Suddenly, two emerald green venomous snakes slithered out of Kendrick's sleeve, baring their fangs and hissing as they launched toward Tyger.Even Tyger, a seasoned warrior, blanched at the sight. Though he couldn't identify the species, their triangular heads, and vivid green coloring screamed "danger".He cursed his carelessness, realizing he should have anticipated such a move from someone who used parasitic poisons.Dodging in mid-air was impossible, so he instinctively raised his arm in defense.Kendrick smirked with malicious glee. The venom of these snakes was potent enough to kill a buffalo in seconds. But just as they were about to sink their fangs into Tyger's muscular arm, two flashes of cold light sliced through the air.The two snakes writhed on the ground, each pierced through its vital seven-inch point by a silver needle, pinning them down helplessly. After a brief struggle, they lay still.Kendrick stared in shock at Frederick in the distance, the obvious source
On the stage, Isabella's eyes sparkled with excitement as she observed the fight."Incredible strength! That final strike was nearly at the level of a Post-Advanced Martial Artist," she remarked.Beside her, Sirius's eyes widened in astonishment. "Post-Advanced Martial Artist?"While Sirius wasn't a martial artist himself, his family employed many, and he was familiar with the term. The Post-Advanced Martial Artist stage was a realm attainable only through relentless training and cultivation. It was a true testament to a martial artist's dedication and skill.Reaching this post-stage level signified a significant transformation, a qualitative leap in a martial artist's abilities.The Monroe family had poured vast resources into their search, yet they had been unable to secure a Post-Advanced Martial Artist for their own protection. Rumor had it that the leader of Stanva City's underworld held this prestigious title, but as the Monroe family operated within legitimate business circ
Isabella witnessed the scene and gasped in astonishment. "Incredible! He's actually reached the level of a Post-Advanced Martial Artist!"Sirius swallowed hard as he observed the spectacle. "So, this is the power of a Post-Advanced Martial Artist? It's truly beyond the capabilities of ordinary individuals!"Isabella nodded solemnly. "His earlier act of consuming the venomous snake must have been a secret technique for amplifying his strength. Regardless of the method, he now undeniably possesses the power of a Post-Advanced Martial Artist."The people I brought, even combined with the Monroe family's forces, are no match for him. No one on this cruise can stand against him!"Kendrick strode swiftly toward Vivianne, seemingly determined not to waste a single moment. The onlookers aboard the cruise had never anticipated that a simple auction would escalate into such a breathtaking display, even granting them a glimpse of a legendary Post-Advanced Martial Artist.Some pitied Vivianne
"But no matter what, you took the brunt of that force. It hurts, doesn't it?"As if to confirm Kendrick's words, Frederick paled and coughed up a mouthful of blood.His expertise as a miracle doctor allowed him to instantly assess the severe internal damage he had sustained.Vivianne witnessed Frederick's unwavering stance and felt tears welling up in her eyes. She realized he had taken the brunt of the attack to protect her and her father. She wanted to check on him, but the pain from even the residual force of the blow left her unable to move.Kendrick glanced at the clock on the cruise ship, then addressed Frederick with a hint of urgency."Young man, I acknowledge your youth and dedication to your training. Retreat now, and I'll spare your life."Having noticed Kendrick's subtle glance, Frederick quickly deduced the reason behind his sudden offer.He wiped the blood from his lips with his sleeve. "You want me to step aside because you fear I'll delay you, correct? This sec
Kendrick scoffed at Vivianne's threat, a hearty laugh escaping his lips. In his two decades in the city, his parasitic poison had claimed countless lives. He mused, if ghosts truly sought revenge, would it be Vivianne's turn? Kendrick retorted, "I eagerly await your vengeful spirit." As he prepared to deliver the final blow, a hand clamped down on his shoulder. Surprised, he turned to find Frederick, face bloodied but standing tall. Kendrick was stunned as he wondered how his previous attack hadn't been fatal. Before Kendrick could react, Frederick unleashed three powerful punches to his face. Caught off guard by the unexpected strength and ferocity of the attack, Kendrick reeled from the pain. Despite forcefully ascending to the rank of Post-Advanced Martial Artist, the blows from Frederick struck him hard.Kendrick clutched his face and howled in pain.He realized that Frederick's strength rivaled or even surpassed Tyger's.His vision blurred as he saw double images
