“It should be somewhere around here.”
After searching for a while, Li Xian finally found some clues—the claw marks of a Magic Beast.
They looked fresh, as if not long ago.
Judging by the size of the claw marks, the beast’s body wasn’t particularly large; it seemed to be of medium size.
However, the claw marks didn’t continue for long.
After walking a certain distance, the path ahead was covered with fallen leaves, and leaves were still slowly drifting down from the surrounding trees.
The traces of the Magic Beast’s activity had long since been covered, leaving no way to track further.
But since the signs of activity had already been found and the time gap wasn’t long, the Magic Beast should still be nearby.
Li Xian’s heart was filled with hope.
If he could hunt down this High-rank Magical Beast, he would get twenty points—basically securing his position.
Not to mention the difficulty of finding the beast itself, how many points could the others possibly get?
Li Xian estimated that anyone scoring above five points would already be doing very well.
Twenty points, if earned, would guarantee first place without question.
“Sister Karinya, maybe we should go back. I feel like this place… is a bit dangerous.”
Just as Li Xian was excitedly about to pursue the High-rank Magical Beast, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.
“Alright… I also feel that this forest is a little off. We should hurry back.”
Karinya looked around nervously.
As soon as Ellie spoke up, she immediately nodded.
Although she wanted to prove herself, she figured that even if she got a high score, that person would still look down on her, right?
Putting Ellie’s safety at risk wasn’t worth it.
At that moment, as they rounded the corner, they saw Li Xian and Sara looking back at them.
“It’s you?” Li Xian spoke first, frowning slightly at seeing Princess Ellie.
Ellie immediately grew embarrassed, lowering her head and kicking a stone, remaining silent.
“Mr. Li Xian.” Karinya smiled wryly at Ellie beside her, then greeted Li Xian.
He nodded back at her in response.
He still felt a good impression of this girl and was curious about her background.
More importantly, he was thinking about his plan… that place nearby was indeed very suitable.
But that was a topic for later.
The urgent matter now was to find that High-rank Magical Beast as soon as possible.
“This area is indeed somewhat dangerous. You’d better not continue; it’s really best to go back.”
Of course, Li Xian didn’t forget to remind them.
After all, unlike them, encountering a High-rank Magical Beast was not about scoring points—it was a matter of life or death.
But his words inevitably caused some misunderstandings.
For example, Ellie, who had just been feeling awkward and guilty, now muttered quietly in dissatisfaction, “What? Just because you have better talent, you look down on others like that…”
Of course, she only said it quietly enough for Karinya and herself to hear, having learned her lesson this time.
Karinya was utterly helpless with her childhood friend.
Clearly, this wasn’t the time to talk about that, so she nodded to Li Xian and said, “Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Li Xian, but… where exactly are you planning to go?”
“Seems like there’s no need to hide it from you…” Li Xian thought for a moment.
Since the outcome would be obvious in the end and there was no reason to conceal it, he said straightforwardly, “There should be a High-rank Magical Beast nearby.”
“A High-rank Magical Beast?!” The moment those words came out, Karinya took a sharp breath.
Even Ellie stopped complaining, lifting her head in surprise.
Though the instructors had mentioned this possibility before… none had expected it to actually be true.
That was a High-rank Magical Beast.
Most participants in this exam were only Low-rank Magical Beast level, or even below.
Several people working together struggled to handle a slightly strong Low-rank Magical Beast.
When they faced a Mid-rank Magical Beast, they had to ask instructors for help, and before the instructors arrived, injuries could happen.
And High-rank Magical Beasts…
Even the formidable Li Xian wouldn’t be able to defeat one easily, right?
Ellie found it hard to believe.
Karinya shared the same thoughts.
She looked at Li Xian hesitantly and said, “Mr. Li Xian, wouldn’t a High-rank Magical Beast be dangerous?”
“Ah?” Li Xian was a little stunned by the question.
He had never taken High-rank Magical Beasts seriously, so to him, the question sounded strange.
“It’s fine. With Sara and me, killing a High-rank Magical Beast shouldn’t be a problem.”
But since they were concerned for him, Li Xian didn’t say more.
“No way!” Karinya put on a stern face.
“Mr. Li Xian, I know you’re strong, but that’s still a High-rank Magical Beast. You can’t be absolutely sure. And since you have Miss Sara with you, it’s better not to take reckless risks.”
She spoke seriously, but Li Xian was barely paying attention to what she was saying.
Instead, he was drawn by her expression.
Her pretty face had hardened, which only made her delicate features stand out more.
Because of her urgency, her lips were slightly pouted in an adorably angry way, almost making Li Xian want to pinch her cheek.
But seeing the worry in her eyes, he felt both amused and helpless.
“So, really, it’s fine. I’m confident.” Li Xian said helplessly.
“That’s not acceptable,” Karinya said, narrowing her eyes.
“This is not something to be handled casually. What if something goes wrong? The Dean and the instructors have high hopes for both of you. You are the Empire’s future—please don’t gamble with your safety.”
Li Xian smiled wryly, at a loss for how to refute her.
“But even if you say that, a High-rank Magical Beast is worth twenty points. You can’t just give up like this, right?”
“…”
Karinya’s expression softened.
Honestly, she understood.
If a Mid-rank Magical Beast appeared in front of her and, with Ellie, she had a chance to kill it, she would definitely want to try.
“So, it’s fine. I’m only going to try. If I really can’t handle it, I’ll call the instructors for help.”
“…” Karinya hesitated.
Even so, what if the instructors couldn’t arrive in time?
Li Xian had helped her before; she didn’t want him to get into trouble.
But at that moment, Li Xian had already started moving forward with Sara.
What if the High-rank Magical Beast ran off?
“If you’re going, then fine. Karinya and I will come to help.”
“Ah?” Li Xian was stunned.
‘No, please don’t come and cause trouble.’
“Don’t worry. If we really kill it, Ellie and I won’t take a single point. We’ll give all twenty points to you two. Consider it compensation for Ellie’s previous rudeness. Okay, Ellie?”
Ellie glanced at Karinya, feeling a bit strange but ultimately said nothing and nodded.