"You're asking for death!" Incensed, the King of Kicks finally decided to give it his all. He leaped into the air and served multiple flying kicks as he landed in Dustin's direction. This time, he did not only attack Dustin point-to-point—he was undiscerning in his moves, offering no escape for his opponent. "You punk! Let's see how you're going to dodge this!" He laughed maniacally as the number of kicks increased and covered a wider scope. Dustin, who was targeted, stood there without fear. "It's clear who's the winner here." Maximus shook his head and stood up to leave. He was initially surprised by Dustin's agility, but even that was no match for the King of Kicks. No level of agility could save the young man from the indiscriminate attacks by the King of Kicks. In the face of actual talent, Dustin's tricks would be of no use. All of a sudden, they heard a deafening explosion from the ring. The kicking legs in the air were nowhere to be seen. Instead, The King of Kicks stoppe
In the ring, Dustin stood tall with hands behind his back, exuding an imposing and majestic air. He no longer hid his talents and shone from the full display of his powers. No one dared to meet his eyes. The fact that he had defeated the King of Kicks with one move made everyone look at him with awe. "Surprising! The Harmons have an ace under their wings." Maximus narrowed his eyes, putting on a serious face. Dustin had won his respect through the display of strength. Not even Maximus could easily beat the King of Kicks with bare hands. "Weakling!" Dustin dusted and straightened his sleeve. Then, he coolly announced, "Next?" The Boulderthorn disciples exchanged furtive glances. They knew they weren't Dustin's match, especially after he had defeated the King of Kicks. "Max, what do we do? That punk is wild!" Feeling aggrieved, Brody clenched his jaws. "Looks like I'll have to go." Maximus stood up slowly, his eyes shining with excitement. He had shown up to the battle as the a
"Hmm?" Maximus's pupils dilated. He didn't expect Dustin to grab his sword with bare fingers. It appeared that he had underestimated Dustin's sheer talent and confidence. Still, he was unflustered by the strength of his opponent. Quite the opposite—the stronger the opponent, the more excited he felt. He was getting more belligerent as a result. "Return!" With the wave of a hand, Maximus called his sword back from Dustin's fingers. The sword came flying back like a serpent. "Oh?" Dustin was rather surprised by the move. Although he had reined in his capabilities to match his opponent at the earthly level, he acknowledged Maximus' talent from how Maximus managed to free the weapon from his grip. "Look out! I'll show you my Illusory Sword Technique!" Maximus dropped a reminder before waving his sword again. In one move, his sword split into hundreds and thousands of different swords. The gleaming blades danced around, weaving a confusing web of swords within ten meters around them.
Maximus witnessed how Dustin handled the Illusory Sword Technique with ease. Even if he maxed up his powers and executed the complete set of moves in the technique, he still failed to harm a hair on Dustin's head, not to mention that Dustin had only fended off the attacks with one hand. To Maximus, these were proof that Dustin was greatly ahead of him in terms of capability. "You have indeed mastered the Illusory Sword Technique, but unfortunately, there are three flaws," Dustin suggested mildly. He accorded Maximus respect due to the latter's humbleness. Else, he would have sent him flying out of the ring. "What are the three flaws?" Maximus furrowed his brow. "The third move, the ninth move, and the twenty-sixth move." Dustin deliberately offered a reminder, "The flaws you exhibited in the three moves were extremely subtle. They will go unnoticeable in the eyes of an average martial artist, but they will also put you at a huge disadvantage when you are fighting the real masters
After the battle concluded, Dustin, Natasha, and some members of the Harmon family had supper together. It was midnight when he returned to the medical center, which was still brightly lit. He entered the center and immediately saw the stunning Dahlia Nicholson, who was merrily chatting away with Caitlyn Lawler. At that moment, she appeared more easygoing than how she usually presented herself—icy. "Mr. Rhys, you're back." Seeing Dustin, Caitlyn stood up and greeted him. "Have a chat with Ms. Nicholson. I'll serve supper." "It's okay. I had supper before I came home." He smiled and turned his attention to Dahlia. "Why are you here?" "I'm here to thank you." She flashed him a rare smile. "If you hadn't saved me yesterday, I would have been screwed. Never in my life would I have thought that Matt Laney was a phony bastard." "You're most welcome. I'd offer the same help to anyone in that situation," he replied unemotionally. "Why? Are you still upset?" Her tone softened. "My mom
Dustin decided that Dahlia must have had nothing better to do. He tossed his head, washed up, and opened the door to the medical center as usual. As the door grated and groaned, a blood-soaked figure suddenly collapsed on the floor of the room. The injured man was dressed in white, which was drenched in blood. He carried a broken sword on his back and appeared to have fainted for some time. Dustin approached the man to check him out, only to realize that it was Maximus Kane! "I did not recall hurting him yesterday. Or did I?" Dustin rubbed his chin in confusion. Although Maximus, ranked sixth on The Hundred Immortals, was not exactly the cream of the crop, he was still one of the best in tiny Swinton. How did he get himself beaten up this badly? "Consider yourself lucky," Dustin mumbled and lifted Maximus into the medical center. After all, he couldn't turn a blind eye to a dying man at the entrance of the medical center. Maximus suffered from multiple external injuries, but
Dustin felt sympathetic as he stared into Maximus' reddened eyes. Not only was the poor chap taken advantage of by his mentor, but he also had his fiancée taken away. How miserable! No man could endure the humiliation and resentment of losing his future wife. Heck, not even anyone could stand losing a future spouse. It was hard to imagine that the second-in-command of Boulderthorn was, in fact, a wicked and dishonorable man. "Just focus on your recovery for now. When you're fully recovered, it'll be time to take back what you lost." Dustin gave Maximus an encouraging pat on the shoulder. To that, Maximus howled with a desolate expression, "I'll never get better again, not after my core was shattered and my nerves damaged! After losing my internal energy, I have nothing left in me to take revenge. I'm trash! I'm a worthless piece of trash!" He rolled his fists, digging his fingernails deep into the flesh of his palms until blood trickled from between his thumb and index finger.
