"Beat me?" Luther was first taken aback by the outrageous idea, followed by a series of explosive laughter. The other Boulderthorn disciples joined in and laughed at Dustin and Maximus as though the two were fools. Maximus might have been a formidable mentor for many of the disciples, but he was nowhere close to Luther's level. "Oh, you little jerk. Do you even know what you're talking about?" Scowling, Luther challenged them, "I was the one who taught everything to that traitor. Even at his peak, he was no match for me! Are you asking him to fight me with a destroyed core after he's lost all his prowess? And does he have the guts to do so?" "Right! A trash like him doesn't deserve the honor of fighting Dad!" Oliver, Brody, and the other disciples scorned at the same time. Unfazed, Dustin challenged back, "We'll know after the battle. The most important question is—are you brave enough to take on the challenge?" "I have nothing to be scared of." Luther sneered. "If that little

"Bear witness for me—after I kicked this traitor out, he felt vindicated and returned to challenge me. Since the official battle hasn't kicked off, I shall do some warmups to entertain you all." Luther's booming voice instantly attracted everyone's attention. He was keen to set up a precedent to deter any future traitors and rebuild his reputation! "Hey! Why is your friend up there in the ring?" Ralph, Abby, and the others came up to Dustin with curious and odd expressions. "He's getting some personal grudge out of the way," Dustin offered a curt answer. "Personal grudge?" Abby was a little doubtful. "Do you know who that other guy on the platform is? He's Mr. Williams from Boulderthorn! Well, of course, he's not as great as Tatum, but he's decent! He's at the same level as Grandpa!" "And?" Dustin was unimpressed. "How can your friend fight off Mr. Williams with his subpar skills? He'll be crushed and humiliated!" Abby shook her head. Ralph nodded. "That's right. I'd advise

"Luther Williams, you have gotten slower in sword fighting," Maximus casually commented. "No! That's impossible! How did you manage to strike me? It must have been dumb luck!" Feeling indignant, Luther turned around and launched his attacks again, even though he was injured. This time, he did not hold back and put in his 100%, evident from his frenzied and merciless attacks that were hard to dodge. During the ninth move, he switched it up and aimed his blade at Maximus' throat with the intent to kill. However, Maximus didn't shun the attack and instead slashed Luther in the abdomen with greater speed and accuracy. Luther stumbled backward, aghast. He would have been gutted had Maximus' sword slashed upward. "What's going on? Where did that punk learn the trick from?" He pressed against his bleeding abdomen in shock. He could not wrap his mind around how Maximus had recovered from the grave injury with significant improvements to his skills all within a few days. "Luther William

"Don't ever show up in front of me!" Maximus kicked Luther aside and proceeded to leave."Got it …" Luther put on a fake smile. When Maximus turned his back against Luther, the man had a gleam in his eyes as he picked up the sword on the floor and plunged it into Maximus' body. "Look out!" Dustin yelled, and Maximus jumped aside at the final moment. Although Maximus wasn't critically wounded from the stabbing, the sword left a long, gaping wound that oozed blood on his waist. Luther was taken aback when he realized that his ambush failed. Then, he threw the sword away and frantically pleaded, "Max! I'm wrong! I'm definitely in the wrong! I was blinded for a moment just now. Please don't take it to heart!" "You stubborn old donkey!" Fuming, Maximus took out his sword and attempted to slash Luther, this time showing no mercy at all. "Stop!" a thunderous roar sounded out of the blue. Next, a majestic figure descended from the air and shielded Luther. The man, in his thirties, g

"Gosh, who is that kid? He's quite something to challenge Tatum in public! Is he asking for death?" "He is gutsy but not the sharpest tool in the shed." Dustin's presence became the talk of the town. No one had expected any martial artist to have a showdown with Tatum at the last minute. "Hey! Why did you go up there? Are you mad? Get down here now!" After a slight pause, Abby loudly called out to Dustin. In her eyes, he was nothing more than a clueless young man who did not know his place. "What is that dude doing? Doesn't he know that he's up against one of The Heavenly Immortals, Tatum Thunders? He'll die in Tatum's hands!" Ralph shook his head forlornly and looked on as though he could predict Dustin's demise. After all, Ralph wasn't strong enough to take on Tatum, and he did not expect a no-name as young as Dustin to succeed too. "Hmph! That reckless thing! How dare he insult Tatum? He'll meet his end!" Brody and the others started cackling with glee. Not only would Tatu

