"What are you laughing at?!"The bodyguard up front glared at Thunder and Bolt.Both men quickly stopped smiling and shook their heads. "Nothing."Still, they could barely contain themselves—the four people standing in front of the haughty bodyguards were all martial artists, each more ridiculous than the other.That was why the bodyguards' threat was hilarious, and they just could not stop themselves from laughing at the thought.On the other hand, Frank did not argue, since he would rather not fight if he could.All he wanted to do was buy the mansion without fuss instead of spilling blood, especially when Helen, Winter, and everyone else would be moving in tomorrow.Waving, he led the others away from the steel gates back to the car and called Gene Pearce as the bodyguards leered at them haughty.By the time he was done telling his story, Gene was incensed. "That brat's name is Gerry Bearson. I'm the one who cleared his gambling debts because even his father can't afford it,
Frank could tell that he could not take Thunder and Bolt's oath of undying loyalty at face value.However, they had nowhere else to go.Not only had they failed to carry out their mission, but they had leaked the Bearson's secrets. Forget taking them back—it would be mercy if the Bearsons did not send killers after Thunder and Bolt.And someone like Kilian had even less reason to take them back in.In contrast, the olive branch Frank was offering was simply bewitching.For the average martial artist, trying to develop without any heirloom meant training in sub-par martial arts they would obtain from the black market—and at astronomical prices.As for anything advanced, they were either hoarded within various sects as treasures. None of those would ever fall to the black market—even if some would, Thunder and Bolt would never be able to afford them.But things were different now—if they took Frank's offer, any martial arts form a Transcendent rank like him could teach was far abo
Despite being thrown to the floor, Gerry was still cursing. "Fuck! You've got balls to lay a finger on me! Do you know who my uncle is?! The Lionhearts have his back, and if you touch me again—"Seeing that he was still threatening them, Thunder strode up and stomped his foot, breaking one of Gerry's fingers with an audible crack."Argh!!!"The heartrending agony was real—Gerry was left clutching his hand as he lay sprawled on the ground, screaming hysterically."Are you going to be reasonable now, Mr. Bearson?" Frank asked, impassive even as he arched his back."F-Fuck you! Just you wait… Just you wait!" Gerry cursed as he gasped in pain."Watch your mouth!" Thunder snapped and crushed Gerry's palm under his foot this time.Even as Gerry shrieked, rolling around the ground, he was finally relenting, his tone actually tearful. "W-What do you want?! How dare you mess with me on my family's turf. Are you so bored?"Frank shook his head. "Like I said, we're here in peace. We just
After Gene's men gave Gerry a stern warning, they left him at one of his family's hotels.But that was exactly what Gerry wanted—ignoring the looks of shock from the front desk receptionists, he limped over to the counter and called his girlfriend, Stella Favoni.The Favonis of Norsedam were a family of famed martial artists. As such, their main business was security services, along with other gray to illegal businesses, which was why they basically ruled Norsedam.Stella was the second daughter of the main family and had always been close with Gerry. Naturally, Stella certainly would not just idle away upon seeing Gerry given such a thorough beating and having his mansion stolen.She immediately led a group of her family's martial artists to Zamri, storming the Lanecorp Towers lobby.They were unstoppable, beating and leaving the security guards bleeding all over the floor."Bring me Frank Lawrence!" Stella bellowed viciously, stomped a foot on a chair.She was no looker, but s
Gerry felt terror from the bottom of his heart.Frank was not joking—he would really kill him!"How dare you, Frank!"Stella strode up between her boyfriend and Frank, smirking. "You sure talk big, but look around—my family's martial artists are standing all around you! You're the one who's going down!""Oh, really?"Frank chuckled sinisterly. "Care to test that theory?""You prick! You really won't give up, huh?! Go, take him down and skin him!"At Stella's bellow, the martial artists around Frank leaped toward Frank, ready to attack him with their martial techniques.Terrified, the Lanecorp employees fled the lobby."It's your fault for messing with Ms. Favoni, brat! Now, you can watch while we skin you!"The Favonis' martial artists actually proved to be skilled—unlike other martial artists Frank encountered before, the Favoni were serious about grooming them with their resources.Every individual movement and positioning was planned and executed perfectly, and they quick
"No, w—"Even as the Favoni martial artist's eyes widened, Frank exploded his head with a punch before he could finish.A gruesome grail of blood and pure vigor continued past his body, shattering the curtain wall and killing six other Favoni martial artists.And before the other Favoni martial artists had time to react, Frank was already onto them. Though he only used conventional moves with his kicks and punches this time, the Favoni martial artists could not withstand the pure vigor he unleashed.Thud.Soon after the first body dropped, the rest of the thirtyish Favoni martial artists were dead, as if frozen in the moment Frank sent them flying.It did not even take a single second."What…" Stella was left dumbstruck, standing and frozen in place.She was staring at the mangled bodies of her family's martial artists, alive and kicking just a moment ago and ready to take down Frank.Who on earth was Frank?! They could not even last one blow!As she stared blankly at Frank
