Garcia Coleman scanned the area with cold eyes, a slight smirk ying on his lips.


    "They... have to be hiding here," Garcia whispered to himself.


    Inside the Mystic Realm.


    Paul Randall and I had no clue about what was happening outside.


    We kept going with the rxed training session, as Paul taught me the "line word form" from the Nine Secrets.


    I picked up cultivation techniques incredibly quickly; in just half a day, I''dpletely mastered the final technique of the Nine Secrets.


    I slowly opened my eyes, let out a long breath, and whispered, "With the line word form, I should at least be able to keep myself alive."


    Next to me, Paul said, "Even with the line word form, you''re not guaranteed safety."


    I frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Howe?"


    Paul exined, "Against a Martial Saint, if you slip up for even a second, they can lock down the space around you."


    "When that happens, no matter how fast you are, there''s no way out."


    My expression changed slightly.


    *Paul was absolutely right; Martial Saints had already figured out how to control space.*


    "Senior Paul, is there anything I can do about this?" I asked.


    Paul replied seriously, "The only option is to get out fast, before the space gets sealed."


    "Got it," I nodded.


    After that, we both went quiet, getting ready to start our closed-door training.


    Paul had incredible talent; breaking into Martial Saint level was just a question of when.


    Meanwhile, I nned to keep absorbing spiritual energy in the realm, trying to max out my potential.


    Outside.


    Audrey Williams had gotten there quickly.


    "Mr. Coleman, what''s the situation?" Audrey asked.


    Garcia pointed at the empty area in front of them and said, "I think there''s a Mystic Realm here. Mason Raymond''s presence vanished right at this spot."


    When Audrey heard this, he couldn''t help butugh coldly, "No way! I checked this ce before and didn''t find any trace of a Mystic Realm."


    Garcia turned around, his brows knitting together as he said, "Maybe you missed somethingst time?"


    Audrey waved his hand dismissively, "Absolutely not! Mr. Coleman, I''mpletely confident in my skills."


    Garcia felt his anger rising as he watched Audrey''s cocky attitude.


    But since Audrey wasn''t under Garcia''smand, Garcia held back from exploding.


    Taking a deep breath, Garcia said, "Master Williams, would you mind checking this area one more time? What if something shows up..."


    "I told you it''s impossible!" Audrey rudely interrupted, cutting Garcia off.


    This set Garcia offpletely!


    He red at Audrey coldly and said, "Don''t test me, Audrey Williams."


    Audrey, clearly irritated by this, shot back, "Garcia Coleman, you better watch how you talk to me. I..."


    "Whoosh!"


    Before Audrey could finish, Garcia suddenly grabbed him by the throat!


    Lifting Audrey off the ground, Garcia snarled, "I know you''re someone the higher-ups sent, but so what? If you push me too far, I can kill you whenever I feel like it!"


    "After I kill you, I''ll go beg the higher-ups for forgiveness!"


    Garcia''s grip got tighter, and Audrey''s face quickly turned red.


    Audrey, looking terrified, frantically wed at Garcia''s hand with both arms.


    But as a top-tier Mystic Realm Master, Audrey''s cultivation was pathetic, and against Garcia, he didn''t stand a chance.


    "Mr. Coleman, that''s enough." Right then, Star walked over.


    Looking at Audrey, Star added, "Master Williams, you should just do what Mr. Coleman says. If you cooperate, he''ll let you go."


    Audrey rapidly blinked his eyes, showing he gave up.


    Garcia snorted coldly and finally let Audrey go.


    Hitting the ground, Audrey gasped desperately for air.


    *Even though he was furious and helpless, he didn''t dare fight back.*


    "Master Williams, it''s up to you," Garcia said coldly.


    Audrey didn''t say another word. He immediately got up and started checking the area again, following Garcia''s orders.


    ...


    Inside the Mystic Realm.


    I sat with my eyes half-shut, sweat pouring down my face non-stop.


    "It''s not working."


    A momentter, I sighed.


    I slowly got to my feet, muttering, "With my current mindset, even with spiritual energy, I can''t boost my power any more."


    Beside me, Paul cracked his eyes open slightly.


    Standing with his hands behind his back, Paul said calmly, "Breaking through to Martial Saint really needs long-term buildup. Trying to do it all at once is basically impossible—that''s exactly why Martial Saints are so scarce."


    I nodded slightly and said, "Senior Paul, I''ll leave this ce to you. I should head out and train for a bit. Staying locked up isn''t helping me get stronger anymore."


    Paul didn''t say much. He just nodded and went back to meditating.


    I steadily walked toward the Mystic Realm''s entrance, getting ready to leave.


    Just then, Spike Viktor came rushing over from the side, clearly panicked.


    "This is bad!" Spike''s face showed real fear.


    I frowned and asked, "What happened to make you this worked up?"


    Shaking, Spike pointed toward the entrance and said urgently, "Someone''s trying to find the Mystic Realm! I can feel it—it''s a top-tier Mystic Realm Master."


    My expression shifted, and I muttered, "Could it be... Audrey Williams?!"


    As I spoke, the entrance suddenly zed with a glowing beam of light.


    Both Spike and I instinctively backed away as fear shed across our faces.