"Yes, Mister Mercer. Thank you for the thoughtfulness," Iris bit her lips, and her eyes reddened a little. A sense of warmth could be felt around her heart.Since she did not have the best relationship with her father and stepmother, she did not get the chance to celebrate her birthday ever since she moved out to live alone two years ago.Her grandfather and aunt would occasionally remember her birthday and would call her to wish her or give her some presents.Other than that, she spent very quiet birthdays for the last two years. It felt quite lonely.She never expected that Ashwin would remember her birthday, nor did she expect him to prepare a surprise for her. She was touched by Ashwin's sincerity."I can't believe it's Miss Young's birthday today…""Miss Young, all of us wish you a happy birthday."The executives at the same table quickly reacted as they stood up to congratulate Iris.The other tables were the same. All of them stood up and wished Iris a happy birthday.I
It would embarrass Ashwin if she rejected it in front of everyone. That would also be a bit mean.However, that necklace was incredibly valuable. It was not too appropriate for her to accept something like that.She was caught in a difficult spot and did not know what to do."Miss Young, this is a token of Mister Mercer's sincerity, you should accept it!""That's right, this necklace is valuable and extraordinary. It suits you very well. Only you would be worthy of it."The executives on the same desk hurriedly pushed Iris when they received a look from Ashwin.The other employees from the other desks started to join in as well. All of them sang Ashwin praises, hoping that Iris would accept the necklace."Alright, fine. I'll accept it!""Mister Mercer, thank you," Iris hesitated for a while. When she saw everyone's mood pick up, she did not want to spoil it, nor did she want to embarrass Ashwin.. In t... end, she accepted the necklace.However, she decided to have the finance
He would not tolerate another man stealing Iris away from him!It was a firm belief he had in his heart!However, he quickly realized that Iris already accepted Ashwin's gift, and seemed to have been touched by Ashwin.Furthermore, Ashwin was the center of attention at that moment and trampled all over Leon in various ways.How could Leon fight Ashwin?"What? Am I just going to look at the woman I love being taken away?" Leon's eyes turned red in panic.Suddenly, he had a thought as his mind frantically raced. He suddenly thought of the Blue Heart of the Sea.He wondered how he would give it to Iris, but his chance was there.It was Iris's birthday. Since Iris did not reject Ashwin's present, she would probably not reject his either!"Wait!" Leon was incredibly happy as he immediately stood up."Mister Wolf, what are you doing? You have such a bright smile on your face. Are you congratulating me and Miss Young as well? You're quite smart to do that!" Ashwin looked at Leon in
Leon giving her a present at that moment was perfect to relieve the situation for her.As long as she accepted the gift, the misunderstanding would be completely cleared up.Ashwin started to panic when it looked like Leon was about to ruin his day."Iris, just look! That necklace doesn't have any blemishes on it at all. It's some accessory that's mass-produced with machines. It's worth a few hundred at most!""How could you ruin your image by wearing something so cheap and trashy?!" Ashwin said, quickly shooting Michael and a few executives a look."Yes, Miss Young, something like this would just be an insult to yourself!""Mister Leon's just clearly trying to pull some trick on you. He's not being sincere at all. You can't accept it…"Michael and a few executives hurriedly agreed with Ashwin. "Leon, how dare you?!" "Even if you wanted to give Miss Young something, you should've at least given her something more valuable or meaningful!""How could you give Miss Young a pie
Even though Leon gave her a gift that was not valuable, all she cared about was Leon's intentions. Nothing else was important."That…" Leon was stunned.He never would have expected that the priceless imperial green necklace that he put in so much effort to get would have strangely turned into a worthless trinket.He could not argue against it!"Iris, Leon isn't bragging!""Everything he said is true. That is a rare imperial green necklace!" Ariel suddenly stood up. She looked at the necklace before looking at Leon with a strange expression on her face.Iris was stunned. She thought she misheard it, "Ariel, what are you doing? It's one thing for Leon to act crazily, why are you doing it too?""I'm not crazy! I can vouch for him! Not only is this necklace a top-grade imperial green, but it's also crafted by the master smith, Magnus Summers!" Ariel said firmly."What? Master Summers's work? Is this a joke?!""Master Summers is the greatest craftsman in Springfield City. He's pra
After all, both of them knew Leon's background very well. They knew that Leon was an orphan as well, and was chased out of his old family for being useless! They would never have believed that a piece of trash like Leon would be able to afford an imperial green!"I'm not mistaken!""The imperial green in this necklace was given to my grandfather by Elder Shear of the Shears. He crafted a total of two necklaces with it!""Two of them look the same except for the fact that one has ride sides while the other is blue!""I named the two necklaces the Twin Hearts of the Sea. The red one is the Red Heart of the Sea and the blue one is called the Blue Heart of the Sea!" Ariel said emphatically. She was the one who named the two necklaces, so how could she be mistaken?! "Elder Shear asked Master Summers to carve it?""H-how is that possible?!" Michael and Ashwin were both completely stunned in shock!The two necklaces were originally owned by Benedict, but one of them appeared in Le
