James Harris admired Olivia Harris and had pursued her for a long time. How could he allow anyone to insult Olivia Harris like this, especially Ethan Brooks? He slammed the table in fury and shouted, “Ethan Brooks, you useless wretch, what did you just say? Say it again if you dare.”

“I said she wants to play the whore and still set up a memorial archway,” Ethan Brooks replied.

“You—” James Harris was furious beyond words.

Ethan Brooks said calmly, “What do you mean, ‘you’? Weren’t you the one who told me to say it again?”

James Harris was at a loss for words. He hadn’t expected this so-called useless member of the Ye family to be so sharp-tongued, completely catching him off guard and leaving him with nothing to retort.

Elder Harris’s face darkened completely. “City Lord Ye, is this how your Ye family treats its guests?”

Owen Brooks looked up and gazed above, saying, “I didn’t see anything.”

Elder Harris was fuming—was this really how a father should act? He was protecting his son to an absurd degree. He snorted, wanting to say something harsh, but after meeting the icy gaze of City Lord Ye, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and he dared not speak further.

“Ethan Brooks, what right do you have to say that about me?” Even though Olivia Harris was scheming, she was still just a sixteen-year-old girl, not some old fox who had lived for over sixty years. She hadn’t experienced enough of the world, and being spoken to like this, she couldn’t keep her composure.

“Did I say anything wrong?”

Ethan Brooks replied indifferently, his gaze always calm and natural, as if nothing could faze him. Looking into Olivia Harris’s eyes, it was as if he could see through all her secrets, making her instinctively avoid his gaze. Flustered, she said, “You, what are you trying to do?”

“Heh, you don’t even dare to look a useless person like me in the eye. If you’re not hiding something, what are you?” Ethan Brooks chuckled, but to Olivia Harris, it sounded like mockery. She anxiously asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Ethan Brooks said, “Olivia Harris, there’s no need for us to beat around the bush. The only reason you approached me back then was to trick me into trusting you, so I would steal the Ye family’s Qingling Pill for you. All of this was part of your scheme. In fact, a proud daughter of heaven like you could never like a useless cultivator like me. When something seems off, there’s always a reason. I was just too naive to notice it at the time.”

“But let’s put all that aside. I won’t hold it against you anymore. Every experience is a lesson learned. In some ways, I should thank you—otherwise, I wouldn’t have truly awakened. But don’t think I’m still that gullible boy you fooled back then. If you’re still trying to play these petty tricks to win my sympathy, isn’t that just wanting to play the whore and set up a memorial archway?”

“I have to say, you’re really quite boring.”

He mocked her coldly, ridiculing Olivia Harris’s little games.

Silence!

Absolute silence!

Olivia Harris lifted her delicate head, her rosy lips slightly parted, staring in shock at the familiar face of the young man before her. But the once innocent and humble look on his handsome, slightly youthful face was gone, replaced by a confidence and calm she had never seen before, making her momentarily dazed.

It was as if she vaguely saw a peerless man of extraordinary bearing appear before her, someone to be admired and revered.

These past few days, what on earth had happened to this boy who used to revolve around her? Why did he now feel like a completely different person—no longer humble, no longer timid, but confident and fearless?

Was this really the same useless boy Ethan Brooks who used to orbit around her all day?

Not only her—even Owen Brooks and his wife Emily Carter, his parents, could sense the change in their son, a transformation from the inside out, and a delightful one at that.

That mysterious elder of the The Harris Family had remained silent all along, but after witnessing Ethan Brooks’s performance, a rare flash of shock appeared in his eyes. He could hardly believe this was the so-called useless boy everyone talked about.

Such confidence, such presence—he had far surpassed his peers.

James Harris’s expression turned cold. He said, “Ethan Brooks, I have to admit you do have some insight and a sharp tongue. You can even tell the quality of Foundation Establishment Pills, but that’s all.”

“There are some things you need to understand. In this world, strength is what matters most. A sharp tongue means nothing. You have a father who’s a city lord, and he can protect you for a while, but not for a lifetime. He will grow old eventually. When you come of age at sixteen, you’ll likely lose your status as the Ye family heir and at most hold some important position—nothing more.”

“But Yi’er is exceptionally talented. After taking the Qingling Pill, she’s already reached the Innate stage. A few days ago, my The Harris Family received an invitation from the capital, and she’s been exceptionally promoted to the Heaven-level Institute of the Empire’s Xiafeng Academy. In three months, she’ll go there for further study and reach even higher levels of cultivation, becoming even stronger in the future. As for you, you’ll be stuck where you are for the rest of your life.”

“Maybe your words today are satisfying and make you look impressive for a moment, but in the future, you might pay for it for the rest of your life.”

The faces of the Ye family members changed instantly. Even Owen Brooks and the three elders looked shocked.

An eighteen-year-old Innate expert!