Chapter 50: The Breaking Point

"You little brat, Ryan. You sure kept us waiting!"

Captain Marlow, the Sterling Family’s elite guard captain, stepped forward with a cold expression.

He stopped a few feet away and stared intently at Ryan.

"You dared to offend the Sterling Family. Let’s see where you can run now."

Marlow had been waiting since last night, and his patience was long gone.

Because of the Gray Light Shield, he still couldn’t clearly determine Ryan’s cultivation realm or see his face.

All he could make out was a vague black silhouette.

But his instincts told him that the person standing before him was definitely Ryan.

At first, Marlow had been afraid of making a mistake.

If the black figure turned out to be another Bloodline Fighter with hidden strength, attacking him could easily bring trouble upon the Sterling Family.

After all, there was an old saying: You don’t make a move until you’re certain you’ve found your target.

So Marlow had patiently waited in the distance.

Only after confirming that the mysterious black figure was actually speaking with Jake and conducting a transaction did he immediately move in and surround him.

He never would have imagined that tracking down this supposedly lucky awakened commoner would take so long.

From last night until now, the endless waiting had left him utterly exhausted.

His hatred for Ryan had only grown.

At this point, he wanted nothing more than to finish the mission as quickly as possible.

"You little punk!"

Hank, Marlow’s subordinate, quickly stepped forward as well.

"You made the two of us wait all this time. Now surrender peacefully!"

His expression was filled with resentment.

"Otherwise, don’t blame us for being rough."

Hank had been cursing Ryan under his breath for hours.

He was exhausted.

If there had been a bed nearby, he was certain he would have collapsed onto it and fallen asleep immediately.

"Sterling Family?"

Jake’s face immediately turned pale when he noticed the flame-shaped emblem embroidered onto the newcomers’ black uniforms.

He recognized it instantly.

The flame was the symbol of the Sterling Family, one of the most recognizable marks in Ashfall City.

Seeing the black-clad elite guards surrounding them, Ryan’s expression changed as well.

His first instinct was to flee.

But then—

As though he had noticed something, Ryan suddenly stopped.

His mind changed.

"Hmph. You want me to surrender?"

Ryan looked at the two men in front of him.

There were only two of them.

And based on the auras they were releasing, neither was overwhelmingly stronger than him.

The tension in his body immediately eased.

A cold smile appeared on his face.

"I’m afraid you two aren’t qualified."

After escaping from the free market, Ryan had already been carrying a great deal of frustration.

He hadn’t expected to arrive at the garbage disposal site only to have more people immediately come looking for trouble.

Before he could even say anything, they had already thrown around insults like commoner and trash, threatening him as though his life meant nothing.

Ryan’s anger had finally reached its limit.

So long as the difference in strength wasn’t too great, he didn’t want to run anymore.

He wanted to fight.

He wanted to vent all the frustration that had been building inside him.

"How dare you!"

Captain Marlow’s expression instantly became ferocious.

"You piece of garbage! You spend your days digging through trash, yet you still have the nerve to act tough in front of me?"

The ugly scar across his forehead twisted as his rage exploded.

His body suddenly shifted.

Then he charged toward Ryan.

Now that he had confirmed his target’s identity, Marlow had no reason to hold back.

He had served as an elite guard captain of the Sterling Family for years.

During that time, he had never encountered a commoner arrogant enough to speak to him like this.

Which commoner wouldn’t immediately lower their head and act submissive upon seeing him?

According to the intelligence report, Ryan was only supposed to possess the strength of Origin Sea Convergence Realm Stage One.

Yet this mere Stage One Bloodline Fighter actually dared to speak arrogantly in front of a peak Origin Sea Convergence Realm Stage Nine expert like himself.

Marlow’s anger exploded.

"Oh? A mere Origin Sea Convergence Realm Stage One dares to act tough in front of us?"

Hank sneered.

He possessed Origin Sea Convergence Realm Stage Six strength.

"Ha! You really don’t know when to quit. Do you think putting on an intimidating act will suddenly make you an expert?"

He had never seen someone so foolish.

