Secret Scion

Asher rose early that morning and was already at the courtyard practicing his Metamorphosis forms at dawn. He then went to the nearby pavilion for a short break after having gone through three sets. The sun was just climbing up the hill. The temperature was cool and the air was fresh. As his breathing calmed, Asher closed his eyes and concentrated as the contents of the Metamorphosis manual manifested in his mind. He had already memorized the repertoire thoroughly and could recite it backward. As the spiritual energy slowly converged, he soon fell into a state of oblivion, not even noticing a man dressed plainly approaching and sitting across the bench. That man was Aiden.

Aiden chose not to disturb Asher when he noticed him being enlightened by the different forms of Metamorphosis. He sat on the stool like a tree stump. It was not until half an hour later that he opened his eyes to see Aiden right in front of him. The fact that he failed to notice his presence made it clear that the gap between their strength was still far too vast.

"Good morning, Master Duncan."

"You're very early, sir. It seems you're quite fond of Metamorphosis. With your qualifications, you will definitely achieve success if you stick to it. Learning martial arts is a matter of perseverance. After a certain number of years, practicing martial arts will become a habit that lingers," Aiden said with a hint of a smile.

Asher nodded seriously. "I will."

"What have you gained from studying Metamorphosis so far?" Aiden asked.

Asher shook his head with a wry smile. "Nothing. I heard that the masters of Metamorphosis can spontaneously bring out their moves just by exerting force. I'm still far from it, but I'll persevere no matter what."

Aiden nodded. "The earliest form of Metamorphosis is called Fists of Will. The technique is born from the heart and the force is developed from the body. The combination of rigidity, flexibility, stillness, and dynamic motions are unpredictable. One move will manipulate the enemy into moving to your rhythm. I met a master of the Fists of Will in my years of wandering and had a lesson with him. Three moves. I lost in just three moves. That man's strength is unfathomable." Asher noticed when Aiden spoke of the master, there was fear on his face. It was the first time he had seen it in all the years he'd known Aiden.

How strong was that man to the point that he made even Aiden fearful of him?

If he could one day become that sort of master, he would not have lived in vain.

"Asher." That was when a pleasant voice came through the doorway to the backyard. Asher turned in that direction. Just as he expected, it was Layla.

"Go ahead and chat, Sir. I'll be taking my leave." Aiden then rose to his feet and walked up to Layla to greet her.

The fact that Aiden was a master hiding in plain sight was something even the Crawfords were not fully aware of. This was something Solomon Crawford had done deliberately to hide Aiden's strength. Even Layla was in the dark.

"What are you doing with Aiden this early in the morning? You two don't seem like a master and a servant. On the contrary, you seem to respect him a lot." Layla was curious, but she did not think too much into it. After all, she had known Aiden for years. How could she have expected this ordinary-looking, even a little scruffy man to be a master?

Asher chuckled. "Naturally, men's favorite topic will always be about women. He was just telling me about the women he had pursued back in the day."

Layla laughed. "Him? I can't seem to picture him being that charming. Hehe!"

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. You might despise me, but aren't there women out there who like me anyway?" Asher pouted.

Layla rolled her eyes at Asher. "Every cook praises his own broth." That was what she said, but she did not actually think Asher was that bad of a person.

"What did you need me for?"

"Garrett Schmidt and Maggie Lane are getting engaged tomorrow. The Schmidts and the Lanes are first-rate families. Their status in the circle is also far from ordinary. I'm thinking there will be many people who will visit the Schmidt residence tomorrow. As for me, it'll be difficult for me to do. Typically speaking, I shouldn't go, seeing as how strained the relationship is between the Crawfords and Schmidts. However, my dad has business dealings with the Schmidts, so he's making me go tomorrow. Right now, I'm in a dilemma."

Layla then gave Asher a pointed look. "If I go tomorrow, will you think less of me?"

Asher's lips were quirked into a half smile. "Do you care about my opinion of you that much, Layla?"

For some reason, Layla's face bloomed red as she avoided his gaze hurriedly. He was right. It had nothing to do with him whether she went or not. Why would she ask him? That was a very unnecessary question.

"Quit stroking your ego. I just wanted to ask you for the sake of our families. You have nothing to do with that," Layla bristled.

Asher laughed and nodded, deciding to not continue arguing on the matter. "That's a different ball game. Since Uncle has a relationship with the Schmidts, then you should listen to him. The Crawfords aren't that close-minded."

"That's what you said."

Asher nodded in a serious manner as his eyes inadvertently slid over her frame. She wore denim jeans and was seated on a stool. Her long legs seemed especially well-rounded. Even Asher had to admit that despite him having met so many beautiful women, Layla's figure and appearance was ranked in the top three.

"You're getting older every day, cousin. When are you going to marry? Being young is great and all, but age is catching up to you. Women are worthless once they reach a certain age." "Piss off!" Layla glared at him. "How do you keep coming up with increasingly terrible things to say?"

Asher rubbed his nose. Perhaps he had gone overboard with his words.

With nothing going on in the afternoon, Asher drove out and headed for Mikaela's current abode. It was Garrett and Maggie's engagement party tomorrow. How could he not be present at such an important occasion?

Of course, he did not plan to congratulate the couple.

At nine o'clock in the evening, near the university of the Capital City, in a billiard hall.

The billiard hall was extraordinarily decorated with gorgeous lights illuminating half of the street. There were also hundreds of cars parked outside the door. The most eye-catching one there was a limited-edition sports car. Almost all the students in Alexandrius University knew that the owner of the vehicle was the school's most popular freshman, Jeremiah MacQuoid.

"Master Jeremiah, we brought the guy who wrote the love letter to Juliette. Should we bring him in?"

There were about ten young men and women inside the billiard hall. All of them were students of Alexandrius University. They wore notable brand names and had good temperaments as if they came from good backgrounds.

The person who spoke was a young man wearing glasses. He was Jordan Whitlock, a junior of the university and also someone everybody looked up to. However, even he, when faced with Jeremiah, could only nod and bow. He was afraid of angering a scion of the MacQuoid family. Jeremiah's figure was tall and thin. He had a pair of long and slender feminine-looking eyes, a hook nose and thin lips with their corners turned down. His hair was also slightly long, making him look rather handsome.

Currently, he was holding a cue in his hand and aiming for a red ball. "I just enrolled here. It seems you don't know me very well. You've got guts to write a love letter to my girl. Drag him in, Jordan. I'd like to see exactly what he's capable of to actually dare to steal my woman from me." A beautiful woman of the same age stood beside Jeremiah. Although she was young, her figure and appearance were far superior to those of her age. That amazing figure of hers made her seem nothing like an eighteen or nineteen-year-old university student. Jeremiah shifted his right hand and the red ball fell into the pocket with a resounding bang. Jordan also returned at the same time followed by a svelte-looking young man with a hint of fear in his eyes. He was obviously frightened.

"He's here, Master Jeremiah." Jordan turned around to kick the man in his stomach. "Kneel!" The young man took several steps back and nearly collapsed to the ground. It was probably his first time to be ganged up on. He could not help but shiver. There was nothing he could say. Jeremiah gave him a smile. "Don't scare him, Jordan. It wouldn't be fun otherwise." Jordan then hurried aside.

Jeremiah slowly stalked toward the youth with the cue in his hand, the smile on his mouth gradually spread. "I heard that you are the vice-chairman of the student council and that the

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current president, Tabitha Ward, is your cousin. Why, is the student council at your beck and call?