When Henry Clark sat down, Julia Foster proactively took out two ancient, extremely thin leather scrolls and handed them to Henry Clark, saying, “These were left by your grandfather. He asked me to give them to you in the future. Now that you’ve succeeded in gathering qi, I think it’s time for you to have them.”

Henry Clark silently accepted the two thin scrolls, fully aware of what was going on. It was because his predecessor’s grandfather, though doting on Henry Clark, also knew what kind of person Henry Clark was. These scrolls must be the Ning family’s heirloom cultivation techniques, which is why they were left with Julia Foster to pass on. And the reason Julia Foster was giving him the scrolls now was definitely not because he had gathered qi, but because he was now completely different from the previous Henry Clark.

Seeing Henry Clark put away the scrolls, Julia Foster let out a sigh of relief, as if glad to have completed a task. She took out a wooden box and handed it to Henry Clark, saying, “Inside is a qi-gathering stone. Take it and use it for your cultivation.”

The current Henry Clark was no longer a rookie; he knew how precious a qi-gathering stone was. A single qi-gathering stone was worth a hundred gold coins, and that was just the official price—one hundred gold coins wouldn’t actually buy one. Even the Ning family had only a few. Now that Julia Foster was giving him one, he immediately refused, “Julia, I’ve already gathered qi, and you’re at the third level of qi gathering yourself. This is when you need qi-gathering stones the most, so you don’t need to give it to me.”

Julia Foster forcibly stuffed the wooden box into Henry Clark’s hands. “Just take it. You know I’m at the third level of qi gathering. With my aptitude, I’ll probably be leaving Cang Qin Two-Star Academy soon. After that, you’ll have to rely on yourself here…”

Hearing Julia Foster’s words, Henry Clark no longer refused the wooden box. He put it away and sighed, saying, “Julia, I was immature before, and if I ever made you angry, I hope you’ll forgive me. You know my aptitude isn’t good, and you’ll eventually leave Cang Qin Nation. We may never have the chance to meet again. Fortunately, although we were engaged as children, we haven’t married yet. Once you reach the fourth level of qi gathering, we’ll be people from two different worlds. Let’s just forget about the engagement. You’ve been wronged all these years in the Ning family…”

If the Ning residence hadn’t been reduced to ashes, Henry Clark would have even returned the engagement to Julia Foster.

Julia Foster stared blankly at Henry Clark, completely unprepared for him to say such things. But she knew Henry Clark was telling the truth. Once she left Cang Qin Nation, she would never have the chance to see Henry Clark again.

“My life was saved by Grandpa Ning. Without him, there would be no Julia Foster. Maybe you’re right—once I leave Cang Qin Nation, we’ll never meet again. Besides, I’m already disfigured, so marriage isn’t very realistic. But I also know the importance of loyalty. The engagement was arranged by Grandpa Ning and my grandfather. Without their word, I won’t break it. But after I leave, take care of yourself. I really can’t stay by your side for a lifetime.”

After speaking, Julia Foster stood up, picked up a few bowls and dishes, and walked into the low kitchen. She knew Henry Clark was right—once she left Cang Qin Nation, she and Henry Clark would never meet again. With her aptitude, if she forced herself to stay and take care of Henry Clark, it would only hasten his demise. Now that Henry Clark had reached the first level of qi gathering, regardless of how he advanced, it brought some comfort to Julia Foster.

Henry Clark was extremely intelligent; how could he not understand Julia Foster’s meaning? He knew that Julia Foster would leave Cang Qin Nation and that they might never meet again. He had taken the initiative to propose breaking off the engagement so that Julia Foster wouldn’t have any lingering concerns in the future. After all, Julia Foster had saved his life, and this was the only way he could help her. Now that Julia Foster didn’t agree, he didn’t want to say any more.

Henry Clark returned to his room and immediately took out the qi-gathering stone. He had memories of qi-gathering stones, but had never seen one before. Now that Julia Foster had given him one, he was eager to find out what kind of stone could be so valuable. A hundred gold coins for a single qi-gathering stone, and even then it might not be enough to buy one—this price was truly high.

The moment the qi-gathering stone was taken out by Henry Clark, Julia Foster sensed it. She glanced at Henry Clark’s room, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. Although Henry Clark no longer had that previous playboy air, he was still a bit childish. He said he didn’t want the qi-gathering stone, but the first thing he did was take it out.

Julia Foster sensed Henry Clark’s qi-gathering stone, but Henry Clark had no idea. When he saw that it was just an ordinary dark yellow stone, he felt a bit disappointed. The spiritual energy inside the stone seemed abundant, but Henry Clark felt that this kind of energy was nothing compared to what he sensed during cultivation.

Putting away the qi-gathering stone, Henry Clark took out the two scrolls. One detailed the history of the Ning family, and the other contained the Ning family’s cultivation techniques.

After reading the first scroll, Henry Clark gained a much clearer and more detailed understanding of the world he was in. Cang Qin Nation was just a tiny vassal state in Pingzhou, and Pingzhou itself was only a corner of the Yixing Continent.

On the Yixing Continent, there were nine great regions. Pingzhou had the least spiritual energy, and most of the countries there were mortal nations, making it a low-level region.