Chase had high hopes for Joe. At the same time, he was curious to see what the third challenge would be."But if we just jump into the next challenge like this, wouldn't that be too reckless? The second challenge was already so difficult, and becoming a full member must be even tougher," Joe said, starting to worry unnecessarily."Didn't you want to meet your idol? If you don't become a full member, how will you ever meet him? Besides, we've come this far. Aren't you determined to see this through?" Chase analyzed, laying out the logic clearly.Joe gritted his teeth, finally making up his mind. "Alright! I'm going for it!"He pushed past Iris, heading straight for the end of the hallway. When he realized Chase was not following immediately, Joe paused and waited."Let's go," Chase said, giving Iris a knowing look before catching up with Joe. They walked together toward the end of the hall.In the end, Trek was waiting. Unlike the others, Trek sensed Chase's presence from afar.
Chase's expression showed a hint of surprise. Trek quickly continued explaining, "However, as long as someone can endure for a single second, they won't suffer any permanent damage. If they can last ten seconds, they pass."And if they can endure for dozens of seconds or even longer, then their willpower must be exceptionally strong. It's been more than ten seconds, and Joe is still hanging on, which is quite impressive," Trek said, watching Chase's expression relax.Sensing Chase's ease, Trek voiced a question, "By the way, Basalt's Collins, who exactly is this Joe guy? Why are you paying such close attention to him?"Chase realized Trek had misunderstood and clarified, "You're overthinking it. I just met him, and we happened to come in together. I was curious about how you guys were conducting the evaluations, so I didn't reveal my identity. There's no special relationship between us."While they were speaking, Joe suddenly reappeared. He lay unconscious on the ground, his body m
The person blocking Chase's path showed no fear, feeling quite confident as he continued to speak with arrogance. At the same time, three or five others stepped up, joining him to block Chase's way.Seeing how clueless they were, Chase suppressed his growing anger and warned them once more, "Move aside, or don't blame me if I'm not so kind.""Kid, for someone so young, you sure talk big. I'd like to see just how you plan on dealing with me."Come on, give it your best shot!" one muscular man taunted with a sneer, looking at Chase's slender frame. He was over 90 kilograms of muscle, so he did not believe Chase could do any harm.The surrounding group wore matching smirks, showing no sign of taking Chase's warning seriously."Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish." Chase's eyes hardened as he spoke, and he clenched his fist.Without much effort, he knocked down each of the three or five men blocking his path, delivering a single punch to each one.He did not hit them
Red Phoenix released an announcement through Bactria Express: [Due to business expansion, Red Phoenix extends a sincere invitation to all martial artists to join. Help Red Phoenix and Bactria in building a reputation for honor and glory.]Although Bactria Express had primarily been reporting on the arena battles lately, this particular message caused a stir among the martial arts community, especially among independent cultivators.Before many of these independent cultivators made up their minds, another similar announcement appeared on Bactria Express.White Tiger, nearly copying the exact wording, published a similar message: [Due to business expansion, White Tiger extends a sincere invitation to all martial artists to join. Help White Tiger and Bactria in building a reputation for honor and glory.]The fact that both organizations released recruitment statements at the same time, along with the recent developments surrounding Basalt, made it clear to many that the three of the F
The surrounding Red Phoenix members overheard the conversation and immediately responded with biting sarcasm.Their words not only mocked the speaker but also seemed to indirectly target Green Dragon and White Tiger. As these words spread, the expressions of the independent cultivators present quickly darkened.Being ridiculed in such a way did not sit well with the typically free-spirited independent cultivators. Naturally, someone voiced their dissatisfaction."You Red Phoenix folks are acting high and mighty! Do you really think we need to join you? White Tiger and Basalt are also recruiting. I suggest you watch your attitude, or I'll just walk away and head over to them."The independent cultivators expected Red Phoenix to back down, assuming the organization valued their participation.However, it was as if the independent cultivator's words had struck a nerve. Almost all of the Red Phoenix members present, who had previously shown little concern, now turned their attention t
"Exactly. We should find another place." Chase's words immediately resonated with several others in the crowd.Instantly, many of the martial artists began moving as if they were about to leave. The one who had been singled out by Julie earlier threw Chase a grateful glance as he sensed an opportunity for escape.Acting as if he had not noticed the plea for help, he was the first to turn and walk away as though he truly intended to find another organization to join.His calm departure prompted a wave of movement from the rest of the group, with many others following suit and heading for the exit. The man who had been the target of Julie's fury wasted no time, hurrying to follow closely behind Chase.Seeing so many people trying to leave, Julie could not possibly tell her team to force everyone to stay back.Julie's face turned red with fury as she witnessed the scene. The humiliation of losing her dignity in front of all these people was more than she could tolerate.With a swi
