Chapter 6: Everyone in the Hall Was Stunned

Daxton Mabbett didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His little sister really was too fearless for her own good. Even so, warmth spread through his chest. Since their foster parents had passed, the Mabbett family had only had Aliyah who treated him well, always and without hesitation standing on his side. To everyone else, she was fierce and sharp-tongued. With him, she stayed soft, obedient, and thoughtful. Donald Warth's eyes burned with rage. From the seat of honor, Kieran Mallin finally spoke. "Enough. Stop arguing. It's a trivial matter. Don't ruin the mood." He turned to Aliyah Mabbett and patted the empty seat beside him, his manner refined. "Aliyah, come sit next to me." Rosalia Lashbrook and the other young women couldn't hide their envy and jealousy. Kieran Mallin was actually inviting Aliyah to sit at his side. In Pelton, no woman had ever received that kind of treatment. Aliyah only said coolly, "No need. I'll sit here." Kieran's smile stiffened for a heartbeat. Then he tried again, voice gentle. "I saved that seat for you." Saved it for her?! Those six words made the women in Xerton Pavilion burn with even more envy. This was practically a public confession of affection. "I'm sitting with my brother." Aliyah didn't waver in the slightest. She leaned closer to Daxton, murmuring to him about something, intimate and unguarded. Kieran's expression darkened. When had he ever invited a woman like this? And to be refused twice, in front of everyone? Watching how close Aliyah was with Daxton made his stomach twist. Daxton was only an adopted son of the Mabbett family. He and Aliyah weren't related by blood. From the look of it… she liked him. Jealousy and spite stirred. When Kieran's gaze landed on Daxton, a cold glint flashed now and then. "Aliyah Mabbett, Senior Brother Kieran saved you a seat and you rejected him twice. Isn't that disrespectful? Are you looking down on him?" Donald seized the opening at once, seeing Kieran's displeasure. "Senior Brother Kieran has already reached the Bone-Forging Realm. Even in Cera Academy, he's considered a powerhouse. He invites you and you won't even give him face? How full of yourself can you be?" "Yeah, Aliyah. Isn't that a little too arrogant? It's not appropriate." "Just because you're pretty you think you're above everyone? Do you really believe you're some heavenly phoenix?" Rosalia and the others piled on, one after another. Aliyah swept them with a frosty glance. "Where I sit is my business. What does that have to do with arrogance? If you want to flatter him, go ahead. Just don't drag me into it." She grabbed Daxton's hand. "Brother, we're leaving. I'm done with this so-called banquet of talents." Daxton had no objections. He hadn't wanted to come and make small talk in the first place. Aliyah's open defiance made Kieran's face sink completely. She was giving him absolutely no face at all. He glanced at Donald and gave a subtle signal. Donald understood. He flashed forward and blocked Aliyah. "Stop! You come when you want and leave when you want. What, you think this is your home?" He stared her down, voice dripping with contempt. "You dare act up right in front of Senior Brother Kieran? You really think you're something special. What, you think you're some precious princess? You're just a slut with a pretty-" "Smack!" Daxton's hand snapped out. The slap landed hard across Donald's face. The sudden strike froze everyone in Xerton Pavilion. Daxton's meridian had been shattered. His cultivation had been completely crippled. And he still dared to hit Donald Warth? Donald was a mid-stage Flesh-Tempering Realm cultivator! Donald blanked for an instant. Then vicious light exploded in his eyes. "Daxton Mabbett, you useless trash! You dare hit me?!" He swung a heavy punch at Daxton. Daxton caught his wrist like lightning. In the same breath, he drove a kick into Donald's left knee, crushing the kneecap. Donald shrieked and dropped to the floor with a thud, kneeling. Everyone in Xerton Pavilion went rigid. The Daxton Mabbett from the rumors, the one who had lost all cultivation, had forced Donald to his knees with absurd ease. Aliyah stared too, stunned, her eyes fixed on her brother. "Let him go," Kieran said, staring at Daxton with cold eyes. Daxton met his gaze. "And who do you think you are?" Kieran had already disliked Daxton. At that, his eyes turned even colder. "So you won't. Fine. Don't blame me when I don't hold back!" As he spoke, his right hand curled into an eagle claw and shot toward Daxton. The force was razor-sharp, each finger like a blade! The crowd's expressions shifted. That strike was terrifying. If it landed, it would tear flesh at best. At worst, it would kill on the spot. "Brother, dodge!" Aliyah cried out. Daxton stayed calm. He simply stepped aside, letting the eagle claw miss, and then casually drove the back of his fist into Kieran's chest. It looked almost careless. Kieran spat blood on the spot. Staggering back, step after step, he didn't stop until he crashed into a banquet table. "How is that possible?!" Everyone in the hall was stunned. Donald didn't matter, but Kieran was a Bone-Forging Realm expert. And Daxton had sent him flying with a single, effortless blow, blood pouring from his mouth! Aliyah went nearly blank, her lips parting in disbelief. Kieran's face twisted with shock and fury. He let out a low shout, his hand forming an eagle claw again, even sharper than before, and lunged to attack- "Next time," Daxton said, "your organs will shatter." Kieran's steps halted. That punch… even after all this time, the pain still churned violently in his abdomen. If he took another like it, it really might damage his internal organs. For a moment, he didn't dare move. His face flickered between ashen and livid, humiliation and rage burning through him. The room was filled with stunned faces. Elisabeth Looske looked as if an ordinary mortal had just seen a devil crawl out of the underworld. The man she had broken off her engagement with. The man everyone said had lost all cultivation. And yet he had Kieran Mallin, a Bone-Forging Realm powerhouse, so pressured he didn't dare fight back. Daxton's gaze fell on Donald. "Do you know what you did wrong?" "I… I shouldn't have called you trash," Donald answered in a trembling voice, enduring the pain of shattered bone. He had already realized Daxton's strength was far beyond him. "No," Daxton said. "Then… what?" "You shouldn't have insulted her." Donald understood at once. The "her" Daxton meant was Aliyah. He had called her a slut. "But she insulted me too!" "She can insult you," Daxton said, his eyes indifferent. "You can't insult her." Donald's face contorted with anger. "Don't be so overbearing!" "So what if I am?" Daxton tightened his grip on Donald's wrist. Donald hissed in pain, cold sweat beading across his forehead. At that moment, the door burst open. A slightly chubby, middle-aged man in a yellow robe hurried in with several burly martial guards at his back. It was Tanner Lapwood, Ferrell Tower's manager. Hearing the violent commotion from Xerton Pavilion, he had rushed over with men in tow.