Setting aside everything else, everyone knew Gerald's apprentice would need to have exceptional medical skills. At his young age, Felix had never met anyone else who could claim the title of master healer, which made it too easy to spot an imposter. However, someone of Ryan's status did not seem like they would be easily fooled. So, Felix asked, "Do you know Dr. Hoffman's apprentice?" Ryan shook his head again. "No, but I can take you to meet him. It'll be up to you to make an impression because they won't do it as a favor to me. "All I can do is tell them how you risked everything to save those kids. With a healer's compassionate heart and seeing how many master healers support you, I believe Dr. Hoffman's apprentice might be moved too."Felix finally understood that Ryan had also been deceived. For the sake of Gerald's reputation, Felix knew he had to meet this impostor."Alright, I'll go with you," Felix agreed.Ryan stood up and waved dismissively. "I'll let you know when.
"Yvonne, it's me, Felix—" Felix barely got the words out before the call disconnected. His expression turned tensed as he realized Yvonne had no intention of keeping contact."What happened? Did she hang up?" Jack asked.When Felix nodded, Jack quickly tried calling back, only to hear that the number was no longer in service. Jack's face instantly turned pale, and he grumbled, "Damn it! If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have let you use my phone. Now Ms. Cooper's blocked me too!"Felix looked embarrassed. "My bad, but it won't affect your work." Jack took an angry bite of his breakfast, clearly annoyed. While he knew it would not impact his work, he had to find other ways to contact Yvonne.… Two days passed quickly, with Felix maintaining his strict four-hour daily refining of the ancient dragon's spine. That morning, he opened his eyes and nearly jumped out of his skin. "Averill! This isn't funny!" Felix exclaimed, finding Averill lying beside him as she stared a
Averill turned off the TV with a bored expression. "I'm bored, Felix. Let's play."At those words, Felix quickly waved his hands in protest. "No! Averill, don't try anything funny!" In his current state, without any martial arts abilities, he would be completely defenseless if Averill tried to force herself on him.Averill pouted and revealed a deck of playing cards from behind her back. "What's going on in that dirty mind of yours? I meant these cards, though if you want to play something else, I wouldn't mind," she teased.For once, Felix could not help but blush—he really did let his imagination run wild. He replied, "Fine. I can handle this game."Just then, his phone rang. It was Ryan, who had given him his contact info two days ago. "Felix, I'm driving over to pick you up now. Whatever important things you have planned, cancel them. The opportunity I mentioned is happening tonight."Felix frowned at the timing but agreed anyway. "Alright, come pick me up."After explainin
Solomon took a sip of his drink and laughed. "How could I possibly guess what the higher-ups are thinking? I just do what I'm told. Besides, isn't Dr. Hoffman's apprentice human too?" Ryan felt a chill at Solomon's words, considering Gerald's reputation was enough to make anyone think twice before making a move. He had known Solomon for a long time; Solomon's family was powerful, but the man was simply obsessed with martial arts.Solomon showed no interest in money or women. Instead, he would follow anyone who could make him stronger. While Ryan had never heard of the Elders' Council before, he knew they were definitely not a simple bunch of people. "Mr. Gill, do you think Dr. Hoffman's apprentice will agree?" Ryan asked uncertainly.Solomon shook his head. "How would I know what he's thinking when I've never met him? But since you've spoken so highly of him, I'll allow you to make an introduction. I must say, I admire anyone who would risk themselves to save those poor orphans.
