This morning, Lisa walked with graceful yet firm steps into the martial arts association building located in a closed complex on the outskirts of Arcandra City. The building looked plain from the outside, just like an ordinary old structure, but everyone in the cultivation world knew that inside gathered some of the most powerful cultivators in the city.Lisa wore a purple summer dress that accentuated her cold beauty. Her long black hair was neatly tied back, and her light but flawless makeup added an elegant touch to her face, which concealed cunning behind her smile.A guard bowed respectfully as Lisa passed. The Hendrawan family name was respected, even feared, among the city's cultivators. No one dared to question her presence.Lisa was escorted to a private room designed like a traditional tea room. In the center of the room, sitting cross-legged on a tatami mat, was a man around forty-five years old with a lean body that radiated terrifying power. His face was firm, with a stro

"Kevin's grade is A plus plus," Clarissa added. "While Cindy's grade is B plus. There's quite a significant gap."Cindy felt her face flush hot with the shame of defeat. She had never imagined that Kevin, who had submitted his answers in just five minutes, would end up with a perfect score."Kevin, as the first-place winner, please say a few words to your teammates," Clarissa said.Kevin stood. "Before I speak about the team, I'd like to announce something. Before this selection, Cindy and I made a bet. Whoever ranked higher has the right to remove the other from the team. Since I'm in first place and Cindy is in second, based on that bet, I am removing Cindy from the team. Her position will be filled by the fifth-place finisher."Cindy dropped the pen she was holding. Her face turned red with embarrassment, anger, and disappointment. She wanted to protest, but she had been the one to propose the bet. There was nothing she could do.Clarissa looked at Kevin with a slightly startled ex

At five in the morning, when most people in Arcandra City were still fast asleep in their beds, Kevin was already standing in front of his boarding house door with a black backpack on his back.The morning air was still cold, and a thin mist hung among the narrow alleys around his house. The sky was still dark blue with a few lingering stars reluctant to fade.A black sedan stopped right in front of his house gate. A middle-aged man in a neat driver's uniform stepped out of the car and bowed respectfully."Mr. Kevin? I'm Pak Darmo, a driver from the Wicaksana family. Miss Winona instructed me to pick you up."Kevin nodded and got into the back seat. Today was Saturday, and he didn't need to go to campus. This was the perfect time to make the journey to the Forbidden Forest.For Kevin, hunting demon beasts wasn't just a hobby or an adventure. It was a necessity. The spirit cores from demon beasts contained pure cultivation energy that could be directly absorbed by a cultivator's body.

The first was an old man who looked extremely frail. His body was thin and hunched, his hair was completely white, and his skin was covered in deep wrinkles. He wore a simple gray robe that was already worn out. Every step he took seemed very heavy, as if each movement required all the remaining strength he had.Supporting him was a little girl. She was about eleven or twelve years old. Her black hair was long and tied in two simple pigtails. She wore a white dress that looked simple but clean. Her small hands held the old man's arm tightly, helping him walk with careful steps.To ordinary people, this scene would stir deep pity. An old man at the end of his life, supported by a granddaughter who was still very small. A granddaughter who herself seemed weak and unable to bear the old man's weight.But Kevin was no ordinary person. His eyes, which had lived for seven thousand years, immediately saw something very different from what these two figures presented.The old man was no ordin

A hard shove struck Yanto in the chest, and his body was hurled backward until he crashed into the table behind him. Cups on that table fell and shattered, scattering across the floor.Kevin stood before Clarissa with a cold face. The hand he had just used to shove Yanto dropped calmly back to his side.Yanto's three followers immediately put on angry expressions and began surrounding Kevin.Cindy rose from her chair with a panicked face. "Kevin, don't! Yanto is from the Hendrawan family! Their influence is far greater than Bimo's family!"Yanto stood up, his face flushed red with humiliation. His expensive clothes were soaked with spilled tea and coffee, and he felt his pride as a grandson of the Hendrawan family had just been trampled in front of many people."You!" Yanto pointed at Kevin with a trembling finger. "You dare push me?"Kevin didn't answer. He simply stared at Yanto with a cold, expressionless gaze.Cindy hurriedly positioned herself between them. "Yanto, please, he did