Chapter 3171
At this moment, Leopard stepped out from one side.
Seeing Philip, he was stunned for a moment before asking, “Boss, did you do this?”
Philip glared at him and said with a snort, “Didn’t you see it clearly just now?”
Hearing that, Leopard scratched his head in embarrassment. He realized that Philip had already discovered him just now.
“Are you here for revenge, or do you want to make up for the star dollars you owe me?” At Leopard’s appearance, Philip immediately asked.
Leopard quickly waved his hand and said, “No, Boss, you misunderstood. I’m here to be your apprentice!”
‘Apprentice?’ Philip frowned.
Emily also looked incredulous on the side.
Ever since she started living on the lower floor of this underground city, she had only seen Leopard being rampant and domineering. He had never been so humble!
Philip glanced at him calmly and said, “You’re not worthy to be my apprentice!”
Emily was taken aback when she heard Philip’s words. She was afraid that Leopard would get angry at Philip’s rude remarks. However, she was afraid only because she had been intimidated by Leopard all year round.
To her surprise, instead of being angry, Leopard said flatteringly, “Yes, Teacher, you’re right! Just give me a few pointers!”
Philip ignored Leopard and went back with Emily.
Until they reached Emily’s house, Leopard was still following them, but he seemed afraid of Philip, so he followed from a distance without daring to come near at all.
Philip looked at the broken floor in the house and said to Leopard behind him, “You, come here!”
Leopard immediately ran up to Philip.
Philip said, “Fix the floor here and get lost!”
Having received this order, Leopard seemed very happy and immediately went to buy floorboards.
After he left, Philip simply shook his head. Philip had a new understanding of this underground world now.
According to their description, the powerful practitioners in this world should be on the upper ground. The lower floors of the underground city mostly relied on mechas!
As for Young Master Curry’s subordinates, they should be regarded as the top experts on this lower floor. After all, they dared to say that they could tear a mecha apart.
As he thought about it, Leopard and some others returned with floorboards.
Seeing Leopard and his men started repairing the floor here, Philip thought inwardly, ‘Why don’t I keep Leopard by my side? After all, he should be quite familiar with the various forces in this underground world…’
While thinking, Emily entered the back room to explain things to her grandfather. Otherwise, the old man would be scared to death when he saw such a scene.
Leopard was repairing the floor in his home. Any ordinary person on the lower floor of the underground city would probably be afraid.
Soon, Leopard finished repairing the floor.
He stood up and said to Philip with a smile, “Boss, is this okay?”
Philip simply nodded. Then, he said softly, “You barely passed the test!”
Hearing that, Leopard quickly asked, “Boss, feel free to guide us whenever it’s convenient for you!”
Philip said to Leopard and the others, “Go back to the boxing arena and wait for me. I’ll be there tomorrow!”
Chapter 3172
Leopard and the others quickly left gratefully.
Philip stepped on the new floor before he cleaned up and went to sleep on the bed that Emily had prepared for him.
In fact, this was not a bed at all and only a sofa, but the space here was too small for anything else. He could only put up with it for the time being.
Emily also cleaned up and went to sleep. However, soon after Philip lay down, he heard a sound from the door. It was a rustling sound as if someone was trying to break in.
Philip smiled glumly.
No way, Emily was already so poor, but thieves were still attracted to her house.
Just as Philip was about to get up, he suddenly saw that it was Iris at the door. He frowned.
Why was this woman sneaking around in the middle of the night?
However, Iris seemed very familiar with Emily’s home.
Philip decided to stay still, wanting to see what Iris was up to. At this moment, Iris suddenly took a step inside and lay down on the sofa. She did not notice Philip on the sofa at all.
Iris finally realized something was wrong when she lay on top of Philip.
Had Emily replaced that broken sofa?
While Iris was wondering, Philip spoke, “Can you please get up?”
Hearing that, Iris jumped up.
A scream rang out!
“Ah!”
This scream immediately woke Emily and her grandfather up.
When Emily turned on the lights, she realized that Philip was lying on the sofa, while Iris was standing beside him, pointing at Philip.
“If you were lying there, why didn’t you say anything?” Iris said angrily to Philip.
Philip was just as baffled. He did not expect Iris to turn up at Emily’s house just to sit on the sofa.
