Boom! The instant his gaze locked with those eyes, Seamus felt the whole world shatter, as if the heavens and the earth were crumbling down around him. “What is this…” Seamus’s spirit shook violently, his mind teetering on the very edge of collapse. Just then, Connor’s alarmed shout reached his ears. “Seamie, look out!” Only then did Seamus snap back to his senses, biting down hard on the tip of his tongue to wrench himself free from that harrowing vision. But at almost the same instant, a streak of blade light ripped across the crimson sky. The next moment, a terrifying force came crashing toward him head-on, and the soft sword in his hand snapped in two with a sharp crack. His body was sent hurtling backward by the sheer impact, and with a wet cough he spat out a huge mouthful of blood. The reversal came so fast that everyone was left utterly dumbfounded. He had lost! Seamus, a full-fledged Innate Realm expert, had actually been beaten at the hands of Skyler, a mere martial artist at the ninth stage of the Postnatal Realm. And on top of that, he hadn’t even managed to block a single strike of Skyler’s blade. “Just how strong is this Skyler?” Everyone was shocked to their very core. Freya, in particular, wore a look of sheer disbelief. Was Skyler really a good-for-nothing? How could he possibly be this powerful? “Seamie!” At that moment, both Connor and Alice rushed forward to steady Seamus. His face as dark as a storm cloud, Connor immediately fed Seamus a healing pill. Alice, for her part, glared at Skyler in anger. “Skye, Seamie is your little brother. How could you hit him so hard?” At that, Skyler let out a laugh. The strike Seamus had aimed at his throat a moment ago had clearly been meant to kill, and he refused to believe Alice couldn’t see it. Only moments earlier, she’d said nothing about Seamus striking too hard, yet now she was blaming him for hitting too hard instead. “Mrs. Yount, I’ll say this one more time. Please address me by my first name. You and I aren’t close.” The looks the crowd gave Alice suddenly turned strange. Had Skyler fallen out with the Younts? He’d actually called Alice “Mrs. Yount” and claimed he barely even knew her. Alice’s expression shifted even more sharply. She’d never expected Skyler to say something like that in front of everyone. “As for me hitting too hard…” Skyler swept a contemptuous glance over Seamus. “Why don’t you say it’s because he’s too weak? “A good-for-nothing like him, thinking he’s fit to challenge me!” “You…” Seamus had just caught his breath, and at those words he nearly coughed up blood all over again. Connor’s face grew darker still. Skyler wasn’t just belittling Seamus—he was slapping Connor square across the face. “Skyler, don’t get too full of yourself. A single win or loss doesn’t count for much,” Connor said in a heavy voice. Skyler let out a cold laugh. “Then let me borrow a line Seamus said earlier. Today is the closest I will ever get to him in his entire life. “Before long, he won’t even be worthy to look up at me!” Connor was furious. But before he could get a word out, Skyler pressed on. “As for you, Chief Yount, a bet’s a bet. You’d best settle the wager before you say anything else.” Connor’s expression turned as ugly as it could possibly get. Yet with so many people watching, there was no way he could welch on the bet, so he had no choice but to wire the money to Skyler right there in front of everyone. Then, with a cold snort, he and Alice quickly helped Seamus up and left. He’d meant today to make a name for Seamus, but he’d never imagined it would blow up like this, leaving them stripped of every shred of dignity. … Meanwhile, at the Leonard Residence in Imperia. An old man handed a gleaming silver spear to the young woman before him, telling her earnestly, “Jennifer, this spear was forged from the Silverwyrm’s dragon bone, and it’s graded at the Saint Realm level. It’s the very item Seamus specifically asked for. “Make the trip down to Southmere yourself and place this spear right into Seamus’s hands. “And while you’re at it, see if you can get on good terms with Seamus. If the two of you happen to hit it off, all the better, because it would do nothing but good for the Leonards.” This old man was none other than Israel, Commander of the western warzone. And the young woman was a daughter of the Leonards’ main line, from Imperia, by the name of Jennifer Leonard. Hearing this, Jennifer nodded obediently. “I understand. Thank you for the guidance, Mr. Reed.” Israel waved a hand. “I wouldn’t go so far as to call it guidance. Your grandfather and I have been old friends for years, and I watched you grow up myself. “As for that Seamus, I’ve watched him grow into the man he is today. He’s a cut above anyone else, and it’s a done deal that he’ll reach the Heavenly Realm someday. If the two of you ended up together, it would make for a wonderful match.” As he spoke, he also handed Jennifer an emerald vial. “Oh, right. There’s a drop of Dragon Essence in here too, extracted straight from the Silverwyrm’s body. “It won’t be of much use to Seamus himself, but it should still be quite precious to his family. Take it along and give it to them as a welcoming gift.” … Even after they’d made it back to the car, Seamus still wore a grim expression and didn’t say a single word. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined things would turn out this way, not when he’d started out so full of confidence, dead set on making a run for the title of Southmere’s martial SAT top scorer this year. Yet before the martial SAT had even begun, he’d already been outshone by Skyler. Worse still, he’d been badly wounded by a single move from Skyler in front of all those people, losing every last shred of face. Connor and Alice sat in silence too, the atmosphere inside the car unbearably heavy. “Seamie.” At last, Connor spoke up. “A single setback doesn’t mean anything. There’s still a month left before the martial SAT, and with your talent, you’ll have plenty of chances to surpass Skyler.” Seamus was about to answer when an image surfaced in his mind, that tall figure wreathed in overwhelming killing intent, standing atop mountains of corpses and seas of blood like a god of slaughter. Above all there were those eyes, a single glance from which could hold the entire cosmos in check and split the world wide open, leaving him without even the courage to meet their gaze. Surpassing him was out of the question entirely. In that instant, a wave of dejection radiated off Seamus. “This is bad!” Connor’s expression changed, for a single glance told him that the blow had damaged the very core of Seamus’s resolve. That little bastard Skyler truly deserved to die!