Master, Hodge is so powerful. He was able to stop the plans of the Moon Shadow on his own and even beat two of their Holy Level warriors!" Fabian said excitedly.

    "Yes. He is the hero who has saved the Canopy Kingdom," Sharon echoed.

    "Really?" The two elders looked at each other in surprise.

    Then, Elder Donald realized something. "Why are the two of you here?" He raised his eyebrows at Sharon and Fabian.

    The both of them immediately hid behind Zachary and sheepishly smiled at their elders. They were so proud that they obviously forgot that they had sneaked out without permission.

 Chapter 1192 Incoming War

    Now that the reinforcements of the Dignified Supernal Sect had arrived, everyone looked at them with awe. After all, they were one of the most influential sects that had ever existed. Plus, the ones who came as reinforcement were Elder Timothy and Elder Donald, who had the strength at the Holy Level. Hence, they couldn''t possibly take their power lightly.

    Then, Simon gingerly approached them and informed them, "Sirs, if it weren''t for Elder Hodge''s help, I''m afraid the Canopy Kingdom would have been wiped out by now. We are grateful for his help and your sect''s assistance." He respectfully bowed before the two elders.

    Elder Timothy cocked his eyebrows and amusedly asked, "I see. Our leader had sent Elder Hodge to participate in the Sage Level Warrior Contest mainly because we were invited, but we had other motives. We had suspicions that the Moon Shadow had a plot to during the contest, so we asked Elder Hodge to investigate."

    "I see. It looks like Leader Kendrick has long guessed that the Moon Shadow was brewing something vile, so he sent Elder Hodge here." Simon rubbed his chin and nodded his head.

    "Even though we knew that something was sketchy, our leader did not expect that the Moon Shadow was actually planning to carry out something this ter

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    eir next targets. We have to inform them first of the situation and remind them to stop holding any grand ceremony or competition. We can''t give the Moon Shadow another chance to strike." Kendrick laid out his thoughts. After a short pause, he went on, "As for the plan to stop the Moon Shadow, we still have to think about it carefully. After all, the enemy has an advantage against us. If we act rashly, we would only suffer terrible losses. One thing''s for sure. There will be a bloody war in the Supernal Continent." He furrowed his brows, weighing the gravity of the future events.

    The elders agreed with his sentiments.

    Meanwhile, Zachary immediately went to the Bloom Garden to see Tania. When she saw that her disciple had returned safe and sound, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had heard of the great conspiracy the Moon Shadow planned in the Sage Level Warrior Contest. Naturally, she was worried about his welfare.

    Zachary told her everything, down to the very minute details. When Tania heard this, she got even more surprised. She narrowed her eyes at him a few times because she thought his decisions were too rash. After all, he dealt with the Moon Shadow on his own. If his identity had been revealed, Zachary would fall into unimaginable danger.

 Chapter 1193 Refining The Flesh Body For Andrew

    Although Tania was slightly disappointed with Zachary''s foolhardy demeanor, she was just glad for the most part. What mattered the most was that her disciple came back safe and sound, so she decided to cut him some slack. As long as he could stand in front of her now, it would be more than enough. Moreover, she knew that if Zachary didn''t do what he had to do, then the Canopy Kingdom could have fallen into the hands of the Moon Shadow now. The significance of Zachary''s obstruction to foil the enemy''s plans was a tremendous contribution not just in the Canopy Kingdom but in the entire Supernal Continent.

    "Master, if you want to scold me, just do it!" Zachary sheepishly smiled at Tania. When he took the danger in the Sage Level Warriors Contest, he knew well the possible repercussions of his decisions¡ªincluding being scolded by his master. After all, it was not easy for Tania and Anne to bring him back to life. The last thing they needed was for him to do the same thing all over again, especially when it was related to the Moon Shadow.

    "Why should I?" Tania glared at her disciple.

    "You specifically told me not to do something dangerous, and I just did the exact opposite of that," Zacha

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    e Moon Shadow better than the others..." Tania speculated continuously, her thoughts reaching far.

    "Are you kidding me, master? Me? The commander?" When he heard her statement, Zachary didn''t know what to feel. He found it unexpected that his master had already imagined such a thing.

    "What do you think?" Tania consulted Zachary, giving him a serious look.

    "I don''t think I''m qualified to be the commander!" Zachary argued, smiling sheepishly at her.

    "There are some things that you can''t decide by yourself. The reason why I''m telling you all this is to let you know the great role you need to assume in the future. At the moment, the only thing you have to do is to focus on your cultivation and improve your strength as much as possible. I will arrange the rest for you," Tania informed him gravely.

    "I see." On some level, Zachary knew that what she stated made sense. He thought that she might have been considering this for a while, so he didn''t say anything more.

    After visiting the Holy Maiden, Zachary left the attic and returned to the Bloom Garden. Then, he entered the system and went to the Fairy Island to find Anne to discuss the refinement of Andrew''s flesh body with her.

 Chapter 1194 A Backup Plan

    Although Zachary had refined some parts of Andrew''s body before, they were just some unimportant parts. The features that were necessary for essential bodily functions could only be refined by very skilled weapon refiners. With his current refining skills, it was impossible to create a complete body for Andrew, so he needed Anne''s assistance to help him finish it.

    When Anne first learned that Zachary had plans to refine a flesh body for Andrew, she was against the idea. From what she had learned, Andrew was a vile warrior during his time. Unimaginable consequences could take place if ever they decided to bring him back to life. But once Zachary explained to her what he intended to do to keep him at bay, she changed her mind. If this was true, then controlling Andrew would be much easier once he was revived.

    In the end, Anne dismissed the discourse and agreed to help Zachary with his task.

    Meanwhile, the atmosphere within the Moon Shadow was dark and grim. Alisa was escorted back to their secret base by the two Holy Level warriors. Once she arrived, she immediately went to their base''s grand hall, where their leader was waiting for them to arrive.

    Dominic, the leader of the Moon Shadow, sat on a dark majestic chair with ornate golden decor. He was wearing a crescent-shaped mask that cov

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    verwhelming power. Even if he didn''t die, he would at least be incapacitated. It''s impossible for him to recover so soon and bring his strength to new heights. Maybe I was just overthinking it!" Dominic agreed as he pondered over Logan''s suggestion.

    "Since this Elder Hodge is a member of the Dignified Supernal Sect, this means they''re declaring war against us. I''m afraid that they''re going to strike back. Should we slow down our next plan?" Logan asked tentatively.

    "No, we''re pushing through," Dominic answered clearly. "Although our plan in the Hundred-sage Valley was supposed to be a surprise, the Dignified Supernal Sect still saw through it. I didn''t expect that they would use such clever trick to ruin the plan I have carefully designed for many years. But that doesn''t mean our other plans are foiled already. In fact, I have a backup plan to deal with the people of the Canopy Kingdom." Dominic smirked, seemingly pleased with himself.

    "What do you plan to do next?" Logan''s eyes turned cold. He thought that Dominic would consider delaying the other plans after Zachary destroyed his first one. He thought their organization would take some time to recover first from the huge loss they suffered. Unexpectedly, Dominic still wanted to carry out the rest of his schemes as soon as possible.

 Chapter 1195 Assassination Of Simon

    "We missed the best chance we had to take down the Canopy Kingdom, but this doesn''t mean that we''ll falter! Logan, can I ask you to carry out an important mission for me?" Dominic suddenly said with his eyes staring at Logan.

    "But I have just resigned from being a guardian. I''m afraid it''s not appropriate for me to carry out a task for you." Logan had a sense that the mission must''ve been an important one since Dominic personally asked him.

    "Oh? But I have still yet to agree to your resignation," Dominic said with a crude smile and paused. "Don''t worry. I won''t force you, but don''t forget that the Moon Shadow will be nothing without you. I am only hoping that you''ll help us once again in such a crucial time." As the leader of the Moon Shadow, Dominic actually pleaded with Logan to help him. It could be seen that he attached great importance to the latter.

    "So, what do you want me to do?" Seeing that Dominic wouldn''t take no for an answer, Logan decided to agree in order to avoid him getting susp

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    inting that he wouldn''t take no for an answer.

    "Okay. But I can''t guarantee that he''ll be willing to see you," Logan said after hesitating for a while. With that, he turned into a beam of blinding light and soared high above the clouds before disappearing in an instant.

    "Leader, do you really think that the leader of the Moon Shadow is that person?" Elder Donald came forward and asked him with a serious look. Rumors had already been floating around that the leader of the Moon Shadow most likely came from their sect. He had been a highly regarded figure and was a genius and a future star of the Dignified Supernal Sect back then.

    "We''ll know when we meet," Kendrick said coldly.

    "But he may not be willing to see you. Plus, if you meet him alone, you''ll be in grave danger. Can you really trust that such a cold-blooded man won''t harm you?" Elder Donald said with concern.

    The other elders nodded in agreement. Everyone all thought that it would be too risky for Kendrick to meet with Dominic.

 Chapter 1196 Andrews Rebirth

    "He will definitely agree to see me," Kendrick stated, entirely sure of the Moon Shadow''s motives. "He sent Simon''s head here to rattle us. It''s his way of venting and declaring his anger. This is worse than we think since he actually killed the person who had saved him. He is a different person than he was before." Kendrick frowned, displeased at the turn of events.

    "If other forces and sects learn that the leader of the Moon Shadow was once a part of our sect, I''m afraid they may hold it against us. This may damage our reputation!" Elder Timothy worriedly stated.

    "The public is bound to know it sooner or later. What matters is that this information should come from us. I will do it once the timing is right," Kendrick answered. It seemed like this thought had already crossed his mind, so he already had answers prepared for it.

    Things were progressing too fast. The elders gave each other a worried look and despondently shook their heads.

    Meanwhile, Zachary had no idea what was happening in the Canopy Kingdom. He had been stayi

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    into the body in the array. When his spiritual form collided with the corporeal form, bright light burst out. It was a dazzling scene to behold!

    It took a good fifteen minutes before the light eventually disappeared. By the end of it, there was no trace of Andrew anywhere. He had fully merged with the flesh body in the array. However, to make the spiritual soul and the flesh body completely integrated, what would be done next was the most important part. Zachary had to use a very evil secret method created by Jules to integrate Andrew''s spiritual soul and the flesh body.

    However, it was also very dangerous to use this vile secret skill. One mistake could terrible injure him, or in worse case, kill him.

    "The spiritual soul and body become one! Reverse the heaven and earth!" When Zachary opened his eyes, a strong force at the Sage Level rushed out and instantly passed into the array where the flesh body was.

    The array instantly flashed with a dark blue light, and a spooky aura instantly spread out. It was extremely terrifying.

 Chapter 1197 Controlling The Fairy Island

    "Anne!" Zachary shouted aloud with a nod towards her.

    Knowing what this meant, Anne immediately took out the Soul Storage Gourd she had prepared beforehand. This treasure had the ability to store all kinds of spiritual souls as well as beast souls. This was crucial for Zachary''s secret vile method as the technique required hundreds of souls to sacrifice. He would then refine them into a single and strong spiritual energy inside the array, making it possible for Andrew''s spiritual soul to merge with his body.

