Sebastian frowned as he focused on the visibly irate Whitney before him. With a slight exhale, he said, "I'm very busy. If you have something to tell me, please go ahead."With that being said, Sebastian stood at the door a few feet away, gazing at her. A subtle distance and tension lingered between them. The dim streetlights illuminated their faces, and their expressions couldn't be seen clearly.Whitney's face contorted in a frown, clearly displaying her disappointment. Her eyes were bloodshot, hinting at sadness after an entire day of waiting, only to be met with Sebastian's indifferent words."Why are you so distant from me?" Whitney asked with a tremor in her voice. Her heart ached as she could sense that Sebastian was intentionally maintaining his distance from her."We're not that familiar with each other. Ms. Sutton, if you have something to say, please just say it. I've been busy all day, and I'm exhausted," Sebastian said indifferently.Whitney's enraged tears streamed d
At that moment, Whitney felt as if the whole world had abandoned her. She was convinced that no one loved or cared about her and that she was utterly alone.As Whitney was sitting on the ground, crying, a black car pulled up next to her. Three drunken men stepped out of the car and noticed Whitney, who was wet from the rain, showcasing her elegant figure. They looked at her with a mixture of desire and greed."Pretty lady, why are you crying? It's pouring down so heavily. It wouldn't be good for you to get wet. How about this? Let me take you to the hotel to change clothes." One of the bald men reached out and grabbed Whitney's arm."Back off! Leave me alone!" Whitney cried out, quickly raising her hand and delivering a resounding slap to the bald man's face.The slap ignited the bald man's fury. With a sharp snap, he backhandedly struck Whitney across the face, seething, "Damn it! You bitch! How dare you still attack me?""Get her into the car, and tonight, the three of us will p
Whitney's kiss was domineering.Sebastian was stunned on the couch for a moment, staring wide-eyed at Whitney.What was she doing?Sebastian wanted to push her away, but she hugged him tightly, showing no intention of letting him go at all. She kissed him fiercely, demanding him domineeringly."Enough! That's enough!" Sebastian forcefully pushed Whitney away. His gaze filled with annoyance and anger.Whiney's eyes were red-rimmed. She sat on Sabastian's lap, looking at him with a sorrowful and aggrieved expression. "Why?""We're already divorced," Sebastian replied.Whitney said firmly, "We can always get married again after the divorce!""You!" Sebastian wanted to say something, but Whitney cupped his face once again and kissed him. Even those glistering teardrops that fell on his face carried a faint warmth.Sebastian pushed her away again. He frowned and said, "Why must you be like this?""I don't care. I like you, I love you, and I want to marry you again! Tonight, you're
Sebastian decided to abandon the idea. He decided to let it go, giving himself a few days of peace for training.While thinking, Sebastian took out the silver bellflower Charles gave him."I can try to formulate a Breakthrough Pill with this," Sebastian muttered.Then, he got up and left the convenience store. He headed to a nearby pharmacy to buy some medicinal ingredients.Just as he stepped out, he received a call from Vincent, who asked politely, "Dr. Ballard, is the Life Prolonging Pill ready?"Only then did Sebastian suddenly recall that he owed Vincent a Life Prolonging Pill."I'm sorry, Mr. Hindon. I've been quite busy recently and forgot about it. I will prepare it and send it to you soon," Sebastian replied with an awkward chuckle.Vincent laughed and said, "No worries. A remarkable person like you, Dr. Ballard, must be very busy. I'm not in a hurry.""Mr. Hindon, you're joking. I'll send the Life Prolonging Pill to you in an hour," Sebastian replied politely."Thank
Vincent chuckled. "The Tri-Sage Master is one of the most powerful experts. He was the one who formulated the Astralix Fortune Beads."He continued, "Those beads have the power to ward off evil energy and recalibrate an individual's geomancy harmony. Hence, the 30 million dollar starting bid is considered quite cheap."Sebastian frowned. "Mr. Hindon, don't tell me you plan on purchasing the Astralix Fortune Beads tonight.""As expected, I can't keep anything from you." Vincent puffed out his chest proudly and said, "You're right. I have my eyes set on those beads. Let me know if you're interested in any other artifacts on bid, and I'll get it for you."Sebastian laughed softly and directed his attention back to the Astralix Fortune Beads.The Tri-Sage Master was a Dainist, and yet he created an Astralix artifact. How interesting.Sebastian couldn't tell from the picture whether or not the Astralix Fortune Beads were as powerful as Vincent claimed them to be. So, he could only wai
Rosalie, who was dressed well, noticed Vincent and Sebastian not long after they took a seat. She frowned when she saw Sebastian and huffed coldly. A man in his late 40s seated next to her followed her gaze after she huffed. "Is that the man you were rumored to be in a relationship with?" he asked with a chuckle. Rosalie glowered at him. "Don't be ridiculous, Mr. Phillips. I don't know him."The man Rosalie called "Mr. Phillips" laughed as he asked placatingly, "Did the both of you fight?""No! I would never fight with a dickhead like him!" Rosalie snapped.Phillips laughed again and didn't say anything else.The auction soon began, and everyone shifted in their seats in anticipation.The auctioneer, a tall and slim lady clad in formal attire, walked up on stage. She began the introductory speech and kickstarted the auction.Surprisingly, the Sky Devouring Bottle was the first item to be auctioned. Perhaps because it looked too unassuming, and the starting bid wasn't high eit
