Chapter: 459

“Wait …” Maximus took a deep breath and finally confessed, “What you said yesterday was right. I had three fatal flaws in my Illusory Sword Technique.”

“Oh, really? Did you meet a worthy opponent that fast?” Dustin was quite surprised to learn that his prediction came true after he dropped a casual mention of the flawed moves during the battle.

“It wasn’t just any stranger It was my mentor, Luther Williams! Maximus gritted his teeth, his face clouded by a grim expression.

“Your mentor?” Dustin was astounded.

“Why did he hurt you for no good reason?”

“That’s because … I caught him having an affair with my female mentee!” Maximus said, filled with resentment.

“I went home after the defeat, thinking to question Luther Williams about the flaws in the technique he taught me, but instead, I caught him going at it with my young female mentee in the bedroom!”

Maximus continued, “So, I kicked the door open out of anger and confronted him loudly. He was probably humiliated and provoked, and he fought me with his sword, slashing me twice. I had no choice but to fight him with my sword. Silly me. I thought that, given my expertise in swordsmanship, I could at least fend off his attacks even if I couldn’t win.”

Then, he hissed, “I realized how naive I was when we started fighting. It wasn’t practice or strength that I lacked he took advantage of my flawed moves! The third, ninth, and twenty–sixth moves. Whenever I put these moves into action, Luther was able to spot my flaws and destroy me. It was at that moment I found out that Luther, the mentor I was so proud of, had set me up from the very beginning! I am nothing but a tool to him; he has never treated me from the heart. When I am upset at him, he’ll exploit my flawed moves to kill me off and save himself from trouble!”

Maximus‘ eyes reddened and brimmed with tears. He had always regarded his mentor as a father figure. Who would have thought that the kind and generous old man was nothing but a hypocrite?

“Well what can I say, except that you have a scoundrel of a mentor?” Dustin shook his head sympathetically. Maximus‘ situation was commonplace in the martial arts world. History was full of cases where disciples and. mentors of the same guild tore each other apart. The human heart is the most deceitful of all things.

“I’m fine with being taken advantage of. He could have sent me on a dangerous mission, and I would have taken on the task without complaining. But why? Why did he have to sully my female mentee? She’s my fiancée!” Maximus bellowed and smashed a hole in the wall out of rage.

Dustin gaped at the confession. He opened his mouth a few times but was unable to speak.

Justin felt sympathetic as he stared into Maximus‘ reddened eyes. Not only was the poor chap taken advantage of by his mentor, but he also had his fiancée taken away. How miserable!

No man could endure the humiliation and resentment of losing his future wife. Heck, not even anyone could stand losing a future spouse. It was hard to imagine that the second–in–command of Boulderthorn was, in lact, a wicked and dishonorable man.

“Just focus on your recovery for now. When you’re fully recovered, it’ll be time to take back what you lost.” Dustin gave Maximus an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

To that, Maximus howled with a desolate expression, “I’ll never get better again, not after my core was shattered and my nerves damaged! After losing my internal energy, I have nothing left in me to take revenge. I’m trash! I’m a worthless piece of trash!”

He rolled his fists, digging his fingernails deep into the flesh of his palms until blood trickled from between his thumb and index finger. He badly wanted to take his revenge and seek justice, but he had lost the opportunity to do so.

“Who said you’re trash? I can heal your injuries,” Dustin interjected coolly.

“W–what did you say?” Stunned, Maximus lifted his head almost instantly.

“I said I can heal your injuries and rejuvenate your core,” Dustin repeated himself.

“Are you sure? You’re not kidding me, right?” Maximus was wide–eyed with a mix of shock and anticipation.

“Your core suffered some damage, but it’s not utterly ruined. There’s still a chance. Rejuvenating your nerves is even simpler. As long as you stick to my treatment, you’ll regain full strength within ten days.” Dustin promised.

Maximus‘ face lit up with joy upon hearing that. He thanked Dustin profusely.

“If you heal me. I shall owe my life to you. Be it scaling mountains or diving into the deep ocean, I’ll do whatever you ask of me without a complaint!” He seemed serious about his promise. As a martial artist and a geek for swords, he never had an interest in much else but the pursuit of excellence in swordsmanship. The moment he learned that his core was destroyed, he fell into deep despair and even contemplated ending his life. However, Dustin’s remark reignited his hope and his will to live.