Treasure Hunting

Zachary went back to his tent and was about to enter the system to report the progress of the competition to Anne, when a
delicate shadow suddenly appeared in front of him like a tornado.
"Master Sara?" Zachary smiled when he saw her.
"Well done! You were actually able to defeat a disciple at the medium stage of Earth Level and enter the final round. It seems
that I underestimated you before!" Sara said with a cold smile.
"Do you regret that you didn't coach me?" Zachary replied and then laughed aloud.
"Actually, I already knew there was something wrong with you. But I didn't expect that you could recover so soon after five of
your meridians were injured. To the best of my knowledge, a fourth-grade therapeutic pill couldn't do that to you, could it? What
are you hiding from me?" She was curious about how Zachary recovered from his injuries so soon. If Lewis and the stewards
hadn't confirmed Zachary's injuries, she would have suspected that he had been lying about his injuries all this time.
'I'll leave this to her to guess. She will never get the right answer from me, ' Zachary thought to himself. Zachary never answered
her question and remained silent.
"But I am more interested in the bracer that you now wear. Although it looks ordinary, I am guessing that it's not a common one,"
said Sara. She stared at the Holy Bone Bracer on Zachary's right hand.
Zachary admired the fact that Sara was indeed a warrior of Imperial Level. She was able to tell that his Holy Bone Bracer was
extraordinary with one look.
"Oh, you mean this bracer? I found it inside the Burial Forest. If you like it, I'll get one for you later," Zachary answered calmly.
"No, thanks." She cast one last glance at Zachary, turned around and then left.
'That's weird. She is paying too much attention to me that you'd think she has a crush on me. It's impossible, of course. But what
is she hiding?' Zachary pondered as he watched Sara leave.
As soon as Sara was gone, Elva arrived. Although she was cold as always, there was confusion and surprise on her beautiful
face.
"Elva..." When Zachary saw Elva, he knew she must have figured out that he kept the fact that his meridians were healed. And
considering her personality, he believed that she must be angry about what he concealed.

But Elva just asked casually, "I heard that your meridians have been healed?"
"Yes, they have been healed completely," Zachary answered calmly with a smile.
"How is that possible? Besides, Gary is a warrior at the medium stage of Earth Level. Even if you have somehow had your
meridians healed, you wouldn't be able to defeat him," Elva asked. She still found it all hard to believe, although she had seen
the impossible become possible with her own eyes.
"Actually, I have good news to tell you..." Zachary said after a pause.
"Good news?" Elva asked. She was visibly surprised.
"Not only have my meridians fully recovered, I also gained strength thanks to my misfortune," Zachary confessed. He planned to
reveal his true strength in the final battle.
"What? Are you telling the truth?" Elva asked. A hint of surprise and excitement flashed in her eyes.
"Why would I lie to you? But the sect leader doesn't know it yet. Please keep it a secret for me," Zachary requested.
"But even so, you should not be a match for Gary, right?" Elva asked. She was not easy to fool.
"That's because Gary underestimated his enemy so much that he made mistakes and I took advantage of them," Zachary replied
seriously.
"Really?" Elva asked. She was both surprised and suspicious at the same time.
"I'm telling you nothing but the truth. The coming battle will be decisive. You should get ready for it!" Zachary reminded her.
"What are you talking about? I don't understand." There was a flash of confusion in her beautiful eyes.
"Didn't you promise me that if I win, you will marry me? Don't you remember?" Zachary replied. He stared straight into Elva's
beautiful eyes and then smiled cheekily.
Elva's body trembled nervously when she heard this. She had almost forgotten about it. She thought that Zachary would not be
able to survive the first round of fighting, so she didn't take it seriously. But he fought all the way to the final round against all
odds.
"Are you going to go back on your word?" Elva's silence made Zachary laugh.

"I promised nothing. Let's wait until you win the championship!" Elva threw a furtive glance at Zachary. Although she made the
promise only to encourage him, she wouldn't go back on her word. She initially thought it was impossible for Zachary to win but
things changed drastically.
"I'm afraid that you'll turn your back on me." Zachary knew that it was impossible for Elva to be taken advantage of. But the only
way to deal with an aloof beauty was to woo her constantly and boldly.
"I'm leaving," Elva said embarrassed. She then turned and left.
"Take care, Elva. Get ready to marry me," Zachary shouted loudly after her.
Elva walked faster when she heard Zachary's words and quickly disappeared down the road.
"So she is shy and embarrassed!" Zachary laughed heartily as he watched Elva walk away. But his countenance suddenly turned
serious when he thought about his upcoming match. "I can't conceal my true strength any longer. My opponent is Chandler, a
warrior at the ninth grade of the Earth Level, and I have no chance of winning against him at all. The reason why I could defeat
Gary is because he was proud and underestimated me. The Holy Bone Bracer is really powerful. It could absorb an opponent's
martial energy and use it for a counterattack. The power I used to defeat Gary was equivalent to that of a medium stage of the
Earth Level. Anne was telling the truth! Ha-ha! But I don't think I will have a chance when I fight Chandler."
Zachary went to the Living-dead Tomb as soon as he entered the system.
"How's the competition going?" Anne asked the moment she saw Zachary.
"I won. A genius like me could kill a warrior at the medium stage of the Earth Level in a second," Zachary said with a smug smile.
"Did the Holy Bone Bracer do you any good?" Anne asked. She ignored Zachary's bragging on purpose.
"Good, it's very good. It's really invincible. It can resist attacks of a warrior at the medium stage of Earth Level three times,"
Zachary answered. He waved his right arm and showed off his Holy Bone Bracer.
"But you said that it looked like an ordinary bracer, and was not impressive enough," she replied in a mocking tone.
"How totally foolish and ignorant I was before! Don't be angry, Master Anne. Do you need me to get you something like honey
water? It seems that you haven't asked me to do anything for you for a long time," Zachary said in a flattering tone.

"No, thanks. You'd better prepare for the competition! Remember, you could only use the Holy Bone Bracer once each day. If you
use it again, you'll be in danger. It's not worth risking your safety. Do you understand?" Anne warned Zachary.
"Yes, Master Anne! However, even a supreme Holy Bone Bracer will not be able to help me win this final battle. Master, can you
give me some advice?" Zachary asked.
"You're much weaker than your opponent. Even if I give you advice, they will do you no good. But you don't need to worry too
much about victory or defeat. In fact, you'll be enrolled by the Celestial College whether you win or lose because you already
possess triple martial speed," Anne answered flatly.
"You could be right. But if I win the championship, it will help me marry a wife. What a waste it will be if I just give it up!" Zachary
said unhappily.
"Helen of Troy is dangerous, but I can't stop you from doing whatever you want. Take these three Ice Needles and stab them at
three vital points of your opponent's body. He will then be paralyzed for a time. Use that opportunity to clobber him." She took out
three precious Ice Needles and gave them to Zachary.
"Master, I always know that you're the best!" He received the needles happily. The system told him before that Anne's Ice Needle
was an extremely powerful MH weapon. And he needed all the extra help that he could get to win the championship.
"Stop talking nonsense. I will go and rest." She turned around and then walked away.
Zachary also left the Living-dead Tomb. Without any task to finish, he prepared himself for the final battle.