Fang Chen's eyelids twitched as he lay curled in his nest. He could sense it—numerous powerful auras of similar strength descending upon the land.
Ninth-tier… the absolute pinnacle in this world.
Even though this world had existed for countless years since its creation, even with all that time, no one had ever broken through to tenth-tier. Since the day it was abandoned by the gods and cursed, the world's ceiling had remained firmly locked at ninth-tier. Even the world's own curse had only ever reached level 9.9—it simply couldn't cross that final threshold.
And now… this world's apex, the ninth-tier powerhouses, were gathering here. What was supposed to be just a probing skirmish had escalated to the point of drawing out such mighty beings.
Normally, ninth-tier experts never left their imperial capitals. One reason was strategic—they had to be ready to defend the heart of the empire and support its various territories at a moment's notice. The other reason?
To hide.
Yes, to hide.
Because wild ninth-tier powerhouses were often hunted by ambitious eighth-tier warriors.
Why? Simple.
There were only nine seats for ninth-tier beings in the entire world.
If all nine seats were filled, then no matter how much an eighth-tier warrior trained, they could never ascend to the ninth tier unless a seat was vacated.
(Author's note: previous mention of the number was incorrect. Correction: there are three empires, two of which each have three ninth-tier powerhouses, and one has two.)
While it might sound shameful for a ninth-tier to cower like that, the reality was harsh—ninth-tiers weren't invincible.
Surrounded by twenty determined eighth-tier warriors desperate for a seat, even a ninth-tier could fall. That's why, more often than not, existing ninth-tier experts would voluntarily relinquish their seat to avoid such a fate.
But now, five ninth-tier auras were converging on this modest battlefield.
Two came from the Cloud Dragon Empire. Two more from a different direction. And one from yet another.
Five in total—closing in fast.
Fang Chen's tightly shut eyes slowly opened, just a sliver. He saw the man standing before him.
Barre.
The ninth-tier powerhouse who had brought him to the Cloud Dragon Empire.
Instead of going to join the others in hunting down the monster, Barre had come here—to Fang Chen.
What did he want?
Fang Chen's eyes gleamed with cold indifference. He stared at the man, silently waiting to see what move he would make.
Barre's gaze flickered as he took in Fang Chen's drastically altered form. His eyes sparkled strangely as he inspected Fang Chen from head to toe. Finally, he tilted his head and curled his lips.
"Hm? Commander?" Yun Ying walked over curiously. "What's the matter?"
Barre glanced at her, then sheathed the sword at his waist, forcefully suppressing the murderous intent that had just risen in his eyes.
Fang Chen looked briefly at Yun Ying, then slowly let the cold light fade from his eyes. He lowered his eyelids again, covering the hostility he had just shown.
"No... it's nothing. I'm just... still a little worried~" Barre said with a smile, shaking his head.
But Fang Chen wasn't fooled.
This man… hadn't given up yet?
So petty. Such a narrow-minded human.
He had actually been planning to kill Fang Chen in this moment of vulnerability.
After all, if Fang Chen died here, it would be easy to pin the blame on the monster from the battlefield.
Barre didn't care about what Fang Chen had done—saving Yun Ying, saving the entire city—it all meant nothing to him.
All he cared about was his own mistakes and responsibilities. Just another selfish schemer, the kind of slick corporate scumbag who loved nothing more than dodging accountability.
Fang Chen never had a good impression of this guy—and now, he didn't even bother hiding his disdain.
This was where the gap between Barre and Allen became crystal clear.
If it had been Allen, he would have calmly analyzed the situation, seen the big picture, and expressed his gratitude properly.
But Barre?
He reached for his sword the moment he felt threatened—utterly destroying any chance at goodwill. He even risked provoking a powerful grudge from Fang Chen that could affect the entire Cloud Dragon Empire.
Because there was one thing no one seemed to be considering—or perhaps, they simply didn't care:
The number of ninth-tier magical beasts was not fixed at nine. In fact, even now, there were only three such beasts.
Why so few?
Because magical beasts didn't just fight humans—they fought each other. Most didn't live long enough to ascend.
That's why, even after all this time, there were only three ninth-tier beast kings.
So when Fang Chen emerged—unique and full of potential—they didn't strike him down.
Why? Because they still hoped.
Hoped that one day, he would join the side of the magical beasts.
After all, beasts didn't develop true intelligence until eighth-tier. By ninth-tier, their wisdom was no less than that of humans.
Allen would've noticed all of this instantly.
Even if Earth Lizard was only recorded as reaching eighth-tier at most, Allen believed it to be a miracle of the beast world.
A beast worthy of becoming a ninth-tier.
If that happened, the Cloud Dragon Empire would possess four ninth-tier powerhouses—putting it ahead of all three empires.
But if Allen had seen what Barre just did, he'd probably die of rage.
Idiot.
A brainless brute with no foresight.
Always thinking about nothing more than the consequences of his own actions, never the bigger picture.
That was Barre's greatest flaw.
But Fang Chen didn't care anymore.
As long as Yun Ying survived and made it back to the empire safely, he was done.
Once a full month passed, he could leave this world entirely.
He'd just throw that woman into the Dragon Palace, and then he could finally cut loose.
Collect more cards, unlock more forms—that was the real journey that mattered to him.
This world? It was just the place where he spent his infancy. Two years of sightseeing in an alternate realm, nothing more.
Whatever happened from now on had nothing to do with him.
As Yun Ying spoke with Barre in the distance, Fang Chen lowered his head again.
Boom! With a heavy stomp, Barre launched himself from the city wall and charged off toward the battlefield.
Yun Ying watched him go, then turned to Fang Chen with confusion.
Why did she suddenly feel… like he was about to disappear?
She walked up to him and gently stroked the rocky surface of his face, her eyes filled with curiosity.
She realized she knew so little about him.
All she really knew were the things he'd done after arriving in the empire.
That lack of understanding made her feel… conflicted.
The confidence she had at the beginning—how childish it seemed now.
This magical beast was never just a beast.
And she… had never had the power to control him.
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