“Mr. Vincent, something’s come up and I have to head back immediately. We’ll have to catch up another time.”Vincent Richards’ smile faded. “Mr. Doyle, need a hand? Say the word and I’ll have the brothers go with you.”Adrian shook his head. “Not for now. I can handle it. Mr. Vincent, could you have someone run us to the airport?”Vincent immediately beckoned a sharp-looking young man to drive Adrian and his companions out.From the moment Adrian left, Ophelia drifted, her mind miles away.“You little minx,” Vincent couldn’t help teasing, “this time you can admit it—you’ve fallen for him.”Ophelia lowered her eyes, stricken. “But he already has a fiancée. I don’t even know how he feels about me. And our family…”Vincent rubbed her head. “Silly girl. You’ve never feared heaven or earth since you were a kid—how come love’s the one thing that makes you flinch? If you like him, then go after him. If you don’t ask, how will you know he doesn’t like you?“As for the family, your brother wil

The arrival of nearly five thousand fighters from the Fifteen Commercial Alliances caught everyone flat-footed.“Drop your weapons and surrender! Traitors, the lot of you! You meant to wipe us out to the last!” a burly, bearded man roared at the rebels, fury blazing in his eyes.“Why aren’t you dead yet? What went wrong? Where did our plan fail?” The turncoats were rattled, unable to comprehend how the tide had turned.“Hmph. We had powerful help. Your betrayal has already reached Lord Buddha’s ears. The one aiding us is Lord Buddha’s own brother—Mr. Doyle.”At that, the members of the Fifteen Alliances all turned and bowed toward the entrance.When Adrian stepped into view, the expressions across the hall shifted in subtle, startling ways—most of all on Sebastian Simpson’s face. His pupils contracted; a tremor ran through him, raw with sudden, disbelieving relief. No one else could fathom what it meant to be dragged back from the brink.When he’d messaged Adrian earlier, Sebastian ha

Vincent Walker spat at Sebastian Simpson’s feet. “Pah! What are you so proud of, Sebastian? If not for that brat, you’d be a corpse. Go on, kill me—but you’ll never be my equal. You’re nothing. Trash.”Sebastian stood quietly, watching Vincent thrash against the inevitable. “And you didn’t lean on the King of Gangbuk? Without him, you think you could’ve staged this revolt with those pitiful followers of yours?”Vincent’s face had the color of ash. He laughed and laughed. “Winners are kings, losers are dogs. Enough talk—kill me or carve me; I’m at your mercy.”Sebastian raised his hand and brought it down, ending Vincent Walker’s life with a single palm.Then he turned to the traitors.“You were once my brothers. I gave you a chance. You chose profit over loyalty. I can’t forgive that.”The ten martial hall masters glanced at one another. Seeing mercy wasn’t coming, they sprang up as one.“If begging won’t save us, we’ll cut our way out. Better a fighting chance than waiting to die!”“

The man’s silence began to grate on Adrian’s nerves.“What the hell are you smiling at?”No sooner had he spoken than the man moved again—his outline wavered, then split. Shadows proliferated, each one a perfect duplicate: same face, same stance, same predatory calm.Adrian blinked, just long enough to lose the thread—then a dozen silhouettes surged at him in a coordinated assault.The strangest thing was that every copy attacked with a different rhythm and angle.Infuriating to pin down.He cast his senses wide, but in that flurry he couldn’t isolate the real body.“Out of my way!”Irritation flared. He drove a fist forward.Gold roared. Power crashed like a breaking storm.With a thunderous crack, the clones were blasted backward in unison.The darkness buckled and collapsed into a single body.Adrian eyed the man across from him and let out a low chuckle. “You’re good. Those phantoms were sharp enough to fool even me for a breath. But do you know the fatal flaw?”He paused, then ad

Daisy’s constitution was unusual—a pure yin body. And because the two of them had dual-cultivated, some of his spiritual energy had already merged into her, giving her a marked edge over most.“Next I’ll teach you how to draw qi into your body. Feel the spiritual energy between heaven and earth—carefully. Then guide it inward and gather it in your lower abdomen.”Adrian was meticulous. This step was pivotal; one misstep could cripple cultivation for life.Daisy nodded obediently and closed her eyes to sense.Adrian sat beside her, standing guard.Time slid by. After an hour, he distinctly felt the ambient energy begin to stir—threading, little by little, into Daisy’s body.The pace astonished him.Even the gifted rarely managed qi induction so quickly. Yes, he’d infused her with some of his energy through dual cultivation—but for her to perceive and draw it in this fast was one-in-a-million.“Adrian, my lower abdomen feels warm—like a small whirlpool slowly turning. Does that mean I d