Chapter 71: Chapter 71: The Victory Banquet

Lily, entirely bare, whispered into Charles's ear, "I took a pill tonight~"

That simple sentence set off a tumult of emotions in the young man's heart, his body igniting with uncontrollable flames...

In the next moment, Charles's clothes were reduced to ashes by the fire, and he found himself in a tight embrace with that soft, radiant body.

For two months in the ferocious beast mountains, Charles battled daily with bloodshed, gradually wearing down his sanity and pushing him towards the brink of madness. Now, embracing the near-perfect body before him, feeling the soft comfort against his chest, this warm and comforting haven allowed Charles to sink deeply into its embrace...

Uncontrollably, his arousal became evident, intensely heated. Holding Lily, with a slight thrust of his hips accompanied by her soft moan, he entered her. The tight, slippery, and moist sensation enveloped him, washing away the exhaustion and negative emotions accumulated over the months.

"This savage world!"

"This ruthless, bone-crushing world!"

"This damn, stupid, rotten world!!"

Months of pent-up negativity exploded in that moment, with a thousand beasts roaring in Charles's heart. His suppressed emotions unleashed, he ravaged Lily like a storm.

A flash of lightning streaked across the sky outside, followed by a thunderous roar that seemed to pierce the eardrums. The lightning illuminated the two intertwined bodies,

From the bathroom door, they intertwined passionately, moving to the nearby vanity and finally culminating in the bathtub, stirring up tumultuous waves.

Under this stormy assault, Lily could barely contain her moans. From Charles's furious movements, she felt anger, pain... and notably, a complete absence of love. She understood clearly that Charles harbored lust for her body, but it wasn't love.

Yet, she loved him unreservedly and hopelessly. From the first time they were intimate, she had braced herself for this reality. Even if she couldn't become Charles's true lover, just providing him comfort when needed was enough for her.

Since seeing Charles rank first on the leaderboard, Lily's initial reaction was one of loss, as if the boy who once needed her protection was drifting away from her.

She knew very well that with Charles's talents, he would not remain in a small place like Lsengard.

Perhaps in the future, when he stands at the pinnacle of this world, she would only be able to look up to him from afar, silently. Searᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The uncertainty of the future made Lily desperately cling to the happiness before her. Her hands wound around Charles's waist and then traveled up to his neck as she leaned in close to his ear, her low moans escalating with his movements.

Hearing this spine-tingling sound, Charles's body froze momentarily, then exploded into action like a lit keg of gunpowder, completely losing his reason and driven by instinct to sprint furiously, seeking to release all pent-up emotions.

The sounds of their union mixed with Lily's moans.

In the throes of pleasure, Lily climaxed multiple times until late into the night, until she was nearly fainting and pleading for mercy, at which point Charles finally released everything inside her.

...

Three days flashed by, and Charles guessed that today would be the day the trial team returned to Lsengard, given the train's schedule. He left Lily's home early in the morning.

Wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, Charles navigated through the crowded train station, waiting until the evening when the distant sound of a train whistle could be heard.

At Lsengard's south station, the platform was already swarming with people. Countless citizens, along with the relatives of the trial participants, had been waiting for a long time. Everyone was looking forward to the heroes' triumphant return.

The whistle blew—

A train encased in heavy armor slowed down, gradually pulling into the station. As the train appeared, the entire station erupted in excitement.

"Young master! You're back alive; I thought I'd never see you again…"

"Son, you advanced to a second-level Beast Master? Our Smith family must have the ancestors looking out for us. Tonight, we'll offer incense to our ancestors at home!"

"My daughter, you've suffered, how have you become so thin in just two months? Mom will cook something delicious for you tonight…"

There were tears of joy and of sorrow. Charles roughly estimated that out of the original 1050 participants, fewer than half had returned alive. Even those who returned bore exhausted faces, lacking the youthful vitality typical of their age, their eyes filled with deep fear.

Charles scanned the crowd, finally resting his gaze on a red Ferrari. Daniel had just disembarked from the train when a fleet of limousines, driven by a team of black-clad maids, arrived to enthusiastically welcome him.

Charles lowered the brim of his hat and walked over to tap on the car window.

"May I ask who you are?" Daniel looked puzzled at the strangely dressed man before him, but upon seeing his eyes, he instantly recognized him: "My God, it's you..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Charles made a 'shush' gesture and then climbed into the car.

Daniel gently pressed the accelerator, and the Ferrari roared deafeningly as it sped down the streets. Once they were away from the station, Daniel couldn't contain his excitement: "Charles, where have you been these last few days? You weren't at the roll call in York, and we all thought something had happened to you. And this outfit of yours..."

