Chapter 383: Be My Disciple

Zachariah scrambled to his feet, dust-covered, and continued backing away. The crowd was stunned by his helplessness, unaware that Jared had completely drained his martial energy. Zachariah was so weakened that anyone could have easily killed him.

"Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you," Jared ordered coldly.

Zachariah's eyes darted around, lighting up when they fell on a hatted old man. "Not so fast, Jared! I can have someone kill you right now!" He turned to the old man. "Master Venicus, the Jantz family will generously reward you for resolving this crisis! I'll give you all our herbs!"

Desperate for survival, he no longer cared about the longevity pill; it was useless if he were dead. He was willing to sacrifice all the Jantz family's herbs for Venicus's help.

Jared's eyes also lit up at the mention of herbs. Having reached level nine in Energy Cultivation, he needed vast spiritual energy to reach the Foundation Phase.

"Are you serious, Old Mr. Jantz?" he asked.

Venicus was delighted. If I get those herbs, he thought, I'll become much stronger! Plus, I'll need them for aphrodisiac pills—otherwise, I can't handle two women a day!

"I'm a man of my word, Master Venicus! I wouldn't lie, especially not in front of everyone!" Zachariah replied humbly.

"Fair enough!" Venicus removed his hat and walked toward Jared.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. "Who is he? I've never seen him before!" "I don't know. Maybe some powerful fighter hired by the Jantz family. He looks like a sage—he must be strong!"

Venicus stopped before Jared, eyeing him. "Hey, kid! You're powerful and talented! Become my disciple, and you'll be untouchable in Jazona within two years! The Jantz family won't bother you either!"

"Master Venicus!" Zachariah cried, eyes wide. "He killed my son and daughter! I won't let him get away with it!"

"Shut up!" Venicus snapped.

Reluctant, Zachariah remained silent.

Venicus turned back to Jared. "Well? Becoming my disciple is a dream for many!"

"If you want to be my mentor, prove yourself worthy. Can you do that?" Jared smirked.

"Since you asked…" Venicus pulled a round, black object from his pocket and hurled it to the ground.

Boom!

A dense black fog instantly enveloped the arena, obscuring everything. Panic erupted; people pushed toward the exits.

Soon, the fog cleared, silencing the crowd in shock. The ruined arena was restored, Jared and Venicus standing amidst the untouched grounds.

The added promotional sentence at the end was removed as it's out of place within the narrative.