Sebastian had also heard the host's question, and he froze momentarily before quickly regaining his composure.Whitney hesitated and took a deep breath before she replied coldly, "As his ex-wife, I hope that he'll be qualified for the next round but as an audience member, I don't think he will."The audience chattered excitedly at her answer, and the livestream audience also started spamming the comments."I also think the same!""Even his ex-wife doesn't believe in him! Where did he get the balls to compete?""I bet that he's going to be disqualified!"At the same time, in the rest area, Henrietta frowned as she watched Sebastian. The manner in which he was formulating the medicine was nothing like she had ever seen before."Does he really know how to formulate medicine?" Henrietta wondered to herself.Inside the hall, in the VIP section, Timothy watched Sebastian with a frown. After that, he turned to Zeke to ask, "Mr. Fisher, are you sure he's a genius?"Zeke looked a bit e
Sebastian was nothing but a liar!In the end, Whitney looked away from Sebastian and gave Rosalie a sidelong glance. Her gaze didn't go unnoticed by Rosalie, who locked eyes with her and smiled.Just then, the camera panned to Rosalie, causing the crowd to be whipped into a frenzy again."OMG! Another goddess!""Ms. Griffin's beauty is out of this world!""But… why do I feel like there's something suspicious about her gaze toward Sebastian?The host asked with a smile, "Ms. Griffin, I heard that Sebastian is your friend. Do you think he has a chance to be qualified for the next round?"Rosalie smiled before she turned her attention to Sebastian and to the final light that was still on. "Even if all the lights have been extinguished, I still believe that he can qualify for the next round!" she declared.After that, Rosalie raised her chin haughtily at Whitney.Whitney scowled, and the both of them locked eyes, neither of them willing to back down.The audience descended into
The crowd went wild at that.All four lights had been extinguished. What more was there to see?The four mentors also frowned before they started discussing amongst themselves.Crystal mocked, "Why hasn't that idiot given up yet? He's just embarrassing himself by staying on stage.""Mrs. Suttpm, it's better for us if he's humiliated!" Mabel exclaimed.Crystal nodded at that with a smirk.Whitney couldn't bear to watch on anymore, so she got up and rushed to the side of the hall.She then picked up the microphone and yelled, "Sebastian! That's enough! How much longer do you plan to make a fool of yourself?" She continued angrily, "Don't you find it embarrassing? Why can't you just admit that you can't do it?"Sebastian frowned and locked eyes with Whitney before he asked, "You think I'm making a fool of myself?""Are you not?" she challenged. "All four lights are extinguished! Is this how you plan on proving yourself to me? You're nothing more than an attention-seeking clown!
After that, Whitney took a seat with a huff.Rosalie smiled and turned to the four mentors before she said, "As the main organizer of this program and competition, I humbly ask that the four mentors respect each and every contestant."Since Sebastian managed to formulate a pill, could the four mentors please judge it?" she asked.The four mentors exchanged a look before eventually nodding."Alright, we will respect every contestant," Eddard said. "However, Ms. Griffin, we will be judging him more strictly than the rest. So, if he gets a low mark, I hope you understand."Rosalie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a smile. "I believe in him."After that, she walked off the stage while the four mentors walked on stage to judge the pill."Mr. Cosgrove, do you want to go first?" Roberto asked with a smile.Eddard frowned but replied, "Alright, I'll go first."After that, he examined the pill before sniffing it. His distasteful expression slowly shifted as he sniffed it and
After a moment of silence, the audience gave a loud round of applause. Everyone stood up from their seats and clapped for Sebastian as they cheered loudly.Whitney and the others, who were in the VIP seats, were puzzled."This is impossible! How could this be? This is only the first competition! How did Sebastian get the Golden Buzzer from the judge?" Fergus shouted in disbelief.Crystal chimed in and said, "There must be something fishy going on! I think Ms. Griffin somehow bribed the four judges!""That must be it! Sebastian is such a useless piece of shit! He was eliminated but after Ms. Griffin went on stage, the four judges pressed the Golden Buzzer… There must be something wrong!" Mabel was shouting anxiously as well. She even rushed straight to the production crew and grabbed the microphone. "Something fishy is going on! I suspect there is bias in this competition. "The lights were extinguished, and he was about to be eliminated, so why did he suddenly get the Golden Buz
