"I feel so miserable—"The same sound echoed again. Another elder from the Maximus family fell victim—his heart ripped out on the spot with no resistance from him whatsoever.This time, due to the different angle, Felix and Dickson both saw the terrifying figure. It was a woman dressed in a filthy, tattered white dress. Her hair was a wild mess, and her face barely visible."Let's go!"The remaining four members of the Maximus family hesitated for a moment but immediately chose to flee. This was simply too bizarre. The mysterious woman appeared all of a sudden and had already killed two of their elders with no visible techniques or essence. Their morale was utterly crushed."I feel so miserable—"The four words were like a death sentence. As the Maximus family members fled in fear, even Felix and Dickson quickly turned around, readying their defenses.But behind them was no trace of the strange woman. Instead, a scream echoed from a distance—another Maximus elder had his hea
One of the old men spoke up. Everyone, including Delilah, turned to look. Only then did they realize he was the oldest among them."When I was young, I once followed our family's founder to witness Yusri Maximus in action."Yusri Maximus? The founder of the Maximus family, the only one to have reached the Grandmaster Realm?"You all should know that Grandmaster Realm warriors are considered the pinnacle of martial artists because, upon reaching that realm, they can cultivate a power known as a domain."Delilah nodded. "That's common knowledge, but the problem is, no one really knows what a domain looks like because no one has ever seen one."The old man gestured at the bodies of the three Maximus elders."What you just witnessed might have been a domain, though not exactly so. It's similar to what Yusri had exhibited. "In a domain, a Grandmaster Realm martial artist is absolutely invincible. No matter your realm, once trapped inside a domain, you're no different from an ordinar
One of the Maximus family's elders said, "It doesn't matter who she is. The mission failed. Unless Dean takes action himself the next time, no one from the family will make another move for a long time.""Exactly. And we still have to worry about whether Delilah or Harmony Clinic will come knocking on our door for an explanation. Let's just forget about that terrifying woman."In truth, there was one thought Atlas hadn't shared—those who died were the ones who attacked Felix. Could that woman have been Felix's ally? But he refused to consider that possibility, as admitting it would mean that there was no hope left for them.…Meanwhile, Dickson and Felix slowed their pace. Dickson, for one, felt like he'd narrowly escaped death."I've faced countless life-and-death situations, but never before have I experienced true despair. That woman managed to make me feel it."Wiping the sweat off his brow, Dickson couldn't help but shudder. Although the dead were all middle-stage Transc
Felix turned around. A Mercedes-Benz SUV had pulled up behind him, honking incessantly.Felix couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. This wasn't some bustling metropolis with proper roads, traffic lights, or strict rules. It was open terrain, with no boundaries or designated lanes to worry about. Martial City's flat ground made for smooth travel without much risk of bumps.The driver was clearly picking a fight on purpose. "Hey, kid! What are you staring at? Never seen such a nice car? Get out of the way!"The car door opened, and a young man stepped out. He pointed rudely at Felix."The road's wide enough. I've already moved over. What more do you want?" Felix replied coolly.The young man's expression darkened with anger. "What the hell? Are you trying to teach me how to behave? Do you even know who's sitting in this car? The disciple of Harmony Clinic's chief steward is in the backseat! How dare you disrespect us?"The Chief Steward? That was a rank higher than Nellie and
Someone piped up, "Huh? Johnny, look over there. That's the idiot who blocked our way before standing next to Barry! Birds of a feather, huh? No wonder they're friends. Haha!"The man named Johnny was an extremely composed and handsome young man. He didn't respond at all and continued walking. Beside him was a stunningly beautiful woman with an air of nobility and a disdainful look in her eyes."You're right. Just compare our status to theirs. Even talking to them will tarnish our dignity. Let's go."Once the trio left, Felix asked Barry, "Do you have a grudge against them?"Barry gave a bitter smile. "Not really. I would never provoke them. During the last Intermediate Alchemy Assessment, that guy tripped when he was coming up the mountain, probably because he was distracted. "I laughed at him just like everyone else did. Ever since then, he's held a grudge. He picks on me whenever he gets the chance."He added nervously, "By the way, take my experience as a lesson—we can't a
Dickson shrugged it off, but something suddenly crossed his mind that made his throat go dry. "Are you talking about... the Ancient Sage?" he asked.Ezra nodded. "Indeed. If anyone in the capital could discover and nurture such talent, I can't think of anyone else who could."The Ancient Sage was a legendary name in Martial City. Even now, no one dared to mention it in public. It was only whispered about in private conversations. No one knew for certain whether the Ancient Sage had truly achieved the rank of Grandmaster. "Interesting. I'll personally oversee this year's Intermediate Alchemy Assessment." Seeing how Ezra wanted to change the subject, Dickson played along with a light laugh.This year, 86 candidates had registered for the Intermediate Alchemy Assessment. They were all currently staying at Harmony Clinic's headquarters. The assessment would begin at sunrise tomorrow, which would give them ample time to rest from their journeys.As fate would have it, Felix and Ba
Dear God! Nerissa had reached Transcendent Realm, too? Felix realized he had been progressing rather slowly—even his fiancée had surpassed him now. Still, her talent was truly terrifying. Felix knew that Nala also possessed remarkable martial talent. But after the accident that scarred her face, her mental state became unstable. It became impossible for her to focus on practicing martial arts. As Felix lay in bed that night, something felt off. Barry had gone to the bathroom and was taking an unusually long time.Just as Felix was considering checking on him, Barry returned, appearing normal. However, he could not deceive Felix's keen perception. Felix immediately took out a pill and approached him. "Take this." Barry paused before accepting it. "Thanks." He had suffered significant internal injuries, so someone had clearly attacked him. "Felix, you're a good man. Really, thank you."Felix did not pry, and Barry did not give any information, either. The night passed peacefu
Aside from Ezra and Dickson, many others were waiting. All were accomplished martial artists who could easily wait for several days.Among them were the Brennan brothers, Colin and Johnny. Their cousin, Josie, was participating in the assessment. "Johnny, could there be problems? Isn't this too risky?" Colin fidgeted nervously, his eyes darting like a thief's toward Ezra. His voice trembled even through the telepathic communication. "Shut up! Is this something we can control? Who knew Mr. Whitwell would make such a promise? Every risk is worth it."Colin fell silent, though his heart remained unsettled. Harmony Clinic provided herbs to alchemists, but that came with limitations. While most pills used commonly available ingredients, the particularly precious herbs were typically distributed based on merit or other ranking systems. Thus, Ezra's sudden announcement of such a reward needed no elaboration on its value. Three days passed, and the previously bored crowd grew alert