"Do you need me to feed you?" Zara asked. Felix looked at Zara, puzzled. For some reason, she seemed like a different person. She was suddenly acting warm and even showing a bit of a softer side."Don't act like that. You're making me nervous," Felix said.Felix devoured his breakfast, wanting to get through the meal quickly. Meanwhile, Zara sat across from him, resting her chin on her hands."Is it because you think I'm ugly?" she asked."No, not at all. I've been around many beautiful women, so I don't care if a person is beautiful or not. We are all given a life. Beauty has advantages, sure, but being less attractive doesn't mean you can't live a full life."Zara's eyes brightened. "Impressive. That's the most sincere answer I've heard from a man."By 10:00 am, people began arriving at the Traditional Medicine Association headquarters. This event was not open to the public, so the attendees were limited to those who witnessed the recommendation of nine candidates the previou
Following Timothy's pointed direction, Yvonne was stunned. If not for her training, she might have blurted out her true thoughts.Felix Zeller? It was actually Felix!Nala couldn't help but glance over as well, and a flicker of surprise crossed her gaze. This trial was kept highly confidential. Otherwise, they wouldn't have needed Timothy to ensure order and security. Not even Nala knew who the representative would be. Learning it was Felix was shocking as he was the fiancé she had dismissed. Not only was he a doctor, but his skills had also reached such a high level."Tim, you don't seem thrilled about this choice," Nala stated. She had known Timothy for years, so she easily understood his tone."Of course I'm thrilled. Why wouldn't I be?"Since Felix had already been selected, Timothy knew he shouldn't make discouraging remarks. They were all representing Dragonia, and unity was paramount."Take a seat for now. The team from Guneria just arrived, and one of them is a general,
Elliott, dressed in a white lab coat, was clearly one of the lowest-ranking members at the research institute despite his arrogance. He was a mere front for the team's efforts in developing the so-called "miracle drug". Guneria had deliberately chosen someone of such low standing as their representative, making their contempt for this competition evident."I'm Felix Zeller, representing Dragonia's traditional medicine scene," Felix announced, expressionless. The best way to deal with a provocateur was through actions, not speech.With a dismissive wave, Elliott gestured to a foreign man to approach."This is the patient we brought, as per the agreement. He has early-stage lung cancer. You're free to verify his condition."Similarly, William had a middle-aged man stand beside Felix. He was a 53-year-old male also with early-stage lung cancer, ensuring equal conditions for a fair comparison.Felix began examining the patient. Though he had already assessed the condition at a glanc
In most cases, nobody would reveal all their cards before a critical competition, especially with stakes this high. However, Elliott had done just that because he was overconfident. It showed his contempt for traditional medicine, and it was a tactic clearly planned in advance. Realistically, even in a hospital setting, the process of drawing blood and analyzing it would take longer than ten minutes; let alone curing a stubborn illness like cancer that claimed countless lives each year."We'll see," Felix responded, maintaining his composure. The Dragonian way was to act with overwhelming force only when necessary, leaving no room for the opponent to recover. Talking more would be pointless.A few minutes later, Elliott announced, "We've confirmed everything on our end. If you're ready, we can begin anytime."Just as Felix was about to speak, William abruptly stood up, saying, "Apologies, but Felix was a temporary replacement. The real representative has now arrived."What? Felix
Elliott looked utterly confident, convinced that as long as Dragonia didn't resort to breaking the rules by bringing in their seasoned traditional medicine masters, they had no chance of winning in the ten-minute timeframe. Just then, a young man stepped into the courtyard, exuding an air of pride and poise. Like Felix, he appeared to be around the same age."Is that him? Or are you planning to switch again?" Elliott asked with disdain, throwing in a bit of mockery.This time, William remained silent, letting the young man speak up once he had arrived."Do you think a mere miracle drug can challenge our thousands-of-years-old traditional medicine? Ridiculous!" the young man said.Oh? Elliott smirked, noticing that this new guy had quite an attitude. "Alright then, let the contest begin."But under everyone's watchful gaze, the young man stood there with his hands clasped behind his back."A contest? Are you even qualified? I am the direct disciple of Gerald Hoffman, and you thi
No one could have expected that the highly anticipated medical showdown between Dragonia and Guneria would end so dramatically. After all, both sides had taken it so seriously. However, Guneria had conceded defeat willingly."The legend of Gerald Hoffman truly stands unchallenged. No one can defeat him now, and he'll still remain unrivaled," Zara murmured.That prompted Felix to ask curiously, "What do you mean?""Back in the day, when Gerald practiced medicine to save lives, though he spent most of his time in Dragonia, he also traveled the world. It's said that many top figures across the world, from politics to business, were saved by Gerald. Just imagine his influence overseas. "Whatever was on that note, it must have been something dramatic enough to make Guneria's team give up without a fight," Zara explained.Felix's eyes sparkled with newfound curiosity. He hadn't realized Gerald had ventured worldwide. He had always thought he had remained only in Dragonia."Are you hea
Elliott's mentor sighed helplessly. "I can only tell you that this concerns a major figure whom Gerald once saved. To be blunt, if we refused to concede and insisted on a showdown with Gerald's disciple, it would anger him greatly. "And if that happens, our research funding would likely be slashed by at least half. Is that really what you want?"Stunned, Elliott fell silent. Losing half of their funding would be catastrophic and was practically a death sentence for their lab—a burden no one could bear."Is Gerald really that extraordinary? I just can't believe traditional medicine could be that powerful," Elliott muttered.Patting him on the shoulder, the mentor said, "To be honest, I, along with most others, opposed this so-called competition. We've seen firsthand the incredible strength of Dragonia's traditional medicine. It's truly like battling death itself. However, some people just refuse to believe it."Well, don't dwell on it. The people of Dragonia prefer to keep a low p
