Even if it wasn't enough to compete for first place, it was close to the range required to enter the top ten.
Ryan glanced toward Connor.
He had naturally heard the conversations outside.
If he handed over the Fire Lion's proof, everyone would know that he was the one who had taken it.
Connor would undoubtedly hold a grudge against him.
For a brief moment, Ryan considered simply keeping the material.
He could avoid the trouble.
But almost immediately, he dismissed the thought.
Three portions of Intermediate Beast Blood and 170,000 denari were already in his hands in all but name. Was he really supposed to throw them away merely because someone might cause trouble for him later?
Ryan's eyes became calm.
Danger was something to consider, not something to fear.
If he became afraid of taking opportunities simply because they came with consequences, then what was the point of struggling to become stronger?
He would not act recklessly.
But neither would he be a coward.
As for Connor—
If trouble came, he would deal with it when it came.
"Teacher, I still have another piece of material."
Ryan reached into his belongings and took out a section of dark crimson mane.
The moment it appeared, several nearby instructors immediately recognized it.
A faint pressure still lingered on the material.
The scoring instructor's expression changed.
"The Rank 1 Fire Lion's proof was actually obtained by you!"
He looked at Ryan in surprise.
"This material counts as 1,600 points. Your total score is 1,861 points!"
For a moment, the surroundings became quiet.
Then—
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
A series of cold gazes immediately fell upon Ryan.
Connor's expression darkened.
He strode forward.
"Who are you who dare to rob our Fire Lion proof?"
One of Connor's companions leaned closer and whispered,
"Connor, he seems to be a student of Aegis Martial Academy."
"Aegis?"
When Connor heard this, his expression became even uglier.
First Martial Academy already considered itself superior to Aegis in practical combat.
Yet now an Aegis student had taken away the most valuable reward from a Rank 1 beast that Connor and the others had spent so much effort fighting.
To Connor, this was no different from being slapped in the face.
Although he did not necessarily desperately need the Intermediate Beast Blood reward, losing first place in this manner was something he couldn't tolerate.
Ryan looked at him calmly.
"It's funny to say I robbed your Fire Lion."
"The beasts in the trial area don't belong to your family. If I can hunt it, naturally what I hunt is mine."
He wasn't particularly afraid of offending Connor.
Ryan had personally delivered the finishing blow to the Fire Lion and obtained the required proof.
The rules of the trial were clear.
Whoever returned with the designated material received the points.
Moreover, this was a joint trial held by all five academies.
Connor couldn't simply decide the rules himself.
Connor also understood that arguing further was useless.
He glared fiercely at Ryan and finally dropped a sentence.
"Boy, you wait and see!"
The other First Martial Academy students also looked at Ryan unpleasantly, but none of them said anything.
They knew Connor would not simply forget the matter.
The trial was officially over.
With 1,861 points, Ryan took first place.
As promised, he received three portions of Intermediate Beast Blood and 170,000 denari.
Three days had passed since the end of the trial.
During these three days, Ryan had not immediately used the Intermediate Beast Blood.
Instead, he concentrated on consolidating his foundation and completely refining the remaining Low-Grade Beast Blood he had obtained from the Fire Lion.
By now, all of that beast blood had been consumed.
In exchange, Ryan's physical strength had risen significantly.
Based on his own estimation, his current strength was already around 290 kilograms.
Blood Warrior Apprentice Peak Stage.
Only around ten kilograms separated him from the 300-kilogram threshold required to become a Rank 1 Blood Warrior.
But that was still not enough.
Ryan looked at the small container of Intermediate Beast Blood in front of him.
"I wonder how much greater the effect of Intermediate Beast Blood will be."
He opened the container.
Ryan naturally didn't dare consume too much at once.
He only took a small amount.
Boom!
Almost immediately, a violent surge of energy erupted inside his body.
The power contained in Intermediate Beast Blood was far more intense than that of Low-Grade Beast Blood.
But the benefits were also considerably greater.
Ryan immediately began circulating Original Essence.
Again.
Again.
And again.
The powerful energy from the beast blood continued spreading through his body, while Ryan repeatedly guided and refined it through his cultivation.
Gradually, his awareness of time faded.
His body almost seemed to continue the cultivation process instinctively.
Finally—
Ryan sensed that the energy contained in that small amount of Intermediate Beast Blood was nearly exhausted.
Only then did he slowly stop.
He opened his eyes.
Ryan carefully thought back over the cultivation session.
"I actually completed around eight times as much cultivation as I normally could during the same period?"
A look of surprise appeared on his face.
In the past, attempting to cultivate so intensely in one continuous session would have exhausted his body.
But with Intermediate Beast Blood constantly supplying energy, not only had he managed to complete it, he still felt energetic afterward.
Ryan carefully sensed the changes in his body and estimated the effect.
"Eightfold cultivation increase."
His eyes brightened.
The auxiliary cultivation effect of Intermediate Beast Blood was terrifying.
If he could continuously cultivate with a resource like this, then with his Advanced Cultivation Talent, reaching Rank 1 Blood Warrior within a month might actually be possible.
---
"5 portions of Intermediate Beast Blood should allow me to cultivate for around 5 days. That should be more than enough to push my strength past 300 kilograms and let me break through to Rank 1 Blood Warrior."
Ryan roughly estimated.
Once his strength crossed 300 kilograms, combined with his Medium Reflex Talent and his saber combat ability, ordinary Blood Warrior Apprentices would no longer pose much of a threat to him.