"Hey, you're being unreasonable!" "Right? How dare she scolds the others when she's the culprit? I've never seen someone as outrageous as her!" "Talk no more. Let's report her to the police!" The crowd was annoyed at Jane's arrogance and pointed fingers at her. "Shut up! All of you!" Hands on her waist, Jane yelled at them, "Do you know that we're the Nicholsons from Glenstead? Even your mayor has to show us respect, let alone you worthless plebs! Make more fuss, and I'll get you arrested!" The accusatory voices instantly died down. An average citizen would not want to get on the bad side of the famed aristocratic Nicholson family from Glenstead. "Mom, just ignore those peasants. Look at this. I'm hurt." The young woman, Dakota Nicholson, suddenly spoke up as she pressed against her wound and winced. "Are you hurt? Let me take a look!" Jane's expression crumbled, and she hurriedly checked out Dakota's injury. "Gosh, it's bleeding. This is not good …" Her face paled, and s
The next morning, Nathaniel was inside a lavish mansion. He was in his study, flipping through an ancient manuscript. One of his most trusted aides hurried in and lowered his voice, "Your Royal Highness, word just came in. Another trace of Dracan essence has been found."Nathaniel raised an eyebrow and closed the manuscript. "Where?""Our investigation shows it ended up in the hands of Logan Rhys," the aide replied."Logan Rhys?" Nathaniel narrowed his eyes slightly and was surprised by the name.He had tried to win Logan over before and spared no expense, but never received a response. Later, he discovered that Tristan and Matthias had done the same.Fortunately, Logan still hadn't picked a side. He might be holding out for the best offer, but at least he hadn't shut the door on Nathaniel.With the Dracan essence in his hands, Logan had become an even more valuable target. In addition to the West Lucozian monarchy, Logan was an ultimate grandmaster, which made him worth recrui
"Give me a moment to think," Dustin said.Grace's words sent him into deep thought.After all, carrying the fate of Dragonmarsh was no small burden. First, he had to be tough enough to handle it. Then, he needed the resolve to accept what came with it. Once he carried that burden, it meant taking on a heavyweight.He used to act on his own terms and do things as he pleased without worrying too much about the consequences. But once the nation's fate was involved, everything changed.Not that he had many options.Dustin could either hide in Sacred Wrym Summit and hope Arion would protect him, or take a risk and absorb the Dragonmarsh's fate to push through his cultivation's bottleneck. Between the two, he was leaning toward the latter."I can give your plan a shot," Dustin said suddenly. "But we're still missing a piece of the Dracan essence. If we're doing this, we need to find that last one first."Only once all five pieces of Dracan essence were united could he truly wield the
"Royal gods? And two of them?" Dustin frowned at the news.His battle with Poseidon in West Lucozia had shown him firsthand that the Hall of Gods didn't send weaklings into the field.One royal god had already pushed him to his limit. If two came at him together, winning wasn't even the question. He'd be lucky just to make it out alive."That's right," Grace said solemnly. "The royal gods, Zeus and Hera, have crossed the border. They're even stronger than Poseidon. If they ambush you together, your chances are slim."She knew Dustin was strong, but he was still young. Moreover, Zeus and Hera weren't just anyone. They were world-class powerhouses. Surviving a fight with them would be next to impossible.The Hall of Gods had probably figured out how dangerous Dustin could become. If they had given him a few more years to grow, they might not have been able to stop him."Well, that complicates things." Dustin rested his chin in one hand with a thoughtful expression.Two royal god
Soluna Hall had one rule—they wouldn't accept unfamiliar customers. They only served those they knew well or people introduced by someone they trusted. Every transaction required an appointment. Exceptions were made for urgent matters, but those came with an additional fee.When Dustin reached the entrance, two security guards stopped him. After stating his name and being verified by the guards, they let him through.Inside, a female attendant with a pleasant smile greeted him and led him across the main hall straight into the back garden. They passed a small fish pond and stopped in front of a secluded private room."This is Ms. Linsor's private reception area. Mr. Rhys, please come in," the female attendant said with a smile."She's not here?" Dustin asked curiously."She had something come up, but she'll be here soon. Please make yourself comfortable," the attendant said, still smiling."Alright then." He nodded and walked into the room.The room was spacious, with a vintag
