Xena knew Jaden had already achieved the level of Martial King. He was capable of projecting Primordial Energy to kill invisibly. The security cameras had already been destroyed. There would be no evidence even if the murder happened right before her eyes. Martial artists of this caliber were normally handled by the headquarters. Even as the goddess of war, she was not qualified to face someone of his strength. In desperation, Xena blurted out, "If you kill him, I will never be with you!" Frowning, Jaden lowered his hand. "Fine. I'll spare his life since you're the goddess of war and have duties to fulfill. But you'll have to explain this to your mentor. If not, my vow to him would become a joke."Xena sighed in relief. "I'll explain everything." The two of them left.In the yard, Felix had just seen Sherlyn off, too. He merely glanced their way without much concern. He would have confronted Jaden for sure if Xena had not been there. But since she was present, he preferred no
It was just a joke. Ernest continued, "Promise me something. If you give it a shot and still don't have any feelings for Sherlyn, tell her straight. I'm worried she'll fall too hard and end up hurting more later." Felix gave a wry smile. "Do you really think I'm that irresistible?" To his surprise, Ernest nodded firmly. "That's right. Some people are born to be great. So, women would flock to them naturally. My granddaughter is not some untouchable goddess after all—it's only natural she'd fall for you." Such high praise made Felix feel a bit awkward. "If that's how it turns out, I will." This seemed to be just the warm-up. Ernest set down his fishing rod and looked Felix in the eyes. He said, "I've got a favor to ask you." Felix became a bit fidgety. "You're always making me nervous." Ernest waved him off with a grave look. "This is about our national pride. I don't take that lightly. Our Dragonian culture has kept martial arts alive for thousands of years, and the same
Felix stood up. He had never seen Gerald this furious before, so something big must have happened. "I'm listening, Mr. Hoffman." Even Ernest looked over curiously. For someone as young as Felix to have such exceptional medical skills, his mentor could not be an ordinary man, either. "Guneria's gone too far! How dare they look down on our traditional medicine that's been passed down for generations? There's going to be a medical competition with them soon." Felix then realized that Gerald's anger was because of the same thing Ernest had just mentioned. "Mr. Hoffman, another respectable hero had already asked me to participate. Don't worry. I'll make sure those Gunerian jerks leave in tears." Gerald laughed. "Is that so? Then, I won't say much more. If you don't crush them completely, don't bother showing your face to me again." "Mr. Holt Senior, my mentor's call was about the same thing. He's furious, too." Ernest smiled. Having devoted himself to the country, he naturally
Just then, Yvonne's boss called. "Miss." "That woman in the photo you sent yesterday is Sherlyn, Ernest Holt's granddaughter." What? Ernest Holt? Yvonne was shocked. Having followed her boss for so long, of course she would know such a prominent figure. "My goodness, miss! How could someone of Sherlyn's status be associated with Felix?" Surprisingly, she laughed. "Ernest has settled in Avesburgh, right next door to Felix. Given how low-key Ernest is, some interaction as neighbors should be normal. It's probably just surface-level pleasantries, nothing big."As for why Sherlyn helped Felix, perhaps Ernest just didn't like how the Phoenix Legion was making such a fuss over an ordinary person, so he sent his granddaughter to smooth things over. No need to read too much into it. "But if Felix really did earn Ernest's support, he might just have a shot at climbing the social ladder." The call ended abruptly, leaving Yvonne with a bitter smile. The reason why her boss could be
"Just give me the account number." Logan smiled. Judging from Felix's attitude, things would be easier to deal with. "Not so fast. After paying, this Harold kid has to be a greeter at the restaurant entrance for a week. He'll have to be on his knees and greet every customer who comes in round the clock." Felix, who was about to open his banking app, frowned at Logan. "Is that really necessary?" Harold cheerfully shrugged. "I don't mind. I trashed their stuff, so of course I should apologize properly." Despite Harold's nice words, he would likely kick up a fuss once the money was transferred. This was clearly meant to humiliate him, so there was no way he would actually kneel there as a greeter. "Who owns this place?" At this point, Felix had to address the root of the problem. Logan looked Felix up and down with a disdainful look. "What? Trying to pull strings? Let me tell you something. The owner of this restaurant is way out of your league. Even Avesburgh's richest couldn
Good lord! Terrified, Logan swallowed hard. Felix must have had an insanely powerful background if even Zachary had to speak that way to him. "Y-Yes, Mr. Xanthos. I understand." Felix then said to Zachary, "You don't need to see me anymore. Let's end this here." After Felix hung up, Logan broke out in a cold sweat. He fell to his knees. "Mr. Zeller! I'm sorry for being so blind and offending you. Please spare me. I have parents and children to feed, I..." Felix waved him off. "I won't do anything to you. After all, you gave me a chance earlier. I'm taking him with me." As Harold followed Felix out, his face darkened. He could not believe that even the Xanthos family, the second richest family in Avesburgh, could be so afraid of Felix. How was this possible? "Harold, you can keep trying to annoy me like this, but remember this. Once I find your mom, the price you'll pay will only get steeper." After leaving those words behind, Felix set off. Harold punched the wall in fr