With a burst of energy, Scarlett lunged to rescue Frederick,However, Scarlett was no match against Kendrick. Kendrick effortlessly swatted her aside with a backhand strike. Scarlett crumpled to the ground, a dark bruise blossoming on her face.Seeing that every troublemaker was now incapacitated, Kendrick turned his attention back to Vivianne.Frederick was lying on the ground and glanced at the battered Scarlett nearby. Then, seeing Kendrick approaching Vivianne, he used his broken limbs to inch toward her, leaving a trail of blood.However, he was no match for Kendrick's speed. As Frederick felt his strength waning and his eyelids growing heavy, his vision darkened. He slowly closed his eyes.Isabella hadn't expected such chaos at the auction. The crowd felt pity for Frederick."Alas, wealth and talent mean nothing in the face of brute force.""He's finally dead, no more suffering.""What a shame, such a vibrant flower-like Vivianne will wither too."In the darkness,
Theodore felt a pang of guilt and despair after witnessing the escalating violence.Mustering his remaining strength, he rose to shield Vivianne. "Take me instead. Spare Vivianne, and I'll give you everything I own in Jenaire City." Kendrick scoffed, "Do you think money can buy me off? You're a fool, Theodore. You have no idea who you married." Although confused by Kendrick's reference to a "Goddess", Theodore understood he was talking about his wife."Tell me where my wife is," he begged.Kendrick's patience wore thin."You'll never understand the kind of woman you had," he sneered, raising his hand to strike. Vivianne threw herself in front of her father in a desperate act of love. Both struggled to protect the other, their futile efforts eliciting a cruel laugh from Kendrick. As his lethal blow descended, a figure suddenly intercepted it. Kendrick's strike landed squarely on a man's chest. The crowd gasped in astonishment.It was Frederick!Kendrick looked up, startl
Seeing Kendrick finally defeated, Vivianne excitedly patted Frederick's shoulder."You were incredible! You saved us!"But as Frederick turned, his eyes were dark and menacing.A chill ran down Vivianne's spine. This was not the Frederick she knew."Frederick, what's wrong? Don't scare me," she asked.Tears streamed down her face as she reached out to touch him. His skin was icy cold. As her tears fell on his face, his eyes softened, their usual warmth returning.Frederick whispered, "Vivianne, are you alright?"As Frederick's eyes cleared, Vivianne wiped away her tears, a smile returning to her face. "I'm alright, Frederick. Thanks to you."Frederick managed a weak smile before his eyes fluttered closed, and he slumped to the ground.Panic-stricken, Vivianne knelt beside him, shaking him and calling his name. Suddenly, the sound of approaching speedboats cut through the tension. A group of men boarded the ship, their leader a young man who surveyed the chaotic scene with wi
Mary's case was the most severe, while Ivan's symptoms were the mildest, and Frederick could roughly deduce the sequence of transmissions among them. It was clear that Mary infected Nigel, who then passed it to Kimberly, then finally passed it to Ivan. Frederick also saw that Ivan was actually a decent person who unfortunately ended up being betrayed and infected. However, Nigel was primarily worried that Ivan might start trusting Frederick, as he wanted Ivan to believe in his capabilities to carry out his plan.Originally, he intended for Mary to insult Frederick for being poor and unskilled, but she ended up attacking him for having an unpleasant odor, which backfired when Frederick exposed her for contracting syphilis. Now, Nigel had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, he then said to Frederick, "Hehe, Frederick. We all know Ivy is a director, what exactly do you do to be worthy of her?"Nigel assumed that Frederick was just a low-level salesperson, something
Hearing Frederick's words, Kimberly jumped with joy and stopped crying. While wiping her tears, she pointed at Mary, laughing and said, "You're covered in syphilis, yet you're making fun of me.""Slut, I wonder how many people you've slept with!" After being pointed and insulted, Mary was furious and she was ready to fight Kimberly. "You bitch! I am going to teach you a lesson!" At this moment, Nigel felt terrible. If Mary was diseased, he'd be the first victim. He grabbed Mary and shouted, "Bitch, let me teach you a lesson first. Now I know why you always wanted the lights off! I thought you were shy, but you just didn't want me to find out."In a fit of anger, Nigel slapped Mary hard across the face. Just as Mary was about to explain, she was interrupted by another slap. Holding her face, she yelled angrily, "Nigel, how dare you hit me?! Do you want me to expose all your little schemes and tricks?"Nigel froze in horror; if Mary exposed him, it would have been disastrous.
