“Hello, who’s calling?” A hoarse voice answered the phone.“It’s James. I’m in the North now and I need you to do me a favor.” James stated his purpose plainly.Mr. Walker let out a small noise of pleasant surprise. “Hahaha, James! I’ve wanted to go drinking with you for a while now, but I haven’t been able to leave the Northern Borders. What’s up? What kind of favor are you looking for?”“I’m in Harvin City right now and I need to find someone in an underground cavern in Mount Arclens. “I called to ask whether I might be able to borrow some equipment from you,” James explained his intentions to Mr. Walker.“You’re in Harvin City now? I’ll come meet up with you. You can tell me what exactly you need face-to-face.”The Centurion guarded the Northern Borders, and Harvin City was located in the North. It was only a two-hour drive between the city and the military region.“Sure.”“Alright, I’ll see you later.”“See you.”James hung up the phone.Then, he took out a cigarette
Maxine meticulously compiled and went through everything on the way back to the city.She only intended to voice her concerns, not to cause a rift between James and Thomas.James’ heart was already turbulent and hearing Maxine’s speculations only served to stir those feelings of unease more strongly.“I believe in my grandpa just like you believe in Tobias. Let’s end this conversation here. I’ll think about it after we return.” Even though he still had his doubts, he chose to continue believing in his grandfather.Thea stared daggers at Maxine and said haughtily, “Are you done now? You can leave if you’ve said enough. We’re going to do what couples do now. Don’t tell me you’d like to be part of the audience?”Maxine pressed her lips together, refrained from saying anything more, and got up to leave.After she left, Thea immediately clung to James. “Honey, you don't believe what she said, right? ”James gently shook his head. It was an extremely hard pill to swallow.He truste
The person in the lead was one of the Five Commanders, the Centurion of the North, Mr. Walker.In the North, his status was akin to a god’s.While his name might be unknown to those outside the region, everyone in the North knew who he was.The receptionist's jaw practically hit the floor when she saw him enter the hotel.‘What’s going on today?‘First, I saw the Black Dragon, and now the Centurion himself has shown up.’After subduing her astonishment, she quickly approached The Centurion and greeted him respectfully. “Good evening, Commander. How may I help you today?”The Centurion asked, “Which room is James staying in?”“H-He’s in 308.”The Centurion did not speak any further and simply headed upstairs.Knock! Knock! Knock!James’ deep contemplation was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. Collecting himself, he stood up and headed for the door.Thea promptly stopped him. Putting her hand on his chest, she said, “Honey, you can sit down. I’ll answer it.”She qui
Mount Arclens.Several helicopters hovered lazily in the sky.Due to the lack of flat ground on the mountain’s peak, the helicopters could not land safely and were forced to hover in place as their passengers alighted.The helicopter's cabin door opened, and lengths of rope were thrown from the side of the door. Soon, uniformed men abseiled down along with some equipment.James looked down from the cabin.They were at least 50 meters above the ground. Although James was at the pinnacle of the first rank, he would most certainly not survive jumping down from such a high altitude.He fastened the rope to his belt, leaped out of the cabin, and quickly slid down. Shortly afterward, he landed soundly on the ground with a muffled thump.Maxine followed suit and appeared on the ground shortly after him.Meanwhile, Thea was gazing down from the helicopter in terror, her face as white as a sheet.Despite having cultivated True Energy to the third rank, she saw far away she was from the
Maxine pointed upward. “Based on Thomas' position when he fell, it seems impossible for him to have ended up here. He would have fallen on a rock about 100 meters from the opening of the hole and rolled…”After a brief pause, she continued. “He should have stopped rolling at around 200 meters deep. When we descended, I saw a pit where he would’ve come to a stop.”“Are you sure?”James was uncertain. He had only cared about going deeper and had not checked the cavern’s surroundings.“Alright, then. Let’s head back there to check.”Maxine jumped up, grabbed onto a stone a few meters away, and quickly climbed upward.Following her lead, James also opted to not use a rope and began scaling the rocky cavern.Eventually, they returned to the 100-meter mark.An enormous rock, more than 20 meters wide, jutted out precariously from the walls.Maxine raised her head and pointed, saying, “If he fell from there, he would’ve landed here.”She moved her body and pointed to the rock under h
On the cliff…Thea’s eyes frequently glanced down the cavern as she waited impatiently for James and Maxine to return.After checking for the umpteenth time, she finally saw James climbing back up and excitedly chirped, “How did it go, Honey?”James shook his head sadly. “This cavern is bottomless, and the heat was searing hot down there. We couldn't go any deeper. I doubt grandpa would’ve survived.”Maxine climbed up after him.James sighed and said dejectedly, “We’re done here. Let's go back.”Since they could not find him, James did not intend to waste another second in this cavern.Based on what he and Maxine had gleaned from the clues, he had a rough idea of what might have happened.His grandfather was most likely still alive.He was still slightly dubious about Maxine’s theory.James firmly believed that his grandfather would not bring harm him, or Thea.The only thing he was unsure about was why his grandfather needed to come up with so many elaborate plots.James t
James did not press the matter further since it was a matter of small consequence.“Alright, I’ll see you around.”James engaged in a brief conversation with the Blithe King and Daniel. Then he turned to leave.After leaving the military region…Thea tilted her head. “Honey, where are we going? Are we going back to the Callahans?”Before James could answer, Maxine interrupted. “James…”“Yeah?”James turned around and looked at Maxine, who was still traveling alongside James.Maxine said, “Grandpa sent me to protect you. As it stands, you’ve almost caught up to me now that you've recovered your cultivation base. Aside from that, you also have Thea, a grandmaster of the third rank beside you. It’d be pointless for me to stay in Cansington any longer. It's time for me to return to the Capital."“So soon?” James uttered in disappointment.She had a sharp mind and could think on her feet.Having Maxine beside him would be immensely beneficial to him. Her departing so quickly was
Cynthia had no business meddling in James' affairs. Upon seeing Thea, she had the urge to say something but swallowed the urge.Thea walked toward the sofa and sat opposite Cynthia. Then, she looked at James. “Honey, what are you planning on doing next?”James also sat down. He shook his head and replied, “I’ve no plans for now.”He was like a blind man that was not able to see the path ahead.“We’ll stay in Cansington for the time being and observe the overall situation. Right now, there isn't much to do. All I can do is hone my skills and continue to improve my strength as much as possible.”Maxine had made James aware of how far beneath the Ancient Four's strength he was.As he was, he was too weak to achieve anything.He was nothing compared to the Ancient Four.Unless he reaches the fifth rank, he would essentially be a sitting duck for his enemies.Regardless of his rank, he would still end up doomed if the Ancient Four were really determined to eliminate him.“Honey,