"Ms. Trott, what did you say? One billion dollars? Are you saying Ms. Avila is ready to invest that much in me?""No kidding!" Maggie rolled her eyes.Matthew was dumbfounded. Then, he immediately flushed with excitement, his body trembling.One billion dollars! Good Lord! If he were to just put it in the bank and live off the interest, he would be set for life!"I've said all I need to say. Think it over carefully. But remember my advice. Ms. Avila doesn't like delays. Act quickly, or you'll miss the once-in-a-lifetime chance to leap into greatness.""Okay, okay. Thank you, Ms. Trott. I'll treat you to a scrumptious meal sometime."Matthew hurriedly left the building and got into the car. He couldn't wait to call Jacob. "How did it go? Did it work out?" Jacob asked.From his tone, it was clear that Jacob was nervous, his voice slightly trembling with anticipation."Dad, file for bankruptcy immediately. Shut down the company and clear out all the junk."Jacob was stunned. "Y
"You're treating me to a meal?" Gideon asked."You saved me and stopped Matthew from assaulting me. Isn't it normal for me to thank you by treating you to a meal? Let's go." Elara gestured for him to follow.Rubbing his nose, Gideon felt a little puzzled. He couldn't figure out what she was up to.Since when did she become so polite? She even knew how to show gratitude, huh?They entered a high-end clubhouse and headed straight upstairs to the sixth floor.As they walked, Gideon sensed something wasn't quite right. The clubhouse was extremely luxurious, and the costs were undoubtedly sky-high. Elara couldn't possibly afford a private room on the sixth floor.A cacophony of loud laughter and voices filled the air when the door was pushed open."Ella, you're here!" A well-dressed young man approached her with a smile."And this must be Gideon! Mr. Snow, right? I've heard so much about you." The young man extended his hand toward Gideon.Gideon shook his hand, thinking it wou
Elara's heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She lowered her head and couldn't bring herself to look at Gideon.However, the rich heirs in the room were not about to let this slide.In the past, they had to look up to Gideon. Now that the Snow family had fallen, they were not going to miss the chance to humiliate him."Did I say you could leave?" One of the rich heirs stepped in front of Gideon to block his path."Move!" Gideon barked coldly.The heir was startled for a moment before flying into a rage. "Why the hell are you acting up? Do you think you're still the high-and-mighty heir of the Snow family?"With that, he swung his hand to slap Gideon across the face.Gideon caught the man's arm, and with a sudden, crushing grip, a loud crack echoed through the room as the man's arm shattered.The rich heir's scream, like the wailing of a slaughtered pig, filled the room.Everyone was stunned.They stared in shock at the man's mangled and tw
"Cuff him!" the officer shouted sternly.Harold and the others looked on, pleased, while Elara was at a loss for what to do.Gideon was visibly displeased. Just as he was about to react, a cold voice rang out from outside the room, "What are you doing here?"Everyone turned to look.Harold was stunned for a moment. Then, he hurried forward. "Mr. Horne, it's you!"The newcomer was none other than Damian, the eldest son of the Horne family.Damian had been passing by and glanced into the private room. When he saw Gideon surrounded by police officers, his heart skipped a beat.The last time Gideon was arrested, the entire Goldspire was thrown into upheaval. If something like that happened again, the consequences would be unimaginable.Without hesitation, Damian stepped in to intervene. He cast a sidelong glance at Harold.He had heard of him before. Harold was a young entrepreneur and owner of a company in Goldspire. Although he might have been a promising youth, Damian didn't
Elara was disappointed. Just a moment ago, she thought that the Horne family and the Snow family had genuinely established a strong relationship, which was why Damian had stepped in to help Gideon.She hadn't expected it was only because the Horne family was a shareholder in the clubhouse.Damian simply didn't want an incident on his turf. It wouldn't look good, after all."Get lost!" Damian barked coldly.Harold and the others didn't dare linger."Wait a minute!"Damian's sharp tone froze Harold in place. He shivered and braced himself to ask, "Is there anything else, Mr. Horne?""Take him with you." Damian pointed to the unconscious young man on the couch."Yes, yes, of course." Harold called out to his companions, and together, they carried the injured man out of the clubhouse.Elara also left with them.Once the room was empty, Damian dropped his intimidating demeanor and turned into an eager subordinate, grinning as he said, "How did I do, Gideon?""You're pretty quic
Elara got into Damian's car."Ms. Seymour, where are you headed?" Damian asked."Home."Damian obediently started driving.Before long, she asked, "Mr. Horne, do you have cash on hand?""What's the matter? Are you short on money, Ms. Seymour?" he repliedShe said, "I've been eyeing a small apartment lately. The location is great, and I'm planning to buy it, but I'm a bit short on funds. Mr. Horne, could you lend me a little money?"He thought for a moment and asked, "How much?""300 thousand dollars," she said, holding up three fingers.Then, she added, "We may not have much of a connection, but for Gideon's sake, can you help me out just this once? I'll pay you back as soon as I can."Damian nodded. "No problem. It's 300 thousand dollars, not three million dollars. I can manage that. Let's exchange numbers, and you can send me your bank account details.""Thank you, Mr. Horne.""There's no need to be so formal," he replied casually while chuckling.For the Horne family, m
"It's Matthew. Ms. Avila has a high opinion of him…" Marion trailed off."Bullshit!" Arnold exclaimed angrily. "That worthless Matthew! Why does Rachel think so highly of him?"Marion was speechless.Elara was completely bewildered. Could this all be a figment of her imagination?Noticing the situation from upstairs, Kyla was overjoyed."Mom, I don't want to go through with the divorce with Gideon," Elara said unexpectedly.Kyla's smile froze, while Arnold and Marion were dumbfounded."What nonsense are you saying, Ella?""Mom, just listen." Elara scrambled to come up with an excuse. "With the Carter family declaring bankruptcy, I have no reason to divorce Gideon.""I can find plenty of other eligible bachelors for you," Marion insisted."Then, hold off on that until you've found someone I actually like. For now, I won't divorce Gideon."Arnold nodded. "Ella, I support you."He gave Marion a stern look when she seemed like she wanted to speak up again. After the situation w