"Please, Frank… I get it now! It's all my fault, and I won't ever do it again… Please, just let me live—"Crunch!As Gerry's neck snapped audibly, his pleas stopped instantly.Stella's breath was caught in her lungs and she almost fainted.Who was this war deity that they had just provoked? Could Frank actually be Transcendent rank?!Her family's martial artists were tried and true elites too—not many across the East Coast could win against them, let alone in Norsedam!But Frank massacred them without even really making an effort!As the lobby of Lanecorp Tower became eerily silent for a long while, Frank quietly spoke, "I will give you one chance—go home, and don't mess with me ever again."Stella promptly turned in disbelief—he was sparing her?Frank seemed to read her mind from her expression alone and waved her off."I have no reason to kill you. Though I don't mind playing along if you have a death wish. Oh, and another thing…"Frank shot her a cool look. "You have to p
It was a terrible storm that kept gaining momentum, but things were surprisingly quiet at Lanecorp despite them being the center of attention.According to information Thunder and Bolt had gathered, many factions were extending into Zamri, and the Favonis were no exception.On the surface, they claimed the duel was just and to eliminate Frank—a disgrace to his fellow martial artists.In reality, they simply saw the signs of a major reshuffling among the underbelly of Zamri.As such, they wanted to get their hands on Zamri and get themselves a cut, so Stella's words fell on deaf ears.-Meanwhile, Frank had Winter Lawrence and her best friend Jean Zims move to Zamri, while Mona Fairfax left the East Coast under orders from Haply Hall.It was just a day before the duel against Jaden, but Frank was leisurely lounging in the renovated mansion, instructing Winter and Jean on Draconian traditional medicine.It was a profound subject, and even someone as smart as Winter had trouble g
Frank's words left the white-clad geezer sweating down his back.Even he had to admit that the brat projected a menacing presence that intimidated even him! "Are you really going to do this?!" he snarled through his teeth nonetheless.He certainly would not have caused trouble if he had known that he would run into someone as powerful as Frank in this place.And now, forget revenge—they had nowhere to run.But as if bothered that the white-clad geezer was not dead already, his entourage kept adding fuel to the fire."What's the problem, sir?""It's obvious that he wouldn't win against you. Why are you getting cold feet?'At this sage, the white-clad geezer had nothing to hide and bellowed, "All you know is revenge! Do you even know your level compared to his?!"Forget you lot—no martial artist would ever win against that man! "Let me put it to you this way—there aren't more than a hundred individuals who could defeat me in this country. Not only is he among that hundred, bu
However, Frank was already prepared.He silently sent a tremor of the same frequency down under, nullifying the white-clad geezer's tremor with ease.Hence, before anyone realized what had happened, the white-clad geezer already realized that he would not win against Frank! Unlike her niece, the white-clad geezer had been traveling all his life. He understood that while earthbending was amazing, it was hardly invincible.A technique was just a technique, and nothing more. It came with its deficiencies, depending on the way it was wielded, and prodigies were completely on a different level compared to them—in fact, the white-clad geezer was recently beaten by another youth.Even if it rarely happened in a small town like Shagan, it happened all the time among martial artists and the like. Youth surpassed all—was there any martial artist worth their salt who did not understand that the kids would eventually surpass them?"Let's go!"Without hesitation, the white-clad geezer was
As it turned out, the white-clad geezer did not return for revenge.People change as they age, along with their mindset, and develop a longing for their hometown.In fact, the white-clad geezer had returned to make peace with his family, and died in their company.Naturally, he was furious to hear that someone was using his name to bluff their way out and abduct his niece, the hag.And so he came with the rest of them, looking for Frank.After all, if Frank was not sent by the white-clad geezer, the only other person would be…-Back at the present, the white-clad geezer growled icily, "Where is my niece?"Frank smirked. "She paid the price for her crimes. What, do you want revenge?""A life for a life," the white-clad geezer growled. "That's the one rule that has never changed since olden times!"His entourage roared in approval. "Don't get so full of yourself, brat! He is different from the rest of us, and he can kill you anytime!""Really?" Frank simply snorted nonchalant
