Hearing the words dissect and Outer God Cult, a cold drop of sweat rolled down Lucian’s back.
Those machines really were terrifyingly dangerous.
He quickly lowered his head and bowed slightly.
"Thank you for the warning, Uncle! I understand. I’ll keep a low profile. I definitely won’t let anyone test my blood."
Magnus looked at the nervous young man and sighed softly, his stern expression easing slightly.
"Geniuses are admired by the masses because, at the end of the day, they’re simply extraordinary sheep. They run faster, their wool is softer, but they’re still sheep. People can understand them, and people can tolerate them."
He paused, his gaze becoming profound.
"But a true prodigy is different. A prodigy is a wolf."
"The flock cannot tolerate a wolf among them. A wolf may be capable of killing a few sheep, but if the entire flock panics and turns against it, they can trample it to death before it ever has the chance to grow its full set of fangs."
Magnus fixed Lucian with a meaningful stare.
"So, until you possess enough strength to tear down the entire mountain, Lucian... you must make sure you look like a sheep."
"I understand, Uncle," Lucian replied sincerely. "I’ll make sure I look like the most harmless sheep in the entire flock."
Magnus gave a satisfied nod.
He reached out, patted Lucian’s shoulder heavily, then turned toward the exit.
"Good. Now get cleaned up, both of you. Don’t stay down here too long."
With a sweep of his robes, Magnus stepped out of the chamber.
His footsteps gradually faded into the distance, disappearing down the cold stone corridor.
Once the heavy stone door clicked shut, the oppressive tension in the room vanished completely.
Evelyn let out a soft giggle, her bright eyes curving into playful crescents as she looked at Lucian.
"A wolf disguised as a sheep? You look more like a shameless dog to me," she teased, though the pride shining in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"Hey, watch your words!" Lucian retorted with a grin, rubbing his chest. "I’m a peerless dragon merely biding my time."
He paused, then scratched his cheek.
"Though your father’s speech really did scare me. For a moment, I thought he was going to lock me in the basement himself."
"My dad isn’t that kind of person." Evelyn rolled her eyes.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she hurried over to her personal storage locker in the corner of the room.
A moment later, she returned carrying a long, exquisitely carved ebony gift box wrapped in crimson silk.
She walked up to Lucian and extended the box toward him with both hands.
"Here," Evelyn said, her cheeks faintly flushed. "It arrived this morning. Since you specialize in the Blood Battle Saber Technique, I had this custom-made for you. Consider it a gift to celebrate your breakthrough into the Martial Artist Realm."
Lucian stared at the luxurious box, his hands momentarily frozen in mid-air.
He carefully undid the silver clasps and slowly lifted the lid.
Resting on a bed of dark-blue velvet was a magnificent, single-edged battle saber.
The blade had been forged from deep-gray star-iron, with faint crimson runic veins running along the fuller like dormant blood vessels. Its balance was immaculate, while the razor-sharp edge radiated a cold, terrifying sharpness that made the tiny hairs on the back of Lucian’s neck stand on end.
Lucian had spent quite some time browsing the gear market on his Martial Artist terminal over the past few days.
He knew exactly how expensive a weapon of this caliber could be.
A custom-forged Tier-2 battle saber, crafted with rare Spiritual Energy-conductive alloys, would cost at least one hundred thousand Federal Currency on the open market.
That was an astronomical sum.
His family couldn’t earn that much even after two decades of hard labor.
And this wasn’t even the first time Evelyn had given him something so valuable. She had already handed him the Ice Spirit Sword that the academy principal had awarded her!
Even with Lucian’s notoriously thick skin, he felt a genuine flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck.
"Evelyn..." Lucian looked up from the saber, his voice unusually hesitant. "This... this is way too expensive. I’m already staying at your house, eating your family’s luxury Otherworldly Beast meat, and using your cultivation arrays. And now you’re giving me a custom-forged Tier-2 weapon?"
He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I honestly don’t even know how I’m supposed to repay you for all this."
Evelyn simply waved her slender hand dismissively, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder with an airy, unconcerned expression.
"Oh, stop being so dramatic. It’s just pocket change to me."
She pointed at the saber.
"Besides, good weapons are meant to be wielded by people who can actually use them. What’s the point of letting a good blade sit inside an armory and gather dust?"
She pushed the box a little closer to him.
"Take it."
Lucian stared at her carefree expression, and an overwhelming wave of admiration surged through his heart.
Having a wealthy young lady as a friend really is the greatest blessing under the heavens!
Her purchasing power is practically boundless!
A mischievous light suddenly flickered in Lucian’s dark eyes, his shameless personality bouncing right back to the surface.
He carefully set the box down, then looked directly into Evelyn’s eyes with an expression of absolute solemnity.
Taking a deliberate step forward, he sighed dramatically.
"No, that simply won’t do," Lucian said, his voice dripping with exaggerated sorrow. "My mother always taught me that a drop of kindness received must be repaid with a gushing spring."
He placed a hand over his chest, his expression becoming even more earnest.
"Evelyn, for a favor this great, money would be an insult. I’ve thought it through carefully, and I’m afraid... the only honorable thing left for me to do is pledge my physical body to you for the rest of my days."
As he spoke, he reached down with both hands and grabbed the collar of his training shirt, making a theatrical motion as though he were actually about to tear it open right then and there.
"Get lost, you shameless rogue!"
Evelyn’s face turned bright crimson in an instant.
Her playful composure shattered completely. She stepped forward, swung her small fists like twin hammers, and began pummeling Lucian’s chest.
"Who wants your ugly body?! You’re taking advantage of me again! Give me back the saber, you bastard!"
"Ouch! Ouch! Hey, violence against your future benefactor is uncalled for!" Lucian laughed loudly, nimbly dodging backward while keeping a death grip on the hilt of his brand-new battle saber.
Laughter and energetic curses echoed throughout the enclosed granite chamber, completely dispelling the solemn atmosphere of martial training.
Holding his cold new weapon and joking with the girl in front of him, Lucian wore a bright, carefree smile.
He had absolutely no idea that beyond the blue skies of their world, cosmic empires were collapsing, stars were burning, and ancient gods across two colliding universes were tearing reality apart in their desperate hunt for him.
For now, Lucian remained blissfully unaware.
He had no idea that the moment he had stepped into the Martial Artist Realm, his name had already become the target of an unprecedented cosmic manhunt.