Theon continued watching them in silence. Not another word left his lips. The stillness only made the atmosphere feel heavier. “Even if your parents are martyrs,” Xander finally cut in, his voice calmer than the others, “that still doesn't give you the right to bully people.” He folded his arms, holding Theon's gaze without retreating. “It's an undeniable fact that you slapped Caden first. Even if he insulted the Saintess...” “Slap?” Theon gave a quiet scoff, almost amused. “I was only helping him kill a fly.” His smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. The warmth drained from his face, leaving behind eyes as cold as winter steel. “The fact that he's still standing here instead of being dragged before the disciplinary panel is already an act of tremendous mercy on my part.” His gaze slowly swept across the four of them. “And yet, you still have the audacity to stand here yabbing at me.” Mark's nostrils flared. His fingers curled so tightly they produced faint cracki

SECURITY BUREAU. GUARD TRAINING ARENA, DIVISION ONE, ROOM TWO.Theon placed his thumbprint on the waiver and passed it to Mark.Mark also placed his thumbprint on the document before sliding it further down the line. Soon, all five of them had left their thumbprints on the papers. The completed waiver was then handed over to one of the senior guards present, who would be acting as the referee for the spar.More than thirty people had already gathered to watch.Embarrassing news travelled fast and always had a way of attracting the greatest amount of attention. Word of a public challenge involving the academy's infamous pariah had spread through the Security Bureau like wildfire, drawing curious spectators from every direction.Everyone was more than eager to see the school pariah beaten down. This was also a perfect opportunity to debunk the absurd rumors of him beating level twelve monsters and coming back alive.Even the academy's Archmages didn't dare casually enter a level twelve

Theon ignored the probing gazes that seemed determined to drill straight through his skin. It was as though they wanted to peel away every layer of flesh, strip him down to the marrow, and discover what he was truly made of.Without sparing them another glance, he made his way toward the refectory.There were many things he could afford to ignore, but hunger certainly wasn't one of them.By the time he stepped inside, most of the room's occupants had already finished eating and drifted away. It was well into midmorning now, and the once bustling dining hall had quieted considerably. The lingering aroma of freshly cooked food still hung pleasantly in the air, mixing with the faint chatter of a few late diners scattered across the spacious hall.Theon stopped before the serving counter and flashed the two girls standing behind it a bright, effortlessly charming smile.One of them immediately hissed beneath her breath and shifted several steps away as though avoiding a contagious disease

The hall was considerably emptier by the time Theon arrived. The bustling atmosphere from earlier had all but disappeared, leaving behind only a handful of people coming and going about their own business. As for the four boys assigned to his team, they were nowhere to be seen.The girl behind the reception counter was leisurely reading a book, her legs propped casually on the table before her as though she hadn't a care in the world.She glanced at Theon the moment he descended the stairs, gave a dismissive scoff, then promptly looked away and buried herself back in her book.Some prejudices, it appeared, ran far deeper than reason.Despite watching him defeat those four guards fair and square, her terrible opinion of him hadn't softened in the slightest. If anything, it seemed to have grown even worse.Theon inhaled deeply, forcing away the urge to sneer.There was no point jumping to conclusions.Perhaps they had arrived while he was still resting and assumed he wasn't coming. Or p

Kane's muscles rippled with newly awakened power, every subtle movement carrying an explosive strength that hadn't existed before. The sickly pallor that had haunted him for the past few weeks had vanished without a trace. Neither exhaustion nor weakness remained.His meridians had long since been repaired, every fractured pathway painstakingly restored.And now, deep within his lower belly, a brand-new core had finally taken shape.The cultivation core was even stronger than the one he had possessed previously, forged into something that felt almost indestructible. Not only that, its capacity to contain and compress energy far surpassed that of an ordinary cultivator's core.He could now inhale the surrounding energy and convert it into his own nearly twice as fast as before.No, almost three times as fast.The tragedy of the Dark Forest had ultimately become the greatest blessing of his life.If Theon hadn't caused trouble and forced Solvyn to publicly 'handle' him, he would never h