“Heart?” Jeralding blinked, then actually burst out laughing. “Me… wrong? Hey, Rhys, don’t tell me that’s your sister.”

To be honest, in his eyes, Robin was just a pretty little girl. How could such a frail body intimidate the burly him!

In truth, Rhys was quite surprised too. He hadn’t expected words like that to come from Robin’s mouth, finding it utterly unbelievable.

Just as Robin was preparing to teach this arrogant fool a lesson, a voice cut in beside them.

“What are you all doing?” The question came from Sheryl, the very senior who had led Rhys, Jeralding, and the other junior students into the Magical Beast Forest for practical training.

To tell the truth, he had only approached because he spotted Ribin and recognized her instantly. He was surprised—wasn't she one of those two mysterious children? Why was she here? Where was the other one?

“Senior Sheryl.”

Jeralding and Rhys greeted him out of politeness. Of course, they also genuinely admired Sheryl, as he had utterly dominated the competition to claim first place in the academy’s ranking tournament.

It must be explained here that some lower-tier academies regularly held internal ranking matches, and some even organized friendly contests against peer-level institutions.

The reason for this was simple: they wanted to use the competition to select truly outstanding seed talents!

However, the powerhouse academies were the complete opposite. They rarely held such internal contests, primarily to avoid unnecessary injuries. More importantly, they didn't suffer from the problem of being unable to find enough “seed talents”!

Returning to the narrative, Sheryl nodded to the two boys before resting his gaze on Robin.

Faced with Sheryl’s observation, Robin was completely unconcerned, her gaze still fixed tightly on Jeralding. However, a voice, slightly cold, drifted from her lips at that moment:

“Move aside!”

Jeralding just kept grinning foolishly, showing no intention of budging. He didn't believe Robin could actually do anything to him. His greatest flaw was simply being too self-assured!

“What’s going on?” Sheryl interjected, having already sensed the unusual tension.

Yet, he could never have anticipated that the answer to his question would be a scene that struck terror into the heart.

Jeralding, who had been smiling foolishly just a moment ago, was suddenly propelled outward like a cannonball, colliding with the net barrier at the edge of the training ground with a resounding thud.

In that instant, Sheryl’s pupils visibly contracted, and his entire face was etched with sheer horror!

Rhys’s fright was even greater. He couldn’t fathom how a fully conscious person standing perfectly fine moments before could be sent flying so bizarrely. The visual impact was immense!

Looking at Jeralding now, he was curled motionlessly beneath the barrier, whether knocked unconscious or having just kicked the bucket!

Perhaps due to that loud crash, the attention of the surrounding students was immediately drawn. When they saw the dented barrier and the motionless Jeralding, they were all stunned speechless.

Not only did they not know what happened, but even Rhys and Sheryl, who had been standing right next to him, were blank-faced.

The speed had been too quick, coupled with the element of surprise; nobody had clearly seen how Jeralding flew out!

“Don’t waste my time here,” Robin repeated the earlier demand to the stunned Rhys.

Rhys finally snapped back to reality. The way he looked at Robin was as if he were staring at a monster. He wasn’t stupid; connecting Robin’s words just moments ago, he could guess that Jeralding’s flight was absolutely connected to her!

Could it be that she was also hiding immense power?

This thought suddenly sparked in Rhys’s mind. Although he desperately wanted to check on Jeralding’s condition now, constrained by Robin’s latent threat, he had to leave quickly before he too was sent “flying”!

By the time Sheryl recovered from his shock, Robin and Rhys were long gone.

“Could the death of that Wind-Chasing Wolf last time be related to this… little girl?” Sheryl pondered quietly to himself.

Meanwhile, Rhys felt intensely oppressed. When he hadn't grasped Robin’s strength, it hadn't seemed like much, but now he felt that the one following him wasn't a little girl anymore, but a monster capable of ending his life at any moment!

He felt a strange sense of relief that he hadn't held Robin's hand back at the academy, otherwise, he wouldn't even know how he "disappeared"!

They walked in silence until they finally arrived at Rhys’s home. Though not lavish, it was large. It must have belonged to a prominent family in the past.

As Rhys had mentioned, only he and a butler resided here. He used to have a father, but when Rhys turned fourteen, his father left only a note and vanished mysteriously!

Rhys had intended to lead Robin to the living room to rest, but Robin waved off the offer with, “No need, business is urgent.”

Robin’s serious expression made Rhys even more nervous, eager to retrieve the book and leave as fast as possible!

“It’s in here!” Rhys said to Robin upon reaching the secret room.

Without needing instruction, Robin immediately started moving books. However, her method of moving them completely shattered Rhys’s composure. To his astonishment, she simply swept the entire bookshelf—books and all—into her magic ring, clearing everything in a flash!

