"We are sorry," Helena and Lorraine apologized in unison.


    Ava Hailstorm regarded her older sisters with an indifferent expression and asked, "How old is your son?"


    Helena''s eyes twitched, expecting a different line of conversation after their heartfelt apology. Instead, her younger sister was focused on Sam''s age, and it irked her.


    "He''s eighteen years old," Helena replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice. It seemed that Ava wasn''t particularly thrilled by their return and was more interested in Sam for some reason.


    "...He''s so handsome. I understand why you wanted to keep him a secret. But why did you decide to reveal his existence now? Aren''t you afraid that your ex-husband will try to take him away from you?" Ava inquired, her tone still quite nonchalant.


    "Ava, he''s eighteen, a grown man. He knows what''s best for him, and he''s my son. He knows how much I love and care for him. I''m sure he wouldn''t leave even if that... that man, William, offered the world," Helena responded with determination in her voice.


    A small smile briefly appeared on Ava''s otherwise indifferent face. She didn''t offer any further comments. Ava had always been a reserved person, only speaking when she felt the need to.


    Ava continued to observe Sam, her gaze seemingly fixated on him.


    Sam pointed toward the cultivators from the Frozen Dragon Blade Sect who were watching their interaction and whispering amongst themselves. "Is it okay if I have a go with them?"


    "He wants to spar with us?" the cultivators muttered among themselves, puzzled and surprised by the audacious request. Who was this guy? Where did he come from? He had appeared out of nowhere, disrupted their training, claimed to be the new young master of the Hailstorm Clan, and now he wanted to challenge them? It was all getting rather ridiculous.


    Harper, who didn''t seem to hold a favorable opinion of Sam, asked, "You want to fight with them?" Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yep," Sam nodded nonchalantly, having sensed Harper''s unfavorable disposition and deciding to tread carefully.


    "Young man, how long has it been since you reached the Core Formation Realm?" Harper questioned, disdain evident in his tone.


    "Why does it matter?" Sam retorted, his own attitude unyielding.


    Except for Adriana, everyone was stunned by Sam''s open disrespect toward Harper Hailstorm. Harper was the first younger brother of Alexander Hailstorm, and he stood as the second in line to become the head of the Hailstorm Clan, should anything happen to the current matriarch and patriarch. He didn''t see that happening anytime soon unless he personally took action.


    Harper snorted, clearly unimpressed by Sam''s behavior, and turned his gaze toward the cultivators. "Who is interested in teaching some lessons to our new young master here?"


    The cultivators exchanged glances, each eyeing the others, trying to see if anyone would be the first to raise their hand. They all had different thoughts on the matter.


    "It would be really satisfying to beat the heir to the Hailstorm Clan," one cultivator imagined himself humbling Sam, the smug expression clear on his face, but he remained silent.


    "His arrogance is infuriating. Based on his temperament, he doesn''t seem like he''s been a cultivator for long. Yet, he wants to fight with us... He definitely needs to be taught a lesson," one cultivator in the crowd frowned, forming a negative impression.


    However, none of these cultivators were eager to volunteer. They wanted to assess Sam''s abilities first, and while they might be annoyed, they also felt cautious.


    "I''d love to see that pretty face covered in dirt," another cultivator grumbled, feeling incredibly jealous of Sam''s striking looks and suddenly insecure about his own appearance.


    The jealous cultivator''s hand shot up suddenly, and he walked forward, clearly displaying his dissatisfaction.


    "I wish to spar with the young master," he declared, his face filled with irritation.


    Sam''s eyes lit up with excitement. "It looks like this guy really can''t stand me. Even better, he''ll probably put extra effort into humiliating me."


    Sam casually stepped in front of the cultivator with his hands still in his pockets. His nonchalant posture, however, came across as arrogance to the onlookers.


    He glanced at his opponent, who regarded him with a hateful expression, a sword held expertly in his hands.


    "Oh, so you''re a sword cultivator, huh? In that case, I''ll use a sword too," Sam commented. When his opponent remained silent, looking at him scornfully, he simply shrugged. "Alright then. Let''s fight." Sam took hold of the bronze sword he had taken from Julian and pointed it toward the cultivator.


    "Do you want to make the first move?" Sam inquired, his gaze contemplative.


    "He''s so arrogant," Harper muttered to himself while observing Sam from the bleachers.


    The jealous cultivator squinted his eyes in response to Sam''s question. "You can make the first move, young master," he retorted with a hint of disdain.


    "Okay," Sam replied nonchalantly. He stepped his right foot back before launching himself at the jealous cultivator.