"Excellent! You didn't disappoint me. Rest assured, I'll give it my all," Solomon declared.Seeing this, Ryan frantically backed away. Though he had decent martial arts talent and had reached the Martial King level, he knew how terrifying Solomon was and did not want to get caught in the crossfire between these two.Felix nodded and slowly raised his right hand. "After one strike, we'll see if you're worthy of making me show my true abilities."Solomon did not feel insulted; instead, he excitedly drew his sword. If anyone else had spoken like that, he would have struck them down immediately, but Felix was Gerald's apprentice—he had earned that confidence.The next moment, Felix launched a blow toward Solomon, sending a gust of wind surging across the mountaintop. The wind was so intense that an ordinary person would struggle to stand, let alone keep their eyes open.Ryan was unaffected and strained to watch, not wanting to miss a single detail. Suddenly, a blade's light flashed, s
George quickly jerked the phone away from his ear, frowning. "Mr. Gibson, are you trying to make me deaf?"Then, something suddenly clicked in his mind. "Wait, what were you saying about Felix?""Felix never lost his martial arts—did you know about this all along?" Ryan demanded.George was stunned, and his eyes turned cold. "Don't push it too far, Mr. Gibson. Felix's body was damaged after that heroic act, and you're still trying to cause trouble for him? He's not as simple as you think."Ryan froze for a moment before replying, "It seems like you knew his true identity and set me up on purpose. But forget it—it was my fault for getting involved. Everything's fine now, so let's talk when we meet."After the call ended, George's confusion only deepened. He wondered what Ryan was talking about. Just then, a voice broke the silence. "If your father's letting you handle such a big contract with me, he must be planning to hand over more responsibilities."George quickly stood up wi
"Lady Summers, you should take it. Everything's under control right now," Alistair suggested.Xena stepped aside and answered the video call. "Grandpa, what—"She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening in shock as the screen showed not Curtis, but a short elderly man with dark spots all over his face."Lady Summers, it's an honor to finally meet you," the man said, instantly triggering Xena's anxiety."You're Sonny Balcom!" she exclaimed.Indeed, this was Sonny, ranked second-to-last among the Thirteen Aces in the Super S-rank wanted criminals list, and the creator of Bloom Seeds. When Sonny's name was mentioned, Alistair rushed over and immediately recognized Sonny too."Well, well, Lady Summers seems to have quite a memory of us Thirteen Aces, recognizing me so quickly." Sonny chuckled.Forcing herself to stay calm, Xena exchanged a glance with Alistair, who quickly left. She asked, "What do you want, Sonny?""Oh, nothing much—just want to play a game!" Sonny smiled. "Since
"You recognized him quickly! Yes, it's your boyfriend Felix. I'm not wrong, am I? This guy solved my Bloom Seeds, and you took care of him for quite a while. Can you really say there's nothing between you?" Sonny taunted.Xena's mind went blank. That explained why Felix's phone was unreachable. Sonny had kidnapped him, too.She demanded, "What are you trying to pull here?"Sonny stepped in front of Curtis, giving her a smug look. "I told you, it's just a game. Now, let's start. Watch closely, Lady Summers."After removing Curtis' gag, Sonny asked, "Should I kill you or him? One of you must die while the other lives." Curtis remained calm, glancing at Felix before responding, "Kill me. I'm old and have lived long enough." Then, he turned to the phone camera. "Xena, live a good life with Felix—he's someone worth trusting."Xena screamed hysterically, tears streaming down her face, but she was helpless to do anything."Well done, Mr. Summers Senior. Such noble thoughts—no wonder y
"There is a way. That woman told me that if I could find a husband to defeat her brother, she'd give me the antidote. The only condition is that my husband cannot be from our place," Nala explained.Felix understood everything. "Is that why you targeted me? Did you think I could win the antidote for you?"Nala nodded. "Yes. I didn't think much of anyone from this part of town before. But then you appeared and won my heart."Felix studied her carefully. "Here's the deal. I'll ask for your help if I ever need it. In return, I'll defeat her brother as your husband and get you the antidote. After that, we'll be even."Though Nala was excited, she felt her heart clench. "Is that it? Can't we go further in our relationship?"Judging by his gaze, she knew it wasn't because of her appearance."At least for now, it's not possible. I'm going to bed." Felix waved her off.The next day, Nala went to the clinic early. Felix, who slept in until past 9:00 am, was startled to find Averill besid
While looking into those bright eyes, Felix, who intended to brush things off, finally admitted it. "Yes, it's me."Xena waved her hand dismissively, silently telling him to leave.Felix couldn't figure out what was going on in Xena's mind. He didn't know if Willow's letter affected her.For some reason, Felix felt a sense of relief. He had done what he could—the rest didn't matter.By the time he returned to Gray City, night had fallen. Nala greeted him, "Welcome back. Come eat."The timing was perfect, and Felix didn't question it since he was hungry. "Thank you."After finishing his meal, Felix stopped Nala from doing the dishes. "You gave up everything to be with me. Is it truly out of love?"Nala thought for a moment. "Not entirely. At the very least, I do care about you."Nala was being genuine, that was if she ignored Felix's abilities and his overly protective mother.However, Felix shook his head. "You don't even dare to show me your face. You should leave. There's no
