"I said fuck you. Do you understand that? Little bitch? You are the little bitch here."Kaia scolded him frantically. Hudson's expression darkened."Get her, that fucking bitch. Today, we will all take turns and have fun with her."Hudson had five or six tall, powerful bodyguards.Hyrum and others shielded Kaia. The two sides fell into a tension-filled confrontation."Hyrum, now you look like a man." Kaia nodded in appreciation."What man would even bully a woman? This is despicable." Hyrum said proudly. He was flustered when he was praised."Those who bully women are cowards, and you call yourself aristocrats? You're just a low life." Kaia poked her tongue out.Hudson's anger distorted his face."Mister Hudson, don't cause a scene here. This is a critical time. It's easy to be caught by others. If it affects the Battle of Champions, it will get you into a lot of trouble with the family." A man next to Hudson advised him."The overall situation is important. Don't forget. Thi
In the Champions Village, there was a service not listed on any official brochure—one could hire an assassin.If one's pockets were deep enough, they could hire a killer to kill anyone—even a grandmaster. The cost of defeating a grandmaster was high. Only a grandmaster could handle another of their kind, and just getting one would cost Howard too much to afford.He emptied his life savings, and it was just enough to hire an inner strength cultivator.Howard was a newbie to the martial arts scene and did not understand its pecking order. So after he handed over the cash, he skipped the scrawny-looking inner strength cultivator and went straight to a hulking brute of a horizontal cultivator.The shopkeeper did not know whether to laugh or cry. Did Howard know what he was doing?Looks could be deceiving—that phrase was tailor-made for some of the greenhorns in the martial arts world.There were those muscle-bound cultivators who looked like they could squash their opponent, but most
The girl sat there, stunned, as she realized he would not name a price. Ashton turned on his heel and left.Cassia and Kendra kept quiet. They never meddled in the man's choice. They knew they had no right to tell anyone what to do unless they had walked a mile in their shoes."If you can save my grandfather, I'll give you this." She pulled out a small, wilted red flower."My grandfather got badly hurt from hunting this," she said.Ashton examined the red bloom. "A Red Spider Lily?"The Red Spider Lily was a common perennial, nothing unusual.She shook her head vigorously. "No, this is the Red Devil Lily. According to Grandpa, it holds a wicked force. Only one Red Devil Lily exists in every hundred million Red Spider Lilies. It's super rare.""Really?" Ashton stepped closer to take the red flower from her. His mind's energy seeped into it.In an instant, a bone-chilling coldness enveloped him as if demons had yanked him down into the depths of hell.It was clear that the flowe
"At last, I have found you." A deep voice from behind interrupted the manager mid-sentence.The restaurant went quiet when he arrived.The manager's face went pale. "Evil Wolf?"She knew him, and the fear in her eyes was unmistakable.Evil Wolf shot her a look. "Ah, someone I know? Don't sweat it. I'm not here for you. You're not on my radar, so stay cool. Just don't get in my way."The manager was quick to agree. "Lord Wolf, you have my word. I'll turn a blind eye to whatever happens.""Good girl," Evil Wolf said and gave her a thumbs up.His eyes locked onto Ashton as if he was worried he might slip away again."You need something from me?" Ashton asked. He vaguely remembered the guy—he had been jeering when he helped that old man. However, Ashton did not care enough to remember him well.Evil Wolf rubbed his chin. His eyes gleamed with greed as he looked at Kendra and Cassia."Seeing the company you keep, with their soft, smooth skin, you must be loaded, huh?" he asked."
After all, the information exchange would offend no one. As for the gold nugget? Champions Village's peak season was worth two months of work. The elder and the two youngsters went upstairs and knocked on Ashton's door."Enter," someone said in a deep voice.The old man entered politely, his eyes briefly registering surprise. The young man and two women before him were so beautiful they seemed otherworldly. It seemed unlikely that one of those youths had sent a man plummeting into the earth."And who might you be?" Ashton asked casually. He continued to enjoy his meal as he turned to greet the newcomers at the door.The elder's face broke into a wide grin. "Greetings, sir. Allow me to introduce myself. I hail from Alara, and my name is Solax. These two are my apprentices, Kevar and Kelma.""People from Alara?" Kendra frowned, indicating a negative first impression of the people from that country.Cassia remained nonchalant.Ashton casually asked, "What brings you here?"Solax s
"Welcome to the Green Vine Club's finest offerings, Mister Levin. Please, enjoy to your heart's content," Solax said, beaming.His two young apprentices knelt at the side, unfazed by the scene, as if it was just another day at the office.Alara had a clear hierarchy—the strong ruled and enjoyed their power, and no one dared criticize them. Thus, whatever happened in public was accepted as normal."Where's the manager?"Ashton was not interested in the women."Just a moment, Mister Levin. We have a bit of a queue, and we need to serve everyone in turn. Make yourself comfortable, and I'll bring the manager once he's finished with the other cultivators," Solax said, then signaled his apprentices to hurry out.Ashton was left in the room with the two scantily clad maids."Sir, I am Snow Aerwynn, and this is my sister, Blossom Aerwynn. We are at your service, untouched and pure," the woman in the flowing white robe said with a hint of an accent.Her sister in the soft pink robe nodd
Fajar's smile slowly faded, replaced by a stern, icy aura."Are all Lindorm cultivators so proud? You should expect some surprises if you want to test your skills. You don't agree? Or is your vision too narrow to see that? What's the big deal about the killing? Commoners' lives are disposable. Every cultivator has hundreds or thousands of body counts. You've never killed anyone?"Fajar sneered. "You have a candidate right next to you. Why not use her for a little target practice?"He meant Snow Aerwynn.Snow's face was blank, her fear gone. Her spark faded as she stared at her sister's corpse.Without parents, the sisters had only each other. Their bond and reliance were beyond what most could fathom."Practicing on mere mortals? That's just dull," Ashton said as he looked at Fajar."Really?" Fajar's eyebrows lifted in mock surprise."Why don't I spar with your warrior? He seems skilled with his blade, quick on his feet," Ashton said with a hint of a smirk.The warrior's grip
Suprone was the Guardian Choplain's revered disciple, their nation's and order's shining Golden Warrior, destined to challenge for the Sword Saint's title.Yet, a simple snap of the fingers killed him?"Killing him was no different from swatting a fly. So why act like you're all-powerful when you're not? Always talking about ordinary people as if you're some deity in charge of the cosmos, blind to the fact that to others, you're just another bug." Ashton shook his head, his tone dismissive, as if he had merely brushed away a speck of dust."Grandmaster! It looks like we are in the presence of a grandmaster. We were blind to your greatness. Our ignorance is unforgivable. Grandmaster, please, your wrath is not needed. We will provide a resolution that will meet your approval." Fajar, ever the adaptable leader, quickly assessed his opponent's strength. He apologized to avert any further loss of control over the situation."Absolutely! We have offended a grandmaster. I'll report this a