Thomas Baker really couldn’t stand everyone looking at him like he was some kind of sideshow anymore, so he simply walked into Baoding Pavilion, asked for Brian Carter’s location, and headed straight for Brian Carter’s pill room. He made up his mind—even if he’d be punished by the sect later for disrupting someone else’s alchemy, he was going in to beat the guy up.

Facing the wooden door, Thomas Baker unleashed all five of his Dao Platforms, determined to raise his aura to the maximum, so the other party would know the consequences of angering him. He kicked the door to pieces and strode in with domineering momentum.

“Brian Carter! You—” Thomas Baker hadn’t even finished speaking when his gaze froze, and then his whole body stiffened. The leg that had kicked through the door was still raised in midair, and he stood there like a wooden statue, staring blankly at the ten perfectly complete Dao Platforms floating behind Brian Carter.

“Something you need?” Brian Carter turned his head and looked at the frozen Thomas Baker, asking.

Thomas Baker stared dazedly at those ten dragon-roaring, tiger-howling Dao Platforms, feeling as if his world shattered in that instant. What the hell is this?! Ten perfect Dao Platforms? And there are dragon and tiger auras above the platforms? What’s going on?

For a long time in the cultivation world, nine Dao Platforms was considered perfection. Later, a peerless genius appeared and pioneered the ten-platform perfect completion. Then, another genius emerged, creating the phenomenon of ten Dao Platforms with extraordinary visions.

Since then, ten-platform perfect completion became the standard for geniuses of various sects. While it’s not extremely rare, it’s definitely not something you see every day! Among the Hundred Peaks, there are currently fewer than ten people with ten-platform perfect completion!

After a brief shock, Thomas Baker was filled with endless terror! The other guy had ten perfect Dao Platforms, while he only had five… and he’d even come to kick down the guy’s door and challenge him. Isn’t this just asking to die? The other guy could crush him with a single finger! No way! Run! Go back and report! Let the sect know about this…

“I remember now, you wanted to spar with me, right?” Brian Carter raised his hand and activated the Five Thunders True Technique, a pillar of lightning as thick as a washbasin shooting from his palm. “Let me grant your wish, then.”

It’s over! Lightning technique! Thomas Baker’s heart tightened. He wanted to cast a spell to resist, but the thought had barely flashed through his mind before his body had no time to react—a thick bolt of lightning pierced straight through him.

In an instant! Thomas Baker was blasted high into the air, his whole body instantly charred black, and he collapsed, unconscious.

From storming in with aggressive momentum to being blasted crispy inside and out by a single bolt of lightning, the whole thing took less than a second. Thomas Baker only felt searing pain all over, then blacked out.

“So weak?” Brian Carter looked at the heavily injured and unconscious Thomas Baker, shook his head, then glanced at his own raised palm and muttered, “Or am I just too strong?”

“Brother Bai! Don’t!”

Benjamin Evans had been busy with other matters, but when he heard a servant report that someone had barged into the pill furnace room, he rushed over—if something happened here, he’d be held responsible.

As Benjamin Evans’s shout rang out, he arrived at the scene.

When the thunderous power had just erupted, he thought it was Thomas Baker’s doing, but when he arrived and saw the scene, he was stunned.

How could this be? Benjamin Evans stared in astonishment at the charred Thomas Baker, then looked at Brian Carter, who was walking out with his hands behind his back.

“He was the one who kicked the door in, so don’t deduct my deposit,” Brian Carter quickly pointed at the shattered door to explain.

“You’re absolutely right, I’ll get Xingyao Peak to pay for it,” Benjamin Evans nodded and bowed repeatedly. He wasn’t afraid that Brian Carter had turned someone into charcoal, but rather that he hadn’t stopped Thomas Baker from disturbing the alchemist. If things got out of hand, he might have to pay a hefty sum.

As for why Thomas Baker lost to Brian Carter? Benjamin Evans quickly figured it out—after all, he’s a peak lord! Even if his strength isn’t great, he’s got resources! Probably inherited a few Five Thunder Talismans from the previous generation? Just used one for self-defense?

That’s it! It must be! Benjamin Evans knew well that Five Thunder Talismans were precious! At the Foundation Establishment stage, even someone with nine Dao Platforms at perfection would need several breaths to channel power and cast a lightning technique, but a Five Thunder Talisman could be used instantly, with no time needed at all!

How could someone with only three Dao Platforms possibly cast a lightning technique before Thomas Baker with five? And there’s no way Thomas Baker couldn’t block it! Unless it was a Five Thunder Talisman!

“Your security system here is really lacking,” Brian Carter noticed Benjamin Evans trying to downplay the incident and immediately spoke up, “If I’d still been refining pills just now and got startled like that, I could’ve suffered a qi deviation, you know?”

Benjamin Evans glanced at the pill furnace and saw that there wasn’t even a trace of medicinal vapor, not to mention any dregs! Clearly, the other party had just been hiding out here for the night—he hadn’t refined any pills at all!

He’s trying to extort me! Benjamin Evans wanted to argue, but he knew that even though the other party’s cultivation was weak, his status as a peak lord was unassailable! If things got out of hand, Baoding Pavilion’s reputation would suffer, and if the sect leader got involved, Baoding Pavilion would be in the wrong.

“One hundred and two spirit stones, then.” Brian Carter knew that if he made a fuss, he could get more compensation, but it would take a long time and might drag on until after the competition, by which time the value would be much less.