It was clear to Felix that Laura was struggling to live within the Larsson family. Despite not sharing her troubles with him, he could sense her discomfort from the get-go. It was telling that she didn't even have skilled bodyguards by her side, especially considering the size and influence of the Larsson family in North City. It was unthinkable for them not to provide proper protection for their direct kin.Mindy said, "I am here to inform you that Laura has been confined to the water dungeon due to her involvement in an inappropriate relationship with a member of our household staff. She will face execution in 30 minutes. "If you have already had any relations with her, consider yourself fortunate. It is acknowledged that she possesses considerable physical attractiveness. However, if not, then it is indeed unfortunate for you."Mindy left without saying another word. Felix's expression became stern and disapproving. It was absurd to accuse Laura of having an affair with a me
The locations of Harmony Clinic and the Larsson residence were in completely opposite directions. Jared speculated that at Felix's speed, there was no way he could make it to both places in time to save Laura. So, once Felix made his move, he was certain to go to the Larsson residence. To guarantee the success of this plan, Jared threatened one of Andrew's subordinates with life or death, forcing them to block all signals in the area surrounding Harmony Clinic.After all, Andrew held a high-ranking position in the city defense forces and had the power to make this happen. In Martial City, one of the four major cities under the rule of the royal family alongside Imperial City, various families held power and influence. However, they are all subordinate to the royal family, and their city defense forces are under their command.As time went by, in a courtyard belonging to the Larsson family in North City, Laura hung from a rope. Though she didn't show any visible signs of physical
At that moment, Felix became aware of Jared's presence and realized the situation. Jared rose from his seat as well. "Felix, I had a feeling you'd show up to rescue Laura. "That's why I informed the head of the Larsson family beforehand, anticipating your attempt to deceive them by posing as Madam Goddard's disciple."Laura, who was in the process of getting hung, desperately wanted to say something. However, she had been silenced and could not utter a single word. The look in her eyes displayed a silent plea for Felix to leave as soon as possible and not to worry about her. If they both stayed, they would never be able to escape. However, Felix ignored her and remarked coldly, "So, you don't believe me?"Jeremy's eyes narrowed as if he were staring at something beneath him. "So today you're Madam Goddard's disciple," he scoffed. "What about tomorrow? Will another kid come along and claim to be Mr. Earnhart's disciple? And what about the day after that? It's absurd, and here
Jeremy was known for his ruthless nature. With a flick of his hand, he sent an invisible force toward Mindy. She had no time to even scream before she collapsed in a pool of blood, her final sound unheard. Despite murdering his own family member, Jeremy acted as though it were no big deal and even managed to force a smile. "You can make one more request," he offered casually. Once again, Felix was reminded of the heartlessness of the inhabitants of Martial City. It was a place where strength equaled power. "Release Laura. From now on, she has no relation with the Larsson family."Jeremy waved his right hand again, and the ropes binding Laura snapped. She landed safely beside Felix. "Let's go," Felix said. With a deep exhale, Jeremy finally relaxed, only to come face-to-face with Jared. "Jeremy, I believe I'm owed an explanation, don't you think?" Jeremy narrowed his eyes at Jared. If this guy weren't the son of a high-ranking general in the city defense forces, he would ha
Deborah said, "Your words have brought back memories. That old man is cunning and sly. While I don't consider him a real threat, removing him won't be a simple task. "He comes from the royal lineage and holds a high position as the general of the city's defense forces. His demise would not go unnoticed by the royal family." Felix was smart, but Deborah's tone hinted that there was more to the story. It seemed like she still had some limitations in Martial City, and there were certain individuals she couldn't risk angering."But don't worry," Deborah reassured. "I can easily transfer him out of North City to ensure your safety while you’re here." With that taken care of, Deborah got down to business. "I've already submitted your application for the Intermediate Alchemy Assessment. It will take place in five days at Harmony Clinic's headquarters. Unfortunately, I won't be able to accompany you. I made a promise to an old friend to refine some pills for him. Your presence has cau
"Mr. Marlow, do you not like to drive or sit in cars?" Felix asked with curiosity while he and Dickson ran."I don't like that stuff. It's too high-profile. I prefer traveling by foot, unless I'm traveling in a group. And you should call me Dicky or Dickson instead. 'Mr. Marlow' sounds a little odd."Felix replied, "Sure. How about just 'Marlow' then?"Dickson gave Felix a funny look. "Interesting. Usually, those who are close to me call me Dicky or Dickson. But you're going for Marlow. Anyway, it doesn't matter to me."In reality, Felix felt rather awkward calling someone Dicky, due to its association with the modern slang."By the way, Marlow, where's the headquarters of Harmony Clinic?""It's at the top of Sumera Mountain—rich in herbs. We've gotten the green light from the royalty to build our clinic on that mountain. In fact, we have the right to the entire mountain!"Felix was surprised to learn that Harmony Clinic's headquarters was not set in Martial City. Still, if Harm
