"They've got concrete evidence! What else do you need to look into?" Eleanor challenged with displeasure."Arrest them right now, or I'll sue you for abuse of power! This is an order!""What?" Mr. Zagatti frowned, his expression darkened."Mr. Zagatti, look around you. Countless pairs of eyes are watching, and reporters are also present. Are you really going to cover up for these people?" Ezra demanded sharply."Well …" Mr. Zagatti found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place.Though he dared not offend the Dawsons, the power of public opinion was equally as formidable. If any exaggerated news were to be reported, it would make things very messy for him."Ezra Swanson, you better watch your words, or I'll sue you for defamation," Bo said calmly."Mr. Dawson, this is something between us and the Camrons. Please do not interfere," Ezra said."The Dawson family and the Camron family are now allies. Dew Balm is a joint production between both families. Do you think that I ca
When Elara took out the final evidence, the middle-aged man fell on his knees in despair.Had it just been the insurance records, he could have worm his way out. But now that they found the poison, and it even had his fingerprints on it, there was nothing else he could say to save himself."So it turns out that this bastard had lied! How despicable!""He even murdered his own father! Does he have no conscience?""A beast! He's a beast through and through!"The onlookers who had gathered around began berating and condemning him.They had thought that the victim had died due to the products of the vile sellers, but the man had intentionally framed them. And the worst part was that he was evil enough to harm his own father! Not even an animal would do something like that. It was downright inhumane!"What a good-for-nothing!" Eleanor muttered under her breath with her brows furrowed. Not only had he failed to accomplish his purpose, he even left behind such important evidence. I
"Bo, what exactly have the Camrons offered you? Why are you helping them?" Eleanor asked with her brows furrowed."I have always stood up for people in unjust situations. Do you have a problem with that?" Bo lifted his chin and looked down his nose at them."There are never lasting enemies, Bo; Only lasting interests. No matter what benefits the Camrons have offered you; the Welch family will offer you double!" Eleanor tried to strike a deal with Bo."Double?" Bo chuckled at that, and a hint of contempt crept into his smile."Truth be told, I'm the biggest shareholder of Dew Balm. I hold 40% of the shares. So, if you were to double that, that'd be 80%. Are you able to afford that?""What?" When she heard that, Eleanor's expression soured.She had assumed that Bo had been offered some form of benefit to assist the Camrons. It hadn't occurred to her that they had formed such an alliance. It was impossible to get Bo to side with them now."So this is how it is." Ezra frowned, his
Eleanor was secretly pleased to see that all three of them had agreed to it. A sly smirk graced her features.What a bunch of idiots! All it took were a few words to agitate them, and now they fell into her trap. She would never have suggested such a bet if she was not fully confident that she would win!Framing them with the dead body had just been Plan A. But now, they would go all out and deploy Plan B. As long as Dustin agreed to take her up on the bet, he'd be jumping head-first into the trap Eleanor had laid out for him."Draft us an agreement to sign now!" Eleanor ordered.The people who were with Eleanor immediately began busying themselves. A while later, two copies of an agreement were brought to her. Relevant clauses of the agreement were clearly stated. Not only would the losers need to surrender their formula, but they would also have to make a public apology and promise never to sell similar products again."Have you had a good look at it yet? If you have, then
At the sight of that, Ezra beamed even brighter. "See that, Dustin? This is the surprise we've prepared for you!""So you guys came prepared! Isn't this just cheating!" Lana criticized them."Haha! All is fair in war! You can't blame me for your own stupidity! I can't believe you actually took us up on the bet!" Ezra gloated."It's jam-packed over on our side, but I can't say the same for you. It's pretty clear who's going to be the winner now. You might as well just admit defeat." Eleanor smirked.Though their plan to frame Dustin and Lana with the dead body hadn't worked, their strategy to provoke them had. Eleanor and Ezra's plan had not gone to waste."What's the rush? We've still got time before the day ends." Dustin remained calm and composed."What? Are you still unwilling to admit that you've lost?" Ezra mocked with a taunting smile. "Fine, we'll just take things up a notch and make sure that you acknowledge your defeat!"Then, he pulled out his cell phone and made a cal
"Turn around? What? Are you able to change things up?" Ezra sniggered condescendingly. He turned around to have a look.All he saw was how great business was for them at Rejuvenaid Pharmaceuticals. Customers were swarming in, and almost everyone in the elite circle of South City had come to show their support. Besides that, there was nothing out of the ordinary."Dustin, I think you're too old for such childish gimmicks. Does such jokes humor you?" Ezra mocked."Hey! Are you just too much of a coward to admit defeat?" Eleanor asked sarcastically. "We have witnesses, evidence, and the signed agreement! There's no point saying more. Just surrender the formula already! It'd be less embarrassing for you that way.""Who said that we've lost? See for yourself, what's that over there?" Dustin gestured in a direction down the road."Hah! Do you think I'd fall for the same trick again?" Ezra huffed without looking back.Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Ezra wasn
