"Oh, what brings you here?"
Upon seeing the newcomer, a hint of surprise flashed across Victor's face.
The person before him was none other than Edmund Vale, the chief steward of the Langford family.
The old man had served the Langford family for more than fifty years. He was highly regarded by the head of the family and held considerable authority within the Langford family.
The reason why he showed no signs of old age or physical weakness despite his advanced age was also easy to explain.
Edmund Vale was a Blood Warrior, and not a weak one.
"Young Master Victor, the head of the family sent me to inform you to return as soon as possible."
The old man remained respectful.
"Go back?"
Upon hearing this, Victor raised an eyebrow.
"Is it urgent?"
"Yes, the head of the family wants you to return today."
Victor frowned slightly.
Although he didn't know why the family head had suddenly summoned him back, Edmund Vale had personally come to deliver the message. Obviously, it wasn't something he could ignore.
As for Ryan...
Victor glanced at Derek beside him.
There was no hurry.
Since Ryan was still studying at Aegis Martial Academy, he wasn't going anywhere.
That afternoon, Victor left the academy and returned to the Langford family.
The next day, Elias brought Ryan some unexpected news.
"Victor left the academy."
"Left?"
Ryan looked at Elias with some surprise.
"Yes."
Elias nodded.
"I heard he left in a hurry yesterday afternoon. Someone from the Langford family personally came to get him."
Upon hearing this news, Ryan breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he had already prepared himself to face Victor's revenge, it was undoubtedly best not to confront Victor too soon.
Having acquired Advanced Cultivation Talent, what Ryan lacked most now was time.
Given enough time, he could fully mature.
Although he didn't know why Victor had suddenly left, there was no doubt that Victor's departure had given him more time.
"That's good news for you."
Elias smiled.
"At least you won't have to keep wondering what he's planning every day."
"That's true."
Ryan nodded.
He wasn't naive enough to believe the matter between himself and Victor had ended merely because Victor had left the academy.
But delaying the conflict was already beneficial to him.
"Oh, right."
Ryan suddenly remembered something.
"Elias, do you know anyone in the academy who's especially talented with a saber?"
"Especially talented?"
Elias looked at him strangely.
"Why are you asking?"
"Just curious."
Ryan naturally couldn't tell him the real reason.
Elias thought for a moment.
"If you're talking about our year, there are several people with good saber technique, but I don't know whether any of them are what you'd call exceptional."
Ryan wasn't surprised.
He had reached roughly the same conclusion himself.
"What about the older students?"
"I don't pay much attention to them."
Elias paused, then seemed to remember something.
"But if you're looking for strong saber users, you might get a chance soon."
"Chance?"
Ryan looked at him.
Elias smiled.
"I was actually going to tell you about this."
"The five major martial academies of Greyhaven City are preparing to hold a joint trial."
"The five academies?"
Ryan's expression changed slightly.
"Yes."
Elias lowered his voice somewhat.
"My family heard about it early. It hasn't been announced to every student yet."
"The higher-ups of Greyhaven have opened a controlled section of the wilderness for the trial. The truly dangerous beasts inside will be cleared out beforehand, leaving mainly weaker beasts suitable for Blood Warrior Apprentices."
Ryan immediately became interested.
A trial jointly held by the five major martial academies meant that students from all five academies would gather together.
Naturally, there would be far more talented students there than at Aegis alone.
Elias continued,
"Although they call it a controlled area, it's still wilderness."
"There will still be beasts inside, and accidents can happen. The academy won't send students there just to walk around."
Ryan nodded.
That was obvious.
If there was no danger at all, it could hardly be called a trial.
"What are the rewards?"
Ryan asked.
"Beast materials, cultivation resources, and beast blood."
Elias's expression became more serious.
"Apparently, the students who perform well can exchange what they obtain during the trial for valuable resources."
"And I heard that the first-place reward includes Intermediate Beast Blood."
"Intermediate Beast Blood?"
Ryan's eyes moved slightly.
He naturally knew the value of beast blood.
Silver Deer Blood itself was a type of beast blood. Resources like that contained concentrated Original Essence and could greatly assist Blood Warrior Apprentices in strengthening their bodies.
Intermediate Beast Blood was even more valuable.
For a Blood Warrior Apprentice, it was undoubtedly an extremely useful cultivation resource.
"That's why I'm planning to participate."
Elias said.
Ryan glanced at him.
"You?"
"What? You think I shouldn't?"
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"No."
Ryan shook his head.
"I was just wondering whether you planned to go alone."
"Of course not."
Elias answered without hesitation.
"That would be stupid."
"The controlled area is still wilderness. Even after the stronger beasts are cleared out, nobody knows what can happen."
"I'm planning to form a group."
Ryan wasn't surprised.
This was much more in line with Elias's personality.
"I've already spoken with several students."
Elias continued.
"They're all people I consider reasonably reliable. None of us need to depend completely on the others, but moving together will make hunting safer and more efficient."
He looked at Ryan.
"You should come with us."
Ryan was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"I'm sorry. I don't really want to form a group."
Elias frowned slightly.
"You're planning to participate alone?"
"Yes."
Ryan nodded.
For Elias, forming a group was the sensible choice.
But Ryan's situation was different.
Apart from wanting to obtain resources from the trial, he also wanted to inspect the talents of students from the other academies.
Moving around with a fixed group would only restrict him.
More importantly, if he found someone with a Martial Art Talent worth copying, he might need to create an opportunity to get close enough to make physical contact.
It would be easier to act alone.
Elias looked at him for a moment.
"You're sure?"
"Mm."
Ryan nodded.
Seeing that Ryan had already decided, Elias didn't continue persuading him.
"Alright."
"But don't underestimate the trial just because the strongest beasts have been cleared out."
"I know."
Ryan said.
"If you change your mind before the trial, tell me. There should still be room in the group."
"Alright."
Ryan nodded.
Although he had refused, he understood that Elias was only worried about him.
After Elias left, Ryan remained where he was, thinking about what he had just heard.
The five major martial academies.
A large number of students.
There would certainly be many people he had never encountered before.
Among them, there might very well be someone with a Martial Art Talent superior to his current Primary Martial Art Talent.
And unlike randomly searching through the academy year by year, the trial would gather many promising students in one place.
At the same time, there was Intermediate Beast Blood and other valuable cultivation resources to compete for.
Ryan's eyes gradually brightened.
"The trial may be my chance."