Felix cursed internally, furious at the absurd situation he had landed in. No matter how carefully he had planned, he had never accounted for the irrational jealousy and arrogance of someone like this wealthy heir."Who doesn't have friends of the opposite gender?" Felix thought bitterly. He and Laura had maintained a noticeable distance while walking into the city, and their time together had been brief before splitting up at Harmony Clinic. Yet somehow, someone had decided to make it into a scandal."You've got it all wrong. Laura and I—" Felix began.Before he could finish, the young man cut him off sharply, "Save it! I have no time for your excuses! I, Jared Windson, have made it clear to everyone in North City that no man is allowed to even get close to Laura! And you dare break my rule? Take him away!"Two men grabbed Felix's arms, forcing him to remain still. Confused, Felix frowned. Weren't there rules about no fighting in the city?"Jared, right? I'm a member of Harmony
The unmistakable energy Felix sensed could not have been wrong. It was the Dragonspine, the final piece he had been searching for, and it was in Martial City.For a brief moment, he almost charged off to pursue it, but he forced himself to calm down. It might have been possible if he were alone, but right now, he was locked in a standoff with Jared. If he revealed his strength recklessly, Felix would have to abandon his Harmony Clinic identity and all the advantages that came with it. Worse, the Dragonspine's owner could be far more powerful than he anticipated. If he failed to take it, he would lose both the Dragonspine and his current foothold in the city.Weighing the pros and cons, Felix reluctantly decided to hold off. At least he now knew the Dragonspine was in Martial City, which meant there would be more opportunities to claim it in the future.Meanwhile, on the second floor of Harmony Clinic, Nellie stood by the window, arms crossed, watching the commotion outside with
Felix had heard about the Top Ten Menaces before from Laura. Those ten people represented the most powerful young talents in Martial City. They were each extraordinary in their own right."What are you going to do about Jared? He's definitely going to keep causing trouble for you," Laura said.He replied, "Don't worry about it. I'll handle it."…Upstairs, Natalie stepped out of the elevator. She was followed by two elderly men, who were bodyguards assigned by Harmony Clinic to protect her. Their presence alone spoke volumes about her status."Well, well! If it isn't my dear Nattie. What brings you back to North City? Do you miss me already?" Nellie greeted her with a sly smile. Natalie's eyes flashed with fear, and she instinctively took a step back. "Please stop joking around. I'd rather not hug you." Quickly, Natalie approached Delilah and greeted her respectfully, "Hello, Madam Goddard."For once, Delilah's face softened with a smile. "Are you having trouble again, littl
The metal roller shutter creaked open, and Felix stepped out of the storefront. Jared smirked upon seeing him. "Well, well, you're not stupid, after all. Coming out on your own saves me the trouble. I was about to make you experience some heat tonight."Not far away, someone stood holding a lit torch, leaving little doubt about their intentions."Jared, I don't believe you'd really dare to act so recklessly," Felix said.Jared sneered with disdain. "You really don't get it, do you? I've got an army of loyal men ready to die at my command. You, a nobody, wouldn't understand."While Martial City appeared to have strict rules, Felix quickly learned that those rules only bound ordinary people. Those with power and connections always found ways to evade them.Take arson, for instance. Jared's people could torch a building and have a scapegoat lined up to take the fall without any consequences."Laura and I are just friends. She already explained this to you, and I've said it more th
"Why are you still standing there? Get lost!" Felix said.Not daring to stay any longer, Jared bowed respectfully and retreated. He knew that staying would only lead to more humiliation."That slap made me like you even more," said Delilah, a smile spreading across her face. The more she looked at Felix, the more satisfied she felt. That decisive slap earlier had truly earned her favor.To her, his actions were akin to alchemy. He knew exactly what to do at every step, acting with precision instead of hesitation. Without such quick thinking and composure, one could never hope to master the art of alchemy at its highest level.Since she had already intervened, the initial two slaps clearly signaled that neither Jared nor his family were worth her time. With that assurance, Felix had no reason to fear or worry anymore."Thank you for coming, Madam Goddard. Please, come inside. I have something I'd like to discuss with you."Felix was well aware that Jared wouldn't let this go easil
Delilah was utterly stunned upon hearing Felix's confession, her mouth agape in disbelief. However, she didn't think that Felix was lying."So, you already know alchemy?"To achieve such speed, there was only one explanation: Felix was already skilled. No matter how exceptional his talent, it wasn't possible to cultivate pills within ten minutes for the first time. Merely understanding the instructions would take at least an hour."Yes."Upon receiving confirmation, Delilah stood up immediately. "Come on. Let's head to Harmony Clinic. If I'm to teach you properly, I need to understand your current skill level."Felix had no reason to refuse. Since he had chosen to trust her, he felt it necessary to reveal some secrets. After all, with Delilah's abilities, harming him would be as easy as lifting a finger, and there was no need for her to beat around the bush.At Harmony Clinic, Felix spent half an hour studying the book Delilah had given him. The book had already been bound to him
