However, even as Jaden turned quiet, his skin complexion was a terrible black and his breathing much weaker. In fact, he was only exhaling without breathing in."Mr. Loggins, what's happening here?!"Chet was utterly confused—how did his son's condition deteriorate so soon after showing signs of recovery?!"Let me see!" Abel pulled out the needle he just inserted into Jaden's throat, his face falling as he weighed the needle between his palms."What's wrong, Mr. Loggins?!" Chet asked, hurrying to his side.Some distance away, Edon was zoning out, as he remembered Frank warning him not to let Abel touch the needles he inserted into Jaden directly.That skin contact was enough to transmit the poison."Mr. Loggins!" Edon could not help shouting just then."Huh?!"Both Abel and Chet turned to find Edon standing there, holding out his hand toward them.However, even as Edon was going to relay Frank's warning, he suddenly changed his mind—would Abel really be unaware of the nat
Chet turned toward his brother Edon right then. "Don't just stand there! Go, bring in Mr. Loggins' mentor!""But who is he?!" Edon was equally bewildered, still standing by the doorway. "How am I supposed to know when he never mentioned his name?"Still, Edon knew that things would be terrible for the family if Abel died in Favoni House.That was when Lubor seized the moment and said, "Chet, at this point, you should just give up the chief of the Martial Alliance. That way, I can ask the elder of Hundred Bane Sect to bring the cure… or it would really be too late!""Alright… alright!" Chet exclaimed in panic. If it was just his son, he could calmly take the loss while rearranging his plans for the family's future appropriately.Abel, however, was not a part of the bargain—if he died, it was over for the Favonis!"Hehe… Don't worry, brother. As long as I'm here, Abel Loggins and my dear nephew will be safe."Lubor grinned gleefully right then.After all, his plan finally worke
At Abel's age, the Favonis' mess would at least knock a couple of years off his natural lifespan.Nonetheless, Chet was glowering at Frank and snapping, "I hope you know what you're doing. Even Abel Loggins was poisoned because of a moment of negligence, so you'd better watch yourself.""You refused to listen to me before, and you're on your high horse now?"Frank snorted—he did not think highly of Chet at all and was only here for his own reasons. "You'll tell me where Silverbell is once I save Jaden Favoni, won't you?""Silverbell?" Chet did a double take."That's the name of the chief of the Martial Alliance," Edon quickly explained beside him.Chet scowled uncomfortably right then, since he had just told Lubor that Silverbell was in their rear courtyard.Lubor would have taken her with him by now to hand her over to Hundred Bane Sect.Be that as it may, Chet nodded. "Yes, but you'll have to save Abel too. You can save him since you've promised to save my son anyway, right?"
Edon and Chet were both gaping after Frank told them his theory, with Edon exclaiming, "Lubor did this?!" If that prick poisoned Jaden a second time while they were not watching… That explained why Jaden's condition deteriorated so soon after Abel's treatment started to work!"That bastard… I'm bringing him back here! We definitely have questions for him!" Edon bellowed furiously, hot-headed as ever."Stop!"Chet bellowed as he shot Edon a deadly glare. "Are you so eager to doom us all? Forget buying the kid's words at face value—are we really going to turn against Lubor right now even if he's right? What are we going to do if the kid can't cure Jaden and Mr. Loggins?!"Edon was left stumped for a long while and eventually dropped on his rear. "Fuck, I can't do this, and I can't do that either… This is killing me!"Chet could see that his brother was frustrated, but was also convinced of Frank's ability."Frank Lawrence," he quickly said, "if you can save both Jaden and Mr. Log
"72 Needles of Banishment!"At Frank's thought, all the acupoint needles inserted into Jaden shot out and dropped to the floor with an audible clanging.And even as the needles left him, Jaden steamed shrilly, leaving Chet sweating down his cheeks as he stood aside.However, he was afraid to bother Frank as he looked on helplessly.To his surprise, Frank was done with Jaden right then, ignoring him right then as he turned toward the unconscious Abel.It took time to deal with Jaden's situation, since the Soulbleeder had permeated into Jaden's marrow, and curing Abel was much easier.Putting his palm on Abel's scalp, he infused a strand of pure vigor into the man before feeding him a yellow pill."Come. Carry him somewhere cool to rest—he'll regain consciousness soon enough."Frank was clearly referring to Edon, but the man was left pointing at himself. "Wait, are you talking to me?""Go! Do as Mr. Lawrence says!" Chet barked at his brother right then.However, Edon appeared a
"Grr…"Frank was so furious that he could kill Chet right then.Still, he soon calmed down, and flicked his fingers, launching an invisible burst of pure vigor into Jaden's body.As he strode off, he growled coldly, "Your son won't wake up before I return, and you will all die with Silverbell if anything happens to her! You hear me?!"Chet flinched right then—even if he thought nothing of Frank before, he felt Frank's threat now in his very bones.After all, Frank excelled in both martial arts and medicine despite being young. He was definitely supported by some hidden faction in Draconia, and not just a modest company like Lanecorp!And they had to be a force to be reckoned with!Even as Chet watched Frank leave, many thoughts crossed his mind all at once.He could cry right then, even if he were the head of the Favoni family.He ended up on the wrong side of Hundred Bane Sect for the sake of saving his son, and then Abel got hurt when they brought him in to help.And in th
Most of all, Silverbell carried a secret with her—one she pulled off by swindling every champion of Draconia.If she fell to the hands of Hundred Bane Sect now, they would easily be the ones who won big.And Silverbell would rather die than see that happen.Just then, Lubor smiled as he threatened, "Hehe… You'd better not get any funny ideas. I've already implanted a blood centipede in you, and you'll die if I get upset."He then lifted her chin, clicking his tongue and sighing. "You're so beautiful… You're setting me on fire even if it's our first time meeting!"Silvebell remained silent despite his provocation, leveling him a look of contempt while avoiding his touch."Huh?!"Lubor glowered as Silverbell stayed defiant against him.He would have no hope of even reaching her level on any other day, but she was completely under his control now.It certainly left him buoyed, but he immediately felt humiliated as Silverbell was still glaring at him as if he were trash!"Bitch!"
"I will remember what the Favonis did today," Silverbell said quietly and spat bloody drool before she continued. "As for you… you're just a rat who thinks he's won. But rats would always be rats—you will never be afforded any respect.""Fuck!" Lubor was left shaking his rage, shoving Silverbell into the dirt with one hand while he fumbled to loosen his belt with the other. "I will do you right here, in the middle of the road! Let's see how you'd mock me after this!""Hehehe…"Silverbell was giggling coolly despite being subdued. "And you think you'd make me cave? All it does is prove your impotence and treachery further… The Martial Alliance will come for you when they realize what happened, and you'll suddenly find yourself abandoned by Hundred Bane Sect. Oh, poor you…""Fuck!Silverbell's gloating only left Lubor further incensed, causing him to fumble further.Turning toward his chauffeur, he bellowed, "Get over here! Hold her down!""But, sir…"The chauffeur wanted to ta
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