"Hector Lennox—"
Aurora Sinclair’s fists suddenly clenched. She unleashed a powerful strike on the last brown bear. The force was so imnse that the several-hundred-kilogram animal was launched into the air, flying back more than ten ters and snapping five or six birch trees before it landed, utterly and completely dead.
"This has nothing to do with ," Hector Lennox’s voice rang out again.
But Aurora, already burning with rage, shot off in a specific direction.
Soon, two figures were clashing amidst the birch forest.
Hector Lennox defended himself while explaining, "Aurora, that man was a spy trying to sow discord between us..."
"You betrayed our sect, founded The Shadow Organization, murdered my master, and committed heinous cris. Today, I will purge the Radiant Void Sect on its behalf!"
Aurora Sinclair’s attacks grew heavier. After barely dodging a palm strike, Hector Lennox shouted, "Aurora, you’ve misunderstood! I never betrayed our sect..."
"Is that so?"
With a flick of her fingers, Aurora Sinclair tore open Hector Lennox’s sleeve. With a RRRIP, his arm was exposed.
She quickly glanced at his upper arm. It was perfectly smooth, without a single needle mark from any injections.
"Aurora, back then I was manipulated by my older brother. I only wanted to leave the mountain to lend him a hand. I never imagined it would lead to our master’s death. I was too ashad to face him or my martial brothers, so I left the Radiant Void Sect and haven’t returned in all these years. I’ve spent my ti researching the advanced training thods in the Radiant Void Boxing Manual, all to honor our master’s spirit..."
Hector Lennox clutched his chest, his face a mask of grief and indignation as he looked to the sky, his eyes filled with regret.
Aurora Sinclair pressed her lips together and slowly lowered her fists. "What about Elias Lennox?"
Thinking of him, Hector Lennox let out a soft sigh. "Ever since my older brother learned the secret of our family’s bloodline, he’s been obsessed with restoring our clan, and that obsession led to all these sins. Elias has had a tragic life as well. He was treated harshly by my brother and sister-in-law from birth. I didn’t know what was happening, and by the ti I found out, he had already developed severe psychological problems. I took him in to raise him myself, and his condition stabilized a bit. As for his involvent with The Shadow, I only heard about that from Guthrie three years ago..."
As Hector Lennox spoke of Elias Lennox, he was clearly heartbroken, as if he couldn’t understand why his nephew would join The Shadow Organization.
"Where is your brother?"
Hector Lennox shook his head. "I cut off all contact with him after I took Elias away. He must have gone into hiding..."
"What’s his na?"
"Jason Lennox."
Aurora Sinclair watched him for a mont, then pulled a small vial of internal injury dicine from her pocket and tossed it to him before turning to leave.
Her gaze was now completely devoid of warmth, and the fists clenched at her sides did not relax.
Hector Lennox watched her retreating back and called out, "Soone is pulling the strings and stirring up trouble! Don’t fall for their trap!"
***
The death of the man from the Western Continent did not bring the selection trials for the alliance to a halt.
Aurora Sinclair had found an object on the man’s body.
After analysis by Ditto Miles, the item was identified as a clan crest of a Royal Family from a major nation on the Western Continent.
In other words, the man’s identity was one of wealth and power. ’But why did he want to kill and Alvin Morgan?’
"Aurora, we have enemies within The International Martial Alliance." Alvin Morgan’s gaze was as cold as ice.
’That man’s appearance was no accident. He must have been bait set by soone—most likely one of the five judges.’
Afterward, Hector Lennox took the man’s body away. As for how it would be dealt with, they had no idea.
Accidents happened during the selection trials every year, so all participants had to sign a death waiver in advance.
After Hector Lennox left, Vincent Lawson ca to take over his duties, continuing to assess the participants for the third trial.
Aurora Sinclair and Alvin Morgan handed him the Seven-color paper they had collected.
Vincent Lawson gave each of them a Black Card. It had a magnetic strip and looked like an access card for a restricted area.
"Congratulations on passing the third trial. The fourth trial will be held at the headquarters of The International Martial Alliance."
Aurora Sinclair examined the Black Card, then suddenly asked, "Whose idea was The Frostfell on the mountaintop?"
Vincent Lawson’s heart tightened, unsure of what Aurora Sinclair ant by the question.
He was still unnerved by the young woman.
"Is there sothing wrong with it?"
Aurora Sinclair shook her head. "The design was quite clever. I just want to know who ca up with it."
Vincent Lawson breathed a sigh of relief and replied with a smile, "That was your martial uncle’s idea. He has done quite a bit of research into chanical Techniques..."
Aurora Sinclair gave a slight nod.
***
The International Martial Alliance was located at the border between the Western Continent and the Arian Continent.
It was a special, neutral territory that belonged to the Martial World, a unique existence much like The Holy Mountain.
Only mbers of The International Martial Alliance could enter freely. Anyone else needed a special invitation card, or they would risk their lives.
Aurora Sinclair and Alvin Morgan’s Black Cards were a type of invitation—temporary passes for trial participants, valid for only five days before expiring.
When the two of them entered The International Martial Alliance, the fourth trial officially began. To pass, they had to stay for a full fifteen days without being kicked out early for having an expired card.
The International Martial Alliance was housed in an enormous, modern skyscraper that towered into the clouds, an impressive sight.
Inside were office areas, lounges, training zones, and competition arenas, much like The Martial Alliance building in Veridia.
The two swiped their cards at the turnstiles by the entrance and officially entered the building.
The ground floor was a massive lobby with no reception desk, only a giant screen.
It cycled through displays of the rules for entering and a map of the building.
First, the rules:
Rule 1: Fighting, brawling, and causing fatalities are prohibited in the office and lounge areas of the building.
Rule 2: Low-level mbers are forbidden from entering high-level mber areas and are prohibited from acting beyond their authority.
Rule 3: mbers must carry their mbership card to enter and exit the Alliance. If a card is lost, it must be reported for replacent within three days, or the mber will be expelled.
Rule 4: mber nations must pay their annual mbership fees on ti according to their mbership level. Failure to do so will result in the suspension of all rights and privileges enjoyed by the mber nation.
...
When Aurora Sinclair saw the fourth rule, a hint of confusion appeared in her eyes. "Do we have to pay, too?"
"Yes, and it’s a lot each year. But in return, we also gain certain privileges."
"What kind of privileges?"
"For example, priority access to the use of newly discovered Ancient Martial Inheritances, priority in hosting freestyle combat competitions, more decision-making seats within the Alliance, and so on..."
Seeing that Aurora Sinclair only seed to half-understand, Alvin Morgan reached out and patted her head. "It ans having a greater voice and higher standing."
But she asked, confused, "Doesn’t The Holy Mountain have the greatest authority in the Martial World?"
"But the people of The Holy Mountain are ultimately focused on the path of Martial Arts. They generally don’t get too involved in these worldly administrative affairs, unless a world-class war breaks out like the one a hundred years ago. If they didn’t get involved at all for long periods, it would weaken their influence in the Martial World. That’s why they need organizations like The International Martial Alliance, The International Martial Arts Bureau, and The International Penitentiary to regulate and oversee the Martial World in every country..."
"So that’s why they need Regulators and Guardians?"
Alvin Morgan nodded. "The three presidents of The International Martial Alliance are most likely also Regulators of the Martial World."
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