The Rise of a Master: It Starts With Rejection

Felix remained silent. Kendrick was acting even more arrogant than before, but he had to admit he was right.

With the Grand Elder and Dean, both major mastery-level Transcendent Realm martial artists, there was no way Felix could win-even if he activated Lone Paragon. Facing just one of them was already impossible, let alone both.

A month ago, Felix had fought a sparring match against Dickson in North City. During that battle, he had pushed his abilities to the limit.

The conclusion was clear. With Lone Paragon activated, Felix could hold his own against someone at the late stage of Transcendent Realm and even defeat weaker late-stage opponents. However, against someone like Dickson, the best he could manage was a draw.

This level of achievement was enough to shock most martial artists. The gap between minor stages in Transcendent Realm was massive.

Early-stage warriors rarely, if ever, stood a chance against those in the middle stage, and late-stage battles were practically unheard of-except for Felix, whose Dragons Destroyer technique combined with Lone Paragon made him an exceptional outlier.

"Any last words?" the Grand Elder asked, a cold smile spreading across his face. Years of meticulous planning were finally coming to fruition.

The Grand Elder had sacrificed a lot to get here. He had infiltrated the Elders' Council, defied the Protector, and nearly lost his life in the process.

After being gravely injured in a confrontation with the Protector, he had taken refuge with the Brennan family in Westville, secretly using his alchemical skills to help them rise to power while slowly recovering.

Even after more than a month, he had yet to fully heal-proof of the Protector's overwhelming strength. Felix did not know it yet, but the Grand Elder was also a master healer.

Regardless, none of that mattered now. The time for schemes was over. This was going to be a life-or-death battle.

Felix was about to respond when an overwhelming surge of energy suddenly descended upon the area. Then, someone shouted, "The Resonance Bell!"

A brilliant golden light illuminated the rocky landscape. Within a blink, a massive golden bell materialized from the sky, trapping the Grand Elder, Dean, and Kendrick inside.

"What... is this?" Felix muttered, astonished. Before he could process the situation, a woman appeared beside him.

"I'm Nerissa Xavier. We need to leave-now! This bell won't hold them for long," she urged.

"Nerissa?" Felix did not waste time asking questions. Without a word, he nodded and sprinted at full speed alongside her.

This was his chance to escape, and he was not going to waste it. If they could make it back to the city, the enemy would not be able to touch him.

"You're incredibly fast!" Nerissa exclaimed as they ran. Inside, she was reeling in shock.

Felix's speed was unreal, easily on par with a late-stage Transcendent Realm warrior. But that did not make sense-by her understanding, Felix was supposed to be at True Blood Realm at most. So, how could he be this powerful?

"Sorry about this," Felix muttered as he swept her into his arms. His pace instantly accelerated, leaving her speechless.

"How did you end up here?" Felix asked as they sped through the rocky terrain.

Nerissa quickly sent a telepathic reply. "I was curious about you and decided to check in on you secretly. followed you out of the city, but I never expected Dean and the Grand Elder to ambush you. Clearly, you're not as simple and innocent as I thought."

Felix felt a wave of gratitude and admiration for her. He wanted to kiss her right then and there. For

someone like Nerissa to Coet

against two major mastery Transcendent Realmnoveldrama

powerhouses-just for him-proved she was someone he could truly trust.