The crowd broke into an uproar at his words. What did he say? Did he really call the Tri-Sage Master a fraud? Was he insane?"Who the fuck does he think he is? How could he say something so outrageous?" one of them shouted.Another chimed in, "I can't believe he called the Tri-Sage Master a fraud! No one has ever done that before!""What an idiot. Now he'll have to suffer the wrath of all those men who worship the Tri-Sage Master!" one other exclaimed.The crowd's gaze toward Sebastian was one of anger, distaste, and annoyance as they spoke.Rosalie frowned as she watched the crowd's reaction. She couldn't help but feel worried for Sebastian.Half of the auction attendees worshiped the Tri-Sage Master. Though she knew he was a fraud, no one would believe her if she told them."This fool… How could he say that out loud in public?" Rosalie grumbled with a pout as she watched Sebastian worriedly.Phillips laughed before he asked, "Are you worried about him?""Nonsense…" Rosal
An attendant walked onto the stage with a silver tray covered with a red cloth.Though the tray was covered, the attendees knew that the Astralix Fortune Beads were on the tray.The auctioneer watched as they all craned their necks just to catch a glimpse of the beads."Ladies and gentlemen, it's now time for the main event!" the auctioneer declared. "I'm sure everyone here knows what the last artifact is, right?"She continued, "I'm sure I don't need to tell you about the Tri-Sage Master's reputation, considering half of all the attendees here have been blessed by him!"The Astralix Fortune Beads is an artifact that the Tri-Sage Master spent three years crafting! It can ward off negative energy, prolong lifespan, improve luck…"The auctioneer began describing the characteristics of the Astralix Fortune Beads, and someone from the crowd yelled impatiently, "Alright! We get it! Show us the beads!"The auctioneer smiled. "Alright then. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the A
Even though Declan had already said that the old man was only in shock and didn't have a cerebral infarction, the middle-aged man still wanted to hear the opinion of a young traditional medicine doctor like Sebastian! He must be either crazy or an idiot!"If he applies that needle, your father's complexion will go from pale to dark at once. When that happens, it'll only be even more dangerous," Sebastian said impassively."Stop talking crap, Sebastian! My grandfather is the elder of the Healer Sect! Are you implying that he's not as good as you are?" Bryce yelled angrily, pointing at Sebastian.He was furious. "Sebastian, are you doubting my skills in medicine? You're a rookie in the medical field. I only complimented you at the dinner table out of politeness. Did it go to your head?" Declan demanded curtly, his expression changing."You're trying to prick the acupuncture points on the base of the patient's neck as well as in the center of his chest so that you can unblock his br
"Wow, it really is Mr. Byrne Senior! Hello, hello!" A slightly pudgy middle-aged man exclaimed. He hurried forward and shook Declan's hand heartily.Declan frowned and looked at him for a long time, but he couldn't remember where he had seen the pudgy man before.There were too many people who tried to flatter Declan every day, and he couldn't possibly remember every single one of them."Who are you?" Declan asked, his brow furrowed as he shook the man's hand. "Mr. Byrne Senior, you're so busy, so of course you won't remember me! I'm Fritz Thomson! I had the pleasure of meeting you two years ago while I was shooting a documentary about traditional medicine," Fritz said courteously.Declan finally nodded. Fritz was either a reporter or a director. It wasn't surprising that Declan had forgotten who he was.Although the Healer Sect was also among the mystic martial arts sects, it was very different from the Nine Sects. The Healer Sect had always had close connections with the sec
Sebastian waved a hand slightly at the middle-aged man and said, "I'm not a genius doctor. I'm just an ordinary traditional medicine doctor. However, that old man is in a very dangerous situation. You must not touch him!"He spoke urgently when he saw that the middle-aged woman was propping the old man up so that he was lying on her lap.The middle-aged woman looked up at the middle-aged man. She was clearly hesitant.They were on the top floor, and the tiled floor was so cold. She didn't think that it would be safe for her to let the old man just lie on the floor. "Listen to Dr. Ballard! You won't go wrong!" the middle-aged man said quickly to her."Dr. Ballard? He's nothing compared to my grandfather!" Bryce exclaimed. He was annoyed to hear the middle-aged man addressing Sebastian so respectfully.After all, Declan was the elder of the Healer Sect. There were even numerous sage doctors who had to treat Declan with respect as their senior in the industry!Who did Sebastian th
