The process of awakening pure-essence physique could still be carried out even through clothing, but it was far less effective than direct contact.Umbra's delicate body trembled slightly.…Back in Brightbane Sect, loud voices could be heard."It's been three days, and still no leads? What did you promise me three days ago?" Draven's voice was sharp and furious in the grand hall.Arlo was drenched in sweat. "Mr. Bane, we have a lead.""Oh?""The battle took place at the border of the eastern plains and the vast mountain range. That area is completely uninhabited, so finding eyewitnesses was nearly impossible. So, I changed my approach and led a team into the mountains to gather information from the beasts."Turns out, my guess was right. At the time, Francis and Giles fought fiercely against the killer, causing a huge commotion that attracted several beast kings. After extensive analysis, we finally managed to confirm some of the killer's traits."Arlo took out a document and
"There's no need to start a war. There's no reason to drag all of Naesbrey Fortress into this. The two of us will go to Brightbane Sect. Do you think we can make it out unscathed?" Gideon asked."Not easily." Umbra's expression was serious.She said, "You're an outsider. You don't understand the six top powers of the eastern plains. Each of them has their own hidden trump cards and deep foundations. The two of us alone can't stand against the entire Brightbane Sect."He frowned. "So, do we really have to go to war? You'd better think this through."Umbra was conflicted as well.Dragging all of Naesbrey Fortress into this recklessly could be a disaster. After all, there were other factions waiting to pounce at any moment."Report!"Just then, a scout arrived with news. "Ms. Crescent, Brightbane Sect's grand elder, Arlo Watson, has appeared at the front lines with three seniors. He claims to be here for peace talks and wishes to speak with you in person."Umbra's heart stirred.
In the end, Arlo couldn't hold on any longer.With a heavy thud, he collapsed into a pool of blood, pleading in terror, "Ms. Crescent, spare me! I was wrong! I won't dare do it again! I was only following orders from Mr. Bane. I had no choice! Please, have mercy and spare my pathetic life! I'm willing to serve you however you want!"Alas, Arlo had fallen to such a miserable state, utterly powerless before Umbra. This greatly boosted the morale of the students of Naesbrey Fortress and the hundreds of thousands of troops."Incredible!" Even Gideon clicked his tongue in awe.Umbra's strength had exceeded his expectations. Her moves seemed simple, but each strike was extraordinary. A pure-essence physique was truly terrifying!"Take him."At Umbra's command, Luna subdued Arlo."Mr. Snow, what's our next move? Should we take him to Brightbane Sect? I don't think that's a good idea. Arlo alone isn't enough to threaten Draven. That guy is ruthless. He wouldn't care if a grand elder die
"This is the place." Umbra gazed ahead.It was an unremarkable mountain.Gideon was puzzled. Umbra had insisted on traveling with him to Brightbane Sect despite Luna and the others strongly opposing it. Yet now, she had brought him here instead."This is your trump card?"That's right." She smiled.She looked around and, with a mysterious tone, said, "I stumbled upon this place by chance three years ago. Beneath this mountain, there's an Earthcore Flame.""Earthcore Flame?""Yes." She nodded seriously. "You should know what an Earthcore Flame is, right?"Gideon clicked his tongue. "Of course I do! Earthcore Flames are rare treasures with all sorts of incredible uses. But what does bringing me here have to do with going to Brightbane Sect?"Umbra said, "I suspect that deep beneath this mountain, there's an entire Earthcore Flame Vein.""An Earthcore Flame Vein?" Gideon was shocked.Just a single Earthcore Flame was already incredibly valuable.Back when he trained under Titu
Just as Gideon touched the Earthcore Flame, the fire suddenly surged several times in size.In an instant, his shirt was reduced to ashes. His skin was scorched, but rather than making him back down, it only made his blood boil with excitement."Hold it!" he roared.The sheer power of his physique surged as he attempted to subdue the Earthcore Flame. However, the more he tried to suppress it, the more violently it raged.A low wailing sound echoed. In the blink of an eye, the Earthcore Flame had already expanded tenfold compared to when he first encountered it, growing even taller than Gideon himself.It danced wildly, like a fire spirit, mocking Gideon for overestimating himself."Mr. Snow!" Umbra called out to him.He stepped back, taking a deep breath. He glanced at his burned skin but didn't mind it. It would heal soon enough."The Earthcore Flame is getting stronger. There's a high chance that a flame vein is hidden below. Ms. Crescent, I need to go down and investigate. Y
Gideon smiled knowingly. Umbra was truly thoughtful.He didn't dwell on it for long. Using the precious herbs, he treated his external injuries. Then, with Draconic Acupuncture, he stimulated his hair follicles to speed up hair growth.By evening, as the sun set in the west, Gideon's condition had mostly recovered, and his hair and eyebrows had started to grow back a little.He put on the white robe. That was when he noticed that Umbra had also prepared a hat.This thoughtful gesture touched Gideon. He knew very well that this was her way of showing gratitude. After all, he had saved her life.At the foot of the mountain, Gideon spotted Umbra lying on a tree branch, resting. The soft glow of dusk cast a breathtakingly beautiful scene. Upon hearing movement, Umbra stirred from her light slumber. "Looks like you've improved quite a bit."She gracefully floated down from the tree.Gideon said, "I had a major discovery. Earthcore Flame can remove frenzy poison.""What?" She was s
"Is it some kind of special occasion? Why is the whole city decorated with lanterns and banners, looking so festive?" Gideon asked."No idea." Umbra was just as puzzled.Gideon stopped a passerby to ask. The man gave them a once-over and said, "You must be from out of town. Haven't you heard? The heir of the Inferno Order had a grudge against Francis from Brightbane Sect, but now, Francis has been beheaded by some mysterious expert."The heir is in a great mood, so the whole city is celebrating for three days straight. Over at the city square, the Inferno Order's experts are even giving lectures on cultivation. You two should go check it out."Gideon and Umbra immediately understood.When they arrived at the city square, it was packed with people. A raised platform stood in the middle, where several powerful cultivators were lecturing on their techniques."Speaking of which, how did Francis suddenly get killed? He was the most outstanding young disciple of the Brightbane Sect a
Gideon, Umbra, and Apollo had barely talked for long when a loud voice echoed from outside the hall, "Who's there? Who took down that bastard, Francis?"The next moment, a young man stormed in, full of energy. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, a tall and muscular frame, and was standing at at least six foot three. His skin was a deep bronze, radiating raw masculinity."Solid physique," Gideon thought to himself, impressed.No wonder the Inferno Order was renowned. Maybe, as Umbra had mentioned, they truly possessed the legendary Solar Titan Physique cultivation technique."Egan, greet Ms. Crescent properly!""It's my pleasure, Umbra!" Egan Fleming strode forward with a hearty laugh. "It's an honor for us to host you. If there's nothing urgent, you should stay for a few more days!""Mind your manners!" Apollo shot him a glare.However, Umbra smiled. "It's fine."Egan knew not to push his luck and turned his attention to Gideon. "Sir, was it you who took down Francis?"Apollo
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