The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Hua Mei Biomedical as I sat cross-legged at my desk, eyes closed in meditation. The True Qi flowed through my meridians like liquid fire, strengthening my foundation and pushing me closer to the next breakthrough. After learning about the Earth Rankings from Ronan Payne, I knew I needed every advantage I could get. The assassins would only get stronger from here.
My cultivation was interrupted by rapid footsteps in the hallway outside my office.
"Mr. Hayes! Mr. Hayes!" Jenny from the front desk burst through my door without knocking, her face flushed with panic. "There's an old man downstairs demanding to see you. He won't leave and he's getting aggressive with the staff."
I opened my eyes and let out a slow breath, releasing the gathered energy. "What does he want?"
"He says he's here to challenge you to some kind of medical duel. Security tried to escort him out but he just laughed at them."
