"Does it matter to me who you are?" Dustin shrugged."You insolent bastard! I am the leader of Asclepia, Dr. Bruce Darby's best student! Your disrespect toward me is a direct disrespect toward Asclepia! Just a word from me is enough to make you vanish from the medical field! Don't test me!" Preston threatened.The people who showed up were people involved in the medical field. Asclepia's power stretched across the nation. And all prestigious entities in the medical world respected them. It was easy for them to wipe out a small fry."Oh, I'm so scared. Well, go ahead and do as you wish, then," Dustin replied dismissively.His unconcern attitude and disregard fueled Preston's anger. "Y—yo—you bastard! Just wait!""Are you done yet? If you are, please get lost." Dustin waved his hand impatiently as if he was driving a bug away."You—!" Preston gritted his teeth.As he was about to get violent, Miranda tugged on his arm. "Preston, there's no need to stoop to levels of such lowlife.
"Silence!" As everyone got into a heated discussion, a loud voice roared. Then, a group of elders of the Stoneray Order entered the hall.Dr. Linden Watkins, leader of the Stoneray Order, walked before the group. Several other elders and some of the administrative disciples followed behind him."Is that Dr. Linden Watkins? He has such a grand aura coming from him!" "Whoever does well in the examination today will be chosen as Dr. Watkins' student. And will be learning from Dr. Watkins himself. The chosen one will have a bright future ahead!"The mood turned serious when Linden entered. Everyone looked at him with respect in their eyes.Linden was the best of the great three doctors in Balerno. Not only was he a skilled doctor, but he also had many students in the entire country. Everyone respected him. It would be a big achievement to become his student."We have some interesting candidates here today." He looked at the crowd, briefly focusing on Preston and Miranda.Asclepia h
Preston smiled faintly after taking three sips of the medicine and wrote on the paper. He listed down all the herbs in the medicine. When he was halfway through, he took another sip to ensure he did everything correctly. When he was sure of his judgment, he listed the rest of the ingredients. It took him less than 10 minutes."I'm done." Preston raised his hand to inform the invigilators that he finished. Although he spoke softly, he managed to attract the attention of everyone in the hall."Is he serious? He's finished already in such a short time?" "Hmph! I don't believe he's that good. I bet he just guessed the herbs!" The crowd whispered among themselves. Some were amazed, while some were doubtful."Let me check." The invigilator went to Preston and took his answer script. His eyes immediately lit up after going through the list. "Not bad at all. Your answers are all correct. There's not a single mistake. Perfect score." The invigilator praised.An uproar broke out amon
"Zero?" Everyone was shocked before they burst out in laughter. They looked at Dustin like he was a fool."Hahaha … How hilarious! The audacity he has to act so arrogantly when he got zero marks!" "He looked so certain of himself that I had begun to think he was all that. In the end, he was just pretending!" "Even I could at least get a few points if I simply wrote some herbs. How did you manage to get zero points? What a joke!" Everyone started to ridicule him.They initially thought Dustin was an expert when he wrote confidently and quickly. But in the end, the zero he received said a lot about him and exposed him as a fool."Rascal, I must say, you sure are shameless. How can you behave so arrogantly when you're getting zero? I am amazed." Preston sarcastically gave him a thumbs-up."If you don't have the ability, then admit that you don't. You are humiliating yourself if you insist on being arrogant!" Miranda looked at him like he was an idiot."Zero?" Dustin ignored t
"He said nothing wrong. There is aconite in the medicine." Linden's words shocked everyone."What?" That invigilator froze in disbelief. "Dr. Watkins, you must be mistaken. I remember that aconite wasn't listed in the recipe."The elders beside Linden did not say anything but had puzzled expressions. The medicines were brewed according to a recipe, and no one would dare to change it. How is it possible that it contained aconite?"Originally, Aconite was not included. But I just felt like adding it, so I did," Linden said casually,"You felt like it?" When the crowd heard that statement, they exchanged looks with each other. Wasn't Linden too carefree?"Dr. Watkins, when aconite is combined with the Fritillaria bulb, it becomes poisonous. Why would you add it?" The invigilator frowned.He had said the same thing just now to criticize Dustin. Now, Linden had confirmed that there was really aconite in the medicine."It's to test everyone, of course," Linden said casually. "If we st
"What?" Everyone shouted in shock. A bottle fell out of someone's hand and broke into pieces as it crashed to the ground.Nobody expected the medicine they tasted to be poison!It was supposed to be just an easy examination to identify the components of the medicine. How did it turn into a life-threatening situation? Was it necessary for the examination to be so extreme?"Dr. Watkins, isn't this going too far?" The invigilator frowned. Linden had always done his best to save lives, so using poison to test them seemed unusual."There is a fine line between medicine and poison. There are times when poison can also be used to save lives. It all depends on how someone uses them. As long as it's effective, it doesn't matter how it's being used," Linden said seriously."But—" "Enough."The invigilator was about to say something when Linden raised a hand and cut him off. "The Stoneray Order does not accept incompetent students. Anyone who isn't confident in your own skills, you may ch
Right then, many of them began showing signs of poisoning. Some felt dizzy, and others experienced severe abdominal pain. Some even had cramps.Although their symptoms were different, it would affect their production of the medicinal pill. But giving up was not an option. They could only grit their teeth and continue."Who do you think will be number one today, Dr. Watkins?" an elder with a white beard asked."Preston and Miranda are performing well and gifted in the medical field, so they are considered geniuses. But I think the young man will do better." Linden looked at Dustin."Him?" The elder followed and looked at Dustin too. Then, he asked, curious, "But Dr. Watkins, he's a nobody. Maybe he was lucky in the previous round. He's still not on the same level as Preston and Miranda."No matter their family background, talents, or medical accomplishments, they were not on the same level. And Dustin's good luck would not change anything."Hahaha … We'll find out soon enough."