    As Anne opened up the gourd, souls instantly rushed out of it with a powerful gust, flying directly into the array as if they were moths attracted to light. They were immediately refined into streaks of dark light before surrounding Andrew''s body.

    Before long, the body was completely shrouded by streaks of dark light, like silk cocoons.

    "All creatures, bring the spiritual soul to life!" Zachary quickly formed an array using both of his hands, causing a column of dark light to shoot high into the sky b

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    m leaving the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    "I guess this means that you''ll have to go to a lot of places. You can use the Fairy Island to easily transport you to your destination." Tania knew that it was a long way to go to the Five-God Tombs, so she offered this suggestion.

    Confused, Zachary asked as he narrowed his eyes, "Use the Fairy Island? Aren''t you the only one who can control it?"

    "Back when I was poisoned, I was afraid I won''t make it. So, I made you the successor of the Fairy Island. Truth be told, the island recognized you a long time ago, but I was unwilling to admit that at that time," Tania replied.

    "Really? Thank you, master." Zachary''s heart was filled with joy. He knew that the island could help them save a lot of time and energy since it moved way faster than a normal warrior could do. Plus, it could freely travel across any lake, river, or sea in the four great regions.

    Then, Tania instructed Zachary how to control the Fairy Island and asked him to remember everything she told him.

 Chapter 1198 A Private Meeting

    After leaving the attic, Zachary flew to the Cyan Cloud Mountain to meet Kendrick in the Dignified Supernal Hall. After all, he was a member of their sect, and if he intended to go someplace, he needed to inform the sect leader and get his approval.

    However, as soon as Zachary landed on the Heavenly Cloud Square in front of the hall, he saw that some inner disciples gathered around a stone pillar in the middle of the square. They looked absolutely terrified as they whispered to each other.

    "What are you doing here? Shouldn''t you be cultivating now?" Fabian, who suddenly appeared outside the Dignified Supernal Hall, scolded at once.

    The inner disciples quickly scampered.

    Curious, Zachary approached him. "Fabian, did something happen here?" he curiously asked.

    "Hodge, where have you been these days? Something grand happened in the Dignified Supernal Sect." Since none of them had seen Zachary for a few days, Fabian was excited to see him. He sighed a relief, as if one of his huge worries had been eased.

    Zachary frowned. "What do you mean? What happened?" With the way everyone was acting, he felt a little apprehensive. It see

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    o destroy the Moon Shadow, we have to defeat him first. But he is smart and cunning. He will definitely come up with the perfect plan for every situation. So we can''t be dilly-dallying with ourselves right now. Our actions should be done with conviction. We have to be remorseless to make this happen." When Zachary laid out his proposal, the Dignified Supernal Hall was in utter silence. He was balling his fists, and his hatred for Dominic was very evident in his eyes.

    Of course, Kendrick and the elders felt Zachary''s anger. They looked at each other and felt that something must have happened between the two of them for him to illicit such enraged behavior.

    "Those are good points, Hodge. But I don''t think we should be too aggressive against the Moon Shadow at the moment. Besides, you mentioned that Dominic might once come from our sect, so I''m going to confirm it first," Kendrick replied after a couple minutes of silence.

    "How are you going to confirm it?" Zachary asked.

    "I''ve asked the mysterious man who sent Dean Simon''s head to go back and tell Dominic to arrange a private meeting with me," Kendrick nonchalantly replied.

 Chapter 1199 Confirm

    "A private meeting? Wouldn''t that be dangerous?" Zachary''s face changed slightly.

    "Don''t worry. I have thought this decision through. Even if the Moon Shadow tries to kill me, they would never be able to," Kendrick confidently mentioned as he smirked.

    "If you say so." Since their sect leader seemed to be assured with his decision and nothing would sway him anymore, Zachary left it to be.

    "By the way, what brings you here today?" Kendrick curiously asked.

    "I''m planning to leave the Dignified Supernal Sect for a while. I''ll be practicing and improving my own strength during my absence. I actually came here to get your approval," Zachary answered straightly.

    "Practice outside? What made you suddenly decide that you want to do that? If you want to hone your skills, I can make an exception for you and let you stay in the Supernatural Cave for a while. You don''t have to stray far just to cultivate." Kendrick furrowed his brows. Something didn''t feel right when Zachary asked for permission. Of course, if these were different circumstances, he would immediately agree. However, the current situation was delicate and crucial¡ªone mishap could cause an immediate downfall for their sect. He couldn''t possibly allow Zachary to

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    an electric current passed between them.

    "Indeed, I didn''t expect you to be alive. What''s worse, you even became the leader of an evil organization. It seems that I shouldn''t have been merciful and let you go regardless of the objection of my father!" Kendrick exclaimed resentfully, clenching his fist.

    "Alas, you father... my adoptive father. How is he?" Dominic suddenly asked.

    "You were expelled from the sect. You have nothing to do with it anymore. You have no right to call him your adoptive father," Kendrick sternly spat.

    "It''s just a formality." Dominic shrugged. "Besides, I don''t even give a fuck that he expelled me and drained all my strength. Why should you care?" He cockily laughed.

    "You deserved what happened. You can''t blame anyone but yourself!" Kendrick angrily cried out.

    "Deserve? I don''t think I have done anything wrong. In this world, win and you are the king; lose and you are an outcast. Only the strong can emerge as the rulers of the world. Isn''t that how survival of the fittest works? This reminds me, if you hadn''t informed him of what I had done back then, how did he know everything I did?" Dominic glared at Kendrick, and a trace of hatred flashed through his originally calm, sharp eyes.

 Chapter 1200 The Contract With Adrian

    Kendrick looked pained as he looked straight into Dominic''s eyes. "I had to do it! I wanted to prevent you from making the biggest mistake of your life!" he shouted back.

    "Lies! Don''t you think I know? You had been waiting for that opportunity a long time ago! I know how worried you were that our father would hand over the leadership of the sect to me, not you. After all, we both know I''m better than you¡ªin terms of strength, talent, alchemy, and medical skills! So, you had to get rid of me then to secure your place as the next sect leader!" Dominic''s face darkened as he accused Kendrick.

    "Are you kidding me? Becoming the sect leader was never one of my plans! As long as there is someone who would be more capable than me, then I would gladly recognize their rule. But you are an exception! Ever since you were a child, you have been too ambitious! You are too arrogant for your own good and you only think of yourself! Do you think that''s an ideal leader? The Dignified Supernal Sect would be ruined if you ruled!" Kendrick countered back with equal fervor.

    "This is the reason why I established the Moon Shadow. I want to rub it in your fa

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    d also know that if my patience runs out, I won''t show mercy," Dominic threatened.

    Logan clenched his fists tightly and his body trembled. Knowing Dominic''s nature, he knew that he wasn''t lying. At this point, his only choice was to obey him and to continue helping him complete the plan on the Devil Kingdom.

    "I''ve sent people to keep an eye on you until the Devil Kingdom''s plan is completed, so you''d better not plan anything sketchy," Dominic reminded.

    "So be it." Logan glared at Dominic, and then soared into the sky.

    Just after Logan left, a terrifying soul shadow full of powerful evil aura suddenly appeared behind Dominic. The soul shadow whispered, "It has been one hundred years, and I finally have the chance to complete the contract with Adrian, the Prince of Devils. You did a good job. It seems that I have been right to choose you!"

    "Don''t forget our deal after you finish the contract," Dominic forewarned.

    "Don''t worry. As long as Adrian can come back to life, you will have everything you want," the soul shadow confidently promised.

    Then, Dominic and the soul shadow disappeared from the vast deserted area...

 Chapter 1201 Enter The Tomb Again

    After leaving the Dignified Supernal Sect, Zachary, Anna, and Andrew made a detour along the coast of the Canopy Kingdom before reaching the Devil Kingdom a few days later. The three were in search of a mysterious island only a few had been able to find. Although it was recorded on a map and had existed since ancient times, many fell short of finding it since the mysterious island itself was moving in unpredictable ways. Therefore, it was known as Ghost Island.

    According to the records written on the Five-God Stone Tablet, one of the Five-God Tombs stood on the Ghost Island, and this tomb could be opened by using the Wooden Spiritual Wand refined from a formula that Zachary had obtained.

    In short, if one wanted to find the tomb, one must first need to find the ever-traveling mysterious island. If they couldn''t figure out its moving pattern, it would be impossible for them to locate it.

    But for Zachary, this was nothing but a slight inconvenience. Using the Five-God Compass, he could

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    ic castle held by the wooden columns which made it seem as if it were floating midair. The fear they felt was immediately replaced by a sense of admiration, as they looked at the magnificent structure, amazed.

    "Wow! It''s actually floating in the sky..." Andrew exclaimed, looking very excited. After all, the Five-God Tombs had been the ultimate goal of every warrior since ancient times. Even he was no exception.

    Zachary and Anne also looked at each other. It was not the first time they had seen such a tomb, but every time they saw it, they couldn''t help but be overwhelmed with the feeling of amazement.

    The dozen wooden roots that shot high above slowly intertwined with each other to form a spiral staircase extending below. The tomb then slowly descended towards the God Worship Island before stopping midway in the air.

    "Let''s go up." Zachary nodded to Anne and Andrew.

    Then, the three of them took the long-winded staircase before a circular entrance appeared in front of them.

 Chapter 1202 Terracotta Warrior Array

    When the three of them arrived at the entrance, they found out that there were no steps after it. Only a narrow passage that extended diagonally was available to walk through. It was inclined upwards, and only one person at a time could pass through.

    "Sir, please lead the way," Zachary requested Andrew.

    "What? Why me?" Andrew protested.

    "Because if there are some powerful gears in this passage, your body is more suitable to be used as a shield," Zachary reasoned out.

    Andrew glared at him. However, he knew that Zachary''s suggestion made sense¡ªthe tomb was indeed dangerous. However, compared to his companions'' physique, he could withstand it better if there were any traps along their way. Furthermore, if his body got accidentally destroyed, it could be easily repaired. Hence, even though he was against the idea, he knew it was the right thing to do. With this in mind, he went in first and entered the narrow passage.

    When Andrew stepped inside, Zachary and Anne cautiously followed suit.

    As soon as they entered the tomb''s mouth, they saw Andrew a few meters away from them, smashing several thick thorn-shaped columns with his fists. Large pieces of debris fell down, and Zachary and Anne dodged each of them adeptly.

    "Watch out. There''s a ge

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    an arrow, which accelerated towards the targeted statue.

    Bang!

    When the arrow made contact, the statue was completely unharmed. To make matters worse, its eyes started to glow an ominous shade of red. A sound cracked, and the statue stood up from the ground, making it appear taller. It opened its mouth, and a shrill and deafening scream came out. The sound waves from the statue caused the other terracotta warriors to become powerful tenfold. Anne and Andrew seemed distressed when they witnessed this.

    "What''s going on? Why didn''t the Devilish Crossbow work?!" Frustrated, Zachary couldn''t help saying it out loud.

    "Hodge, watch out!" Anne suddenly shouted.

    A gust of cold wind whipped behind Zachary''s ear. He turned around to see who attacked him¡ªit turned out that two terracotta warriors were rushing towards him. There was an obviously strong killing intent wafting from them.

