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…
Felix froze, then gave a wry smile. "Is it fun joking with someone who just recovered from a near-death experience?" But Xena's expression remained serious. "Do I look like I'm joking?" When Felix collapsed bleeding last night, Xena felt her heart shatter. Only then did she realize her true feelings for him. Those were feelings she had been denying all along. "Yes, I am materialistic, but not mindlessly so! Reality has shown us countless examples of why matching social status matters! I have the looks, figure, and status of the goddess of war. Is it wrong of me to want a better partner?" Felix suddenly realized he had no counterargument. He remembered a news story about a man who worked to put his girlfriend through school. After she earned her doctorate, they married, but the marriage lasted barely two years. According to her, they had lost their common ground. Their vast status difference had created an unbridgeable gap in their worldviews. The internet had split opinions
"This is Felix Zeller, who saved all your lives," the orphanage director said.At these words, a dozen children clumsily kneeled. Their voices were full of gratitude as they said, "Thank you, Mr. Zeller!" "You're amazing! The pain is all gone now!" "Hehe! I want to be just like Mr. Zeller when I grow up. I will become a doctor and save lots and lots of people!" "Me too! I don't want to be an astronaut anymore—I want to be a doctor!" With tears blurring his vision, Felix rushed to embrace the children. At this moment, he knew everything had been worth it. …An hour later, at the Wolfie troops' headquarters, Alistair was reporting to Xena, "Lady Summers, Sonny's unusual behavior suggests hidden motives." Xena nodded. According to headquarters' files, Sonny, who was ranked 12th among the Thirteen Aces, typically deployed his Bloom Seeds in remote villages. The limited knowledge and isolation would allow him to vanish before headquarters noticed. This was his first attack o
Surprised by Gerald's question, Felix laughed. "What's there to regret now? At that moment, there wasn't time to think about anything else. My mind was focused on one thing only." Gerald chuckled. "Now that's my disciple! We have our principles. We act when needed, but we don't spend all day playing savior. "Remember what I told you about the Dragons Destroyer technique?" Felix had memorized every word from Gerald as his mentor. "You said Dragons Destroyer is Dragonia's oldest and most unique martial art technique. Legend says only one person ever mastered it, and I would be next. Its uniqueness is beyond description." Gerald responded casually, "Good, you remember. Now, forge your own path. No matter what happens to you, you'll always be my disciple. Nothing and no one can change that." Feeling touched, Felix recalled something. "Oh, Mr. Hoffman. I didn't want to trouble you, but someone from the Elders' Council showed up. In my current state, I'm worried about whether I can
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