Battle (1)

The patriarch's face twisted slightly, darkening with anger.

It had been a long time since anyone had dared to disrespect him. As a powerful Martial Apprentice at Stage 9, no one in the entire Stone City had ever shown him such blatant disregard—until now.

"Arrogant bastard!" Karina spat furiously at Xenon. "He could have just declined, but why did he have to go this far?"

The Narhan clan patriarch, however, maintained a cold demeanor. "Little friend, you are quite arrogant. But don't worry—you can have it," he said icily, forcing himself to calm down. His gaze shifted to the man standing behind Xenon.

This man was none other than Smoke Man.

The Narhan clan patriarch couldn't help but consider the possibility that Xenon's clan might rival the Narhan clan in strength.

"Father..." Karina spoke hesitantly.

The patriarch turned to her and said, "Let it go. We can't afford to provoke someone over a mere trinket, even if we are the top clan in Stone City. What if that boy's clan is stronger than ours?" His voice carried both reason and caution.

Karina reluctantly agreed but glared at Xenon, who was smiling confidently. Her eyes burned with hatred.

Xenon ultimately won the Oracle Pen, but the murmurs around the auction house continued.

"Did you see that? He dared to disrespect the Narhan clan patriarch. He must have powerful backing," someone whispered.

"Foolish arrogance. Spending so much on a useless item," scoffed the Milton clan patriarch, who sat in the silver token section.

Xenon turned to him with a smirk. "Old bastard Milton Patriarch, you and your clan are the real useless ones—worth less than dog shit. And your face? It looks like a dog's butt."

"You... you!" The Milton clan patriarch's face turned red with rage.

[+100 Hate Points, +50 Hate Points, +50 Hate Points.]

Hearing the system notification, Xenon grinned. "What's wrong? Are you going to cry now?" he taunted, laughing loudly.

The entire auction house fell into stunned silence, watching the audacious scene unfold.

"I'm going to kill you!" the Milton patriarch roared, his spiritual energy surging at Stage 8 of the Martial Apprentice. He flew toward Xenon, his intent to kill unmistakable.

He no longer cared about the consequences. Even if Xenon's clan were as powerful as the Narhan clan, he couldn't let this insult slide. If he didn't kill Xenon now, both he and his clan would become the laughingstock of the city.

Xenon, unfazed, revealed his own spiritual energy—Stage 3 of Martial Apprentice.

The Milton patriarch sneered. "A mere Stage 3? I'll kill you in one strike!"

But before his attack could land, Smoke Man leapt forward, blocking his path.

A massive surge of energy rippled through the auction house, forcing onlookers to shield themselves with their own spiritual energy.

"Stage 7? You think you can stop me?" the Milton patriarch snarled, raising his fist, which transformed into solid rock.

"Surging Rock Fist!" he shouted, launching a powerful strike at Smoke Man.

In response, Smoke Man created a defense. "Five-Layer Mist Wall!" he bellowed, conjuring five massive smoke barriers.

The Milton patriarch's punch collided with the first mist wall, only to be shocked by its density—it felt as solid as a stone wall. Even so, his punch powered through, breaking all five walls before striking Smoke Man. However, the attack had been severely weakened, forcing Smoke Man to step back a few steps but leaving him uninjured.

The crowd was astonished. This was a battle between Martial Apprentices at Stage 8 and Stage 7, and yet Smoke Man held his ground against a superior opponent!

Even the Narhan clan patriarch and the city guardian, observing from above, were taken aback by Smoke Man's strength.

Xenon remained calm behind Smoke Man. He quickly whispered instructions to Gustav, signaling him to act now, while Venom Fang continued to blend in with the crowd.