"Clark Hanson, the chairman of Zenith Pharmaceuticals, is quite influential in Steinberg's pharmaceutical industry. He started from nothing and built Zenith Pharmaceuticals into one of the top five pharmaceutical organizations in Steinberg."Rosalie continued, "We Griffins wanted to expand our business in Steinberg, so it's unavoidable for us to have dealings with the leaders in the local pharmaceutical industry. Besides, there's history between Mr. Hanson Senior and my family."Sebastian nodded impassively.Rosalie watched his expression and raised her eyebrows. "What is it, Dr. Ballard? Do you know Mr. Hanson Senior?" she asked. "No." Sebastian shook his head and smiled."But your reaction just now made it seem as if you and Zenith Pharmaceuticals have some kind of conflict with each other," Rosalie said doubtfully.Sebastian smiled but didn't explain further. "Oh right, Dr. Ballard. I brought you here so Mr. Hanson Senior can consult you about his illness." Rosalie tucked h
Brad frowned and said, "Alright, Dad." However, his gaze on Sebastian was still filled with contempt and doubt.Rosalie said firmly, "Mr. Hanson Senior, Mr. Hanson, I can vouch for Dr. Ballard's medical skills. There's no one in Steinberg whose medical skills are as good as his.""Really? It seems that you trust him very much, Ms. Griffin," Brad said, smiling humorlessly.Rosalie paid no attention to Brad's tone. She looked adoringly at Sebastian and smiled as she said, "Yes. I trust him.""Alright. Today, I'd like to see how amazing Dr. Ballard's medical skills are! After all, Ms. Griffin recommends him so highly!" Brad said coldly. He turned a sharp gaze on Sebastian.Sebastian had yet to say anything. He remained in his seat, looking calm. He only spoke when he saw Brad looking at him. "Since you don't trust my medical skills, Mr. Hanson, you may leave."Silence fell at once.Brad's expression contorted, and an icy air seemed to emanate from him!"Young man, do you know what
"You're a bold young man. I'd like to see how you treat my father's illness today," Brad said coldly. There was a hint of threat in his tone.Sebastian chuckled. Clark glared at Brad and said coldly, "Don't be rude, Brad!"Then he looked at Sebastian and asked urgently, "Dr. Ballard, how can my illness be treated?"Sebastian's gaze swept over the old man, and he said impassively, "Mr. Hanson Senior, it's easy to treat your illness."The other doctors were stumped because they didn't know its root cause, and not because they aren't skilled in medicine.""Root cause? Please tell me what it is, Dr. Ballard." Clark lowered his head slightly.Sebastian exhaled and pointed to the walking stick in Clark's hand. He said, "It's in that walking stick."The room fell silent. Everyone followed Sebastian's finger and looked at the walking stick in Clark's hand, which was made of cedarwood.The walking stick was the root cause of his illness?Clark was shocked. He turned the walking stick
Brad's expression changed at once. His brows seemed to quiver as he yelled, "You asshole! What do you mean by that!"It was considered bad luck to use burial objects for the living. Sebastian spoke fearlessly. "Since it's a burial object, then it will definitely be tainted with cursed energy. From the moment Mr. Hanson Senior walked through that door, I sensed a strong, resentful energy accompanying this walking stick!"The prince it belonged to in the past probably didn't have a peaceful death. If Mr. Hanson Senior keeps using this walking stick, I can guarantee he'll be dead within half a month! "Haven't you realized that there's a black-purple stain on the handle of the walking stick? It's probably blood. Not only that, it's blood that carries a strong resentful energy!"Sebastian's words made Clark shudder with fear. He immediately let go and looked closely at the grip of the walking stick. There really was a black-purple bloodstain there!"You asshole! Stop acting all myst
There was chaos at the entrance to the Snow Sea. Clark had fallen to the ground. "Dad, wake up, don't scare me…" Brad shouted relentlessly. "What are you standing there for?" he yelled at the bodyguards. "Call an ambulance!" The bodyguards were frightened as well, and they hurriedly called for an ambulance."Mr. Hanson, we're too far away. The road is completely jammed with traffic, and it'll take them at least half an hour to get here," one of the bodyguards said urgently.Brad turned white at once. He was at his wit's end. "Half an hour or more? Isn't that just making my father wait for death?" he roared. The bodyguards dared not speak, and they lowered their heads.One of the bolder bodyguards suddenly shouted, "Mr. Hanson, there's one person who can probably save Mr. Hanson Senior!""Who? Where? Do you know them? Hurry up and call them here!" Brad was extremely anxious. The bodyguard was tongue-tied at once. He said hesitantly, "Well, Mr. Hanson, you just met him…""
"It's very simple. If you want Mr. Hanson Senior to live, ask Dr. Ballard nicely for help. If you think that Dr. Ballard is incapable, then please leave. "I don't want to have to stare at a corpse while I'm eating! Also, I'm warning you. Don't take any action against Dr. Ballard!" Rosalie retorted. She exuded the imperious, aloof air of an heiress combined with her dominance as a CEO. "Alright! I understand what you're saying, Ms. Griffin." Brad said in a low voice. Then, he looked at Sebastian and suppressed his anger as he bowed and said, "Dr. Ballard, please help my father." It was the first time Brad had ever pleaded with someone for help. He had no other choice. Clark's life was more important. "I won't save him," Sebastian refused bluntly.His abrupt words ignited Brad's anger even more. He yelled, "What is the meaning of this!" Sebastian said in a measured tone, "Kneel and beg me." "You—" Brad was enraged. Sebastian wanted him to kneel? He had to be dreaming!
