However, Frank was not interested in Phoenix at all.After all, Helen Lane and Vicky Turnbull were both top beauties in Draconia.Even if Phoenix had the looks and the figure, she still dulled in comparison to those two, and there was a considerable gap between them.Frank was certainly not crazy enough to stoop to second best, not to mention that there were plenty of other beauties.In fact, Kat Yego had once complained that Frank only ever made the acquaintance of the beautiful, and the ones closest to him were beautiful too.As such, would he even miss Phoenix?Frank felt misunderstood and amused at once, but in just ten seconds, his smile stiffened when someone rang his doorbell.As Frank opened the door, he realized that it was none other than Phoenix herself, dressed in a purple gown with a plunging neckline and a slit that revealed her black thigh highs.Her wavy long hair, smile, and exquisite makeup left his heart skipping a beat."Shit!"Frank was smiling, but his h
"Bleurgh…"Frank almost coughed out his drink.Seeing Phoenix's clearly passionate stare, he gritted his teeth as he decided to make things clear. "I heard you have a fiance, Ms. Ardron.""Oh, him…"Phoenix scowled at the mention of her fiance and whispered under her breath after a brief silence, "Josh and I don't have feelings for each other. It's a strictly tit-for-tat relationship.""Wait, what?" Frank was left speechless. Their relationship was theirs, so how was that his business… unless Phoenix wanted him to be the third wheel in their tit-for-tat relationship?Still, seeing that Frank would ask something like that, Phoenix's smile faded slightly. She suddenly asked, "Mr. Lawrence, you like me, don't you?"Frank was left speechless.The question was so direct that Frank did not even have time to come up with a response when Phoenix sighed softly. "If you didn't like me, why would you give me the Martial Alliance's recommendation? What, did you really do it for the money
Frank was left even more frustrated.Fortunately, Helen and Vicky were just teasing Frank—they otherwise trusted his character.Even if Phoenix was intruding, they were not nervous at all, let alone worried that Frank would do something out of line.If anything, they treated it as a joke.-Nonetheless, the registration period was over, and it was soon time for the qualifiers.At that point, Frank had to admit that Phoenix was successful—that was, in getting his attention. After all, he was a little nervous because he had not heard from her since. He could only pray that the woman did not do anything ridiculous to get him a whole bunch of enemies out of nowhere.As such, it gave him ease of mind that Phoenix was nowhere to be seen when he arrived at the Martial Alliance branch. That way, he could take part without worrying about much else.Aside from Scarface Tucker, who was going to participate from the start, there was also Mona Fairfax, Winter Lawrence's personal bodyguard
Before the Zamri Martial Alliance branch manager could tell Frank about the other rounds, a staff member came running over, whispering something into the manager's ear.The manager was soon frowning, as he had an express order from the chief of the Martial Alliance to personally attend to Frank, an honor not reserved for many.However, his staff informed them that there were martial artists causing trouble, which left the manager in a dilemma since he could not just abandon a VIP like Frank.Still, seeing that the manager was having trouble deciding, Frank shrugged and with a smile, told him to go attend to the trouble—he and his friends could look around themselves.The manager was actually surprised that Frank was so agreeable, but he also breathed a sigh of relief."I'm really sorry about this, Mr. Lawrence. I'll be right back once I sort out the mess."After conveying his earnest gratitude, the manager headed upstairs with the staff member.For his part, Frank was not concer
Rok grinned as he sat down beside Frank, baring his yellowed teeth while his eyes narrowed threateningly. "Titus Lionheart sends his regards. He wishes you luck and hopes that you'll win the Martial Tournament.""Titus Lionheart?!"Frank's face fell—this geezer was a friend of the Lionhearts?!Now, it seemed that the geezer had orders from the Lionhearts to come to Zamri and confront Frank!Still, despite his initial shock, Frank quickly composed himself.If anything, he should not be surprised and should have anticipated that the Lionhearts would pick this moment to mess with him.As such, Frank chuckled coolly and replied, "I see. Well, thank him for me for his kind words… and for his Celestial Dew."The calm retort left Rok stunned, though his expression soon turned cool. "Making enemies of the Lionhearts? You're as good as dead, brat.""You don't have to worry about that." Frank shrugged. "So? Are you going to get to business here or what?"Rok blinked at his question but
"Tut, tut. What a loser…"Sanne snored in disdain as she watched the martial artist drop to his knees in front of her."You…" he growled."What, you're still not giving up?"Seeing that the martial artist was still glaring at her, Sanne suddenly raised her foot and kicked him in the chest!Crack!There was an audible crunch as ribs shattered, and the man's eyes widened even as he died on the spot.The other martial artists around them gasped, at once shocked and terrified by how ruthless Sanne was."Trash. You're all trash."Glancing at the corpse, and then at the other martial artists in the queue, Sanne shook her head in contempt.No one else dared to speak—these people dared to kill on the turf of the Martial Alliance, so they would have a hard time believing that she did not have powerful connections.As such, they were also basically admitting to being what Sanne said they were—trash.Staying alive was much more important than taking offense at some insult, after all.
"That's not all," Sanne continued. "My father is Namik Dali, chief of Mesial Hall in the guild!""Thousand Isles Guild?!"Most of the martial artists present did not know who Namik was, but they knew Thousand Isles Guild, as they were one of the South Sea Four!Moreover, they were an alliance of over a thousand islander sects—in terms of influence, they outshone even Volsung Sect!And Sanne was the daughter of one of the hall chiefs!It was not surprising now that she was so callous—she had very powerful connections to back her up!That was not all either, as Thousand Isles Guild was a core member of the Martial Alliance, with many of their elders serving as their elders too.Unlike Cloudnine Sect, which was just a provisional member, Thousand Isles Guild was one of the major factions that had close ties to the Martial Alliance leaders. That was why Sanne, as an heiress, would still have considerable authority in the Martial Alliance.And in a Martial Alliance branch, her aut
"Hmm?!"It was not just Sanne—every martial artist in the field turned toward Frank right then.For his part, Frank had been content with not getting involved, unless Scarface, Mona, or Kat were in danger.What he did not expect was for Kat to use him as a shield the instant she realized things had gone wrong. "Uh…"Despite Sanne's furious glare and every martial artist present staring at him, Frank chuckled awkwardly as he waved them off. "That's none of my business. Feel free to continue."However, Sanne clearly needed to punish someone and assert her authority.After all, Kat's persistent questioning and comparing Thousand Isles Guild to Frank was a clear insult to Thousand Isles Guild.Frank was definitely not going to weasel his way out of this!"You brat!"The burly man beside Sanne strode up to Frank just then, snapping coldly, "Your apprentice has a really big mouth! Shouldn't you properly discipline her?!""Ahem… I should."Frank nodded at the man right then.At