With Brandon's words hanging in the air, Gale, who already could not stand Felix, immediately pointed at him. "Did you hear that? Get out if you're not going to help! You should know your place in traditional medicine. You can't just rise to the top on empty praise." Though he had initially just been ensuring Brandon could work in peace, Zara's praise of Felix had sparked his jealousy, regardless of its truth. Ignoring Gale's provocations, Felix watched Brandon, who had returned to examining his silver needle. He asked seriously, "Dr. Quinn, have you heard of the Bloom Seeds?" What? Brandon shot up and trembled. "That's it! I knew it reminded me of something but couldn't place it. Yes, it must be the Bloom Seeds!" Zara quickly asked, "What are the Bloom Seeds?" Someone else answered her, "The Bloom Seeds are the signature technique of Sonny Balcom, who's ranked 12th among the Thirteen Aces and Dragonia's Super S-rank wanted criminals. "As the Circle of Hearts, he could inje
Gale thought, "Hmph! Keep boasting, kid. Everyone wants to show off! When you fail, I'll make sure you'll regret being alive!" Gale remained convinced that someone just a few years older than him couldn't possibly achieve such a miracle. Xena was also shaken up and feeling equally skeptical. "Felix, you need to understand that this—" Before she could finish, Felix cut her off with a cold stare. "Instead of questioning me, bring some men over and guard outside! Who's the doctor here—you or me?" Xena trembled with anger. Given her status and the fact that she would soon be promoted to Warlady, even Brandon had shown her deference upon seeing her again. Yet, Felix dared to speak to her so rudely in front of everyone. "Saving lives takes priority. Your name is Felix, correct?" Regardless of others' opinions, Brandon only cared about freeing these children from the Bloom Seeds as a master healer. "Yes. I assume you know the Pierce of Trinity technique?" Felix replied."I do. I'
Brandon felt conflicted. Silas' medical skills far surpassed his own. Though they were only one rank apart, he knew the true gap between them. Compared to Felix, Silas would certainly be the safer choice. Brandon had only agreed to help Felix due to the urgent situation. But things could be different now with a better option available. Xena shared this thinking, which gave her the courage to speak out. "Felix, I know you wouldn't joke about something like this, but Dr. Grayson's skills are legendary, and you know it. For these children's safety, don't let pride cloud your judgment." Gale seized the opportunity to say, "Exactly! Even Dr. Quinn acknowledges Dr. Grayson's superior skills. It's best to wait for him to arrive." He thought, "Hmph! You got lucky, kid. If Dr. Quinn wasn't involved, I wouldn't even bother speaking up." He worried that if anything happened to these children, his mentor would be the one to bear the brunt of criticism, while Felix would face minimal cons
Gale watched with a strange expression. In traditional medicine, needles had no effect outside of acupoints. Every practitioner knew this basic fact. And yet, Brandon's jaw dropped. "The Five Points of Ascension?" Brandon asked in astonishment.Both Zara and Gale were astounded. Of course, they knew of the Five Points of Ascension. Certain acupuncture techniques stood supreme in Dragonia's 5000 years of medical history. While the Pierce of Trinity would intimidate most practitioners, the Five Points of Ascension were even more formidable. Even Brandon had not mastered it, yet here Felix was, performing them. The shock was beyond words. Splat!Within five seconds, the little girl turned her head and spat out a blood clot the size of a fingernail. Brandon's three silver needles then flew out, followed by gushing blood. "Zara!" Felix's shout snapped Zara to attention, and she rushed to stop the bleeding. As they moved on to the next child, Brandon's perception of Felix had c
Xena could not explain why, but seeing Felix lying there so brutally wounded made her heart ache terribly. "What happened here?" Just as Xena lifted Felix, a voice rang out. Zara, who was also crying, immediately became excited when she heard the sound. "Dr. Grayson! Please, save Felix!" Four people entered the room. Two had their faces concealed. One was the renowned Nala, who was known for her signature face veil. The other person was probably elderly, judging by the voice, and wore a demon mask. Given Zara's reaction and words as she ran over, this had to be Dragonia's second-best master healer, Silas. "Silas, you must save Felix no matter what. I've never had so much admiration for a young man in my life. He deserves your help. He saved over a dozen children from the Bloom Seeds!" Exhausted, Brandon was sitting on the ground. He knew Felix's condition was critical and spoke urgently. "He treated them by himself?" Silas looked at Felix in Xena's arms. The look in his eye
As a junior, Zara could only state facts. But Brandon clearly did not want to claim any credit. "Nonsense. I merely assisted. Success or failure rested with Felix. Truthfully, I've never seen such a passionate young healer in Dragonia in all these years. If anything happens to him, it would be a national tragedy," Brandon said.With traditional medicine's declining succession, Brandon's words were not exaggerated. They were spoken from the heart. "Dr. Quinn, you're too modest. Are you saying Felix's skills surpass yours?" Nala asked.Brandon nodded. "I admit it. He is indeed better than me. As in martial arts, skill determines rank in medicine. Age is merely a rough measure." His disciple, Gale, stood silently nearby. He had been thoroughly humbled by Felix. Remembering his earlier words, guilt and remorse consumed him. Hearing these answers, especially from Brandon himself, Nala's lips curled into a smile beneath her veil. Felix's medical prowess had reached such heights. No
Crippled! That word struck everyone present like a physical blow and left them frozen in place. "What… what do you mean by crippled? Will he be bedridden forever?" Xena clutched her chest as tears welled up. At this moment, she was not the revered goddess of war, just a helpless woman. Silas shook his head. "No, not exactly. The Five Points of Ascension ranks third among our highest medical techniques. Brandon knows how impossibly difficult it is to perform it, so he never mastered it in his entire life! Once mastered, it elevates one's medical skills tremendously. "The greater the effect, the greater the cost. Besides, Felix did it continuously over a dozen times. In my estimation, only the rumored one and the miracle doctor himself could do this without consequences!" Silas' eyes were filled with admiration. Such was a practitioner's compassion. Felix likely only considered the feelings of the children suffering from the Bloom Seeds, with no thought for himself. "Every one
Nala made no attempt to hide her thoughts. "That's right. To me, he's no different from any other cripple now. It's a shame, really. His hidden talents had made him worthy of being my fiancé. I was ready to give him a chance, but life's full of unexpected turns." As Yvonne tried to protest, Nala grabbed her collar. "I know what you want to say. Don't. Felix has lost all standing, including any claim to you. Did you think I hadn't noticed you falling in love with him? When he was still exceptional a few hours ago, I might have accepted him–and you could have been his naturally. "But he's ruined now, understand? You're forbidden from any further contact with him. Since Felix is no longer useful, it's time for you to serve your purpose. Your wedding will be held in one month." After Nala left, Yvonne looked toward Felix's room, tears flowing freely. She had said it many times before—Yvonne had no right to choose her destiny. Everything was at Nala's command. "Take care, Felix. I…
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'