Upon hearing Mole's words, everyone present quickly understood.Of course!The purpose of the second trial was to refine pills that could detoxify their bodies, yet Frank had only crafted a mudball using mudroots. How could it possibly have any effect?Due to the nature of mudroots, if Frank were to ingest this mudball, it was likely to be ineffective. And that was not all—it could even trigger the outbreak of the poison.So, when Mole made his suggestion, the crowd cheered and applauded.As expected from an elder who had lived for so many years, he was truly cunning.With just a few words, he had backed Frank into a corner.Frank thought Mole was incapable and could not see through the secrets of his pill, right? Then, Frank should eat it!If it did not work, not only would Frank have to force down a mudball that was obviously hard to swallow, but he would also be utterly embarrassed!How dare Frank utter such disdainful words about Mole's skills and abilities to judge. H
Just as Frank nodded and was about to swallow the pill in one gulp, someone called out, "Hold on!"Yosil had been quietly observing, but he had suddenly shouted out.The audience turned their heads in surprise and looked toward Yosil."Chief, is Kornac's Keep deliberately favoring that kid?""Yeah, Chief! He criticized an elder for lacking skills and abilities since he couldn't see through the secrets of his pill. Do you really want someone like that?"As the crowd buzzed with discussion, Yosil remained composed. He approached Frank slowly and carefully took the pill from Frank's palm.He raised the black mudball slowly, allowing the sunlight to shine through. Yosil narrowed his eyes as he examined it closely and felt a sudden jolt in his heart because he faintly saw it.Encased within the pitch-black mudball was a pale yellow liquid that swirled with the movement of the pill."This..."Although Yosil maintained a calm demeanor, he was deeply shocked inside.Was that… the mar
As Yosil uttered these words, a wave of unease washed over Kairo. During the first trial, Yosil had changed Frank's score from zero to over a hundred because he had detected toxicity in the medicinal soup. Was this stubborn old man stepping in again to overturn the already settled outcome? Would he give Frank a high score?At the thought, Kairo began to sweat profusely and forgot to sniff back his runny nose, with his snot almost dripping onto his lips. Kairo was genuinely anxious now. If this old man intervened again and gave Frank a score exceeding a hundred, would he have to kneel down and lick Frank's shoes?!The image of himself mocking Frank flashed before Kairo's eyes, causing him to sweat even more. If this happened, Cloudnine Sect and Kairo himself would truly become a laughing stock in everyone's eyes. This label would likely haunt him indefinitely. He might as well die now.Just as Kairo nervously stared at Yosil, the elder regretfully shook his head in front
Back then, Yosil had asked Frank if he needed more medicinal herbs. If Frank had compromised a little, the current situation would not have turned out like this."Oh, what a pity." Ira sighed too, his eyes holding a hint of dissatisfaction toward Kairo. Despite constantly insisting that Frank should drink the poison and compete fairly with them, Kairo instead hindered Frank in this test, ultimately causing Frank's loss.Though Kairo was from Cloudnine Sect, it seemed that his methods were not entirely honest. His earlier talk of fairness probably stemmed from not wanting to lose his dignity.If he was placed in Frank's shoes just now, forget drinking the medicine sediments—Kairo would probably not even touch a drop of poison.So when they heard Kairo's triumphant laughter now, Ira and the others also felt somewhat irked.The people participating in this trial stopped mocking Frank. Instead, they cast complex glances at Kairo, who indeed had a bit of a petty mentality.Yosil nat
Yosil was willing to take in Frank as a promising talent, and he would deal with Kairo and the others according to the usual process. But now, with Kairo bringing up the bet between him and Frank, things became delicate.If Frank were to admit defeat today, kneel, and even lick Kairo's shoe, he might never lift his head again. The psychological impact on Frank could be devastating. It could potentially hinder his future focus on medicine and become a haunting obstacle to his growth.And these were just the factors affecting Frank. If Yosil forcefully recruited him, the older man would also have to face the brutal reality that an apprentice of Kornac's Keep had knelt to an apprentice of Cloudnine Sect and even licked his shoes.Just the reputation of this spreading would be unbearable for Yosil, let alone the other elders of Kornac's Keep. The running of Kornac's Keep was not a dictatorship, and Yosil was not the sole elder in charge. So, anything that damaged Kornac's Keep's rep
It seemed that Kornac's Keep was destined to lose a promising future talent today. Yosil felt deep regret in his heart.Frank's peculiar techniques and his keen eye for identifying medicinal ingredients were things Yosil truly cherished."Cough!" As Frank swallowed the black pill, his face instantly turned pale yellow. After holding it in for half a second, he started coughing violently. Then, he abruptly vomited thick, black, sticky blood.Seeing Frank in such a miserable state, Kairo burst into laughter. "Haha! I told you not to be stubborn. Just be good and admit defeat. In case you didn't realize, let me remind you!"Kairo grinned maliciously. "Mudroots are inherently earthy, and they contain a lot of impurities! You stubbornly took a pill made from mudroots, which not only failed to cleanse the poison in your body but also acted as a trigger. It completely detonated the poison inside you!"You're going to die from the poison, and there's no help for you! Hahaha... What a fo