Dickson nodded and started to pick his nose. "Oh, this feels great. Well, an alchemist can help, but we have a problem. There are ten alchemists who can cultivate pills for the early-stage and middle-stage Transcendent Realm martial artists. It'll get harder from middle-stage to late-stage—only five alchemists are qualified. "For now, only Bern and Deborah have the ability to cultivate pills needed for mastering the Transcendent Realm. Even then, their success rates are dismally low—out of ten attempts, they're lucky if they manage to produce two pills."Huh? That sounded really incredulous."As an alchemist, you need to understand that the rarer the pills, the more precious the herbs required. Gathering the ingredients for one attempt at cultivation takes a lot of time, effort, and emeralds. Factor in the slim success rate, and you might walk away empty-handed. That's why so many have failed in their quest to conquer the Transcendent Realm."Felix sank deep into his thoughts. T
"As the deputy chief of Harmony Clinic, I, Dickson Marlow, will not walk back on my promise," Dickson swore.The Maximus family members chortled at his reply.They knew for a fact that Atlas was an early-stage Transcendent Realm martial artist. On the other hand, Felix was just a martial artist in the Physical Refinement Realm. The outcome was already obvious.The Maximus family would prefer to bring Felix with them without laying a finger on him. After all, it wasn't their intention to offend those from Harmony Clinic, as that would mean insulting most alchemists in the industry. That might impede the growth of the Maximus family members in martial arts.Dickson's prior analysis was on point—even if he got into a fight with the Maximus family, they wouldn't kill him. The most they would do was to paralyze him so they could take Felix.If they killed Dickson, they would get into huge trouble with Harmony Clinic."Do you agree with that, Felix?" Dickson seemed exasperated after
The guide said, "This is where the selected contestants rest. The yard is huge and has everything you need. As long as you don't leave this yard, you're free to move around. I'll bring you to your room now."The yard looked huge, with fixtures of bridges and flowing rivers. Felix even passed by a fake mountain. It was large enough for hundreds of people to climb, standing thousands of feet tall and looked quite majestically.No one on Earth or Aquamarinus could have built such a luxurious residence. Felix could even see a bar and massage parlor, showing how indispensable technology was in the universe. His room was luxurious, around 2000 square feet, and was decorated with traditional but modern touches. "This is your room. I'll take my leave now, goodbye." The young man left with a bow. Felix turned around and stood on the patio. Outside his room was a large lake, with even fish swimming inside."A new neighbor? Did you just arrive today?" The sudden voice came from the patio
Felix arrived at the location of one of Nine Flames, where the guards instantly collapsed, their eyes rolling back as they fainted.By now, darkness had arrived. He walked forward without any hesitation, his right hand touching the flame.There was no need for any special tools. The flame simply vanished, and only Felix knew that it was absorbed in an instant by his Starmark.With the disappearance of the flames, people in many places immediately dropped to their knees.The light that should have lasted throughout the night vanished, and the darkness of Desolated Lands descended almost instantly. Every light went out in an instant.Screams echoed everywhere, and panic spread like wildfire. Even though their loved ones were close by, they couldn't see them with their eyes and could only communicate through voice.Scenes like this were unfolding in many places, even in Cloud City."It's really started," Eira said. She was in Cloud City. Although Luigi was standing on her left, h
Despite Thiago's murderous glare and overwhelming killing intent, Felix wasn't scared. In fact, it made him smile.Due to the unique trait of the Dragon Rebirth, his opponent had to harbor a true desire to kill him in order for Felix to grow stronger. Otherwise, it would all be meaningless. At least so far, everything was unfolding just as he expected.Meanwhile, Holt was silently praying like crazy as he lay on the ground. The battle had already begun, and his companion had understood his message. This was their only shot, however slim, at killing Felix.As time passed and the afternoon crept past 3:00 pm, his companion started to falter. His attacks were growing sluggish. He hadn't been injured, but he was clearly on the defensive now.Seeing this, Felix completely lost interest. Once his opponent lost the will to kill him, the Dragon Rebirth would no longer grow.Still, the battle wasn't for nothing. He'd made solid progress and was a little closer to becoming a Celestial Realm
Felix had clearly found Holt's weak spot. These guys were so desperate to extend their lives that they turned the entire Aquamarinus into a breeding ground. Obviously, they were terrified of death. As long as there was even the slightest chance of survival, they'd take it.And sure enough, Holt immediately agreed. He pulled out some kind of device and flew off, clearly contacting his comrades."But even if I agreed," Holt said, "the three of us split up and searched in different directions. Even if they rush over, they won't make it until tomorrow."The fear in his eyes was obvious, so much so that Felix couldn't help but laugh."How interesting," Felix said. "You made a deal with the Ant Queen, right? Couldn't she at least give you something to help you move freely through Desolated Lands at night?"Holt shot him a bitter smile. "The Ant Queen's children—the soldier ants—are born hunters. That instinct can't be erased. And honestly, we've never needed to go out at night anyway."
