Free Web NovelChapter 96: Chapter 96: Final Examination
The two men continued on their way to protect Seraphina Sterling, who had just left Summer’s hotel. In her hand was fifty thousand dollars! The incident with Zeke Jennings supposedly selling counterfeit goods was entirely orchestrated by her.
She had always been the type to repay every slight. All Justin Hale did was take fifty thousand dollars, and he went to the police to point the finger at her! ’If I don’t teach him a lesson he’ll never forget, how can I justify the hour and a half I spent locked up in that station!’
Over the next few days, besides keeping an eye on the stock market, Seraphina Sterling focused all her attention on the news. If she remembered correctly, the largest fake jade manufacturing case in the nation’s history was due to break around this time. It would cause a country-wide sensation, forcing many small and medium-sized jade and jewelry shops to close their doors for good. Some large chains would even be driven to bankruptcy by the scandal!
’After Justin Hale returns to Aethelgard, he’ll definitely start preparing to open his new shop right away. I’m just waiting for his shop to run headfirst into this catastrophe! Let his sixty million go straight down the drain!’
However, she didn’t see any news about the fake jade case. Instead, she saw a story about Apex Collections on TV. That Joel Xavier certainly was a man of action. It had only been a few days since he had hauled the antiques away, and he was already making his move.
And the publicity was quite ingenious: "The Million-Dollar Cat Bowl." The story was simple: an elderly scrap collector was taking care of many stray cats when Joel Xavier, the owner of Apex Collections, happened to pass by. He discovered that the cat food bowl was an antique, worth a million dollars!
Although the story itself was simple, it was filled with a sensational contrast. One moment, a homeless scrap collector; the next, a millionaire. This dramatic change in fortune made the story incredibly appealing, and Apex Collections instantly became the hottest topic in Sanford.
’Only Joel Xavier could have come up with a way to build a reputation without spending a single cent.’ Once the name was out there, everything else would be easy. She didn’t have to worry about the rest. She was confident Joel Xavier had the ability to grow and expand Apex Collections within six months.
The report on the fake jade case hadn’t appeared by the time Seraphina Sterling’s rest day arrived.
There were a few new faces at Grant Manor today, but Seraphina Sterling’s sharp eyes immediately noticed that two of them were the men who had come to pick them up after the last attack.
"Seraphina Sterling, you’ve been training for some time now," Terrence Grant said, his gaze fixed on her in her athletic wear. "With your current skills, you’re more than capable of protecting yourself, provided you don’t go looking for trouble. If you can hold your own against any two of them today, you’ll have officially graduated." ’His world was too dangerous,’ he thought. ’For what’s to come, she must have the ability to protect herself.’
"Teacher Grant, is this the final exam then?" A fire of excitement ignited within Seraphina Sterling. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time! ’It wasn’t because Terrence Grant’s world was too dangerous, but because it was filled with too many uncertainties. And the things she planned to do in the future allowed for no margin of error.’
’And there was another crucial point. She had studied and trained for so long, but aside from Hughes, Terrence Grant, and the attackers from that day, she had never fought anyone else. She wasn’t entirely sure what her own skill level truly was. Everything she did relied on instinct, not experience!’
’There are no weak soldiers under a strong general. An opportunity this good was hard to come by!’
"If you can fight them to a draw in any two disciplines, you can officially graduate," Terrence Grant said. "And you won’t have to come back here for training anymore." He watched Seraphina Sterling’s excited expression, a pang of displeasure stirring in his chest. ’Is she really that eager to be done with me?’
The two of them chatted as if it were the most normal thing in the world, but the instructors at the base were completely stunned.
’Who is this girl? She’s the Young Master’s student?’
’The Young Master actually took on a student? I must be dreaming.’
’Or rather, the truly unbelievable thing is that she survived being the Young Master’s student... without turning into some muscle-bound Amazon!’
’Logically speaking, we have to consider the possibility that we’re all having the same dream! How could the Young Master possibly take on a student? Countless old geezers from the elite circles of Aethelgard have tried to dump their heirs on the Grant Family for training, but not a single one ever succeeded! And now, out here in this backwater, he actually takes one? It’s just impossible!’
The men exchanged complicated looks, their gazes converging on Seraphina Sterling. What kind of magic did this girl possess to make the Young Master break his own rules?
"Let’s begin," Terrence Grant said coldly. Hughes, having served a pot of freshly brewed West Lake Longjing tea, now stood respectfully behind him. He watched the departing figures, his own expression unreadable. He, too, was eager to see what results Seraphina Sterling would achieve. After all, anyone who could become an instructor for the Grant Family was a formidable talent. freewёbnoνel.com
Everyone set off at nearly the same instant, heading for a circuit run over the back mountain and back. Only then would the so-called graduation exam truly begin. No matter the task, physical strength and endurance were always the most fundamental and crucial elements, yet also the ones most easily overlooked.