Brad hurried over when he saw that Clark had suddenly woken up. He helped him up and asked him in concern, "Dad, you're awake? How do you feel? Do you still feel unwell?" Clark turned and slapped Brad across the face. He said sternly, looking furious. "Kneel! Apologize to Dr. Ballard!" Brad was stunned. His father had slapped him right after waking up. "Dad, what are you doing?" He was in disbelief, and his expression turned grim. Clark's frown deepened as he said in a harsh tone, "Don't you understand what I'm saying? Kneel and apologize to Dr. Ballard! If it weren't for him, I'd be dead!" When he saw that Brad wasn't moving, Clark said harshly, "If you won't kneel, I'll remove you from all your duties in the company and revoke your right to the Hanson inheritance!" Brad was anxious at once. He finally realized that Clark was serious. Without hesitation, Brad knelt and apologized to Sebastian. "I'm sorry, Dr. Ballard. I was wrong. I shouldn't have looked down on you and of
Then, right in front of everyone, Sebastian broke the walking stick in half with his bare hands!With a snap, the cedarwood walking stick worth tens of millions was broken into two.Brad was furious. He shouted, "Y-You broke it? This was a collector's item worth tens of millions!"However, under the shocked gaze of Brad and Clark, Sebastian pulled out a small section of bone from the hollow recess of the walking stick.When they saw the bone, Clark, Brad, and Rosalie turned white with fear."What is that?" Brad was dazed. He was obviously frightened."If I guess correctly, this must be a fragment of bone from that prince that it belonged to," Sebastian said. Everyone's expressions changed at once."Dr. Ballard, are you sure? That's a human bone?" Rosalie asked tentatively, holding Sebastian's shirt as she hid behind him in fear."Yes." He nodded.Clark and Brad looked very grim. They had never imagined that there would be a fragment of human bone hidden in the walking stick.
The Dramonian audience cheered for Sebastian. At that moment, a large, burly man with fair skin from Karna stood up and declared, "I would like to fight you."His name was Dmitri Loffman, a three-time kickboxing champion in Karna. As Dmitri stepped into the arena, everyone realized that he was eight feet tall. Sebastian looked like a child in front of him. His waist was only as thick as one of Dmitri's arms, and the kickboxer's thighs were so thick that they looked like steel pillars.Sebastian looked up at him and asked, "You want to challenge me?"Dmitri grinned viciously as he eyed Sebastian. "Challenge you? No, no. I can kill you with just one punch!"He waved his fist, which was the size of a bowling bowl."Punch me to death? Alright, come here." Sebastian smirked and motioned him to come closer. "Today, I'm going to show you that the martial arts of Dramon cannot withstand absolute strength!" With that, Dmitri walked toward Sebastian, each step heavy and deliberate.
"What the heck?" someone in the audience shouted. "Did the foreign fighters come here to fool around?""Is he training his crotch? How can anyone endure falling like that?" another one chimed in. "He keeps landing on his crotch too.""If he doesn't have the skills for it, he shouldn't embarrass himself like that. Look at what's happened to his poor balls," an elderly man in the audience muttered, shaking his head.Dario's expression was now identical to that of Jules. He knew that he hadn't been mistaken about the force exerted on him a moment ago. It was a supernatural power. He could manipulate that force as well. He just wasn't as powerful as Sebastian."Who are you?" Dario looked at Sebastian in shock. "I'm a Dramonian. You Yutarians should apologize to Dramon for what happened 100 years ago!" Sebastian's voice grew colder. Before Dario could recover, a gigantic force crashed down on his back from the sky.Just like Jules had, Dario's forehead slammed into the ground wit
Just as Dario's palm was about to touch Sebastian's hair, the latter suddenly turned. A series of afterimages trailed behind him.Dario had already started celebrating inwardly, certain he had landed a hit. However, the moment his hand came down, he realized he had struck nothing but air. By the time he registered the shadows in front of him, it was already too late. Sebastian was already behind him.With a casual push to his back, Sebastian sent him flying. Dario shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. Unfortunately, a wooden pillar stood about 20 feet in front of him. A loud crash echoed through the venue as Dario slammed into the pillar at an awkward angle. "Aargh! Damn it!"Dario had no idea what had happened. He had been flying forward headfirst, but just before the impact, he'd done a sudden forward roll.His crotch had hit the wooden pillar first.And of all the pillars surrounding the area, this was the only hexagonal one. The rest were round. Dario had crash
