Sebastian had just left the room when he heard Rupert's roar of fury behind him.Leopold's gaze swept coldly over Rupert. He huffed quietly and turned to rush out of the room and go after Sebastian.As Rupert watched Sebastian and Leopold walk off, he clenched his fists tightly and ground his teeth.Those two charlatans had just left him there! He could not endure such treatment!At that thought, Rupert turned and said to a black-clad bodyguard behind him, "Send someone to investigate that Ballard's background. I'd like to see if that cocky young brat can withstand my wrath!""Yes, sir!" The black-clad bodyguard answered before going off to carry out his orders.…Leopold soon caught up with Sebastian. "Mr. Ballard, please don't misunderstand. I didn't accept the Astro International case for money. It's just that people kept dying on that construction site. I couldn't stand seeing any more innocent workmen die tragically, so I—"Sebastian nodded slightly. From the way Leopold h
Sebastian took less than 30 minutes to complete the interview. The middle-aged man who had come to apply for the job of factory director was named Brock Harley. He had extensive experience in management and had also brought up several constructive suggestions of his own. After Sebastian studied the proposals that Brock had submitted, he immediately made a decision and told Brock to start work at the factory that very afternoon. Brock thanked Sebastian profusely and tidied his things up before rushing over to the Northside pharmaceutical factory at once.Before Sebastian left, he called Seth Friar at the factory and told him briefly about Brock before heading to the convenience store.The moment he entered, Whitney hurried up to him and asked, "Sebastian, how did the interview go? Does Brock have the qualifications of a director?"Sebastian handed Brock's résumé to Whitney and said, "He used to manage a large pharmaceutical company in another state, and he also suggested a few
Upon seeing Whitney staring nervously at him, Sebastian told her everything that Drew had said.When she heard that Shannon was still missing, Whitney breathed out a long sigh of relief. For Sally and her family, no news was good news. At least it was better than hearing that Shannon had been one of the dried corpses."Sebastian, I think I need to tell Uncle Nelson the news personally. I won't stay over tonight," Whitney said, watching Sebastian's reaction closely. When Sebastian only nodded impassively, Whitney smiled wryly and turned to go and pack her things inside the room.In the past, Sebastian would definitely have asked if she needed him to go with her. At the very least, he would have shown her more concern. However, he really only treated her like a business partner now, being all aloof and impassive.After watching Whitney's car drive off, Sebastian exhaled and turned to go to his inner room. "My lord…" Nina suddenly called out hesitantly to him.Sebastian turne
"Who the hell are you calling a country bumpkin?" Hans was furious. He pointed at Jensen and shouted, "You must have a death wish!"Jensen ignored him and went straight to Ethan. He hugged him affectionately and said, "I congratulate you in advance for your success, Mr. Whitehall."Ethan burst into laughter and said, "Thank you for those kind words, Jensen."Realizing that he had been ignored completely, Hans balled up his fists and gritted his teeth. "If it wasn't for the fact that I don't want to affect Mr. Ballard's reputation, I'd bring my men over to chop him into pieces right now!"Beside him, Theodore rolled his eyes. His brow furrowed as he asked, "Hans, do you know who he is?""Who?"Theodore looked somber as he said, "He's the notorious Jensen Donovan, known for being bold enough to trick even the Rothblends! It's said that his riches are equal to that of a nation, and the Donovans actually have several world-renowned assassin organizations on their payroll."Hans brok
"Mr. Ballard got here in advance and snuck quietly into the audience seats because he didn't want to attract too much attention," Eugene said to Hans. "If we mess things up for him, can you bear the responsibility?"Hans pursed his lips awkwardly and lowered his head as he followed the others into the venue.…Sebastian and Rosalie were seated in the audience. They ate popcorn as they watched Ethan and his cronies.Elara was seated in the row behind Sebastian and Rosalie. She leaned over to Sebastian and pointed to Emil, who was following behind Ethan. "Sebastian, the guy with the Yutarian saber is Emil," she said. 'I heard from my mother that he's killed many of Dramon's martial arts practitioners over the past few years. Even Mr. Lombart of the Zen Sect was almost killed by him.""Oh? That's him?" Sebastian narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Emil.He had chosen to sit unnoticed in the audience because he wanted to get to know the opponents that he was about to face.Although
Grant shook his gleaming sword at Emil. "I'm Grant Lake from the Warrior League!"Emil looked sideways at him and smiled stiffly as he said, "I see that it's an abandoned dog!"Grant's expression darkened at once. He had once been one of the elders of the Summit Sword Sect.However, the Summit Sword Sect had been destroyed 20 years ago through the joint efforts of the Martial Arts Association and over ten other sects.After that, Grant had become lost without a sect. He had only been brought to the Warrior League after he met Derek.Emil was pouring salt into his wound! How could Grant not be angry?"You Yutarian rat! I can cut off your head with just one hand!" Grant shouted and glared angrily at Emil."With one hand?" Emil laughed loudly. He fondled the hilt of his saber and scoffed as he shook his head slightly. "How dare an abandoned dog like you speak so arrogantly?"Emil's figure flashed at an unnatural speed as he shot toward Grant. He moved so fast that his shadow seeme
