MasukBarlin frowned at Cicero's arrangements. "Why not board at port directly? Why in the open sea?"Cicero had no choice but to explain patiently, "Currently, only research vessels from various countries are at port for resupplying before heading to the South Pole. There are just no commercial ships you can board."Moreover, the research vessels are usually sent by nations with strong economies or political power. Try to board one by force, and your face will be marked forever. It's a huge risk." Barlin shrugged. "Easy—I've even planned it all out on my way here. My Reiki is strong enough to bend their minds.""Yes, but that's only the easy part," Cicero countered. "The hard part is all the cameras and security equipment covering the port and the ship. You risk being seen just showing up at port, and if they find you suspicious, they can track you back to Buenos Aires, or even the Society's base near the city. It's just too dangerous for everyone."Barlin was silent for a while, even
Charlie hence texted Merlin. [Keep both eyes on him. And keep me posted.][Yes, Mr. Wade.]At the airport, Barlin finally heard the boarding announcement after waiting alone for forty minutes.Merlin quickly checked his flight and then informed Charlie.[The third elder is heading to Ushuaia, the southernmost city of Argentina.""Ushuaia?"Charlie was at once puzzled, as he wondered why the last elder would come to Ushuaia… Could he be tracking Charlie?Still, Charlie dismissed the thought.If the Qing Eliminating Society had really found his trail, they would also know that he had brought Vera, Ruby, and Penny with him—three targets high on their most wanted list. In that case, would they only send one elder? All three would be banding up and hunting to prevent any surprises.And if the elder wasn't coming after them, that meant he was going to Ushuaia for some other reason.Charlie wasn't worried about that either, as long as the elder's destination wasn't Antarctica… In
When the air stewardess returned to remind Bosco it was time to board his flight, he stood up, bowing his head at Barlin and Bowen. "See you in a year, brothers!"They both smiled and wished him, "Good luck!" Bosco smiled back. "Thank you. I wish you both the best of luck as well!"With that, he turned and followed the air stewardess out of the VIP lounge.With him gone, Bowen asked, "So? How long do you plan to stay in Antarctica? Do you have a next stop in mind?"Barlin replied casually, "Not at the moment. I'll just see how it goes."Bowen laughed, "If you ask me, you shouldn't bother with Antarctica. Why don't you come with me to America? People always called America paradise, a nation of indulgence and decadence. Now that you have a year to yourself, why not enjoy it? Lady Fleur only told us to go looking for anything we can use, but nothing about producing results. So? What do you think?"Barlin shook his head and chuckled, "Never liked crowds. I'm not about to indulge wh
Just because you reached a certain point in cultivation, the Cosmic Order would somehow strike you with lightning to assess if you were really worthy?If there really were a Cosmic Order, it would be busy dealing with millions of galaxies, trillions of stars, and countless planets throughout the universe. In short, they were way too busy for some insignificant lifeform on one of those countless planets. Honestly, whatever made those cultivators think they were worthy of the Cosmic Order's attention?Indeed, Barlin believed that the so-called "Trial" was more like a cultivator meeting the minimum requirements for selection. The judges simply noticed you and are giving you a shot at a better prospect, while the lightning bolts were an appraisal and nothing more.Survive, and they open the portal for you to perhaps join their ranks. And then once again you find yourself a nobody, caught at the bottom of an entirely new hierarchy.After all, there was always a bigger fish.That was
"If the myth is true, it'd definitely be the Monkey King," Bosco replied without hesitation. "Born immortal and then ascending as Buddha? There's no disputing his godhood."Barlin nodded in agreement. "Exactly. If the Monkey King is real, he's a divine Buddha—a class above even immortals."Pausing, his tone shifted as he continued, "Now, have you considered that the Monkey King's somersault cloud only covers the distance of 37,000 miles? Even if we're talking about 37,000 miles per second, it would only be about one-fifth of the speed of light. "In other words, even if the Monkey King—already divine—could only manage that much, the cultivators who are a class beneath would never reach the same level of ability. Since the Monkey King is a far more enlightened being anyway, all the centuries they spent in cultivation only end up with them falling short. So tell me, is spending hundreds of years cultivating a blessing or a torment?"The other two elders could swear they got tinnitus
Barlin nodded, and warned, "You must be extremely careful while you're interacting with modern society, as there's this CIWS thing that reduced one of our best men to mincemeat. Tarlon was saying that nonsense will chase you down while also being too fast to outrun, even changing directions if you did. It would have seen you before you got too close, and would have launched dozens—if not hundreds of shells straight at you. No human being stands a chance."The other two elders nodded repeatedly—in fact, the more they learned about modern technology, the less faith they had in dharmic cultivation.Pausing, Barlin sighed out loud again. "I'll be honest. Before I went into seclusion, I thought I would have nothing to fear once I stepped out… Only for us to improve in cultivation, but the world also improved even more in just a hundred years. "Think about it, a hundred years ago, a cannonball could at most destroy a small boat or a house. Just 80 years ago, a bomb could level an entire
Charlie asked, “So, Dad, do you have any plans?”He did not know what Jacob was thinking at this moment. Seeing Jacob’s sorrowful expression, he assumed that Jacob might want to lend Lady Wilson a helping hand.Jacob simply sighed and said, “As her son, it breaks my heart to see my own mother living s
Seeing Harold in such a miserable state, Hannah could not help but shed tears and said, “Harold, I’m sorry but my hands are tied. We have nothing edible at home and Donald’s men have taken everything that we can trade for money. Where can I find you something to eat…”Wendy cried, “Mom, why don’t I g
Carmen never expected that Charlie would dare to talk to her like that!Moreover, when she heard him say that he had the right to inherit a quarter of the Wade family’s assets, she was enraged in an instant!Thus, she shouted sternly, “B*stard! You think too highly of yourself! Inheriting a quarter of
Nanako asked again, “Charlie-kun, what are you going to do, then?”Charlie smiled as he said, “I am planning to beat them at their own game.”“Beat them at their own game?” Nanako asked in surprise, “Charlie-kun, how are you going to do that?”Charlie smiled as he said, “Reuben and his father think tha