Ezra and Eleanor didn't expect so many wealthy people to support Camron Medicals' launch.They began to grow anxious. If this were to carry on, they were beginning to doubt whether they would win."Gentlemen, thank you for showing up and giving us your support. Please, head on in." Lana and Matteo beamed from ear to ear as they welcomed the guests and invited them in for a seat.The Welch and Swanson families dominated the market in South City. With just the Camrons' abilities alone, they would not have been able to get much support. But now that they had help from the Dawson family, many of the wealthy merchants from Easy City turned up to support them. Had it not been for the Dawsons, Camron Medicals would have lost terribly."I never expected you to be prepared for this, Mr. Dawson. I guess now we can have a proper fight against the Welch and Swanson families!" Lana smiled brightly."These are all Dustin's arrangements. I'm only doing things according to his plan." Bo twirled
Those from the Welch and Swanson families could no longer stay calm. They had planned and schemed for so long but never expected that the Langford family, the head of the eight great families, would support the Camrons.There was a stark difference between the Langford family's and the Welch and Swanson families' statuses. They were not even on the same level! Was it possible that the Camron family actually had the Langfords backing them?"H-How is this possible? Why would the leader of the Langford family show up here?" Eleanor's eyes widened in disbelief.That was Ethan, the leader of the Langford family! He was a powerful and formidable minister of the imperial court. Known to be haughty, he never formed alliances with others.Even if Eleanor's parents invited Ethan, he wouldn't even show up! He wouldn't even care for people like Bo and Dustin. So, who exactly managed to get Ethan to turn up in person?"Things just turned bad for us!" Ezra broke out in a cold sweat, fluster
Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Dustin and Glenn stepped onto the battle ring. They stood about 30 feet apart, and their eyes locked across the distance. Their gazes met like sparks, and they could feel the weight of the other's stare."Are you Logan?" Glenn asked, breaking the silence.He had heard the rumors about this dark horse before stepping into the ring, but now that he was facing him, he wasn't sure."Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is who wins this fight." Dustin didn't confirm or deny it, but his words left Glenn with no doubt.Both men were at the top of the Legendary List and held equal rank on the Champ-Tier List. Until they fought, no one could say who was the stronger of the two."I heard you're Seth's disciple, so I'm really looking forward to this." Glenn's gaze sharpened.Many years ago, his mentor, Cyrus, was defeated by Seth. That loss had always haunted Cyrus ever since. Now, with the disciples of both men about to face off, Glenn was determin
"Since Madam Penelope has spoken, I’ll follow her lead," Alloy said with a smile. "What about Mr. Hadley and Sage Foyer?""I'm in if you want to make a bet," Cyrus replied coolly."It's not every day we get an opportunity like this. Let me stir things up a bit." Kaden nodded with a grin.Once the three had agreed, Penelope waved for Abigail to come over.Soon, Abigail approached them with a wide grin. "Esteemed guests, I hear you want to bet. The current odds are—bet on Dustin to win, and you'll get 1.6 times your stake. Bet on Glenn, and it's only 0.4."She continued, "And no worries—if you win, I'll exchange your winnings for celestial stones." Abigail smiled brightly, and the other parties' eyes gleamed with the unmistakable shine of greed.Many had already placed their bets with her. Though she couldn't control the match's outcome, she knew how to adjust the odds to her advantage. Over time, that could turn into a huge fortune."I'm betting on Glenn to win." Cyrus quickly
"We're ready for the ultimate showdown of this tournament. The winner will be crowned the Combat Tournament Champion. Now, let's welcome both contestants to the ring." Oron's voice thundered as he stepped onto the battle ring.There was thunderous applause and cheers from the audience.The long-awaited showdown was finally at hand. Today's outcome wasn't just about personal glory, but it would also decide the future of the martial world.If Glenn triumphed and claimed the crown, the Sword Union would rise as the undisputed guild. The Celestial Alliance and the Mystic Arts Order would have no choice but to bow to their supremacy.But if Dustin won, it would be even more sensational. A dark horse, without any guild affiliation, defeating the elite disciples of the major guild—such a story would send shockwaves through the martial world.Once that happened, every major guild would fight tooth and nail to claim him. It would spark a fierce battle for dominance."Dr. Rhys! Good luck!"
