Felix had never felt so powerless before. The hope in everyone's eyes was an indescribably heavy mountain weighing on his shoulders. "You've done your best, Felix. So, don't put the blame on yourself." Jack smiled. He knew Felix better than everyone else. It wasn't that Felix didn't want to save everyone. It was that he couldn't.The masked man had risked his life to kill them. Felix would never believe that this wasn't related to the Martial Arts Competition.He had never expected to fall victim to this poison, too, not when he was already extremely powerful. From this, it was clear how valuable this poison was. The masked man must have been sure that this could kill all the young martial artists here. Suddenly, inspiration flashed in his mind. Felix fished out his phone and called Selmer. "Bring the alchemy furnace here as soon as possible!"Felix had brought with him to Yartford one of the two furnaces he owned for sudden emergencies. Little did he know it would really come i
The arrival of the best master healer in the country reignited Aiden's and everyone else's hope that they could survive this. Due to the magnitude of the situation, Lemuel didn't reminisce about the past with the other healers present. He picked a random person and started taking his pulse. After one minute, he stood up. "Can an antidote be made, Mr. Morris?" asked Hector, who felt a headache coming on. If this situation wasn't dealt with well, devastating consequences were sure to come. If these people had really died, the headquarters would certainly be blamed, as they were the organizer of the Martial Arts Competition. Who would want to shoulder the blame when the time came?"This is the Blightbane Poison. I read about it in a medical book once. It was concocted by a highly skilled practitioner of medicine from the last dynasty. According to the book, even the inventor himself has not formulated an antidote for it."What? A poison from the previous dynasty? "And this is wh
Felix's guess had been correct. Where did the pill recorded in the medical book that Gerald gave him come from? It was the most basic antidote pill. Yet, it was enough to counteract the Blightbane Poison that had everyone at their wit's end. It was unbelievable."Can you come over, Mr. Hoffman? We can hold out for 24 hours," Felix asked just in case. It would make things easier if Gerald could come."You damn brat! Are you sure you're my student? First of all, I can't make it back in 24 hours. Secondly, even if I could, why should I? Whether those people live or die has nothing to do with me. Goodbye!"Felix smiled bitterly. He had forgotten how Gerald had long since been disillusioned by humanity's greed. To him, saving lives and healing the wounded was nothing but drivel.As soon as he stepped outside, he noticed that all eyes were on him. It was plain to see that he remained everyone's greatest hope."It should work, but I can't guarantee it. I'll just have to do my best."The
"I know you have something that can counteract this poison, Nala. Name your price," Aiden's voice suddenly rang out, prompting Nala to sneer."Then, would you be willing to die for it?"After a brief silence, Aiden's tone grew much colder. "So, you intend to tie yourself to Felix. It's true that I can't touch you. But that doesn't mean Felix is off limits."Nala glanced over at Aiden, who was sitting cross-legged a distance away, and responded, "You and Felix are both prodigies, but do you know what sets the two of you apart? "One of you can set aside your hatred to fight with everything you have to save lives, while the other is still talking about killing. That reason alone is why you'll never measure up to him!"Time kept passing on, and the tension continued to escalate. They waited from nightfall till dawn. Now with the sun setting again, everyone began to panic."Mr. Morris, there's only one hour left. What do we do now?"Silas looked at the nearly exhausted Lemuel and gr
Not far from the courtyard, Mira smiled softly as she pulled out her phone."Is the result out?""Yes, Mr. Hoffman. Felix succeeded.""Wait. What?" Gerald was quite shocked."That's impossible! His pill-forming rate is far too low. It's only been 11 or 12 hours. How could he have crafted over 60 antidote pills? Even if they're just the most basic kind."Mira resigned as she sighed. "Mr. Hoffman, he's your apprentice. If you don't have confidence in him, shouldn't you at least trust your own judgment?"Gerald chuckled. "It seems you all know how to butter up an old man like me. Much better at it than Felix—his social skills are practically nonexistent, but it looks like he really does have a talent for pill cultivation, after all. I've never been wrong about my judgment. "Alright. I'm hanging up now."Glancing at the courtyard ahead, Mira patted the small bag she was carrying.Gerald always loved to act tough, but the fact that he sent her rushing here overnight said it all.
"This is for you."As Nala took out a box for him, Felix was confused."Who is it from?""Aiden."Aiden? Felix's confusion deepened."Why would he send me something?"Shaking her head, Nala explained, "I'm not entirely sure, but he made it clear that if you accept this, it'll settle the debt of him owing you a favor for saving his life. After that, you're even. No favors owed, no strings attached. "Honestly, for someone as arrogant as Aiden, he does have a shred of honor in him at times.""Repaying a life-saving favor with a mere box? Isn't that a bit too arrogant?" Felix thought to himself.However, Felix didn't care. If it had just been him and Aiden in the courtyard yesterday, there was no way he would've stepped in. The hatred between them was too deep—who in their right mind would save their enemy?Yet, yesterday's circumstances left him no choice. With so many people around, even headquarters had taken notice. Could they really have skipped over Aiden's antidote pill?
A chubby little baby danced with joy in front of the camera. His round face and big eyes made him utterly adorable.Felix knew that was him as a child, and the voice that followed sent a shiver down his spine. It was the kind of voice every child would cheer for—the voice of a loving mother."Honey, look! It seems like our son knows today's a special day. Just look at how happy he is," a man said.As the camera pulled back, two faces came into view.The man was handsome, and it was easy to tell it was Victor. However, the woman… Felix was captivated. This was what beauty truly meant. For the first time, he understood the true meaning of the word.While it's true that the woman with the most perfect looks so far was Zara, the woman in the video was the kind of beauty that would stay with one forever, especially when combined with an incomparable maternal glow. It was beyond words."Is this really my biological mother?"Just as the family was immersed in their joyful moment, the
Melissa glanced at Billy and curled her lips in disdain. "You talk like you know everything."Billy chuckled. "Of course I do. That unnamed mountain? Its core has been hollowed out quite a bit. The interior is massive, with a space that looks like some kind of martial training arena. "There are four enormous stone platforms in total, and even masters in Boneforging Realm can't leave a single scratch on them."Surrounding the platforms are stone-carved seats, clearly designed for spectating duels. The exact age of the site is unknown, and the government has been studying it for years. "Unfortunately, they haven't uncovered anything extraordinary about it. So, they decided to use it as the venue for this martial arts competition."Felix gave Billy a skeptical glance. Somehow, hearing it from him didn't make it any more believable."Yeah, right. Keep talking," Nala said as she laughed."Melissa, he's actually telling the truth."When they arrived at the base of the unnamed mount