The surrounding darkness had no bearing on the man. With the help of the silver glow, the disdain on his expression was unmistakable. "This is just a planet for barbarians, and yet these savages dreamed of saving their hometown by taking part in the Rank-ascending Competition. How absurd," the man said to himself once more. All of a sudden, he felt something and waved both his arms, his expression showing his fear."Eek! What is this?"Several minutes later, the darkness was still boundless, and the silver glow was still shining weakly. The only thing different about the place was that the voice was gone.…Back in Cloud City, the battle in the area was over. Wagner and Charlie's jaws hung agape, because Felix had actually won the bet. The point was that the odds were stacked against Felix, and his chances of winning were slim. Wagner and Charlie dared to challenge him to a bet because they had some information beforehand. Jules and Mack might've been Aetherial Realm fighte

Felix concentrated for a brief moment, and he knew he hadn't made a mistake. Something was emerging from the darkness. That was when Ryker, who had been uninterested initially, also narrowed his eyes and stared at the darkness outside the city."Dear God! I-Is that a person?" Just then, someone shouted on top of his lungs. The screaming wasn't necessary at all—everyone could see very clearly that someone had just walked out of the darkness.The person stumbled as he walked, and he was dressed in ragged clothes. He was injured, and a lot of people could clearly see bones where his wounds should've been.Felix was shocked to his core as well. Didn't they say that no one could survive a single night in Desolated Lands? So, why was someone emerging from the dark now?Although the person's grotesque wounds suggested that a monstrous beast attacked him, the possibility that a fellow human might've struck him wasn't completely ruled out.There might've been guards posted by the city

Felix was fretting over the fact that he could no longer see the man who emerged from Desolated Lands at night. To his surprise, a solution came knocking on his door quickly. With that said, it made sense. After all, The Recovery Association was founded to overthrow Flame Monarch, snuff out Nine Flames, and restore Aquamarinus to its former state.That meant the middle-aged man who survived the darkness might provide the shortcut they desperately needed. It was only natural that The Recovery Association would be tempted to secure him. If they could unearth the secret behind this man's survival in the dark, the rest was history. "That man's life hangs in the balance as we speak. He's severely injured, and he couldn't even regain consciousness. "Now, the Green King was carrying out Flame Monarch's order and calling for a masterful doctor to buy the man enough time to survive until the Flame Monarch's arrival."Felix understood what Eira was trying to say. "Are you saying that I

Donna made it crystal clear—the Orion family would eliminate Felix within the bounds of the Rank-ascending Competition rules. But had the elimination round already started?He might've believed it if someone had told Felix that there was also an Orion family in Aquamarinus. Yet, after seeing those two items just now, he didn't need to waste another brain cell guessing.Nonetheless, Felix could not believe they were already trying to kill him during the qualifiers. Even if they didn't think much of him, it seemed that they wouldn't want to risk that one-in-a-million chance of failure.With that thought, Felix let out a cold laugh in his heart. The Orion family really was arrogant to the point of blindness. If they could track him to Aquamarinus, they obviously knew how unpredictable this city was. Yet, they still dared to make a move at night. That same arrogance was going to be their downfall.In a way, Felix was relieved. Had this guy come during the day, the situation would've be

The Green King's expression changed instantly, and he turned to Felix in a hurry. "Dr. Zeller, please come with me to greet him.""Of course," Felix replied.For anyone in Aquamarinus, getting the chance to see the Flame Monarch up close was like a once-in-a-lifetime dream, and people would probably die happy just for that. Naturally, Felix put on a show of reverence as well, even if he didn't feel it deep down.As they reached the front gate, Felix saw several figures striding toward them with heavy steps. At the front of the group was a towering man, nearly nine feet tall. Even someone as built as Dave looked like a delicate bystander next to him.What stood out the most was his bright crimson hair, which flared upward like flames, making it look like his head was on fire. His facial features were fairly average, but the power behind his gaze radiated pure, undeniable authority.So, this was the Flame Monarch?Felix studied him closely. He suspected the man had cultivated some