Hearing Vivian say the same thing, Felix thought he must have misheard. After all, Vivian was the deputy chief of the Earthern Hall in Dragon Alliance. How could she not get a ticket to this so-called Golden Prime Auction? "Felix, Golden Prime Auction tickets are never sold. They're distributed based on qualifications, and it's only held once a year. No one who gets a ticket ever resells it. Even among our Dragon Alliance chiefs, only a select few qualify as far as I know." Felix understood now. Though Vivian did not say it outright, it was clear that Kane, who had just become chief of Oasis Clinic, would not make the cut. "I see." On the other end, Vivian felt bad. Felix had only asked for one thing, yet she was powerless to help. The key was that Yale had taken the Dragon Ring now. If not, getting a ticket would have been a breeze. Without the Dragon Ring, only she and Kane would recognize Felix as the Dragon Lord. Others would not see him that way anymore. The Dragon Allia
Yvonne looked at Felix with a strange expression. "I don't know what you're planning, but people like that block all unknown numbers. It'd be useless even if I gave you his number." Felix had forgotten about that. He hesitated, then said, "Can I use your phone to call him, then?" To his surprise, Yvonne handed over her phone without hesitation. But she warned, "Whatever you're going to say, apologize immediately if he gets angry, and don't say anything else." "I understand." Yvonne was curious about Felix's intentions. It would not matter even if this angered George and he took it out on her. Unlike last time, this was not her personal issue. With Felix involved, her boss would not stay out of it. George would have to behave if she stepped in. Felix went into the guest room on the first floor and dialed George's number using Yvonne's phone. It rang for a long time before someone picked the call up. "Yvonne, make it quick. I'm busy." "George, it's Felix."There was a ru
The existence of crossbreeds was classified as top secret by headquarters. If word got out, even if the general public remained unaware, just the knowledge reaching certain members within headquarters would cause mass panic.Would you dare to question whether your partner might be a Malevolent Phantom? Would you risk wondering if your child inherited some of its traits and became a crossbreed? No one wanted to shoulder that responsibility.Take Johann and his team, for example. They had absolutely no knowledge of crossbreeds, and their resistance right now stemmed entirely from their own moral convictions."Sir!"Johann didn't dare stop Felix outright, but he raised his voice to make his stance clear. The others followed suit, not to mention Lina, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, and Steve, whose eyes were red with fury as he glared at Felix without a hint of fear."Mr. Zeller! If you're really going to take my grandson, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"Tears st
"So what?" Lina asked. "Even if I lied, what does that person's death have to do with my son?"Felix suddenly roared, "Are you telling me that when you opened the door, your son never left your sight for even a second?""I—"Lina opened her mouth but suddenly found herself at a loss for words. That instinctive hesitation was the most telling of all."Get the car ready. Take her with us. We're going to Lina's house.""Yes, sir!"The convoy arrived at a luxurious mansion in Zuera. The moment Felix and his team rushed inside, they saw Steve sitting in the living room, holding a three-year-old boy in his arms."Mr. Zeller, why are all of you here?"Lina, restrained by Felix's men, screamed in a frenzy, "Dad! Save Leonardo! They're trying to take him away!"Then, she turned to Felix, shouting in fury, "You monsters! He's just three years old, and you suspect him of murder? I'll expose you! I'll take you to court!"By the time she finished, she was sobbing uncontrollably."Mr. Zel
Even though Lina knew Felix held an unimaginably high status—so high that even Steve feared him—his continued questioning and the direction of his suspicions pushed her to the edge. The mere idea that her son might be involved sent her into a silent rage.She was a mother, and when it came to her child, she did not care who the hell the other person was."I'm just asking questions," Felix said flatly. "Just answer them. Don't make me start quoting laws and rights to get you to cooperate."His voice was so calm. For a moment, Lina wondered if she had overreacted, so she took a breath and continued.She explained, "He wasn't in the stall. It's way too small in there. I left the door cracked open so he could see me, and since I had the tether on, plus the nanny and driver waiting outside, I wasn't worried about him wandering off."Felix did not say anything right away. He stood there, clearly deep in thought.Silvercrest Restaurant might have been an upscale dining place, but it was
