Marcus let out a dismissive breath, adjusting his cuffs. "A poetic explanation, Mister Reid, but a dangerous one. In the business world, we rely on concrete data, not poetic analogies or 'vitality.' If I went to my board of directors and told them I was stepping down because a young man saw a shadow in my eyes, they would think I’d lost my mind.""Then let us use data," Alistair countered calmly, taking a step closer.His golden eyes locked onto Marcus, pinning the shipping magnate in place with an inexplicable psychological weight. "Every night at precisely two o'clock in the morning, your chest grows cold. You wake up drenched in sweat, gasping for air for exactly forty-five seconds before your heart stabilizes. You have attributed this to the stress of your global shipping lanes, taking herbal sleeping aids to suppress it."Marcus’s aristocratic composure shattered. His eyes widened, and the hand holding his bourbon glass trembled slightly, causing the ice cubes to clink against th

The fragile peace Adam managed to salvage with the protesters shattered instantly.The eyes of the surrounding protesters turned bloodshot as the mental manipulation took hold.“Kill him! Burn it all!”Suddenly, multiple glass bottles filled with gasoline and topped with burning rags were lit in the middle of the crowd. With terrifying velocity, three Molotov cocktails were hurled through the air, arching directly toward the spot where Adam Smith was standing.The peaceful protest instantly dissolved into a violent, fiery riot.“Protect the Boss! Fall back!” the head of security roared, his voice slicing through the sudden explosion of noise.The elite bodyguards immediately formed a turtle formation, their ballistic shields locking together with mechanical clicks to create a seamless wall of carbon fiber and steel.The three Molotov cocktails struck the pavement right in front of the shield wall, erupting into a violent sheet of roaring orange flame.The intense heat washed over the

“You will only be a hindrance to me here,” Alistair cut Adam off, his voice carrying an absolute, unyielding commanding weight that brooked no argument. “If you stay, you die, and your family's bloodline ends tonight. Drive out through the rear service exit. If you hesitate for even another second, I will sever my ties with the Smith family permanently.”Adam’s breath hitched.He saw the cold, unyielding finality in Alistair’s golden eyes and knew the grandmaster meant every word.With a heart full of reluctance and guilt, Adam gritted his teeth. “Please... stay alive, Master. I swear I will return with everything I have!”Adam slammed his foot onto the accelerator. The armored sedan’s tires screeched against the concrete, the heavy vehicle peeling out and rocketing toward the dark rear exit ramp, disappearing into the night.The skeletal leader of the demonic cultivators didn't even attempt to chase the car.He merely watched it leave, then shifted his abyssal black eyes back to Ali

If the demonic cultivators were willing to orchestrate a full-scale riot and a military-grade ambush just to capture Adam, then the rest of the Smith family was in grave danger.Adam’s wife and daughters, whom Alistair had saved once before, were now completely exposed.With Adam gone, the protective net around the Smith manor would be in absolute shambles.‘I must secure the manor first,’ Alistair decided, his eyes hardening.He couldn't track Adam without a proper clue, but the cultivators would undoubtedly strike the manor next to root out the rest of the bloodline.With a surge of golden energy, Alistair pivoted and tore through the darkness, rushing toward the Smith estate.Meanwhile, in a desolate area on the outskirts of Haven, the heavy stench of rust and stagnant water filled the air.Adam Smith groaned, his consciousness slowly returning in waves of blinding pain.His head throbbed violently from the impact of the car crash, and his vision was blurry.As he tried to move his

One of the demonic cultivators Alistair encountered was a gaunt man with sickly green veins pulsing across his throat.The cultivator was currently dragging Adam’s wife, Leah, by her hair.She was desperately clawing at his iron grip, her face pale with terror.Behind them, another cultivator held Adam’s two young daughters by their collars, the dark, corrosive qi radiating from his palms causing the girls to weep in silent, suffocating agony.“Quiet, mortal cattle,” the cultivator holding Leah hissed, raising a jagged, dark-energy dagger. “Your blood will serve a higher purpose tonight.”“Release them.” Alistair coldly said, his voice a frigid whisper that somehow carried the weight of a collapsing mountain.The three cultivators stiffened, their heads snapping toward the end of the hallway. Alistair stood there, his hands loosely by his sides, but the golden qi swirling around his feet was so intense that the unnatural frost on the walls instantly hissed, turned to steam, and evapo