"What's happening?"The castellan of Kornac's Keep was behaving so strangely that it immediately piqued the curiosity of everyone present. Even the elders who were watching from afar were intrigued and walked over."Look at this!"Yosil seemed to have discovered something incomprehensible as he handed Frank's wrist over to another elder.After examining it closely, that elder too wore the same expression of disbelief, shock, and confusion as Yosil."How is this even possible?!""I've lived for over eighty years, and I've never... never seen anything like this..."The elders checked Frank's pulse one by one. Finally, they gathered together, shaking their heads in resignation."What are those elders up to? Why are they acting so strangely?" Ira frowned, sensing that something was amiss.Other participants of the trial also craned their necks, trying to catch what the elders were discussing amid the chaos.Ignoring the commotion in the room, Yosil and the elders continued thei
It was not just about appearances.Frank's pill was nothing but a lumpy mudball with a terrible smell. Even standing nearby, people could catch a whiff of it, and it was not pleasant at all. In contrast, Kairo's pill was smooth and white as jade, and it emitted a delightful fragrance that was refreshing just to smell.Given this, it seemed obvious that these two pills were worlds apart in quality. So why was it that Kairo's beautifully crafted pill scored lower than Frank's ugly, foul-smelling one?Seeing the confusion and even dissatisfaction among the crowd, some began to murmur accusations. They suggested that Yosil was biased toward Frank and that there was some sort of prearranged deal between them.As the situation grew more chaotic, Yosil had no choice but to step forward. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Let me ask everyone something. When a doctor treats a patient, what is the best possible outcome for the patient?""The best possible outcome?"Everyone fell silen
Frank snorted. "Alright, I'm hanging up. I'm getting started over here soon.""Yeah. Good luck," Jouri replied.Hanging up, Frank looked up at the waterfall overhead, and then at Skyler, who was standing beside him. "So? Is it time yet?""Almost… Now!" Skyler's eyes were glowing even as she stared at her watch."Alright."Frank looked up just as the skies abruptly darkened. "Ah, there it is—the eclipse."The sun seemed to disappear, and the world was suddenly shrouded in darknesses.And beside him, a stone door imbued with the power of the spiritron vein also rumbled as it parted."Got it!" Frank rushed inside without another word as soon as he saw it."Hmph. I'm surprised that you could reach this place." A cold, wrathful voice resounded inside even before Frank got a hold of his surroundings.Looking up, Frank found a youth in a black cossack and sporting grey-white hair, standing upon a cliff as he looked down on him.Frank chuckled. "Hehe. Like I said, I've come to kill
Frank narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?'Crane shrugged. "I don't mind giving it to you straight—members of Torrent are actually… Ahem. A part of Torrent himself."Frank paused. "What's that supposed to mean?""You don't get it, do you?" Crane grinned. "Then let me put it to you this way—every member is a clone of Torrent.""A clone?" Frank gasped in realization."Yes," Crane nodded. "That's why I believe that challenging Crane is just suicide. You have no idea how powerful he is—only death awaits you down that path."Frank smirked. "Oh, but I don't think so."Crane rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever—now listen closely. You will find Torrent in the Mystic Trail, but you would only find that place when the sun and moon coincide, and the entrance is beneath the waterfall south of Horton."As he finished, he snorted coldly. "I have no idea if you can actually do it, but I'm hoping you do kill him… Heh. I'm getting tired of being stuck under his control for so long."Then, waving off
Frank abruptly turned, immediately noticing one of the Cranes crouching, ready to spring forward and blindside him."Got you!" He laughed."Hah! You fell for it!"Just as Frank swung a punch to pulverize that Crane, he suddenly burst into pus that splashed at Frank's face."Damn it!" Frank took a step back, surprised that the clone's presence was identical to the real Crane, and a trap on top of that!"Die!"The Cranes around him each whipped out a dagger, all of them stabbing at Frank at the same time."Get off!" Frank bellowed, unleashing a shockwave that sent all the Cranes flying across all directions."Frank! Above you!" Skyler suddenly shrieked."Yes! I'm right here!" A strange laughter sounded above Frank just as he wiped the pus off his face.Crane was suddenly directly above him, launching an aerial kick straight at Frank's head, and Frank had no time to dodge!"Die!" Crane's smile curled into a twisted angle as he saw that too.He was very confident with this kick
