Even though she had unlocked seven divine charms and obtained seven high-level "divine items," compared to the hundreds of superior bamboo slips and the dozens of charms left behind here, what Elara took might not even make up five percent of the total.
Looking at the room full of high-grade bamboo slips and charms she couldn't take with her, she knew she would definitely have to come back here in the future.
She had to clear this place out! Yes...
After one last look at the treasure-filled room, Elara left the "core palace" along the same path she had entered.
The moment she stepped out of the palace, the palace gates automatically closed behind her. Two seconds later, the entire gate slowly blended into the surroundings and disappeared completely.
Elara followed the path back to the training room.
The mechanical voice in the training room sensed her presence and immediately spoke.
[The exit has been opened, just on your left side. We hope this training assessment was helpful to you. See you next time.]
After those words, the mechanical voice completely disappeared.
Elara exited through the designated path.
When she returned to the ancient mural corridor that resembled a labyrinth, Uno was already waiting there for her.
"Master!"
When he saw her come out, Uno instantly flashed in front of her. His narrow eyes lowered slightly as he looked her over carefully. Once he confirmed she was completely unhurt, his expression returned to normal.
Elara also sized up Uno.
Although they had only been apart for a short while, she could clearly feel that Uno's strength had grown even more unfathomable.
In the past, he had felt like a silent sword lurking in the dark, able to pierce or kill anything without fail.
Now, this aura around him was stronger and even more hidden. It was as if he had withdrawn all his sharp edges, condensing them into something richer and more profound. His presence even carried a faint sense of illusion—if he did not draw his sword, nothing happened, but once he did, mountains would crumble and the earth would shake.
"Looks like you made good use of those twenty rounds of training."
Uno pressed his lips together and nodded in response.
He had originally wanted to get through the trials quickly, to find Elara and return to her side as soon as possible.
But she had told him to participate in the assessment properly and not to waste the special training.
Uno could not disobey her order. Even though being away from her made him anxious, since she was safe, he could only suppress his uneasiness and focus on finishing the training so he could find her right away.
Those twenty rounds of training were indeed extraordinary. Uno didn't know how those miraculous scene transitions were achieved. He had been too focused on Elara to look into it, but his martial arts and inner strength had improved dramatically thanks to that training.
But once he passed the first two rounds, he just couldn't get through the third round, no matter what he tried.
The voice in the third assessment asked him whether he was a good person or a bad person.
Uno had been trained since childhood to live and die for his master. Everything he did was for his master, and whether it was good or bad, he accepted it willingly.
Beyond that, he had never had a clear sense of self. The word "self" seemed to have been stripped from him when he was very young.
So he answered: I don't know.
Then the voice asked again: Then what are the principles you follow in your actions?
Uno: My master is my principle.
Mechanical voice: No matter whether your master is a merciful savior or a wicked criminal?
Uno: Yes!
[Assessment failed]
After that, no matter what Uno did, he could never pass the third assessment.
When it came down to the final chance, Uno didn't dare start the assessment recklessly again, because his master had said that between the two of them, at least one must pass.
So Uno suppressed himself and waited inside the third assessment room, waiting for news from his master's side.
When Elara finally sent a message, Uno didn't even have time to react before a force pushed him out of the assessment room and back into the corridor.
Seeing that Uno had also gained a great improvement from the special training, Elara's lips curved slightly. She raised her hand and patted his firm and slender forearm, then took out the [Damaged Hidden Blade] from her spatial button and handed it to him.
"Take this. This dagger is stronger than any you've used before. It can turn invisible and has several hidden winning functions that are hard to guard against. You only need a single thought to activate it. Try it out and get used to it quickly."
The appearance of the [Damaged Hidden Blade] looked almost the same as an ordinary dagger from this era. The advanced technology of the Divine Vein made it easy for these "divine items" to disguise themselves.
Uno accepted this seemingly simple and unremarkable dagger. As soon as a thought flashed in his mind, the dagger in his hand visibly disappeared.
Uno's eyes narrowed slightly, and in an instant, he understood what kind of dagger Elara had given him.
Such a magical treasure could only be created through the Divine Vein's Gift, awakened in this "Divine Ruins," which was being fought over by major powers.
His master had actually just handed him a Divine Vein's Gift.
"Master, I…"
Uno held the [Damaged Hidden Blade] in both hands and, speaking a little faster, tried to say something to her.
Elara interrupted him, "Enough, don't say anything. I got it with the intention of giving it to you anyway. You know it's a treasure, so just make good use of it. With your current skills plus this dagger, even those ranked at the top of the world's Heavenly List will find it hard to hurt you."
Also, when they headed to Jingshi Kingdom to deal with the Divine Mirror, Uno would be going with her.
There were still unknown dangers hiding inside the Jingshi Kingdom. Aside from the potential threats the Divine Mirror might bring, Elara also suspected that the top three assassins on the Blood Garment Tower's Heavenly List probably held some Divine Vein's Gifts.
After all, the Blood Garment Tower was a second-tier major power. Its people likely had some Divine Vein's Gifts among them.
Those three assassins were the strongest "blades" of the Blood Garment Tower. It was very likely that they were already carrying some form of "divine item."
Giving the Hidden Blade to Uno for protection allowed Elara to feel more at ease.
Uno felt his heart and pulse gently contract in response to Elara's words.
He had been taking secret medicine since childhood. According to reason, he should not have had too many emotional fluctuations.
But ever since half a year ago, when his master no longer enjoyed torturing others and her behavior became different from before, he seemed to have begun tasting more and more unfamiliar emotions from her.
This was supposed to be a major taboo for a shadow guard, but a hidden sense of trembling continued rising inside Uno, something he could not suppress.
He lowered his eyes and carefully looked at the Hidden Blade in his hand.
"Yes, Master. Uno understands."
...
The corridor was still the same as before, but outside the palace door, it was no longer the empty abyss it used to be.
The vanished stone bridge reappeared. Elara and Uno stepped onto the bridge, and after walking about fifty meters, they turned back and saw that the corridor palace that should have been nearby had completely disappeared.
Elara had the System report the time again. There was still half an hour left before the meeting time she had agreed on with Prince Yu, Prince Leland, and Gareth.
Thinking for a moment, Elara decided to explore the surrounding new areas while heading toward the agreed location.
But after she and Uno passed through a few stone tunnels with the mechanism lock in hand, loud fighting suddenly came from ahead.
She and Uno instantly lowered their presence and silently looked around the corner.
They saw two groups of strong fighters in black shouting angrily while attacking a man who was being fiercely guarded by several shadow guards.
The man's face was unfamiliar, but his back was very familiar to Elara, especially the long and striking deep red hair and that "delicate and weak" posture, the kind that looked like he couldn't lift a hand or carry a load... wasn't that clearly Gareth in disguise?
"Thief! Hand over our stuff now! Or you won't leave a whole body behind!"
Elara looked at the increasingly one-sided fight in the distance, a bit surprised.