The impact of the punch barreled toward Dustin with the weight of a mountain. A martial artist who achieved divinity could easily decapitate the opponent ten feet away by releasing his or her internal energy. "He's indeed one of The Heavenly Immortals! That punch could easily crush a car!" "That rash young man shouldn't have provoked Tatum Thunders. Now, he's cornered." The martial artists watching from the crowd shuddered when they saw the shadows of Tatum's punch. In their opinion, the punch was indefensible. "Hah …" Dustin smiled and tapped his feet on the floor. He disappeared into thin air and dodged the punch with ease. "You're quick! But let's see how many times you could dodge my punches!" Scoffing, Tatum launched three punches, each quicker and stronger than the previous ones. Dustin skipped around speedily but calmly and dodged all the attacks with his freakish skills. "Fuck! He's like a slippery eel!" Brody was quite frustrated at the sight. He badly wanted to witn

An eerie silence hung over the scene. The spectators were wide-eyed at the sight of Tatum's lifeless body on the ground. They struggled to make sense of the outcome, as it was totally out of their expectations. They had assumed that Dustin would be defeated when Tatum used his signature attack. To their shock, Dustin sent Tatum flying with a slap. It was a sight that no one would have believed unless they saw it for themselves. They could not help but wonder about the reason behind the Fanatic Blade's shameful loss. Was it a momentary slip-up, or was Dustin simply too powerful? "Heavens! Did I see it wrong? Was Tatum … defeated?" "A sight that was unseen and unheard of!" After moments of utter silence, the audience exploded in a raucous chatter, punctuated by exclamations and expressions of shock, astonishment, confusion, and disbelief. No one had expected that the Fanatic Blade, one of the Heavenly Immortals, had been taken down by Dustin. "T-that's impossible. How did that

"You rarely see a decent man who's from Boulderthorn. They're all bullies." "That's a pity. I wonder if Dustin could survive this." Some martial artists started worrying about Dustin's fate. As the grassroots, they would rather Dustin win the battle. Given how conceited and bold they were, it would be great if someone could teach Boulderthorn a lesson. However, it was a tough feat to beat Tatum due to his killer technique—the Blade of Gale. "You little rascal, I have to admit that you're quite something. You've forced me to use the blade. Alas, this shall be the end of it. Dying under my blade today shall be an honor for you." Tatum waved the brass ring saber with a sharp look in his eyes. He handled the heavy weapon weighing hundreds of pounds like it was a strand of straw, showing off the strength of his bicep. "Just cut to the chase and come at me." Dustin wiggled his fingers, a provocative gesture to get Tatum to start the fight. "You're asking for it!" The look in Tatum'

The audience was split in their reactions toward Dustin's victory. Cheers exploded around Dustin, but some spectators seemed sour at the outcome. "Fuck! Who's that guy? How could Tatum lose to him?" a surly and fearful Brody hissed. "Whoever he is, let's get out of here before he notices us!" After the initial shock, Luther dared not stay a minute longer and planned his immediate escape. "Stand still!" Dustin turned around and instantly spotted the few suspicious-looking men. "Luther Williams, did I tell you to leave?" "Dustin Rhys, I'm the second-in-command at Boulderthorn. You'd better steer clear of me!" Luther warned him with a stern look. At the critical moment, he had no choice but to use the Boulderthorn name as protection. "The second-in-command? Hah …" Dustin scoffed and remarked, "Do you think I'd be scared of the second-in-command when I couldn't care less about the guildmaster?" "What do you want?" Luther's expression sank. "Give up your practice, and I'll spa

It was noon. At the clubhouse of the Hummer's residence, Edwin Hummer was struck on the head with a wine bottle. Blood trickled down his body, along with the merlot. "Hummer! I was screwed because of you!" Tatum sat on the couch; his features contorted in anger. "Didn't you say that Dustin Rhys was a nobody? Why was he that powerful? Did you lie to me on purpose?" At his mentor's request, Tatum had shown up to avenge Joshua Hummer. In the beginning, he thought he could show off his talent, but he was badly defeated in the end. Not only that, his core was destroyed. He had all the reason to be mad. "Sir Thunders, in my records, Dustin Rhys did not come from a remarkable background. It wasn't wrong to describe him as a nobody. As for his actual abilities, I recall giving you a heads up, but you didn't take it seriously," Edwin murmured with his head hung low. "Are you blaming me for being weak?" Tatum glowered at him. If he weren't hurt, he would have taught Edwin a lesson. "In