Raziel Phoenix was seething with grief and indignation.

If this had been his first loss, he could have brushed it off as carelessness. But this was the second time. Worse still, he had lost without even understanding how. He reached out and touched Ray's shoulder, probing the spot where he had clearly stabbed him earlier.

There was nothing.

No wound. No scar.

His pupils constricted.

This guy has a secret. He definitely has a secret.

"What was that golden light?" Raziel Phoenix asked, forcing himself to calm down.

"Gold?" Ray replied. With a flash of light, the small yellow Grass Snake appeared in his palm. "Gold is my spirit soul."

"I'm talking about the golden light that burst out of your body!" Raziel Phoenix snapped. Being beaten was one thing. Being treated like an idiot was another.

Ray let out a bitter laugh. "Even if I wanted to explain it, I can't. I don't know what it was either. Do you understand?"

Raziel Phoenix snorted coldly, clearly unconvinced.

Lucius and Miel stood frozen as they watched Ray carry Raziel Phoenix into the dormitory and place him on the bed.

Miel blurted out, "You went to beat him up, and you're the one carrying him back?"

Raziel Phoenix's swollen face answered the question more clearly than words ever could.

"Hey," Ray said casually, "he already paid the money."

Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned to Lucius with bright eyes. "Dinner time isn't over yet, right?"

Lucius stared at him. "Not yet, but it's about to end."

The next instant, Ray vanished like a gust of wind.

Miel looked at Raziel Phoenix. "So… you lost again?"

Raziel Phoenix glared at him fiercely. "I was careless, that's all! I'll win next time!" He struggled upright, grimacing. With his face in this state, treatment was absolutely necessary.

I don't want scars. I don't want scars. I don't want scars.

He repeated it three times in his heart.

When Ray ordered his sixteenth bowl of noodles at the third window, even the dining hall worker couldn't help but ask, "Little student, did you come so late because you didn't want people seeing how much you eat? We're about to close."

Ray lowered his head shyly. "Sorry, Uncle. I came late today. I won't do it again. I'll just eat this bowl."

The cook laughed. "Eat as much as you like. The third window is free and unlimited. It just depends on how much you can stomach."

Ray rubbed his belly. "I think I can still eat quite a bit."

The cook glanced aside. "The second window still has leftovers. No one's buying them. I'll give them to you instead of wasting food."

Half a pot of stewed meat was poured over Ray's noodles.

His eyes lit up. He thanked the cook repeatedly and began eating with gusto. The meat was chewy and plain, but warmth spread through his body as he ate. After the day he'd had, this meal restored much of his strength.

So the second window is this good…

He glanced toward the first window, swallowed, then quickly shook his head.

That wasn't food he could afford.

After he started taking blacksmith jobs, maybe he could earn more. He still needed to save money for another spirit soul.

One million federation coins.

That was the price of a yellow hundred-year spirit soul. That was his goal now.

*

When Ray returned to the dormitory, Raziel Phoenix wasn't there. He didn't dwell on it. Although Raziel Phoenix was arrogant, he wasn't malicious. That final strike had clearly been restrained.

Lucius was already meditating. Miel, however, lifted his head the moment Ray entered.

"Is Raziel Phoenix really ranked eighteen?" Miel asked eagerly. "How did you beat him?"

Ray smiled helplessly. "Honestly… I don't know."

He truly didn't.

How could he explain the golden scales? After fainting and waking up, everything had vanished. No matter what he tried, they wouldn't reappear. He only remembered the blazing heat, the explosive power, and the violent emotions that surged through him.

If his willpower hadn't held firm, he might have hurt someone badly.

But what were those golden scales?

Were they related to his variant martial soul? Or was Gold not a trash spirit soul after all?

Yet no matter how he looked at the small Grass Snake, it didn't seem capable of such terrifying strength.

He took out a sewing needle and pricked his finger.

Pain flared. Blood welled.

Nothing happened.

He tried again.

Still nothing.

Was the pain not enough?

He quickly gave up.

Then he tried meditating, circulating his soul power and searching for that scorching sensation. His technique was basic and straightforward. He completed a full circulation.

Nothing changed.

Everything was normal.

This made it even more unsettling.

Ray summoned Gold again and inspected it carefully. The energy it emitted was gentle, nowhere near tyrannical.

So what triggered those scales? Did they only appear when he was seriously injured?

***

By early morning, Ray finished meditating and opened his eyes.

Across the room, Raziel Phoenix was also meditating. He had returned at some unknown point. The swelling on his face had subsided significantly, though his expression remained dark.

Ray couldn't tell if it was lingering pain… or lingering anger.

After all, no one would be in a good mood after paying for their own beating.

"Let's fight again!" Raziel Phoenix shouted for what felt like the tenth time as he hurried after Ray.

Ray ignored him completely and walked straight toward the dining hall.

"I wasn't in top form yesterday! If you don't fight me again, don't think I won't expose your secrets!" Raziel Phoenix threatened loudly.

"You can say whatever you want," Ray replied indifferently. He wasn't afraid. After all, even he had no idea what those golden scales were.

"You—!"

"Don't interrupt my mealtime," Ray said casually, pushing Raziel Phoenix aside like swatting away a fly as he headed for the third window.

"Hey! Fight me, and I'll treat you to food from the first window!" Raziel Phoenix suddenly shouted.

Ray stopped mid-step. In the next instant, he was already standing in front of Raziel Phoenix, as if pulled back by an invisible rope.

"Are you serious?" His eyes sparkled.

After eating food from the second window yesterday, he could clearly feel the difference. His body had felt lighter, warmer, stronger. He had woken up this morning with an unusual sense of comfort running through every muscle.

"Of course," Raziel Phoenix replied proudly.

"Until I'm full?" Ray asked cautiously.

"As much as you can eat," Raziel Phoenix said with a confident smile. "Didn't everyone say you're a bottomless pit? I'll let you eat until you're satisfied."

"Deal!"

Half an hour later, Raziel Phoenix was already regretting his life choices.

"Are you even human? You've eaten thirty phoenix turtle eggs! And you're still going?"

Ray had already finished more than fifteen full meals from the first window, yet his appetite showed no signs of slowing.

"Let's stop here," Ray said awkwardly. "I think I've eaten enough."

Seeing him turn toward the third window, Raziel Phoenix grabbed him fiercely. "Eat! Why are you stopping? You've already insulted my body. I won't let you insult my character, too. I'll keep my word!"

The food from the first window was on an entirely different level.

Not only did it taste incredible, but as Ray ate, warmth spread through his stomach and flowed into his limbs and bones. His entire body felt energized, as though a gentle current of power was circulating within him.

Ray finally stopped after his twenty-second meal.

"Thank you."

Raziel Phoenix rolled his eyes. "What, you're finally full?"

Ray smiled. "I remembered your name is Raziel Phoenix. I was thanking you."

Raziel Phoenix snorted coldly. "Remember your promise."

Though wealthy, even Raziel Phoenix felt pain in his heart. Repairs yesterday cost nearly twenty thousand coins; today's meals cost another twenty thousand. Forty thousand coins gone… and he still wasn't sure whether he had just paid for another beating.

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