The streak of light disappeared in an instant, and Julie arrived in front of Chase.Without even looking, Chase calmly delivered a simple palm strike. As expected, seeing such an unremarkable attack, Julie, whether out of arrogance or overconfidence, did not take it seriously and chose to block it head-on.In the blink of an eye, Chase's palm landed squarely on target. There was no earth-shattering noise, just a figure flying backward even faster than before.Julie's face was filled with disbelief.That seemingly ordinary palm strike had nearly taken her life."W-Who are you?" Julie realized something was wrong. This power was far beyond what an independent cultivator should possess!"Who am I? I'm just an independent cultivator driven to the edge by Red Phoenix," Chase sneered as he swiftly pursued the retreating Julie.Seeing Chase closing in rapidly, Julie suddenly grasped the severity of her situation—her life was in grave danger."Someone, stop him!" she screamed, her voic
Seeing the Red Phoenix members still standing in front of him, seemingly unaware of the danger they were in, Chase said coldly, "Move aside, or don't blame us for what happens next."As soon as Chase uttered these words, the independent cultivators behind him echoed his sentiment."Yeah, step aside, or we'll kill every last one of you!"This was the power of Chase's decisive action. Without that earlier display, the independent cultivators would not have stood their ground so confidently.They would have either surrendered or fled long ago, but now, they were united, emboldened, and ready to fight.With Chase and the independent cultivators speaking in unison, the Red Phoenix members standing in their way exchanged uneasy glances. Each looked to the other for guidance, as if they had lost their sense of direction and did not know what to do next.At that moment, Chase sensed Duncan's presence inside. Within seconds, Duncan appeared at the doorway."Let them go," Duncan ordered f
Jade gritted her teeth as she gathered all her vital energy, preparing to unleash her ultimate move. It was the very origin of her title—Thousand Eyes and Flowers.Behind her, a vital energy screen spread open like a peacock fanning its tail.The surface was covered with intricate patterns, resembling the eye-like spots on a peacock's feathers.These patterns were not mere decorations. Each one was an ancient rune, capable of releasing a devastating vital energy attack.When Jade unleashed this move, everyone below gasped in shock."No way, this is just a friendly tournament match. Does Jade really need to go this far?""Should we reinforce the arena's defensive array? I'm afraid someone might get caught in the crossfire.""Tsk, tsk, it's been so long since we last saw Jade lose her temper. She's even more stunning when she is angry!""You're such a pervert. If you get hit by that move, there will not even be a corpse left of you!""You don't understand. There are worse ways t
Inside Universal Holy Land, Clive and his master were facing off against the woman suspected to be the Dark Divine Pearl. Meanwhile, at Light Divine City, Chase's fourth round at the tournament's semifinals had already begun.His opponent was Jade, the Saintess of Modest Lady Holy Land, also known as Thousand Eyes and Flowers.It was already extremely rare for two contestants with such a rare same surname to appear in the same tournament. They belonged to different factions yet both were advancing to the final few rounds. Not to mention, if Yara had revealed his phoenix bloodline and inheritance, he might have very well made it to the finals too.The people with the surname Fries were terrifying beyond words!These were the thoughts running through Chase's head for no particular reason. On the other hand, after Jade saluted, she launched her attack without hesitation.Chase, still a bit distracted, was startled by the ferocity of her strike. Such a name and demeanor, paired with
Skyler spoke proudly.Clive kept having the feeling that something did not seem right when he heard Skyler's words."The Holy Path will only open after winning the tournament championship. Only those selected by the champion can enter. I was already eliminated in the second round…" Clive stammered."Won't you become the champion after killing the current champion? Isn't killing Chase Collins what you want to do?" Skyler was frustrated with Clive.Clive finally realized what felt wrong about all of this."You're not Skyler," he said coldly.The Universal Element Priest had also locked down on Skyler with his vital energy at this point. "Reveal yourself. Who are you? What did you do to Skyler?""Oh? How did you know?" Skyler was taken aback but quickly calmed down and asked the question. "What's wrong with my charisma and appearance?"He looked at his body and clothes while asking the questions with curiosity and calmness. This person had admitted to pretending to be Skyler."Fir
