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
"Mr. Webb, please evaluate this," Ezra said.A middle-aged man stepped forward. As Harmony Clinic's chief steward, Wyatt Webb served as the head examiner for this Intermediate Alchemy Assessment. "Josie and Felix, you completed your pills at the same time. Now open your boxes so we can check your pill-forming rate."Josie opened her box, revealing six Phantom Mist Pills. The crowd gasped. Producing six pills on the first attempt just proved her terrifying talent."Josie Brennan, six pills." The Brennan brothers smiled. With such a pill-forming rate, the outcome seemed clear. Though Felix had caught them off guard by appearing at the same time as Josie, the final result had not changed, so it didn't matter.Ezra and Dickson exchanged pleased glances.Felix was quite surprised. He hadn't expected Josie's pill-forming rate to be so high. Clearly, talent had little to do with character.When he opened his box, another wave of gasps arose. Inside lay six pills, identical to Josi
Felix was indifferent to the proposal. He planned to produce nine pills this time. After all, the reward was too tempting, and having one single precious herb could make a difference in cultivating pills. Josie's face turned ashen as she stood frozen. She never expected Ezra to make such a suggestion. The Brennan brothers started to tremble in frustration, knowing Josie's alchemy talent was actually mediocre. In fact, she had relied on cheating. Everything should have gone according to plan, but an unexpected challenger had appeared. It had even pushed them into this difficult position."Mr. Whitwell, isn't this... somewhat against the rules?" Josie struggled to argue, but Wyatt frowned and spoke up, "How dare you question Mr. Whitwell's authority?"Terrified by the rebuke, Josie quickly backtracked and said, "Then, I'll concede first place to Felix. Creating the Phantom Mist Pills has drained me considerably, so I won't recover for at least ten days."Felix found this puzzl
Ezra then turned to Felix with a smile. "Felix, what would you like?" Felix had already decided, and his opinion was undeterred by this incident. "Solaris Root." Ezra gave him a thumbs-up. "Impressive! That's almost the hardest one to get my hands on." Solaris Root was incredibly precious and practically priceless. It was a key ingredient in creating Ascension Pills, which were essential for breaking through to the late stage of Transcendent Realm. That explained why it was so unobtainable.This confirmed Dickson's earlier point. With materials so hard to gather, few could craft it, and the pill-forming rate was terrifyingly low. Whenever a single Ascension Pill entered the market, it caused an absolute frenzy—people would usually compete fiercely for it.Meanwhile, the Brennan brothers were nervously making their way down the mountain, not daring to rush out."Johnny, will we really be okay?" Colin asked.Johnny's face darkened as he snapped, "At worst, we're guilty of faili
At the Maximus residence in Bedford, the usual liveliness had given way to a heavy atmosphere. Even the housekeepers worked in silence with their heads down instead of chattering cheerfully. This change, of course, stemmed from the loss of their three elders. Such news couldn't be hidden. "Dean Maximus!" A voice shattered the silence, echoing throughout the vast residence for all to hear. Soon, several people rushed to the front courtyard, including Jonah and Herbert. They were the ones who had ambushed Dickson and Felix earlier."Mr. Whitwell, this is unexpected. Forgive us for not greeting you sooner."Indeed, it was Ezra who had called out. Though he stood alone without exuding any energy, his presence made both elders uncomfortable. Such was the terrifying nature of someone who had achieved the mastery of Transcendent Realm.Another elder appeared in a flash, smiling at Ezra. He asked, "Ezra, what brings you to our place?"Ezra snorted coldly. "Spare me the pretense, Dean
Westville? Felix thought about what Barry had mentioned. The Xavier family's Battle for the Bride was happening in a few days."Are you going to Westville for the Xavier family's tournament, Madam Goddard?"Deborah's expression turned strange. "So, you do have romantic interests! Here I thought your mind was filled with nothing but martial arts and alchemy. I didn't think you'd know about the tournament. You're not going to try your luck, are you?"Felix rubbed his head, slightly embarrassed. "Stop teasing me." Deborah laughed. "Janet Xavier isn't quite good enough for you, though her sister Nerissa is remarkable. Too bad she's already engaged, or I might have played the matchmaker." Taking advantage of the opening, Felix quickly asked, "Really? Do you think highly of Nerissa as well, Madam Goddard?"Deborah nodded. "Of course! That woman has strong principles and excellent character. Among the Top Ten Menaces, she's one of the few who meet my standards. Whoever that mysterious
Felix never imagined he would one day be so close to Cordelia or even meet her. Truthfully, he was not mentally prepared for this. From that video, it was clear the royal family despised him. If discovered, they would likely try every means to eliminate him. No wonder Nala had said that if he revealed his identity, he would need to stay by the Empress' side—otherwise, he'd be in danger. "What's wrong?" As an experienced elder, Deborah immediately noticed Felix's unease. "Nothing's wrong. Please go ahead, Madam Goddard. I'm focusing on alchemy right now and would rather avoid any contact with the royal family." Hearing this, Deborah did not question further. Felix had only recently arrived in Martial City and already faced trouble from both Jared and the Maximus family. Who knew whether dealing with the royal family would be a bad thing? "Very well. We'll discuss this another time." Sitting in his chair, Felix felt bitter. Learning that his parents had abandoned him to save
An elderly man with flowing white hair rolled down the driver's window and looked at Felix. "Get in the car already, will you?"Felix replied respectfully, "One moment, Mr. Ghost." When he turned back around, the fat man had collapsed to the ground in fear. "Apologize to her!" Instantly, the man scrambled up and started kneeling before Laura, apologizing as if his life depended on it."If I ever catch you disrespecting Laura again, you know what'll happen," Felix warned. Laura's vision blurred with tears, feeling that warm sensation of being protected once again. Only after the Brabus SUV left did the fat man dare to stand, his legs still shaking. "Dear God, I just had a brush with death! Damn, I've only been away from North City for a few months!"Who the hell is that guy? How'd he get a ride in Mr. Ghost's car?" That vehicle was recognized throughout not just North City but all of Martial City as Shepherd Ghost's ride. He was an undisputed master of the Transcendent Re