All of them started to look at Leon in complete and utter shock!The necklace that Ashwin produced was enough to widen their horizons. Yet, compared to Leon's Blue Heart of the Sea, Ashwin's diamond necklace seemed incredibly insignificant!Suddenly, Leon stole the show. He turned into the center of attention, completely shocking everyone!Ashwin and his diamond necklace turned into an accompaniment!"Despicable!" Ashwin clenched his fists tightly as his face darkened scarily.He regarded Leon as completely insignificant the whole time, and even played along with Michael to insult Leon!He never would have dreamed that the useless man was able to launch such a complete counterattack. Not only did Leon ruin his carefully prepared surprise for Iris, he even trampled all over Ashwin.The rage in his heart was evident!"Leon, this present is too valuable, I can't accept it…"Iris looked at the Blue Heart of the Sea, and felt incredibly conflicted.Since she was quite close to L
Ashwin's pleased smile completely froze on his face. He looked like he just had cold water poured over him. The sliver of hope in his heart was completely extinguished in a flash!"Alright, let's start the banquet," With Iris's instructions, everyone returned to their seats. The atmosphere quickly got rowdy again.It was Iris's birthday. Taking advantage of the joyous occasion, quite a few executives and employees came over to offer her a toast and some congratulations to leave an impression on Iris.Initially, Iris wanted to toast with tea instead of wine, but she could not hold back from what everyone else wanted. She was in a good mood, so she decided to sip on some wine instead.However, there were just too many people offering her a toast. After a few rounds, even though the wine was not that heavy, her face started to turn red. He started to get a bit tipsy.Other than Iris, Leon was not able to avoid it either.He just pushed Ashwin down and shocked the whole place. He lef
"Miss Morrison, I would like to thank you for saving my life," Iris said as she approached Renee's bed. She meant to thank Renee for having saved her so narrowly from death during their encounter with one of Brahma's clones, which was why she lingered in Renee's room even after everyone left. "Miss Young, if you would truly like to return the favor, there is something you can do for me," Renee said, biting her lip as though what she was about to say was an excruciatingly difficult decision to make."What is it?" Iris asked, although she felt like she already knew what was the answer. "I would like to join you in being Leon's companions," Renee said with an expectant look. She harbored feelings toward Leon for some time now but refrained from competing against Iris and Cynthia, knowing there was no way she could win. However, she had an epiphany after her narrow escape from death and realized that there was so much more to life than competing with other women over a man. Therefor
"Nothing is impossible! It's high time you accept your fate, you old git! Take this! The Phoenix Sky Fist!" Leon merely scoffed at him. The next moment, he directed one last attack at Wulfric in the form of his most powerful move—the Phoenix Sky Fist, a sage technique belonging to the Heavenly Class!A cloud of pulsating energy charged straight toward Wulfric, without any mercy toward his cries of horror!Its sole intent was to destroy him and put an end to this battle!"No—" Wulfric let out a bloodcurdling scream as he watched, defenseless, as the Phoenix Sky Fist soared toward him. His first instinct was to leap out of harm's way, but Leon was far too powerful for him and anticipated this beforehand. Not to mention the Phoenix Sky Fist was one of the most powerful moves belonging to the Heavenly Class, and there was no possible way he could escape from its wrath.Wulfric's limp body only left a few feet off the ground when the Phoenix Sky Fist crashed into him, rendering his body
"Haha! I've finally attained the Saint State! Now it's time for you to die, you old git!" A glimmer of malice flashed through Leon's eyes. When he fixated his gaze on Wulfric's face, it sent a shudder down Wulfric's entire body, for Leon's eyes were like two pits of deep, dark, sinister hatred. "How cocky of you to say that, you twat! So what if you attained the Saint State? You haven't even got time to harness your powers yet, so you're no match for me! Take this!" Wulfric scoffed, taking no notice of Leon's threats at all. Then, without another moment's hesitation, he sent a powerful surge of energy pummeling Leon's way, intending to destroy Leon while his defenses were low!"He's right. So what if he's attained the Saint State? He can't even control his powers properly," the rest of the Chanters all agreed, and felt rather relieved by this. The glimmer of hope that ignited briefly within Pierre, Zach, and the rest was immediately doused after hearing the Chanters' words. Wulf
