Victor wasn’t comforted by the Bald Elder’s words.

Other geniuses?

How could he possibly compare himself to them?

His goal was far greater.

His mood remained foul because of this failure, especially since he had thought he would succeed right then and there.

"How many days have passed?" Victor asked.

It had felt short, yet also like several days had gone by.

One thing he was certain of—it had been more than three days.

"Only eight days," the Bald Elder replied.

It turned out to be longer than he had expected.

Victor immediately turned and left.

He wanted to consult Lady Jade Sovereign again.

The wounds on his fist healed rapidly as he activated the power of the Diamond Skeleton.

If it had been active from the beginning, Alisa and the others wouldn’t have been able to injure his fist at all.

Even if they did, the wounds would have healed almost instantly.

By the time he passed through the gates of the Russell Clan residence, his fist had already returned to normal.

It was around midday now, and the city was bustling.

People were wearing slightly thicker clothing as the weather had grown colder.

It seemed the cold season was approaching.

When he arrived at the academy, Victor was puzzled.

He found silence instead.

There were no students in sight—only janitors and a few teachers relaxing, as if it were a weekend break. But that clearly wasn’t the case, since the academy didn’t have the concept of weekends or annual holidays.

This was something that had never happened during his time there.

He wondered where all the students had gone.

Even Alexandra seemed to be absent.

Frowning in confusion, but still focused on his fist, Victor headed straight to Lady Jade Sovereign’s residence.

This time, there were no guards at the gate.

He pushed it open—it wasn’t even locked.

He walked up to the castle doors, which were also closed but unlocked, and entered directly.

"Where are you, Lady Jade Sovereign?" Victor called out from the living room.

"Can’t you knock first, brat?" came an immediate response from upstairs.

Victor saw her descending the stairs with an unpleasant expression.

She wore her usual white robe, but this time, her white hair looked damp.

There was even a faint fragrance emanating from her, and her skin appeared slightly flushed.

Victor gave a faint smile at the sight.

He sat on the sofa before she reached the first floor.

"I want to ask about my current fist," Victor said bluntly, extending his palm.

Even without activating his power, red and gold lines were still visible across his palm.

They seemed permanent.

Lady Jade Sovereign looked surprised, as if she had seen something unexpected.

"Why hasn’t my fist reached the Heaven Class yet?" Victor asked.

She didn’t answer immediately.

Her eyes narrowed as she examined his palm and quickened her pace.

"Did you let others attack your fist during your training?" she asked.

"Yes, of course," Victor replied.

"And you endured it?" she asked again.

"What? Did you think I couldn’t?" Victor smirked.

"That must’ve been what you were hoping for. Unfortunately, no. I endured eight days without losing control."

Hearing that, Lady Jade Sovereign looked astonished—but also irritated.

The former was an expression she couldn’t hide, while the latter stemmed from her own displeasure.

"You don’t need to praise me. Just tell me what I should do," Victor continued.

"Brat, don’t get arrogant..." she snapped.

She sat across from him, while Victor fell silent, simply waiting for her explanation.

"You’re only one step away from the Heaven Class," she said after sitting down.

"But at this point, there’s nothing more I can teach you. Everything depends on you. You have to push your fist forward yourself."

"I see..."

"If you don’t believe me, ask the Shadow Master."

"Of course I believe you. You’ve never lied to me. So, does that mean I need some kind of trigger to push my fist into the Heaven Class?"

"Yes, you need a trigger. Since it’s a fist, let it punch. But the target must be something that truly makes your fist feel extraordinary."

"Oh? Who do you think would be suitable for me to punch?"

"Figure it out yourself."

"I want to succeed in one attempt."

"I already said it depends on you. If you’re incapable, you could try thousands of times and still fail. Now that you know, leave. I’m busy," she said impatiently.

"You really seem to hate my presence," Victor chuckled.

She didn’t respond, only staring at him coldly.

"By the way, where are the students? Why is there not a single one left?" Victor still didn’t leave.

He even stretched his legs onto the table, wanting to straighten them after hanging them for eight straight days during training.

Lady Jade Sovereign’s expression worsened drastically.

She seemed to hold her breath.

"They’ve gone to the Deep Sea. Go there if you want fortune," she said.

"The Deep Sea?"

Victor had never heard of it before.

But that information was enough.

Since it was the sea, he only needed to head to the coast.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked.

"I’m still tired," Victor replied.

He was mentally exhausted and should have rested after eight days of extreme training.

"Go rest at your own place," she said irritably, clearly unwilling to let him use her sofa.

"When has anyone ever behaved like this in front of her?"

Never.

"Give me an hour. I don’t want to move," Victor said.

"Do you want me to send you somewhere else?" she asked.

"You’re really short-tempered..." Victor shook his head and stood up.

If she wanted to, she could easily make him unable to resist.

"What?" she asked, noticing that Victor was still staring at her instead of leaving.

"I’m honestly curious," Victor said. "Could a young man like me win the heart of a woman like you?"

"You?" She immediately stood up, her cheeks flushing as she pointed at him with a trembling hand.

"I think it’d be quite interesting to date someone like you."

"Brat, how dare you!"

In an instant, she appeared before him and grabbed his collar.

"Say that again."

"What? You want to hear it again?" Victor smiled instead of panicking.

"Do you enjoy hearing it?"

"Insolent!"

This time, she really threw him.

It was as if he had been struck by a massive, high-speed object.

His body slammed hard against the wall.

"You really need discipline!" she said, appearing before him again before he could even stand.

But she hesitated when she was about to attack again.

That gave Victor the chance to get up.

The impact wasn’t light—blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"What’s wrong? Don’t want to discipline me?" he asked.

"Leave now before I change my mind," she replied.

"Of course. But I won’t change mine. Honestly, you’re a captivating woman. The colder you act, the more attractive you become in my eyes. It only makes me want you more. I find it hard to believe you feel nothing toward my appearance."

"...."

Victor left, while Lady Jade Sovereign continued to stare at him in disbelief.

Clearly, she had never expected that after everything between them, Victor would develop such thoughts about her—and be bold enough to say them out loud.

Something even men her age wouldn’t dare to say.

As he stepped out of the gate, Victor was already neat and composed again.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Everything he had said earlier wasn’t nonsense. That woman truly stirred something within him, enough to make him want to tease her a little.

Of course, he wasn’t expecting anything. He had simply said what he wanted to say.

Leaving the academy, he headed toward the city’s coastline—the busiest area, where many inhabitants of the Ancient Blood Continent arrived after crossing the sea.

The massive harbor was a magnificent sight, and today, Victor noticed far more people than usual.

He also saw several students drenched in seawater. Some had just emerged from beneath the ocean itself.

He was, essentially, late to participate—but that didn’t matter.

"You!" Victor called out to a student—one of Evan’s subordinates who had previously helped him at Evan’s request.

The student quickly approached upon hearing Victor’s call.

"Young Master..." he greeted respectfully.

"Tell me about the Deep Sea," Victor said.

"Young Master, the Deep Sea is a small world beneath the ocean that only opens once every five years. There are many treasures inside. Allow me to send the full information directly to you, as there are many details," the student replied.

"Go ahead," Victor nodded.

The student immediately transmitted the information to him.

Victor only needed a brief moment to process everything—fully grasping what the Deep Sea truly was.

Although it is called a Small World, it is actually a kingdom of the Sea Spirit Race—a small yet powerful race that remains isolated from the outside world and has never left their domain known as the Deep Sea.

Curious, Victor stepped into the sea.

Some people had already been expelled, but there was still a chance to enter. Only those who had been expelled could never enter again—and that restriction was permanent.

That race only allowed each outsider to enter once.