Maxine followed closely behind James. After the two left, Tobias walked out of the Cadens’ mansion. He stood at the gates watching the figures of James and Maxine gradually disappear from his view.His wrinkled face gradually darkened as he murmured, “When did this kid’s energy get so strong? Even if he had opened his Governor Vessel, Conception Vessel, and Eight Extraordinary Meridians, it's impossible for his True Energy to have gained this amount of power in such a short time.”Tobias was confused and could not come up with a plausible explanation for James’ newfound strength. This left him increasingly anxious and restless. After leaving the Cadens’ mansion, James and Maxine found a secluded place to rest for a while. James sat in the lotus position and circulated his True Energy to quell the Blood Energy in his body.While healing his injury, he asked with his eyes still closed, “Did anything happen in the outside world in the time I stayed with the Grand Patriarch?”“Noth

James closed his eyes and thought for a while. Finally, he answered, “Thea.”She was the sole reason he stood here today.In order to save him, Thea ended up burned and disfigured horribly. That made the next ten years of her life a living hell.Because of her sacrifice, he had sworn to protect Thea for the rest of his life.“Is that so? What about your first love, Quincy? She believed you were alive and waited ten years for you.“As for Tiara, you’ll have to take responsibility for that too. After all, she’s with your child.”“...” Hearing this, James froze instantly. He turned around and stared at Maxine as the color drained from his face. “W-What did you say?”Maxine laughed teasingly and said, “Tiara’s pregnant.”“What?!” James exclaimed in disbelief.“She’s pregnant?”“Yeah. Remember how I pretended to be you at Tiara’s engagement ceremony and took her away? She was overjoyed and told me everything. She planned to have the child by herself, but her family forced her to

“Huh?”Tiara raised her head and saw Thea. Panic washed over her as she replied hastily, “I-I’m not doing anything in particular.”Thea put her arms on her hips and looked at Tiara arrogantly. Then, she said disdainfully, “Tiara, you shouldn’t think my husband likes you just because you’ve slept with him once. My husband is a national hero, and it’s not unusual that he’d sleep around with women casually. I advise that you don’t pester him. He doesn’t have time for idle chatter”“I-I’m not pestering him! He was the one who asked me to come to Cansington,” Tiara mumbled softly as she looked down.“Hmph.” Thea snorted dismissively at her and left.Tiara clenched her phone tightly and walked inside with her head still lowered.As soon as she entered the villa, Cynthia pulled her aside and whispered in a concerned voice, “What happened? Is Thea harassing you again?”Tiara shook her head gently and said, “No, she didn’t harass me! Cynthia… I was wondering… Should I not have come back?

“Also, I think you should bring Thea to the Capital.“While this is all going on, you’ll have to ensure that everything in Cansington is operating safely. You’ll be fighting in the front line but at the same time, you can’t let your rear end catch on fire. Desperate people will do anything to save themselves when they’re forced into a corner. It’d be best to leave some people from the God-King Palace in Cansington to protect Quincy and the others.”Maxine conducted a simple analysis and carefully presented her thoughts on every part of their plan.“Mhm.” James nodded.It was a well-thought and sensible plan.He picked up the phone and called Blake.“James, it’s good to hear from you, brother! I’ve got good news to share with you. I succeeded in cultivating my True Energy.”Blake’s joyful exclamation was the first thing James heard when he answered the call.James was shocked.Blake progressed at an astonishing speed. He managed to cultivate his True Energy in slightly over a m

James glanced at him and said, “Let’s cut the flattery short. I need you to go on a mission.” Blake immediately straightened up and asked, “What kind of mission is it?”“You were there when I killed the Emperor. He has been secretly researching Gu venom and turned it into a virus to create unkillable superhumans. Now that Madelyn has taken over his job, they must be continuing to research this online. I need you to use the Dark Castle’s influence to locate their new research facilities.”Blake’s expression immediately turned serious as his lips pulled into a thin line. “James, you think too highly of me. The world is such a big place. Where am I going to find them?”James said, “According to our analysis, the research base should not be that far from Sol. It’s probably in a neighboring country, so you should focus your investigation on neighboring countries. The Dark Castle’s network practically encompasses the world. I’m sure it won’t be a big deal for you.”“Alright. I’ll try m