Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Someone said, "No matter what, this guy is just badass. Daring to go against the Yeagers and making both the father-son duo look like complete fools? That alone puts him above countless people here!"

Nonetheless, some people thought Andrew was being reckless and seeking death, while others felt Andrew's behavior showed real heroic spirit.

Alex approached and said coldly, "Zachary, you've advanced! Now come with me to see Mr. Thornton!"

Jerome, being a high-ranking figure, had already left midway through the trial. So, he was not present for the chaos that followed.

Zachary, still covered in blood and injuries, hesitated. "Mr. Wallace, may I change clothes and treat my wounds before meeting him?"

Alex snapped impatiently. "When I say go, you go! What, you think you're a big deal now just because you won?"

Zachary's expression darkened. It was obvious that Alex still would not let it go.

Andrew's voice turned ice-cold. "You senile jackass, are you brain-dead? Can't you see that Mr. Thornton's top recruit is standing here, covered in blood after claiming first place? Zachary just beat Joseph, and he's exactly the kind of disciple Jerome should be grooming!"

He hissed, "But you? You bitter old fart, you're already trying to suppress him out of jealousy. Do you want me to take this straight to Jerome and let him know what kind of crap you're pulling?"

His words showed no courtesy whatsoever as he unleashed a verbal assault on Alex.

Alex's beard trembled with rage. "You insolent brat, you..."

Andrew grinned, all venom. "Save it, fossil. You think you get to bully outsiders just because you're posted at Mr. Thornton's side? If I can slap Matthew around, what makes you think I'd flinch at you?"noveldrama

Alex fell completely silent, his face a thundercloud. He had seen Andrew's earlier strike. Matthew was a martial king, yet Andrew had sent him flying with a single punch.

Alex still could not figure out just how deep Andrew's strength ran.

Alex gritted out. "Fine. You have 30 minutes. Clean up and be ready to meet Mr. Thornton for the official initiation."

With that, he turned and stormed off.

Andrew said calmly, "Let's go. First impressions matter, and you can't show up looking like roadkill."

Zachary smiled bitterly. "Captain, when you told me to strangle Joseph earlier, you weren't serious, were you?"

Andrew smirked. "What do you think?"

Zachary fell silent because when it came to Andrew's orders, they were never jokes.

Just thinking about it sent a chill

down his spine. He did not even want to imagine how Goldridge would have exploded if he had really killed Joseph in front of the entire hall. The Yeagers would have surely scoured the entire city to hunt them down.

Just as the two turned to leave, they bumped into two figures: Scarlett and Henry. Both were legendary-level powerhouses.

"There's a guy in Blumedale, Gabo Creek, making waves lately. Name's Andrew Lloyd," Henry said, his deep voice cutting through the air.

Dressed in black, tall and broad-shouldered, Henry sized Andrew up from head to toe.

Finally, he asked, "That's you, isn't it?"

Andrew glanced at him. "Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

Henry nodded, impressed. "Bold. Reminds me of myself back in the day. But more than that, you've got the strength to back it up. I'm Henry, also from Gabo Creek. My family's the Fischers, one of the Three Titans. If you ever run into trouble here in Goldridge, come find me."

He gave a slight wave, turned, and walked off with clean efficiency.

Andrew's expression took on a hint of confusion. He wondered if this was an olive branch being extended to him in an attempt to win him over?

Next came Scarlett. She said, "It's, always the person you least want to see who shows up! Andrew, I didn't expect our first official encounter to be here in Goldridge."

Her expression was sly, with a trace of amusement.

Andrew scowled. "Do you have something to say? If not, move aside. My mom

always told me that pretty women are the most dangerous."

Scarlett blinked, then blushed. Was this little punk flirting with her?

But the very next second, Andrew added, "And worse than pretty women are ugly

ones. Ms. Driscoll, unfortunately, you give me the vibe of the latter."

Scarlett froze where she stood, her expression turning ice cold.

That bastard really had a death wish.

Behind her stood a dozen top-tier fighters from the Driscoll family, and every one of them was stunned speechless.

It was the first time in their lives that they had heard someone dare to call Scarlett ugly.