"What if I vouch for him?"As the words fell, all eyes in the room converged below the stage.A venerable figure with snowy white hair, clad in a white suit, swiftly entered while being escorted by several staff members.As soon as the elder entered, many people in the audience recognized him."Damn! It's Randall, the esteemed Mr. Salvatore!""The luminary of the Steinberg medical community! My dad was treated by him.""A few years ago, during the Steinberg epidemic, Mr. Salvatore led a team at the risk of their lives to stabilize the situation! This person is the savior of all of us in Steinberg! He's amazing!""Amazing indeed. If anyone dares to speak ill of Mr. Salvatore, I'll be the first to take them down!"In the livestream, there was a cacophony of comments, with people commenting, "Legend!"As for Mabel, she watched Randall step onto the stage. She furrowed her brow as if she wanted to say something but ultimately swallowed her words.She couldn't say a single bad thi
Whitney's face darkened, and she frowned, giving Sebastian a sharp look. "Why do you always have to talk back to me? Sebastian, do you really hate me so much? Do we really have to end up like this, like enemies?"Sebastian's expression changed, and he laughed mockingly. "Ms. Sutton, you must be mistaken. It's not me who wants to be your enemy. Don't you know the reason behind all of this?""Why you!" Whitney was furious, and she clenched her hands into fists. She glared at him and said, "Fine! Don't you want to prove yourself? I'm going to see how you do it!"With that, Whitney stomped her feet and turned to leave.However, Rosalie suddenly spoke up, "Ms. Sutton, please wait.""What's the matter, Ms. Griffin?" Whitney turned back around and looked at Rosalie arrogantly.Whitney was unhappy with the fact that Rosalie went up the stage and said that she wanted to pursue Sebastian. She saw Rosalie as her rival.Rosalie touched her hair and smiled as she hooked her arm around Seba
"No," Sebastian replied.The host frowned. He felt that Sebastian lacked emotional intelligence, and his answer didn't contribute any dramatic effect to the show. Hence, the host decided to ask, "Ms. Ballard, do you have anything to say to your ex-wife?"Everyone was instantly interested in the gossip, and there was even a commotion in the livestream comments."Gosh, the host is stirring up trouble.""This is getting interesting! Tea time!""I came for the competition, and now it's a love-hate story."After all, everyone still remembered what Whitney had said before.The host's question started the show with this as the first topic.Sebastian frowned and glanced at the host. Then, his gaze turned toward Whitney, whose face was cold and distant. He hesitated and thought if he had anything he wanted to say. There seemed to be none, but at the same time, there was.When Sebastian was still hesitating, Whitney's face turned calm and void of any emotions. Only her gaze was a li
Whitney perked up at Sebastian's question. "It's all because you ran into the two monsters that day," she said. "I saw it on the surveillance footage. That was when I realized that the two women living in the store don't have that kind of relationship with you…"Whitney had never asked, and Sebastian hadn't bothered to explain who Nina and Lyanna were. That was why she had mistakenly thought that both of them were Sebastian's lovers as well.Realization had only dawned on her when she heard Nina address Sebastian as her master, even in her dying breath. Whitney had seen how powerful Nina was that day and how she had been willing to die in order to protect Sebastian.Nina and Lyanna weren't Sebastian's lovers. They were his servants. Not only that, Nina was a thousand-year-old giant snake!That had completely changed Whitney's view of the world. Although there had always been legends of mystical beings and ghosts, Whitney was an accomplished businesswoman who believed firmly in sc