"H-Hold on! I-I surrender!" Abigail said urgently. With the sword inches away from her throat, she decisively raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.She didn't expect herself to win the match. Her goal was simply to take this opportunity to test Dustin's strength and also gauge her own progress. But now, it was clear that there was still a sizable gap between them."You've done well. In a few more years, I might not even be able to keep up with you." Dustin smiled and lowered his Celestial Blade. His words weren't flattery; he genuinely saw potential in Abigail.The dark Phoenix flames carried a corrosive power that even his mystical pure energy couldn't resist. In other words, Abigail's black flames were the bane of any martial artist.Her journey in the martial world was still short—barely two years. She hadn't unlocked the full potential of her Phoenix bloodline yet. But with more training and experience, the sky was the limit for her."Don't try to console me, Sir. I'm n
With a resounding bang, the golden light erupted with a burst of terrifying energy wave. In an instant, the earth trembled, and fierce winds whipped through the air.Dustin and his sword were sent flying several yards. After landing, he stumbled back several steps before finally steadying himself.He looked up and saw that Abigail's body was now covered in a layer of golden armor, though he couldn't tell when it had happened. The armor glowed brightly, and it made her look imposing and striking.It was clearly a divine artifact.The Mystic Arts Order had been around for centuries, with deep roots and countless treasures. As the Grand Sorceress, Abigail would obviously have several divine artifacts for protection.Dustin wasn't surprised, but the armor's counterforce caught him off guard. Not only did it protect her, but it also had offensive capabilities.When his sword struck the armor earlier, the blow didn't leave a scratch. Instead, the armor absorbed the hit and sent the for
Dustin raised his hand as the black feathers rained down on him. A white energy shield flared into existence to form a wall before him.The feathers slammed into the shield and sent ripples across its surface but failed to break through. However, the black flames on the feathers spread across the shield and burned through its energy at a visible pace. In the blink of an eye, the once impenetrable barrier cracked open and left a gaping hole.Dustin couldn't hide his surprise. His mystical pure energy was far stronger than the average grandmaster's internal energy in offense and defense. It was meant to be impenetrable. He hadn't anticipated it couldn't hold up against Abigail's phoenix flame.Seeing the raw strength of her bloodline, he knew he couldn't afford to take any chances. As the black flames spread, he swiftly waved his hand to summon a furious gust of wind that sent the feathers and flames flying."Glaring Wings!" Abigail wasn't done yet. She quickly formed hand seals and
Abigail moved with lightning speed, and her figure weaved in and out like a shadow. Her swift movements left a blur of afterimages that was hard for anyone watching to keep up.On the contrary, Dustin stood still without making any movement."Fallen Fist!"After closing in, she unleashed a flurry of strikes—dozens of black palm shadows slamming toward his body, and each one was like a bullet aimed at its target.Abigail practiced a unique martial art, and it was imbued with voodoo-like properties that could kill anyone who made contact with her. But Dustin's body was immune to all poisons, so it was a perfect counter to her deadly attack.As the shadow palms closed in, he remained unshaken and thrust his palm forward.A fierce gust of wind surged and ripped through the air with unrelenting force. It collided with the black palm shadows.Abigail's black palm shadows exploded on impact and disintegrated into thick clouds of dark mist that quickly spread. Within moments, the mist e
The whole arena suddenly fell dead silent. Everyone stared blankly, and not a soul dared to breathe. Alloy shot to his feet in the main spectator seats, and his face was tense with worry. Yet, he didn't dare make a sound. He feared it might startle Glenn into making a mistake that could cost Fenley's life.After all, Fenley represented the future of the Celestial Alliance. Alloy had invested all his effort into Fenley, and he provided him with endless resources. If Fenley were to die in the match, it would deal a devastating blow to the entire guild.While Alloy was gripped with worry, Cyrus and Penelope cheered silently. They secretly hoped Glenn's sword would strike Fenley. If that happened, the Celestial Alliance would take at least a decade to regain its former glory.Fenley's body stiffened as he stared at the Fang Master hovering inches from him. A shiver ran through his spine as goosebumps prickled his skin. Sweat trickled down his face, and each drop hit the ground with a
"Glenn had only seven swords in the past. I didn't expect that in just one year, two more divine swords would recognize him as their master. This punk is much better than I was back then," Cyrus remarked. He stroked his chin with a look of surprise and approval. He had always believed in Glenn's potential, but Glenn's performance had still exceeded his expectations.After all, the more swords Glenn wielded, the stronger he became. He had already topped the Legendary List with just seven swords. Now, with nine, his strength had grown even more overwhelming."He truly is the Chosen One." Even Kaden couldn't help but sigh.The nine divine swords recognized their master and responded with ease. Glenn's talent and cultivation were leagues ahead of his peers.Every generation brought forth new talent, and the old had no choice but to step aside for the new generation. Compared to their time, today's youth were on another level—monsters in their own right."Now, this is going to be int