"Bullshit! It only took a minute! Are you seriously done? Say one more word, I dare you!" Elliott shouted.Just as Elliott said that, his mentor loaded the patient onto the truck. "Start examining him immediately!" he directed.When the examination was done, Elliott stood in place, stunned, as he stared at the test reports. He was feeling an overwhelming wave of emotion.The patient they brought from the Guneria, who was in the early stages of lung cancer, was completely cured."Elliott, do you believe in the wonders of traditional medicine now?" his mentor asked.Elliott gave his mentor a complicated look."But… How is this even possible? A person with early-stage cancer was healed in a minute! What's the point of spending years and huge amounts of money on the drugs we've been developing?"The mentor chuckled. "Every field needs pioneers, doesn't it? Dragonia has a 5,000-year-old history. Keep working hard, and we can create miracles of our own, too."For the rest of his life
The bodies and limbs of the mall staff were trembling violently on the floor. When the two of them looked over again, the staff had all regrouped, rushing over once again.Were they indestructible like cockroaches? Felix and Esme began punching and kicking helplessly. Fortunately, they were both on solid ground. Otherwise, they would've tripped and fallen to their deaths.It took a bit of effort to finally disperse them all again. Having learned their lessons, they didn't dare to hesitate anymore and rushed up the stairs madly. Sure enough, the mall staff collected themselves and started moving much faster!It was coincidentally similar to the characteristics of Malevolent Phantoms. Was it just a coincidence or intentional? Felix pondered in his mind as they rushed through the emergency exit to the second floor with Esme. Finally, they reached the second floor of Orchard Square. The door behind them slammed shut—and there was pure silence. It was as if they were completely isolate
After closing the emergency door, the two finally stopped. "Are we safe?" Esme panted.After a moment of thought, Felix replied, "I think so. Then, I'll head back to grab our clothes."Esme immediately grabbed his arm. "Hey! You said you would listen to me. If you go back, can you guarantee to come back? I'm a woman, and even I don't care yet you're the one who can't let it go?"Anyone who saw them would've thought they were having an intense argument. But in fact, they were simply left with no choice."Besides, the second floor sells clothes. Why should we risk going back?"Felix rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You're right. Okay, let's go." All of a sudden, the emergency door slammed open with a bang. A dozen of the mall staff rushed in. "Intruders! Intruders!"Without hesitation, the two of them ran upstairs. Esme stopped again after a few steps, confusion spread across her face."Do… Do they think they can catch us at that speed? I wonder what the guy controllin
Felix knew these were all illusions, but he still reacted because it looked too real. After speaking, the middle-aged man went downstairs. Esme glanced at Felix and motioned to follow him. She didn't want to alert the enemy and wanted to see what was happening first. They followed the middle-aged man down to the basement and pushed open the emergency door. They entered the basement of Orchard Square. It was a standard mall layout, after all. Felix saw two queues not too far away, but he didn't know what they were lining up for."Get in line. It'll be your turn soon." With that, the middle-aged man left. He clearly wasn't worried about Felix and Esme running away. The two of them looked at each other and Esme gave him a slight nod, intending to stay put. Felix immediately understood that there were too many people around.If a slight expression crossed his face, everyone would stare at him and he would be regarded as a foreign entity, let alone if he ran. Besides, if he moved, w
Just as Felix felt lost, a woman smiling at him from a jewelry shop nearby caught his eye. Her smile was faint, but in such an odd mall, it stood out even more. Otherwise, why would it catch Felix's eye?Her smile was fleeting, disappearing in mere seconds. If it lasted any longer, the people in the mall would probably turn to glare at him again. After seeing the woman turn around and walk away almost robotically, Felix quickly followed her at the same mechanical pace.She led him to an emergency stairwell and as Felix pushed through the door, she stood there waiting for him. "You've got the guts! Most people would've freaked out when they walked into this mall, but you seem quite calm," she said.Felix didn't know what the Black Soul Scout wanted with such an illusion, however, he didn't dare to act rashly. He was afraid of scaring them away. Besides, he could guess that the scout wasn't in the mall, otherwise, Donna would've sensed it."Who are you? What happened to Orchard Squ
According to Donna, there were three soul barriers in Orchard Square.The first one was a detection barrier, likely set up by the Black Soul Scout to avoid unnecessary trouble. It ensured that only ordinary people or martial artists could enter. Anyone who had cultivated their soul would disrupt the rules of this private paradise.The second barrier was an illusion-based one, directly affecting a person's soul to blur the line between reality and illusion.The third barrier was the most intriguing. It gathered some kind of energy from souls. Donna wasn't sure what exactly it was. The only way to find out was to step into the mall and investigate.Based on Felix's assessment, the third soul barrier was likely the true objective of Black Soul Scout. To uncover the truth and find the scout, he had no choice but to put himself at risk. There was no alternative.He was well aware that Hall of Souls knew everything about him. Even the lowest-ranked Blue Soul Envoys recognized his name.
