“Look here, we’ve laid out our terms clearly. You were the ones who insisted on buying it. I didn’t force you guys at all.” The shop owner said indifferently. “Stop the crap! I don’t want this Luminianth Root anymore. Hurry up and give me a refund!” Julie grabbed the man by his collar and roared.“What? Are you trying to stir up trouble in my shop?”The shop owner’s expression did not falter, and he quickly clapped his hands once. Soon, a group of brawny men came out from the room behind.Seeing the fierce looks on their face, Julie and the rest were immediately stunned and silent.“Are you guys tired of living? How dare you stir up trouble in Mr. Walter’s shop?”“Anyone could tell that they’re brainless, they have no clue about the rules here.”“Exactly! They don’t even check the item before raising their bid. Doesn’t that say something about their stupidity?” The crowd started gossiping.“What? You think that I’m scared because you have a few men?”Florence glared at hi
“I’ll buy it for five million dollars.” Dustin’s voice captured several customers’ attention. They all looked at him as if he had grown another head. Anyone who’s in the right mind would be able to tell that this Luminianth Root was defective. Only an idiot would buy a Luminianth Root in that condition.“Dustin, have you lost your mind? Why are you spending five million for a piece of trash?” Ruth was shocked.Although it wasn’t a lot of money for her, it was still a dumb decision.“You, you really want to buy it?” Florence could not believe it.“What? Do you not want to sell it?” Dustin asked.“I’ll sell it! Of course, I’ll sell it!” Florence nodded her head repeatedly as a smile bloomed on her face.Although she still made a loss for selling it for five million dollars, it was still better than nothing.“Dustin, this Luminianth Root is obviously useless. Are you sure you want to buy it?” Dahlia asked in surprise.“Oh, silly! What are you talking about? This Luminianth Roo
“You’re hopeless.” James thought he was looking at an idiot.“What on earth are you up to?” Dahlia also frowned at the scene.She really could not understand his outrageous behavior.Ignoring the crowd’s gazes, Dustin reached down to the shattered Luminianth Root and started to search for something.Soon, a crimson red, finger-sized Luminianth Root appeared.This small and delicate Luminianth Root was red as blood. It was even emanating an odd smell.One could tell that it was no ordinary item.“That’s odd, how could there be a smaller Luminianth Root?” Ruth was confused.“Is it possible for Luminianth Root to give birth?”At that moment, Mr. Walter seemed to realize something and exclaimed, “No—no way! Could it be…that’s a Blood Luminianth Root?!”Everyone in the room went wild at his statement.“What? Blood Luminianth Root? Mr. Walter, you’re not kidding, are you?!”“That’s right. I’ve seen it in a book, this is truly a Blood Luminianth Root!”“Oh my God! I can’t believe
“This fellow really hit the jackpot! I can’t believe he really found a Blood Luminianth Root!”“I know right? With a treasure like that, he won’t have to worry for the rest of his life!”“Damn it! If I knew there was a treasure hiding in that piece of wood, I would’ve bought it myself!”With the Blood Luminianth Root’s debut, the onlookers immediately started talking.All of them looked at Dustin with a gaze full of envy.“Fuck! This guy really struck gold!” James clenched his teeth, eyes filled with rage.“That’s odd, how did he know that there was a treasure hiding inside?” Dahlia was more puzzled than shocked.Everyone had no clue, even Mr. Walter.And yet, Dustin managed to notice.“Is it really luck? Or was there another reason?” She wondered.“Dustin, we really won big this time! But, how did you guess that a Blood Luminianth Root was hiding in there?”Ruth asked the question that was on everyone’s minds.“To be honest, I wasn’t sure as well. It was purely a guess.” D
The night passed by peacefully.Natasha enjoyed her cup of coffee at Java Joys as she flipped through pages of documents.She looked worn out after staying up the entire night.“Natasha!” Just then, Quentin and Mr. Wangley stormed in through the door.“What is it?” Natasha couldn’t even be bothered to spare them a glance. She continued to flip through the documents.Bang!A wooden box was rudely slammed on the table.It opened up to reveal a single white pill in it.“Check this out, Natasha. Do you know what it is?” Quentin pointed at the pill, and his tone was unmistakably demanding“How would I know? You tell me.” She sat up lazily.“Hah! You can’t even recognize the Eternumax?” Quentin looked unimpressed.“So this is Eternumax. Well, what about it?” Natasha asked, not too concerned.“What about it?! You have the gall to ask me what about it? I bought this Eternumax from the Hummers! They’ve managed to manufacture it! Are you aware of that?” Quentin raised his voice.“Oh? So what? Is
Over at the Nicholsons’ that afternoon.“Dahlia, are you going to Miss Hummer’s birthday party this evening? Can you bring me along?” James asked excitedly when he saw the invitation on the table.She was, after all, the daughter of Edwin Hummer, the richest man in the country. It would be beneficial to make acquaintances with such a person.“I will be attending the birthday party, but the invitation is limited to two persons only. Julie has already called dibs on it.” Dahlia cast a damp over James’ enthusiasm.“Her?” Displeased, James turned to look at Julie, who was on the couch applying makeup to her face. “Dahlia, I’m your brother! How could you bring her, and not me?” He grumbled.At that, Julie shot him a glare and said condescendingly, “And what can you do there? Everyone attending the party tonight will be people of status and elites. Wouldn’t a high school dropout like you just embarrass yourself showing up there?”“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? Do you think that you’re
