"Hey, what's that in your hand?"

She called out.

Su Chen looked up with a faint smile and said, "A Cloud Leopard Spirit Pearl."

Phoenix pondered silently in her heart, then showed a rare friendly smile, and jogged over to Su Chen.

Su Chen held the Spirit Pearl, just about to store it in the Canghen Crystal, when he suddenly felt a surge of energy. This energy was very weak, like a thread running around inside the Spirit Pearl. Su Chen thoughtfully glanced at the Black Cloud Leopard's body and thought, could it be that within the Spirit Pearl lies the mutated black flame power of the Black Cloud Leopard?

"You're lucky, you even managed to kill a Black Cloud Leopard~" Phoenix's slightly excited voice rang in his ears, snapping Su Chen back to reality. He looked at her eyes gleaming uncontrollably and said, "Just luck. Why, it seems like you really like this Spirit Pearl..."

Phoenix let out a light ah, then shook her head in denial, "Not really, I just find it very mysterious and beautiful."

Su Chen chuckled, "Beautiful, huh? How come I can't see it, but you know a lot, can you tell me what's up with the Spirit Pearl?"

Phoenix gave the Spirit Pearl a meaningful look, then explained, "A Spirit Pearl, as the name suggests, is the essential energy bead of a Spirit Beast. It provides the energy source for the Spirit Beast's abilities, evolving as the Spirit Beast grows, and the stored Power of Origin also increases over time. Humans have always valued the Spirit Pearls of high-level Spirit Beasts because they contain enormous elemental energy, which can be embedded into weapons for amplification to enhance the weapon's quality. Of course, many caravans, mercenary groups, or small-scale civilian organizations, seek and hunt Spirit Beasts year-round to acquire valuable Spirit Pearls and sell them for a hefty price."

"So in your opinion, does this Black Cloud Leopard Spirit Pearl contain the corrosive flame energy that we saw earlier? Also, based on the market evaluation standards, how much is it roughly worth?"

Su Chen asked with notable experience.

"Can I have a look at it?"

Phoenix thought for a moment, then said softly.

Su Chen casually handed it over to her without any hesitation, Phoenix was momentarily surprised, then a mysterious smile appeared on her lips. She toyed with the Black Cloud Leopard Spirit Pearl, her expression changed several times before she finally asserted, "Though I'm not an expert, I can confidently tell you that this Black Cloud Leopard Spirit Pearl is a Grade 4 medium quality, and with the mutated Black Cloud Leopard bloodline and that strange corrosive black flame, its value should be around 40,000 Gold Coins."

"Forty thousand?"

Although he had anticipated the Black Cloud Leopard's Spirit Pearl being valuable, Su Chen was still shocked upon hearing the price!

Forty thousand Gold Coins may not mean much to the Su Family, a dominant force in Iron Stone City, but for an ordinary family, it's enough to live comfortably for a lifetime. Just one Spirit Pearl can ensure a life free from worries. No wonder so many people flock to Spirit Beast Mountain Range and Forest of Death despite the known dangers.

Seeing Su Chen's expression, Phoenix slightly smiled, "What, does this scare you? This is just a Grade 4 medium quality Spirit Pearl. If it were Grade 5, Grade 9, or even Grade 7, wouldn't you be scared to death?"

"Haha, why don't you mention above Grade 7? If a Grade 9 Spirit Pearl appeared, I'd surely be scared to death on the spot."

After escaping a great danger, Su Chen started joking.

Phoenix blinked her beautiful eyes, shaking her head, "Above Grade 7? Not even my grandfather's generation has seen many Spirit Pearls above Grade 7, because the higher the level of the Spirit Beast, the smaller their sphere of existence. We, Beast Cultivators with weak powers, have no opportunity to access that world."

"What world?"

Su Chen's curiosity was piqued.

"You don't know? We're only at the outermost edge of the Forest of Death. If we proceed inward, we'll encounter the powerful barrier set by the Beast Demon Suanni, making it impossible to step further. And the barrier is guarded by strong forces, unless you gain Suanni's permission, no one is allowed entry."

