Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
An Understated Dominance Chapter 724
"Zero?" Everyone was shocked before they burst out in laughter. They looked at Dustin like he was a fool."Hahaha … How hilarious! The audacity he has to act so arrogantly when he got zero marks!" "He looked so certain of himself that I had begun to think he was all that. In the end, he was just pretending!" "Even I could at least get a few points if I simply wrote some herbs. How did you manage to get zero points? What a joke!" Everyone started to ridicule him.They initially thought Dustin was an expert when he wrote confidently and quickly. But in the end, the zero he received said a lot about him and exposed him as a fool."Rascal, I must say, you sure are shameless. How can you behave so arrogantly when you're getting zero? I am amazed." Preston sarcastically gave him a thumbs-up."If you don't have the ability, then admit that you don't. You are humiliating yourself if you insist on being arrogant!" Miranda looked at him like he was an idiot."Zero?" Dustin ignored t
An Understated Dominance Chapter 725
"He said nothing wrong. There is aconite in the medicine." Linden's words shocked everyone."What?" That invigilator froze in disbelief. "Dr. Watkins, you must be mistaken. I remember that aconite wasn't listed in the recipe."The elders beside Linden did not say anything but had puzzled expressions. The medicines were brewed according to a recipe, and no one would dare to change it. How is it possible that it contained aconite?"Originally, Aconite was not included. But I just felt like adding it, so I did," Linden said casually,"You felt like it?" When the crowd heard that statement, they exchanged looks with each other. Wasn't Linden too carefree?"Dr. Watkins, when aconite is combined with the Fritillaria bulb, it becomes poisonous. Why would you add it?" The invigilator frowned.He had said the same thing just now to criticize Dustin. Now, Linden had confirmed that there was really aconite in the medicine."It's to test everyone, of course," Linden said casually. "If we st
An Understated Dominance Chapter 726
"What?" Everyone shouted in shock. A bottle fell out of someone's hand and broke into pieces as it crashed to the ground.Nobody expected the medicine they tasted to be poison!It was supposed to be just an easy examination to identify the components of the medicine. How did it turn into a life-threatening situation? Was it necessary for the examination to be so extreme?"Dr. Watkins, isn't this going too far?" The invigilator frowned. Linden had always done his best to save lives, so using poison to test them seemed unusual."There is a fine line between medicine and poison. There are times when poison can also be used to save lives. It all depends on how someone uses them. As long as it's effective, it doesn't matter how it's being used," Linden said seriously."But—" "Enough."The invigilator was about to say something when Linden raised a hand and cut him off. "The Stoneray Order does not accept incompetent students. Anyone who isn't confident in your own skills, you may ch
An Understated Dominance Chapter 727
Right then, many of them began showing signs of poisoning. Some felt dizzy, and others experienced severe abdominal pain. Some even had cramps.Although their symptoms were different, it would affect their production of the medicinal pill. But giving up was not an option. They could only grit their teeth and continue."Who do you think will be number one today, Dr. Watkins?" an elder with a white beard asked."Preston and Miranda are performing well and gifted in the medical field, so they are considered geniuses. But I think the young man will do better." Linden looked at Dustin."Him?" The elder followed and looked at Dustin too. Then, he asked, curious, "But Dr. Watkins, he's a nobody. Maybe he was lucky in the previous round. He's still not on the same level as Preston and Miranda."No matter their family background, talents, or medical accomplishments, they were not on the same level. And Dustin's good luck would not change anything."Hahaha … We'll find out soon enough."