    In the blink of an eye, Sam appeared right in front of his opponent.


    "What the hell? How is he so fast?" the jealous cultivator exclaimed, hastily raising his sword to block Sam''s incoming attack.


    He felt an overwhelming force pressing down on his sword, and the sharp pain in his hand made him grit his teeth. Unable to withstand Sam''s assault, the jealous cultivator was sent tumbling backward, landing ungracefully on his rear.


    "...How?" The jealous cultivator stared in disbelief. He was a peak-stage Core Formation Realm cultivator, and by all logic, no one in the Core Formation Realm should have been able to defeat him so easily.


    The event had unfolded so swiftly that the jealous cultivator couldn''t comprehend how it had occurred. The Frozen Dragon Blade Sect''s cultivators, who were of peak-stage Core Formation Realm, were astounded.


    It wasn''t because Sam had employed high-level martial arts or anything particularly complex. He had simply used a straightforward slash to defeat his opponent. What left them baffled was that Sam, a Core Formation Realm cultivator like his adversary, had no reason to prevail in such a manner. Even Sam''s handling of the sword was unpolished, indicating his inexperience in swordplay.


    Yet he had managed to defeat the other cultivator with a straightforward maneuver.


    The spectators couldn''t fathom how Sam could move at that velocity. No Core Formation Realm cultivator should be capable of moving at such speeds. They had expected him to have a higher cultivation level, but they couldn''t detect any sign of a nascent soul from him.


    "Could it be that he has cultivated Daoist Foundations?"


    "Yes, that might explain it."


    "But even that wouldn''t account for such speed. How many foundation levels has he cultivated, and how many cores has he formed?" The cultivators whispered among themselves, their curiosity piqued.


    Sam was disappointed; the previous bout hadn''t satisfied his craving for an exhilarating match. He hadn''t even used his full physical strength and had effortlessly sent his opponent flying. His initial excitement waned.


    He had come here seeking an exciting fight, and one lackluster duel hadn''t discouraged him. Sam surveyed the crowd of Frozen Dragon Blade Sect''s cultivators and asked, "Is there anyone stronger than him who wants to spar with me?"


    The spectators felt a twitch in their mouths. ''Did he just sound disappointed with his last battle?''


    A burly man emerged from the crowd, looking rugged and sturdy. He carried a massive sword over his shoulder.


    "The big guy''s stepping up!"


    "Rumors say he''s cultivated two levels of Daoist foundations and even formed three cores, but he''s still struggling to break through to the Nascent Soul realm."


    "Well, he''s physically one of the strongest core formation realm cultivators in our sect, so he might actually have a shot at winning."


    "Yeah, if he loses too, it''s going to make us all look pretty bad."


    "I''ll give you a good show, young master," the bigman declared.


    ''Why does it feel like he''s saying something gayish to me?'' Sam couldn''t help but cringe inwardly.


    -----


    [ Master: Sam Flareheart ]


    [ Status: Healthy, Evolving ]


    [ Titles: Master Of The Codex Of The Supreme Immortals ]


    [ Age: 18 ]


    [ Inheritance: Inheritance of the Eternal Dragon Monarch, Will Of The Immortal Shadow Emperor]


    [ Cultivation: Supreme Eleven Core Formation Realm ]


    [ Body Cultivation: None ]


    [ Race: Noble Dragon ]


    [ Bloodline(s): Frozen Abyssal Dragon Bloodline, Crimson Inferno Dragon Bloodline, Primordial Chaos Dragon Bloodline (Assimilation: 49.00%)]


    [ Spirit Vein(s): Nine-Heavens Spiritual Veins ]


    [ Bloodline Abilities: Cryokinesis, Pyrokinesis ]


    [ Physique: Mystic Voidheart Harmonic Physique, Soul Sanctum Imbibition Physique(Assimilation: 86.94%)]


    [ Divine Powers: Divine Charm (Assimilation: 45.57%), Immortal Body (Stage-1), Exquisite Rune Heart ]


    [ Innate Abilities: Devour, Rumination Clarity, Shadow Extraction ]


    [ Racial Abilities: Dragon Transformation ]


    [ Skills: Eclipse Shadow Slash, Darkflame Incantation, Shadow Emperor Incarnation ]


    [ Cultivation Method: Nine Celestial Revolutions Sutra ]


    [ Body Cultivation Method: Samsara Flesh Rebirth Art ]


    -----


    ...


    [A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider supporting it with a few Power Stones. And if you absolutely loved it, you can even contribute a Golden Ticket. Your support means a lot to me! Thank you very much! - Arigato! ????]