Reward

The highest-level evacuation signals rose into the air one after another, their crimson glow lingering above the Royal Hunting Grounds for a long time.

The participating teams in several nearby areas began withdrawing in succession, while the hunting grounds guards met them along the way. Lu Yuan and the other two did not linger. After briefly tending to their wounds, they returned to the outer perimeter with the patrol officer.

By the time they left the hunting grounds, the sky had begun to lighten.

Outside the entrance, things were far more chaotic than when they had set out. The Young Spirit Masters who had returned early gathered near their respective leaders, while people from the Royal Academy counted heads one by one. Several healing-type Spirit Masters were busy treating the wounded.

When Steward Zhao saw Lu Yuan return, he first breathed a sigh of relief. Then his gaze fell on Lu Yuan's torn clothes and split palm. "How badly are you hurt?"

"Nothing serious. My Soul Power is basically depleted."

Steward Zhao had just been about to ask more when he noticed that Qin Yue's left arm had already been bandaged, though blood was still seeping from the area around the wound.

"What did you run into?"

"A Rift-Toothed Tiger."

Steward Zhao frowned slightly. "How old?"

The patrol officer beside them answered, "At least eight hundred years old. It was probably close to nine hundred."

Steward Zhao's expression visibly changed, but when he looked at Lu Yuan again, he did not question him further.

Someone from the imperial family had already come over and called for the few people involved in last night's rescue to go with them.

Xue Qinghe stood near the entrance to the hunting grounds. Besides the Royal Academy's representative, there were also those responsible for the Royal Hunting Grounds and several imperial attendants. Cheng Lan was among them as well, still standing unobtrusively.

Lu Yuan merely glanced over before withdrawing his gaze and walking over with Qin Yue and Lin Che. In public, he and Xue Qinghe still had no unnecessary exchanges.

Xue Qinghe first looked at the middle-aged man responsible for the hunting grounds. "How many people are still inside?"

"The last three teams on the north side are withdrawing. The east and south sides have all been accounted for. There are currently no missing persons."

"What about the wounded?"

"Seven people. Two are more seriously injured, but none are in danger of dying."

Xue Qinghe nodded. "Treat the wounded first. Until the outer perimeter is confirmed safe again, keep all entrances sealed. No participating students are allowed to reenter the hunting grounds."

After making those arrangements, she had the patrol officer who had been responsible for the northern area recount what had happened.

From the anomaly near the pool, to the large number of low-age Spirit Beasts being startled, to the nearly nine-hundred-year-old Rift-Toothed Tiger suddenly charging into the evacuation route, the entire sequence was not complicated.

But by the time the patrol officer reached the end, the Young Spirit Masters who had been whispering among themselves quickly fell silent.

"Qin Yue knocked aside the Rift-Toothed Tiger's pounce at the first opportunity and saved a student. Lin Che was responsible for moving the wounded. Lu Yuan repeatedly used his Second Soul Skill to disrupt the force in the Rift-Toothed Tiger's right foreleg, and he was the one who ultimately killed it."

Many eyes immediately turned toward Lu Yuan. Gu Yan was standing among the crowd as well.

Three days ago, when Gu Yan had lost to Lu Yuan, some had thought he had merely suffered because it was his first time encountering Shock Edge and he did not understand the Soul Skill's effects. Later, even Qin Yue, who was level twenty-eight, had lost, proving at the very least that Lu Yuan's strength far surpassed that of an ordinary level twenty-one Spirit Master.

But sparring between Young Spirit Masters was ultimately different from truly facing a Spirit Beast.

What had fallen last night was a Rift-Toothed Tiger close to nine hundred years old.

A Royal Academy student could not help asking Qin Yue, "It was already injured, right?"

"It did have a wound on its right abdomen." Qin Yue raised his already bandaged left arm. "But it gave me this claw wound too."

When the student saw blood seeping out from the wound again, he did not continue asking.

Xue Qinghe did not elaborate on the matter either. After hearing the patrol officer's report, she looked at the three standing before her.

"The assessment has ended early, so the rankings that were originally calculated by the number of bronze badges are naturally void. But an accident occurred last night. Some were injured, and some stayed behind to save others. Those matters cannot be lumped together with the assessment results."

She turned to the person responsible for records beside her. "Qin Yue was the first to knock away the Rift-Toothed Tiger and saved a student. Lin Che moved the wounded several times. Record their performances separately. Give each of them a set of cultivation resources and Soul Coins."