An Understated Dominance Chapter 728
"Bang!" When Dustin's alchemy furnace exploded, everyone turned and looked at him. Some were shocked, some were confused, and some were enjoying what they saw. After a moment of shock, Preston and Miranda laughed out loud."Hahaha! His furnace exploded? And here I thought he might secretly be an expert. It turns out he just managed to make his furnace explode?" Preston ridiculed.Because of Dustin's excellent performance in the previous test, Preston thought he was a strong opponent. So, he did his best to produce the pill. But now that Dustin's furnace exploded, Preston thought he had just been overreacting. If someone's furnace exploded, that person was not suitable to be considered his rival."What were we expecting? Trash will always be trash. Just because he got lucky once will not change anything. Under a bit of pressure, he can't take it and starts making mistakes." Miranda looked down on Dustin. How could an ordinary doctor compare to medical geniuses from Asclepia lik
An Understated Dominance Chapter 729
The Curax that Dustin produced was different from the regular Curax in terms of color, scent, and size."Hmph! So what if he managed to produce the pill? Just looking at it, we can tell its quality is not up to standard!" Miranda folded her arms arrogantly."Exactly! The test for the second round is to compare the quality of pills that we've produced. This pill that he produced from an exploded furnace is definitely trash!" Preston regained his confidence. The pill he produced was good quality, and Dustin's was a low grade. They were on completely different levels!"How weird …" The invigilator studied the pill for a while. Because he was scared to make a decision by himself, he took the pill and showed it to Linden and the rest of the elders. "Dr. Watkins and elders. I think there's something strange about this Curax. But I am not sure.""Oh? Is that so? Let me see?" An elder took the pill and looked at it seriously. Then, he was shocked."Dr. Watkins, this young man is somet
An Understated Dominance Chapter 730
"What? He changed the recipe?" Everyone was surprised by Linden's explanation.Every recipe was created only after millions of experiments. The smallest change in ingredients or dosage would disrupt its balance and cause the production of the pill to fail.For someone to change the recipe, they needed talent and lots of experiments. For someone to be able to change up the recipe on the spot and succeed right away, he had to have crazy good luck, or he must be a medical genius who was out of this world."No way! That's impossible!" After a moment of shock, Preston continued, "There's no way you can change the recipe so easily! Even my mentor can't change a recipe that's meant to produce a good quality pill into one that produces top grade pills within such a short time frame! How is it possible that this bastard can do that?""Exactly! He's just an ordinary doctor! How would he be able to change the recipe?" Miranda added. Even with her talent, she was still unable to do something
An Understated Dominance Chapter 731
Linden looked around the place.There were only a few who made it through the second round. They were either very skillful or extremely gifted."I'll go first!" A middle-aged man stepped forward confidently. It was finally time he showed off his 20 years' worth of experience with acupuncture.He walked up to the old man and examined him closely. Then, he felt his pulse. Finally, he took out several silver needles and inserted them into different pressure points on the old man's leg. But the patient stayed expressionless and did not react at all. The middle-aged man frowned and continued inserting several more needles, but it was all useless."Time's up! You have failed!" the invigilator announced all of a sudden."Wait! I'll try one more time." The middle-aged man did not want to accept his failure."Drag him away!" The invigilator did not want to waste any more time and ordered other disciples to drag the middle-aged man away."Hah! How could he just perform acupuncture witho
Latest Chapter
Chapter 2530
The next morning, Nathaniel was inside a lavish mansion. He was in his study, flipping through an ancient manuscript. One of his most trusted aides hurried in and lowered his voice, "Your Royal Highness, word just came in. Another trace of Dracan essence has been found."Nathaniel raised an eyebrow and closed the manuscript. "Where?""Our investigation shows it ended up in the hands of Logan Rhys," the aide replied."Logan Rhys?" Nathaniel narrowed his eyes slightly and was surprised by the name.He had tried to win Logan over before and spared no expense, but never received a response. Later, he discovered that Tristan and Matthias had done the same.Fortunately, Logan still hadn't picked a side. He might be holding out for the best offer, but at least he hadn't shut the door on Nathaniel.With the Dracan essence in his hands, Logan had become an even more valuable target. In addition to the West Lucozian monarchy, Logan was an ultimate grandmaster, which made him worth recrui
Chapter 2529
"Give me a moment to think," Dustin said.Grace's words sent him into deep thought.After all, carrying the fate of Dragonmarsh was no small burden. First, he had to be tough enough to handle it. Then, he needed the resolve to accept what came with it. Once he carried that burden, it meant taking on a heavyweight.He used to act on his own terms and do things as he pleased without worrying too much about the consequences. But once the nation's fate was involved, everything changed.Not that he had many options.Dustin could either hide in Sacred Wrym Summit and hope Arion would protect him, or take a risk and absorb the Dragonmarsh's fate to push through his cultivation's bottleneck. Between the two, he was leaning toward the latter."I can give your plan a shot," Dustin said suddenly. "But we're still missing a piece of the Dracan essence. If we're doing this, we need to find that last one first."Only once all five pieces of Dracan essence were united could he truly wield the
Chapter 2528