    Zachary was quick to think on his feet. Without missing a single beat, he released Jules'' power. An astonishing flame rushed out of his body, turning into two streams of fire and burning the two terracotta warriors to ashes.

    However, before they knew it, the three of them were absolutely surrounded by hundreds of powerful terracotta warriors. They were in a pinch!

 Chapter 1203 Weapons Soul

    "Anne, why can''t my Devilish Crossbow destroy the source of the array? With the power it possesses, it should''ve made short work of the stone statue." Worried, Zachary turned to Anne for some answers.

    "I don''t know either. But as soon as the arrow hit it, it was obvious that its power was instantly weakened. It''s possible that the statue is made up of a special material that absorbs any attack that comes its way, making it invulnerable to damage," Anne speculated.

    "Then how can we destroy it? If it can absorb any power thrown at it, wouldn''t that make it invincible?" Zachary frowned even more at the thought of this.

    "Cut the crap and find a way out, or else we''ll die here!" Andrew cursed in frustration.

    "Since it''s useless to attack the statue head-on, we can only hope to get near to it and stop whatever gear that is controlling it," Anne said after thinking for a while.

    "Are you sure that the stone statue is controlled by a gear?" Zachary asked immediately

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    at the shadow with much curiosity.

    "Weapon''s soul? I guess that''s good! I didn''t expect that the Ice Armor could produce such a thing." ''A loss may turn out to be a gain, '' Zachary murmured in his heart.

    "I can only say that the Ice Armor is a very powerful Divine Level treasure. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be able to form a soul of its own. But it seems like its soul is still not stable. To make it a mature one, it still needs special training," Anne closely analyzed the blurry shadow.

    "Let''s talk about it later. I don''t want to stay here any longer." With that, Zachary withdrew his Ice Armor. The ice shadow shone brightly before disappearing into thin air.

    Then, the three of them quickly went through the straight path as fast as they could.

    Of course, the three of them still encountered many dangers along the way. And although their opponents weren''t as strong as the terracotta warriors, they still found themselves gasping for breath after every encounter.

 Chapter 1204 The Strange Mummy

    In the end, Zachary, Anne, and Andrew managed to enter the deepest, most mysterious area of the tomb where the God of War¡ªAlex¡ªwas buried.

    By then, they reached a magnificent burial chamber that looked less like a somber tomb and more like a grand palace. It covered an area of at least a thousand square meters that was lavishly furnished with luxurious architecture and decadent furnishings. Even the surrounding walls were made of gold.

    At the center of one of these walls was an enormous map measuring about five meters high and eight meters wide. Displayed on it was the terrain of the entire Supernal Continent, the various areas comprising it shown in different colors. However, these areas were different from the four great kingdoms currently known. This map was divided into five different regions instead, each marked with a different rune.

    "This must be the map showing the distribution of the forces when the Five Gods were still alive. It''s said that back then, the forces representing the Five Gods were constantly at war. They all wanted to defeat each other and unify the Supern

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    my found themselves locked in fierce combat. For a moment, the entire chamber trembled under the violent force of the impact. It felt as though the ceiling would collapse on them at any moment.

    Once Zachary saw that Anne had successfully restrained the mummy, he swiftly made his way towards the golden coffin¡ªonly to find that there was nothing in it.

    "The pieces aren''t in the golden coffin?!" Zachary was shocked and immediately began to look elsewhere. Apart from the golden coffin, the entire burial chamber was empty and there appeared to be no trace of the Divine Level treasure pieces anywhere.

    "Anne, the fragments aren''t in here," Zachary informed Anne.

    "Check the area further. I can still hold it off for a while!" she told him.

    Zachary nodded and began to search the tomb carefully. However, he was left empty-handed after inspecting for fifteen minutes.

    Suddenly, a scream pierced through the air. Zachary turned around and saw that Anne had been injured by the mummy. Traces of blood could be seen on the corner of her mouth and her face had now turned ghostly pale.

 Chapter 1205 He Was Trapped

    When Zachary saw that Anne was injured, he summoned the Demonic Moon Dagger right away to help her. He waved the weapon a few times, and streams of icy sword energy poured out and went straight to the mummy, with the latter''s back facing the dagger. Boom! Boom!

    Boom!

    All of the sword energy landed on the mummy''s back, bursting out dazzling light. However, when the light dissipated, they noticed that Alex, the God of War, was absolutely unscathed. He didn''t even have a single wound on his mummy-like form. His defensive power was overwhelmingly tough to break.

    Zachary''s attack backfired. Since he tried to assault the mummy, the latter became furious. The latter immediately changed his course towards Zachary. In just a span of mere seconds, he was already a few meters away from Zachary, with his violent energy bursting forth.

    Luckily, something caught Zachary''s attention at that exact moment. There was a fragment inserted on the crack inside the mummy''s chest.

    "Is this what I''m looking for?" Zachary didn''t know whether he should laugh or cry. Now, the mummy was leaps and bound

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    und and put his arms around the mummy, trying to stop the mummy from moving forward.

    After Anne got hold of the fragment, her face became cold. Of course, she couldn''t leave Zachary behind. But just as she was about to make a move, Zachary suddenly released a powerful gust of energy towards her, pushing her away from the tomb, where she could be safe. In the blink of an eye, the door of the chamber suddenly closed, separating Anne from the tomb.

    Anne''s heart sank. She immediately unleashed a few streams of Holy Level energy, trying to break the door open. However, the door was sealed shut, as if it was made of some special material that couldn''t be broken through.

    "Where is that brat?" At this time, a voice suddenly came from the side.

    Anne immediately looked back and saw Andrew craning his neck from one side.

    "He is trapped inside! This is all your fault!" Anne angrily accused.

    "Why does it have anything to do with me!?" Andrew glared back.

    "If you hadn''t run away, he could''ve escaped, too!" Anne, who had always been quiet and gentle, lost her temper and shouted.

 Chapter 1206 His Memories

    "I told you this is something we cannot deal with and yet you didn''t listen to me!" Feeling wronged, Andrew told her off.

    "Oh please, cut the crap and find a way to save him! If anything happens to him, I''ll tear you limb from limb myself!" Anne bit back with her blood boiling in anger.

    A chill went down Andrew''s spine. This was the first time he had seen Anne angry, and he knew she always meant everything she said. So, he hurried over to her and tried to think of a solution.

    "The door of this tomb is made up of a special stone that absorbs power, just like that man-faced stone statue we encountered before. It''s futile to use sheer force to try and break ourselves in..." Anne put her hand on the door and said with a frown.

    "If that''s the case, then there should be a gear nearby that opens the door. Let''s look for it!" Andrew suggested.

    "That''s all we can do." With a nod, the two of them split up and looked for the gear.

    As the two scoured every inch of the door, Zachary was locke

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    e completely integrated the memory of the mummy.

    At the same time, he felt his strength had been replenished and had suddenly reached the top of the Sage Level.

    At the same time, with one last glance, the mummy slowly walked back to his coffin and laid down. His shining eyes began to dim, as he eventually turned back into a lifeless corpse.

    "I''m so sorry to disturb you!" After respectfully bowing three times towards the coffin, Zachary closed it again.

    The moment the golden coffin closed, the door behind him immediately opened.

    As he stepped out of the tomb, he was greeted by two figures, Anne and Andrew.

    "Are you okay?" Anne asked as she gave him a tight hug

    "I''m fine!" Zachary told her.

    "Brat, how did your aura increase so much?" The first thing Andrew noticed was Zachary''s aura being much stronger than before.

    "Well, what do you think?" Zachary smiled.

    "What? No way! Have you obtained the power of the God of War?!" Andrew guessed, his eyes wide open in surprise.

 Chapter 1207 The Alliance

    "Well, to be exact, the only thing I have obtained is his memory," Zachary frankly informed Andrew.

    "Memory?!" Andrew repeated, looking absolutely incredulous.

    "We still have more pressing matters to attend to. We can discuss it later. I have to confirm something first. We''re going somewhere. Follow me," Zachary instructed as he led the way.

    Curious, Anne and Andrew looked at each other, but followed him.

    Together, the three of them went through a long passage and arrived at another secret chamber. From the looks of it, it had been ages since it was last visited since the door had already melded with stone walls around. It looked like a part of the cave already. If one did not carefully observe the surroundings, they could easily miss the seamless-looking door.

    Zachary slowly reached out his hand to push the door open. As his fingers inched closer, an astonishing spiritual pressure gushed out from inside the door to his body

    "What a strong essential power!" When Anne felt the pressure, she was surprised.

    "This is the core of this tomb. The reason why it can float in the air is because it is supported by the essential power here," Zachary calmly

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    d her story. There was a sense of anger and sadness from her tone. It felt like she was holding back her tears.

    "Really? But from the memories I have of the God of War, he isn''t as bad as you perceived him to be. In fact, he even saved you many times. The reason why he acted indifferently towards you because he wanted you to grow up to be strong and independent. In his heart, he had always seen you as family," Zachary revealed.

    "Nonsense!" Obviously, Evelyn refused to believe this. At this point, her body was trembling in anger. In an instant, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled on the top of the thunder clouds. A fierce wind was blowing, and the violent aura filled the surrounding. It was frightening to behold.

    "If you''re uncomfortable, then I won''t press you further. But let me ask you, why did the alliance eventually fall apart? Was there an internal strife?" Zachary asked.

    "Internal strife? The alliance was just an excuse. Adrian and I were truly allied from the start, and Jules was just a chess piece for us to use," Evelyn sneered arrogantly.

    "Wasn''t he your first love? It seems a little too cruel to treat him like this..." Zachary frowned.

 Chapter 1208 Her Love For Jules

    "What do you know? Even though he first laid eyes on me, I was not his true love. Instead, he fell head over heels for that bitch..." Evelyn sighed deeply with a hint of hatred.

    "You''re referring to the descendant of the Long Tribe, right?" Zachary asked.

    "Yes. If it weren''t for that man-stealing bitch, I would have long married Jules and unified the Supernal Continent in the process." Evelyn couldn''t contain her anger as she firmly gritted her teeth.

    "So the reason you allied with Adrian was that you resented Jules?" Zachary guessed.

    "No, actually at the time, I still had a glimmer of hope since the descendant of the Long Tribe suddenly died of some illness. I patiently waited for Jules to come back to me and I would still welcome him with open arms after all he''d done. But what did he do instead? He tried to bring that woman back to life. That was when I realized that he would never love me back. Blinded with rage, I invited him to come join us, promising to him that we''ll help to revive her. He knew that he needed a lot

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    hat he fell in love with the wrong person." The joy in her eyes suddenly disappeared the moment she remembered the fact.

    "But you can''t choose the person you fall in love with! I think it''s better if you finally move on," Zachary persuaded.

    "Forget the past and move on? If it was only as simple as that, then I wouldn''t be here right now. But since he''s still alive, maybe this is finally my chance to change his mind and make him come back to me," Evelyn said confidently.

    "You have to be revived first!" Zachary couldn''t help but smile.