Soon, Emil was forced into the corner of the arena. Just as everyone thought that he was sure to die, his voice suddenly traveled through space."Dramon's sword techniques are much too showy. Today is the day you die, Grant Lake!"When he finished, Emil suddenly seemed to split into several versions of himself. Over ten flickering shadows surrounded Grant in an instant.Grant's heart sank, feeling like death was approaching.Before he could recover his senses, the shadows merged into one once more. This time, Emil appeared behind Grant.Before Grant could turn, Emil had thrust his saber into his back!Grant's heart sank. At the same time, he flung his sword backward instinctively to shield his vulnerable back.The sound of metal colliding echoed in the arena, and the furious energy formed a gigantic shock wave that exploded behind Grant!Grant spat out a huge mouthful of blood, and the shock wave sent him flying out of the arena!One could have heard a pin drop in the silence
"That Yutarian is too cocky!" Elara exclaimed. She was pale with anger when she saw that the Warrior League had lost so badly and gritted her teeth.Rosalie tucked her hair behind her ear and frowned as she looked at Sebastian. "Sebastian, that Yutarian slave had clearly already been forced into a corner. How did he appear behind Mr. Lake all of a sudden?"Sebastian laughed softly and said in a calm tone, "There are two reasons for that. Firstly, Mr. Lake was affected by his anger. Secondly, Mr. Lake must have been poisoned with something that would affect his eyes through the liver meridian as soon as he gets angry!"What? Rosalie and Elara were stunned by what Sebastian had said. Affect his eyes through the liver meridian? The two organs were completely unrelated, weren't they?"Mr. Ballard, I… I don't quite understand what you mean," Elara said, looking thoroughly confused."The liver gets its stimulation from the eyes. It's recorded clearly in the classics of medicine. If yo
Samson glanced at Sebastian. He took a deep breath and said to Arnaud, "Thank you for sparing me, Uncle Arnaud."He gave Sebastian a few final reminders before leaving the hall with Preston.Once they were gone, Arnaud pointed at Duo and said to Sebastian, "Tell him to leave too."Sebastian waved a hand at Duo."I'll wait for you at the entrance, my lord," Duo said. "If anything happens, I'll be here as soon as you call!"He gave Arnaud a cold look before striding out of the hall.Arnaud watched him leave and smiled approvingly. He beckoned to Sebastian. "Come, sit!"Sebastian didn't hesitate. He crossed the hall and sat in the chair opposite Arnaud."Do you know why I asked Andreas to bring you back here?" Arnaud asked impassively. Sebastian shook his head expressionlessly. He said in a cold voice, "It's probably because of the emerald token in my father's possession."Apart from using him and Whitney as leverage against Samson, he couldn't think of any other reason.Arnau
"The Blessed Child! The Blessed Child has finally come to our family!"The black-robed old man who had been sitting beside Arnaud stood up, looking pleased. He couldn't hide his excitement as he turned to Arnaud and said, "Arnaud, our family is going to prosper!"Only Rexton and Milton looked extremely displeased. Braxton and Roland looked pained, as if they had lost something of great value. They were practically thumping their chests in regret!The Blessed Child had been foretold by one of the heads of the family centuries ago. No matter how far the Ballards declined, the prophecy said that after a few hundred years, a Blessed Child would appear—someone who could lead the family's revival!The only proof of the Blessed Child was for him to enter a master-servant oath with a Devora."Prosper? What a joke!" Hugo scoffed, holding Virtus firmly. "Weren't you all just clamoring about killing the two of them?"At Hugo's words, Arnaud's expression changed slightly. "When did I say tha
"Hugo!"Arnaud, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide. He eyed Hugo with a conflicted expression as he asked, "Have you forgotten the agreement the Thornes made with us ten years ago?"Hugo smiled coldly and put one hand behind his back. "That was the agreement you made with the Thornes. I'm only following Ms. Thorne's orders to protect Samson and find the emerald token. If Samson dies in this battle, how am I supposed to explain that to her?"He pointed at Sebastian and added, "He's Ms. Thorne's flesh and blood. Your family has no right to punish him! If the Ballards insist on killing them today, don't blame me for going on a killing spree!"When Hugo had finished, Sebastian finally realized that Hugo was from Isabella's family and that he had stayed at the Ballard Estate to protect Samson.It was clear that Isabella hadn't held a grudge toward Samson. In fact, she had sent an expert to stay behind to protect him in case anything happened.Arnaud's