Rhys hadn’t even processed what was happening during the process!

“Is there anything else?” Robin asked casually.

“N-no! Nothing!” Rhys stammered foolishly.

“Then we can go back,” Robin stated calmly again.

“Oh.” Rhys nodded, but his dazed look indicated he hadn't recovered from the shock.

By the time they returned to the 'DuBrael Magic and Martial Academy,' Zhong Shenxiu was still examining the barrier.

“Is the task finished?” Zhong Shenxiu stood up and asked Robin.

Robin nodded without speaking.

Zhong Shenxiu shifted his gaze to Rhys and spoke again, “Alright, you can go ask for leave now!”

“Ask for leave?” Rhys was completely bewildered by Zhong Shenxiu’s words, not understanding what leave he needed to request.

Zhong Shenxiu seemed to anticipate his surprise, noting that Angelia had worn the same expression when first told.

“Since you’ve decided to let me train you, naturally, you can’t stay in the academy anymore!” Zhong Shenxiu explained with a smile.

Rhys stood there, mouth agape, as if struck by lightning.

“If you find it difficult, I won’t force you. You could take time to receive my training, but then I can’t guarantee the progress of your strength improvement,” Zhong Shenxiu added softly.

Rhys seemed to be wrestling with a decision, his face showing clear hesitation. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, “How long of a leave do I need to take?”

“You can take one week first. If you feel my training is effective, it won't be too late to extend the leave!”

After another period of silence, Rhys finally conceded reluctantly, “Fine, then.”

“Then go now. I will wait here for half an hour. Punctuality is key!” Zhong Shenxiu said with a smile again.

Rhys dared not delay and hurried off to request leave. On his way, he happened to overhear discussions about Jeralding that sent shivers down his spine!

“Hey, did you guys hear? That guy Jeralding from the next class, for some unknown reason, decided to smash himself against the barrier. Apparently, he broke a few ribs and is still unconscious!”

“No way. He always seemed so simple-minded, how could he have something so serious to worry about?”

It seemed rumors truly distorted the facts!

Meanwhile, as for Zhong Shenxiu, saying he was waiting for Rhys was an understatement—he simply hadn't finished studying the barrier yet. Otherwise, given his personality, asking him to wait for anyone, even the Emperor of Heaven, would never earn such a privilege!

When Rhys finally returned, breathless, he had, thankfully, not exceeded the half-hour mark!

What was frustrating for Rhys, however, was that Zhong Shenxiu showed no immediate signs of leaving, still squatting and fiddling with the barrier.

Didn't he say punctuality mattered?

Though Rhys had questions, he dared not interrupt, because Robin was glaring at him from nearby, her expression seeming to say: Dare to talk nonsense, and you’ll be kicked away!

He had no choice but to wait!

Wait, wait... Finally, when the big moon appeared leading its little star brothers, Zhong Shenxiu stood up.

“Alright, let’s go!” Zhong Shenxiu’s face broke into a satisfied smile; it seemed his research this time had yielded results.

Heavens above, was it finally finished? Rhys was so excited he nearly shouted aloud! But he couldn't imagine the even more frustrating things awaiting him later!

Leaving the 'DuBrael Magic and Martial Academy,' Zhong Shenxiu and the others headed straight for the small courtyard. Along the way, Rhys was in high spirits, eagerly anticipating the training ahead!

Unknowingly, the group arrived at the front of the courtyard. Wisps of cooking smoke curled up from within. It was likely Angelia preparing a meal.

Seeing Zhong Shenxiu suddenly stop and look at him, Rhys felt confused. Just as he was about to ask why, Zhong Shenxiu spoke.

“See this courtyard? This will be the place where you train from now on!” Zhong Shenxiu stated plainly.

Here? Rhys was shocked inwardly, but dared not utter any complaint; instead, he grew even more curious about how Zhong Shenxiu planned to train him.

“Do you remember this place?” Zhong Shenxiu asked again.

Rhys nodded. It wasn't too far from their academy; he had passed by here before and wouldn't get lost.

Seeing this, Zhong Shenxiu smiled and then uttered a sentence that left Rhys stunned for a long time, yet utterly deflated.

“Since you’ve remembered it, there’s nothing more to discuss! It’s quite late today; you can go back now. Remember to come early tomorrow. I still won’t wait past the appointed time!”

Unexpectedly, before he could even step inside, Rhys was being sent away!

Frustrating as it was, what could he do? As the saying goes: Whose territory, whose rules apply. Rhys had arrived full of excitement only to leave crestfallen!

However, just as he was about to depart, the courtyard gate opened; it turned out Angelia, having heard the noise, had come out.

The moment Rhys saw Angelia’s figure, he was truly, completely, and utterly dumbfounded!!!