Bern stood up and pointed a trembling finger at Felix. "No one stop me! I'm going to beat this little show-off into a pulp right now!"However, no one even attempted to stop him! Deborah was laughing wholeheartedly, and Natalie was dumbfounded.This was Felix's first time refining an intermediate pill; he not only succeeded in three attempts but also made six pills? It was so terrifying that it was hard to describe. Yet, throughout all this, he was more worried about the outcome."Sit down, Bernie! You know nothing at all! My disciple has high ambitions. And here I thought he was as easily satisfied as you!"Deborah's eyes sparkled with joy. This was indeed her beloved disciple. She was also surprised by the success rate of his first intermediate refinement."Felix, making six pills on your first try has already broken the record of the alchemists of Martial City! If you don't believe me, you can ask old Bernie here how many pills he had made on his first try."Bern calmed down,
It was clear to Felix that Laura was struggling to live within the Larsson family. Despite not sharing her troubles with him, he could sense her discomfort from the get-go. It was telling that she didn't even have skilled bodyguards by her side, especially considering the size and influence of the Larsson family in North City. It was unthinkable for them not to provide proper protection for their direct kin.Mindy said, "I am here to inform you that Laura has been confined to the water dungeon due to her involvement in an inappropriate relationship with a member of our household staff. She will face execution in 30 minutes. "If you have already had any relations with her, consider yourself fortunate. It is acknowledged that she possesses considerable physical attractiveness. However, if not, then it is indeed unfortunate for you."Mindy left without saying another word. Felix's expression became stern and disapproving. It was absurd to accuse Laura of having an affair with a me
The locations of Harmony Clinic and the Larsson residence were in completely opposite directions. Jared speculated that at Felix's speed, there was no way he could make it to both places in time to save Laura. So, once Felix made his move, he was certain to go to the Larsson residence. To guarantee the success of this plan, Jared threatened one of Andrew's subordinates with life or death, forcing them to block all signals in the area surrounding Harmony Clinic.After all, Andrew held a high-ranking position in the city defense forces and had the power to make this happen. In Martial City, one of the four major cities under the rule of the royal family alongside Imperial City, various families held power and influence. However, they are all subordinate to the royal family, and their city defense forces are under their command.As time went by, in a courtyard belonging to the Larsson family in North City, Laura hung from a rope. Though she didn't show any visible signs of physical
At that moment, Felix became aware of Jared's presence and realized the situation. Jared rose from his seat as well. "Felix, I had a feeling you'd show up to rescue Laura. "That's why I informed the head of the Larsson family beforehand, anticipating your attempt to deceive them by posing as Madam Goddard's disciple."Laura, who was in the process of getting hung, desperately wanted to say something. However, she had been silenced and could not utter a single word. The look in her eyes displayed a silent plea for Felix to leave as soon as possible and not to worry about her. If they both stayed, they would never be able to escape. However, Felix ignored her and remarked coldly, "So, you don't believe me?"Jeremy's eyes narrowed as if he were staring at something beneath him. "So today you're Madam Goddard's disciple," he scoffed. "What about tomorrow? Will another kid come along and claim to be Mr. Earnhart's disciple? And what about the day after that? It's absurd, and here
Jeremy was known for his ruthless nature. With a flick of his hand, he sent an invisible force toward Mindy. She had no time to even scream before she collapsed in a pool of blood, her final sound unheard. Despite murdering his own family member, Jeremy acted as though it were no big deal and even managed to force a smile. "You can make one more request," he offered casually. Once again, Felix was reminded of the heartlessness of the inhabitants of Martial City. It was a place where strength equaled power. "Release Laura. From now on, she has no relation with the Larsson family."Jeremy waved his right hand again, and the ropes binding Laura snapped. She landed safely beside Felix. "Let's go," Felix said. With a deep exhale, Jeremy finally relaxed, only to come face-to-face with Jared. "Jeremy, I believe I'm owed an explanation, don't you think?" Jeremy narrowed his eyes at Jared. If this guy weren't the son of a high-ranking general in the city defense forces, he would ha
Deborah said, "Your words have brought back memories. That old man is cunning and sly. While I don't consider him a real threat, removing him won't be a simple task. "He comes from the royal lineage and holds a high position as the general of the city's defense forces. His demise would not go unnoticed by the royal family." Felix was smart, but Deborah's tone hinted that there was more to the story. It seemed like she still had some limitations in Martial City, and there were certain individuals she couldn't risk angering."But don't worry," Deborah reassured. "I can easily transfer him out of North City to ensure your safety while you’re here." With that taken care of, Deborah got down to business. "I've already submitted your application for the Intermediate Alchemy Assessment. It will take place in five days at Harmony Clinic's headquarters. Unfortunately, I won't be able to accompany you. I made a promise to an old friend to refine some pills for him. Your presence has cau