"You're wrong, Tristan," Matthias said with a meaningful look.He continued, "Sure, I've got the Moseys to back me, but I'm still far from securing the throne. Nathaniel's got strong backing too, and this won't be an easy win. But if you were to support me, I'd say my chances shoot up to 80%."In his eyes, Tristan's support was worth more than the Ballard family.If he could win Tristan over, his odds would jump from 60% to nearly 80%. The only question now was whether Tristan would be willing to shelve his own ambitions and place his bet on Matthias."You know me, Matthias. I've never been one for ambition or glory. This kind of power struggle just isn't for me. I hope you can understand that," Tristan said.After thinking about it thoroughly, he finally turned his brother down. He knew his chances of winning were slim, yet he couldn't let go.Tristan was the eldest legitimate son, the rightful and undisputed heir to the throne. Aside from his poor health, he had no real shortco
Tristan, Matthias, and Nathaniel weren't fools. They understood the unspoken message loud and clear.Their purpose for this trip was to take advantage of the opportunity to offer their condolences and win the Ballard family's support. Should it work, all the better. If not, they'd at least make a good impression. The key was that as long as the Ballard family didn't pick a side or turn against them, there was still room to make things work. No need to rush into anything.Tristan spoke first. "You're being too kind, Duke of Lachshire. We've always admired Mr. Jovian's loyalty and courage. We're simply here to pay our respects—nothing more."Matthias added, "That's right. Your family has a lot to deal with right now. Plus, you're not as young as you used to be, so don't wear yourself out over this. We won't take up more of your time today."He gave a respectful nod, then turned to leave."Duke—"Nathaniel opened his mouth to speak, but Tristan interrupted. "That's enough, Nathani
"Oh? I didn't expect both of you to be here," Nathaniel said.He was just about to pay his respects when he spotted Tristan and Matthias inside the mourning hall. He gave a respectful nod and said, "Hello, Tristan, Matthias."Truthfully, he wasn't surprised. He had already guessed they would show up.The four ancient houses and the eight great families were all key players he needed on his side. And with the Ballard family still undecided, he wasn't about to miss the chance to make an impression."I heard you left Oakvale on official business. Funny how quickly you came back," Tristan said, his tone laced with meaning."It wasn't anything important. When I heard about Mr. Jovian's passing, I returned immediately. I wanted to pay my respects in person," Nathaniel answered smoothly, without missing a beat.He brushed off Tristan's subtle jab and used the moment to show the Ballard family he was genuinely there to pay his respects."Don't just stand there, Nathaniel. Go pay your re
"Your Royal Highness, it's an honor to have you here," Jonathan said.Upon seeing the distinguished guest arrive, he quickly pulled himself together and aside his grief. He led his family to greet Tristan, and they bowed in respect.Before they could finish the gesture, Tristan raised a hand to stop them. "No need for such formalities," he said. "The deceased deserves our respect."He turned to Jovian's portrait, which was displayed in the mourning hall, and sighed deeply.Tristan continued, "Mr. Jovian's untimely passing is truly a great loss to Dragonmarsh. May his soul rest in peace. My condolences to your family during this difficult time."Jonathan's eyes were filled with tears as he bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kind words. My family is heartbroken over my brother's tragic death."Tristan nodded slightly. His gaze quickly swept across the hall before asking, "I've heard that Duke Lachshire fainted from grief. How is he doing now?"Jonathan
The unrest in West Lucozia finally ended with the capture of Warrick.Every official who was his accomplice was thoroughly investigated. Those who needed to be arrested were taken into custody, and those who deserved to be punished were executed.After the purge, more than 300 officials in West Lucozia were removed from their posts. Those guilty were arrested, and those whose crimes were severe were executed.Under Austin's iron-fisted reforms, West Lucozia's government underwent a complete overhaul. Corruption, bribery, and the tangled web of illegal deals were swept away like dust in the wind.The citizens quickly noticed the difference. When they visited government offices, they no longer faced delays, refusals, or demands for bribes.Long-neglected public issues began to move forward, thanks to the organized efforts of newly appointed officials. Things were improving across the board.Instead of fearing the crackdown, the citizens welcomed it. The corrupt officials who had dr