Chapter 1829
Alex hissed, “And you too, Zachary Fischer, right? This is only the first round of the examination, and the road ahead won’t be smooth!” The threat in his words was loud and clear.
Zachary snapped, “Mr. Wallace, I’ve done nothing wrong from the beginning! On the contrary, I was ambushed by Terry and got hurt. And still, I didn’t complain!”
Alex let out a mocking laugh. “Getting ambushed and injured? That’s your problem, not mine. Your idiot friend blocked my payday and ruined my plans! Zachary, you’re just a nobody, an outer disciple. I’m telling you now: you’re in big trouble!”
With that, he scoffed, clasped his hands behind his back, and strutted away.
Zachary’s face was grim. “I can’t believe a snake like that is hiding right under Mr. Thornton’s nose.”
Andrew stayed calm. “Relax. You passed the first round. Now all you need to do is clear the final trial, and you’re practically in.”
Zachary looked uneasy. “But Captain… Mr. Wallace clearly won’t let this go. He’s no lightweight; a martial king and one of the most respected elders under Mr. Thornton. Who knew someone like that could be so disgusting and low? Now that he’s set his sights on me, I doubt I’ll survive the next round.”
Andrew snorted and pulled out his phone. Zachary stared in confusion as Andrew opened his gallery, tapped the deleted items folder, and restored the erased video with a few taps.
Zachary’s jaw dropped. “No way! Captain, you could do that?”
Andrew shrugged. “Please. A guy like him? A total dinosaur. He probably still uses a flip phone. Modern phones don’t fully delete things right away. As long as it’s within the window, recovery’s a breeze.”
Zachary looked hopeful, then slumped. “What good does it do? Mr. Wallace is definitely gunning for me.”
Andrew’s voice sharpened. “If he’s going to play dirty, then we’ll play dirtier. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that inner disciple spot is yours no matter what.”
That made Zachary grin. If Andrew said he would do something, Zachary believed him completely. Andrew then helped patch up Zachary’s shoulder wound, stopping the bleeding with first aid. Afterward, they returned to the sidelines to wait for the first round to finish.
Half an hour later, the dust settled. Eight fighters were announced as winners, moving to the next stage. With Zachary, that made nine. The last candidate, Joseph, had a bye in the first round. Altogether, ten remained. These ten would undergo a final elimination; the five survivors would become Jerome’s inner disciples.
At this point, the trial reached its most critical moment. Each of the ten remaining contestants possessed exceptional talent. Even Andrew nodded silently; these ten were real martial artists in the making. Their potential shone brightly, though still only a fraction of Andrew’s own.
In the front row, Scarlett, Henry, Rowan, and Riker looked serious. Each had someone they were rooting for; these candidates' destinies hinged on this moment.
Jerome, at the main seat, appeared mentally exhausted. Alex leaned down, whispered something in his ear, and after Jerome nodded, Alex addressed everyone.
“Fellow martial artists, this examination has one round left! We’ll use the classic method: one-on-one matches. The winner becomes a disciple under Mr. Thornton. No exceptions.”
“Now I’ll randomly call names. When your name is called, find your opponent and begin immediately!”
He paused, his gaze sweeping coldly toward Andrew and Zachary. “First group: Goldridge’s Arthur Hopkins versus Crimson Alliance’s Brandon Ackermann! Second group: Cody Fischer versus Kian Lott! Final group: Joseph Yeager versus… Zachary Fischer!”
Andrew’s brow shot up. This old bastard was really asking for it.