After traveling some distance, he finally reached a wider section of the cave.
The Fire Lion was there.
At this moment, the powerful beast that had fought more than a dozen Blood Warrior Apprentices looked completely exhausted.
Even standing had become difficult.
It still noticed Ryan.
The Fire Lion raised its head and released a low growl.
Ryan did not rush forward.
Even a dying Rank 1 beast could still be dangerous.
He held his saber ready and slowly circled, watching the Fire Lion's movements.
Suddenly, the beast lunged.
Ryan's Medium Reflex Talent immediately reacted.
He shifted aside, avoiding the main force of the attack.
The Fire Lion stumbled after missing him.
Ryan's eyes flashed.
Now!
His monster-slaying saber flashed forward.
Whoosh!
The Fire Lion tried to turn, but its exhausted body could no longer respond quickly enough.
Ryan's attack struck true.
The Fire Lion struggled to remain standing for a moment before finally collapsing.
Ryan waited instead of approaching immediately.
Only after confirming that the beast could no longer attack did he lower his saber.
"A genuine Rank 1 beast..."
Ryan looked at the Fire Lion.
Although he had landed the finishing blow, he had no illusion about what had actually happened.
More than a dozen students had exhausted and injured this beast before he arrived.
If he had encountered the Fire Lion while it was still in good condition, fighting it alone would have been impossible with his current strength.
Still, opportunity was also part of strength.
Ryan quickly got to work.
The trial required a distinctive portion of the Fire Lion's crimson mane as proof of the kill.
That alone was worth 1,600 points.
But Ryan naturally wasn't going to ignore the beast's other value.
Because the Fire Lion had only recently broken through to Rank 1, only part of the beast blood within its body had fully transformed.
Even so, the amount of concentrated Rank 1 beast blood he managed to collect was considerable.
Ryan examined the container in his hands.
"This should be equivalent to about five portions of Low-Grade Beast Blood."
A smile appeared on his face.
This time, he had made a huge profit.
The most valuable things on the body of the Rank 1 Fire Lion were naturally its beast blood and the designated proof worth 1,600 points.
As for the hide, claws, bones, and other materials, they were also worth a considerable amount of money.
Unfortunately, Ryan couldn't carry the entire carcass away by himself, and dismantling all of it would take too much time.
Connor Blake and the others would probably find this place soon.
It was impossible for Ryan to remain here for too long.
After collecting the concentrated Rank 1 beast blood and cutting away the required portion of the Fire Lion's crimson mane, Ryan carefully erased as many traces of his presence as possible.
He glanced around the cave once more.
There was nothing else of particular value inside.
Ryan didn't waste any more time.
He immediately left.
Less than ten minutes after Ryan disappeared, a group of students followed the Fire Lion's trail and arrived outside the cave.
Connor Blake and the other students quickly entered.
The moment they saw the Fire Lion lying motionless inside, their expressions changed.
"The beast is dead!"
A student exclaimed.
"Damn it! Someone got here before us!"
Connor immediately walked toward the carcass.
His expression became even uglier when he saw the missing section of crimson mane.
"The proof is gone."
That was 1,600 points!
The other students hurriedly examined the Fire Lion.
"The concentrated beast blood has also been taken!"
Another student shouted angrily.
Crimson mane.
Rank 1 beast blood.
The two most valuable things had both been taken away.
The students' expressions were extremely ugly.
They had fought the Fire Lion for so long.
All of them had been injured to varying degrees, and many students had even died during the battle.
Yet in the end, someone else had arrived before them and taken the most valuable rewards.
"Who did this?"
Connor's face was dark.
No one answered.
There had been too many students moving through the trial area.
Anyone could have followed the Fire Lion after it escaped.
Although the remaining carcass was still worth a large amount of money, Connor and the other seed students of First Martial Academy had little interest in carrying such bulky materials around.
They turned and left.
Some of the ordinary students who had followed them, however, naturally weren't willing to abandon something so valuable.
Before long, they began dividing the remaining usable materials from the Fire Lion among themselves.
...
Ryan had already traveled far away.
There were many caves and rocky shelters scattered throughout the controlled wilderness area.
After searching for some time, Ryan found a small cave in a secluded location.
An ordinary beast had already occupied it.
Ryan dealt with it and took the cave for himself.
Now that he had obtained the designated proof from a genuine Rank 1 Fire Lion, worth 1,600 points, there was little reason for him to continue desperately hunting ordinary beasts.
There was still roughly a day and a half remaining before the end of the trial.
With 1,600 points already in his possession, his chances of taking first place were extremely high.
Ryan had no intention of wasting the remaining time.
He looked at the container of Rank 1 beast blood he had collected.
"With this much beast blood, I wonder how much my strength can increase?"
Ryan was looking forward to finding out.
He took a small amount of the beast blood and began cultivating.
Original Essence circulated through his body.
Boom!
The moment the beast blood began to take effect, a powerful stream of energy spread through him.
Ryan immediately guided his Original Essence according to his normal cultivation method.
The energy contained in the beast blood was gradually absorbed and refined, accelerating the strengthening of his body.
After completing one full cultivation cycle, most of the energy from that portion had already been absorbed.
Ryan carefully sensed the changes in his body.
His eyes immediately brightened.
"Nearly four times the normal cultivation speed."
This was only Low-Grade Beast Blood produced by a newly advanced Rank 1 beast.
If Intermediate Beast Blood assisted cultivation, the effect would naturally be even greater.
"No wonder some people with ordinary talent can still reach Rank 1 Blood Warrior at a relatively young age."
Ryan thought.
"As long as they have access to large quantities of beast blood and other cultivation resources, even mediocre talent can be compensated for to a certain extent."
Of course, resources like this were far too expensive for ordinary people to use continuously.
Ryan consumed another small portion and continued cultivating.