"I'm sorry! I didn't know who I was dealing with. Please forgive me," the man begged.Though his mind was swirling with a thousand questions, the burly man apologized immediately. What choice did he have? If it came down to a match on the arena stage, was he really willing to risk getting beaten to death?"Thank you, all three of you," Felix said, nodding in gratitude.Of course, he recognized them. They were the people he had saved during the banquet incident."Dr. Zeller, you're being too polite.""This is the least we could do.""Without you, I wouldn't even be standing here today. Please, don't thank us."The three of them knew they had no hope of winning the competition. They were simply here for the experience. Even if they walked away empty-handed, building a good relationship with someone like Felix was well worth the trip.The contestants in the Stage One rest area were visibly stunned. Most of them were strangers to one another, and there had been virtually no interac
"Is that Lord Lionel? Who's the woman next to him? She's so beautiful and elegant," Melissa exclaimed in awe. Her attention was finally captured after Billy pointed out the figure in the audience."She's the legendary Chief Commander who retired from headquarters years ago. Of course, she's qualified to sit as an equal with Lord Lionel.""Really? She's so young, that's just unbelievable!" Melissa thought to herself."Mira, you really kept me in the dark," Lionel said, his tone full of mock resentment as he looked at the woman beside him."What, did you expect me to write on my forehead who my fellow apprentice is? Would that make you happy?"Despite sitting next to Lionel, she remained completely at ease, as if it were the most natural thing in the world."I didn't mean it like that. No wonder Felix is so exceptional. It turns out he's your apprentice, someone who was trained in the same school. It makes sense now. Only someone like Dr. Hoffman could produce a genius who excels i
"Fatso, are you sure you're going to jump to conclusions before the fight even starts?" Melissa said.Though Melissa had a point, Nala couldn't help but remain fixated on the mysterious Billy.She turned her gaze back toward him, curiosity gnawing at her. Honestly, she couldn't see anything extraordinary about the man bundled up in a heavy winter coat.His aura clearly marked him as someone in the Pulse Realm, so why was everyone so convinced that Ocean was doomed?When the names were announced, she finally learned that the opponent's name was Wally Ortiz. It was an odd name, to say the least."Die!"As the match began, Ocean showed no intention of holding back.This was his first fight, and he was determined to make an impression. He needed to demonstrate the brilliance of the second family of Dragonia and pave the way for future triumphs.Just as he was about to strike, the crowd collectively gasped. Ocean froze, sensing something was terribly wrong, but it was already too la
Back in the resting area, Felix had barely settled in when the announcer's voice rang out again.Suddenly, a section of the cliff face seemed to shift, startling everyone.The southern cliff wall, which appeared to ripple, revealed itself to be something entirely unexpected. It wasn't stone but a person.Until then, no one had noticed his presence. He had been sitting cross-legged with his head lowered, blending seamlessly with the cliff. One could tell he was no ordinary person."Competitor number three, Heath Stanton. Interesting," Felix muttered, a faint smile crossing his lips.Heath's ability to suppress his essence was exceptional. Even Felix hadn't sensed him. Surely, he had to be a powerful opponent."I... I surrender!"The competitor assigned to fight Heath had barely moved the boulder blocking their path when they turned to face him, then promptly bolted.Heath stood tall at nearly eight feet with a hulking frame that somehow seemed almost harmless. At the declaration
Felix mirrored the gesture as a sign of respect.Heath reminded him of Ronan in some ways—both carried an air of innocence and inexperience.The match began abruptly, with Heath making the first move. He remained rooted in place and sent a palm strike hurtling toward Felix from a distance.The power was palpable. If his earlier gesture could create gale-force winds, this deliberate attack shattered the very air.A cacophony of snapping and crackling filled the arena, showing just how terrifyingly powerful his seemingly straightforward strike truly was.Felix vanished from his spot and reappeared at Heath's flank, delivering a swift roundhouse kick.Heath didn't dodge or flinch. Instead, he absorbed the attack with his body and struck again.Immediately, Felix retreated several feet away.He felt like he'd kicked against a mountain earlier. It was completely ineffective against Heath, proving that the latter's body possessed incredible resilience to physical attacks.Moreover,
At some point, Felix's free hand had raised and clenched into a fist. It met Heath's massive punch head-on, despite the stark size difference between their hands.Felix's smaller fist somehow contained a terrifying power that halted Heath's advance.Aiden's expression fell.The shockwave from the clash had a force on par with the power of a late-stage Blood Realm attack.It was now clear to him that Felix's previous victory against a True Blood Realm master in Guneria wasn't due to outside intervention. It was highly likely that Felix had achieved it himself."You might barely qualify to fight me," Felix remarked.At last, even the spectators were in awe. While the fight was a straightforward display of raw power rather than a dazzling spectacle, it was undeniably thrilling."I yield."Just as everyone thought the battle was about to erupt in full force, Heath suddenly retracted his hand and voluntarily conceded defeat."You've surprised me," Felix said with a light chuckle.
To Felix's surprise, the winner of Arena Three turned out to be Ronan, whose strength was remarkable.Once all four finalists agreed they didn't need much rest, the championship match was scheduled for an hour later. It would adopt a draw-lot system to determine the pairings for two one-on-one matches.Felix sat alone in the resting area with his eyes closed as he meditated. The rules prohibited any interaction between contestants during this period."Felix, are you really going to continue?"The unexpected voice made him open his eyes, and he saw Xena had entered the room."Of course. I've come this far. Is there any reason not to?"A trace of worry flickered in Xena's eyes. She hadn't wanted to come but couldn't suppress her emotions. "Those three… not one of them is simple. I can't say more, but you should think carefully."Felix smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not simple either, am I?"Xena stared at him for a long moment before turning and leaving without another word.About ha
Lionel smiled as well. "Is this fate? Brook's descendant got paired with Felix, of all people."Mira also couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Perhaps. After all, Felix truly has luck with the ladies." If Gerald learned that Felix was battling Brook's descendant, his reaction would surely be a sight to behold. At long last, Aiden and Ronan stood on the stone stage. The latter was shooting the former a sharp look. "Show me all you've got!" After what happened at the party, Ronan knew full well about the bad blood between Aiden and Felix. Now that Aiden was his opponent, he wasn't about to pull back any punches. He might not be able to defeat Aiden, but the least he could do was inflict some injuries. "As you wish," Aiden responded with perfect calmness, as if victory was already within his grasp. Ronan's body trembled as the bell tolled. His skin was cloaked in a blood-red aura that pulsated maddeningly. No one knew what was going on with him. Milo was allowed to spectate the b