"Have you forgotten what I always taught you? The Greene family never fights a battle without certainty. Send an expert to test Felix's abilities first—just testing, mind you, nothing lethal," Meredith instructed.Aiden nodded in understanding. "Yes, Grandma."…At Xena's residence in Yartford, Felix sat silently on the couch until Xena broke the silence. She said, "About your earlier situation, you don't need to worry for now. "While you're on assignment, headquarters will protect your family members, and since you have no acknowledged relatives, this protection extends to your friends."Felix looked up with interest. "Is that really possible?"Xena nodded. "Yes, I've authorized it personally. No matter how powerful they are, the Greene family wouldn't dare openly defy headquarters. "You can rest assured about that. However, how you resolve your conflict with them after the mission is your own business."How to resolve it? Through elimination, of course! Now that his anger h
Aiden made a subtle hand gesture behind his back. He and Meredith knew that someone like Felix, who would not even acknowledge his own father, would never respect the Greene family's authority.They had not really brought him here to treat Meredith's condition—their true intention was to eliminate Felix. The Greene family had always been ruthless—if someone could not be controlled, what was the point of letting them live? This was especially true since Felix carried Greene blood but refused to serve the family's interests.However, Felix's Dragon Knight status complicated matters. Since it was an official position appointed by headquarters, killing such a person would mean directly opposing the organization—something even the Greene family could not afford."What do you think you're doing, Felix?" Aiden asked with a barely concealed smirk. He had deliberately used Felix's friends to provoke him into attacking first, which would give the Greene family legitimate grounds for retal
No one showed Felix where to go, with only Asher standing beside him as they waited for Aiden to return."Felix, don't be so stubborn. You can't fight the inevitable! You should be grateful that Grandma is willing to let you return to the Greene family," Asher urged, but Felix remained silent."If it weren't for Uncle Victor, do you think I'd be this patient with you? Today is your best chance—if you cure Grandma, you'll prove your worth, and no one will oppose your return to the family."When Felix continued ignoring him, Asher finally became quiet. Ten minutes later, Aiden appeared, pushing a wheelchair, followed by over a dozen impressive-looking individuals.Felix studied the elderly woman in the wheelchair. Despite her silver hair, her skin showed remarkably few wrinkles—a testament to decades of careful maintenance. "Grandma, this is Felix Zeller," Aiden announced.Meredith Armstrong, the Greene family matriarch, did not even bother to flash a smile. She said coldly, "Vict
Felix could not understand why these two had shown up again, especially since his dealings at the Obsidian Auction with the Dragonspine should have left no traces."I won't say it twice," Asher warned, but Aiden ignored him and turned to the woman instead."What seems to be the problem?" Aiden asked, his demeanor commanding respect.Intimidated by Aiden's imposing presence, the woman reluctantly answered, "I have a terrible headache."Aiden snapped his fingers, and his men immediately placed stacks of cash on the table. "Here's 100 thousand dollars. It's all yours—how's your headache now?"The woman excitedly clutched the money to her chest, backing toward the door with a broad smile. "It's gone! The pain is completely gone! Thank you so much!" In the inner room, Melissa felt furious even without seeing what happened. She would have stormed out to confront them if Nala had not held her back."Felix, isn't my way of treating patients faster and more effective than yours?" Aiden
"We still can't confirm if he's really from the Bronze Age over 2000 years ago," Felix mumbled thoughtfully.Everyone studied Benjamin carefully, finding it hard to believe. Yet, considering that his body had been used for ancient alchemical experiments by the greatest mystics of the time, it was not entirely impossible."I'm sure I'll have a way to verify it once we're back in Dragonia," Felix added confidently.At dawn, Felix and Nala were set to return home while Selmer stayed behind. The plan was for Reagan to gather the Steele family that night, eliminate them all, and then return. They were not worried about the Elders' Council for now, as Felix's betrayal would not be discovered anytime soon."Thank you for everything," Felix said on the private jet, still feeling guilty about the night's events. "Don't mention it. I've already decided to pursue you, so helping you is only natural," Nala replied simply.Felix frowned at her words. "A relationship between us is impossible.
The name Benjamin Stone was entirely unfamiliar to Felix, but he was beginning to piece together the situation. In ancient times, emperors were often called the Sons of the Dragon, and their presence was described as "dragon energy".Felix, with his unique possession of the Dragonspine, could very well radiate such a presence. Was it possible that this man knelt and called him "my liege" because he sensed the dragon energy emanating from the pen?"Stand and speak!" Felix commanded.The strange man obeyed immediately, rising to his feet. His tangled hair fell away, revealing a face marred by dirt and scars. Beneath his grimy exterior, Felix saw the features of a middle-aged man, his eyes cloudy but occasionally flashing with a murderous intensity. It was clear this man had seen countless battles, his energy thick with the bloodlust that only came from waging war—and winning it. Such a presence was impossible to fake. Nala and the others edged closer, curiosity etched across their f
"He treats the brush like a sacred relic, which means he absolutely won't allow anyone else to claim it," Felix said, his voice firm.With that, he grabbed the brush in his hand. Instantly, a roar erupted from far away, followed by Alfie's alarmed shout."Damn it! The creature's turning back!"Selmer instinctively wanted to flee, but seeing Felix remain motionless, he did not dare move either. Disobeying his master in such a moment would be nothing short of betrayal."Step back," Felix said, his tone steely. "At this point, I have no choice but to take a gamble!"As the creature rushed back toward them, Felix's suspicions seemed increasingly accurate. If they did not solve this now, Nala would not be the only one dead. In fact, everyone who had come into contact with the brush—himself included—would eventually be hunted down.If this also involved its presence, that might mean Luna and the others were not safe, either."Mr. Zeller, just… be careful!" Selmer shouted, his voice he