"So you're saying that only by meeting certain Beast Cultivator conditions can one enter the inner realm of the Forest of Death?"

Su Chen gazed at the vast forest, speaking in a low tone.

"Not the inner realm, but the central area."

Phoenix shook her head, saying, "As I told you, we're only in the outermost area. The highest-level Spirit Beasts here won't exceed Grade 5, and in the central area, Spirit Beasts are mostly Grade 5 to 7. With our current strength, we wouldn't last half an hour inside before being annihilated."

Su Chen's heart sank, as if struck by something, and a moment of suffocation passed. Seeing Phoenix's serious expression, he took a deep breath and asked again, "What conditions must be met to qualify to enter the central area of the Forest of Death?"

"Beast King."

Phoenix replied straightforwardly.

"I understand."

Su Chen nodded, a glint of determination in his eyes, Beast King — he believed that in the near future, he would surely become a master of Beast King rank and then explore the central area of the Forest of Death!

He held the Black Cloud Leopard Spirit Pearl in his hand, about to store it in the Canghen Crystal, but then Phoenix's somewhat strange voice came from behind, "Hey..."

Su Chen frowned, turning back slowly, just as he was halfway turned, a chilling sound of a blade tearing through the air suddenly reached his ears!

Before he could even see clearly, his body catapulted backward swiftly, and by the time he fully gathered his senses, he was horrified to discover that it was Phoenix who attacked him?

They were so close, he had no time to dodge. A cold dagger stabbed into his chest, and a burst of crimson blood sprayed out!

Thud, Su Chen's quick retreat failed, and he fell heavily to the ground, but his hand still clutched the Black Cloud Leopard Spirit Pearl tightly, his gaze in shock and disbelief at the cold expression on Phoenix's face.

"Why... why did you try to kill me?"

His voice trembled.

Phoenix's previous gentle demeanor vanished, her eyes filled with icy disdain. She looked down at Su Chen's handsome face, full of shock and anger, with a tone as light as a wisp of smoke, "Because you caused the deaths of my three companions, and even more because you took away the Profound Water that should have belonged to me..."

Su Chen was stunned for a moment, then a pang of bitterness surged in his heart, and he suddenly let out a bitter laugh, "Haha, so all this time, you've been looking for a chance to kill me, and I thought you were afraid of being alone~" "Alone?"

Phoenix laughed with irony, yet her tone remained as cold as ice in winter. She looked at him insolently, a hint of contempt in her gaze as she said indifferently, "A child who grew up with loneliness, how could they fear it? I just didn't expect that such childish tricks could fool a master of your level~" She pondered a moment, then coldly snorted in jealousy, "Looking at how young you are, I couldn't have imagined you'd reach Beast Master level, not only killing the North Nether Divine Fish and obtaining the Profound Water but also surviving the claws of an evolved Black Cloud Leopard. Truly envious talent and luck."

Su Chen's heart surged with turbulence, and the blood flowing from his chest gradually dyed his body red, but that sense of betrayal, that pain, was even more despairing and helpless!

Why, why can a girl who seems completely ingenuous suddenly stab you in the back? Were all those laughs along the way just a facade? At this moment, Su Chen found himself in a state of deep sorrow, without tears, hating himself for letting his guard down, yet also hating Phoenix's deceit. But everything was already set in motion, with no room for reversal...

"Why are you looking at me like that, like I owe you money."

Phoenix mocked coldly, "Since you saved my life, I'll let you go. But whether you can survive in this dangerous place depends on your fate~" Saying this, she sneered, bending down to take the Spirit Pearl from Su Chen's hand.

Just when she thought it was within her grasp without fail, Su Chen, on the verge of death, suddenly shouted and burst forth with extraordinary force, propelling himself backward with remarkable speed!

Phoenix was taken aback, rushing forward in a swift step, reaching out her delicate hand to grab his collar!

But Su Chen extended his right hand, a blue cyclone exploded between them, generating a strong repulsive force that pushed Phoenix backward, while Su Chen escaped even faster. The area was shrouded in dust, and when it settled, Su Chen had already vanished into the vast forest, leaving no trace. A trail of shocking bloodstains zigzagged along the ground...

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