The Rise of a Master: It Starts With Rejection

Dean said, "Alright, wait here. Once I kill Felix, we'll head out."

The Maximus family was on the verge of ruling Martial City, and killing Felix was just one step in the process. Now that they knew he was in Corpse Town, there was no way they would let him slip away.

Dean grabbed some blue powder and left the courtyard. While Corpse Town was fairly large, it would not take him long to track someone down at his speed. As soon as he stepped out, though, he spotted Felix casually walking out of an alley.

"Felix!" Dean's eyes gleamed with intensity. He had speculated that Felix might be here, but seeing him in the flesh was an entirely different feeling.

Felix chuckled from across the way. "Heh! I didn't expect the Maximus family to be hiding here. Surviving in Corpse Town, huh? Must be thanks to that fancy blue shield of yours."

Dean was not about to waste any more time with words. Without warning, he lunged forward, launching a powerful attack.

Felix did not back down and retaliated instantly. As they clashed, Felix could sense that he was not far from advancing to the late stage of the Transcendent Realm. For now, he decided to play along and test his strength, all while forming a plan in his mind.

Though he could now easily control his dagger, Lumen, Felix knew killing Dean with it would be almost too easy. Lumen affected the soul directly, making it fatal unless someone had powerful defenses.

Nonetheless, Felix was cautious. The Phaeron Codex had repeatedly warned him not to use Lumen on ordinary humans until his soul body was fully formed.

And yes, "ordinary humans" included even masters of the Transcendent Realm. The Codex stated that killing recklessly with Lumen could twist the cultivation path, turning the wielder into a bloodthirsty killer or someone who might lose control of themselves entirely.

Felix had no intention of risking that outcome. Hence, he chose to rely purely on his martial skills instead.

The commotion was not far from the Maximus family's courtyard, and those inside could hear and even see the fight from a distance.

"Is Felix actually holding his own against Elder Dean?" Atlas clenched his fists in frustration.

In such a short time, Felix had left him far behind, to the point where Felix could defeat him instantly if they fought now.

Atlas muttered, "It doesn't matter. Felix, you're nowhere near Elder Dean's level. You'll die for sure."

Dean grew increasingly unsettled as the fight dragged on for 20 minutes. Felix had not managed to seriously injure him, but the wounds Dean inflicted on Felix were superficial at best.

"I must kill this kid!" Dean snarled internally.

He prepared to unleash a dangerous secret technique, even if it meant harming himself. But suddenly, the blue glow around him flickered, a sign that the protection from the blue powder was running out. swnovelnoveldrama

"Felix, I've got you now. Tomorrow, I'll kill you for sure!" Dean called out.

There were not any hostile spirits around at the moment, but Dean was not going to take any chances. Without the blue shield's protection, even a single spirit could put his life at risk. swnovel

He had to retreat because the blue crystal needed time to regenerate more powder. It could be

permanently damaged if

overharvested, and the Maximus family valued it too much to let that happen. swnovel

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With a final strike, Dean disengaged and dashed back to the courtyard, confident that Felix would not dare chase him inside. If Felix did, it would be a death sentence.

Felix approached the edge of the glowing barrier, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "There's no need to wait for tomorrow-let's settle this today.

"It's time to end the feud between me and the Maximus family once and for all."