The First Manuscript

Jonathan slipped into Canina's study without a sound, completely undetected by the patrolling guards.

"Hello there, Marquess Bred!"

Jonathan was cloaked, his appearance hidden and his voice raspy; no one could possibly recognize him.

Seeing a stranger suddenly appear in his study, Canina's expression changed drastically as he exclaimed:

"Who are you, and why are you in my study?"

"Shh, don't be so loud, or I guarantee I'll slit your throat before your guards arrive."

"Are you with the Saber?!"

"Naturally. I've come to collect the remaining payment. I've already killed the target, so you'll pay up whether you want to or not. Otherwise, I'll have to compensate my losses with your life or the lives of your family."

"Alright, alright, I'll pay. I'll have the money sent to you tomorrow."

"That's a good boy!"

"Marquess Bred, we shall meet again."

Jonathan acted without restraint. Once he finished speaking, he flashed out of the study and slipped out of the marquis's estate just as silently as he had arrived.

Canina was ruthless; to deflect suspicion from himself, he stabbed himself with a blade and shouted that there was an assassin, throwing the entire estate into chaos.

His performance was so convincing that it truly lowered the level of suspicion directed at him.

Even Jonathan couldn't help but admire him once he heard the news.

These events were being discussed by many at the Ulada Academy.

Some spoke of how corrupt and dark the nobility was, while others believed an assassin organization was destabilizing the Bandas Kingdom.

Jonathan couldn't be bothered to pay attention and began dedicating more time to his battle qi cultivation.

A month and a half passed in the blink of an eye.

On a giant boulder behind the Ulada Academy, Jonathan sat cross-legged, drawing in the elements of heaven and earth with all his might, absorbing them into his body and refining them rapidly in silence.

He felt that every muscle, tendon, bone, and organ in his body had reached the limit of the sixth rank.

Half an hour later, he let out a long, resonant shout.

The birds and beasts in the vicinity were startled.

A look of joy appeared in Jonathan's eyes. "Finally, I've broken through!"

However, since he had already broken through to the seventh rank before, the properties of the Dao Fruit did not trigger this time.

"A sixteen-year-old seventh-rank warrior; my talent as a warrior is indeed among the top tier on the Yulan Continent, but compared to my path as a mage, it still falls quite short."

According to his current cultivation speed, in about a year—by the end of next year—he would be able to break through to an eighth-rank mage.

"Still, once Hesai arrives, I fear my spiritual energy won't be able to hide from him."

Jonathan sighed slightly, stopped dwelling on it, and went to see Xue Yan to relay the news. After verifying it himself, he had Cross notify headquarters to inform Hesai.

Afterward, he went to an auction house in Black Phoenix City to consign the seventh and eighth-rank Magic Beast cores he had in his possession.

The auction house stated that the next auction would be in five days.

Jonathan planned to return in five days.

Of course, he was disguised; if it were discovered that a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth possessed such Magic Beast cores, it would only invite suspicion.

His identity and strength could not be hidden forever; if someone were to investigate him in the future, many of his secrets would be unearthed.

Five days later.

Jonathan arrived at the auction house, still concealed by his black cloak and with his voice altered.

Many people had come, most of them nobles from Black Phoenix City.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Black Phoenix Auction House. We have many treasures in this auction, and we hope you will be satisfied."

"I won't say much more; let us begin the auction for the first treasure immediately."

"A seventh-rank Velociraptor Magic Beast core. Magic Beasts are usually stronger than warriors and mages of the same rank, and the Velociraptor is known specifically for its strength and defense."

"Usually, only warriors of the eighth rank or higher have a chance to hunt such a beast."

The auctioneer displayed the core to the crowd; it glowed like a ruby.

"Velociraptor Magic Beast core, starting bid at fifty thousand gold coins. Each increment must be at least three thousand gold coins. The auction begins."

As the auction gavel fell, a continuous chorus of shouts erupted throughout the hall.

Jonathan placed a few bids himself, though he didn't push too hard; once the price exceeded seventy thousand, he stopped.

A seventh-rank Magic Beast core usually went for between sixty thousand and ninety thousand.

The Velociraptor was relatively common, and its attributes were standard, so seventy thousand was already a decent price.

However, it was an auction, after all, and it was easy for people to get hot-headed, driving the price higher and higher.

In the end, the core was sold for a high price of eighty-six thousand.

After watching a few rounds, Jonathan grew a bit bored; there was nothing that caught his eye.

Although there were rare medicinal herbs among the items, he did not study such things, so he had no interest in them.

Not long after, it was time for his Level 8 Magic Beast core to be auctioned.

This was the Magic Beast core of an Evil Eye Spider. This type of Magic Beast excelled in mental attacks, and being a dark-attribute core, it was extremely rare.

It caused quite a stir.

It held immense value even just for a collection.

The starting bid for this Magic Beast core was 700,000 gold coins, and with a steady stream of enthusiastic bidders, it quickly surpassed one million.

However, after passing the million mark, the number of people calling out bids gradually dwindled.

"Congratulations to the guest in VIP room number three for winning this rare Evil Eye Spider Magic Beast core at the price of 1.56 million."

After a while, the auctioneer continued, "The next item up for auction is a set of research manuscripts left behind by a Level 9 Grand Magus from several hundred years ago."

"The main content of the research covers three directions: the utilization of Magic Beast cores, micro magic arrays, and the improvement of magic."

As soon as these words were spoken, they caused a sensation.

However, the auctioneer's next sentence poured cold water on them, "It is a pity that of these three theories, only the micro magic array is near completion; the others are still lacking."

"So it's an unfinished product!"

There were very few mages present, and none of them had the time to study such theories, so their interest immediately waned.

"Why don't you tell us about the micro magic array? What is its purpose?"

The auctioneer replied, "I don't know much about these things either, but it is generally used for the manufacture of magic weapons. It can increase the production of such armaments and make them powerful."

"However, to engrave a micro magic array, one must have at least Level 7 mental power, and once a formation is started, it cannot be interrupted; it must be completed in one go."

"That difficulty is way too high. Mages are already rare, and they are all incredibly noble; who would be willing to labor over this? They certainly aren't short on money."

"That's right, even if a Level 9 warrior bought it, it would be useless, wouldn't it?"

Hearing these remarks, the auctioneer said, "But these are, after all, the theoretical studies of Master Feltes. He was known as the most outstanding Grand Magus in the history of the Yulan Continent over the past several thousand years."

"The things he left behind, even if they cannot be used in practice, have very high collection value."

"You have a point there. Hurry up and start the auction!"

The auctioneer did not get angry at being urged; he remained all smiles.

"A set of Master Feltes's manuscripts, starting bid 100,000 gold coins, with each increment no less than 5,000 gold coins."

Most of those interested were drawn by the reputation of Feltes, primarily for the sake of collecting.

But Jonathan was truly very interested. He had read books written by him in the library of the Ulada Magic Academy, which were very advanced and had been of great help to him.

Therefore, he also participated in the bidding.

I feel like there are some people following the story, but not many effective followers. I hope that friends who support me, if you haven't topped up in the last three months, can top up a dime or two. This way, your follow will count as an effective follow. The editors only look at effective follows. I'm begging you all!

Whether I can survive depends on everyone!!!