Lumen flew out and quickly returned. Felix's expression eased completely, and with a step, he vanished from where he stood."Chasing me was fun last time, huh? Did you think it'd go the same this time?" he asked.When he reappeared, someone was already lying on the ground about ten yards ahead. It was a figure fully shrouded in a gray robe, a man named Holt Bovington.That was Felix holding back. Otherwise, Lumen's previous strike could've shattered Holt's soul on the spot."Felix Zeller? It really is you!" Holt's voice was full of shock. Whatever he'd planned to do was already too late. His soul had taken a devastating blow, and he no longer had the strength to fight."Yeah, it's me. Just like I suspected, you people really aren't all that strong when it comes to soul power."Felix had spared his life because he wanted answers."If you answer a few questions honestly, I'll let you live. Even with your soul badly damaged, I assume someone who knows about Nine Flames and Desolate
Three months later, deep within a mountain on Aquamarinus, a meeting was taking place. Who would've imagined palace-like structures hidden within the mountain itself?In one of the chambers, a sky-blue dome adorned the ceiling. Beneath it, three figures in gray robes sat cross-legged, their bodies cloaked in shadow. Their faces were completely obscured."I went to see the Ant Queen yesterday. There's definitely something wrong.""Enough with the vague talk. Be specific.""In just three months, the Ant Queen has lost millions of her children. Do you even understand what that means?"The atmosphere shifted as all three took a sharp breath. A long silence followed before one finally spoke, "Perhaps our earlier theory is right. Is someone hunting soldier ants in Desolated Lands at night?""It has to be. How else do you explain millions of casualties? At this rate, we're down to just a million soldier ants across the entire planet. If this keeps up, they'll be wiped out in a month. An
"I didn't expect you to be a doctor, too. Thanks," Myles said, but then suddenly froze. His mind started racing.Wait a minute! He took down a tiger of True Blood Realm. On top of that, he was extremely skilled in medicine. That could only mean…"You figured out who I am?" Felix asked with a smile, trying to put Myles at ease. Despite that, Myles couldn't hide his fear. "You're Felix Zeller?""That's right. Judging by your reaction, I take it I've become a traitor to The Recovery Association? Or maybe some kind of unforgivable villain?"The air grew a bit awkward, and Myles shot him a strained smile."Not exactly… It's just that you took down the Flame Monarch. That's kind of hard to wrap my head around."His expression shifted again."Actually, everyone's still pretty confused. When we woke up this morning, every city, town, and even the smallest villages received a message. Five days from now, the Flame Monarch is holding a Flame Ceremony."Felix paused, frowning. "What's t
With Lumen and Indigo attacking and the Infinite Shield defending, Felix held his ground. Occasionally, he cast minor spells that barely consumed any soul power. Even as the monsters surged toward him like a tidal wave, not one of them could so much as scratch him.Feeling the steady stream of energy flooding into him, Felix grinned. If things kept going like this, there was a high chance he'd break through to the next major soul realm—Soul Overlord Realm.If he could level up again during the elimination rounds, his odds of winning the whole thing would increase significantly. Especially since Soul Overlord Realm required soul enhancement, it was a whole different league compared to Aetherium Realm.Once he hit Soul Overlord Realm, he was confident he'd be able to go toe-to-toe in a soul battle with the powerful figure who had chased him during dusk.That guy didn't dare appear in Desolated Lands at night, which likely meant his soul wasn't strong. In that case, Felix might actual
The sun had already begun to set. After fleeing in a panic, Felix had no idea if there was even a single place ahead that could shield him from the coming darkness.A few minutes later, the presence chasing him within his domain disappeared. Logically, the pursuer should've caught up in less than ten minutes, but they gave up. Still, Felix didn't relax for a second. The darkness was about to fall, and that could only mean two things. Either the pursuer wasn't confident they could survive the desolate night themselves, or they assumed there was no flame nearby and Felix was as good as dead.Either way, this was the most dangerous moment yet.After sprinting several more miles, Felix finally stopped. All around him stretched a barren wasteland with no end in sight. Even though he had memorized maps to identify different areas, they were useless now. As darkness swallowed the land, all reference points vanished."Damn it! I guess I'll have to see for myself what the hell comes out i