    "Please get me out of here as soon as possible. No matter what method you have, I can promise you that after I get out, I will no longer think about unifying the Supernal Continent. All I want to do is to see Jules again and stay with him forever," she pleaded.

    "How can I be sure that you''re telling the truth?" Zachary had expected this reaction of her. And this was part of his plan. He wanted to use Jules to control Evelyn, but he couldn''t completely believe everything that she said.

 Chapter 1209 The Four Great Kingdoms Were In Great Turmoil

    "I can sign a contract with you using my life. I''m willing to offer my soul. If I break my promise after I go out, you can destroy the contract¡ªmy soul will perish along with it," Evelyn decidedly told Zachary.

    In return, he crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows, seemingly amused. "Well, it looks like you have made up your mind. But even if I give you my full trust, I''m afraid it still won''t be easy for you to get out. If you want to be revived, you have to log in to the beauty collection mode and sign a contract with me. Then, you will improve your friendship level with me. Only when our friendship reaches a certain extent can I take you out. It''ll take a lot of time," Zachary told her for transparency''s sake.

    "That''s going to take too long. Is there any way we can expedite this process?" Evelyn rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She was obviously determined to make this happen since she wanted to see Jules as soon as she could.

    "I won''t know until I ask the system," Zachary told her. Then, he hesitantly added, "To be completely honest with you, I don''t think it''s safe to let you out of the system just yet. With your obsession with Jules, you might get crazy if he rejects you. Who knows what kind of

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    safety instead of assisting the Dignified Supernal Sect against their vile enemy. This was the reason why the Moon Shadow was able to fulfill their plan without a hitch. They were certain that the other powerful clans and sects couldn''t care less.

    To make matters even worse, there were some forces who were struggling with an internal strife due to a ruckus the Moon Shadow created. This was to ensure they would be too preoccupied with themselves to even assist the Dignified Supernal Sect.

    Not long ago, a big event had just happened in the Devil Kingdom, which made the people in the four great kingdoms even more panic.

    The Xiao Clan, which was one of the top forces in the Devil Kingdom, suddenly had their master changed overnight. Daniel, who had always wanted to become the master of the Xiao Clan, took over the power smoothly. Jaxon, their former master, got seriously injured in the battle and was forced to escape from the Xiao Clan Castle. As soon as he acquired his leadership, Daniel announced that the Xiao Clan would no longer be affiliated to the Devil Kingdom. It became independent under his rule.

    When this surprising news came out, it caused an uproar among the people of the Devil Kingdom.

 Chapter 1210 Go Back To Xiao Clan Again

    With the change of the Xiao Clan''s leader and their clan''s betrayal, the Devil Kingdom was in chaos. The Xiao Clan was one of the major forces within their kingdom. Without them, the Devil Kingdom became terribly weaker and their morale was heavily affected. Thus, the Moon Shadow took advantage of this situation and used it for their own good.

    A few days ago, the Xuanyuan Clan, the premium stage clan of the Devil Kingdom, was suddenly attacked by countless warriors sent by the Moon Shadow. In the end, they managed to salvage the situation through a few secluded Holy Level warriors of their clan. But even so, they still suffered heavy losses. Most of them were wiped out with the assault.

    Unfortunately, this situation happened not only in the Devil Kingdom. The same thing took place in the Enigmatic Kingdom and the Vanity Kingdom. Therefore, the Supernal Continent had been overturned by the Moon Shadow, and the situation was not about to get better any time soon.

    Although the Dignified Supernal Sect had made their best efforts and was supported by the four martial colleges, they were still one step behind the Moon Shadow. Everything was unpredictable at that point. The Dignified Supernal Se

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    ould definitely make trouble again.

    "I''m not going to ask you either. Go back to the Fairy Island with Anne and wait for me there. In addition to the Xiao Clan, I plan to go to several other premium stage clans and sects to see if I can persuade them," Zachary stated.

    "Be careful. The Moon Shadow has spread its influence all over the Supernal Continent. Try your best not to conflict with them head-on," Anne warned.

    "Of course." Zachary gave her a reassuring nod.

    Then, Anne and Andrew flew back to the Fairy Island, while Zachary flew straight to Alexander City of the Devil Kingdom.

    When Zachary flew into the city, he found that the whole city was sparsely populated. It was not as lively and prosperous as before. Moreover, there were many disciples of the Xiao Clan patrolling the city. They all looked nervous as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

    Zachary continued approaching. He flew directly above the city and finally arrived at the Xiao Clan Castle. When he appeared in front of the tall gate, the disciples guarding the gate surrounded him, looking vigilant.

    "Please inform your current leader, Daniel, that I want to see him!" Zachary announced straight to the point.

 Chapter 1211 Fighting Zachary Together

    "Brat, how dare you call our leader by his name? You should refer to him as Leader Daniel, understand?" The fierce man leading the team, who was a disciple of the Xiao Clan, was irked by Zachary''s arrogance.

    "Well, in that case, then please inform Leader Daniel of my arrival," Zachary said as his eyes narrowed.

    "Our leader is not someone you can see at will. The Xiao Clan is currently under martial law, which even adds to the reasons why our leader won''t see you. If you are a sensible man, you should leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire!" The disciple continued to speak arrogantly.

    "Really? So you''re saying that if I want to see Daniel, I have to force my way in?" Zachary said indifferently as he started to walk towards the gate.

    "Stop him!" the leader of the team immediately ordered his comrades.

    The other guards wasted no time and immediately moved towards Zachary, showing much skill and prowess. But as soon as they got into arm-reach of him, they were instantly thrown away by a

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    in.

    Daniel''s face twitched in anger after he heard his words. How dare an arrogant and boastful man break into his clan and reject his kind offer?

    Everyone inside the hall was staring fiercely at Zachary, itching to tear him apart limb from limb.

    "What? You guys have a problem with that? Then come fight me!" Zachary provoked each and everyone in the room without even batting an eye.

    The people of the Xiao Clan in the hall were furious to hear that. They all thought that the man was too arrogant. The senior members at the premium stage of Imperial Level all got up and rushed towards him in unison. But before they could even catch a whiff of him, Zachary waved his hand as powerful energy instantly blew them away as if they were nothing but flies. The energy formed a dazzling arc of light in the air, wreaking havoc on the entire conference hall.

    Zachary then unleashed his powerful sword energy, and before the senior members knew it, their limbs were now scattered all over the ground as blood gushed out of them.

 Chapter 1212 The Death Of Daniel

    When Daniel and the elders saw everything unfold, they were visibly taken aback. Their clan''s senior members were above the premium stage of Imperial Level. They couldn''t even withstand a casual sword aura Zachary released. Obviously, they had underestimated the newcomer''s capacity.

    "You killed Vivian! You will pay with your life, Daniel." Zachary was livid. Malicious aura emanated from his form, making everyone around him cower in fear.

    "Kill me? I don''t think you have the ability for it, boy. Don''t think you can do whatever you want just because you hurt several senior members of our clan. It''ll take more than that to kill me, bastard!" Daniel shouted as his face darkened. Zachary was getting on his nerves, but he still pretended to be unbothered.

    Meanwhile, the other elders sensed the danger between them so they stood in front of Daniel to protect him.

    Itching to land his fists on Daniel, Zachary narrowed his eyes and prepared to attack. Suddenly, a low voice came from outside. "Sir, please stop!"

    Curious, Zachary turned around to check who the owner of the voice was. There, he saw Goliath''s frantic form, running towards them in gold and black robes.

    "Goliath?" Zachary narrowed his eyes at the sudden i

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    and ruins.

    On the other hand, Goliath and a handful of disciples from the Xiao Clan were waiting outside the conference hall. When they saw Daniel''s severed head on Zachary''s fingers, they trembled with fear. They were all afraid that they would suffer the same fate as Daniel did.

    "Listen up, everyone. Daniel had colluded with the Moon Shadow and committed a heinous crime. On behalf of the Dignified Supernal Sect, I took it into my own hands to eliminate him. From now on, the Xiao Clan is temporarily under the control of the Dignified Supernal Sect. If you have any objection, you can step forward and challenge me," Zachary announced, looking around the people of the Xiao Clan with an intimidating expression.

    Upon hearing this, all the members of the Xiao Clan turned deathly pale. No one dared to object. They didn''t even dare to take a deep breath.

    When he was met with silence among the disciples, Zachary walked towards Goliath, who was just standing nearby.

    "I buried Vivian in the mountain nearby. I wanted to save her, but it was too late. However, the real murderer is not Daniel¡ªit''s Jaxon and his son. I didn''t expect that he would sacrifice his daughter just to live longer," Goliath grimly mentioned.

 Chapter 1213 Tracy Appeared

    For a moment, Zachary took in this information and kept silent. Until finally, he asked, "Do you know where Jaxon and his son are hiding?"

    "According to the information I got from the Moon Shadow, they seem to have sought the protection of the Shura College. They should be hiding there," Goliath replied.

    "Alright. I''ll go there to find them. You and your father should leave the Xiao Clan as soon as possible," Zachary instructed.

    "You want to go to the Shura College alone? You must be kidding me! You''re basically digging your own grave if you barge in there to look for them! The Shura College is no longer what it used to be. Right now, it is littered with powerful Sage Level warriors, and there are also some secluded Holy Level warriors." Goliath was extremely aghast. He thought that Zachary was overestimating himself. While it was true that Zachary was strong enough to kill Daniel and the Xiao Clan elders, it still didn''t matter if he was faced against the Shura College¡ªit was a way different league. The college had called forth their Holy Level warriors in seclusion to counter the Moon Shadow. With them guarding their territory, Zachar

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    on''t think so. I haven''t even seen you before," Tracy icily spat out.

    "But you must know Harley," Zachary said firmly.

    "Harley? Do you know Harley?" She felt strange when Harley''s name was mentioned. She hadn''t heard the name for a long time and she thought she would never hear it again.

    "Yes, I know him, and we are friends in misfortune." Zachary nodded.

    "Then, you should also know that Harley has died, but in a different identity. His reputation is painted as a traitor who has betrayed the Supernal Continent and colluded with the Moon Shadow." Tracy knew Harley''s real identity long ago. So back when she learned that Zachary had been declared dead, she knew that she would never hear or see Harley ever again. Before he died, he publicly betrayed the Celestial College, making himself an enemy of the entire Supernal Continent. Therefore, whether he was dead or alive, mentioning his name out loud was taboo.

    "Do you believe Harley is a traitor?" Zachary softly asked her.

    "I don''t know." Tracy shook her head with uncertainty. With how she knew her former friend, it was out of his character to betray and work for the Moon Shadow.

 Chapter 1214 Im Her Fiance

    "If you trust Harley''s integrity, then you should hold on to that." Zachary gave her a small smile. Then, he added, "I followed you since I have a favor to ask you. Is that okay?"

    Tracy kept his gaze on Zachary for a while, carefully studying his character. "Since you are Harley''s friend, I will try my best to do what I can. What do you want me to do?" Tracy replied after hesitating for a moment. Zachary had saved her life before, but she never had the chance to repay him for it.

    "It wouldn''t take much of your time. I just want to know where Jaxon and his son are hiding in the Shura College." Zachary smirked.

