He then shoved the young man beside him and said harshly, "You damn kid, what kind of joke was that? Apologize to Master Trent, now!"

Samuel Warner looked reluctant, but under pressure, he still cupped his fist to Victor Trent in an ancient salute of apology.

Victor Trent shot them a cold glance, then said something completely unrelated. "Forget the apology. Lord Warner had better treat Young Lord Morgan well. You wouldn’t want to use the wrong medicine..."

Then, with a grim expression, he strode away.

Samuel Warner, furious, was about to retort when Emil Warner smacked him on the back of the head.

"Grandfather, are we just going to let them go?"

Emil Warner glared at him. "And what would you do? Use those childish tricks of yours? Immature! You should learn a thing or two about cunning from the Young Master of the Morgan Family..."

"Who wants to learn from him? That guy is nothing but schemes..."

When Samuel Warner saw Emil Warner raise his hand to strike again, he quickly surrendered. "I’ll learn, I’ll learn..."

As soon as he was out of the hospital, Victor Trent gave August Trent a direct order. "Have men watch this place around the clock. I think something might have happened to Linden Grant."

Meanwhile, in a place untouched by daylight, a silver-haired man lay on a bed, his eyes wide open as he stared at the white ceiling. The air was thick with the smell of medical disinfectant.

He had been lying here for over two months, a searing pain burning in the dantian in his abdomen.

Cassian Sherwood, a Guardian from Niphoria, had crippled his cultivation and imprisoned him here.

Two months ago, after a wave had swept Aurora Sinclair into the abyss, the hostile masked man had jumped into the sea right after her.

Only he and the Guardian from Niphoria had been left on the boat. He had been about to thank the man, but he never expected the Guardian to attack him.

Already suffering from internal injuries, he was no match and was quickly defeated. The next time he awoke, he found himself here.

"Have you considered my proposal?" a familiar voice suddenly asked.

Linden Grant sneered. "After what you’ve done to me, aren’t you afraid I’ll poison your entire clan?"

The moment he spoke, a suffocating Power Domain crashed down upon him.

"If you refuse to be of use, then you have no value..."

As his life faded, Linden Grant’s eyes widened, as if in disbelief that the man would actually kill him.

Cassian Sherwood slowly rose, gave him an indifferent glance, and walked out.

"Take care of the one inside."

"Yes..."

Cassian Sherwood looked west toward the vast continent, his expression grim and his eyes filled with bitter resentment.

In Ancient Times, his clan had been a powerhouse on that continent, but they had offended a powerful sect and were exiled here, forbidden to return for ten thousand years. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Now, he was determined to lead his clan back to the pinnacle of the Martial World.

The man standing behind him knew the Grand Elder was lost in thought. He hesitated before speaking. "Grand Elder, it seems the people at the lab are unhappy with what the Young Miss did to Tate."

Cassian Sherwood pulled his gaze back, turned, and snorted. "Do they really think I wouldn’t dare touch them just because they have the Yamada Clan’s protection?"

"Grand Elder, Tate has been restless. It seems he’s been secretly contacting the Yamada Family, trying to marry Miss Claire to one of them."

The displeasure on Cassian Sherwood’s face deepened until he finally whispered, "Cripple him."

"Yes..."

On the way back, Cassian Sherwood seemed to remember something. "How are the preparations for the Arcadia tournament?"

"Yves and Sonya broke through to the Grandmaster level a short while ago. As for the Martial King Level, Mr. Yuri will be competing."

"And the Trent Family? How strong are they?"

"According to our intel, the Trent Family used the lab’s drugs to produce over a dozen Martial Kings. They’ll likely make a huge splash at the tournament."

Cassian Sherwood clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Contact the Trent Family. Send them the body, and tell them he was killed by a Guardian from Veridia."

"Yes..."

***

「July 2nd.」

The Arcadia Freestyle Combat Tournament finally began in Kingsford, the capital of Veridia.

The entire city had been transformed for the event. Welcome banners and promotional materials were everywhere, lending an air of prestige to the competition.

Competitors from all over Arcadia checked out of the airport and into the luxury hotels surrounding the tournament venue.

"Senior Sister, your match isn’t until the last day. Why are we moving in so early?"

Dawn Miles, changing into the uniform of the venue’s security staff, said calmly, "To make a statement."

’I knew it.’

Leigh Miles pouted and rolled her eyes.

"Did you ask Morgan for our pay?"

Dawn Miles looked at her, confused, and shook her head. Leigh Miles sighed and began to lecture her. "Senior Sister, you’re a Guardian! I know you don’t care about prestige, but you can’t just waive the appearance fee."

But Dawn Miles simply replied, "Isn’t this part of a Guardian’s duty?"

"Who told you that?"

"I guessed."