Since Declan had coincidentally met Sebastian at the dinner table that day, he had thought of bringing the latter over to his side. That way, Sebastian could work for him. "Sebastian, I'm planning to make an exception and take you as my apprentice. What do you think?" Declan asked again when he saw that Sebastian was ignoring him.Sebastian continued to ignore him. Did he really thought he could be Sebastian's mentor? The old man must be crazy!"Sebastian, you should hurry and kneel to my grandfather! You're lucky to get him as a mentor! My grandfather hasn't accepted any apprentices for 20 years!"Bryce glared at Sebastian, whom he felt was being far too tactless. There were countless people fighting to have Declan as a mentor."Mr. Byrne Senior, I don't wish to have a mentor. Besides, no one is qualified to be one," Sebastian said impassively. "You little—"Declan was furious. Sebastian was far too arrogant! He was already humbling himself by deigning to take Sebastian as an
Bryce saw the anger in Declan's face, so he said reluctantly to Larys, "I'm sorry, Mr. Compton. I've acted impulsively."Acted impulsively? It would have been better if Bryce hadn't apologized at all. His apology had made Larys even angrier. He clearly had no respect for Larys at all if he could slap him just out of a moment's impulse. Larys was the mayor of Steinberg. How could he just let things go just because Bryce had said that he had been impulsive? "Mr. Compton, my grandson is young and ignorant. Please don't hold it against him." Declan had no choice but to speak up and apologize to Larys on Bryce's behalf. Larys could only nod. He smiled slightly and said, "Forget about it. Make sure that it doesn't happen again."Once everyone was seated once more, Bryce continued staring viciously at Sebastian. It was all Sebastian's fault that he had been slapped twice by Declan!He couldn't just let him go, but he didn't dare to cause any more trouble at the dinner table. Howeve
"People always say that you can see what a person is like from looking at their family. I can see that it's true," Sebastian said impassively.That was a harsh insult to Declan. It implied that Bryce's rude behavior was a reflection of Declan's lack of good character, and that their family didn't have good manners.Declan turned purple with rage. Ever since he had become one of the esteemed members of the Healer Sect, everyone in the martial arts community always spoke respectfully to him, especially those of the traditional medicine community. All of them were polite whenever they met him.However, Sebastian had insulted him thrice in a row, and each insult was worse than the last. Rosalie couldn't help but laugh. She leaned on Sebastian's shoulder and turned her head away, her slender figure trembling with the effort of not laughing out loud."You're terrible! You've insulted them so slyly!" Rosalie whispered in Sebastian's ear.Sebastian reached out to put an arm around her t
Sebastian's expression turned cold at once. What was so important about an elder of the Healer Sect? Was there any reason for him to make so many people wait?Besides, the banquet had been set at 9:00 pm, and both he and Rosalie had arrived on time. Why should Declan be treated differently?Sebastian had never had any patience with people who used their age as an excuse to do whatever they wanted to."Forget it. Calm down, both of you, and let's both refrain from saying anything else."Larys stood up quickly to smooth things over. Both Sebastian and Julian remained silent out of respect for him. However, they both exchanged icy looks.Now that the conflict had subsided, Larys leaned closer to Sebastian and whispered, "Mr. Ballard, I'll be honest with you. I can't afford to offend either you or Mr. Byrne. Please help me out and refrain from pursuing this matter further."Larys was being sincere. He was in awe of Sebastian's allies, but Declan had equally powerful allies supporting
Upon hearing Rosalie's words, Sebastian laughed wryly and shook his head.The Nine Sects wouldn't dare to say a thing to the Ballard Estate, who in turn thought nothing of the Healer Sect.Andreas snorted in laughter and said, "If you had said so 100 years ago, even I would have had to concede. However, times have changed now.""What do you mean?" Rosalie looked curiously at Andreas. It seemed that Sebastian's cousin was very familiar with the Healer Sect. "About 12 years ago, they went on the wrong path. If you check thoroughly, you'll probably find that the development of many new medicines was related to the Healer Sect. However, they are not the refiners!"Rosalie seemed to be deep in thoughts. Her brow darkened as she said thoughtfully, "Do you mean to say that the Healer Sect has abandoned the art of medicine and has decided to go in the direction of the art of pill refining instead?"This made Andreas see Rosalie in a different light.Medicine and pill refining were very
"Are you talking about your cousin? He doesn't look like a businessman at all, though. He looks more like…"Rosalie put her chin in her hands, her brow tightly furrowed. However, she couldn't find an appropriate way to describe Andreas.He felt very strange to Rosalie. There was a kind of energy he had that was difficult to express in words. "It doesn't matter whether he's a businessman or not. He just has to have money. Why don't we discuss it with him tomorrow? I think he'll probably support you unconditionally," Sebastian said confidently."Really? But if we develop a similar medicine, won't we be going against the Croydons? That doesn't seem right."Lorcan was a friend of Oliver's, after all. That meant that he was a friend of the Griffins. Rosalie didn't want to make such an important family their enemy in business. "With that contract, we have to show the Croydons that they shouldn't become ungrateful, nor should they use their force against us!" Sebastian exclaimed in a