"Royal gods? And two of them?" Dustin frowned at the news.His battle with Poseidon in West Lucozia had shown him firsthand that the Hall of Gods didn't send weaklings into the field.One royal god had already pushed him to his limit. If two came at him together, winning wasn't even the question. He'd be lucky just to make it out alive."That's right," Grace said solemnly. "The royal gods, Zeus and Hera, have crossed the border. They're even stronger than Poseidon. If they ambush you together, your chances are slim."She knew Dustin was strong, but he was still young. Moreover, Zeus and Hera weren't just anyone. They were world-class powerhouses. Surviving a fight with them would be next to impossible.The Hall of Gods had probably figured out how dangerous Dustin could become. If they had given him a few more years to grow, they might not have been able to stop him."Well, that complicates things." Dustin rested his chin in one hand with a thoughtful expression.Two royal god
Chapter 2527
Soluna Hall had one rule—they wouldn't accept unfamiliar customers. They only served those they knew well or people introduced by someone they trusted. Every transaction required an appointment. Exceptions were made for urgent matters, but those came with an additional fee.When Dustin reached the entrance, two security guards stopped him. After stating his name and being verified by the guards, they let him through.Inside, a female attendant with a pleasant smile greeted him and led him across the main hall straight into the back garden. They passed a small fish pond and stopped in front of a secluded private room."This is Ms. Linsor's private reception area. Mr. Rhys, please come in," the female attendant said with a smile."She's not here?" Dustin asked curiously."She had something come up, but she'll be here soon. Please make yourself comfortable," the attendant said, still smiling."Alright then." He nodded and walked into the room.The room was spacious, with a vintag
Chapter 2526
"You're wrong, Tristan," Matthias said with a meaningful look.He continued, "Sure, I've got the Moseys to back me, but I'm still far from securing the throne. Nathaniel's got strong backing too, and this won't be an easy win. But if you were to support me, I'd say my chances shoot up to 80%."In his eyes, Tristan's support was worth more than the Ballard family.If he could win Tristan over, his odds would jump from 60% to nearly 80%. The only question now was whether Tristan would be willing to shelve his own ambitions and place his bet on Matthias."You know me, Matthias. I've never been one for ambition or glory. This kind of power struggle just isn't for me. I hope you can understand that," Tristan said.After thinking about it thoroughly, he finally turned his brother down. He knew his chances of winning were slim, yet he couldn't let go.Tristan was the eldest legitimate son, the rightful and undisputed heir to the throne. Aside from his poor health, he had no real shortco
Chapter 2525
Tristan, Matthias, and Nathaniel weren't fools. They understood the unspoken message loud and clear.Their purpose for this trip was to take advantage of the opportunity to offer their condolences and win the Ballard family's support. Should it work, all the better. If not, they'd at least make a good impression. The key was that as long as the Ballard family didn't pick a side or turn against them, there was still room to make things work. No need to rush into anything.Tristan spoke first. "You're being too kind, Duke of Lachshire. We've always admired Mr. Jovian's loyalty and courage. We're simply here to pay our respects—nothing more."Matthias added, "That's right. Your family has a lot to deal with right now. Plus, you're not as young as you used to be, so don't wear yourself out over this. We won't take up more of your time today."He gave a respectful nod, then turned to leave."Duke—"Nathaniel opened his mouth to speak, but Tristan interrupted. "That's enough, Nathani
Chapter 2524
"Oh? I didn't expect both of you to be here," Nathaniel said.He was just about to pay his respects when he spotted Tristan and Matthias inside the mourning hall. He gave a respectful nod and said, "Hello, Tristan, Matthias."Truthfully, he wasn't surprised. He had already guessed they would show up.The four ancient houses and the eight great families were all key players he needed on his side. And with the Ballard family still undecided, he wasn't about to miss the chance to make an impression."I heard you left Oakvale on official business. Funny how quickly you came back," Tristan said, his tone laced with meaning."It wasn't anything important. When I heard about Mr. Jovian's passing, I returned immediately. I wanted to pay my respects in person," Nathaniel answered smoothly, without missing a beat.He brushed off Tristan's subtle jab and used the moment to show the Ballard family he was genuinely there to pay his respects."Don't just stand there, Nathaniel. Go pay your re
Chapter 2523
"Your Royal Highness, it's an honor to have you here," Jonathan said.Upon seeing the distinguished guest arrive, he quickly pulled himself together and aside his grief. He led his family to greet Tristan, and they bowed in respect.Before they could finish the gesture, Tristan raised a hand to stop them. "No need for such formalities," he said. "The deceased deserves our respect."He turned to Jovian's portrait, which was displayed in the mourning hall, and sighed deeply.Tristan continued, "Mr. Jovian's untimely passing is truly a great loss to Dragonmarsh. May his soul rest in peace. My condolences to your family during this difficult time."Jonathan's eyes were filled with tears as he bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kind words. My family is heartbroken over my brother's tragic death."Tristan nodded slightly. His gaze quickly swept across the hall before asking, "I've heard that Duke Lachshire fainted from grief. How is he doing now?"Jonathan
Chapter 2522
The unrest in West Lucozia finally ended with the capture of Warrick.Every official who was his accomplice was thoroughly investigated. Those who needed to be arrested were taken into custody, and those who deserved to be punished were executed.After the purge, more than 300 officials in West Lucozia were removed from their posts. Those guilty were arrested, and those whose crimes were severe were executed.Under Austin's iron-fisted reforms, West Lucozia's government underwent a complete overhaul. Corruption, bribery, and the tangled web of illegal deals were swept away like dust in the wind.The citizens quickly noticed the difference. When they visited government offices, they no longer faced delays, refusals, or demands for bribes.Long-neglected public issues began to move forward, thanks to the organized efforts of newly appointed officials. Things were improving across the board.Instead of fearing the crackdown, the citizens welcomed it. The corrupt officials who had dr
