As Emptiness and the others passed Steven Norris, they couldn’t help laughing.“You’re something else, old man. You acted so sure of yourself, and look how that turned out. Now you’re on your knees begging Adrian to take you as an apprentice? You’ve got some nerve.”Octavia nodded. “People who challenge Adrian usually lose badly. Nothing new there.”After they left, Adrian helped Steven to his feet. “Dr. Norris, did you learn the ten variations I showed you?”Steven looked ashamed. “I’m afraid not. I recognized three of them, but I haven’t even memorized the other seven yet.”Adrian thought for a moment. “I really have something important to do. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll change the three patterns you recognized. Study the new ones carefully. Once you’ve mastered them, call me or come find me in Skyline City. I’ll teach you the rest then.”Steven stared at him. “Mr.Doyle, do you mean that? I mocked you and questioned your abilities. You’re still willing to teach me without asking for a

The crowd wasn’t the only one stunned. Daisy and Nora Simpson could hardly believe their eyes.Now Daisy understood why none of her calls to Adrian had gone through today. He’d been busy preparing this enormous surprise.How much must he care about Nora to do all this?The thought, the love, the tenderness—and the connections it must have taken. He’d put it all together in barely more than a day.Adrian was giving Nora Simpson a birthday celebration from all of Brocade City. It was his way of telling her how he felt.Daisy’s emotions tangled together. She was happy for them, but she couldn’t help feeling a pang of jealousy.Nora Simpson gazed up at the sky, tears in her eyes and happiness all over her face.The falling rose petals brought back a promise Adrian had made when they were children.Nora had loved roses back then, but she could only admire the ones other people had. Adrian, small and skinny at the time, had told her that when he grew up, he’d find a way to give her a rain o

“But let’s be clear: I’ll make the introductions. Whether anything comes of them is up to you.”Daisy smiled. “Don’t worry, Sis. You’re doing this for me, so I’ll work hard. I won’t let you down.”They drove to Nora Simpson’s villa.Emptiness, Octavia, and Iris Lloyd stared at the estate in disbelief. The grounds were enormous, with everything they could think of: a playground, a golf course, even a private airfield.“Wow. This place must have cost a fortune. Nora, you really don’t hold back!”Nora Simpson smiled and waved a hand. “It’s nothing much. Just over two billion. If you like it, I can introduce you to the developer. You could get one too.”The others fell silent. There was no way they could afford that.At the largest, most luxurious villa in the center of the estate, Adrian helped Nora Simpson out of the car.“The whole place is empty except for my room, so take whichever rooms you like. Make yourselves at home. If you don’t have plans for the next few days, stay and have s

“If dual cultivation does us this much good, why don’t we try again?”Adrian was so startled he stammered. “Uh, Senior Sister, shouldn’t you rest? Isn’t this a little—”Before he could finish, Nora pushed him onto the bed.Half an hour later, they lay side by side. Nora Simpson checked the energy within her and frowned. “Adrian, did you advance?”Adrian checked his own cultivation. “It’s increased, but—”Nora rolled over and pinned him down again. “If you haven’t advanced, let’s try one more time!”An hour later, Nora finally had to admit they weren’t going to break through again. She looked disappointed.“Why did it work last night but not today? What changed?”“Cultivation takes time,” Adrian said, trying to comfort her. “An increase is already a good sign. You probably have a special constitution that hasn’t fully awakened yet.”Nora sighed. “All right. It’s getting late. Let’s wash up and go have breakfast. The others are probably downstairs already.”She was right. By the time th

The three doctors examined Serena for a long time, then sighed together.“Well?” James asked anxiously. “Can you do anything for my granddaughter’s face?”Vincent Wallace stroked his short beard. “The marks were left because her chickenpox wasn’t treated in time. If we’d treated her back then, we might have had a seventy percent chance. But the residual toxins have spread through the tissue of her face. There’s nothing we can do now.”“Even if we remove the marks,” Lorenzo Watson added, “they’ll come back.”“We should call Master,” William Lane said. “He’ll have a way.”Clayton Adams gave a wry smile. “I already called him. He’s out of Skyline City, and I don’t know when he’ll be back.”They all sighed. James fell silent, his disappointment plain.Serena went to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Don’t worry, Grandpa. It’s been years. I’m used to them. Even if the marks never go away, I’ll be okay.”James was about to answer when footsteps sounded at the door.Jones entered with tw