Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

A phone suddenly slid across the floor and stopped right in front of him. Its screen lit up, displaying a photo of someone's face.

If Aspen, Andrew's loyal little servant, had been there, she definitely would have snapped, "How dare you! Who gave you the guts to sneak a photo of my master's devastatingly handsome face?"

Sure enough, the photo on the screen was of Andrew.

The man picked up the phone and asked in a low, gravelly voice, "Dead or alive?"

From the darkness, the High Oracle's faint laughter echoed. "If we can recruit him and make him ours, that would be the best outcome. But if not... crush his manhood and ask if he believes in our Sacred Order now."

The man asked again, "And if I crush it and he still doesn't believe it?"

The High Oracle's voice turned even colder. "Then snap his neck, or violate him brutally, whichever feels crueler. Be as vicious as you can. Use your judgment."

The man tightened his grip on the phone, grinned with a twisted smile, and turned to leave the hall. He pushed open the heavy doors, revealing a vast open sea outside.

Without hesitation, he dove straight into the ocean.

Another frigid morning swept over Serenity Villa. Out on the back lawn, training resumed as usual, but with a slight twist today.

Andrew stood with one hand behind his back and waved the other at Francesca. "Come at me."

The busty woman blushed deeply. "Huh? Come at you? You mean like... in bed? Or are we being serious here?"

Andrew's face twitched. "Seriously? Is your brain still foggy?"

Francesca flushed with embarrassment. She quickly shook off her thoughts and charged in with a sharp cry, throwing the first punch.

Andrew blocked it effortlessly with one hand, his defense lightning quick.

She suddenly jumped, aiming a knee strike straight at his chin.

Andrew leaned back and struck her thigh with a knife-hand chop.

She pulled back, tucked her leg, and dropped hard toward his chest with another blow.

"Nice!" Andrew could not help but cheer, shifting his body sideways just in time to dodge the attack.

Her strike missed again, but she did not stop. Her elbow swung around, heading straight for his head.

The two exchanged dozens of moves, countering each other with skill. After over a hundred exchanges, Francesca was panting, clearly running out of energy.

Andrew showed no signs of slowing down. Seizing a small opening, he flicked his fingers forward just two inches and struck her wrist.

Francesca yelped like she had been stung, her hand trembling and turning red instantly. "What kind of strike was that? That short distance had so much force!"

She stared in awe.

Andrew retracted his hand with a grin. "That's Inch-Force. Usually, only true masters can pull it off. But with your instincts, Fran, you could learn it now." Francesca nodded, eyes lighting up as she stepped aside to practice. Andrew did not stop. He waved Laure over and said, "Lauren, you're up."

Lauren specialized in internal martial arts. Her foundation was strong, and her inner energy flowed smoothly. Yet, when it came to actual fistwork, let's just say it was far from refined.

After throwing several clumsy, wild punches, she did not even come close to grazing Andrew's shirt.noveldrama

Seeing no results, Lauren started getting discouraged. "Andrew, am I just dumb or what?"

Andrew shook his head. "No, your progress is actually the biggest of all three, better than Fran's or even Aspen's."

Lauren looked doubtful, but before

she could say anything, Andrew's hand shot toward her neck. On instinct, she grunted and raised her hand to block. At the same time, she dropped her stance and struck forward toward Andrew's waist.

Just as Andrew's hand was about to touch

knock neck, her counterattack

knocked it aside. Her punch landed squarely against his chest, forcing him to take a step back.

Everyone watching-Aspen, Francesca, Dylan, and Natasha-was stunned.

Lauren herself looked completely shocked. "Andrew, did you go easy on me?"