*****BOOM!!!Lucius’s F-rank aura erupted outward.At the same time, Augustus's E-rank pressure exploded across the courtyard like a violent storm descending from the heavens, pressing down on everyone present.The atmosphere immediately changed.'This...!' The unranked guards and ordinary servants felt their expressions change dramatically.Several people hurriedly stumbled backward.Some nearly lost their balance entirely.Even the F-rank fighters felt their breathing become difficult beneath the combined pressure and instinctively retreated several steps.The difference between ranks was merciless.When Augustus released his aura without restraint, everyone immediately understood why he had become the greatest pillar of the Scoan family.Then numerous gazes landed on Hunter.Some were pitiful, some regretful, and some completely baffled.'He already had victory within reach.''Why choose this path?''What exactly is he thinking?''How does he intend to face an E-rank and an F-rank

*****Hunter’s footwork was still crisp, his movements remained fluid, and even his speed hadn't dropped in the slightest.More importantly, while Augustus looked as though he had been dragged through a river and tossed into a furnace afterward, Hunter didn't even have a single bead of sweat on his forehead.His breathing remained steady, his expression remained calm, and his posture remained relaxed.Not only did he not appear exhausted, but he looked as though he had barely begun warming up.The realization struck the crowd like a bolt of lightning.Instantly, several guards felt their hearts skip a beat.Others widened their eyes, and some even unconsciously inhaled sharply.Only now were they beginning to understand what had been happening all along.Hunter hadn't been running away, and neither had he been avoiding battle because he was afraid.He had been forcing Augustus to exhaust himself.The realization sent chills through countless bodies.Meanwhile, Lucius's face gradually d

*****Meanwhile, the atmosphere throughout the estate grew increasingly oppressive.Apart from the sounds of fists colliding with flesh and bone, Augustus's pained groans, and the occasional crack of his bones breaking, the entire courtyard remained submerged in suffocating silence.The tension became so overwhelming that it felt tangible… like an invisible weight pressing down on everyone's shoulders.Time seemed to stretch endlessly, and soon, more than ten minutes passed.Just at that moment…“Tsk!”The sound of someone clicking their tongue echoed across the courtyard.The noise wasn't loud, yet within the oppressive silence, it exploded like thunder.Everyone was badly startled.Several servants nearly jumped, a few guards felt their hearts leap into their throats, and even Lucius, who had been staring blankly at his father being beaten senseless, flinched violently.Instinctively, everyone turned toward the source.Unfortunately... the sound came from the hidden expert who still

*****Lucius did not even entertain the thought of fighting back at all. The very idea felt laughable.No, it felt suicidal.After everything he had witnessed, he understood his situation better than anyone else present.His father, an E-rank fighter whom he had practically worshipped for days after the breakthrough, had just been beaten into a miserable heap on the ground.The man had entered the fight radiating confidence and authority, only to leave it looking as though he had volunteered to test whether concrete was softer than his face.What chance did he, who had never truly trained a day in his life, have? His cultivation was nothing more than a shortcut handed to him on a silver platter.The F-rank aura he possessed hadn't been earned through his own efforts.He had obtained it by consuming a pill that the Ravencrests had rewarded him with after he and his father informed them about the Harrisons handing the entire Project Echelon over to Grace.Compared to Hunter, who had cla

*****For a fleeting moment after Lucius finished speaking, several people even questioned their own memories… that was how absurdly convincing Lucius was.Unfortunately for him, everyone present already knew exactly what had happened back then.Information traveled through the estate faster than wildfire through dry grass.Everyone in the estate already knew that when Lucius discovered Hunter’s wife in his father's chamber, he had not been outraged or disgusted.He certainly had not fought for justice.If anything, he had practically celebrated and had even eagerly suggested joining in himself.The memory alone nearly made several guards roll their eyes.The only truthful parts of his dramatic confession were that Augustus had indeed slept with Hunter's wife first and that Augustus had later suggested hunting Hunter down.Everything else was so fabricated that it would have embarrassed a professional storyteller.Yet somehow, Lucius delivered those lies with such heartfelt conviction