"The soul barrier is in place. Let's get this over with. If you two see me, it'll just make things even more awkward, so it's better to start right away," Billy muttered.Inside the villa, an invisible force swept over them. Felix felt something new within his soul. It was something subtle yet impossible to pinpoint. It stirred a strange restlessness deep inside him.Just as he was about to focus on figuring out what was happening, his body reacted. Before he could process it, Xena had already thrown herself into his arms."What's going on? I suddenly feel like I need to be close to you."She clung tightly to him, yet neither of them moved beyond that embrace. Under normal circumstances, things between a man and a woman wouldn't stop here. They would probably undo their clothes."Damn it! That bastard tricked me," Felix muttered.The moment Xena got close, Felix's restless energy reached its peak, making it clear that this was definitely Billy's doing.Time passed. He had no ide
The moment the topic came up, Felix's gaze flickered, avoiding direct eye contact. No matter how you put it, even though Xena would also benefit from it, it still felt somewhat unfair. It felt that way, especially since they weren't in a relationship. If they were married or at least dating, it wouldn't be an issue at all."I'm exhausted. I need another two days to rest," he said.Billy scoffed. "I know your soul energy is depleted, but trust me. Your fatigue will disappear instantly once your souls merge. The feeling is beyond words. I'm sure you've heard from the Malevolent Phantom how irresistible Soul Binding is, even for those who've already experienced love and passion."Wait, what? Felix was speechless. It seemed that there was really no way out of it."Oh, one last thing. After you and Xena… you know, your soul energy will be completely absorbed and stored away. That means you won't have any left to wield a soul-bound weapon or use any soul attacks. Are you sure you still
There was only one explanation—Felix really could heal soul damage."Of course, I healed him. Let me rest for a bit. Wake me up when the sun comes up."Felix was utterly exhausted. Even if an S-tier Malevolent Phantom appeared beside him, he couldn't be bothered to care. If Donna had truly wanted to kill him, she would have done it long ago. There was no reason for her to wait until now.As Donna watched Felix slip into a deep sleep almost instantly, her expression grew more complex.What kind of ridiculous joke was that? Even though Leonardo was a crossbreed, his soul had already inherited the traits of a Malevolent Phantom. While it wasn't exactly the same as a true Malevolent Phantom, the essence of his soul had changed.And yet, Felix had still managed to heal him. If word of this got out, it would shake the entire Malevolent Phantom world to its core.It was like finding out that some miracle doctor could cure any disease in the human world. People would go absolutely crazy.
Leonardo's body suddenly started convulsing, and with foam spilling from his mouth, even a fool could tell something had gone wrong.Damage to the soul was entirely different from physical injuries. If one got a cut, even without treatment, their body would eventually heal on its own. However, the soul wasn't like that. Any damage was permanent and had widespread consequences. Even if just a fraction of an inch of the soul was harmed, the physical reaction could be extreme.Felix let out a long breath. "Finally got it out. It sounds easy, but doing it was incredibly difficult. Even with my soul energy, I nearly couldn't hold on."The level of precision required to make such an impossibly fine cut was beyond imagination. To do it without causing any collateral damage would require soul energy beyond comprehension.Of course, Leonardo's soul had been damaged. There was no avoiding it."At least he's alive. You've done all you could," Donna said.However, Felix just smiled. "That'