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Having lived two lives, Charles was all too aware of the reality—giving up a treasure he had fought so hard to obtain was something that left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"This is a treasure you rightfully acquired. I don\'t intend to force you," Emma finally broke the tense silence after a moment\'s pause. "However, as a water-attribute Beast Master, the Heart of the Ninefold Abyss is incredibly important to me..." She reached into her pouch and pulled out several items. "If you\'re willing, I can offer you other treasures in exchange."

Hearing that Emma was here to make a trade rather than to take the Heart of the Ninefold Abyss by force, Charles finally relaxed. With her strength, if she had intended to seize it by force, Charles wouldn\'t have stood a chance.

However, the Heart of the Ninefold Abyss in Charles\'s possession was a golden-quality treasure. Though he wasn\'t sure of its exact use yet, he doubted that Emma had anything enticing enough to offer in exchange.

But when he glanced at the items in Emma\'s hand, several prompts appeared before his eyes.

[Devouring Serpent\'s Golden Scale] [Gold Quality]: An extremely rare material from a ferocious beast, produced with a small probability during the Devouring Serpent\'s evolution. It is a crucial component for crafting gold-quality inner armor.

[Devouring Serpent\'s Spirit Bone] [Gold Quality]: A spirit bone formed from concentrated attribute energy in ferocious beasts above the sixth tier, rarer than a beast core. It is an essential material for crafting gold-quality divine weapons.

[Spirit Essence Pill] [Orange Quality]:A miracle drug that, when consumed, guarantees a 100% success rate in a mystical beast\'s evolution with no side effects.

As Charles gazed at these two gold-quality and one orange-quality treasures, his eyes sparkled with excitement. Suddenly, the Heart of the Ninefold Abyss in his hand didn\'t seem so precious anymore.

After all, the Heart of the Ninefold Abyss only enhanced a Beast Master\'s water attribute energy, which offered limited benefit to him.

Emma was willing to trade three treasures of comparable quality for the one he held—who wouldn\'t know which choice to make?

His current equipment, the [Divine Scale Armor], was a special suit for weighted training with limited defensive capability; the Ice and Fire Supreme Spear was merely a blue-quality weapon. Eventually, he would need to upgrade to better gear. With the materials from the Devouring Serpent, he could potentially forge a full set of gold-quality equipment!

The offer was tempting, but… would Emma really be that generous?

Charles looked at Emma with a hint of suspicion and cautiously asked, "Three for one… are you sure?" His wary expression amused Emma. She had gone to great lengths to slay the Devouring Serpent, and if not for how perfectly the Heart of the Ninefold Abyss suited her, she wouldn\'t have offered such valuable items in exchange.

"So, it\'s a deal then? Even if you\'re a woman, you have to keep your word!" Charles quickly snatched the three treasures from Emma\'s hand and tossed the small cyan gemstone to her.

"Deal!" Emma replied with a soft cough, amused by Charles\'s quick decision.

Taking the spirit stone, Emma suddenly coughed lightly, and a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of her mouth. She wobbled, unsteady on her feet. Just as she was about to collapse, a figure swiftly appeared in front of her, gently catching her before she fell.

As memories of that day in the camp tent flashed through her mind, Emma\'s body trembled slightly. She warned, "Don\'t touch me, or else I\'ll—"

"You\'re injured, so stop trying to act tough. Besides, what\'s the harm in holding you? After all, I\'ve already touched everywhere I shouldn\'t have that day." Charles whispered, while checking her injuries through the system prompts.

"You!" Emma glared at Charles fiercely, but seeing that he was focused on treating her, she held her tongue.

As Charles quietly applied medicine to the wound on her arm, Emma\'s gaze grew soft and a little hazy.

These wounds, minor as they were for someone of her strength as a seventh-tier Beast Master, would heal on their own after a short rest. The medicines Charles was using were low-grade miracle drugs she normally wouldn\'t even consider, yet she didn\'t stop him.

As the eldest daughter of her family, Emma had been burdened with high expectations from a young age, sent to the Imperial Capital to train at the Beast Master Guild. Her father often told her, "Emma, the future of the family rests on your shoulders. Though you are a woman, your character must not be weak."

She had taken these words to heart, hunting ferocious beasts and training alone, never thinking of herself as just a woman. Since coming of age, many young and talented men had sought her hand, practically wearing down the family\'s doorstep with their pursuit, but she had turned them all away.

But now, as she leaned gently against Charles, watching him treat her wounds, she suddenly realized how comforting it felt to be cared for.

"I\'m pretty sure, with your strength, you don\'t need to lean on me just for these minor injuries, right?" Charles\'s voice broke through her thoughts unexpectedly.

