"Then why don't you give it a try. True, it's inconvenient without hands or feet. But I can still paint with my mouth. You can believe that or not, it's up to you. But I guarantee, once I leave here, by the next day, a nude painting of the Holy Maiden of the Blazing Sun, Olivia Clark, will spread throughout the entire sect world. I hear the Blazing Sun Sect has six Holy Maidens in total, and there are still four above you. All the Holy Maidens must remain pure and chaste, and the competition among you is extremely fierce. I wonder what would happen if this painting fell into their hands?"

Ethan Carter gave Olivia Clark a deep, meaningful look.

Olivia Clark's body trembled, and her face finally changed color:

"You've gone too far! How dare you threaten me! Believe it or not, even if I lose my position as Holy Maiden, I'll tear you to pieces!"

"I don't really care. Anyway, in a few days, it's the day of the Elder Council meeting. After they strip me of my position as Young Sect Master, they'll soon expel me from the sect, and I'll be doomed either way. But it's different for you. Without your status as the Blazing Sun Sect's Holy Maiden, I believe there will be plenty of people in the martial world interested in your body. By then, your fate will probably be even worse than mine. Either way, it's death. With a beauty like you to accompany me to the grave, what complaints could I possibly have?"

Ethan Carter made his stance clear, looking completely unfazed, like a "dead pig unafraid of boiling water."

Olivia Clark was furious, glaring at Ethan Carter as if she wanted to eat him alive. Yet she was helpless against him. Her expression shifted unpredictably—Ethan Carter could afford to lose, but she couldn't!

As the Holy Maiden of the Blazing Sun Sect, she was so revered, so noble. How could she be willing to perish together with a wretch doomed to die? That would be far too humiliating, too worthless.

Olivia Clark took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down:

"What exactly do you want?"

"Hmph! Now that's more like it."

Ethan Carter's face remained indifferent, but inside he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he was here to negotiate with Olivia Clark, not to die together with her. Everything so far was just a means to an end, not the end itself.

"On the day of the Elder Council, I want you to explain to everyone that the so-called peeping incident was completely fabricated, just a misunderstanding!"

Ethan Carter finally revealed his true purpose.

"Ethan Carter, you'll regret this!"

Olivia Clark's face was dark. She had, in a roundabout way, agreed to Ethan Carter's demand. At this point, no matter how unwilling she was, she had no other choice.

"Hahaha, that's for the future. But speaking of which, being able to peep at a great beauty like you isn't so bad!"

Ethan Carter burst out laughing, suddenly reached out and stroked Olivia Clark's silky-smooth face, then strode away.

Caught off guard, Olivia Clark froze for a moment, then let out a hysterical scream:

"—Carter—Ethan—I'm going to kill you—"

With her scream, countless porcelain pieces and teacups shattered with a bang, and many screens, tables, and chairs cracked and splintered—a scene of utter chaos.

Hearing this, Ethan Carter felt a strong sense of revengeful satisfaction rise in his heart.

Ethan Carter knew that the two souls in his mind had already begun to merge into one; he was no longer just a simple transmigrator.

Chapter 5: Sect Treasury

After leaving the Holy Maiden of the Blazing Sun's small palace, Ethan Carter clearly felt that the disciples of the Five Thunders Sect were looking at him differently. There was a hint of surprise, a hint of fear.

Many people had heard the Holy Maiden's hysterical roar. Everyone instinctively thought Ethan Carter was going to suffer, but in the end, not only did he come out unscathed, it seemed the one who suffered was actually the Holy Maiden of the Blazing Sun Palace.

"What exactly happened? That last scream sounded like the Holy Maiden of the Blazing Sun!"

"When did he get so capable? He angered the Holy Maiden and still came out unharmed?"

"Don't overthink it. He's just a loser, how could that be? Must've heard wrong."

...

Ethan Carter listened to all the gossip and just smiled indifferently, ignoring it. Compared to these rumors, he had more important things to do.

During his confrontation with Olivia Clark just now, he had already noticed it. Although this body had a decent foundation, after so many years, the poisoning was too deep. His muscles, bones, and vital energy were all problematic. Many movements were full of flaws and hard to execute smoothly.

Otherwise, with the fighting experience, awareness, and reflexes from his previous life, even if Olivia Clark's martial arts were far superior, she wouldn't have been able to hurt him in a hurried counterattack.

When it came to hand-to-hand combat experience, Ethan Carter was far better than someone like Olivia Clark, who had always lived in comfort and relied on lackeys for everything. The so-called Blazing Sun Fist, though it looked imposing, was full of flaws in Ethan Carter's eyes. It was only because of his physical condition that he couldn't take advantage of them.

"First, I'll go to the sect treasury and get some medicinal herbs to detoxify my body."

A sharp gleam flashed in Ethan Carter's eyes, and he immediately changed his mind, heading toward the back mountain.

The Elder Council meeting was tomorrow, and Ethan Carter didn't have much time left. He had to prove that he was qualified to inherit the position of sect master. Otherwise, his situation would be dire.

Arriving at the back mountain, he saw a huge stone cave carved into the mountain. At the entrance, two heavy iron doors studded with copper rivets stood imposing, clearly built to resemble a grand hall.