Rupert was shocked, but the three Protectors fighting Felix were totally freaking out. They knew for sure that Felix hadn't activated Lone Paragon. As martial artists who had spent years training to become incredibly powerful, they could have easily spotted it if Felix was just faking weakness. But without Lone Paragon in the picture, they had no explanation for what was happening. They'd never heard of any martial arts technique that would slowly grow stronger during battle. It made no sense. If Felix had suddenly broken through to a new realm while fighting, that would be one thing. Such rare cases existed throughout history. But this was something else entirely. "I guess that's all you guys have to offer me. What a shame." Felix smiled through his injuries. The fight was getting easier by the minute—even he could feel himself getting stronger. "Don't get so cocky, Felix!" The three Protectors yelled as they all activated the forbidden technique passed down by Ancient Sage
Not long after Felix started walking away, he sensed something strange. He quickly raised his right hand as an object fell rapidly from the sky. It moved so fast that normal people wouldn't even see it. For Felix, tracking it was not hard. He also noticed how it didn't seem to have much force behind it. What could it be? The next moment, his expression changed as the object went through his right hand and vanished into his body. He was shocked when he realized the object had entered his soul. "What the hell is this thing?" Everything happened so quickly and strangely that he didn't even have time to react. About ten seconds passed before he realized his soul wasn't damaged. Finally able to breathe again, he took time to examine the object. It was a palm-sized square plate that was completely black and seemingly made of some kind of metal. The plate showed the number 2034 with nothing else on it. "Is this plate a soul-bound weapon or something else?" Felix tried for a while
When Gerald said it was something from beyond this world, Felix froze for a moment. He then jumped to his feet, pointing at Gerald with a trembling hand. "Holy crap! Do you actually know what that thing is?"Gerald didn't look too happy. "Watch how you talk to me, you brat! Sit down." Though he didn't give Felix an answer, Felix could tell Gerald really knew something. He sat back down immediately. "That object is called a Starmark. What you received is the lowest rank—an Iron Starmark. Like I said, it's something from beyond this world, not from Earth." Felix was starting to question Gerald's background. How did he know about something like this? "Since you've received an Iron Starmark, I should call Dahlia and Karina to join us. It's time to reveal everything. Whatever questions you have, wait until all three of them are here." Even though Felix desperately wanted to know everything, Gerald had made up his mind. Felix knew there was no point in asking now. By afternoon,
Sergio glanced at Gerald with disdain. "Don't get your hopes up too soon. The Starmark is just a ticket in the door. We have no idea how far Felix will actually make it." Gerald immediately bristled. "Jeez! Stop being so negative about us. Would it kill you to be optimistic for once?"Whatever. I'm going to take a nap. At least I can finally explain things to those brats. I was still stressing about how to handle Eloise." Time passed. In the living room of the hotel suite, Dahlia and Karina sat on the couch, both glowing and looking more feminine than before. "I can't believe you're actually so experienced and adventurous, Dahlia." Dahlia kept a poker face. "I learned by watching all sorts of things. But I'm definitely not as loud as you." Felix, fresh from his shower and dressed, was speechless hearing this. Even with all his power, he was no match against both women. In fact, he felt he had been taken advantage of. "Can we drop this topic already? Mr. Hoffman and Eloise
As Gerald walked in, Eloise stood up. Despite what she had done, she still respected him as her mentor. She actually just wanted to know the truth. "Well, look who decided to show up!" Gerald snapped. Something flickered in Eloise's eyes, but she changed the subject. "Do you really need Dahlia and Karina here for this?" Dahlia and Karina looked dumbfounded. They still had no clue why they'd been called over, though they had a gut feeling something big was coming. "Obviously. Why else would I call them? Eloise, if I didn't care about you, I would've flown overseas and killed you myself for what you pulled. Or do you think I couldn't?" Shocked, Dahlia and Karina gasped. Why would Gerald say something so harsh? Felix was the only one who understood the situation. Indeed, Eloise had done something that had crossed some serious lines. Eloise gave a bitter smile. "I just wanted to know the truth about myself. Is that so wrong?" Gerald snorted again before speaking, "All nine
Gerald said, "My old friend had enemies—serious ones. If I don't keep you sealed, your soul's energy will start to radiate once you reach a certain level. When that happens, it won't matter how far away those enemies are—they'll sense it instantly. And by then, not even I could protect you."As he spoke, Gerald turned to look at Eloise. "Are you satisfied with that explanation? Or are you still skeptical?"Eloise stayed silent, and even Felix could tell she probably was not buying it. After all, they were already talking about aliens—stuff that sounded completely out there and impossible to verify. Naturally, it was hard to believe.Gerald seemed to read the doubt on her face and chuckled. "If you want, I can remove the seal right now. You'll be free to train however you want, and I won't stop you anymore. "But you need to understand something—if that ends up attracting the enemies and gets you and your eight apprentices killed, that has absolutely nothing to do with me. I've alre
As soon as all three of his senior apprentices turned to look at him, Felix felt the pressure pile on. There were so many things he did not quite understand yet. He asked, "Mr. Hoffman, are you serious? You're saying this Starmark doesn't just protect my seniors—it can actually stop the second wave from hitting Earth?"Gerald nodded seriously. "Would I joke about something this big? There's an organization out there in the universe called the Star Alliance. At least from my time until now, they've always followed the rulings of the Star Gate. "Every 500 years, the Star Alliance hosts a massive competition to find the top talents across the universe, where participants are put through a series of tests and battles. The prizes are insane—especially for the champion. Not only do they get rare and powerful rewards, but they also get to claim an entire planet as their own territory. Do you understand now?"Felix was starting to get it—kind of. He asked, "So, the Starmark is basically a
As he spoke, Gerald raised his hand slightly. "You don't need to know the names of every level, but let me just say this—Dragon Rebirth is a phenomenal technique. Across the universe, it's considered extraordinary. "And paired with your soul power, if you really want to increase your chances of winning that championship, you'd better reach the extreme mastery of martial cultivation. Right now on Earth, aside from me and your seniors, only three others have reached that stage. If you want to win, you must push yourself to that level, even if the bar is high."It was a realm Felix had never even heard of before. And from Gerald's tone, the fact that he did not even bother explaining the earlier levels proved just how crucial this one was."From what you're saying, I'm guessing the Ancient Sage and that guy who protects the country are probably both at that level. So, who's the third one?"Gerald's expression confirmed he had guessed right. "Billy's mentor."Felix thought that made