Emma\'s body stiffened, and she quickly noticed that Charles had already finished tending to her wound, even securing it with a bandage.

"Take these bottles of medicine. Apply it once in the morning and once at night, and you should be fully healed within three days." Charles rummaged through his storage space, pulling out a few bottles and handing them to Emma. "And don\'t mess with the bandages I put on today, or you\'ll end up with scars."

Emma took the healing medicines from Charles, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly. Then, with a playful smile, she teased, "Oh? You seem to care quite a lot about that, don\'t you?"

"Ah, um, cough, cough!" Charles cleared his throat, trying to cover up the awkwardness he felt.

He had to admit, despite her somewhat domineering personality, Emma was a rare beauty in this world. Whether it was her figure or her appearance, she was flawless, without a single imperfection.

To say he wasn\'t a bit moved would be a lie.

But Charles was also painfully aware of the gap between them. For someone like Emma, who had already ascended to a seventh-tier Beast Master at such a young age, the future held limitless possibilities. He, on the other hand, was just an inconspicuous pebble, causing a brief ripple in her otherwise calm, clear lake—one that would soon fade, leaving the water undisturbed once more.

"Time to sleep."

Charles handed Emma a sleeping bag and then crawled into his own, pulling the covers over his head, eager to escape his swirling thoughts.

He needed some peace to clear his mind.

As she looked at the boy who had suddenly fallen silent, a strange sense of melancholy washed over Emma. Though she was accustomed to solitude, the sudden presence of this talkative companion had been rather amusing.

But... with the Devouring Serpent now slain, she would be returning to the Imperial Capital tomorrow. After that, the two of them would part ways, likely never to cross paths again.

...

The next day, as the sunlight warmed his body, Charles stretched comfortably.

When he opened his eyes, Emma was already gone, leaving only a faint trace of her signature floral scent lingering in the air.

The other sleeping bag was neatly folded beside him, and he suddenly noticed a letter placed next to it.

"A recommendation letter for admission to Nova Academy?!" Charles jumped out of his sleeping bag as he read the letter\'s contents.

He had gone through all sorts of trials in the Ferocious Beast Mountain Range, striving to come out on top in hopes of gaining admission to one of the three prestigious academies in the Imperial Capital.

But who could have imagined that it would all fall into place so effortlessly? By sheer luck, he had encountered the vice dean of Nova Academy and now had a direct entry into the school. If his classmates back at Lsengard knew, they would be green with envy.

Charles wasn\'t one to dwell on things too much, but he was determined not to be underestimated—especially by someone like Emma.

No matter what, he was determined to use his own strength to secure a top-six position in this training exercise—perhaps even take first place!

A low snort interrupted his thoughts. Charles turned around and saw a Cloud Leopard tethered nearby. This was undoubtedly another gift left by Emma.

"Heh, she talks about wanting to get rid of me, but deep down, she\'s really looking out for me," Charles chuckled softly.

He approached the Cloud Leopard, which stood as tall as a person, and gently stroked its white fur. The Cloud Leopard immediately arched its back, issuing a warning growl.

Charles circled around the Cloud Leopard, growing more and more fond of it. This creature was a wind-attribute mystical beast. While its combat abilities were average, its speed was exceptional, making it one of the best mounts available.

With this mount, long journeys would no longer be a challenge.

The relationship between a Cloud Leopard and a Beast Master was one of servitude, meaning it could be stored in a dedicated mount space, making it easy to summon and dismiss. The only requirement was to remember to feed it regularly.

The Cloud Leopard was fast, but it had a huge appetite and only ate ferocious beast meat—something most people couldn\'t afford. However, Charles had several thousand kilograms of ferocious beast meat in his storage space, so it was hardly an issue.

Charles gently mounted the Cloud Leopard, attempting to establish Mind Communication with it. Although the beast hadn\'t completely submitted to him, it could at least understand his basic commands.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The wind roared past as the Cloud Leopard leaped forward, covering a hundred meters in a single bound.

"So fast! This is incredible!" Charles shouted in excitement, his adrenaline surging.

The speed was far faster than any high-speed train—riding it was a thrilling experience!

Within minutes, Charles reached the other side of the Nine Hell River, arriving at the alluvial plain beneath Kentish Mountain.

This was where Mr. Fletcher had led the seventh squad to set up camp during their training in the Ferocious Beast Mountain Range a few days ago.

After stowing away the Cloud Leopard, Charles approached the campsite. Only a few tattered tents remained, scattered here and there. When he checked inside, he found that the food had already molded, a clear sign that no one had been there for days.

"Could something have happened?"

Charles recalled the warning that boy had given him that night: In the Ferocious Beast Mountain Range, the only thing more dangerous than the beasts is the human heart.

A sense of unease crept into Charles\'s mind.