Chapter 673: Chapter 673 Dangerous Currents Swirl Beneath
The moment those two White Robes spotted me, their expressions shifted dramatically!
"You...you broke out of jail?" they gasped, clearly shaken.
I didn’t waste time on explanations. Grabbing both their collars, I tossed them outside effortlessly.
"Go back and warn Sybil Cooper—if he shows up at Green Moon Villa again, I’ll shatter his legs," I stated icily.
The White Robes didn’t dare argue and bolted immediately.
"Mr. Raymond, I always knew you’d make it back safely!" Ximena Santos burst out, practically glowing with relief.
I gave her a slight smile before asking, "Has Green Moon Villa stayed peaceful while I was away?"
"Pretty much, except the Capital City Martial Arts Association keeps showing up," Ximena answered.
I nodded. "I’ll be training here at Green Moon Villa for a while. Let me know if trouble starts."
After chatting briefly with Ximena, I made my way directly to the Spiritual Spring.
This Spiritual Spring holds incredible secrets—rumor has it the Great Saint Sect built their entire foundation around this very spring.
This wasn’t my first visit. I knew exactly where the best cultivation spots were located.
When I reached the spring’s depths, I settled into a cross-legged position and started drawing in the qi surrounding me.
"I still can’t figure out where this Spiritual Spring actually comes from," I mused silently.
If I could track down this spring’s true source, maybe my cultivation would accelerate dramatically.
Right then, something hit me like lightning: Ice Heart!
That Ice Heart I’d claimed from Iceheart Lake—I’d barely touched its potential!
After using the Ice Heart to break through to Military Marquis rank, I’d completely forgotten about it!
The qi locked inside that Ice Heart was absolutely pristine—the purest I’d ever encountered!
Realizing this, I quickly pulled the Ice Heart from my Spatial Magic Artifact.
The Ice Heart sparkled with pale blue radiance in my palm, pulsing with incredible qi energy!
"With this Ice Heart, I don’t even need this Spiritual Spring!" I said, excitement building.
I chipped off a tiny fragment of the Ice Heart and popped it into my mouth.
Pure qi flooded through my entire system instantly.
My body became completely saturated with qi, which cycled through me and surged toward my golden core.
My golden core was still soybean-sized, but it seemed to expand slowly with each wave of incoming qi.
As unlimited qi poured into me, my cultivation level steadily climbed.
——
Meanwhile, word of Mason’s rescue had already gotten out.
The Great Families who heard the news exploded with rage! Their heirs were feeling crushing pressure!
The Sean and Johansson families were absolutely livid.
Their hatred for Mason had reached the point of no return—Mason had to die!
Capital City Martial Arts Association.
Klein Johansson and Logan Sean both showed up at Sybil Cooper’s office.
"President Cooper, how exactly did Mason Raymond get rescued?" Klein Johansson demanded, clearly irritated.
Logan Sean was even more heated, snarling, "Cooper, what kind of operation are you running? You let a sure thing slip right through your fingers?"
Sybil Cooper wasn’t having it. His face darkened as he shot back, "If this guy stays alive, he’ll definitely become the Capital City Martial Arts Association’s worst nightmare. You think I don’t want him dead?"
"Ignacio Richard showed up with his whole crew to personally collect him—what was I supposed to do? You guys talk such a big game, why don’t you go take Ignacio’s job!"
Logan Sean’s expression turned glacial: "Sybil Cooper, are you looking for a fight with me?"
Sybil Cooper clenched his jaw and replied: "I’m not looking for anything, but you can’t pin this entire mess on me."
Logan Sean let out a harsh laugh, "So you can’t kill him, is that it? Fine, then the Sean family will handle it ourselves!"
"And let me be crystal clear—if Mason Raymond doesn’t die, give Mabel Sean back to me!"
After delivering that ultimatum, Logan Sean spun around and stormed out.
Naturally, Klein Johansson didn’t have Logan Sean’s nerve. Though just as worried, he didn’t dare express his frustration openly.
"President Cooper, we need to come up with a new strategy. If Mason Raymond survives, there’s no telling what damage he might cause," Klein Johansson said.
Sybil Cooper gave a firm nod: "Absolutely. The Capital City Martial Arts Association will deploy the purple robe to eliminate this Mason Raymond."
"Obviously, it would help if the Johansson family could pitch in."
Klein Johansson nodded: "No problem. Dalia Yann’s master has been hunting for Mason Raymond too."
Sybil Cooper looked at Klein Johansson with a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes, "Let’s have Bryce Johansson take care of this."
At that, Klein Johansson’s face soured, but at this stage, keeping things under wraps was probably impossible.
When Klein Johansson got back home, Bryce Johansson was already lounging on the sofa, waiting.
He wore a black fur coat, radiating an intimidating presence from where he sat.
"Bryce, what brings you here?" Seeing this, Klein Johansson couldn’t help but scowl.
Bryce took a casual bite of his apple and said flatly, "Father says the Mason Raymond situation is out of your hands now."
Hearing this, Klein Johansson jumped to respond, "I can manage this! Mason Raymond will be dead in no time!"
Bryce let out a dismissive snort, "You’ve been saying that forever. I’m sick of hearing it, and Father’s sick of it too."
Klein Johansson tried to explain further, but Bryce cut him off.
Bryce headed for the exit, muttering, "What a failure. He was supposed to cozy up to the Taylors, but he’s completely useless."
Facing Bryce’s insults, Klein Johansson seethed with anger but felt completely powerless!
Among the brothers, Bryce Johansson’s capabilities far exceeded Klein Johansson’s!
Plus, Bryce Johansson had reached Peak Form Military Marquis!
This left Klein Johansson absolutely unable to compete with Bryce Johansson.
Over the next several days, while Capital City appeared peaceful on the surface, dangerous currents swirled beneath.
——
For days straight, I hadn’t left the spiritual spring.
It took me several days to fully absorb that small piece of Ice Heart.
That pure surge of qi brought tremendous benefits, leaving me just a breath away from mid-term Military Marquis.
"If I take another small piece of Ice Heart, I should hit mid-term Military Marquis. Then, when I face the purple robe, I’d at least have a fighting chance," I thought quietly.
But what I didn’t realize was that the major Aristocratic families and the Capital City Martial Arts Association were quietly mobilizing.
I got up from the ground, stretched my muscles, and decided to grab some food.
Just then, a shifty figure appeared in front of me.
"Well, well, you’re actually still breathing. That’s some serious luck right there." The mustached man said smugly, crouching on the ground.
I glanced at him and said, "Alright, cut the chatter. How are those tasks coming along?"
The mustached man waved both hands: "Got most of the materials together, just need the final piece. That’s actually why I’m here—for the last item."
I nodded slightly. I remembered clearly that I needed to retrieve that final piece myself.
"Then let’s not waste time. We leave right now," I said.