    "Jaxon and his son? Why are you looking for them?" Tracy narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

    "I just want to ask them a few questions. That''s all." Zachary had his hands on his back. Although he sounded cold and nonchalant, there was a trace of malice evident in his eyes.

    "I''m going to need more than that. Specify what you want to do," Tracy pressed. The man before her appeared all of a sudden, and introduced himself as Harley''s friend. All of this sounded sketchy for her¡ªshe couldn''t be fooled easily.

    "Do you really want full disclosure?" Zachary asked, raising his eyebrows.

    "Of course." Tracy nodded.

    "I''m going

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    oned.

    Then, after a while, Tracy nodded and went straight towards a certain direction, with Zachary following closely behind her.

    The both of them flew for ten more minutes until finally, they arrived at a secluded courtyard near the college.

    "Jaxon and his son are hiding here. If I didn''t have anyone lead the way, it would be difficult to find them. Thank you for your help, Tracy," Zachary mentioned.

    Tracy looked at him and instructed, "You can go in now."

    "Aren''t you coming with me?" Zachary questioned.

    "No, I trust you." Tracy trusted Zachary more than anyone. Of course, she did all this to repay him for saving her life before.

    "I owe you this favor. No matter what happens today, Jaxon must die!" Zachary gave her a resolute nod and smiled at her gratefully. In addition to avenging Vivian''s death, he had another reason to find Jaxon. Now that Daniel was gone, the Xiao Clan had no leader. Jaxon still remained as the orthodox leader of the Xiao Clan. Even though Zachary claimed that the Xiao Clan would be taken over by the Dignified Supernal Sect, as long as Jaxon was alive, he could return to their clan and take leadership again. Therefore, if Zachary wanted to take full control, he must wipe Jaxon out for good.

 Chapter 1215 Revenge

    "I''m not coming with you. Let''s just pretend we''ve never seen each other. Although you''re not dead, your identity shouldn''t be exposed right now. Moreover, I''m still a member of the Shura College. It''s against the rules to bring you here. I might get into trouble if they find out I''m the one responsible for your presence here. You''re here to avenge Vivian''s death. Even if I wanted to stop you, I don''t think I could do it anyway," Tracy explained. The both of them nodded respectfully at each other and went separate ways.

    After she left, Zachary put on his hood and went straight into the courtyard. However, when he stepped inside, a dozen of figures appeared and stood in his way.

    Zachary skimmed his eyes among the warriors. He realized that they were all at the Imperial Level. ''They must be Jaxon''s confidants, '' he thought as he narrowed his eyes.

    Then, one of figures called him out, "Who are you? How dare you sneak into this place!" He was clad in pristine white robes.

    "If you don''t want to die, then let me be. You are not my target," Zachary coldly stated.

    This irked another one of the warriors. "You fucking bastard! Who do you think you are?! Don''t you dare barge in here and talk big!" another warrior cursed.

    However, right after he had finished his sentence, he w

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    He thought that the Xiao Clan was still under Daniel''s control. Hence, anything what could be a threat to his status would be eliminated, and Harley was originally on Jaxon''s side. Therefore, he believed that if Harley returned to the Xiao Clan, Daniel would stop at nothing to make sure he never left the place alive.

    "Really? It looks like things ended differently from what you thought. I managed to get out of there alive. In fact, I even put Daniel''s head before Vivian''s grave," Zachary nonchalantly answered.

    "W-What? You killed Daniel? You''re bluffing. With his strength, it''s impossible for you to take him on your own." Jaxon paled when he heard that Zachary had killed Daniel.

    The rest of them, even the three elders of the Xiao Clan, were just as surprised as he was.

    "I''ll ask you one more time. How did Vivian die?" Zachary''s eyes blazed with fire.

    "V-Vivian... Vivian was killed by Daniel." Under Zachary''s fiery gaze, Jaxon couldn''t help but stammer. He lied, fearing that he might die if Zachary learned that he murdered his own daughter.

    "Can''t you even be more pathetic, Jaxon? She''s your daughter! Why can''t you admit that she died under your hands? Why do you keep on lying?!" Zachary was beyond angry. He glared at Jaxon and Anthony with unexplainable madness.

 Chapter 1216 Killing Jaxon And His Son

    "She''s my daughter. Her death has nothing to do with you!" Jaxon snorted, sensing that Zachary had learned the truth.

    "Cut the crap!" Anthony chimed in. "Since he killed Uncle Daniel, he''s here to kill us as well," he said as he turned towards his father.

    "If he really did kill Daniel, then he must be prepared. Be careful, he may have brought a whole army with him." Jaxon was no fool to underestimate the man in front of him. He knew that Zachary wouldn''t just break into the Shura College without a plan.

    "I admit, you''re smart, but I''m afraid you got something wrong. I came here all on my own." Zachary smiled.

    "Impossible! You couldn''t have killed Daniel on your own!" Jaxon refused to be swayed by his words.

    "Oh, you''ll know soon enough how powerful I really am," Zachary said with his arms wide open.

    "Father, stop talking to such a useless man! Let''s fight him together. He won''t stand a chance against all of us!" Anthony was itching to teach Zachary a lesson since they had the advantage in numbers.

    After a brie

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    ic. Dominic originally planned to use the power of the clan to deal with other sects at the premium stage," Logan explained.

    "Oh, I see. In that case, I killed two birds with one stone," Zachary said with a smile.

    "Sort of. Since Daniel died, the Xiao Clan would spiral into chaos. Now that Jaxon''s dead too, they will also have no leader to guide them. Dominic will never see this coming. This might be the best chance for the Dignified Supernal Sect to finally take control of the Xiao Clan. I thought you must think the same way, or you wouldn''t be so merciless to kill them." Logan saw through what was on Zachary''s mind. Zachary killed Jaxon for him, and it was a good thing that had fulfilled his wish.

    "That''s just one of the reasons why I killed them." Zachary shook his head.

    "Is there any other reason?" Logan asked. He was oblivious that Zachary also wanted to avenge Vivian''s death.

    "It''s all over. There''s no need to talk about it." He brushed off the question.

    "So what are you going to do next?" Logan asked.

 Chapter 1217 The Attack Plan

    "Between the two opposing forces, the Moon Shadow currently has the upper hand. Save for the four martial colleges, all the other sects and clans the Dignified Supernal Sect had invited declined, uninterested to be entangled in the battle between the two. If this keeps up, Dominic would be impossible to defeat. After all he is very cunning and he had already planned everything. I''m going to go to the Devil Kingdom to persuade more clans and sects to gather more forces against him," Zachary explained his objectives.

    "Your idea sounds reasonable, but Dominic had already anticipated this. Therefore, he has already issued a warning to all the sects and clans in advance. If any of them supported the Dignified Supernal Sect, they would be exterminated. If faced with such a threat, anyone would naturally choose to protect themselves. Your sect may be powerful and influential, but it isn''t enough to risk their own factions. It would be difficult to change their minds. You can''t do this on your own," Logan concernedly replied. He wasn''t downplaying Zachary''s skill or anything; he was just being realistic. The Dignifie

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    med that Daniel had indeed been killed.

    Soon enough, a senior Sage Level warrior of the Xiao Clan walked up to the three elders and cupped his hands. "Sirs, Leader Daniel and several elders of the Xiao Clan have been killed by a mysterious man. Moreover, he told us that he came from the Dignified Supernal Sect and that we are currently under their control. It''s truly outrageous. We''d rather have our former leader come back than be ruled by some outsiders. I wonder where Leader Jaxon is now."

    When they heard this, the three elders looked at each other worriedly. At the mention of the mysterious man, they immediately knew who they were referring to. The only reason they were alive right now was because they vowed to Zachary not to tell anyone the truth. Therefore, one of the elders spoke up. "We don''t know the whereabouts of Leader Jaxon either. We came back this time because we heard that the Dignified Supernal Sect has taken over the Xiao Clan. They are the most influential and powerful hidden sect in the Supernal Continent. Under their leadership, the Xiao Clan may be able to advance to a higher level."

 Chapter 1218 Original Genome

    "But the person who killed Leader Daniel is from the Dignified Supernal Sect. Even if they harbor good intentions upon ruling our clan, don''t you think that their methods are too harsh?" the senior Sage Level warrior asked.

    They knew how ruthless Zachary handled their former leader and their clan elders. If this was their way of keeping them disciplined, it was still too inconsiderate and heartless. Many of them were doubtful of the Dignified Supernal Sect''s leadership.

    "Daniel? He deserved what happened to him! If he didn''t usurp the leadership of our clan, then things wouldn''t have ended up this way!" Elder Wade snapped.

    The Sage Level warrior was taken aback. He was momentarily speechless with the elder''s sudden interjection. Even the other members of the Xiao Clan felt silent¡ªdeep down they knew that it was true. Although the Xiao Clan had been divided into two groups before, its power kept on increasing. However, when Daniel caused ruckus within their clan, things went haywire. Lots of warriors above the Imperial Level were brutally murdered in the process, which made their total power decrease. Due to his selfish motives, the Xiao Clan

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    ary explained. The Mutation Pills worked on the genome of the treasure beasts. It was the reason why it was very effective and powerful. Although the genetic makeup of the treasure beasts differed from each other, after his research, he found that there was a hidden genome in the bodies of all the treasure beasts. He named it the "original genome".

    This served as the foundation of the treasure beasts'' ability, which made them distinct from martial beasts. It was also the only thing all the treasure beasts had in common. Therefore, after discovering the original genome, Zachary tried to modify it with the help of genetic modification technology and alchemy. Through his rigorous research, the treasure beasts could mutate from the root and improve their overall ability and strength.

    Before he left the God Worship Island, he was able to complete the alteration of the original genome¡ªit could be achieved through pills.

    However, since the materials used to refine the pills were limited, Zachary had only temporarily produced thirty of these pills. He didn''t expect that he would use these pills so soon. But they were being helpful at this point.

 Chapter 1219 Pollard Ran Away From Home

    "Are the Mutation Pills really that powerful?!" Goliath asked in surprise. Never in his life had he encountered a pill that could improve a treasure beast''s strength by an entire realm. The most surprising fact was it could be done just by consuming a pill. Even the rarest beast treasures couldn''t achieve this feat in such a short period of time.

    "You''ll eventually see its magic up close. Finish the task as soon as you can, because I''m going to need these mutated beasts soon." After Zachary clarified everything to Goliath, he handed him the jar filled with pills.

    Goliath immediately kept it to safety as soon as he received it.

    "I''ll be heading to the Qiu Clan shortly to discuss matters with Leader Jace. I''ve already informed the leader of the Dignified Supernal Sect about the Xiao Clan''s current state, so he should send someone to take over in a few days. So, while there is no incumbent leader, I''m going to put you in charge. If you run into any sort of trouble, don''t hesitate to inform me," Zachary ordered.

    "Don''t worry. I have spies in the Moon Shadow. If anything happens, I''ll let you know." Goliath nodded.

    Once he had settled everything in the Xiao Clan, he went to the Qiu Clan as fast as he could.

