[Choice One: Explore the middle region of the Magical Beast Forest… Completed.]
[Reward Obtained: Innate Internal Spiritual Power +1.]
[Innate Internal Spiritual Power: 98 → 99]
Feeling the waves of warmth coming from inside his body, Long Xuanye’s heart surged.
99 points of Internal Spiritual Power.
Without question, in this world, he could now be considered a top-level genius.
His future was limitless.
He also had a great chance of taking revenge on Long Xingyu.
The only pity was…
He did not have the courage to attempt the final breakthrough from 99 to 100.
Sheng Cai’er, protected in his arms, was completely stunned.
The boy’s embrace was not broad, but it was solid and strong.
Through his clothes, she could feel his steady heartbeat and the warmth coming from his body.
That warmth drove away the fear and despair in her heart.
…
Far away, atop the crown of a tree in the dense forest.
A white-robed man stood with his hands behind his back.
His expression was a little stiff.
This kid…
How old was he?
Judging from his appearance, he was definitely no older than twelve.
There was not the slightest sign of awakened Internal Spiritual Power on him.
He had relied purely on External Spiritual Power, yet he had killed a third-rank Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf so cleanly.
This combat strength was probably not much worse than Cai’er’s.
And that knightly spirit of instinctively protecting others in a moment of crisis…
The white-robed man nodded in approval.
But then, he shook his head lightly.
He looked toward the deeper part of the forest.
In the darkness there, pairs of dark green eyes were lighting up.
Hidden, oppressive wolf howls rose one after another.
The smell of blood had attracted a wolf pack.
“Kid, your trouble has only just begun.”
“Let me see where your limit truly lies.”
The white-robed man muttered softly.
His figure once again disappeared among the leaves.
He would make a move.
But not now.
He wanted to see exactly what level of strength this young child had reached.
Long Xuanye loosened his arms and gently helped the small figure in his embrace sit properly against a tree trunk.
“Are you okay?”
The child in his arms was filthy.
Her face was covered in mud and dried blood.
He could barely tell whether she was a boy or a girl.
She looked just like a little beggar.
The girl did not speak.
She only raised her head and quietly looked at him with those hollow eyes.
Then, she stretched out her uninjured hand, which was also covered in dirt, and tremblingly grabbed Long Xuanye’s palm.
A slightly cold touch came from her fingers, along with a faint itch.
She used her fingertip to write something on his palm, stroke by stroke.
Long Xuanye felt the clumsy strokes and recognized two words.
Thank you.
The girl paused.
She seemed to hesitate.
Then she continued writing two more words.
Big Brother.
Long Xuanye’s heart moved.
This child was really obedient.
What was wrong with her family?
Such a young child had suffered such serious injuries, yet they had thrown her alone into the Magical Beast Forest?
Their hearts were too cruel.
Long Xuanye did not think further.
As an adult in his previous life, he knew the most important thing right now was to comfort her.
He reached out and placed his hand gently on the girl’s back.
Again and again, he patted her with a calm, steady rhythm.
His voice also softened.
“It’s fine.”
“It’s already fine.”
“You’re safe now.”
He repeated these simple words again and again.
His tone was gentle but firm, as if he were casting a spell to calm her down.
That warmth passed through his palm and continued flowing into her.
Sheng Cai’er’s body suddenly stiffened.
She froze.
How long had it been?
How long had it been since someone treated her with such gentle movements?
Ever since she awakened the bloodline of the Saintess of Samsara, everything had changed.
Her father, who had once smiled warmly at her.
Her mother, who had once held her in her arms.
Her elder brothers and sisters, who had once brought her candy.
Everyone had changed faces.
There was no longer affection in their eyes.
Only strict demands and expectations remained.
They forced her to train.
Forced her to fight.
Forced her to face death.
When she was injured, what she received was the judgment that she was “not strong enough.”
When she suffered, what she received was the order to “endure.”
She was only a ten-year-old girl.
She could also feel pain.
She could also feel fear.
She also longed for care.
But no one understood.
Or rather, no one was willing to understand anymore.
Yet at this moment, the warmth of the hand behind her and the steady, gentle voice by her ear were like a warm current breaking through a dam.
It instantly flooded the heart she had wrapped inside a hard shell.
Was this… family affection?
It was something she once had.
Then something cruelly taken away from her.
Her nose turned sour.
Something finally broke loose in those hollow, numb eyes.
Sheng Cai’er could no longer hold on.
Her small body softened, and she leaned completely into that embrace that was not broad, but felt unbelievably safe.
Like a tired bird finding its harbor, she absorbed this warmth she had thought she would never have again.
The warmth and faint trembling in his arms pulled Long Xuanye’s thoughts back to reality.
He lowered his head and looked at the small creature curled up in his arms like a frightened kitten.
His heart softened.
And just then, a blue light screen only he could see quietly appeared before his eyes.
The data refreshed.
[Innate Internal Spiritual Power: 99]
Long Xuanye could not help looking at the panel again.
Ninety-nine points of Innate Internal Spiritual Power.
Only one point away from the full value.
As long as he found a way to awaken his Internal Spiritual Power, he could truly step onto the knight’s path.
As for that final point, gathering 100 points of Innate Internal Spiritual Power…
He did not dare think about it.
That one-step distance was probably like a heavenly chasm.
The difficulty of the mission the system gave would definitely be explosive.
He was not some undying protagonist.
Knowing it was a path to death and still charging in was stupid.
Stability was the foundation of survival.
Just as he was thinking, Sheng Cai’er suddenly moved in his arms.
Her small head lifted from his chest.
In her gray eyes, which had recovered a trace of life, a hint of confusion appeared.
Where was the person in the white robe?
The danger had already been resolved.
He should have appeared by now.
But why…
Why had he still not shown himself?
In the next moment, Sheng Cai’er’s pupils suddenly shrank.
Her small body instantly tightened.
A fear from the depths of her soul seized her.
Rustle…
Rustle, rustle…
The bushes in the forest began to shake violently.
One pair.
Two pairs.
More than a dozen pairs.
Countless dark green eyes lit up in the darkness.
With bloodthirsty greed, they locked onto the two children under the tree.
Wolf howls rose one after another.
Dozens of agile magical wolves formed a half-circle and slowly surrounded them.
Among them, several were huge, powerful third-rank magical wolves.
The rest were all second rank.
A wolf pack.
Sheng Cai’er’s heart sank to the bottom.
She suddenly used force and tried to push Long Xuanye away.
Go.
Run.
She was already very moved.
She was already satisfied.
At the most desperate moment, someone had ignored life and death to save her.
He had given her warmth she had never experienced in this life.
That was enough.
It was really enough.
She could not drag him down any further.
Sheng Cai’er anxiously removed the ancient ring from her finger and tried to stuff it into Long Xuanye’s hand.
It was her most precious thing.
Forget-Me-Not.
However, Long Xuanye did not move at all.