Leon’s heart began pounding wildly. A moment later, an excited grin spread across his face. "Who can possibly be my match with weapons like these?" He looked down at the twin daggers in disbelief. "I bet even S-Class hunters will find it difficult against me unless they have unique abilities to defend."

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying the combination seemed.

Invisible weapons. Weapons that could fly and attack on their own. Leon could already imagine how difficult they would be to defend against.

Without wasting another second, he tossed both daggers into the air.

The moment they left his hands, Leon focused his mind on them.

Instantly, the daggers froze in midair.

They hovered silently before him as though an invisible hand was holding them in place.

"It actually works!" Excitement flashed across Leon’s face. Then he willed them forward.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The twin daggers shot through the flames like crimson lightning. They darted left. Then right. They spun, twisted, and circled around Leon at incredible speed.

The air filled with sharp whistling sounds as the blades cut through the surrounding flames. Leon controlled them purely through thought. It felt as natural as moving his own arms. The daggers danced around him like loyal predators awaiting his command.

A wide grin appeared on his face. "These things are awesome."

Finally, the daggers came to a halt before Leon.

"Now let’s try the Stealth Mode."

The moment the thought crossed his mind...

The twin daggers vanished.

They didn’t become transparent.

They simply disappeared, as though they had never existed in the first place.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Sharp whistling sounds echoed through the sea of flames as the invisible daggers moved like ghosts.

Leon’s eyes narrowed. He could still perceive them. Though he couldn’t see the blades directly, he could see the faint distortions in the air surrounding them, as though the invisible weapons were bending light itself.

The smile on his face grew wider.

He continued testing the daggers for several more minutes, controlling them with nothing but his thoughts.

He was savoring the moment when suddenly...

His body swayed suddenly. A wave of weakness crashed over him, causing his knees to nearly buckle.

"W-What’s happening...?"

Several notifications appeared immediately.

[Host has completely exhausted the Qi stored within the dantian.] 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

[Warning.]

[Warning.]

[Refrain from using Qi until the dantian has been replenished.]

Leon froze for a moment before slapping his forehead.

"Right..." A bitter smile appeared on his face.

"I stopped cultivating the moment I broke through."

He quickly stored the daggers inside the system inventory before sitting down in the lotus position once more and circulated the Mystic Monarch Ascension technique.

Immediately, fire energy and spiritual energy surged toward him. A massive whirlpool formed around his body.

Leon focused on replenishing his Qi.

Meanwhile...

Back at the Bowen Estate...

"What?" Simon frowned. "Why are you looking at her like that?"

Following Sean’s gaze, Simon finally noticed the two girls on the bed.

One awake.

One still unconscious.

"You can play around with them later," Simon said impatiently. "First, we need to get to the place where those siblings live. Hurry."

He grabbed Sean’s arm and tried to pull him toward the door.

"Dad..." Sean finally snapped out of his daze.

"What is it?"

"It’s her."

Sean pointed toward Jenny.

"The Jenny Bale you’re looking for."

Simon froze. For a few seconds, he simply stared at Jenny. Then his eyes widened.

"Her?" he exclaimed. "What’s she doing here?" He felt utterly speechless.

They had been searching everywhere for Leon Bale or anyone who knew her. Yet his sister had been lying inside one of their rooms the entire time.

Sean scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I like her, so I brought her here to convince her."

Simon’s eyelid twitched.

"I didn’t know her brother had made enemies of an assassin guild... and the Bloodhound Guild to be at that." Sean said.

Simon’s gaze shifted toward the other girl. "And who is that?"

"Oh, that’s another classmate." Sean shrugged. "She saw me taking Jenny away and started acting like a pest. She wanted me to leave Jenny and bring her instead. I didn’t want the situation to become troublesome, so I knocked her out and brought her here too."

Simon stared at him for several seconds.

Then he suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

He slapped Sean’s shoulder heavily. "Well done!"

Sean blinked. "Really?"

"Of course!" Simon’s face was filled with delight. "You’ve helped your father immensely." He grinned. "Starting next month, I’ll double your allowance."

Sean’s eyes lit up. "Seriously?"

"Of course." Simon looked over the moon as if he had just won a lottery. "Now bring her to the interrogation room, Sean." He turned around and started walking toward the door. "Alpha is waiting." Simon thought Sean was already about to follow him.

But then...

"No, Father."

Simon stopped, his expression stunned.

The room fell silent.

Then, slowly, Simon turned around. His eyes narrowed. "What did you mean, no?"

Sean met his gaze. For the first time, there wasn’t even a trace of hesitation in his eyes.

"She isn’t going anywhere, father."

A frown appeared on Simon’s face. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Sean pointed toward Jenny. "I like her." His voice was firm. "And I won’t let anyone torture her." He paused. "Not even you."

Silence.

Simon stood there motionless. For a moment, he genuinely felt as though he were looking at a complete idiot. Then his expression darkened.

"Have you lost your mind?" His voice turned cold. "What’s so special about that girl?"

He took a step forward. "If you want women, I’ll find ten prettier girls than her."

Another step. "But don’t forget what situation we’re in. If Alpha becomes angry..."

A chill ran down the room. "We’re all finished."

Sean clenched his fists. Yet he didn’t back down.

"No means no, Father."

Simon was about to lash out, but someone hurriedly entered the room. "Master Bowen, the hunters from the Razor Wolf guild have arrived. Mr. Alpha is waiting for you at the entrance."

Outside the Bowen estate, four vehicles screeched to a stop. Night had already fallen. Dark clouds gathered in the sky as if they already knew a storm was about to unleash.