"Green… The boy is too green."
"He has just thrown his life away for nothing."
"How can he challenge an Energy Condensation expert while still at the Apprentice stage? He's just courting death."
"Ever since it was revealed that he's the genius of the Trueblood clan, the boy has been behaving brazenly."
"He's going to die here… if he's not already dead yet. I'll be the next genius."
"Oh, what a kid. He genuinely cared for his sister."
"What if he dies… what will happen to his sister?"
"Come, let's go take a look. Everyone is rushing outside."
Everyone rushed outside just to see Socrates lying in the middle of the yard while Alee walked toward him in clear anger, his aura fully released.
"Alee, stop. We can settle this amicably," the Patriarch announced.
"That's after I cripple his legs, Uncle. He had the guts to make me cough out blood… He had the guts to threaten me. He's going to pay for it," Alee replied without even looking at the Patriarch.
The Patriarch wanted to move, but there was no way. Two men blocked his path.
The Patriarch was at the peak of the Master Realm, while the two men were at the Late Stage Master Realm. Although his cultivation was higher than theirs, two opponents still spelled trouble. There was no way he could get past both of them or defeat them in a short time.
And a fight between Masters would affect everyone. That was the reason he was holding himself together.
Socrates grunted where he lay as he tried to get up, but his whole body felt numb. His eyes felt as if they were spinning.
'That attack was too strong…' he thought as he struggled to stay calm, only for an oppressive aura to press down on him.
"While I acknowledge your bravery, the worst thing you'll ever do is stand against me, you little brat. Don't worry, for the sake of old times, I'll break only a few bones," Alee stated as he created another green energy palm. This time the size was much bigger than the one he used to attack Amelia.
"This was it… the attack he used on Amelia."
"Now the lady is unable to stand on her feet."
"This attack will nearly kill him… if not kill him outright."
"The brother and sister will share the same fate."
The moment Socrates heard Amelia's name, his eyes cleared at once as his head snapped up.
'He hurt her… He hurt my sister. How dare he?'
He quickly pulled out a potion from his inventory—the Energy Booster. The potion given to him by the Dojo Master.
He uncorked the vial and drank everything in the bottle at once.
The next moment, the energy palm descended toward him, but Socrates was no longer there. He had already gotten up and sped away in another direction within that fraction of a second.
The palm descended, breaking the ground as Alee turned around, unable to see anything.
He looked leftward only to see Socrates standing there, swaying slightly, his aura rising as his cultivation level increased. In his hand was an empty bottle widely recognized by everyone.
"Energy Booster…" Alee smirked as he gazed at the boy.
"Is he mad?" someone in the audience asked.
"No… Socrates, don't!" the Patriarch cried out.
"How did he get an Energy Booster? Isn't he aware of the backlash of drinking it directly?"
"Although it increases one's cultivation temporarily, the backlash comes immediately too and can even cripple one's meridians."
"One can only take the Energy Booster by diluting it with golden oil."
"Isn't he aware? Is he betting everything on this fight?"
"Socrates is mad… very mad. He sacrificed all his future potential just for this."
"He's hell-bent on protecting his sister."
"Even then, his cultivation can only rise to the Late Stage Apprentice Realm. It can't rival that of an Energy Condensation expert."
At that moment, Socrates let out a scream as he released his aura—an aura filled with killing intent directed toward Alee, who also released his own aura.
Socrates' aura was blue, shaped like the waves of the sea, while Alee's was green, shaped like a whirlwind.
The two auras clashed violently as space trembled. The surrounding crowd staggered backward as the wind swept across the yard.
It remained a standstill for three minutes before Alee's aura swallowed Socrates'. The force pushed him several meters backward.
"You might have used some items to increase your cultivation, but it's still not enough. You can't win against me. And since you want to kill me so badly… I'll grant you your wish," Alee said as he pulled out an item from his inventory.
It was a scroll, which he tore almost immediately. A blue barrier appeared, covering only the two of them.
"This barrier won't deactivate until it senses that only one person is alive—and of course, that will be me," Alee declared as he conjured the polearm again with his energy.
"The One-Life Barrier…"
"This is the One-Life Barrier!"
"Alee is really determined to kill Socrates…"
"Oh no… Socrates is a lost cause."
"Socrates is dead. Even the Masters can't break the Life Barrier."
"Although the Life Barrier isn't the strongest barrier, it's the most defensive one. It won't deactivate until one person dies."
"The Trueblood family is going to lose a junior."
"I can't take this anymore!" the Patriarch shouted as he tried to force his way forward, but the two elders grabbed him.
This time, however, the two men who had been blocking him stepped aside.
Their work here was done. As long as the Life Barrier was enacted, the Patriarch could not harm Alee.
"Elders… why stop me? Your cultivation is much higher than mine. You two can easily kill those two without raising a finger."
"And then what? The elders of the House of Ashur wiping out the entire Trueblood clan?" one of the elders replied.
"The scores of the juniors shall be settled by the juniors."
"And moreover, Socrates has taken a decisive step by drinking the Energy Booster directly. Even if you managed to stop this fight—which is impossible—he's still as good as dead. Whatever the situation, the boy is a lost cause. Forget it," the other elder added.
The Patriarch could only grit his teeth as he realized the grim reality of the situation.
Even though Socrates was the son of his younger brother, dragging the entire house into this conflict was not worth it.
As the Patriarch of the house, his actions represented the entire Trueblood family.
"Oh brother, forgive me… You sacrificed your life for the Trueblood family, and I can't even protect your son…"
Unfortunately for everyone, they could not see what was happening inside the Life Barrier, except for the faint sounds of battle.
"Who do you think is going to win?"
"Is that even a question?"
"Can an ant topple an elephant?"
"Report… report… This is the latest news on Chania's forum!"
"The latest champion of the Heavenly Dojo is Socrates. He defeated Pan, who was above him in cultivation!"
"Really?"
"Is this true?"
"Socrates is this year's champion?"
"Our Socrates?"
"Oh no… He's a genius. A true genius… We are going to lose a true genius."
"He actually defeated Pan? No… I don't want him to die."
"He's already as good as dead."
"I've watched Socrates since he was little. I knew he would become a genius."
"We will give him a proper burial."
"Socrates, I'll marry your sister. I won't let her suffer!" one of the men cried out.
"Socrates… rest assured. I'll look after your sister. She'll be my third wife."
"You old man, go to sleep. Only young men like us are needed."
"Young men are no better than we old men. We know how to satisfy a lady ten times better than you."
"Shut up, old man! Who are you? The ancient god Johnny Sins? You just keep spitting rubbish."
"He's pained… haha… I hit the mark."
"You all keep quiet! The fight isn't over, and you've already started planning to covet the innocent…"
The man could not complete his speech when a crack splintered across the barrier.
The next moment, the barrier shattered into pieces as the sound drew everyone's attention.
Smoke covered the yard before dispersing almost immediately, revealing one silhouette kneeling with a hand on his head while the other lay dead on the ground.
Silence fell everywhere.
The entire house went quiet as the inevitable seemed to have happened.
"Socrates is…"