"How did it happen?" Gideon asked."It was all that little bitch Kyla's doing! She pushed Ella down the stairs!" Marion ground her teeth in fury. "By the way, I'm calling the police to have that little bitch arrested. What she did was intentional harm, and she will be put in jail for it."Arnold halted Marion and said, "Wait! Let's not jump to any conclusions just yet. We don't know for sure if Kyla was the one who pushed her. We'll wait until Ella wakes up and get her side of the story."Marion's voice dripped with anger as she exclaimed, "How could you call yourself a father? Our daughter is in such a state, and yet you still defend that little bitch!"Gideon said, "Mrs. Seymour, Mr. Seymour is right. We need to figure this out clearly and avoid making false accusations. If Kyla was truly the one who pushed her, we can still involve the police at that time."Arnold said in a deep voice, "Keep quiet and don't make a fuss. This is a hospital."Marion felt extremely aggrieved.…
The old man didn't stop Gideon. Instead, he laughed weirdly from behind. "Young man, you're definitely screwed. You're getting thrown into hell.""What a nutjob!" Gideon pushed the nonsense out of his mind.The third floor didn't have many martial arts techniques, but the ones there were clearly high-level."Soaring Immortal's Blow." Gideon stumbled on one technique by chance. What surprised him was the name signed underneath—Annalise Jaeger."Did Mom create this secret technique?"He quickly grabbed the book and skimmed it. It turned out that the Soaring Immortal's Blow was incomplete. This was only a fragment of it. Even so, he could tell it was terrifyingly powerful."Mom was a badass." Gideon was seriously impressed.Annalise had left the royal family in her 20s, which meant this technique was created before that. She probably came up with it when she was still a teenager. She was a total prodigy and stunningly gifted.Edric's and the others' praise of Annalise was clearl
"It's no wonder they are a royal family. The heritage here is insane. There are so many resources." Gideon strolled through the Sutra Library, full of praise.Then, it hit him.He had built his own force, packed with world champions and elite soldiers. But in terms of martial arts resources, he had almost nothing. He lacked top-tier martial arts.He couldn't just hand out his own secret techniques. Even if he did, it would only be to his most trusted inner circle. There was no way it would be public."It looks like I need to start paying attention to this. It's time to stockpile martial arts techniques," he thought to himself.The Sutra Library had three levels. The first floor was all basic stuff. By the second, the quality shot up, and there were a few techniques Gideon found interesting.However, it didn't move him. Sure, it was interesting, but it wasn't enough.He headed toward the third floor and finally noticed an old, wiry man lying in front of the entrance."Even a pla
"That's because…" Clementia trailed off. A cold sweat broke out on her back.If she spilled that Gideon had just mentioned taking the family head position, the fallout would be huge. That was far more serious than any assault. The elders would come charging in, ready to kill."Clementia, go on.""Don't be scared, Clementia. We need him to apologize today.""The royal family cannot be insulted!"Seeing the younger generation yelling and shouting in the square, Gideon couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you all that bored? This has nothing to do with you. Get lost.""Insolence!""Arrogant bastard!"The hot-blooded youths were fired up.Gideon let out a cold snort. A sharp pressure swept over the entire square, instantly silencing everyone."You haven't trained your strength, but your mouths sure work fine. Be glad I'm not interested in the family head position. Otherwise, I'd show you what real discipline looks like."He glanced at Clementia.She immediately led Gideon away from
Gideon stared at Talia's retreating figure, lost in thought. He couldn't figure out what she was really up to.The position of the family head in the royal family was something prestigious and powerful, yet Talia was willingly handing it over. Something didn't add up.If something was too strange, there was probably a trap.Still, Gideon wasn't in a rush to leave. Since Talia had the idea to pass the family head position to him, he might as well collect some interest first. If there wasn't even a little interest, the offer had to be a fake.As he walked out of Daysia Tower, a graceful woman approached. Gideon recognized her. During the Martial Arts Tournament of the Eight Major Royal Families, she was the leader of the Jaeger royal family's younger generation. Her name was Clementia, if he remembered right."Mr. Snow, we meet again.""It's been a while. Ms. Jaeger, you've become even more beautiful.""You flatter me, Mr. Snow." Clementia smiled and added, "But it's you who des
"Then, why did you force my mother to leave?" Gideon questioned"No, no, you've got it wrong. Annie's leaving wasn't because of me. It was her choice. From the beginning, she never planned to fight me to be the family head. As soon as the struggle began, she quietly left with the Empyrean Atlas," Talia explained.Giden frowned slightly.Suddenly, Talia smiled. "Besides, if Annie hadn't left, she would've never met your father, and you wouldn't even exist, right?""I've been searching for my parents all this time. Do you have any leads?""None." Talia shook her head and sighed. "I want to find Annie just as badly as you do. But all these years, I've come up empty."Gideon, I've known for a long time that you're Annie's son, but I never made a move against you. That's because I hoped you might find her."Gideon didn't doubt this. With Talia's influence, confirming his identity would've been easy. Back when he was still weak, she could've captured or even killed him at any time.
