While everyone was talking and occasionally laughing at Hasan, Raed, Sarah, and Meng Meng suddenly glanced in a specific direction. Raed quickly spoke,
"Meng Meng, I'll leave this ant to you."
Meng Meng vanished into the darkness without anyone noticing, surprising Hasan. She soon returned, holding a corpse in her hand.
"It seems the Lower Kill Wing is quite persistent. Very well, since they are so eager for death, Meng Meng, the Lower Kill Wing will be your training target from now on."
"Understood, brother,"
Meng Meng replied.
"The Lower Kill Wing is quite powerful. They're a group of lunatics who don't fear death, carrying out assassinations anywhere. They embrace death, believing it's a return to the King of Killers, whom they worship,"
Sarah said calmly, without a trace of fear. Instead, there was a hint of disdain and mockery in her voice.
"Either way, since they're so determined to die, I'll gladly oblige them. Hasan, don't mention that technique to anyone. Also, next year, we'll head to the Sky Path Sect together. Train hard until then."
"Understood, boss,"
Hasan replied.
---
Meanwhile, in a secret room within the royal family, Saad and the commander of the special guards—who had previously approached Raed—were kneeling before a man in white robes.
"Hmmm... I've been supplying you with resources and skills for two months, and yet you've only reached the second level of Blood Coagulation. You're utterly worthless,"
the young man in white robes sneered at Saad with disdain.
"Though I must admit, your progress is quite fast, considering you're only relying on pills. But in the end, your foundation will be trash."
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. My talent has failed you... Please punish me,"
Saad said fearfully, but the young man merely looked at him coldly and said, "
It doesn't matter. Just make sure to kill that boy in the next confrontation. Can you manage that?"
"Don't worry, my lord. He's just trash. I'll do my best to end him,"
Saad replied confidently. From his point of view, Raed hadn't even begun training yet, and even if he had, it would be too late.
"Don't underestimate him. I'll provide you with enough resources to prepare for the competition. Increase your strength so we leave no room for error. You must kill him this time,"
the commander said coldly, throwing several bottles to Saad as if tossing scraps to a beggar. He paused for a moment, then pulled out a small box from his pocket.
"This pill is incredibly precious. Use it only if your life is in serious danger. It's called the Beast Transformation Pill. Keep it safe, and if you don't use it, return it."
"I promise, my lord. I won't fail you."
"Good. You may go now."
Saad left with a satisfied smile, leaving the commander and the young man in the room.
"Do you really think this boy is worth all this effort?"
the commander asked.
"Hmph… That boy is trash, but Raed is another story. There's definitely a secret behind him. How can someone without a spiritual root start cultivating? And without a dantian? I must find out,"
the commander said greedily. He then glared coldly at the commander and added,
"Jiang Yan, if a single word of this conversation gets out, I'll crush your family like ants."
It was revealed that the commander was a member of the Jiang family, the ruling family of the Hawk Nation.
Jiang Yan shuddered and immediately knelt to the ground, saying,
"I would never disobey your orders, Your Majesty. I was just curious."
---
"Are you saying that man gave you numerous resources to kill Raed, and even gave you a precious pill to ensure your victory if anything goes wrong?"
"Yes, Father. He's terrifying. Every time I see him, I can't help but feel a chill down my spine,"
Saad replied, as his father—the head of the Hijazi family—questioned him about what happened in the royal family.
"My son, make sure you win, or the consequences will be dire. That man won't show us any mercy,"
Saad's father warned him gravely, making Saad even more cautious.
"Don't worry, Father. Raed is nothing but trash. But who is this man, to act so freely in the royal family and even frighten you?"
Saad asked, still confused.
"Keep this to yourself, but that man is from the Yun family—one of the great families in the Empire. On top of that, he's a disciple of a sect, which makes him even more terrifying."
"A sect disciple? Are they really that powerful?"
Saad asked, puzzled.
"Absolutely. At the same level, they can crush anyone from the mortal world thanks to their techniques, skills, resources, and guidance from the elders."
"In short, he's someone we can't afford to provoke. Work hard, and if he takes a liking to you, he might bring you into the sect,"
his father advised.
"Alright, Father. I'll make sure to kill that boy and raise our family's name above the Najjar family,"
Saad declared, before heading to the backyard to train. He crouched down and quickly consumed several pills without any concern for building a proper foundation—a foolish approach, indeed.
---
Meanwhile, Raed was busy refining alchemy while Roma, Sarah, and Meng Meng trained nearby. Yamir, as usual, sat munching on beast meat.
"Hmmm... I need to refine a large batch of Blood Coagulation Pills, since I'll definitely need a lot of them. I also need to break through soon if I'm going to save my family,"
Raed thought, deeply focused on the conspiracy surrounding his family, before losing himself in his alchemy.
"Raed… Raed!"
Roma's voice snapped him back to reality. He went over and gently touched her beautiful face, but she glared at him and said angrily,
"I've been calling you for a while. Hurry up! You're going to miss the fight you promised, and you'll end up a laughingstock."
Raed was startled.
"Has it already been three days?"
he wondered.
"Alright, let's go. Bring Sarah, Meng Meng, and Yamir too,"
Raed said.
He led them all to the battle arena. He wore a gray robe, tied with a belt that accentuated his figure.
Sarah wore a stunning red dress, while Roma donned a green gown with a veil to cover her face from everyone.
Meng Meng hid in Roma's shadow, while Yamir, the simplest of them all, left his upper body bare, with Sarah perched on his right shoulder.
When they arrived, the arena was packed with spectators.
"It looks like the Hijazi family really promoted this well. Do they want to show off their superiority here?"
Raed thought mockingly as he entered the arena, spotting Hasan at a gambling table.
"Come on, come on! The odds are 1:10 for Saad and Raed! What are you afraid of? Raed is just a kid who barely started training. Don't worry—it's free money for the taking!"
Hasan shouted.
Raed almost spat blood upon hearing Hasan's words, while Sarah and Roma burst into laughter at his embarrassed expression.
"Is the Hijazi family so poor they can't even afford to bet? Hmph, no wonder the leader said they're a bunch of paupers—not even worth comparing to the Najjar family's servants."
Raed was puzzled, pointing at himself in confusion.
"When did I say that?"
But he couldn't deny it was a clever move, playing on the Hijazi family's envy of the Najjar family.
"Who says the Hijazi family is poor? I'll bet one hundred thousand gold coins on Saad's victory!"
a commanding voice boomed as an old man with one arm stepped forward, making a hefty bet.
"Who's that? The grand elder? Did you forget to bring your arm along?"