    It took him

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    ter was strongly against it and demanded that Pollard should marry into the Phoenix Pavilion. Of course, my father wouldn''t agree. After all, Pollard is the heir of the Qiu Clan, and he can''t marry into the Phoenix Pavilion and become their member since their marriage. So, in the end, the discussion ended on bad terms." Polly explained everything.

    "Then why did he run away from home?" Zachary confusedly asked her. As far as he knew, it was out of Pollard''s character to do something so rash out of love.

    "After returning from the Phoenix Pavilion, my father was worried that Pollard would be heartbroken and do stupid things. Therefore, he asked me to accompany him when he entered the forbidden area of our clan for special cultivation. In half a year, he and I have made rapid progress in our strength, and both of us have broken through to the Sage Level. But just after Pollard broke through to the Sage Level, he left. We all thought that he had gone to see Joan. But when we went to the Phoenix Pavilion to look for him, he wasn''t there. We heard that he did intend to visit Joan in the Phoenix Pavilion, but he never made it to see her. He just disappeared without a trace and none of us knew where he is now," Polly sadly replied.

 Chapter 1220 Meeting Jace

    "Although Pollard is a bold individual, I think it''s out of his character to cut out all the people in his life in just a snap." Zachary murmured upon learning the situation. Something felt strange about Pollard''s sudden disappearance. He knew him well, and he was certain that he wouldn''t pull off such a thing.

    "Exactly. We''ve been so worried about him. Who knows? He might have encountered some danger on his way. Or... or... he might''ve taken things too hard and..." Polly couldn''t finish her sentence. Tears welled up in her eyes again as she feared for the worst.

    "I don''t think so. Pollard is stronger than we think. The rejection might''ve hurt him, but I know for sure that he could handle it well. Maybe he just ran away for a while to collect his own thoughts," Zachary said comforting her. Then, he consulted Polly again, "Haven''t you asked Joan about his whereabouts? Maybe she knows where Pollard went."

    "We thought so too, so she was the first person we ran to when we couldn''t find him. Unfortunately, the Holy Phoenix forbade us to see her. My father visited the Phoenix Pavilion severa

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    y cunning. He is very good at manipulating people''s mind and creating a deterrent. He ordered the assassination of the Dignity College''s dean. His purpose was to send a message of despair, making the sects and clans frightened at the Moon Shadow to lose their confidence and drop the fight," Zachary elucidated.

    "That''s true. Since you came here on purpose, this means you''re well-prepared to fight them, right?" Jace knew that Zachary did not arrive at the Qiu Clan empty-handed.

    "As soon as I reached the Devil Kingdom, I sent a great gift to the Moon Shadow." Zachary smirked.

    "Oh, tell me," Jace curiously pried.

    "We all know that the Xiao Clan has recently changed its leader and betrayed the Devil Kingdom," Zachary mentioned.

    "Of course we do. This is a big blow to the Devil Kingdom." Jace nodded.

    "The reason why Daniel rose to power was due to the secret support of the Moon Shadow. It was the reason why he managed to oust Jaxon. Of course, in return, the Moon Shadow wanted to use the Xiao Clan to deal with the other forces and make them kill each other," Zachary revealed.

 Chapter 1221 Borrowing Troops

    "Ah, I see. So that''s what happened. The Xiao Clan''s sudden change of their leader has always felt strange. After all, Jaxon held more power than Daniel. At normal circumstances, Daniel would have a difficult time seizing the power." Jace nodded his head and rubbed his chin.

    "Yes. It''s the reason why I killed Daniel. As we speak, the Xiao Clan is under the Dignified Supernal Sect''s control," Zachary nonchalantly informed them.

    When Polly and Jace heard this, they were utterly surprised. It had never crossed their minds that Zachary would be able to kill Daniel. The Xiao Clan had a solid defense and Daniel''s strength was no laughing matter. It was remarkable that Zachary was able to penetrate their territory and kill their leader.

    "What level are you currently in, Zachary?" Jace wanted to know. Zachary must be way stronger than before to pull off such a stunt.

    "Holy Level," Zachary honestly replied.

    "Holy Level?!" Jace repeated, completely flabbergasted with this revelation. He inhaled a deep breath and sighed. Even the youngest Holy Level warrior in the Supernal Continent''s history was twice as old as Zachary. At his age, it was practically a mi

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    re, I''m going to thicken my skin and shamelessly ask for your help."

    "I understand what you mean. I also want to help, but I''m not sure if we can provide what you need. Our clan has been in seclusion for the past hundred years. We did not do something that would purposely develop our force. We haven''t recruited people and even expanded our scale! We only have a thousand members in our clan. I don''t think we have plenty of powerful warriors you need in here," Jace frankly told him.

    "I understand. I won''t force you if it couldn''t be done. You just need to do what you can. What I need the most is the status and the authority of your clan in the Devil Kingdom. Once I help the Phoenix Pavilion repel the Moon Shadow, I want you to stand out and call the remaining forces to unite. Your authority would definitely boost everyone''s morale and urge them to join our side." Zachary had already planned everything.

    "But..." Jace was still hesitating. After all, he also had to take into account the fate of the Qiu Clan. If he failed to defeat the Moon Shadow, it would also be a heavy blow to his clan. Moreover, they could be targeted by the Moon Shadow afterwards.

 Chapter 1222 Phoenix Pool Pass

    "I think Zachary''s plan makes sense, dad. We''d better take the initiative rather than idly wait for our own demise. If the Moon Shadow completely invades the Devil Kingdom, our clan is doomed," Polly urged his father.

    In turn, Jace took a sharp breath and asked Zachary, "Are you sure you can help the Phoenix Pavilion repel the Moon Shadow?" He looked at him intently, trying to extract a confident answer from him¡ªsomething that would definitely assure him.

    "Although I am not one-hundred percent confident, I''m sure that the battle in the Phoenix Pavilion is a crucial turning point for the Devil Kingdom¡ªperhaps, even in the entire Supernal Continent. It''s the point where we either make it or break it. If you trust me, you can send me your best warriors. I will do everything in my power to make sure there would be little to no losses in your clan," Zachary fervently replied. He understood Jace''s concern, so he did his best to reassure him.

    "I trust you, of course. It''s just that it''s a little difficult to make a decision since this could be all or nothing," Jace stated. Then, after hesitating for a while, he had finally decided. "Fine. I''ll se

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    found in the foot of the mountain. The entrance was crowded with numerous warriors. It was called the Phoenix Pool Pass, which was located between the two isolated mountains. It served as a natural barrier that blocked the sole entrance to the Nine Phoenixes Mountain. This meant that one had to take down the Phoenix Pool Pass first to enter the Phoenix Pavilion''s domain.

    The hostile terrain served as an advantage for the Phoenix Pavilion. The Moon Shadow was having a hard time getting inside due to their territory''s topography. The terrain was perfect for defense and it made it difficult for the enemies to attack, so it was the toughest problem that the Moon Shadow had to conquer.

    However, once a small gap was formed in their defense, it could be easily blown away in a single attempt.

    This was the problem the Phoenix Pavilion was having. The Moon Shadow had been attempting to barge in their territory for a few days now. The Phoenix Pool Pass had been very helpful to keep them at bay, but their enemy had tactics of their own. They were consecutively sneaking large-scale attacks at the entrance, causing their defense to collapse gradually.

 Chapter 1223 Why Do You Think We Will Believe You!

    Meanwhile, inside the Phoenix Pavilion''s hall, their authorities were in a terrible conundrum. Holy Phoenix, along with some elders and their sect''s senior members, was racking her brain for avenues to keep the Moon Shadow at bay.

    "Ma''am, the food and medicine stored in our sect are going scarce! We had consumed a lot in these past few days. The Moon Shadow had also poisoned the water source near our base. The only potable water available for us is the spring water from the mountaintop. Unfortunately, the weather has been extremely cold as of late and the spring water would soon be frozen. In a few days, we may not even have water to drink. If this situation keeps up, we may be shoved in a much worse condition!" Stacey urgently reported. She was in charge of the Phoenix Pavilion''s logistics.

    "Ma''am, I think our best option is to break out of the encirclement and lead our people to safety. Even if we risk our lives to guard the Nine Phoenixes Mountain, we will still lose it sooner or later," Beverly, a senior elder of the Phoenix Pavilion, suggested.

    "We can hold on for two more days. When the Moon Shadow is getting the idea that they can''t pass through the defense to reach the Phoenix Pavilion after a few more d

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    e up her mind.

    "It''s too late. The Moon Shadow sets up a trap within a three-mile radius around the Nine Phoenixes Mountain. Even if you leave, you''d still end in their organization''s grasp. It''s possible that the Phoenix Pavilion could be completely annihilated!" Zachary bluntly warned her.

    "Who do you even think you are to just drop these statements to us? Do you think we''ll believe you? Why are you even here?" Harlow did not trust Zachary''s intel. She thought that he was exaggerating.

    "I came here because I brought a reinforcement team consisting of a thousand warriors," Zachary answered calmly.

    Holy Phoenix widened her eyes. All the members inside the hall were utterly surprised. They couldn''t believe that Zachary had brought such an astonishing number of warriors with him.

    "Did you really bring reinforcements here? But how could you summon so many warriors to support you in such a short time?" Holy Phoenix skeptically asked him.

    "I have my own methods. Since I brought a force that could offset the Moon Shadow, I want to know if you trust me or not," Zachary questioned, his eyes boring through Holy Phoenix''s irises. He wanted to win their sect over so they could be relied on once the time came.

 Chapter 1224 Commanding The Battle

    When Holy Phoenix heard Zachary''s offer, she felt a glimmer of hope. Of course, she knew that he wouldn''t go to great lengths in the Devil Kingdom just to help the Phoenix Pavilion¡ªthere had to be something he was after. "Okay, what''s the catch?" She narrowed his eyes at him.

    "I want to command the battle in the Phoenix Pavilion." Zachary laid out his terms.

    "Is this some kind of a joke? I don''t care which sect you came from. We can''t possibly hand our sect''s fate to an outsider," Harlow rebuffed.

    The other elders from the Phoenix Pavilion murmured and shook their heads. They felt that Zachary''s proposal was both greedy and reckless. Their situation as of the moment was critical, and they couldn''t just blindly trust anyone at this point. It was too risky.

    "I''m afraid I can''t agree. You are not a member of the Phoenix Pavilion. If I hand over the thousands of lives from our sect to you, I would be the one liable if anything happened to them!" Holy Phoenix despondently shook her head.

    "Are you willing to let the Phoenix Pavilion that has stood for a thousand years to be destroyed just like that?" Zachary challenged.

    "I have a responsibility to uphold in our sect! I will never hand ove

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    on to this person whose origin is unknown to us?"

    "Although we really don''t know where he comes from, he gives me a feeling that he could be trusted. He looks very confident that he can help us solve the crisis. Up to now, we have no way to retreat, and we are left with no other choice but to rely on him," Holy Phoenix sighed helplessly.

    Meanwhile, after Zachary and Polly left the hall, they swiftly went straight to the Phoenix Pool Pass.

    "Your plan has succeeded. Even Holy Phoenix would never come to think that you''re the one who secretly caused the opening in the Phoenix Pool Pass." Polly smirked, seemingly amused with Zachary''s methods.