It wasn't until the herbs were delivered that Delilah seemed to snap out of some kind of trance. Her gaze flickered with a mix of emotions."You can head inside and start cultivating the pills. Just one successful batch will do.""Understood," Felix affirmed.As the door closed behind him, Delilah's expression shifted repeatedly. It was full of excitement, then tinged with doubt, and then glowed with joy."Three months? That can't be right—"Though she had personally asked to take Felix as her apprentice, if the situation had been reversed, she'd definitely assume he was exaggerating. After all, there's no way to verify claims like that. It wasn't just about how long someone practiced refining. It was about the talent and results they could demonstrate.As the sun rose higher, Delilah sat in deep thought. Suddenly, she heard movement and quickly looked up, seeing Felix step out of the room."You succeeded on your first try?"Felix smiled. "Yes."Was it luck, or was he truly
Half an hour later, in the most luxurious reception room of Harmony Clinic in North City, Natalie helped an elderly man into the room.Though the old man's hair was white, his steps were steady, and his face was lit with a warm smile. His demeanor alone exuded a vitality that many young people could only envy."Is it just you? Where's Delilah?""Please don't be upset, Mr. Earnhart Senior. Madam Goddard is handling an urgent matter," Nellie said respectfully. Her tone was humble, as she was addressing Bern, the top alchemist of Martial City. She didn't dare show even a hint of disrespect. It would be far too inappropriate.Besides, in all of Martial City, only a handful of people dared to call Delilah by her first name, and Bern was one of them."What could that woman possibly be doing that's more important than meeting me?" Bern's smile faded, replaced by a clear look of displeasure. Natalie quickly tried to calm him."Grandpa, maybe Madam Goddard really does have something very
No matter how much a Malevolent Phantom knew, the only thing that was ultimately recovered from them was the extent of humanity's mastery over the soul—nothing else.According to Donna, when a Malevolent Phantom was killed, only a tiny fragment of their remaining soul was retrieved. It was not enough to record everything they had learned—only the most critical information was preserved.So, in the end, whatever intelligence a Malevolent Phantom gathered during its time on Earth did not matter.Felix narrowed his eyes and said, "You're pretty smart. No, actually, a lot of you Malevolent Phantoms seem to have figured this out. Is that why so many of you beg for your lives?"A flicker of hope flashed in the Malevolent Phantom's eyes, and he replied in a serious tone, "I know martial artists like you are bound by your oaths. If you swear on the heavens that you won't kill me, I'll give you some valuable information."Felix did not hesitate. Raising his hand, he declared, "I swear on t
Felix was a Grandmaster. From this close, he could tell immediately whether Malevolent Phantom had used a technique to heal his broken arm or if it had simply regenerated on its own. That was why he made that remark.The Malevolent Phantom frowned. He replied, "What are you talking about? I don't understand."Then, as if deciding it was not worth the trouble, he muttered, "Whatever. You're strong. I'll give you that. But this isn't that big of a deal, so I'll let you walk away unharmed."Felix's mouth twitched. This was the second Malevolent Phantom he had encountered—after Karina's incident—that actually knew when to back down.It seemed that just like humans, Malevolent Phantoms changed depending on their environment and way of life. The weaker ones, in particular, were more likely to adapt, which was probably why they only killed when they absolutely needed to feed."I'm just a martial artist," Felix said, smirking. "Are you really that afraid of dying?"The Malevolent Phantom
If Felix had not come, no one would have noticed the distinct scent on the victims' bodies. Without that clue, the culprits could have continued their crimes without restraint.He muttered, "Was this all planned by the A-tier Malevolent Phantom? I have a really bad feeling about this."The more he thought about it, the more unsettling it became. Could something this organized and meticulously executed really be the work of just one Malevolent Phantom? If humans were involved, that would be far more terrifying.When it came to outside threats, no matter how horrifying, the people of Dragonia had always been willing to fight to the bitter end. However, history had a way of repeating itself—if traitors had existed in the past, who was to say they did not exist now?Eventually, Felix said, "Chloe, here's the plan. Tomorrow, you'll go to this dental clinic. You won't see me, but I'll be watching from the shadows. I promise you won't be in any danger."Then, he pulled out a check. He ha