Even the audience grew uneasy as they watched the spectacle. "Holy shit! Will he only stop when he bashes his head in?""What's going on? Is he letting his anger build up?""Why would he need to do that? He's about to crack his skull open!"Amidst the chatter, some members of the audience realized that a white liquid was trickling out of Jules' nose and ears as he continued prostrating.His cerebrospinal fluid was leaking out. It was proof that his skull really had been cracked open.By this point, Jules had already lost consciousness. However, his body kept repeating the same motion. With a final thump, he fell heavily on the arena floor.The audience let out a collective gasp. Jules was probably the first person to prostrate himself to death. And he was supposed to be the top expert in Southia!"Did… did he really die?""How could he not be dead? His brain plasma is leaking out!""He was so determined too. What a shame."The audience murmured among themselves, exchangin
"Why are you glaring at me? Was I the one who made you fall and end up like that?" The young man glared back at Jules. Jules burned with rage as he struggled to his feet.He had taken a hard fall this time. The arena was raised and was about three feet from the ground. He had jumped up to a height of six feet. In total, he had plummeted from nearly ten feet. Not only did he scrape his face, but he had also almost fractured his pelvis. When he stood up, he had to limp. There was no way he could kick anyone now."Can you keep fighting, Mr. Laurent?" a Southian official asked in concern as he hurried up to him. They couldn't afford to let Jules be defeated or killed! He was an important figure in karate. If he died, Southia's martial arts community would be doomed.When Jules opened his mouth, all the blood and the gaps in his teeth made his words completely incomprehensible. The Southia official couldn't understand him at all despite listening intently."Jules, if you're afraid
Sebastian smiled slightly. In the blink of an eye, he slipped under Jules and thrust his hands upward. Jules folded up and did a forward roll before crashing headfirst onto the cement floor of the arena. A loud crash echoed through the venue. His forehead had hit the ground hard, and blood splattered everywhere."Oh damn! What kind of technique is that? He's taking himself out in the arena!""Maybe that's the essence of karate.""Uh, yeah. You're right. He's so ruthless with himself that any opponent would be terrified."The Southian officials in the stands looked furious, their eyes burning with anger. Before coming, Jules had boasted to the media that he would kill Sebastian with a single kick.How many kicks had he tried? Sebastian was completely unharmed, while Jules had already lost his front teeth! Now, his forehead was bleeding!The Southian audience fell silent. This wasn't the expert they remembered."Sebastian, I'm going to chop you into a million pieces!" Jules wa
Even the audience who were sitting nearby could hear the sound of the very air splitting apart."Dodge!""Don't try to stand against it!""That's a vicious kick, Mr. Ballard! Be careful!"The Dramonian audience was all worried for Sebastian.Whitney was sitting in the stands when she suddenly turned pale and gasped, holding tightly onto Nina's hand.Beside them, Ezekiel scoffed. He was probably the only one who could dodge Jules' kick, and even then, it would have been a close call.Sebastian still hadn't moved an inch. He was probably scared witless by the power of the kick."This is what happens when young people don't know how to be humble and wary!" Ezekiel said, staring coldly at Sebastian."Mr. Harton, Sebastian is still a Dramonian! Don't you think you're being too much when you say that?" Whitney asked accusingly, her brow furrowed."Why you—" Ezekiel glared at her, but as she was a young woman, he just huffed angrily and did not speak again.If Whitney hadn't been
"Fine! You're all opposing me, so it's not up to me anymore. Sapientia is going to forfeit today. No Sapientia apprentices will be allowed to battle!" Ezekiel yelled furiously.Phineas looked contemptuously at him and turned to all the Martial Arts Court members. He said, "Everyone, I don't expect to leave this place alive today, but we cannot let the century of humiliation that Dramon suffered play out again here today. "I stand as long as my nation stands. If the nation falls, so do I! If those of you here are not willing to sacrifice your lives, you can forfeit! I won't force you to do anything!"Phineas spoke passionately, and many of the audience felt their eyes fill with tears. Over a dozen deacons of the Martial Arts Court stood up and said, "Mr. Tuxley, we are willing to follow you until we die. We have no regrets!"Phineas nodded heavily and said to the staff members outside the arena. "Everyone from the Martial Arts Court, sign up!"As Phineas finished speaking, the a
As soon as Sebastian finished speaking, an old man in a robe stood up. He was among the audience seats for Dramon, and he asked, "Sebastian, what right do you have to speak for the martial arts community of Dramon?"The old man was Ezekiel Harton from Mount Sapientia. He had been waiting to watch the show and see if Sebastian would make a fool of himself.However, Sebastian had offended hundreds of international experts instead. Things would get messy now.Although the Sapientia apprentices nearby had all rushed to the scene, there were less than 20 of them altogether. Even if they were made of steel, they wouldn't be able to battle against hundreds of international experts.Sebastian's death was unimportant, but he was now dragging all of them down as well!"Oh? Since when did I say that I'm representing the martial arts community? Do we need to mention that when fighting against a couple of ornaments? Are there no good men in Dramon?" Sebastian glanced at the audience.Over a