    When the troops led by Zachary and Polly arrived, they found that the Moon Shadow still hadn''t broken through the first defense line of the Phoenix Pavilion¡ªit was a stalemate. Therefore, in order to create some pressure for the Phoenix Pavilion, Zachary had secretly helped the Moon Shadow to create a gap in the Phoenix Pool Pass. This successfully provoked their sect into trusting him. This also gave him a bargaining chip to negotiate with Holy Phoenix.

    Zachary tricked Holy Phoenix right from the start, so she could hand over the command to him!

 Chapter 1225 The Plan To Defeat The Enemy

    "Now that there''s an opening in the Phoenix Pool Pass, the Moon Shadow can break through the defense. How do you intend to repel them?" Polly worriedly consulted.

    "Who said I was going to ward them off? I actually plan to let them in." Zachary smirked in response.

    "What?!" Aghast, Polly stopped in her tracks and looked at Zachary. She had absolutely no idea what he was up to.

    Since Holy Phoenix had granted Zachary the full authority to command the battle, the elder who was handling their army transferred the full authority to Zachary.

    Just as Zachary had requested, Riley and Joan appeared to support him.

    "Polly? Why are you here?" Joan found it unexpected to see Polly within their sect''s premises.

    "Joan, do you know where Pollard is?" Polly asked straight to the point.

    Joan sighed and shook her head. "I haven''t seen him for a long time. Is he okay? Didn''t he go back home six months ago?"

    "No. He has been missing for half a year," Polly replied.

    "What?" Joan''s heart sank. She was surprised to hear that Pollard had been missing for such a long time. She was utterly clueless.

    "Yes, half a year ago, he ca

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    Level. The Moon Shadow deployed three thousand warriors to take the Phoenix Pavilion down Their army consisted mostly of disciples from sects at the medium stage or primary stage in the Devil Kingdom. Since their former clans and sects had been defeated by the Moon Shadow, they were forced to join the organization and work for them.

    Moreover, the three warriors who were leading them were all very talented. Previously, they had cooperated with spies lurking within the Xuanyuan Clan to attack them at night, causing the clan to suffer heavy losses and get an advantage. Although the three of them were eventually repelled by the Xuanyuan Clan, they still managed to create tremendous damage and weaken them significantly.

    With this recent victory, these three Moon Shadow warriors were confident that they could conquer the Phoenix Pavilion, too.

    Since the disciples guarding the Phoenix Pool Pass had retreated, they thought that the Phoenix Pavilion had finally given up on their defense. Their city wall was starting to break down and their best course of action was to abandon it. Naturally, this was in favor of the Moon Shadow.

 Chapter 1226 None Of You Can Escape Tonight

    The tense atmosphere was cut short when Remy, the strongest of the three Holy Level warriors suddenly said, "Colt, you''ll lead the vanguard to flank the Phoenix Pool Pass using the opening we''ve created. Once the Phoenix Pavilion is drawn to your location, Bowen and I will lead the charge along with the main army and seize the Phoenix Pool Pass in one fell swoop! This time, we''ll take them down. We won''t let the leader down again!"

    "Okay." Colt immediately nodded.

    Back then, Colt lost against Zachary in the battle of the Hundred-sage Valley. If it were not for his strength and valuable contributions to the Moon Shadow, Dominic would''ve made an example of him in front of everyone. So when he was tasked to lead the assault against the Devil Kingdom, he set his heart on succeeding in order to regain his honor. In the battle against the Xuanyuan Clan, although they had greatly weakened the power of the Xuanyuan Clan, they still failed to seize the clan. If they failed to take down the Phoenix Pavilion a

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    ide.

    As the hopeless situation finally dawned on them, everyone from the vanguard ran around aimlessly like headless flies, causing even more panic.

    Those who were sensible enough tried to make a breakthrough from the opening through which they had entered. But before they could rush out, two beast shadows emerged from both directions, blocking the slight opening with spear shadows and their claws. The unfortunate warriors who had thought they could escape already had their bodies ripped to pieces.

    This sowed even more fear and panic into the remaining men. They lost their will to fight. The only thing on their mind right now was to escape.

    Colt could only watch as his army was eaten up by fear. He immediately flew high into the air and let out a vicious roar. "Calm down!"

    But no matter how loud his voice was, his troops didn''t follow. Instead, he only made them even more flustered.

    "None of you can escape tonight!" At the same time, an even louder voice reverberated through the air.

 Chapter 1227 Dealing With Him Again

    Someone suddenly appeared on the solitary cliff at the Phoenix Pool Pass'' edge. This person suddenly jumped leisurely from the cliff as if he were strolling in a courtyard. The mysterious person had a tall and robust figure, and he exuded a frightening and authoritative aura.

    After scaling the edge of the cliff, he landed on the wall of the Phoenix Pool Pass, overlooking the vanguard led by Colt trapped inside the pass.

    Meanwhile, Colt noticed the fast-moving figure moving through the walls. The more he looked at it, the more familiar his aura felt. As the figure inched much closer, he eventually recognized him. "Is that...? Ugh! Why do I have to deal with this guy again?!"

    Colt''s eyes instantly widened, as if he had seen a bad omen on his way. He had never expected Zachary, the one who had made him suffer in the Hundred-Sage Valley during the Sage Level Warrior Contest, would make an appearance in the Phoenix Pool Pass.

    Zachary felt Colt''s irate gaze on him. His plan was to trap the vanguard inside the Phoenix Pool Pass first, and then shake the army''s morale by the siege. Through this, he could capture the leader first before destroying the whole army. Once he annihilated Colt, the vanguard commander, their defense would tremendously decrease and

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    ay. They couldn''t imagine what could possibly happen with something so powerful.

    Moreover, the two Holy Level warriors of the Moon Shadow, who had just led the army back to their camp, had just sensed a booming sound from afar. When they craned their heads towards the noise, they were surprised to see a huge arrow made of light falling from the sky. Their eyes widened in surprise. They were absolutely clueless where this could possibly come from.

    "Run. Run!" When it dawned on them what was about to happen, the vanguard warriors started scampering all about. However, since most of them were still in the crowded city-gate, they could not enter nor retreat in such a panic-stricken situation.

    The huge light arrow rushed into the position of about fifty meters from the city gate. Finally, it exploded. Blazing flames instantly filled the atmosphere and covered the vicinity.

    The faces of the vanguard warriors drained all their color as they waited for their own deaths. They were filled with mortifying fear, but every possibility of escape left the window.

    The flames caused by the Devilish Crossbow made the place look like hell. Screams and throes of agony were heard from everywhere. In that exact moment, the Phoenix Pool Pass was absolutely chaotic.

 Chapter 1228 A Crushing Defeat

    The flame didn''t last long. However, since most of the vanguard warriors had crowded the city gate before the flaming ball fell, they suffered heavy casualties. From more than a thousand warriors, their army dropped to a several hundred. To make matters worse, those who survived were mostly injured¡ªit was a tremendous loss for the Moon Shadow.

    All the corpses got charred with their final position seconds before they died. Their fearful and horrified faces were eternally frozen in their dead bodies. Some corpses piled up into small hills. It was both dark and heartbreaking to see.

    This was a testament to how truly horrifying the attack was!

    Those who managed to survive the attack from Zachary''s Devilish Crossbow were traumatized with what they witnessed. Although they narrowly escaped their doom, they still saw how their companions burned to their deaths. It was an agonizing sight. They were just fortunate enough to be out of range of the arrow, which meant they were alive out of pure luck. The dead bodies before them could have easily been them. Out of fear, some of the vanguard warriors wet their pants, causing a stench within the area.

    Colt and several Sage Level warriors from their team had already escaped as soon as they sensed something dangerous coming their way. They left the Phoenix Pool Pass without even turning th

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    on Shadow is handling things and Dominic''s personality, it is impossible for them to give up halfway."

    "But they have lost nearly a thousand warriors, which should be a huge loss for them! It would be hard for them if they continue the battle. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Pavilion''s morale has been boosted after the previous events. I''m sure they wouldn''t be as passive as before." Polly thought that the Phoenix Pavilion had gotten the upper hand. After all, their terrain gave them a great advantage. At this point, it would be impossible for the Moon Shadow to break their defense unless they brought something new to the table.

    "That''s not necessarily the case. After all, they have three Holy Level warriors leading their army." Zachary shook his head.

    "That''s true. But still, if they don''t attack, the Phoenix Pavilion could manage it better this time. It''s possible that the reinforcements we brought don''t have to fight," Polly hopefully mentioned.

    "To be honest, I want them to attack us¡ªbecause it''s the only way we have the chance to defeat them. This battle is a turning point for the fate of the Devil Kingdom. If we can win it, it will be a great sign to unite all the forces at the Devil Kingdom," Zachary honestly declared. If the Moon Shadow withdrew at this point, it would be a stalemate. He wanted to defeat them for good.

 Chapter 1229 Losing The Command

    "But if they retreat, your plan will fail, won''t it?" Polly didn''t expect that Zachary had thought this far out.

    "Don''t worry. If they do decide to retreat, I will immediately know. Once they do, I will immediately come up with a solution. No matter what happens, I would do whatever means necessary to wipe out the Moon Shadow!" Zachary firmly vowed as he tightened his fists, his gaze still fixed in the distance.

    Polly couldn''t help but glance a couple of times at Zachary. She gave a small smile. Obviously, this man beside her was no longer the frivolous person she once knew. He seemed like an entirely different man. He had a unique charm around him that immediately drew people around him.

    As the two mulled over their next steps, Joan suddenly appeared to report to Zachary. "Elder Hodge, Holy Phoenix is requesting your presence in the hall," she told him.

    "I''ll be there," he answered. Once he did, Joan nodded her head and left the two of them. Before he followed her, Zachary softly told Polly, "You can head back first. I''ll handle this."

    Polly looked directly in his eyes and left without a word.

    Once he was alone, Zachary followed Joan''s route and went to the Phoenix Pavilion''s hall.

    "I''ve heard you''ve summoned me, ma''am. Is there anything I can do for you?" Zachary respectfully addressed Holy Phoenix.

    "I asked fo

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    would be destroyed.

    Inside the Phoenix Pavilion hall was absolute chaos. Holy Phoenix and the elders didn''t know what else they could do since the Moon Shadow was advancing at an astonishing speed.

    "Madam, the second defense line has been broken, and now there is only the last one left. Once this defense line is also broken, our sect could perish right here!" an elder frantically informed their leader. The other elders also looked grim.

    "I didn''t expect the Moon Shadow to be so powerful after losing a thousand warriors. We underestimated them," Holy Phoenix muttered. She paced back and forth in the hall as she racked her brain for ideas.

    "We should''ve let Elder Hodge guide us to victory! Or at the very least, we could''ve let him repel the Moon Shadow army before taking back the power from him. Unfortunately, some elders were too paranoid that the Dignified Supernal Sect would take away our power, so they clamored for our leader to take back the command. Now, the Moon Shadow had taken the chance to attack us, and we are doomed!" Stacey reprimanded.

    The elders who suggested this idea kept silent.