"His will is a blur." Clive sounded helpless when he added, "But it's a will that is extremely frightening and evil."He had the right to this opinion as someone who had faced Klondike directly.When Klondike's will was directed at him, Clive could feel unlimited fear and helplessness. Any second more of facing Klondike might make him lose his mind.He could barely take the energy pumped into him. He only managed to get through it because of his guilt for Rania and his desire to live.The thought of begging Klondike was equivalent to seeing death.There was one reason why he was brave enough to talk about Klondike with the Universal Element Priest and Skyler. It was because Klondike was in a stage of being half awake and half asleep. Clive only dared to discuss Klondike when he was asleep.However, speaking of anything that crossed the line would attract his attention, and Clive was not willing to see that happen.The Universal Element Priest and Skyler glanced at each other. The
Both of those disciples thought they could see Skyler lose his temper, but he reacted calmly. The attempts to fan the situation seemed to have failed. Had they lost credibility with Skyler for their misguided actions?They broke into a cold sweat from fear.Those disciples had offended the previous and current Saints. It looked like they had just made life tougher for themselves.They glanced at each other and gave a long sigh.…Inside Universal Element Palace, Clive had placed Rania down on a training mat while he knelt in front of his master, the Universal Element Priest. "Master, please save Rania North. I'm willing to pay any price without regrets!"He spoke with great determination, and there was a grim look on his face."Silly boy." The Universal Element Priest glanced at Clive and sighed."Rania North seems to have been poisoned by a vicious curse and an extraterritorial poison. I can temporarily save her life, but her face…" He shook his head."I'm grateful enough that
The man had just commented to his junior when a sharp sword aura came swishing toward him. It sliced off half of his fringe, and his knees buckled from fear. If the sword had moved an inch further, his skull would have been sliced off."Shut your trap!" Clive's cold voice was heard. It was filled with murder. He had ignored all the criticisms directed at him. However, he pulled his sword out when the man insulted Rania."This is my woman. Insult her again, and I promise you will not see the sun rise tomorrow." Clive turned and continued walking forward without looking back.When he finally vanished from sight, a tall, dashing man came forward with a sword behind his back."Is Clive around?"He asked the two Universal Holy Land disciples who had just seen Clive."Clive just went inside to see the master, Skyler," one of them replied respectfully."Oh. What a coincidence. Um… What happened to your hair?" Skyler suddenly noticed the fringe of the disciple answering him had been slic
"If everything goes as planned, I'll be heading to the Holy Path with Chase Collins." Yara put the small, white bottle into his storage pouch as he spoke in a low voice."There's no hurry for this. I need to make proper arrangements at the Evil Shadow Sect first. Carla secretly set up the Severance Formation at the locations where Norm Weber and I were cultivating in isolation. She wanted to trap us inside and see us dead! I must have my revenge for that."The Holy Path won't happen immediately. You'll make it there eventually. Don't worry too much about it."Tack's eyes turned sharp at the mention of Carla. He and Norm had taken pains to nurture and groom Carla to become the sect master of the Evil Shadow Sect.Yet she showed ingratitude to their efforts by trying to kill them just to be with that rascal, Fallon Locke.Carla was a heartless woman who had no loyalty or filial piety. Such a vicious woman should find it lucky if all they did for revenge was to kill her.Tack saved N
Yara returned to his room at the inn after exiting the tournament venue. He checked the room carefully for any signs of intruders entering his room. He then took out a talisman from his storage pouch and blew gently on it.The talisman started to burn, and gentle smoke slowly billowed in the air. A formation formed instantly, and the entire room was cut off from the outside world.After that, Yara took out a messaging talisman. He touched the image of an old man on it. The next moment, the old man's image projected in front of him. He looked to be about 50 or 60. The old man had a head of white hair and a white beard. He was also wearing a big, red robe as he held a chowrie in his hand."Chase Collins took the bait, master," Yara said respectfully to the old man."Good job. You'll be rewarded well once this is done." The old man whisked his chowrie and laughed. He added, "Get his primordial essence, understand?"He lowered his voice when giving the instruction. When he bent his hea
After all, Chase had to bring Yara along if they were really going to the Holy Path.Chase would not be able to hide it from them then. It was better to be honest with them from the start."What? He needed something from you? Will he come over to see you tonight?" Willow's question had Lisa and Walter exchanging a glance.Chase had no idea how to respond. "What are you thinking, Willow? Sweep those dirty thoughts out of your mind."He berated Willow.Willow realized what she had just said and quickly apologized. "Oh, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to ask what you meant by him needing your help."Chase sighed. "To put it in a nutshell, Yara has phoenix bloodline and requires the Light Divine Pearl's help to receive the Rising powers of the Phoenix Deity. He knows that I have hope of getting the Light Divine Pearl, which is why he came to me."Willow and Walter were stunned."The Phoenix Deity? Isn't that one of the Five Major Demon Saints who holds the same standing as th