Felix had not expected Gerald to bring up the Ancient Sage and the Eight Guardians on his own.Gerald replied, "Quit worrying about me and my brother. Karina already told me everything, and since you've already clashed with the Eight Guardians, you might as well see it through to the end."With that, the call ended. Felix felt a rush of excitement. At least now, he had something solid to report to Eloise.Of course, he was not arrogant enough to think this would be easy. If Gerald had set this as his goal, it meant the Eight Guardians were not just some random pushovers.Now that he had already crossed paths with Ashton, he did not need to look for trouble—the rest of them would definitely come after him sooner or later. There was no way they would just sit back and do nothing if one of their own was taken out.But so far, Felix had only encountered two of them—Ashton and Bonnie. The other six remained a mystery, and that was the real problem.By the time the sun was setting, his
Ian finally understood why Angie respected Felix so much. After all, he could even take time off whenever he wanted. Angie's gaze was filled with mixed emotions as she stared at Felix, saying, "Felix, to be honest, I don't even know how to talk to you anymore. "Even Wendy, the head of Kinsley Corporation, listens to you without question, yet you're seriously working here as a front desk manager?"She had already been shocked to learn that Felix's cousin was Dreamscape, but what she had just witnessed was on a whole other level—it was like a bolt of lightning striking her. In fact, she was starting to question if that whole "cousin" thing was even real.Her words were spoken casually, but they hit like a sledgehammer. Bob, who was already sweating bullets, felt his legs go weak and collapsed to his knees.He quickly shouted, "I was wrong! I never should've set you up—please, just think of me as nothing and let me go!"He never expected Wendy to be the very person everyone in Kas
Bob did not say much. He kept wondering if Felix and Wendy were just being polite. He was absolutely certain he would not be exposed. The waiter would never admit to intentionally causing trouble, and no investigation could possibly reveal anything. He might as well keep things as messy as possible. Less than ten minutes passed before Angie arrived. She did not even greet Felix, immediately rushing to the Azure VIP Room with Ian. Felix remained in the main hall. It was past the lunch rush, so the restaurant was almost empty and quiet. Suddenly, Bob heard Felix's voice say, "I won't be here for more than a few days, so you really didn't need to use these tactics." "Mr. Zeller, were you speaking to me?" "You know exactly what I mean. Don't do this again." Felix was not naive. He could tell from how Bob had been helpful in the main hall but went silent in the private room. Something was definitely fishy. But Felix was totally focused on the Malevolent Phantoms now, and he
Just as Felix turned, the bathroom door opened, and a woman walked out. Seeing how the hem of her dress was wet, it was clearly from washing off spilled wine. "Mr. Zeller?" With just a glance, Felix was instantly wordless. Of all people, it was actually Wendy. "Oh, Wendy. What a coincidence!" Seeing Felix in his professional attire, Wendy was stunned. "What are you doing?" "I'm working as a front desk manager at this restaurant." Hearing this, Wendy remembered Felix was currently running important tasks nationwide. So, this made perfect sense. "Since we know each other, let's just drop this. The waiter didn't mean to cause trouble. There's no need to make such a big deal." Franz had already walked over at that moment. But he was shocked to see Wendy knew the front desk manager and was even addressing him so respectfully. "Got it, Mr. Zeller. Sorry for the trouble." Felix nodded and left. Bob followed, but a bad feeling crept into his mind. How did Felix know Franz's
Sally heard the intercom call, too, and her admiration for Bob reached new heights. Everyone in the restaurant knew that for VIP rooms like the Azure Room, customer complaints could not be handled by a front desk manager. Only the general manager—like Ian—could deal with it—and if he couldn't, Angie herself would have to step in.This was clearly Bob's setup. If not, Felix would not have had to go over. Bob had taken advantage of Felix being new and clueless about the rules.But his guts were something else. He was actually sacrificing one or two waiters just to go up against the boss' daughter. Was this really just about a front desk manager position anymore? In the Azure VIP Room, there were only two people by the massive table. A waiter knelt on the floor, body shaking uncontrollably. Just this scene told Felix the guests were definitely high-profile. "Who are you?"The young man with a powerful presence immediately frowned when he saw Felix."Hello, sir. I'm the front des
In the morning, Felix visited the dental clinic where the two women had their teeth cleaned. He found nobody suspicious there. He had already reviewed the relevant videos. They only had a routine teeth cleaning with barely any interaction. Any hope of finding a lead this way was completely crushed. After leaving, he received a call from Angie and rushed to an incredibly luxurious restaurant. "Felix, how about working as a front desk manager here?" she asked.What should have been a simple job offer now felt like she was tentatively seeking his permission. "Sure. But Ms. Sinclair, I have one condition."Angie smiled and said, "Go ahead.""I have some personal matters to deal with here. So, when I need to leave to handle something, I hope I can get time off normally." Angie thought that was nothing. She glanced at the middle-aged man beside her. "No problem. This is the restaurant's general manager, Ian Goodwin. Just give him a call when you want to leave." Ian immediately