"Wait here for me," Gideon said softly to Adrelda, then walked step by step into the main hall.Callan and the others were also waiting outside the hall.The hall was deep and imposing. Around it stood tall bronze pillars, carved with strange patterns. At the very end stood a majestic stone statue.The statue depicted a woman. It had one hand pointing skyward while the other held some kind of artifact as it gazed into the sky.Gideon instinctively guessed this was the founder of the Jaeger royal family, worshipped by generations of descendants.Beneath the solemn statue stood a throne. On the throne sat a stunning woman, upright and dignified, dressed in a lavish white phoenix robe.Gideon stopped walking. He stared straight at Talia, his expression slightly dazed.Talia looked just like Annalise—those eyes, that nose, and those brows. For a moment, Gideon thought the woman on the throne was the very mother he had longed for all these years.The hall was silent. Talia was als
Gideon stomped his foot.In an instant, it was as if he tapped into the Jaeger royal family's dragon vein. A dragon's roar shot straight into the sky."What the hell?" Callan and the others were shocked.The ancestral ground was shaking."This is bad. The dragon vein is acting up! What's going on?""Damn it!""Lady Thalia's meditating right now by the dragon vein. This will definitely disturb her. What do we do?"They couldn't wrap their heads around it. Why would the dragon vein suddenly act up?All of it was Gideon's doing. He used his inner core to link with the dragon vein, calling upon its power to boost himself.Faintly, a dragon phantom rose into the air behind Gideon."Destroy him." Gideon slowly threw out a punch.He wasn't being careless. Aside from not activating the Solar Titan Physique, he was giving it everything he had.The punch was stunning. The divine dragon soared into the sky, unstoppable.Countless bolts of lightning were instantly wiped out under the
"Thunder Tempesta Physique, huh? Yeah, it's strong. Being able to tap into nature's power is no joke." Gideon nodded to himself.Still, even now, he hadn't activated his Solar Titan Physique.Oscar barked, "Marshal Snow, I heard you've got the Solar Titan Physique. Go ahead. Activate it.""You know I have the Solar Titan Physique, and you're still this confident?"Oscar laughed. "This is Kitherglen. There are snowstorms and thunder rolling everywhere. This is not the best place for a solar-heavy physique like the Solar Titan Physique. However, my Thunder Tempesta Physique thrives in this."Gideon gave a calm smile. "These environmental factors can be ignored. As for whether I activate the Solr Titan Physique or not, it depends if you've got what it takes.""Arrogant fool!" Oscar roared.The next second, he stomped on a thunder dragon and charged like lightning.Instantly, he clashed with Gideon. The punch, laced with electricity, numbed Gideon's arm. Lightning tried to surge
Silence fell the moment those words dropped. Everyone turned to stone.Gideon just called Oscar a simp! It was insane!Adrelda's lips twitched. She was speechless but weirdly thrilled. She felt her blood pumping.Gideon was untouchable and untamed. Even the top ministers in court—Morgan, Samson, the Cabinet Elders—wouldn't dare to call Oscar a simp. As for Chase, it was even less likely for him to speak that crudely.However, Gideon had mocked Oscar ruthlessly.Adrelda loved every second of it. She looked at Gideon with newfound reverence and awe.This was what it meant to be the High Marshal—defiant and unbound. Gideon was worthy of the title."I see how it is!" Oscar was so furious that he laughed. His eyes radiated icy light and bloodlust."Marshal Snow, I wasn't at the enfeoffment ceremony. I only heard stories about your strength. Today, I'd like to see for myself what kind of prodigy His Majesty puts so much stock in.""To be honest, at half-Supreme level, you're not wor