As the geezer spoke, he opened the rosewood box and put an ashtray in it. "I actually don't have any abilities—everything I make is produced from this box. With its help, I can imbue any object with an enchantment beyond human comprehension. See for yourself!"He closed the box and held it by its sides as the box glowed in a rainbow gradient.Frank felt a sense of familiarity as he watched, as the energy signature resembled the spiritron vein, but one different from the meteor.So what the heck was going on?While Frank was left surprised, the geezer stopped and opened the box, handing Frank the ashtray.As Frank held the ashtray, he saw that it really was altered—it could carry more now!The geezer then passed him a yellowed old book. "This is how you can use it!"Frank frowned. "Why are you giving it to me? I can't take it, or people would just say that I stole it from you when they find out."The geezer smiled in wry amusement. "It's yours either way, kid! And after you've d
To be honest, the hag really had not considered that question and was just playing along to her own whims, never once considering why she was such a philanderer.Frank then pressed his advantage. "Your so-called love is but a manifestation of your lust. It seems noble, but it has no warmth or color, and the world has no way of determining if it exists."If I want it, I can do what you do too. Heck, I'm sure that's the same for everyone else—they're just kind people who know that they shouldn't hog the limited resources of mental asylums.""Insolence!"The hag lunged at Frank as she realized that he was mocking her, but Frank was already prepared and pinned her to the floor with his telekinesis."Alright, you can quit hollering now. The more you do, the more you're just proving that you've lost!"Crouching in front of the hag, Frank growled coolly. "Did you think I'd only rely on brute strength to force your compliance? You're kidding—I don't even need to do that with someone like
It was just as the geezer had said—the hag had been pampered for so long that she could not tell right from wrong.In fact, in her mind, everything she did was never wrong and was even reasonable!That was what frustrated the geezer the most, and he simply stopped arguing and started whipping her with his belt.Pain really clears the mind, and the hag was no exception. In fact, she thought for a split second that she might have made a mistake.However, it only lasted for that split second—a little whipping was never really going to correct a lifetime of distorted beliefs!"I don't get it!" she cried. "Why do you treat my love with such disdain?! You don't have to love me, but you have to respect me!" The geezer laughed coolly and continued to whip her as he snapped, "That's true! But now, what I say goes—that's all there is to it!"That was when Frank suddenly reached out and caught the belt.It stunned the geezer, who quickly checked Frank's hand, and sighed after seeing that
It had been so long since he had seen his enemy, that the geezer almost fell out of his lounger.If he were to be honest, he really did not hold out much hope since it had been years, and no one lasted more than twenty strikes against the hag.However, while he was convinced that his revenge was futile in this life, Frank suddenly appeared.While he looked like he had nothing but his looks going for him, he brought the hag like she was some harmless hatchling."H-How did you do it?" the geezer exclaimed, presuming that Frank must have pulled some cunning trick.However, the geezer was once again reminded of the hag's conceit as she snorted. "How, you asked? With just a wave of his hand, and I lost!"Turning to Frank, she snapped, "There, he had his justice. Can you tell my uncle to show his face now?"Frank rolled his eyes. "I don't know your uncle. I only brought you here because of him!""No… That's impossible!" The truth was starting to dawn on the hag, but she still refus
"H-How did you do that?!"While the cabal was left flabbergasted, the hag was much calmer for some reason.After all, her father had told her about an uncle of hers, who had left the family because they kept abusing their earthbending ability.It was rumored that the uncle eventually cultivated a superior ability, fusing things that would otherwise not be just like what Frank just did.As such, she told her cabal as much, but Frank shook his head. "I learned your technique by directly observing you when you used it. And by doing so, I found a fatal flaw, which I adjusted for."He certainly did not have anything to do with the hag's uncle—he was just that quick a learner and that gifted to wield earthbending in an instant.Naturally, the hag was not about to believe that.No matter how gifted a person could be, there was no way anyone could learn earthbending instantly and even perfect it. In the end, someone must have taught him!As such, she was starting to get impatient with
Before the cabal could react, molehills appeared beneath their feet and sent them flying.Most passed out when they hit the ground, while the rest were barely holding on."W-Who the hell are you?!" The cabal had grown conceited since they did not have many rivals in a remote corner such as this one, and they therefore presumed that no one could challenge them.And now, they could not win with numbers against Frank, let alone one against one.Could anyone bear the shame?"What a bunch of mooks. I told you kids to stay on your training, but none of you listened. And now you're acting surprised?"A hunched hag appeared on a nearby alley, looking very much affable.Surprised, the cabal exclaimed, "What are you doing here, ma'am?""Do you think I'd miss the tremors?" the hag snapped coolly before wheeling on Frank. "Impressive physique! I certainly didn't expect you to hurt those boys."The cabal quickly warned her, "This isn't the time, ma'am. He knows earthbending, and he could