"What? He changed the recipe?" Everyone was surprised by Linden's explanation.Every recipe was created only after millions of experiments. The smallest change in ingredients or dosage would disrupt its balance and cause the production of the pill to fail.For someone to change the recipe, they needed talent and lots of experiments. For someone to be able to change up the recipe on the spot and succeed right away, he had to have crazy good luck, or he must be a medical genius who was out of this world."No way! That's impossible!" After a moment of shock, Preston continued, "There's no way you can change the recipe so easily! Even my mentor can't change a recipe that's meant to produce a good quality pill into one that produces top grade pills within such a short time frame! How is it possible that this bastard can do that?""Exactly! He's just an ordinary doctor! How would he be able to change the recipe?" Miranda added. Even with her talent, she was still unable to do something
Linden looked around the place.There were only a few who made it through the second round. They were either very skillful or extremely gifted."I'll go first!" A middle-aged man stepped forward confidently. It was finally time he showed off his 20 years' worth of experience with acupuncture.He walked up to the old man and examined him closely. Then, he felt his pulse. Finally, he took out several silver needles and inserted them into different pressure points on the old man's leg. But the patient stayed expressionless and did not react at all. The middle-aged man frowned and continued inserting several more needles, but it was all useless."Time's up! You have failed!" the invigilator announced all of a sudden."Wait! I'll try one more time." The middle-aged man did not want to accept his failure."Drag him away!" The invigilator did not want to waste any more time and ordered other disciples to drag the middle-aged man away."Hah! How could he just perform acupuncture witho
"His toe moved!""Oh, my God! It worked! That's amazing!""No wonder he's Dr. Darby's best student!"Everyone was shocked to see the old man's toe twitch. After all, doctors must be highly skilled and talented if they wanted to pass the third test. Yet all the other doctors had failed to treat the old man. On the other hand, Preston managed to make the old man's toes twitch when his legs had been paralyzed for the last eight years. It was amazing!"How do you feel, sir?" Preston removed his silver needle and smiled. "I—I think I'm starting to feel my legs again!" The old man was overjoyed. Since he lost all sensations in his legs, nothing he did could make them react anymore. Now, his legs felt numb, and he could even control some of his toes. Although the results were just small changes, it was still a miracle for someone who had been in such a state for the last eight years. "That's good to hear. You've been paralyzed for too long, so you'll take a while to recover. But
The old man pinched his thigh and was happy to feel a slight pain. His legs had been completely numb before this, but he was slowly regaining sensation in his legs. This was wonderful! "There. All done." Miranda grinned as she observed her work. "You must be extremely talented to be able to treat his symptoms so quickly. No wonder you're a genius in the medical field!" The invigilator was pleased."So I guess that means I passed?" Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Of course. Both of you passed with flying colors," the invigilator answered with a smile. His answer made Preston and Miranda very happy.They had initially received full marks on the first two tests. But because of Dustin, their marks dropped after the second round. Still, thanks to this round, they've managed to raise their points back up again. "Did you see that, bastard? That's how good our medical skills are!" Preston taunted. "It only took us half an hour to let this patient regain feelings in his legs after being p
"What?" Everyone was shocked to see the old man jump up, and their jaws dropped in disbelief. None of them expected the paralyzed old man to stand up so suddenly. They also couldn't believe that it had only taken Dustin a single needle to cure the man's paralysis. "I—Is this real? Did that old man just stand up?""What the hell is going on? Did he really cure that old man with a single needle?""Holy shit! That's amazing!"After a silent pause, an uproar broke out. All the scornful looks Dustin had received earlier had turned to shock. "I—Impossible!""How can a patient like that stand up so soon?" Preston shook his head, not believing what he was. He refused to accept that Dustin could cure a patient in three minutes when he needed a month. "How can this be? How did he do that?" Miranda was stunned. As someone who claimed to be a genius in the medical field and was better than her peers, her confidence had been destroyed by Dustin. For a condition that she struggled to t
"You—" Preston cut off, his face red with anger. However, even Miranda was forced to stay silent. "Well, they do say that heroes come in all ages." Linden stood up and beamed. He added, "Congratulations on beating everyone else. So, tell me your wish. As long as it's within my power, I'll try my best to get it done!" Most people joined the competition to join Stoneray Order, but some would request and ask Linden for rare gems, ancient medical texts, panaceas, and more."You're as generous as rumors say. Well, I'll be straightforward. I'm actually here for your thousand-year green lotus," Dustin answered frankly. "Thousand-year green lotus? It's a rare herb. I must say, you're quite ambitious." Linden raised an eyebrow. "Why? You can't give it to me?" Dustin wore a fake smile. "It might be a valuable herb, but I don't mind giving it to you." Linden chuckled. "Bring me the herb!""Yes, sir!" The invigilator left quickly and returned, holding a wooden box. The box opened t
"This is a joke, right, sir? I—it isn't proper to promote him to an elder when he just joined the group!""He's right, Dr. Watkins. This is the first time there's been an exception like this. That's not normal!""Sir, we know you favor talented individuals, but I'm afraid others might be unhappy with your decision."The elders and many disciples of the Stoneray Order were upset when they heard that Linden would promote Dustin to elder, which was only one rank below the assistant leader.Disciples usually started as junior disciples before becoming intermediate disciples. Then, they would be promoted to senior disciples. As senior disciples, if they made any major contributions, they would be promoted to upper disciples. Upper disciples were then categorized into three classes—upper third, upper second, and upper first. Only upper first disciples had a chance of being promoted to elder.Getting promoted to a higher rank took years, so for a junior disciple to climb the ranks and
"Are we being followed?" Roderick frowned and ordered his driver, "Go faster, Gary!""Yes, sir!" The driver, Gary, immediately stepped on the accelerator, and the car shot forward.Suddenly, a black van popped out from the fork in front and stopped on the road horizontally. Gary paled and stomped on the brake, causing the tires to screech. Still, the momentum caused their car to collide with the van. There was a loud bang as the impact caused the van to flip, and Roderick's Rolls-Royce could no longer work. Thankfully, no one was hurt. However, when Dustin and the others tried to run away, the cars that were following them had already caught up to them."Grab them!" The doors opened, and several burly men carrying expandable batons jumped out and surrounded them. They looked scary and threatening. "Who are you? How dare you rob my car?" Roderick roared, pissed that someone would dare to harm him when even the Fabulous Five respected him. Miranda and Preston got out of the
"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