"Can you cooperate now?" Felix asked calmly.Lina snapped back to her senses, her face burning with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'll fully cooperate from now on."Sure enough, seeing the richest man's daughter completely fold made the rest of the group abandon any rebellious thoughts. Whatever frustration they had been feeling vanished instantly.Once they were settled, Felix began examining them closely. This was not just a casual observation. He activated his Spirit Eye, a skill from the Phaeron Codex that allowed him to see into a person's soul.After reaching Higher Spirit Realm, Felix had gained access to this ability, but he had never actually used it to inspect a Malevolent Phantom before. Still, he was sure of one thing—their souls would look nothing like normal humans'.So, checking with Spirit Sight was a far more reliable method than looking at whether someone's wounds were healing.When Felix finished scanning all nine people, he froze, completely s
A few minutes later, Felix stepped into the restroom that had been sealed off. It was a fully enclosed space, with no windows—just a single ventilation fan. That meant there was only one entrance and exit.He examined the body sitting upright on the toilet in one of the stalls. The man's head was resting gently against the tiled wall. His pants were already pulled back up and fastened, clearly indicating he had finished using the restroom. More importantly, it was obvious no one had touched or tampered with the body.Felix commented, "No need to call in forensics. There are no external wounds, and his internal organs are completely intact. We can also rule out heart failure or brain hemorrhages. This wasn't caused by any natural condition."With his medical background, it only took Felix a glance to determine the truth.Johann replied, "Yes, sir. But then… what now? Should we interrogate those nine people?"The closer they got to confirming Malevolent Phantoms were involved, the
Felix said, "Go ahead, Delilah. Zara's in your hands now—take care of her on the road.""Don't worry," Delilah replied.Once Zara was gone, Felix stood there for a moment, feeling a weight settle over his chest. She had already been through so much just surviving the ordeal of Twinshade Body, and he had promised himself—without saying a word—that he would make sure she never suffered like that again.However, no one could have predicted the sudden arrival of the Malevolent Phantoms. That was a nightmare nobody could escape, and only by ending it would they have the right to even dream of a peaceful life.…That evening, as the sun dipped low on the horizon, Felix was having dinner with Luna at a quiet restaurant, and Paul had joined them, too."Thank you, Mr. Zeller. Holden is awake and doing surprisingly well," Paul said, raising his glass.He was genuinely grateful. Even the doctors had called it a miracle. Holden had a severed artery and was transported across a long distance
"Mr. Hoffman?" Felix muttered. No wonder Delilah had shown up in person."Why didn't Mr. Hoffman just call me?" he asked.Delilah shrugged, raising both hands. "Because it's not convenient. If you make one choice, I can report back and be done with it, saving everyone the time."Felix nodded, finally curious about this big choice. Then, Delilah asked, "Zara, the one with Twinshade Body, came to see you, didn't she?"That caught Felix off guard. "How do you know about that?"Delilah rolled her eyes with a little smirk. If one of her fans saw her like this, they would probably faint from the shock.She explained, "It's not like I'm psychic. Mr. Hoffman told me. Ever since you left Martial City and came back, he's had Ophelia keeping an eye on Zara the whole time, so of course he knows."Ophelia? That explained why he had not seen her around since coming back. "So, what's the choice Mr. Hoffman wants me to make? Is it really about Zara?"Delilah nodded firmly. "Exactly. Mr. Hoff
Donna said, "Felix, Specter's the kind of guy who'll stop at nothing. I'll hold back and observe for now, but if you really prove you've got what it takes, I'll act like I never even saw that woman."…Later, Zara was resting her chin in both palms with a sweet, innocent smile on her face. She hummed, "Mhm!"Felix let out a groan and rubbed his face. "Don't just say 'mhm'! Did you even understand what I just told you?"After piecing together everything Donna had said, Felix laid it all out for Zara. Since Specter could strike at any time and Zara still did not know what Malevolent Phantoms even were, he figured she needed to hear it all."Of course I understood. Relax, honey. I'm not stupid," Zara replied casually. Since she got it, Felix finally let himself relax, too. A weight lifted off his chest, and for the first time in a while, he really looked at Zara's flawless face. He thought, "Yeah—there's no way I can hold back anymore."He said, "Let's take care of something… imp
Felix finally snapped out of it. Just moments ago, Donna had looked so grim, claiming something big was about to happen. Yet now, after her whole speech, it was all about the benefits of Zara being a Hollow Soul.Donna said, "Hollow Soul has a unique trait. If consumed, it can greatly boost your chances of success.""Consumed?" That one word made Felix's face darken instantly. "Success in what exactly?"Donna had tried to be vague, but there was no way Felix did not get the implication. To put it bluntly, she was talking about eating Zara's soul."Whether you're stuck at a plateau in your cultivation, your soul is mutating, or you're trying to master powerful soul-based techniques—offensive or defensive—if it's soul-related, Hollow Soul can drastically increase your chances of success."Felix's expression shifted as something came rushing back to him. Billy had once told him that when the Mystical Explosive Orb absorbed enough soul essence to reach capacity, it could be used to re