"Mr. Marlow, do you not like to drive or sit in cars?" Felix asked with curiosity while he and Dickson ran."I don't like that stuff. It's too high-profile. I prefer traveling by foot, unless I'm traveling in a group. And you should call me Dicky or Dickson instead. 'Mr. Marlow' sounds a little odd."Felix replied, "Sure. How about just 'Marlow' then?"Dickson gave Felix a funny look. "Interesting. Usually, those who are close to me call me Dicky or Dickson. But you're going for Marlow. Anyway, it doesn't matter to me."In reality, Felix felt rather awkward calling someone Dicky, due to its association with the modern slang."By the way, Marlow, where's the headquarters of Harmony Clinic?""It's at the top of Sumera Mountain—rich in herbs. We've gotten the green light from the royalty to build our clinic on that mountain. In fact, we have the right to the entire mountain!"Felix was surprised to learn that Harmony Clinic's headquarters was not set in Martial City. Still, if Harm
Dickson nodded and started to pick his nose. "Oh, this feels great. Well, an alchemist can help, but we have a problem. There are ten alchemists who can cultivate pills for the early-stage and middle-stage Transcendent Realm martial artists. It'll get harder from middle-stage to late-stage—only five alchemists are qualified. "For now, only Bern and Deborah have the ability to cultivate pills needed for mastering the Transcendent Realm. Even then, their success rates are dismally low—out of ten attempts, they're lucky if they manage to produce two pills."Huh? That sounded really incredulous."As an alchemist, you need to understand that the rarer the pills, the more precious the herbs required. Gathering the ingredients for one attempt at cultivation takes a lot of time, effort, and emeralds. Factor in the slim success rate, and you might walk away empty-handed. That's why so many have failed in their quest to conquer the Transcendent Realm."Felix sank deep into his thoughts. T
The reason Edmond dared to question Felix at all was that he was holding onto that one sliver of arrogance—he assumed Felix had only cured Christopher by pure luck, just because it happened to fall under his area of expertise.Otherwise, would he have even dared speak up? Not a chance.Once the silk threads were tied and tension filled the air, Felix spoke calmly after only a short pause. "Her Grace has a mild seasonal chill. It's nothing serious. I'll prescribe her some herbal blends—she'll recover within five days. Or, if she prefers a quicker route, acupuncture will do the trick."The Green King blinked, clearly stunned by the response. "You mean you can heal her without medication?""That's right. No medicine necessary." At the same time, a soft, melodic voice floated from behind the curtain. Sydney Haye said, "My love, that sounds perfect. You know I hate taking medicine. Please, Dr. Zeller, come in and begin the treatment."...15 minutes later, Felix stepped back out in
Joaquin was on the edge of madness. He wanted nothing more than to kill Felix right there, but he didn't dare risk the entire Goldstein family just to satisfy that rage. Disobeying a royal summons meant immediate execution—there was no bluffing around it.After taking a deep breath, Joaquin forced himself to put on a smile. "Dr. Zeller, then tell me—what exactly do you need in order to head to the Green King Manor?"Felix had seen this kind of groveling far too many times before. "Gras is right outside your estate. Go talk to him. The sooner you two reach an agreement, the sooner I'll leave for the manor.""What? Gras is here?" Only now did Joaquin realize just how thoroughly he had been played. Everything had been a setup from the beginning, and he had walked straight into the trap.Time ticked by, and eventually, Gras strolled into the courtyard. He said, "Dr. Zeller, the talk went well. How's the view treating you so far?" From the smile on Gras's face, it was clear he hadn't
Not far away, Wagner silently prayed with all his might. "Come on, Felix, don't back down now. Keep acting like a hothead—because only then will you die."As for any retaliation from the Longstone family, he wasn't the least bit concerned. Things had already gone too far, and Joaquin clearly wasn't about to back down. He would definitely find a reason to escalate the fight, and if that weren't the case, Wagner wouldn't have dared tag along tonight.Maybe his prayer actually worked, because Felix shook his head. "Sorry, I came here just to cooperate with your investigation. Anything beyond that… I won't do."Just as Wagner thought Felix had sealed his fate, someone suddenly rushed in, holding something in his hand. "Mr. Goldstein! We've got trouble—Green King Manor just sent a royal summons!""What?" Joaquin's expression twisted as he snatched the letter. A summons from one of the nine Minor Kings was no small matter—when it was issued, compliance was mandatory. Ignoring it meant