Kimberly heard her laughter, and body odor had always been a sensitive issue for her; a wound she'd tried to cover up over the years. For Frederick to bring it up in front of everyone felt like rubbing salt into an open wound. Yet what hurt even more was Mary's laughter; as a fellow woman, it felt like salt to the wound, then roasting it. Kimberly was furious, pointed at Mary and said, "What are you laughing at? Do you want me to come over there and shut you up?"Mary felt wronged, she had only let out a reflexive laugh, but now Kimberly's anger was directed at her. "Did I laugh at you? What proof do you have that I laughed at you?""You're the one with body odor, yet you're taking it out on others. You're such an unreasonable woman!"Kimberly grew even angrier after hearing Mary's retort. "You're the one with body odor, your whole family has it!" "Look at what you're wearing, it's like you just threw on two pillowcases. You're a shameless woman, just trying to show off t
When everyone heard Ivy's words, they laughed even more. Her words effectively confirmed that Frederick did indeed have an unpleasant odor. It wasn't entirely her fault as Kimberly's words had been a bit of a trap. "Haha, if you smell, just take a shower and don't embarrass yourself here.""With all that cheap stuff on, no wonder he has a smell."Hearing this, Frederick simply gave a slight smile and then asked Mary and Kimberly, "Are two really that fragrant?"Mary and Kimberly lifted their heads proudly after hearing Frederick's words. "Why don't you ask everyone here, ask them if we smell good or not?""Exactly, go ahead and ask."Both of them considered themselves beautiful, and of course, they would smell pleasant. The men around them quickly chimed in, especially those eager to admire Mary, who was dressed in a way that gave them a bit of eye candy. "Of course, they smell good. How could these two beautiful ladies not smell good?""Hehe, Frederick with his cheap, th
In a hidden corner, Nigel said to Mary, "Damn it, that bumpkin Frederick keeps stealing my spotlight. I am worried that our plan won't go well later.""You should help me humiliate him properly, and Ivan's girlfriend will back you up."Mary pursed her lips and said to Nigel, "Every time something comes up, you just ask me to handle it. My bag hasn't been bought yet, and you've lost 300 thousand dollars"Although Nigel was annoyed by Mary hitting a sore spot, he kept his tone calm and replied, "Help me humiliate Frederick and talk him down in front of Ivan. After that, leave the rest to me. Once it's done, I'll get you more than one bag, I could get you ten bags and it wouldn't be a problem. I don't care about that small amount of money. You saw that Porsche just now, right? I wouldn't mind burning it if I had to." Hearing this, Mary was delighted and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, babe." She hadn't realized that Nigel was so wealthy and even had a Porsche. Up until th
Knowing Martin as someone who knew a lot about wood, everyone immediately looked as though they were ready for a good show. They were convinced that the Saint George statue couldn’t possibly be made of anything valuable.Martin let out a strange exclamation. "What the hell!"Kimberly, thinking that Martin was angry, quickly said, "Mr. Lawson, tell us what’s so disastrous about this wood. Are you saying it’s just a piece of junk?"Contrary to expectations, Martin replied angrily, "I’m saying that whoever preserved this Saint George statue was a jerk. This is genuine sandalwood, and yet it’s completely neglected, covered in dust."Most of the group had no idea what sandalwood was worth, but judging by the name alone, it sounded impressive.Kimberly asked curiously, "Mr. Lawson, are you saying this is really antique wood?"Martin examined the statue carefully, scrutinizing every detail. "Judging by the texture, this carving must have been made at least 150 years ago."Everyone was
"The Saint George statue was indeed a fitting choice for a karaoke." Nigel chuckled, turning to Ivy.“Why didn’t you just go on Amazon and buy a new one for a few dozen bucks? This one is obviously second-hand. Or was it picked up from some junk stall?”Frederick heard Nigel’s mockery and nodded in agreement, a faint smile on his lips. “You’re not wrong. This statue actually was picked up from a street stall.”“At the Treasure Hall in the antique trade market, no less. And yes, it’s an antique.”The truth was, the statue was from the Victorian era. Even the owner of Treasure Hall, Dominic, had recognized its age but dismissed it as worthless, tossing it onto a stall outside.Frederick had picked it up casually, thinking it would come in handy one day, and now it was the perfect gift for Ivan.Hearing this, Nigel burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. “An antique? Treasure Hall? You’re really trying to fool us.”Kimberly chimed in, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she glance
The group’s attention was fully captured by Frederick’s words, their eyes all on him. Nigel, knowing that Kimberly had informed Ivy at the last minute and that she likely didn’t have a gift, sneered at Frederick."Well, if you’ve got a gift, go ahead and show it.""Considering Ivy and Kimberly’s relationship, the gift should be pretty decent, right?"Everyone was now staring at Frederick with anticipation, curious to see what kind of gift he could produce.Ivy, on the other hand, was completely flustered. She hadn’t handed any gift to Frederick, though she understood he was trying to help her out of a tough spot. But wasn’t this making things even more awkward?Nigel continued to press him, "Where’s the gift? Come on, take it out already.""After all this time, you still can’t take it out. Don’t tell me you don’t even have one."Frederick glanced at Nigel with a calm smile. "Oh? Are you planning to bet 300 grand with me again?"Nigel froze. There was no way he had another 300 t
Ivan was deeply moved, feeling as though all the unpleasantness from their school days had been swept away. A sense of childhood nostalgia, unique to old classmates, welled up within him.The crowd continued to shower Nigel with praise, giving him thumbs up one after another."A gift worth 10 grand is no small amount. Nigel is truly generous.""That’s right. These days, even classmates hesitate to prepare gifts, but Nigel has shown such generosity.."Most of the attendees had come because of their connection with Kimberly. Each had prepared gifts with costs ranging from a few hundred dollars. Compared to Nigel’s grandiose gift worth 10 thousand, their contributions paled in comparison.Hearing the compliments, Nigel waved his hand dismissively, feigning modesty. "It’s nothing, really. After all, Ivan and I are good friends from way back."Then, Nigel’s expression shifted slightly as he added, "Speaking of good friends, I’m sure it’s not just me and Ivan here who share a special b