“Dahlia, you can head up first. I’m waiting for a friend here.” Julie made up an excuse to send Dahlia away once they entered the hotel lobby.She was well aware that with Dahlia around, she would never get the attention she yearned for.How would she make acquaintances with the rich and famous then? How would she get to know rich, eligible men?“Okay, I’ll be waiting for you at the banquet hall.” Without giving it much thought, Dahlia took the elevator up to the banquet hall.With Dahlia gone, Julie quickly became the center of attention. She deliberately walked around the lobby and flaunted coquettishly, attracting much attention.Some men approached her in an attempt to strike up a conversation, but she rejected them all, playing hard to get.“Hey, you’ve got such lovely earrings! May I know where you bought them from?”“Yes, that’s true! I’ve never seen such exquisite earrings before!”“These rubies are huge! They must have cost you a lot!”Soon, not only the men came up to her, bu
Over at the banquet hall, Dahlia was puzzled when she saw Julie panting as she entered. “Didn’t you say that you were waiting for a friend, Julie? Where’s your friend?”“Something came up and she couldn’t make it.”She smiled sheepishly. “Oh, Dahlia, could you lend me your compact mirror, please? I need to fix my makeup.”“I remembered that you’ve brought one yourself,” Dahlia said.“Mine’s faulty. I’d prefer to use yours.” Without waiting for a reply, Julie took Dahlia’s bag and fished around in it.Dahlia was annoyed by that. She had to admit, her cousin was really a spoiled brat who lacked manners.“Thanks, Dahlia.” Julie tossed Dahlia’s bag back to her after she managed to get the compact mirror out. Then, she made up some excuse to go to the washroom.Right at that moment, Tina made her entrance, followed by a crowd behind her, creating a ruckus in the banquet hall.In the end, she stopped smack in the middle of the hall.“Quiet down, everyone. I have an announcement to make.” Tin
The poisoned needles zipped through the air with blinding speed. They were impossible to avoid, and each was aimed directly at vital points. One hit meant certain death."Hmph! What a simple parlor trick." The gray-robed elder, Aven Foyer, stood motionless. A sudden burst of golden light flared around him. The needles struck the light but bounced away, which left him completely unharmed."Glow Incantation?" Marcell seemed to have expected this. He smirked but didn't stop attacking. With a quick motion, his hands moved in rapid succession. A new wave of poison needles poured out like a torrential storm and swept toward Aven."Get him!" Marcell shouted as he signaled his men to attack.He knew well that the guardian of Sacred Wyrm Summit's forbidden ground wasn't someone he could take down alone. So, he had no choice but to overwhelm Aven with numbers."Kill him!"Without hesitation, the two groups of men drew their weapons and charged toward Aven in a coordinated assault. Pois
"Open up!" Danny roared as he slammed his fist into the bronze door. A surge of internal energy exploded from his body.The door shook with a deafening boom, and dust scattered, but nothing unusual happened. The symbols on its surface flickered briefly before fading."Hmm?" Danny froze as he stared at the undamaged door in disbelief. With his natural strength and the power his techniques granted him, he had expected the bronze door to shatter easily. But what he saw before him completely defied his expectations.The murmurs behind him only added to his unease. He had boasted so confidently about smashing the door open, yet it hadn't budged an inch. His face flushed with embarrassment."I don't believe it!" Danny took a deep breath and channeled all his internal energy into his fists before striking the bronze door again.Another loud crash echoed as the bronze door trembled, and the dust fell off. The mysterious symbols on the door glowed once more. Like before, the door remain
"Mr. Sadrick, we're trapped in this enchantment circle. What should we do now?" Danny looked around frantically, but he couldn't make sense of the direction.He had thought that following Dustin would keep them safe, especially with someone ahead scouting the path. But as soon as they entered the Forbidden Ground, the thick fog blocked their vision, and they lost track of everyone."Don't panic. Just keep moving forward, and we'll get out of here." Marcell's gaze scanned the ground.There was only one path. The faint footprints left by Dustin and the others would be their guide. As long as they followed the trail, they should be able to catch up with the others."Stay close, everyone! Don't fall behind, or you'll face the consequences!" Danny shouted at the group.Everyone responded and tightened up their formation. At this critical moment, falling behind could mean running straight into danger.Under Marcell's lead, the two groups merged and started moving forward. Everyone was
When the fire broke out on Sacred Wyrm Summit, Dustin received the order to launch the attack. He immediately led a team to infiltrate the Forbidden Ground as planned.With the Hall of Gods' large-scale invasion in full swing, the summit was in chaos, with people scrambling to extinguish the fire. This left the Forbidden Ground unprotected, as most regular guards had been reassigned. Only the mountain itself stood alone and was isolated in its stillness.Still, he didn't underestimate the Sacred Wyrm Summit's defenses. Even without guards, the Forbidden Ground wasn't a place anyone could simply enter. After all, the summit was known for having the most powerful enchantment circle in the martial world.When Dustin and his team reached the back mountain, they discovered that two other teams had already arrived ahead of them.These groups, hired by the Hall of Gods, were primarily composed of shady individuals. While their ethics were questionable, their strength was unquestionable.
