A delicate, soft pressure pressed against his chest. Ryan, just awakening from sleep, was still groggy, his mind not fully clear. Instinctively, he snapped his eyes open.

  Their gazes met, a direct confrontation. Evelyn looked down at him, her eyes filled with an unyielding frost, as if it could erupt at any second.

  "Evelyn! What are you pressing me for!"

  In an instant, Ryan was completely awake. He shouted loudly, flipping the situation to take control.

  The sudden outburst caught Evelyn off guard. A flicker of shock passed through her eyes.

  "Even if you wanted to rest in bed with me, there's no need to use such a domineering position, right?"

  Evelyn:…

  She remained silent, yet the air around her grew colder by the second.

  What angered her most was that Ryan was fully awake, yet the arms and legs entangling her still had not loosened. If anything, they seemed to tighten slightly.

  What did he mean she was pressing him? It was clearly him clinging and entangling her since last night!

  "Seriously, if you want to sleep with me, you could have just said so. I wouldn't have refused." Ryan shrugged casually, gradually releasing his arms and legs.

  The next second, only one thought filled his mind: Run!

  Ryan's body moved like a cheetah empowered by the wind element. In an instant, he broke free from beneath Evelyn, his movements so fast they seemed like a phantom.

  A deafening crash followed as he kicked the guest chamber door to pieces. Splintered wood and fragments scattered in all directions.

  It was as if even the eyes could not keep up with his speed. The scene abruptly shifted outside the room, leaving only a blurry afterimage.

  Inside his spatial storage, he pushed the Wind-type Swift Magic Scroll to its extreme, merging its power with his own magic. The combination of the two forces further amplified his speed.

  A roaring wind swept up dust and splintered wood across the floor. In just a few seconds, Ryan's figure became a streak of light, vanishing completely from Evelyn's sight.

  Evelyn was completely stunned. Her mind went blank as she stared at the shattered door with her beautiful eyes, unable to react for a long moment.

  "So fast…"

  "So he could have run away all along, but why did he let me bind him before?"

  Evelyn muttered to herself, her voice filled with shock and confusion.

  She had truly been astonished by the speed Ryan had just displayed.

  Even she could only perceive a fragment of the afterimage from the Wind-type Swift Magic Scroll's amplification before he disappeared entirely.

  At the same time, an even greater question arose in her mind: where did he get that Wind-type Swift Magic Scroll?

  Such a scroll was far from cheap. How many secrets was he hiding?

  She knew clearly that even though her magic level was lower at the moment, what Ryan displayed was unquestionably advanced agility, far beyond what ordinary people could achieve.

  By the time Evelyn finally reacted, hurriedly leaping from the bed and channeling her magic to pursue him, Ryan's figure was already gone from the courtyard.

  His speed made it impossible to even determine which direction he had fled.

  Many people were on their way to their respective study or mission locations.

  Suddenly, a dark figure streaked past at an astonishing speed, instantly drawing everyone's attention. The figure moved with incredible swiftness, accompanied by the whistling sound of the wind.

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  By the time people managed to make out that it was a person fleeing in panic, confusion spread across their faces. None of them recognized him.

  "Do you know him?"

  "Never seen him before. Doesn't look like any of our academy's instructors or apprentices."

  They asked each other, and all received negative answers.

  Yet no one tried to stop him recklessly. After all, anyone able to enter the core area of the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword was likely an invited guest or a member of an allied force. Acting rashly could be inappropriate.

  "Where is the main gate! Where is the main gate?" Ryan's mind was on the verge of collapse. He ran frantically while wailing in his thoughts.

  He could not comprehend how he had ended up hugging Evelyn again upon waking.

  No wonder he had slept so comfortably soft and fragrant, especially the touch against his chest, which sent his mind reeling.

  Earlier, he had thought it was the guest room's calming crystals or incense that made him sleep so soundly. Now he realized it was not incense at all, it was Evelyn's unique scent! How could that not feel amazing?

  The only regret was that this sleep had been far too proper. Aside from the unconscious hug, nothing else had happened.

  Ryan sprinted at full speed, clicking his tongue in frustration over this disappointment.

  The moment he opened his eyes, he was completely dazed. Only when he realized he was no longer on the chair but lying on the bed, tightly holding Evelyn, did he snap fully awake.