    "This is not the time to assign blame. We must find a way to protect the Phoenix Pavilion!" Holy Phoenix exclaimed. She was obviously out of ideas.

    "Madam, I think we''d better go and ask Elder Hodge back!" Stacey proposed.

 Chapter 1230 Asking Zachary Back

    "That''s absolutely preposterous! Imagine the humiliation our sect would suffer if we beg!" The elders of the Phoenix Pavilion who previously supported Holy Phoenix''s recaptured leadership heavily opposed. Their sect''s pride and dignity would be marred if they asked for Zachary''s help again. After all, he once told them that they would be defeated, and he was right.

    "This is our only option left to survive." Holy Phoenix knew that Zachary was their best option, so she couldn''t help but abandon their pride and decide to ask him for help. Whether the elders liked the idea or not, they also knew that this was the only choice. With a sigh, Holy Phoenix ordered Joan to invite Zachary.

    Joan went to the Warm Fragrance Chamber where Zachary was staying. She gingerly knocked at the door.

    "Who''s there?" Zachary''s voice echoed from inside.

    "It''s me, Elder Hodge," Joan announced.

    "What can I do for you, Joan?" Zachary asked.

    "Holy Phoenix asked me to invite you to the hall," she replied.

    "Is the Moon Shadow going up the mountain?" Zachary pried.

    "Yes," Joan seriously answered.

    "Hmm, it looks like you''re reaping the consequences of your actions," Zachary commented, as if he was adding insult to injury. After a

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    r and let the Moon Shadow have them at its mercy in order to survive. It seemed like the exact opposite of their objectives. As always, the hall''s opinions were divided and clamors and complaints could be heard everywhere.

    However, no matter how much they protested, Holy Phoenix had already agreed. The elders and their members couldn''t change it anymore. Plus, they knew that her original intention was to protect the Phoenix Pavilions'' business and the countless lives of their sect members.

    "Madam, why do you want me to take over your position? I can''t take such a great responsibility." Joan humbly turned down the offer. Apparently, she also didn''t think she was ready for such a grand role yet.

    "Don''t worry, child. I know you can do it well. I hope you don''t let me down!" Holy Phoenix told her to boost her confidence.

    "Are you sure with what we''re about to do, Madam?" Stacey asked for her confirmation.

    "If this is the only way we can save the Phoenix Pavilion, then so be it. Once the Moon Shadow army arrives, we will halt all our attacks. We will not fight, and we will not resist. We will leave everything up to God." Holy Phoenix took a deep breath. She left the hall and descended the Nine Phoenixes Mountain.

 Chapter 1231 A Trap

    As previously planned, Holy Phoenix descended from the Phoenix Pool Pass on her own. On the mountain''s foot, the three Holy Level warriors of the Moon Shadow were preoccupied with their attacks. When they saw Holy Phoenix approaching them alone, they were a little surprised with this gesture.

    "Wait, isn''t she the leader of the Phoenix Pavilion?" Bowen consulted the other two. He furrowed his brows in confusion. Eventually, Holy Phoenix approached them. Her stance was graceful and majestic. "Are you here to surrender?" Bowen gave her a lascivious smile. Holy Phoenix was a little over fifty years old, but her beauty was yet to fade. Her long hair beautifully cascaded in her back and her gaze was both tantalizing and piercing. She was tall and she held a natural beauty¡ªwhich was exactly Bowen''s type.

    "Yes, I''m here to yield. On behalf of the Phoenix Pavilion, I am announcing our surrender to the Moon Shadow. I hope you can kindly spare us," Holy Phoenix spat out as her body slightly trembled. She did her best to hide her hatred and disgust. She despised every word she uttered with every fiber of her being. But if this was what it meant to save their sect, then she would do so. She reminded herself that this was all for show; she wasn''t surrendering to them

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    ors could instantly recognize his voice. They craned their heads in the direction of the speaker, and they saw a tall figure on the city wall of the Phoenix Pool Pass.

    "That''s him! He''s Elder Hodge. Hasn''t he already left?" Colt angrily shouted as he pointed at him.

    Remy immediately glanced at Holy Phoenix. She triumphantly smirked. When she saw Zachary appear in the distance, she knew that her humiliation was not in vain.

    "This is a trap!" The three Holy Level warriors widened their eyes in realization. They were immensely furious getting tricked.

    "Correct. But it''s too late for you to do anything about it." Zachary smiled calmly.

    "You are on your own, fool. Do you think you can take all of us alone?" As soon as Colt saw Zachary, his blood immediately boiled. He had been interfering with their organization''s plans far too many times already. He was itching to land his fists on him. Now that Zachary was alone, this was the perfect opportunity for him to exact his revenge.

    "Oh? Are you sure?" Zachary sneered.

    As if on cue, dozens of warriors appeared behind Zachary like rows of bamboo shoots. A dozen of Sage Level warriors and countless Imperial Level warriors had them surrounded. The army Zachary brought was a force to be reckoned with.

 Chapter 1232 Turning The Tide

    "Why are there so many warriors at the Sage Level and the Imperial Level?! Where did they all come from?" The smug smiles on the three Holy Level warriors were instantly wiped away. Their expressions instantly dropped. They didn''t expect Zachary to bring so many powerful warriors with him.

    "You think this is many? There are more outside the city gates!" Zachary smugly beamed at his enemies.

    After a while, the city gates were suddenly shrouded by a black mass of people. Thousands of warriors hastened into the Phoenix Pool Pass, effectively trapping the Moon Shadow members inside.

    The three Holy Level warriors of the Moon Shadow were beyond livid. They had never thought that Zachary would bring a huge army with him.

    "Who cares if you have us outnumbered? You don''t even have a Holy Level warrior. No matter how many warriors you have with you, you''re still no match against the three of us!" Remy arrogantly talked him down.

    "Who said that we don''t have any Holy Level warrior?" Zachary laughed loudly and insultingly, and his eyes narrowed in an instant. He released strong Holy Level aura which instantly filled the surroundings, making everyone stunned.

    "Y-You''re... You''re a Holy Level warrior? How could this be?" Colt stammered in surprise.

    The other two Holy L

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    d me so their Holy Level warriors would relax and let down their defenses. In effect, they led their army up the mountain and you used an ingenious move to capture them all in one go."

    "If it weren''t for you, this plan wouldn''t have been so successful," Zachary honestly stated.

    "If you wanted me to be your bait, why didn''t you just tell me?" Holy Phoenix confusedly asked him. In fact, if Zachary told her the truth, she would definitely cooperate.

    "It would be a dead giveaway if you knew. Our opponents are three old and cunning Holy Level warriors. They would have seen through your intentions if I told you the plan. We only had one chance to make our plan work, so I chose the safest way to make sure it wouldn''t fail," Zachary explained.

    "Madam, since you were able to safely return, this means that I don''t have to take over the position of the leader, do I?" Joan hopefully asked her. She figured that Holy Phoenix only appointed her as the new leader in case a mishap came their way.

    Curious with her response, the other members looked at Holy Phoenix too. Her decision to give the position was too abrupt, and the decision was made when their sect was in danger. Now that the crisis had been averted, they wanted to know if Holy Phoenix would take back the order.

 Chapter 1233 The Return Of Pollard

    "The position will be handed over to you sooner or later. After this gruesome battle, I have finally realized many of my shortcomings. Sigh, maybe it took this long for me to notice because I''ve been in this position for quite some time. It''s time for someone with a new perspective to lead us. So from now on, the Phoenix Pavilion is yours," Holy Phoenix said as she shook her head. Earlier she was forced to make the decision because she had made a deal with Zachary in order to get his help. She realized now that her ideals almost led to the downfall of the Phoenix Pavilion. She decided that it would be for the greater good if she stepped down and let Joan take over.

    "But Madam, I..." Joan was overcome with emotions. She felt that this was all too sudden and that she was still not qualified to hold such ranking.

    "There is no need to say more. I have made up my mind." Holy Phoenix waved her hand.

    Seeing that Holy Phoenix was firm, Joan could only nod.

    "Joan?" Out of the blue, a burly figure rushed in from outside the hall.

    "Pollard?" Polly, who was standing beside Zachary, exc

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    m dispel his inner demons and was willing to accept him as a disciple. He spent half a year following his master, traveling about and cultivating his power. Now, the fruit of his hard work was showing itself, seeing that he had reached the medium stage of Sage Level.

    Of course, Zachary was the one with the longest story. By the time he was finished, the other three all had their mouths hanging wide open in disbelief. What Zachary experienced in just a year, others would have experienced in a lifetime.

    "That''s to say, the purpose of your trip to the Devil Kingdom this time is to gather all the clans and sects that have not yet been occupied by the Moon Shadow, so that they can help the Dignified Supernal Sect fight against the Moon Shadow," said Pollard.

    "Yes. If we want to save the Devil Kingdom, we have to unite with the remaining forces of the Devil Kingdom. It is crucial that we persuade the leader of the Xuanyuan Clan to join us. If we have the four major forces of the Devil Kingdom by our side, the remaining forces would surely help in our struggle!" Zachary said firmly.

 Chapter 1234 Xuanyuan Clan

    "What are we waiting for? Let''s go to the Xuanyuan Clan right now!" Pollard straightforwardly suggested. He stood up, brushing some debris off his knees.

    Zachary looked at Polly and Joan. "Do you guys need to rest for a while?" he concernedly asked the two of them.

    "The Devil Kingdom is in grave danger. How could we possibly rest? We have to go as soon as we can," Joan replied seriously.

    Zachary nodded. Without sparing another second, the three set off for their destination.

    The Xuanyuan Clan used to occupy their own city, which was named after them. However, it had been reduced to ruins due to the Moon Shadow''s previous assault. Therefore, they were forced to return to their former residence, the Heavenly Origin Valley, a highly secluded place.

    Fortunately, Joan had been there before, so she was able to guide them on their way there.

    As soon as they arrived at the valley, Zachary and his companions went to see Larry, the leader of the Xuanyuan Clan. Once Larry was informed that he had visitors from the Qiu Clan, he immediately busied himself to greet them and warmly welcome the four individuals who came to see him.

    "What can I do for y

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    er experienced real hardships in life.

    "I understand your concerns. However, since the Qiu Clan''s leader has already broken through to the Holy Level, he is about to resign his position. Pollard will take over the position soon. As for the Phoenix Pavilion, the handover of the position of the leader just finished, and Joan is now the new leader of the Phoenix Pavilion. Therefore, we are no longer as inexperienced as you believe," Zachary explained.

    "Is that so? Ha-ha, it seems like I really am getting older!" Hearing Zachary''s words, Larry couldn''t help but shake his head with a smile. He didn''t expect that the Qiu Clan and the Phoenix Pavilion had now changed their leaders. Then, he said seriously, "To be honest, my real concern is that I don''t know you well. After all, you''re a member of the Dignified Supernal Sect. Although your sect is known to be the world''s protector, no one knows whether it has any other intentions."

    "Oh, I see. Then I can prove something to you." Then, Zachary''s face changed back to the original look of Harley.

    "You... You are..." When he saw Zachary transform right in front of his eyes, Larry was absolutely stunned.