After taking the enhanced serum, everyone became increasingly worked up. Their strength skyrocketed, and their thirst for battle was off the charts. The atmosphere in the room was electric."Is this the Hall of Gods' enhanced serum? This stuff is amazing.""I can already feel the power flowing through me. I'm itching for a fight.""Those worthless Dragonmarsh martial artists—tonight, I'll ensure they're wiped out completely.""Since you have such a treasure, why didn't you bring it out sooner? How much of this serum do you have left? I'll buy it all." Willem's voice was full of swagger."These are premium S-class serums. They're extremely rare and reserved only for the higher-ups. We don't sell them to outsiders. What I can offer you are A-class serums. But, if you're interested, I could send you a batch for free," Bailey replied generously."In that case, I won't hold back." Willem laughed heartily.Getting something for free was always the best deal. Whether for personal use o
"M-Mr. Rhys, I'm truly sorry. I was wrong earlier. Please don't hold it against me, and forgive me this once." After a moment of stunned silence, Zayne quickly apologized, with sweat beading on his forehead. He knew Dustin was an ultimate grandmaster who could instantly end his life."Don't do it again." Dustin shot him a cold glare but didn't take the opportunity to strike.In his eyes, these people had already sealed their fate by colluding with the Hall of Gods and infiltrating Sacred Wrym Summit. It was just a matter of when they would die."Of course, Mr. Rhys. Thank you for your mercy." Zayne nodded repeatedly. His face was a mixture of relief and gratitude.It was clear that if not for Dustin's magnanimity, today could have been his last. He had learned a hard lesson in humility—never blindly flatter or misread the situation, or death would come soon enough."I'll cut it short. We all have the same goal here. As long as we work together, I'm confident we'll succeed in tonig
"Someone is coming. You should hide now." Dustin's sharp senses picked up the faint shuffle of footsteps outside the door. The movement was quiet and deliberate. It was definitely someone skilled."Got it." Grace nodded and quickly gathered the Dracan essences before slipping out the window. She was gone in seconds and vanished without a trace.Barely three seconds after she left, there was a knock at the door."Who is it?" Dustin asked."It's me, Hank."A familiar voice called from the other side.Dustin got up and opened the door. He greeted him with a smile. "Hello, Mr. Styles. Come on in."For Hank to show up at this hour meant the Hall of Gods was about to take action."Dustin, congratulations on winning the championship. I wanted to offer my congratulations in person." Hank entered the room and showered Dustin with praise. "I watched your match today, and it was incredible. Defeating Glenn was a pleasant surprise. I knew I wasn't wrong about you.""If it weren't for yo
"Ms. Aurora, don't make fun of me. The Celestial Alliance is full of experts—there's no way someone like me could take on a disciple," Dustin declined with a smile. "Of course, we're friends. If you ever want to talk about martial arts, just reach out.""Alright then, if I ever need advice, you'd better not turn me down," Aurora said with a playful wink.She was just asking to see how he would respond. After all, she wasn't serious about wanting to become his disciple. It was more of a way to get closer to him, and now that she had an excuse to ask for his guidance, she was satisfied.Once everyone was seated, the conversation flowed easily. They drank and talked about anything and everything.The two Marshall sisters exchanged flirtatious glances across the table, a gesture that even the most oblivious observer couldn't miss.However, Dustin kept a polite smile on his face. He either ignored their advances or skillfully deflected them.He knew exactly what they were after. With
"Me?" Dustin froze momentarily, then quickly waved his hands to indicate his refusal. "Ancient Sage, you've got to be kidding. I'm not qualified to guard the Dracan force. You'd better find someone else."He knew taking on such a monumental responsibility was out of the question. Guarding the Dracan Force wasn't like watching over someone's garden. A single mistake could endanger not only Sacred Wyrm Summit but all of Dragonmarsh. The pressure was simply overwhelming."Don't be so quick to refuse," Arion said with a smile. He continued, "Guarding the Dracan force has its perks. For one, it's a spiritual entity. If you can connect with it, your cultivation will soar, and your lifespan will extend dramatically. With its power behind you, you'll be unbeatable. No one in the world could stand in your way."Arion wasn't exaggerating. Being recognized by the Dracan force as its guardian granted access to its vast energy and created a resonance with the natural order. It was what people