Jaden almost imploded at the thought—he would be the laughing stock of all martial artists if they heard that his family went begging for his sake!"Where's Stella now?" Jaden leveled a cold look at Chelly.Seeing that he was really furious, Chelly quickly said, "Dad had her restrained. She will be whipped fifty times per family rules.""Hah!" Jaden snorted. "That can wait after tomorrow!""What? Why?" Chelly was taken aback—she actually believed fifty lashes was enough for Stella's betrayal!"I will let Stella watch as I crush that cheating loser under my foot, so she'll suffer her lashes willingly!"With that, Jaden strode off to meet their father.Chelly actually zoned out just then.Having met Frank, she could see how composed Frank was compared to her brother—it was almost unusual."Could Stella be actually right?" she murmured, but she shook her head as soon as the thought crossed her mind.No way! Her brother was second in Skyrank.Barring the Martial Alliance and tho
"Hehe. Don't worry…"Troy sneered savagely. "I won't make a mistake, for the sake of my son and nephew's revenge."Pausing, he then sighed. "Shame that I lost Thunder, Bolt, Galen, and Blaze to Frank. He's more impressive than I thought.""Indeed." Kilian nodded as well.He was sure that Frank had completed Birthright rank at best, but he was now wary after Troy's men and his nephew were all killed.It was clear that he had underestimated Frank, and in that case, he needed to make some plans.It just happened that the Favonis were now after Frank, and he just had to throw some fuel to the fire.He had since found out that Jaden Favoni's father had advanced well into Ascendant rank.If he was to find out that Frank killed his son with a dirty trick such as poison, he would definitely be going all out for blood.As the Favonis went after Frank and Lanecorp, all they had to do was wait and gather all the spoils after the dust settled.Chuckling darkly, Troy said, "I've agreed wi
Jaden nodded. "Very well. Now that I'm here, Frank Lawrence will be resting in pieces. I hope you won't forget your end of the bargain, Mr. Bearson.""Absolutely." Troy nodded and gestured. "In that case, shall we get going?""Hehe. Of course—it's only right that I accept your goodwill." Jaden smiled.As everyone got in the car Troy prepared, they could not see the cold, vile smile on his face from within. "How dare you get insolent with me, brat," he muttered. "You will get it soon enough!"Soon, the luxury car took them to one of Bearson Group's grandest hotels, and Troy's grin broadened as he watched Jaden defenselessly drink a glass of fine wine that was spiked.Stella, who had been quietly as she stayed beside Jaden, appeared suspicious as she felt the nagging feeling that something was out of place.That feeling actually peaked when she watched Troy send his people to deliver a letter of challenge to Frank.-"Heh, finally."Frank was lounging on the couch, sneering as
Just then, Winter gave a differing opinion. "I trust Frank. He has never lied to me—if he says he can beat Jaden Favoni, then he definitely can!"Frank was comforted by her words—at least someone believed him."Exactly, but I'll say it again: I'm not going to lose. The only thing we have to worry about is the Bearsons coming to cause trouble, so you ladies have to watch out," Frank told them before picking up the challenge letter and his suit as he left the mansion.Seeing that Frank was so confident, Helen and Vicky could not say anything else.They wanted to follow him, but that was when Silverbell entered.The chief of the Martial Alliance stretched out her hands, stopping them. "Frank asked me to protect you.""Silverbell, do you think that Frank can defeat Jaden Favoni?""Yeah… I heard he's second in Skyrank."They had gotten familiar with each other after spending time together over the last few days.Seeing the worry in both women's eyes, Silverbell's gaze flickered as
"It's alright," Jade reasoned. "Luna has cause to say it—Jaden is the second best martial artist across the east coast. Frank might not stand a chance no matter how good he is.""We'll never know," Gavin countered, rearing his chin proudly. "Helen's husband has always performed miracles, and we should back him up as family. Even if he loses, we should do our best to protect him too.""Indeed…"Mark nodded and smiled, stroking his beard. "He already honors our family by stepping into that ring.Aside from the Southstream Lanes, Walter Turnbull and his wife had arrived too.Susan Redford looked around for her daughter but could not see any sign of her. "Walter, why isn't Vicky here yet?""What are you getting excited about? Even Frank isn't here."Walter was calm, but there was a flicker of anxiety in his eyes.Despite his unease, he assured his wife nonetheless, "Don't worry—I have orders from Glen. We don't have to do a thing if the duel goes fairly, but we will step up if Jade
It was frustrating, but Walter could understand.Jaden's fame had lasted for quite a while, as he had been a young prodigy who had been fawned over since a child. As the heir to the Favonis, his innate talent for martial arts had shone, and he was once picked as the chief of the Martial Alliance provisionally.His fame alone was enough to intimidate anyone—who would ever dare stand against such a man?If the Ehud Lionheart, the Demon of Volsung Sect, never came to prominence seemingly out of nowhere, Jaden would definitely be the youngest Ascendant rank in Draconia's history.Anyone privy to such information and aware of Jaden's background would definitely not favor Frank.Even those around him think it would be forcing it, since Jaden was on a completely different level.After all, Frank had always kept a low profile and had not much fame to speak of.And following days of the Favonis and the Bearsons hyping up Jaden while slandering Frank as a cheater, no one was supporting
Gene's joke left Walter pursing his lips.Staring at the streaks of white hair above Gene's sideburns, he threw up his hands. "Surely you're joking, Mr. Pearce? We've yet to repay your grace for establishing ourselves in Riverton.""Oh, it's really nothing." Gene smiled, waving him off as he sat down beside Walter. "So, how is Vicky doing? Has she recovered?""Yes, she has." Walter quickly nodded.Gene nodded and sighed in admiration. "Well, Mr. Lawrence really excels in both martial arts and medicine—there's no malady he can't cure. The man even snatched my dying self away from the reaper's grasp."The bookie nearby seized his opportunity right then, asking, "Sir, may I interest you in a bet? The most favorable odds are how many strikes that mysterious martial elite would last against Jaden Favoni."The bookie was certainly sharply—knowing that those seated in the front row were all rich or powerful, it was the right choice to ask them to make bets.They would make a fortune
As everyone looked on in confusion, Gene snorted, whipped out his checkbook, and wrote a dazzling number."Hmph. In that case—I'm betting a hundred million on the mysterious martial elite to win."Though Gene stated that number very calmly, the bookie dropped on his rear in shock.But that was Gene Pearce for you—he really went all out from the first stroke.In fact, the total bets at the moment totaled up to just 500 million, which means Gene bet made up a fifth of it!Everyone around him gasped, but they soon came to their senses."Wait… Which bet did he make?""The fourth!""What? Has he gone senile?""Yeah, how could he believe that Jaden Favoni would lose?""You don't get it. The man doesn't care who wins—the money spent is just to flex.""Flex? Really? Throwing away all that money would only convince everyone that he's stupid."While everyone kept yapping around him, Gene remained nonchalant as he continued his jovial chat with Walter.The vibes around them were cert