In the past, no one dared provoke a family war so openly as it would've been a blatant slap in the Green King's face. But this time, the Goldsteins had the upper hand. After all, Justus was dead, and the Longstone family was a prime suspect. Hence, even if blood were shed, it could still be justified.Joaquin knew this well. He also understood that Gras would never give up Felix for the sake of the Longstones' reputation, so even forcing the standoff served his purpose.Just as the tension reached its peak and a battle was about to break out, Felix stepped forward on his own. "You're the head of the Goldsteins, right? I'll go with you."Joaquin narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected Felix to boldly step forward."Dr. Zeller, please step back," Gras said.Felix glanced at Gras and said, "Thank you for everything, sir. But the truth will speak for itself. Once the investigation is done, I'm sure they'll let me return."Gras stayed silent, but Joaquin chuckled coldly. "Return? Do you
Ginny was naturally present as well, and she spoke up at that moment. "Mr. Goldstein, no one wanted to see Justus die like that. But why did you bring your people to Longstone residence? Are you suggesting that his sudden death has something to do with us?"Joaquin's expression grew darker as he looked at her. He blamed Ginny for this, thinking that none of this would have happened if she had just agreed earlier. And now, they couldn't even determine the cause of death."No connection? That doctor from your household, Felix Zeller—he's the one responsible for Justus' death."Right then, someone spoke up from the crowd. "That's him! That's Felix Zeller!"Felix, who had been calmly sitting in a chair, finally saw Wagner standing among them. And in that moment, everything made sense."Wagner? You've gotten quite bold, huh?" Gras sneered.Wagner flinched at Gras's words, but remembering that he now had the Goldsteins backing him, he stiffened his spine and stood tall. "Cut the crap
In Cloud City, there were a few noble families. Nonetheless, behind the polite smiles, tensions surged. Infiltrating each other's estates with spies had practically become a tradition. While they rarely uncovered major secrets, the information they did gather always gave them a head start.So when the news broke, Gras didn't doubt it for a second. He jumped to his feet, furious. "This is outrageous! Their son dies, and somehow it's the Longstone family's fault?"Ryker looked just as puzzled, agreeing that the accusation made no sense.But Felix let out a quiet, weary sigh. "Mr. Longstone, I'm afraid this is probably my fault. I'm a doctor, and I've gotten a bit of attention lately. After they failed to determine the cause of Justus' death, and given our meeting earlier today, they likely saw an opportunity to drag your family into the mess." Gras's expression darkened, knowing that Felix wasn't wrong. After all, doctors could also be poisoners, and plenty of martial artists had fa
It was clear someone had said something to Justus. Otherwise, this situation wouldn't have escalated to this point.Felix said calmly, "It was a standard therapeutic massage technique, and I was blindfolded the entire time. Does that explanation satisfy you? Or would you rather find someone else capable of treating Ms. Longstone—I'll gladly step aside if you can."Justus sneered, his eyes filled with disdain. "Cut the crap, Felix. Don't act like I don't know exactly what's going through your head. Ginny's the heiress of the Longstone residence—Gras's precious jewel. Everyone knows that marrying her is like securing the entire household. Don't tell me that thought never crossed your mind.""It didn't," Felix said simply.Unfortunately, that answer was never going to satisfy Justus. He snarled, "Listen up, boy! I'm giving you three days to get the hell out of the Longstone residence. If you don't, you won't even get the chance to regret it. Everyone else might be afraid of Gras—but I
As Wagner watched Justus explode in rage, he felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. With what he'd just uncovered, there was no need to exaggerate—it was already explosive enough on its own.After all, Justus' future fiancée was touched in that kind of intimate way by a young, healthy doctor. Any man with a spine would lose it."But Justus," Wagner added with a smirk. "Didn't Felix just get publicly praised by the Green King?"Cloud City wasn't that big. Anyone with any influence had been keeping close tabs on Green King Manor—especially with the mystery man who walked out of Desolated Lands involved. So, the news of Felix being rewarded had already spread far and wide.Justus clenched his jaw. "So what? It's just a flash in the pan. If he was truly skilled, the Green King would've kept him. But as long as he hasn't climbed into the Green King's inner circle, I can crush him whenever I want."Wagner's grin widened. That was exactly the attitude he needed. If Justus had shown
The moment the Flame Monarch mentioned the Healer Sage, the Green King's expression shifted noticeably. "So the Sage really was living out there in seclusion... No wonder. Flame Monarch, does this mean you've taken a liking to Felix?"But the Flame Monarch waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need for that."That response made the Green King secretly rejoice. If the Flame Monarch didn't intend to recruit Felix, then he understood why—and that was perfect. It meant the opportunity to take Felix under his own wing was wide open.The night passed quietly. Felix stood beside Christopher's bedside, noticing the man's breathing had grown steady and stable.At this point, the herb had run its course and was no longer effective. But what was left inside Christopher's soul—a strange, lingering force—was exactly what Felix had hoped for.Christopher was alive but completely unconscious. The remaining energy had no regenerative properties, which meant he'd likely never wake again. For Fe