After going into the sea, I met the witch.

According to locals, similar ceremonies have been performed more than once, and no one knows exactly how many "anchor points" were planted during these ceremonies.

What are Princess Waterdrop's reasons for doing this? As the eldest daughter of the royal family of Saint Tos, why would she cooperate with the people of the Overturned Temple? Or is she herself a member of the Overturned Temple?

Is it "Red Kite No. 1"? Or is it No. 2 or No. 3, which has not yet appeared?

Ryan's gaze was deep.

He wasn't surprised to become the "anchor point." In fact, even without the "holy drop," the Overturning Temple could still know his location based on the [Overturning Mask No. 7].

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages; that's just how it is.

That's not a big problem.

The key point is that Princess Waterdrop's connection to the "Overturned Palace" led him to have a different suspicion about the "stolen sacred object".

Princess Waterdrop is the eldest daughter of the royal family of Saint Tos. Her existence, to a certain extent, represents the position of the Saint Tos royal family. The purpose of the Temple of Overturning was clearly told to Ryan by the temple master "Number One Red Kite" from the first day he joined: "To overturn the shackles that bind people."

So, what are the "shackles" for the Kingdom of Santos?

Without a doubt, it is divine right!

In an era where deities reside in the shadows, divine authority should not exist, much less coexist with royal power.

If Ryan were a member of the Saint Tos royal family, he would have the same thoughts.

In the past, perhaps due to insufficient power or the unfavorable timing, the divine authority and royal authority of the Kingdom of Santos were mutually checked and balanced, but they still coexisted.

But now... the intervention of some force or the arrival of a certain opportunity has given the Santos royal family the confidence to break this balance.

"On the day of the abundant star... a sacred ritual... the key relic to activate the 'Sacred Scales' has been stolen..."

All the clues connected, and the identity of the relic thief was becoming increasingly clear—he was absolutely connected to the royal family of Santos and the Overturned Temple.

What puzzled Ryan was the "cat paw prints" left at the scene of the stolen relic. Could it be that the Beast Witch Meloye was also involved in this?

Furthermore, why didn't the Libra Church members intervene to stop Princess Waterdrop from conducting such a "blessing ceremony" at the Libra Church's main temple?

The known information is still too little, and Ryan still has many unanswered questions in his mind.

At this moment, as the blessing ceremony on the high platform ended and Princess Water Drop departed, the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed.

Those who did not receive the "Water Drop Blessing" cast their gazes on those who did, their eyes filled with deep envy.

After weaving through the crowd, Ryan soon disappeared from sight and appeared in a secluded alley.

The dimly lit alley was exceptionally quiet, and just a few meters away, it formed a completely different world from the bustling main street.

Ryan stopped, looked up, and stared ahead.

A tall, thin young man with a gloomy face emerged from around the corner, tossing a small knife around in his hand.

At the same time, a fat figure appeared behind Ryan, blocking his escape route and striding towards him.

"Hand over the 'Water Drop,' and the Black Hand Gang will let you go; otherwise..."

The tall, thin young man with a gloomy expression spoke in a cold, threatening tone.

In response, Ryan simply looked into the darkness behind the young man and said in a flat tone, "Is this your greeting etiquette?"

Ryan's words startled the tall, thin youth, who then sneered, "Trying to distract me so I can launch a sneak attack? I've used that trick since I was a kid... heh heh..."

As he finished speaking, blood and foam mixed with fragments of internal organs spilled uncontrollably from the young man's mouth. He lowered his head, trembling, and saw a hand piercing through his chest.

It was a hand with a pure black wrist guard, thick blood dripping from the edge of the guard, like a life that had passed away.

Meanwhile, behind Ryan, the fat man, sensing something was wrong, tried to turn and run away, but a sharp thorn that sprouted from the shadows pierced his forehead, causing his eyes to gradually dim.

"of course not."

A light, melodious female voice rang out from the darkness, and under Ryan's gaze, a figure dressed in female knight light armor emerged from the shadows.

"The Night Watchers? The Black Knight?"

Ryan narrowed his eyes slightly.

“They are Night Watchers, but not Black Knights.” The female knight’s voice carried a hint of seriousness: “The Black Knight is a second-tier variant of the Night Watcher path, cultivated by the Augustus royal family, not the traditional second-tier Night Watcher class, the Shadow Assassin.”

"I am number 5 Qingling, nice to meet you, number 7 Zifeng."

As she spoke, the female knight's face contorted, revealing a blue mask, but it quickly reverted to its original shape.

Ryan narrowed his eyes slightly: "How did you find me?"

There are ten people who have obtained the "Holy Water Drop". Excluding him, Green Tide No. 4 and Blue Bell No. 5, there are still seven people, and they are far apart from each other. How did the other party find him?

"This is related to my professional ability. The Shadow Assassin can leave a mark on the target's shadow that lasts for two days. In fact, I was near you when you first clashed with Green Tide No. 4."

"Don't worry, I wasn't tracking you. I just happened to sense the range marker."

Qingling's voice was calm and unhurried. To show her sincerity, she even revealed her profession and some of her abilities, which was very much in line with the knight's calm and upright style.

Her words sent a chill down Ryan's spine.

When he clashed with Green Tide No. 4, also known as "Iris Knight" Hansal, he had no energy left to perceive his surroundings. He never expected that such a powerful "assassin" was lurking nearby at that time.