The person beside her immediately acknowledged the order.

Neither Qin Yue nor Lin Che had any objection.

Only then did Xue Qinghe look back at the patrol officer. "Was the Rift-Toothed Tiger truly killed by Lu Yuan in the end?"

"Yes. His final spear thrust entered diagonally through its mouth and pierced its cranial cavity. It died on the spot."

Xue Qinghe nodded, then looked at Lu Yuan. "You rendered merit in saving people and took part in killing a Spirit Beast close to nine hundred years old. It would indeed be too little if you were only given ordinary Soul Coins and cultivation resources."

Lu Yuan waited for what she would say next.

"Once matters at the hunting grounds have been settled, you may enter the Royal Treasury once and select one material from the area designated for you."

Lu Yuan's gaze shifted slightly.

He had only heard Qian Renxue mention the Royal Treasury before, so he naturally did not know what it contained. But the Black Fragment in Spirit Hall's Outer Treasury had once caused the Piercing Spear to react noticeably. Now that he had a chance to enter the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's treasury and choose an item, it was worth taking a look whether or not he ultimately found a material suitable for the Piercing Spear.

"When the time is set, someone will notify you."

Lu Yuan nodded. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Their exchange ended there. Xue Qinghe swiftly turned to the others and continued handling the hunting grounds evacuation.

After Lu Yuan returned to the Spirit Hall side, Steward Zhao glanced at him. "The imperial family's reward is the imperial family's business. Last night, you saved people and helped deal with a high-age Spirit Beast. Spirit Hall will record a merit for you as well."

Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised. "There is more?"

"We'll talk after we get back."

Steward Zhao did not give him an answer yet, and Lu Yuan did not press him. Compared to the reward, how that Rift-Toothed Tiger had appeared in the hunting grounds was clearly more worthy of attention.

Not long afterward, two hunting grounds guards who had followed the Rift-Toothed Tiger's blood trail hurried back from inside the entrance. One of their boots and trouser legs were already covered in mud.

The middle-aged man responsible for the hunting grounds immediately went to meet them. "Did you find where it came from?"

"We did. The blood trail does not extend toward the inner area."

The middle-aged man's brow immediately furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"That Rift-Toothed Tiger did not run out from the inner area. We followed the earliest blood traces all the way back and eventually reached the Western Spirit Beast Transfer Gate."

This time, the expressions of several people nearby changed.

The Royal Hunting Grounds normally needed to control both the quantity and age of the Spirit Beasts within. High-age Spirit Beasts that had been removed, as well as injured Spirit Beasts unsuitable for remaining in the hunting grounds, all had to be transported out through designated channels. Sometimes, low-age Spirit Beasts suited to the hunting grounds were brought in from outside as well.

For that reason, a Spirit Beast transfer gate had been retained on the western side. Outside, cage carts used to transport Spirit Beasts could be parked there, while inside, it connected directly to the edge of the hunting grounds. It was not normally used by ordinary personnel.

If a Rift-Toothed Tiger close to nine hundred years old had truly entered from there, the nature of the matter was entirely different.

The middle-aged man responsible for the hunting grounds immediately asked, "Was the gate damaged?"

"No. The lock is intact, and there are no traces of it being forcibly broken open nearby."

"Was it opened last night?"

"We are still investigating."

Xue Qinghe did not let everyone continue discussing the matter around the entrance. She immediately ordered, "Investigate everyone responsible for the western transfer gate last night, the gate-opening records, and all records of Spirit Beast arrivals and departures from the past few days. Until the results are clear, seal the Western Spirit Beast Transfer Gate completely."

Several hunting grounds staff members immediately accepted the order and left.

Lu Yuan did not keep staring at Cheng Lan. He only glanced at him from the corner of his eye as everyone dispersed.

When Cheng Lan heard the words "Western Spirit Beast Transfer Gate" just now, his brow seemed to twitch slightly, but it quickly returned to normal.

Less than half an hour later, the person who had been on duty at the western transfer gate the previous night was brought over. The middle-aged man responsible for the hunting grounds now held a record book in his hands as well.

He flipped to the section for last night and quickly stopped at one entry.

"Around midnight, the Western Spirit Beast Transfer Gate was indeed opened once."

Xue Qinghe looked at him. "Who opened it?"

The middle-aged man first glanced at the person responsible for the watch before answering, "There is no name in the record. Only the identification number of a Spirit Beast transfer authorization was left."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan's gaze fell on the record book as well.