"Hahaha! This ends here—once and for all!" Wulfric broke out into a manic cackle of laughter upon seeing Pierre's defeat. The defeat of Pierre, Zach, and his two lackeys had no doubt instilled a newfound triumph in him, for the four of them combined were his greatest opponents thus far, and now that he rendered them powerless, there was no longer anyone in his way!Not even Leon, Percival, Alastair, or the rest of their comrades could defeat him! He and the Chanters would go on, unstopped, to dominate the world!One could only imagine his ecstasy at finally fulfilling his dream at long last!"All hail Master Chanter!""All hail Master Chanter!""All hail Master Chanter!" Aiken and the rest of the Chanters erupted into thunderous applause and cheers of sheer elation. "Oh no!""We can't possibly stand a chance!" Percival, Alastair, and the rest on the good side felt their hearts sink at the thought of their impending doom. Although they outnumbered the Chanters by a significant m
Gulp!Taking advantage of the moment, Leon decisively took out a Holy Spirit Pill and swallowed it. Initially, he intended to use an Essential Detox Pill to help Pierre, Zach, and the other two Semi-Saint State fighters counteract the poison. However, with Pierre injured by Wulfric and Zach along with the other two severely wounded and out of combat, even if he cured them, their side was still doomed to defeat.In this desperate situation, he could only take a gamble. He hoped that, with the breakthrough signs he felt in his martial arts bottleneck, the Holy Spirit Pill would help him break through the sage arts barrier or raise his power level to the Great Crossing Phase. This might be their only chance at victory."Mister Wolf, as long as there's life, there's hope. I'll try my best to hold off Wulfric. You must escape now and find a way to avenge us later."Pierre, enduring his injuries and the poison, stood up with a determined look on his face. He knew that their side was alre
"You're courting death!"Wulfric, enraged by Leon's fierce attack and the slaying of Central Boss, had no choice but to halt his assault on Pierre and the other three momentarily. He turned and unleashed a powerful palm strike, its overwhelming force aimed squarely at Leon's Phoenix Sky Fist.Boom!The collision between Leon's Phoenix Sky Fist and Wulfric's attack was explosive. In an instant, Wulfric's strike shattered Leon's Phoenix Sky Fist, and its residual force hurtled toward Leon."Not good!"Leon’s expression changed drastically as he rapidly tried to evade. However, with Wulfric's Saint State power level, evading was futile. No matter where he ran, he was unable to get out of the attack range. The residual force of Wulfric's true energy struck Leon, sending him flying and crashing heavily to the ground.Cough! Cough!As Leon hit the ground, a wave of intense pain surged through his chest, causing him to cough up two mouthfuls of blood. It was clear he suffered significa
Whoosh!Compared to Percival and Alastair's heavy hearts, Leon remained relatively calm. In the past, he killed Poisonwielder and specifically crafted a potent antidote, the Essential Detox Pill, to counteract Reaper's Breath.He happened to have a few dozen of these pills on him. Though Pierre and the others were poisoned by Reaper's Breath, as long as Leon could get the antidote to them in time, they still stood a chance to win.With this in mind, Leon did not waste any time. He stopped fighting with Central Boss, leaped up, and quickly rushed toward Pierre and the others to deliver the antidote."Leon, are you planning to run away? Well, do you think it's going to be that easy?" Central Boss misunderstood Leon's actions, thinking he intended to escape. Given how much he hated Leon, he was not going to let Leon get away so easily.Without a second thought, Central Boss dashed forward, resolutely blocking Leon once again. With Wulfric having reversed the situation and forcing Pie
"Pierre, you have pushed me to this! Since that's the case, don't blame me for what I'm going to do next! You all can go to hell!" Wulfric's expression turned grim when he saw the Chanter fighters in a dire and dangerous situation. He knew he had to end this battle quickly to avoid significant casualties among the Chanter descendants.Thus, he decided not to hold back. He waved his two hands, releasing two clouds of white mist that surged forward, engulfing Pierre, Zach, and the other two. The white mist transformed into a flurry of powder, like a shower of flowers, enveloping the four of them."What's this?""This is bad, it's poison!"Realizing the unusual nature of the white powder, Pierre and Zach were alarmed.Immediately, the four of them held their breath and swiftly retreated, trying to escape the range of the white mist and powder. Unfortunately, it was too late! The white powder and mist seeped everywhere, and being too close to Wulfric, they already inhaled a signific
"How dare a loser like you be so arrogant? I'll teach you to be humble!"Leon sneered contemptuously. Central Boss clashed with him twice before, each time ending with Central Boss being injured and fleeing. Thus, Leon did not take his attack seriously at all.Without hesitation, he pointed a finger and unleashed the Advanced Earth Class sage technique, Earthly Plunder. Sharp and fierce energy condensed at his fingertip, roaring as it met Central Boss's attack head-on!Bang!Leon's Earthly Plunder clashed solidly with Central Boss's Soul-Piercing Claw in a violent collision. However, unlike previous encounters, this time Leon's technique did not break through Central Boss's attack; instead, it was shattered by it!Not only that! The Dragon Pill he recently took did not fully manifest itself yet, so not only did Central Boss's Soul-Piercing Claw shatter Leon's Earthly Plunder but also sent him staggering back.Leon struggled to regain his footing, retreating three or four steps be