Sebastian threw his head back in laughter. He strode forward, standing in the center of the hall, and said coldly. "Ungrateful? How could you have the audacity to say such a thing?"Even if I'm surrounded by enemies, you Ballards can forget about making me submit! It's just death, after all. If I even blink, then I won't call myself a man!"Everyone there stared at Sebastian."How dare that brat be so cocky? If he's not punished, it'll be a disgrace to our family rules!""He should be given the death penalty!""It'll be a disaster if we just let him be, and it'll only bring trouble for our family. Please give the order, and we'll kill him at once!"The entire hall was in an uproar. Even Preston, who had been speaking up for Sebastian and Samson, sighed in resignation.Since Sebastian had already made his stance clear, Preston couldn't help even if he wanted to.Sebastian had roused the anger of everyone there, and Arnaud had closed his eyes and wasn't saying anything. He was cl
Sebastian was just about to step forward when Samson hastily waved a hand at him and said, "Sebastian, the grudges of the Ballard family from over ten years ago have nothing to do with you. Don't get involved!""But—"Sebastian's gaze sharpened as he turned to look at Milton. There was an icy glint in his eyes. Samson shook his head slightly at Sebastian. The Ballard Estate had at least ten experts at the eighth level of the Eldoria realm. At Sebastian's current level, trying to fight them would only bring him big trouble."Sebastian, one must learn how to adapt to the situation," Samson whispered into his ear using voice projection. "Today, I will exchange my legs for your and Whitney's freedom. Think of it as a payment for what I owe you and your mother."Sebastian clenched his fists tightly. He hated himself for being too weak. He couldn't even protect his own family in a place like the Ballard Estate, where many experts were gathered.However, he would never allow anyone to
"Do you accept it, Samson?" Arnaud asked harshly when he saw that Preston hadn't said anything else. He turned to look directly at Samson.Samson smiled bitterly and turned to look at Sebastian before raising his head to look at Arnaud, who was sitting high above them. He said, "Uncle Arnaud, I was the reason for everything that happened. I wish to ask you not to trouble Sebastian.""What are you talking about?" Preston was agitated. He stood up again and yelled, "There must still be an investigation about who was right and who was wrong. Why should they break your legs?"As he spoke, his eyes blazed with fury. He looked at the thin old man and said furiously, "Milton, you old bastard! How can you be so shameless at your age? Tell me! Did you embellish the story to Arnaud?""Uncle Preston!" Samson stopped him quickly and sighed slightly. "Forget it. It's my fault for bringing such huge trouble upon our family back then."I admit that I have let our family down. Since imprisoning m
As the man in the black robe yelled, the entire hall fell silent at once. The thin old man threw the black-robed old man a disgruntled look, but he returned obediently to his seat.Once the noise had died down, Preston stepped forward and swept an icy gaze over the crowd who were present. "You call yourself the elders of the family?"The monument of our ancestral dragon is right in front of you. How could you bully two young members of the family in front of it? Don't you feel any shame?"Besides, how dare you speak before Arnaud does?"After the harsh scolding they received from Preston, no one in the crowd dared to protest. Sebastian nodded involuntarily. It appeared that Preston did have influence in the Ballard family. At least no one had interrupted his scolding, including Arnaud and the man in the black robe.Preston huffed angrily and bowed to Arnaud, who sat in the middle. "Arnaud, I've brought Samson and Sebastian!"Preston went over to the chair next to the black-robe
"Sebastian, I won't be going in. Remember, don't say anything without being spoken to, and don't be impulsive!" Andreas said softly in Sebastian's ear when they reached the door to the hall. He then walked over to the crowd, which was packed on both sides of the hall.Samson and Preston walked into the hall without any change in expression. Sebastian hesitated for a moment before hurrying to catch up.When they reached the entrance, the two old men reached out to stop them and said to Preston, who was in the lead, "Preston, I'm afraid that it wouldn't be a good idea for you to go in. Everyone knows that you're biased toward Samson's family. If you get into an argument with Arnaud, then—""Nonsense!" Preston yelled furiously. He spoke in a menacing tone to the two old men. "Don't try those tricks with me. Today, I'm going to be the voice of reason. Who among you can do anything to me?"With that, he pushed them aside and strode into the hall.The two old men gazed after his ret
The Ballard Estate's resources were unfathomable as it was. Could Isabella's family be even more powerful than theirs?Sebastian clearly remembered that both he and Samson were under the Sacred Medicine Society. They even had the same mentor.The Sacred Medicine Society was above all the other mystic martial arts sects. Even the sect leaders of the Nine Sects were very respectful toward his mentor.If Samson really was from the same sect as Sebastian, then his mentor had clearly been unable to save him. Wouldn't that mean that the Sacred Medicine Society was no match for the Ballards?Wouldn't that mean that Isabella's family was an even greater entity?"If my mother's family is really that powerful, why couldn't they rescue my father? There would also be no reason to let me join the Sacred Medicine Society either, right?" Sebastian asked probingly. It seemed as if Andreas had never even thought about such questions. He smiled and shook his head. "You probably don't know about a