"Disgusting…" Skyler murmured through her hand.Despite being skinned and scalped, the women were all still alive and singing to the music that was playing despite their anguish."Talk about a terrible fetish."Frank was scowling too—why were all the members of Torrent such sick deviants? It seemed like his plan to wipe them out was absolutely correct!"So, you killed my clone?"The lanky man on the couch slowly turned to level his bloodshot eyes at Frank.His lips were wet with bed as they curled upward into an eerie smile."Clone?" Frank narrowed his eyes."Hehe. It's a sage art."Crane shrugged as he stood up and wiped the blood off his lips. "It's only natural that you don't understand… Still, you deserve praise. If you can kill my clone, that means you're not just slightly stronger than Ghost."Naturally, the man was none other than the real Crane.Still, as Skyler studied him from a corner, even she could notice the strange twitch of his fingers, and his veins were pro
Even as Crane ran, he was looking over his shoulder, his heart pounding. "No… I won't win in a one-on-one!"No, as long as I get back to my real body… we can do this together!" He frowned, having seen how Frank sliced off the pinkies of those hood rats. It hence quickly dawned on him that Frank was not just slightly stronger than Ghost, as Torrent had put it!"Almost there!" He gasped when he saw the signboard of Pegasus Showtown in the distance. "As long as I get there and rendezvous with my real body, that brat will lose—"That was when he turned and saw that a shadow had caught up with impossible speed."What?!" Crane's eyes almost popped out in bewilderment. "What speed is that?! Are you kidding—"Even as he spotted the shadow, the shadow turned into a youth with an impassive visage.His fist outstretched, he was clearly punching toward Crane's forehead!"Argh…"Even as Crane looked on, the youth's punch slowed down by tenfold, but his fist kept closing in.Then, whe
Seeing Skyler sigh, the tattooed thug presumed that his extortion worked.He strode up, grabbing Frank's shoulder. "No one's gonna help you, boy. Pay up, or you're not leaving.""Exactly! You're not getting away!" the crowd of hood rats hollered. "Last chance."Frank's eyes were cold and fixed on Dani, however. "Are you going to intervene? If you do, you can keep that check. If you don't…""Ugh. Fuck off! I don't care!" Dani spat, her expression smug as she folded her arms before her chest. "Who do you think you are to threaten me?!""Exactly! Pay up, and you can leave!""Yeah! Ten grand, at least!""You probably don't know my boss Wyvern, but when he's here, you won't get away with just ten grand!"Even as the crowd closed in, Frank shook his head. "Well, you had your chance. Don't blame me for what happens next.""You're giving us a chance?! Hah! Who—argh!"Even before Dani could finish gloating, Frank was suddenly in front of her, grabbing her viciously by the wrist."Arg
"Five grand?! Did you hear that?! He just threw five grand!""Must be a rich kid coming here for a secret rendezvous, out of prying eyes? Those types are the easiest mark!""Fuck! And Dani got one of us… It hurts me more than losing at the races!"Frank could hear the buzz around him but ignored it as he strode past the men flanking him and headed toward the street that stank of blood."Stop!" A big tattooed man grinned sinisterly as he intercepted Frank.As his buddies encircled Frank as well, Frank snorted—it seemed that they took his reaction for a sign of weakness and thought that he could be cowed.The tattooed man rubbed his chin as he leered at Skyler's voluptuous figure, chuckling. "Look, boy. I'm short on cash, so let me take a loan. I'll pay you back some other day, how about that?"His friend laughed. "Exactly! You just gave Dani five grand, and we won't ask for more… just four, how about that?"Skyler scowled in turn and glanced worriedly at Frank beside her—was he
Frank himself had just stepped out of the nightclub when his eyes narrowed."Blood," he murmured, his nostrils twitching."Blood?"Skyler sniffed the air, puzzled. "I can't smell it.""It's from the opposite street… I smell the blood of over a dozen people.""A dozen?!" Skyler did a double take.He could identify the number of people who were killed?! That was just ridiculous!"Come on, let's take a look."Just as Frank led the way toward the source of the stench, a woman suddenly came up, catching Frank off guard and throwing herself into his arms."Hmmm?" He looked down to see that she had thick makeup, average looks, and a rather pudgy belly."Argh! He touched me!" she pointed at Frank and shrieked even before he realized what was happening."What?!" Skyler was staring at the woman too, mystified."Oh, sister! You just didn't see it!"The woman kept hollering, pointing at Frank's face. "Your boyfriend grabbed my ass! Is that how you teach him manners?!""Teach him ma
Wyvern screamed even as he clutched the stump that was his hand, screaming so shrilly one might mistake his voice as inhuman."Oh, just shut up." The lanky man glowered and launched a kick, reducing Wyvern into puddles of blood and pieces of innards, splattering all around the lobby. "Argh!!!" the devilish lady screamed as she watched the carnage unfolded."Another sound, and you'd end up just like him." The lanky man turned and frowned at her impatiently."Hngh…" The devilish lady promptly clasped a hand over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes as she trembled."What the hell?!"Outside, Wyvern's lackeys heard the screams and ran inside, looking for him. "Hey, where's Wyvern?!"However, the lobby was too dimly lit for them to notice the blood and guts scattered around the walls, and they only sensed that terrible stench."Hngh…" The devilish lady was too scared to speak, and tears trickled out of her eyes."Fuck!"One of the lackeys strode up and seized the lanky man