"Bang!" When Dustin's alchemy furnace exploded, everyone turned and looked at him. Some were shocked, some were confused, and some were enjoying what they saw. After a moment of shock, Preston and Miranda laughed out loud."Hahaha! His furnace exploded? And here I thought he might secretly be an expert. It turns out he just managed to make his furnace explode?" Preston ridiculed.Because of Dustin's excellent performance in the previous test, Preston thought he was a strong opponent. So, he did his best to produce the pill. But now that Dustin's furnace exploded, Preston thought he had just been overreacting. If someone's furnace exploded, that person was not suitable to be considered his rival."What were we expecting? Trash will always be trash. Just because he got lucky once will not change anything. Under a bit of pressure, he can't take it and starts making mistakes." Miranda looked down on Dustin. How could an ordinary doctor compare to medical geniuses from Asclepia lik
"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
Compared to the second green sword, Glenn's third sword was even more powerful. As it descended, accompanied by the fury of a fire dragon, it carried the destructive force of a world-shattering storm.Fenley, whose energy flow was disrupted earlier, watched the fiery red long sword streak toward like a falling meteor. His heart raced and was gripped by a sudden sense of impending doom.With a roar, he risked the backlash effect and unleashed a powerful surge of internal energy. The ethereal divine spirit behind him instantly transformed into a figure with three heads and six arms. This was the complete form of the Four Elements of God's Technique.At that instant, he threw everything he had into the fight. He controlled the spirit to slam its giant arms into the flaming sword. With a loud explosion, the sword tore through the spirit's palms and continued its unyielding path toward Fenley. But its speed had slowed slightly.Without hesitation, he controlled the spirit to strike ag
When the spectators heard the match was about to begin, the excitement reached a fever pitch. Half of them cheered for Fenley while the other half chanted Glenn's name. Both were the Chosen Ones, and their popularity was undeniable. Everyone had been waiting for their face-off in the battle ring.Though Fenley ranked slightly below Glenn on the Legendary List, his fame and influence as the successor to the Celestial Alliance's guildmaster outshined Glenn's. Ultimately, the question of who was stronger could only be answered in the ring."I've been waiting for this day, Glenn." Fenley stared at him intently. His voice was powerful and commanding. He continued, "Others say I'm not your equal, but I refuse to believe it. Today, we'll find out whether your sword is faster or if my Four Elements of God's Technique is superior.""The moment you said that, you've already lost. Your doubt shows you lack the confidence to defeat me," Glenn replied calmly. If this were a fight-to-the-deat
After the quarterfinals, it was time for a break. With noon approaching, contestants and spectators needed food and water to recharge. An hour later, the venue was buzzing with excitement again as Oron stepped onto the battle ring. He was accompanied by a Sacred Wrym Summit disciple, who carried a black box filled with numbered balls."It's almost time. I'd like to invite the top four contestants to the ring to draw lots," Oron announced as he surveyed the crowd.Amidst a wave of enthusiastic applause, four figures ascended the battle ring one after another. First in line was Glenn, with Fenley right behind him, followed by Abigail and Dustin."Sir, we're in the semifinals. Good luck!" Abigail winked playfully at Dustin as she stepped into the ring."You too," he replied with a smile.Given Abigail's strength, her odds against Glenn were slim. However, if she faced Fenley, she would have a solid chance at victory.After all, Fenley had only just broken through to the ultimate g