Outside Roc City’s fishing pier, a massive fishery patrol vessel slowly approached.

At last, it moored at the side. Yae-hime, Mylene, and Pixie disembarked. The first carried a calm expression, while the other two looked cheerful, as though their minds and bodies had been completely healed.

The three boarded a black business car that had been prepared early in the morning and headed back to the Rosen Hotel.

After the car had been driving for a short while, Mylene, seated across from Yae-hime, suddenly spoke. “Sis, your situation is even more dangerous now than before.”

Hearing this, Yae-hime blinked, her face showing confusion. “Why is that?” Logically speaking, she had revealed the power of an advanced grandmaster. Others should be wary of her. To provoke someone stronger than oneself was nothing short of courting death.

Unless…

“The strength and potential you displayed, Sis, will without a doubt make those old monsters feel threatened. They might want to kill you immediately.” Mylene explained.

“That’s right. At least the overseas ones would do so,” Pixie added. “They will use every means, fair or foul, to wipe you out.”

“That sounds a little exaggerated, doesn’t it?” Yae-hime said, somewhat surprised.

Mylene shook her head. “Sis, this is not an exaggeration at all.”

“Yes,” Pixie nodded softly. “Princess, have you ever heard of Martial Saints and Sages?”

“I’ve heard a little,” Yae-hime replied.

“To ordinary people, grandmasters are already fundamentally different from humans. We can easily be called superhumans or monsters. But we still haven’t transcended. Our bodies still age, our lifespans don’t increase significantly. Strictly speaking, we still belong to the human realm. Martial Saints and Sages, however, are different. Overseas, the Sage Stage represents the pinnacle of the transcendent. For us martial artists, the Martial Saint Stage is the pinnacle. Only by reaching these two stages can one be called transcendent. Because Martial Saints and Sages can freely manipulate mysterious forces and possess extremely long lifespans.”

At this point, Pixie paused before continuing. “Martial Saints and Sages are the highest peaks humanity can reach. However… No one has attained that peak for over three hundred years. The reason is still unclear even now.”

At these words, a spark flashed through Yae-hime’s mind, and she instantly understood. ‘So, over three hundred years ago was the Age of Decline. No wonder there have been no Sages or Martial Saints in modern times. This so-called mysterious force must refer to spirit energy. In a world without spirit energy, breaking through to that realm was simply impossible.’

Thinking of this, worry rose within her. Because the spirit energy of this world was recovering at an astonishing rate! In the near future, Martial Saints and Sages would emerge one after another like bamboo shoots after the rain.

Pressure—an immense, mountain-like pressure—crushed down upon Yae-hime.

This planet’s early recovery had not only awakened ancient creatures in the South Pacific but had also unlocked humanity’s shackles!

‘At present, the strongest person in Cathay is Lisa. It’s said she is only one step away from Martial Saint. Given enough time, she will surely break free of her shackles and step into the realm of the Martial Saint. I must surpass her and break through even faster!’

At this very moment, the pressure on Yae-hime grew even heavier. Whether in the game or in reality, unexpected crises made the road ahead seem daunting.

“When no one could reach that realm, everyone could live in uneasy peace. But if suddenly someone shows the potential to enter it, what do you think will happen?” Pixie asked with a smile.

“They would be killed without hesitation,” Yae-hime said.

“Exactly. Otherwise, the balance preserved for so long would collapse. Those who once stood lofty above all would be trampled underfoot. That is a result they clearly cannot accept.”

“So, someone like you, Princess, gifted and having reached the advanced grandmaster level at such a young age, was a thorn in certain people’s eyes.” Pixie explained.

“Mhm.” Mylene nodded. “Sis, for safety’s sake, you should come live with me.”

“If it’s convenient, I want to move in too!” Pixie blurted.

“We will talk about that later. The place I am staying now is very safe,” Yae-hime shook her head and quickly changed the subject. “Still, were Martial Saints and Sages not supposed to be like myths in this age? Why would they think someone could actually break through?”

“Because a few people have already approached that realm,” Pixie replied. A tinge of regret showed on her face. ‘Ha… I really wanted to live with Princess. It would be best if we slept in the same bed!’

“My master was one of those,” Mylene said with pride.

“I see.” Yae-hime finally understood why she was being targeted.

“Sis, did you really use your full strength in that fight?” Mylene suddenly asked.

Pixie pricked up her ears at the question.

“I used my full physical strength,” Yae-hime answered truthfully.

“I knew it. No wonder you are amazing!” Mylene understood that her sister still had swordsmanship she had not unleashed. What she did not know was that there was far more Yae-hime had not shown.

At the very least, she had not used the game’s basic skills in the fight with Lucky. Otherwise Lucky would have been taken out in the opening exchange. Of course, using skills would mean revealing some of the game’s secrets. If not necessary, she did not want others to learn those mysteries.

The three continued to talk while the business car maintained a steady speed.

At the same time, inside the game. Taurus, having learned the grove had been emptied, immediately logged on.

“My Purple Sword, my Shadow Horn!” He opened the interface and was stunned to find that the high-priced Purple Sword he had purchased and the strongest trump card obtained in the maze were both gone.

Clearly they had been picked up as death drops. And the person who picked them up was undoubtedly S.K.Y.

“You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲. I will definitely kill you!” Taurus still felt fear toward that mutated S.K.Y. But that did not mean he did not want S.K.Y. dead. Quite the opposite, every second he wanted S.K.Y. dead.

Only when that man was dead would the fear in Taurus’ heart vanish and his items be returned.

Then his subordinate’s next report almost made him faint.

“Taurus, not long ago someone saw a pitch-black dragonlike creature flying here. It looked like there was a person sitting on its back.”

“My Shadow Horn!” Taurus wailed when he heard that. That dragonlike creature could very well be the shadow beast summoned by the Shadow Horn. In other words, the horn’s remaining uses had been consumed by S.K.Y. The horn was now nothing more than scrap.

He looked around and indeed found the familiar fragments.

“S.K.Y., we are sworn enemies!” With the last sliver of hope destroyed, Taurus flew into an uncontrollable fury. “From now on, S.K.Y. is the mortal enemy of our Death of Love Guild! Whoever brings S.K.Y.’s head here will receive a thirty million bounty! I will post a bounty on his life across the entire server!”

No sooner had he spoken than the forum suffered its third shock of the day.