Sebastian laughed wryly and shook his head. "I'm not from the Ballard Estate," he said. "My name is Sebastian, and it's better if my cousin weren't seen around me too much.""Oh, you're Sebastian."The two young women breathed a long sigh of relief. They looked him up and down for a long time before exchanging a glance. Then, they covered their faces and giggled.One of them stepped forward and said, "Come with me. Honestly… you seem pretty normal. I don't get why Ms. Sutton is yearning for you so much."Sebastian cleared his throat awkwardly and said nothing.The young woman led Sebastian into the house, where Whitney was sitting and reading a book intently. She said, "Ms. Sutton, look who's here."Whitney put down her book and looked up. When she saw Sebastian behind the young woman, she was both surprised and delighted. She got up and threw herself into Sebastian's arms."Sebastian, is it really you?"The young woman covered her face and chuckled before leaving the room sile
Sebastian watched Andreas leave and exhaled deeply. Preston wasn't the only one he didn't trust. No one in the Ballard Estate was worthy of his trust, including Andreas.Once Andreas had completely disappeared, Sebastian beckoned to the woods in the distance and said, "Come out!"In a flash, Duo appeared at his side. "My lord, why didn't you wipe out those people in the hall today?" he asked.Duo clenched his fists tightly, and there was a murderous look simmering in his eyes. Although he hadn't been in the hall, he had clearly heard everything the Ballards had said.Anyone who disrespected his master deserved death!Besides, neither Sebastian nor Duo would have had to lift a finger to kill them. All they had to do was to crush the Tribulation Avoidance Charm and trigger the divine tribulation. Once it descended, no one in the hall would have lived to tell the tale, including Arnaud."If we become hostile with the Ballards, it'll be almost impossible for us to leave in peace. Now
"It all comes back to Uncle Samson," Andreas said. "Great Uncle Arnaud already told you he'd let Uncle Samson have his freedom if you find the other emerald token, but then he brought up the marriage alliance. "It directly affects whether or not Uncle Samson can regain his freedom. So, why don't you think about it?"With a quiet chuckle, Andreas walked toward a grove of peach trees to the west.Realization finally dawned on Sebastian. Arnaud was a shrewd man. He wouldn't slip up like that. Besides, although the Ballards and the Yeomans had established a marriage agreement, they hadn't named specific individuals, only that the Blessed Child of the Ballards would fulfill it.The Blessed Child bore the duty of guiding the Ballards to revival. In other words, the emerald token would be better off falling into the Blessed Child's hands rather than anyone else's.Could it be that the final emerald token was with the Yeomans? If that were true, why hadn't the Ballards used their pow
"I'm sorry, but I have no interest in becoming the head of the Ballard family," Sebastian said impassively. "I only want my father to be freed."Arnaud's expression changed slightly, but his tone remained neutral as he said, "It's Braxton who owes you and your mother, not the entire family. Why must you do this?"Sebastian let out a cold snort. It was true that Braxton had been the one who had kicked them out, but weren't the true culprits the elders of the Ballard Estate?"If there's nothing else, I'd like to see Whitney," Sebastian said, rising slowly to his feet. As soon as he mentioned her name, Arnaud waved a hand at him and said, "Don't be in such a rush, Sebastian. Whitney is safe. The Ballards would never harm a frail woman."He added, "However, there's something I want to ask you. Is Whitney still your wife?"Sebastian frowned. "Whether she is or isn't, what business is that of the Ballards?""Of course it is," Arnaud replied firmly. "The Ballards and the Yeomans of
Arnaud led Sebastian into a secret room deep within the Hall of the Ancestral Dragon. Once inside, Sebastian saw a Cosmic Orbit Diagram. It was exactly the same as the records in the Sacred Medicine Secret Annals.However, the Ballards' Cosmic Orbit Diagram was divided into different sections. It looked even more three-dimensional."This is the Cosmic Orbit Diagram passed down through our family for generations," Arnaud said proudly. "The one that the Sacred Medicine Society has is just a copy."The legacy of the mystic arts in Dramon almost all came from the Ballards.The Ballards had withheld some things back then as well. As a result, all the legacies of the various secular sects only had incomplete Cosmic Orbit Diagrams. It was why there were very few experts at the fifth level of the Eldoria realm and above.Afterward, Arnaud led Sebastian into a library. Thousands of technical legacies lined the shelves. Sebastian flipped through them. The techniques recorded there were
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