"I've been targeted by the Taylor family, hence the disguise. Let's go, we're off to the victory banquet at Red Mansion. I doubt Sly would dare touch me in front of the city lord." As they approached a large red building, Charles removed his mask and sunglasses.

"Damn, that Robert lured us into a valley and nearly got all of us in the first squad killed, and the Taylor family has the audacity to accuse you first?" Recalling the events in the ferocious beast mountains, Daniel clenched his teeth in anger.

Parking the car near a grand building, Daniel smiled at Charles: "Charles, you've got to show them what you're capable of today. Once they see your strength, those rumors will crumble."

Charles nodded, a barely noticeable defiance crossing his face. He was well aware of the rampant rumors about him online.

With a slight smile, Charles responded: "They say I cheated during the trials and used underhanded tactics to get my scores? Well, today they'll see who the real trash is!"

"Charles, I trust you, man. You could never stoop to Robert's level," Daniel chuckled, patting Charles's shoulder. "If you're worried about Sly's retaliation, you can stay at my place. Let that bastard dare come after you at the Smith family's home!"

Charles looked confidently reassured, seemingly not needing any comfort.

Reflecting on his last encounter with Charles, Daniel wondered: "How can there be such a disparity between people? We're from the same class, taught by the same teacher. How come in less than a month, while I've been chased around by a first-tier ferocious beast, Charles is already taking down third-level Beast Masters?"

...

At eight in the evening, the sky had completely darkened, yet the Red Mansion, situated in the heart of Lsengard, was as bright as day.

Inside the venue, the tens of thousands of square meters were dotted with hundreds of large round tables laden with delicious dishes, but the most eye-catching feature was the huge projection screen set up on the central platform.

Hundreds of young men and women entered in succession. Those who ranked at the top of the leaderboard naturally entered the venue with pride; those who had performed poorly in the trials, doomed to miss out on higher education, hoped to use this opportunity for a personal showcase to attract the attention of prominent families and clans.

Invited to this banquet were Lsengard's most prominent figures, including distinguished Beast Master families and business magnates who dominated various industries in Lsengard, all eager to witness the newcomers' talents and hopefully recruit some potential Beast Masters for their families.

In such a grand occasion, everyone seemed tense, except for a young man in the middle of the room who was heartily indulging in his meal.

"Who is that person, acting so grandly? Why are so many people toasting to him?" Charles asked, biting into a hamburger, looking towards a middle-aged man in the front row wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

"You don't know him? That's Matthew, the lord of Lsengard. See, that's Grace sitting next to him," Daniel said, somewhat exasperated.

"The city lord? No wonder so many people are sucking up to him," Charles remarked in surprise.

The line of people waiting to schmooze with the city lord was incredibly long. Charles even recognized many familiar faces in the queue, like Daniel's father David, and Stone and Thomas Draven from the Draven family conglomerate.

Of course, there was Sly from the Taylor family, currently glaring at him with a look of venom, his malevolent intent palpable even across the room.

However, Charles wasn't overly concerned; this event was filled with influential figures from Lsengard, and with Lord Matthew's power not being inferior to Sly's, Charles doubted Sly would dare make a move against him here.

In the first row of the VIP section, Sly withdrew his gaze and, with a sycophantic smile, raised a glass to Matthew: "Lord, Charles is accused of cheating during the trials. Should we have him arrested and sent to The Beast Master Guild?"

As soon as Sly's words fell, David quickly interjected: "Mr. Sly, whether Charles cheated or not, and whether those missing hundreds were killed by him, is for the lord to judge. Why are you so concerned? Do you think you know better than the lord?"

Sly's face turned pale with embarrassment as he lost face in front of the city lord: "Humph, David, everyone knows what level Charles is at. You surely don't believe that he could catch up to Grace in just a few days without cheating, but rather through talent? Only your good-for-nothing son would stoop to associate with him."

"You!" Sly's insults left David trembling with anger, yet he restrained himself in front of the city lord.

Seeing the atmosphere turning tense, city lord Matthew intervened to smooth things over: "Alright, we've nearly finished our dinner, and now it's time for the young successors to showcase their talents."

"True gold does not fear fire. Whether Charles has cheated or not, we will soon see."

Lord Matthew's voice, infused with wind elemental energy, carried clearly to everyone in the venue, instantly quieting the previously noisy banquet hall.

Hundreds of eyes turned simultaneously towards Charles's direction.