At this critical moment, William Carter suddenly heard the voice of The Man in Black, “This is the True Fire of World Incineration. Do not resist, or your soul will be utterly destroyed. Follow my instructions, relax, relax, do not resist, I will protect your soul.” There was an irresistible authority in The Man in Black’s voice. William Carter was completely confused about the situation; although he sensed some falsehood in The Man in Black’s words, he could only do as instructed.

After William Carter gradually relaxed, the blazing blood-red light seemed to become gentle, losing its previous harsh heat and instead exuding a refreshing coolness. The blood light gradually merged with William Carter. William Carter felt as if he were a seed enchanted by magic, rapidly growing from nothing into something.

It was as if the process of William Carter’s physical growth over the past eighteen years was fast-forwarded at millions of times the normal speed—cells, embryo, heart, brain, liver, bones, blood, torso, limbs, facial features, skin, and hair—all in the blink of an eye, William Carter experienced the entire process from a single cell to a complete, healthy person. In this fleeting instant, all joys and sorrows, love and hate, seemed insignificant; only life itself, in these brief seconds, displayed an incomparable beauty.

Personally experiencing this seemingly miraculous process, William Carter was moved as never before. In a haze of thought, a mysterious blood-red pattern was imprinted deep within his soul.

“William Carter, are you alright…” A distant, otherworldly voice sounded in William Carter’s ear. William Carter slowly opened his eyes to see Emily Foster’s beautiful face, full of anxiety, calling his name just inches away.

But it was as if there was an invisible barrier between them; whether it was Emily Foster’s flower-like beauty or her voice, both seemed blurry and ethereal—right before his eyes, yet as distant as the horizon. After a moment, the invisible barrier suddenly collapsed into countless fragments. In an instant, the six senses—sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch, and body—flooded into William Carter’s mind like a tide.

“Ah…” William Carter let out a low cry and regained control of his body. Only then did he realize he was lying on the ground, though he didn’t know when that had happened, and his upper body was being held in Emily Foster’s arms. In the soft, warm embrace, a faint feminine fragrance wafted to his nose, and as William Carter gazed at Emily Foster’s beautiful face so close to his, two blushes suddenly bloomed on her cheeks.

Seeing that William Carter had truly regained consciousness, Emily Foster said a little awkwardly, “As long as you’re alright…” As she spoke, she discreetly released her arms from around William Carter and slowly stood up. Feeling the soft, fragrant embrace leave him, William Carter felt a sense of loss, as if something precious had slipped away.

However, William Carter was resolute and knew that with the scheming The Man in Black nearby, now was not the time to indulge in romantic feelings. Steeling himself, William Carter slowly stood up. After moving his limbs, William Carter found nothing unusual about himself. Although he had expected not to gain anything for free, now that it was confirmed, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment. Still, William Carter was deep-minded; though he thought this, not a trace of emotion showed on his face.

The Man in Black watched with interest from the side, quite admiring the youth’s composure and calmness. Especially William Carter’s incredibly steadfast soul, which allowed the Blood God’s Soul Transference Spell to be so perfectly imprinted upon it—this was a pleasant surprise.

“As for that little beauty, it was just a convenient task. The chance of that item being in her family’s hands is extremely slim. In this low-martial world, how could such a heaven-defying thing exist? Might as well do this kid a favor—having someone like her to look after him will reduce a lot of danger for him. But, beauties with power and influence are always trouble. If he gets entangled with her, wouldn’t that ruin my plans? Yet if I kill her now, it’ll only drag him in deeper.” As The Man in Black pondered, he couldn’t help but feel a headache. He was never good at intrigue, and for a moment couldn’t think of a good solution.

“So, how are you, William Carter?” Seeing William Carter’s unusually calm expression, Emily Foster asked with concern. She was also extremely curious about the strange events just now. Though she came from an extraordinary background, she had never witnessed anything so far beyond common sense, and was dying to know what had happened to William Carter.

“Uh, I’m fine…” William Carter replied briefly. Looking at Emily Foster’s bright, expectant eyes, William Carter actually knew what she wanted to ask. But he himself was confused and had no idea what had happened, and deep down, he felt that what had just occurred was eerie and mysterious. Even to a beauty like Emily Foster, he had no desire to confide.

“Oh, as long as you’re alright…” Hearing William Carter say this, Emily Foster couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. But since she wasn’t very close to William Carter, she was too embarrassed to press further. Her bright eyes immediately dimmed, her disappointment plain to see.

Although Emily Foster was still full of girlish innocence, beneath that stunning beauty there was already a captivating charm that could drive people mad. No matter how deep William Carter was, he was still a young man in the throes of first love. The beauty’s delicate demeanor made his blood boil, and he almost wanted to tell her everything he knew. But when his gaze swept to the silently standing The Man in Black nearby, his heart instantly cooled.