Ryan had only awakened recently and supposedly possessed nothing more than Origin Sea Convergence Realm Stage One cultivation.

His awakened Bloodline was reportedly only the lowest-grade D-Rank Common Bloodline—Spider.

Yet he dared to provoke a peak Origin Sea Convergence Realm Stage Nine expert and a Stage Six expert at the same time.

He truly was a newborn calf that didn’t know fear.

At this moment, the commotion had already attracted the attention of nearby civilians and Bloodline Fighters.

Some hurried away in fear, while others stopped at a safe distance to watch the confrontation.

"Look! A fight’s about to break out!"

"Yeah. It’s two against one!"

"One of them is a peak Origin Sea Convergence Realm Stage Nine expert, and the other is Stage Six. We can’t even determine the true strength of that black figure!"

"Those two are definitely Sterling Family elite guards. I recognize the flame emblem on their uniforms."

"That black figure is in trouble. How can he possibly fight two against one?"

"I think he’s finished. Why would the Sterling Family dare surround him if he were actually powerful?"

"Someone’s going to get hurt. Aren’t they worried about the City Watch seeing this?"

"Tsk. The Five Great Noble Houses and Eight Great Sects have always been above the law. They don’t exactly fear the City Watch. The real question is, who’s going to win?"

"Strange. I’m an Origin Sea Convergence Realm Stage Seven Bloodline Fighter, yet I can’t see through that black figure’s cultivation at all. Who exactly is he? And why are the Sterling Family guards after him?"

...

"Whoosh!"

Captain Marlow suddenly accelerated.

His massive frame moved with surprising agility, covering the distance between them in an instant.

He was already less than three feet from Ryan.

Marlow twisted his waist and activated his Iron Cloth Bloodline.

Instantly, the muscles in his right arm swelled.

His entire arm seemed to transform into a steel pillar.

With a violent burst of strength, his fist shot forward like a cannonball.

"Profound Rank Low Grade Battle Skill—Iron Sand Fist!"

BOOM!

The enormous fist tore through the air.

The resulting shockwave was fierce enough to make the surrounding dust scatter.

Marlow’s skin had taken on a dark metallic sheen, as though his entire body had been coated in a layer of iron.

Protective Origin Energy flowed across his body, reinforcing his already formidable physique.

Even his fist was wrapped in dense white Bloodline Origin Energy.

A normal person struck by this punch would be lucky to survive, let alone walk away without severe injuries.

Iron Cloth was an Enhancement-Type D-Rank Top Tier Bloodline.

It had evolved from the D-Rank Common Bloodline, Iron Body.

Captain Marlow had awakened Iron Body many years ago.

His Bloodline talent had proven to be quite impressive.

Over the years, he had absorbed and refined large quantities of Enhancement-Type Bloodline Essence focused on physical defense.

He continuously tempered his Bloodline.

Its grade steadily increased.

Not long ago, Iron Body had finally evolved into the D-Rank Top Tier Bloodline—Iron Cloth.

Marlow’s strength had subsequently risen by leaps and bounds.

The passive ability of Iron Cloth hardened the user’s body like forged iron, making it extremely difficult for ordinary weapons to injure them.

When actively activated, the Bloodline generated protective Origin Energy across the entire body, forming a layer of defense resembling heavy iron armor.

Both his physical strength and defensive capabilities would increase dramatically.

"Swish—"

Before Marlow’s fist even reached him, the fierce wind generated by the punch had already struck Ryan’s face.

Ryan’s black hair whipped backward, revealing his cold, unwavering eyes.

"Hmph!"

Ryan’s gaze hardened.

Without hesitation, he shoved Jake backward.

"Get out of here!"

Jake’s face had already gone pale.

The moment Ryan pushed him away, he stumbled and rolled across the ground.

He quickly scrambled back to his feet and ran for his life without daring to look back.

How could he possibly stay?

He was an ordinary civilian.

In a battle between Bloodline Fighters, there was nothing he could do except run as far away as possible.

If he stayed, he could easily be caught in the crossfire.