"Oh, it's him …"Maximus smiled coolly. "It's really gutsy of a physician to join the battle. Looks like the Harmons have run out of candidates." Dustin's appearance came as a shock to the members of the Boulderthorn guild as well as Julie and her group. "Is he crazy? He can't even beat me. What makes him think he's capable of fighting the Boulderthorn masters?" Otto Marsh was dumbfounded by Dustin's decision. Even Mr. Chapman was beaten to a pulp in the ring. Where did a weakling like Dustin get the courage to enter the ring? "Hmph! He still wants to show off at this point in time. That's just courting death." Julie chuckled gleefully. She looked forward to Dustin being beaten up badly onstage. "You're damn right! Even Otto knows better than to show off at this serious event. That dude is on a suicide mission!" The group of youngsters scoffed at Dustin, whom they believed was an attention-seeker. An average person should never get involved in the battle of the masters, for a
"What the fuck? Has the battle ended?" The audience in the guild stared at Chunkster, who was lying flat on the ground lifelessly. They looked at each other in disbelief. At first, they thought that Dustin would never win, but the battle ended with a huge twist. More importantly, Dustin had only made one move throughout the battle, which was terrifying, to say the least. "Fuck! That dude won? What happened?" Otto's eyes widened, and he looked incredulous. Dustin Rhys beat Chunkster, who had defeated Mr. Chapman. Would that mean Dustin was more powerful than Mr. Chapman? "I-impossible! That guy must have pulled some tricks. Why else could he win without breaking a sweat?" Julie vehemently shook her head, refusing to accept the outcome. "What happened just now? Why did Chunkster collapse after the touch?" Brody was confounded. Chuckster's defense should have been impenetrable for most, except for Maximus and the King of Kicks. What trick did Dustin pull to win? "He's quite some
"You're asking for death!" Incensed, the King of Kicks finally decided to give it his all. He leaped into the air and served multiple flying kicks as he landed in Dustin's direction. This time, he did not only attack Dustin point-to-point—he was undiscerning in his moves, offering no escape for his opponent. "You punk! Let's see how you're going to dodge this!" He laughed maniacally as the number of kicks increased and covered a wider scope. Dustin, who was targeted, stood there without fear. "It's clear who's the winner here." Maximus shook his head and stood up to leave. He was initially surprised by Dustin's agility, but even that was no match for the King of Kicks. No level of agility could save the young man from the indiscriminate attacks by the King of Kicks. In the face of actual talent, Dustin's tricks would be of no use. All of a sudden, they heard a deafening explosion from the ring. The kicking legs in the air were nowhere to be seen. Instead, The King of Kicks stoppe
In the ring, Dustin stood tall with hands behind his back, exuding an imposing and majestic air. He no longer hid his talents and shone from the full display of his powers. No one dared to meet his eyes. The fact that he had defeated the King of Kicks with one move made everyone look at him with awe. "Surprising! The Harmons have an ace under their wings." Maximus narrowed his eyes, putting on a serious face. Dustin had won his respect through the display of strength. Not even Maximus could easily beat the King of Kicks with bare hands. "Weakling!" Dustin dusted and straightened his sleeve. Then, he coolly announced, "Next?" The Boulderthorn disciples exchanged furtive glances. They knew they weren't Dustin's match, especially after he had defeated the King of Kicks. "Max, what do we do? That punk is wild!" Feeling aggrieved, Brody clenched his jaws. "Looks like I'll have to go." Maximus stood up slowly, his eyes shining with excitement. He had shown up to the battle as the a
"Hmm?" Maximus's pupils dilated. He didn't expect Dustin to grab his sword with bare fingers. It appeared that he had underestimated Dustin's sheer talent and confidence. Still, he was unflustered by the strength of his opponent. Quite the opposite—the stronger the opponent, the more excited he felt. He was getting more belligerent as a result. "Return!" With the wave of a hand, Maximus called his sword back from Dustin's fingers. The sword came flying back like a serpent. "Oh?" Dustin was rather surprised by the move. Although he had reined in his capabilities to match his opponent at the earthly level, he acknowledged Maximus' talent from how Maximus managed to free the weapon from his grip. "Look out! I'll show you my Illusory Sword Technique!" Maximus dropped a reminder before waving his sword again. In one move, his sword split into hundreds and thousands of different swords. The gleaming blades danced around, weaving a confusing web of swords within ten meters around them.
Maximus witnessed how Dustin handled the Illusory Sword Technique with ease. Even if he maxed up his powers and executed the complete set of moves in the technique, he still failed to harm a hair on Dustin's head, not to mention that Dustin had only fended off the attacks with one hand. To Maximus, these were proof that Dustin was greatly ahead of him in terms of capability. "You have indeed mastered the Illusory Sword Technique, but unfortunately, there are three flaws," Dustin suggested mildly. He accorded Maximus respect due to the latter's humbleness. Else, he would have sent him flying out of the ring. "What are the three flaws?" Maximus furrowed his brow. "The third move, the ninth move, and the twenty-sixth move." Dustin deliberately offered a reminder, "The flaws you exhibited in the three moves were extremely subtle. They will go unnoticeable in the eyes of an average martial artist, but they will also put you at a huge disadvantage when you are fighting the real masters
After the battle concluded, Dustin, Natasha, and some members of the Harmon family had supper together. It was midnight when he returned to the medical center, which was still brightly lit. He entered the center and immediately saw the stunning Dahlia Nicholson, who was merrily chatting away with Caitlyn Lawler. At that moment, she appeared more easygoing than how she usually presented herself—icy. "Mr. Rhys, you're back." Seeing Dustin, Caitlyn stood up and greeted him. "Have a chat with Ms. Nicholson. I'll serve supper." "It's okay. I had supper before I came home." He smiled and turned his attention to Dahlia. "Why are you here?" "I'm here to thank you." She flashed him a rare smile. "If you hadn't saved me yesterday, I would have been screwed. Never in my life would I have thought that Matt Laney was a phony bastard." "You're most welcome. I'd offer the same help to anyone in that situation," he replied unemotionally. "Why? Are you still upset?" Her tone softened. "My mom
Dustin decided that Dahlia must have had nothing better to do. He tossed his head, washed up, and opened the door to the medical center as usual. As the door grated and groaned, a blood-soaked figure suddenly collapsed on the floor of the room. The injured man was dressed in white, which was drenched in blood. He carried a broken sword on his back and appeared to have fainted for some time. Dustin approached the man to check him out, only to realize that it was Maximus Kane! "I did not recall hurting him yesterday. Or did I?" Dustin rubbed his chin in confusion. Although Maximus, ranked sixth on The Hundred Immortals, was not exactly the cream of the crop, he was still one of the best in tiny Swinton. How did he get himself beaten up this badly? "Consider yourself lucky," Dustin mumbled and lifted Maximus into the medical center. After all, he couldn't turn a blind eye to a dying man at the entrance of the medical center. Maximus suffered from multiple external injuries, but