The End

The beast was a Kejia Beast.

The blade was the Meteor Light Blade.

Guen first picked up the Meteor Light Blade. Though its blade was dull and gray, it was a Second-order Force Weapon, one that would serve him well all the way to Star Level. It was more than enough for him.

On the Aoxin Continent, a weapon like this was already a priceless treasure. Unlike ordinary weapons, it also required a drop of blood to bind it to its owner.

Guen cut his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the blade. The Meteor Light Blade flashed faintly, then returned to stillness. But Guen felt as though it had become an extension of his arm, much like his Protective Suit.

However, the blood-binding process for a Force Weapon wasn't very secure. If one fell into someone else's hands, they could easily use powerful Origin Power to destroy the information left behind and make it ownerless. The higher its level, the harder this was to do.

Origin Power was the energy that warriors could wield after reaching Planetary Level.

The same was true of bonding with a Kejia Beast.

Guen let some of his blood drip out. The Kejia Beast hadn't woken yet, but it opened its mouth and took the drop. With its eyes still shut, it somehow found Guen's finger and gently bit down, sucking at the blood on its own. Slowly, a kind of mental connection formed between Guen and the Kejia Beast. Only then did it open its eyes and release his finger.

"Ang~"

The Kejia Beast let out an excited cry and affectionately rubbed against Guen.

The Kejia Beast now looked like a round-headed pangolin and was only about the size of a watermelon, but its combat strength was already close to that of a Sixth-order Beast. The fastest way to help it grow was to feed it the flesh of other beasts; the higher their rank, the better the effect.

The Kejia Beast's size would also increase as its level rose.

Ordinary people faced an extremely difficult hurdle when advancing from Apprentice Level to Planetary Level. But a Kejia Beast could grow all the way to Planet Level 5 in one go, which made Guen a little envious.

After playing with the Kejia Beast for a while, Guen picked it up and used his Communication Watch to contact his parents. All signals had been blocked inside the volcano, so only now could he tell them what had happened.

After a brief exchange, Guen strapped the Meteor Light Blade to his back and walked out of the volcano.

Many people were already waiting outside for Guen to appear.

Their eyes naturally settled on the Kejia Beast and the Meteor Light Blade on Guen's back.

These were the rewards from inside the volcano. Even the Super Tier experts knew little about them. They knew that warriors who reached the fourth stage had received weapon rewards, but this was the first time anyone had come out with a beast.

Everyone looked at Guen differently now.

Just as someone was about to invite Guen to join them, a piercing neigh suddenly rang out overhead. A magnificent, enormous unicorn came flying down from the sky, then landed slowly.

A green-haired man with a faintly weary look dismounted. His presence, however, was perfectly calm.

"High Priest." At the sight of the Green-haired man, all the Super Tier Warriors bowed respectfully.

The Green-haired man nodded slightly, then looked at Guen. "Guen, would you like to join the Forest Goddess Temple? The Forest Goddess Temple is the most powerful force in the Aoyu Empire. Many rare treasures can only be found there. What do you think? Give it some thought."

Tom quietly explained, "That's Lord Mercedes, the strongest person in the Aoyu Empire, a Saint Tier and the High Priest of the Forest Goddess Temple."

Guen was surprised. He hadn't expected the strongest person in the empire to be so approachable.

Guen nodded. "Thank you, High Priest, for thinking so highly of me. I'd be delighted to join."

The other Super Tier experts were disappointed, but they had expected this.

Only then did Mercedes look at Chen. "Chen. You've proven yourself, too. Come home. Your mother misses you."

Everyone's eyes fell on Chen.

He had the same green hair. Ever since Mercedes had arrived, everyone had noticed Chen, but no one had dared to speak carelessly in front of Mercedes.

Chen's expression was complicated, but instead of answering Mercedes, he looked at Guen apologetically. "I'm sorry, Guen. I wasn't deliberately hiding it from you. When I left home, I'd already decided that I'd become a Super Tier Warrior without relying on my family's power. That's why I kept my identity secret."

Guen nodded. "I understand."

Only then did Chen turn to Mercedes and shake his head. "No, Grandpa. I won't have anything to do with the family until I become a Super Tier Warrior. I want to join the Demon Hunters."

Grandpa!

Everyone had guessed that Chen and Mercedes shared some special connection, but no one had expected them to be so closely related.

Mercedes remained calm. "Is there anything you'd like me to tell your family?"

Chen shook his head. "When the time comes, I'll go back myself."

Mercedes leaped back onto the unicorn and said to Guen, "Come along. We're going to the Goddess Temple. Its location is well hidden."

Guen had already spoken with his parents.

They all thought it would be best for Guen to join the Forest Goddess Temple. The temple held a unique position in the Aoyu Empire and controlled many important treasures, so joining it would benefit him.

The unicorn was extraordinarily large, more than ten times the size of Chen's. There was plenty of room even to lie down on its back, but Guen still sat cross-legged, properly, on the broad saddle.

Setti suddenly spoke up. "Lord Mercedes, I'd like to join the Forest Goddess Temple. May I?"

Mercedes nodded. "Climb aboard."

Setti hesitated, pointing at Uncle Jack. "My lord, this man is very important to me. Could you—"

A tremendous aura suddenly burst from Mercedes, making it difficult for everyone present to breathe.

The pressure centered on Setti.

Setti gritted his teeth, his face strained, but he held firm and didn't waver.

Suddenly, Mercedes withdrew the pressure and praised him. "Very good. Both of you, come aboard. Someone will take care of your mounts."

Only then did Setti and Uncle Jack breathe a sigh of relief and climb onto the unicorn's back as well.

The Black-Haired Elder stepped forward, steeling himself. "High Priest, the top one hundred contestants will receive the king's rewards and titles together. The ceremony will be held tonight. We hope you'll honor us with your presence."

Mercedes glanced at him, and the Black-Haired Elder immediately stiffened all over, as if facing mortal danger.

"No need. The Goddess Temple will compensate them. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't stay." Mercedes ignored the Black-Haired Elder, spurred the unicorn into the air, and soon vanished from sight.

Guen looked down at the crowd. Their expressions varied, and it was clear each had their own thoughts. He suddenly remembered something and asked, "My lord, Lianda is a rare Artifact User, and she also completed the trial up to the fourth stage. Why not recruit her?"

Mercedes had become interested in the bold young man. "Do you know who the other Saint Tier in the Aoyu Empire is?"

Guen and Setti shook their heads.

Mercedes sighed. "The founder of the Crimson Moon Society. She's not only a woman, but also an Artifact User. Nearly all Artifact Users join her. But after going through the trial, you know that Artifact User isn't quite the right term. They should be called Controllers, or Spirit Readers. 'Controller' is just a misnomer. The founder of the Crimson Moon Society follows the Illusion School, but her mastery of Spirit Reading is the greatest in the empire. The Crimson Moon Society contacted Lianda long ago, so there'd be no point in my trying to recruit her."

Guen hadn't imagined that the other Star Level Saint Tier expert would belong to a civilian organization.

"Don't underestimate the Crimson Moon Society. Eighty percent of its members are Artifact Users. As for warriors, they only recruit the most exceptional," Mercedes warned.

Guen and Setti nodded quickly.

"But the Forest Goddess Temple is the empire's greatest force. You'll see for yourselves soon enough," Mercedes said with a faint smile.