Even someone as formidable as Albus turned out to be nothing more than a mere pawn.There was only one thing that puzzled Chase. Despite the Salvatores, the Webers, and even the Coopers all having people who had surpassed the martial lord level, he had not detected such a presence from the Hawkins family.After all, they were still one of Capital City's Eight Influential Families.Chase kept this suspicion to himself. He extended his consciousness fully and quickly saw through the entrapment formation. The so-called trap was just a pre-arranged formation set along his path, something he could have easily avoided if he had been more vigilant.With a casual wave of true energy, he struck a critical point in the formation, causing it to unravel. Instantly, his surroundings reverted to their original state.After confirming his bearings, Chase flew back to Herb Hall. Upon his return, he chose not to mention the ambush to anyone, not even to Hannah or Quinn. He simply wandered around H
"So, you're Chase?" Just as Chase decided to ignore Douglas, another man stepped forward from behind Douglas, glaring at Chase with hostility."And who are you?" Chase noticed the man for the first time. At first, he thought this individual was merely one of Douglas' staff. After all, someone of Douglas' status in the Webers would typically have several attendants. However, this man was different. He boldly stepped ahead of Douglas and spoke directly to Chase. It was clear he was not a mere attendant. No subordinate would dare act so presumptuously."Listen carefully, Chase. I'm Herbert Weber, one of the White Tiger Guards. Today, you'll fall by my hand!" Herbert declared arrogantly, staring down at Chase, who was still seated at the entrance. His stance conveyed a sense of superiority."Another one from the White Tiger Guards," Chase muttered. Without even lifting his gaze, he pointed to the bag next to him. "If you're here to watch, it'll be 20 spiritual stones. Otherwise, leave
The man's calm recounting made the crowd realize just how formidable Chandler was."Chase is only at stage seven martial lord, but Chandler is at stage nine! He doesn't stand a chance!" one person exclaimed."Exactly, the gap between their levels is just too great. Chase is in real trouble this time," another agreed, and the crowd began murmuring their concerns.At that moment, Chandler, who was dressed in a combat outfit, leaped onto the arena. "Now that both fighters are ready, I'll announce the odds," Skylar declared. "Chandler's odds are set at 1.2, while Chase's odds are at 2.8!"With such a disparity, it became clear that even Skylar did not believe in Chase's chances. Given the power gap between them, it was not hard to understand why.The spectators eagerly placed their bets on Chandler. Although the 1:2 odds meant that betting ten spiritual stones would only earn them two extra if Chandler won, everyone knew this was a sure thing.There was no way Chandler could lose aga
Chandler spoke furiously. He was almost knocked out of the arena by Chase's punch earlier, but fortunately, he managed to dissipate that terrifying force at the last moment.It was clear now that Chase was not just a name without merit.Chandler dismissed his arrogance and unleashed his full strength, releasing the overwhelming aura of a peak martial lord."It's over. Chandler's serious now. Chase is done for!""Yeah, I thought for a second Chase might actually pull off a miracle and punch him out of the arena," someone murmured."That was just because Chandler underestimated him. Now that he's serious, Chase probably won't even have another chance to throw a punch. The gap in their power is just too big.""Right, I was almost about to complain to the miracle doctor about some insider trickery!" The crowd's murmurs pushed the excitement to a peak.Things proceeded as expected. Chandler unleashed his full power, seemingly to regain his lost dignity, and launched a powerful punch
At that moment, Chandler could not believe it. With his 16th punch, he had once again gathered all his true energy, yet he still could not defeat Chase in a single blow.Chandler quickly realized that he had been caught in Chase's trap. He was already entangled in Chase's momentum and could not break free no matter how hard he tried.By the 17th punch, Chase only stepped back slightly. With the 18th punch, he did not move at all.On the 19th punch, they were evenly matched. With the 20th punch, Chandler was pushed back just a little.Although it was only a tiny step, it sent waves of shock through Chandler's mind.How was this possible? Not only had Chase neutralized his full-power punch, but he also managed to push him back. Chase was like a madman, relentlessly difficult to deal with. Any ordinary person who suffered such injuries would have lost most of their strength by now, but Chase still seemed full of energy, as if the blood on his chest did not even belong to him.Chan
As expected, Chandler flew like a cannonball with one punch. He was sent to the edge of the arena. He landed at the boundary, only stopped by the restrictive mechanism set up by Skylar.Chandler's body slid down against the mechanism. He was still breathing but appeared lifeless in the eyes. He mumbled repeatedly, "Impossible… It's impossible… He's only a stage-seven martial lord… It's impossible…"Even on the verge of losing consciousness, he kept muttering. It was not just Chandler who could not believe his defeat; the entire audience sat in stunned silence, the only sound being Chandler's murmurs echoing throughout."Impossible… Impossible!"The crowd exchanged bewildered looks until Chandler's head slumped to the side. He had been completely knocked out. Then, someone finally muttered, "It's rigged."This ignited an uproar."It's rigged! Give us our money back!""Refund! Refund!"The crowd roared in unison, with the loudest voices coming from those who had bet on Chandler t
From another section of the audience, another person stood up and declared, "I forfeit too!"It was clear that this was yet another challenger who, after seeing Chandler's defeat, decisively chose to forfeit.Skylar paused in surprise. "I just told you guys to tell me in advance, but now, you people are changing your minds again. Fine, I might as well ask outright," he muttered.Skylar then turned his gaze toward Herbert in the audience. "Herbert, are you going to forfeit too?"As soon as Skylar said this, everyone's eyes focused on Herbert."Herber Webert! It's really him! I didn't expect him to challenge Chase. But surely, he won't back down, right?""Herbert is one of the White Tiger Guards! He's supposedly one of the top-ranking members of the unit. No one but White Tiger himself can command him. Who would've thought that even someone from the White Tiger Guards would challenge Chase?""Yeah, White Tiger and Basalt are both part of Bactria's national defense forces. They're
In the end, Herbert gave up and chose to forfeit. This decision drew a chorus of boos from the audience."What a letdown! They promised three matches, but we only got one! This ticket wasn't worth it at all.""Well, you can't really blame Chase. Who could've predicted that the remaining two challengers would back out after seeing Chase fight? Who could've known they'd be too scared to even step onto the arena?""Exactly. I thought Herbert, one of the White Tiger Guards, would at least take his chance. But even he ended up too frightened to fight Chase!"The crowd's comments were filled with mockery, but Herbert paid no attention. He kept his head down as he walked out of Herb Hall, with Douglas trailing behind him. On the way out, Douglas could not stop complaining."Herbert, why did you forfeit? If you had stepped up and shown your true skills, you might not have lost!""And you have the nerve to talk!" Herbert retorted. "You told me Chase wasn't that strong, so I came here to p