"...So, what is the purpose of your visit to me?" Ryan paused for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Shall we cooperate?" Qingling suggested. "If we form a team, and the 'underground labyrinth' opens in a while, having someone to explore together will greatly improve both safety and efficiency."

Ryan narrowed his eyes: "Why do you want to cooperate with me alone? The Palace Master said I could go to her, right?"

"Of course it's because you're the weakest." Qingling said bluntly, "Although I was surprised that you were able to force back and injure Green Tide, if we continued fighting, you wouldn't be a match for Green Tide. I feel more at ease having you as my teammate, since you're the weakest one."

"Besides, you don't actually believe that everyone in the palace trusts each other, do you?"

"Although they come from the same organization, everyone has different positions and identities. Who dares to say that there will be no conflict? An organization that is united by interests will one day fall apart because of interests."

"..." Ryan was speechless for a moment. This was the first time he had met someone so direct and honest. "Sorry, I already have teammates. But if you need anything, you can contact me through the mask. I will help you as much as I can, as long as you provide sufficient compensation."

Ryan only intended to utilize the Overturned Temple's "remote trading and intelligence platform" and did not wish to become too deeply involved with its members.

Hearing Ryan's refusal, Qingling didn't press the matter further: "Since you're unwilling, then forget it. I'll give you a hint as an apology for the previous marking."

"Tomorrow is the 'Day of Abundant Stars,' and at that time, there will definitely be huge riots in Saint Tos City, especially at the headquarters of the Libra Temple. If you don't want to get into trouble, try to hide before noon tomorrow."

After saying this, Qingling's body gradually faded, disappearing back into the shadows.

Ryan frowned.

Even with constant vigilance, he still couldn't find Qingling's whereabouts, which meant that once their hands clashed, just finding Qingling's location would be a troublesome matter.

Of course, this is also related to distance. His physical strength gives Ryan keen perception, but this perception is different from the wide-ranging perception of the spirit. It specializes in a different area and is good at high-precision perception within a certain range.

And this range is three meters.

If a fight really breaks out, once Qingling appears within three meters of him, she will most likely be detected.

"call……"

Ryan let out a soft breath. After being told that a mark had been placed inside the shadow, he immediately checked it carefully and found something "off". However, before he could do anything, the mark dissipated automatically. Clearly, this was Qingling's doing.

"I always felt that this guy's personality and his cultivation path didn't quite match..."

Ryan shook his head slightly; this incident served as a wake-up call for him.

Professionals have a wide range of skills, so one must be careful, careful, and even more careful in one's actions.

……

After leaving the alley, Ryan did not stay in the city of Saint Tos for long.

There was still quite a while before Master Golden Hammer completed the forging commission, and in the meantime, he planned to do something big.

After turning back, Ryan returned to the beach area.

At this moment, the cave where Freyne and Cecilia were located was closed, presumably because the two women were also carrying out their own training.

Ryan didn't disturb them. Instead, he returned to his cave, sat cross-legged on the stone bed, and then took out a deep blue octahedral crystal from his spatial ring.

—The [Crystallization of Inheritance] that records the complete "Storm Sword Technique".

Now that Ryan has fully mastered the [Storm Sword Skill - Wave Breaker], he is qualified to begin learning the next sword skill.

With anticipation, Ryan placed the [Crystal of Inheritance] on his forehead and infused it with spirituality.

The surface of the azure crystal began to shimmer, and the "verification process" was quickly completed. The next moment, Ryan found himself on a deck, and in front of him was still that familiar, imposing figure.

"Boom!"

Thunder rumbled, dark clouds filled the sky, and violent winds whipped up surging waves on the sea, which crashed down on Ryan's ship.

However, compared to the nearly 100-meter-high waves coming head-on from the direction the ship was sailing, these waves were nothing.

Once those terrifying waves, several times taller than the mast, crash down, the entire ship will meet one fate—to be torn to pieces.

Faced with such towering waves, the man standing on the bow deck silently drew his greatsword from behind him, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and began the familiar "charging up" maneuver.

A high-speed, flowing white light appeared on the greatsword in the man's hand.

"Thump—thump—thump—!"

A terrifying spiritual energy surged forth, like a giant torch. In a very short time, the man completed the "three-stage charging" and then unleashed a powerful strike.

A massive sword aura swept out like a raging hurricane, even causing the giant waves to pause for a few seconds.

But the man's movements did not stop. He swung the greatsword he had just unleashed in a wide arc and then carried it back to his shoulder. A dazzling white light, far exceeding the intensity of the previous "three-stage power-up," shone from the greatsword.

"cut!"

With a roar, a terrifying sword aura, far surpassing the "three-stage charging" technique, slashed vertically out. Its size was so great that it even surpassed the nearly 100-meter-high giant wave.

"Boom—!"

The seawater surged backward, cascading down from the sky. To Ryan's stunned gaze, the towering wave, nearly a hundred meters high, was cleaved in two by the sword energy, collapsing and disintegrating.

"This is the second sword technique of the Storm Sword Art - [Parting the Sea]."

"Do you understand now?"

The man's calm voice echoed in Ryan's ears, and in the next instant, everything before Ryan's eyes gradually faded away.

……

"Storm Sword Technique Second Sword Skill - [Parting the Sea]..."

Inside the cave, Ryan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze still filled with shock.

The nearly 100-meter-high giant wave, with its overwhelming force, would probably be difficult for even a few high-level special species to withstand. Yet, it was cleanly cleaved in two by the man's sword. The sharp and terrifying sword energy even deterred the "fury of the sea."