  It was obvious, he had unconsciously climbed into the bed and hugged her again during the night, probably like the last time.

  Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough to turn the situation around verbally, leaving Evelyn momentarily stunned. Otherwise, he would have needed another scolding from her to calm the situation.

  Ryan dashed through the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword's complex at top speed.

  "Brother, please stop!" A voice suddenly came from above. A person quickly flew toward Ryan, trying to block his path.

  But Ryan had no time for that. All he wanted was to escape the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword as fast as possible and put as much distance between himself and Evelyn as he could.

  "I'm in a hurry. We can talk another day. Goodbye!" Before finishing his words, Ryan's figure streaked past the person like a flash of light.

  The person stared blankly in the direction Ryan had vanished, speechless. Just as he was about to turn away, he saw that same figure returning at an even faster speed, leaving him utterly perplexed.

  "Where's the exit?" Ryan shouted, his voice full of urgency.

  The man froze, not yet reacting.

  "Speak quickly! There's no time!" Seeing the man hesitate, Ryan grew more anxious, fearing Evelyn would arrive any second.

  The man, seeing Ryan's panicked expression and sensing his sincerity, no longer hesitated. He raised a hand and pointed southwest.

  "Thanks!" Ryan barely spoke before his figure became a dark blur again, racing toward the direction indicated. Only the whistling wind and the motionless figure left behind remained.

  "What I mean is, look at how beautiful that woman is~"

  The man still hadn't recovered from his earlier shock. His gaze accidentally drifted toward the horizon, and he froze, murmuring to himself as he pointed into the distance.

  It was Evelyn arriving, and her beauty instantly drained all color from the surroundings.

  "Damn it, you trickster!"

  Ryan had only been running for three seconds when he caught a glimpse of Evelyn in his peripheral vision. His heart nearly stopped. He immediately turned back and jumped to punch the man squarely on the head.

  "Why are you hitting me? Don't run!" The man cried out in pain, rubbing his head as he tried to give chase.

  Now, in the group chasing Ryan, there was not only Evelyn but also an angry man.

  Ryan ran at full speed for a long while, but the buildings ahead grew increasingly unfamiliar, leaving him completely disoriented.

  The Sanctum of the Sacred Sword was ridiculously huge. He had no idea how long he had been running and could only rely on vague memories from a millennium ago.

  But the gates from a thousand years ago no longer existed. The original entrances had either been replaced by grand halls or converted into dormitories. There was not a trace of the old layout.

  Looking at the surrounding buildings that all looked the same, Ryan sank into despair, feeling utterly hopeless.

  To make matters worse, the magic from the Wind-type Swift Magic Scroll was gradually fading, and his speed was dropping.

  "Not running?" A cold voice rang from above, carrying a bone-chilling chill.

  Evelyn descended slowly from the distance, hovering above Ryan and looking down on him.

  She couldn't claim to know every detail of the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword's layout, but back when she was a Grand Magus, she had represented Glacial Arcana Academy on a visit.

  At that time, her divine sense could cover most of the Sanctum, and even though many years had passed, she still remembered the general layout.

  As for the man Ryan had just punched, she had long since left him far behind. He was probably still wandering at some fork in the road.

  "Not running." Ryan flopped onto the ground, giving up, looking pitiful enough to almost cry.

  "Come on then!" He lay on the ground, completely defenseless, closing his eyes as if to surrender himself entirely.

  Evelyn frowned slightly and landed on the ground, her tone tinged with curiosity."Come on what?"

  "No need for words. Just hit me!" Ryan kept his eyes closed, speaking solemnly, as if waiting for some torture, though in reality he had a scheme in mind.

  As long as she vented her anger, maybe she wouldn't pursue him further.

  Clear footsteps approached step by step. Evelyn walked slowly toward Ryan and stopped in front of him.

  Ryan's body trembled slightly, instinctively. Whether it was real fear or an act, it was just enough to show a hint of timidity.

  One second, two seconds, three seconds…

  After waiting a long while, the expected pain never came, nor did he feel any chill from magical attacks.

  Ryan's mind began to doubt: No movement? She's not hitting me? Then why is she just standing there?