When Kylen returned to the lounge, Elara, Isabella, Chloe, and the others had long been waiting eagerly at the door.
They swarmed around him the moment he appeared.
"Captain, you're incredible!" Elara's eyes sparkled with excitement. "That Lysander was completely defeated.
With his injuries, he definitely can't participate in the team battle!"
"Even if he recovers, dare he act recklessly in front of you again?"
Victor laughed and slammed his thigh. "No wonder you said you'd settle the team battle, too.
Now the Practical Combat Department is completely finished!"
Chloe added, "Among their three S-rank Contractors, Thorne and Lysander have both been defeated by you.
The rest are not worth fearing. This year's team battle championship is in the bag!"
Everyone could barely contain their excitement. They had originally thought the team battle would be a fierce fight, but Kylen alone had taken down the core combat power of the Practical Combat Department.
Isabella's eyes glistened with tears as she said softly, "Kylen, thank you."
Kylen waved his hand. "You were dragged into this because of me. I only did what I should."
Isabella's cheeks turned pink, and her heart was filled with gratitude.
Kylen had not hesitated to offend the Practical Combat Department completely to avenge her, and this friendship moved her deeply.
Kylen stretched lazily, his tone carrying a hint of exhaustion. "This duel took a lot out of me. I won't watch the rest of the matches."
He looked at Elara, Chloe, and Selene. "You three go all out and try to advance."
The three girls nodded in agreement, their eyes falling on Kylen and Avelia.
Kylen's face looked slightly pale, clearly exhausted. Avelia's figure seemed to have shrunk, only about 1.5 meters tall, presumably the price of overusing Primordial Assimilation.
Avelia lay on Kylen's back, her cheek pressed against his neck, her tone carrying a lazy longing. "Master, I want to taste you again."
During the battle just now, the blood Kylen had dripped had not only attracted the frenzied Nether Raven but also almost made her lose control.
If she hadn't long been accustomed to this blood containing Life Marrow, she might have fought the Nether Raven for it on the spot.
Kylen turned his head and stroked her chin, his eyes gentle. "It's my luck to have met you."
"Mine too, Master~"
As soon as they walked out of the lounge, Kylen saw Major Garrick of the Azure Dragon Knights waiting for him. He held a black metal box in his hand and sighed sincerely when he saw Kylen.
"Congratulations, Kylen. To be honest, I didn't believe you could defeat Lysander at first, but you proved yourself with strength."
He handed over the metal box. "As agreed, all forty drops of Life Marrow are advanced to you."
Garrick leaned closer and lowered his voice. "This is a direct order from Governor Xandros on the spot. He thinks highly of you."
Kylen looked up in the direction of the VIP stands, deep in thought. Today, he and Avelia had held almost nothing back.
That high-ranking imperial official close to the Saint Realm had probably already seen through Avelia's true potential.
Ordinary people might not recognize the Origin Sequence, but Governor Xandros must know the secrets behind the Sequence.
That was the real reason he readily approved the forty drops of Life Marrow.
Kylen took the box and said calmly, "Thank you. I will do my best to win the championship of the Nine-Academy Alliance Exchange Tournament."
Garrick nodded. "I won't disturb your rest. I'll wait for your good news in the exchange tournament in ten days."
After saying goodbye to Garrick, Kylen took out his phone to send a safe message to his family, then took Avelia back to the dormitory.
As soon as they entered the dormitory, Kylen opened the metal box. Four crystal bottles lay quietly inside.
The Life Marrow in the bottles glowed with bright starlight; this was a strategic resource worth 100 million Imperial Coins per drop, capable of greatly enhancing a Contractor's physical body.
Humans were ranked Sequence No. 999. They not only lacked magic circuits innately but also had far weaker physical strength than abyssal creatures.
The ten drops of Life Marrow he had taken earlier had already given Kylen's skin a healthy glow, far surpassing that of ordinary humans.
He did not hesitate. He tilted his head back and drank all the Marrow in the four crystal bottles in one gulp.
The smooth liquid flowed down his throat. Even though the taste was plain, it was extremely precious because of the massive energy it contained.
The effect of forty drops of Life Marrow was far beyond previous times. Brilliant energy instantly swept through his entire body, transforming his skin, flesh, and bones.
His old skin fell off like scales, and his new skin shone with a translucent luster, both flexible and tough, completely breaking away from the weakness of ordinary humans.
This was a true transformation.
Avelia, beside him, looked at him with greedy eyes. She lay on Kylen's back and sniffed gently with her nose. "Master, your taste is even sweeter."
Kylen chuckled. "Drink. You worked hard today."
Avelia's eyes lit up immediately. She gently bit his neck with her white teeth.
After taking a total of fifty drops of Life Marrow, Kylen's blood energy had long exceeded the human limit by dozens of times.
Even if he supplied Avelia with 150 liters of blood every day, it would not affect his health. He could be called a walking "blood bag."
In his mind, Avelia's advancement progress jumped rapidly:
[Ding! The Origin Sequence Vampiric Slime Queen drank blood containing Life Marrow. Rank progress +150!]
[Rank: Two-Star Ascension Realm (300/3000)]
The duel with Lysander had made Kylen clearly aware that lacking a second contracted creature was a huge disadvantage.
But both he and Avelia adhered to the principle of "better to go without than settle for less."
Unless it was an Origin Sequence or a being infinitely close to the Origin Sequence, like the Nether Raven, it would be a waste of precious spiritual power.
After a short rest, Seraphina's communicator suddenly lit up, telling him to go to her office in the administration building immediately.
In the office, when Seraphina saw Kylen and Avelia, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
"Congratulations on defeating Lysander and successfully advancing to the main tournament of the Nine-Academy Alliance Exchange Tournament.
You look very well. It seems the Azure Dragon Knights kept their promise?"
Kylen nodded. "Yes. I feel like my body has undergone a transformation, as if I've been reborn."
Seraphina smiled and explained, "This is knowledge that would normally be taught to you later. After all, freshmen rarely get the chance to come into contact with Life Marrow before being sent to the abyssal rifts.
"But since you've already completed the transformation, I'll explain it to you in detail later. Let's talk about business first."
She handed over a scroll and a crystal token. "According to the academy's regulations, advancing to the main tournament rewards you with 50 credits.
This scroll contains the main opponents you may encounter in the main tournament.
Whether our academy can get the priority to garrison the abyssal rifts this year depends entirely on your freshman division."
Kylen raised his eyebrows, looking confused.
Seraphina explained, "The results of the other three grades are not much different from last year. We have an advantage in the sophomore division, Riverside Beast Contract Academy is strong in the junior division, and Imperial Contract Academy dominates the senior division.
So the focus of the competition this year is entirely on the freshman division."
Kylen suddenly realized.
No wonder the academy offered such generous rewards.
Credits were usually only given to Contractors with extremely outstanding performance, no more than one or two per time.
But this match directly rewarded 50 credits, which showed the academy's attention.
He unfolded the scroll.
The portrait on the first page immediately caught his eye. The girl in the picture had silver hair and water-blue pupils.
Her features were as delicate as an elf carved from ice and snow, with a cold temperament yet fatal charm.
If Avelia was an abyss that enchanted people's hearts, she was a pure and cold ice lake.
Seraphina smiled. "Kylen, she will be your strongest opponent in the exchange tournament."