Philip said, “Let’s be reasonable. I was lying on the sofa and sleeping when you came in like a thief!”
Hearing that, Iris got even angrier.
“Do I look like a thief? If you don’t make things clear, no one will get any sleep tonight.”
However, Philip looked at Iris, yawned, and turned his back to Iris. He simply ignored Iris who was like an angry little lion a t this moment!
Iris was dumbfounded for a while.
Emily pulled Iris aside at this time and said, “That’s enough, Iris… Go to my room.”
While speaking, Emily pulled Iris into her room.
Emily’s grandfather also laughed at this time. “It’s good to be young!”
After saying that, he also turned around and went back to his room.
That night, Philip settled down and thought a lot. As soon as he arrived in this world, he got involved in a lot of things for no reason. He was still unfamiliar with the land of the other shore now, so he needed to hurry up.
When Emily prepared breakfast the next morning, Philip got up and tidied himself.
He wondered if those people in the other world were okay.
As she had more star dollars now, Emily bought breakfast today, and it was extra lavish. Of course, it was lavish in Emily’s opinion.
Iris also got up, but when she saw Philip, she still looked indignant.
“You’re living in someone else’s house, but you don’t know how to get up early to prepare breakfast. Do you think this is your home?”
While eating, Philip said to Iris, “That’s right, and some people still have the cheek to say that. How shameless!”
By now, Emily had completely given up trying to persuade the two of them.
Chapter 3173
Emily simply could not figure out how they had the energy to bicker with each other so early in the morning. However, Emily’s grandfather just smiled and looked at the two of them, seemingly enjoying the atmosphere very much.
“Grandpa, why do you seem so happy watching the two of them bicker?”
Hearing Emily’s question, Grandpa just smiled lightly and said, “Silly girl, you’ll know when you grow up. That’s the smell of love in the air!”
While talking, Grandpa closed his eyes and sniffed.
He said, “Well, it smells really good!”
As he said this, he did not keep his voice down at all. This made Philip and Iris glare at each other and fell silent. However, at this moment, someone knocked on the door
The knock on the door was very gentle.
Emily got up and opened the door. Seeing Leopard at the door, Iris’ face changed abruptly. She drew out her gun.
“Leopard, aren’t you done already?”
However, at this moment, Philip’s hand moved slightly and grabbed Iris’ gun.
“Stop bossing around. He’s here for me!”
Hearing that, Leopard nodded vigorously. “Yes, we’re here to find Boss Philip!”
Philip tossed the gun back to Iris and said, “Don’t draw the gun so casually next time. I can’t guarantee that you can still catch the gun alive again!”
After saying that, Philip walked out with the smiling Leopard. The destination was Leopard’s boxing arena.
Along the way, Philip learned about Leopard’s reputation on the lower floor. Most of the people who saw Leopard avoided him from a distance. They seemed scared of running into Leopard. However, when they saw Philip behind Leopard and the others, they were even more surprised.
That was because everyone knew that Leopard was quite famous on the lower floor. Seeing Philip behind him now, everyone wanted to know who this young man was!
Why did Leopard look so subservient to him?
However, before they reached the underground mecha boxing arena, someone suddenly blocked their way.
It was a man who looked very young, but despite his appearance, he was without a doubt an elemental practitioner. Even Leopard looked apprehensive when he saw this young man.
“Keegan Weldon, why are you standing in our way?”
The young man snorted coldly and said, “Are you worthy to have me stand in your way? I’m looking for him!”
Keegan looked at Philip behind Leopard and said coldly.
Chapter 3174
Since this person was here for him, Philip stepped forward and said, “Are you here for me?”
Keegan nodded and said, “My useless buddies were defeated under your hands yesterday, right?”
‘Useless buddies?’ Philip thought for a moment and recalled the few people who fought with him yesterday.
He asked with narrowed eyes, “Are you here to avenge them?”
Hearing that, Keegan smiled lightly and said, ” I won’t go as far as to say that, but I do want to experience for myself how strong this fire elemental practitioner is!”
Although he said he was not here for revenge, this man’s face looked a bit frenzied. Obviously, he was here to mess with Philip.
At this time, Keegan shuddered all over, and five rays of light burst out from his body.
Leopard exclaimed, “A five-star talent practitioner!”
Philip looked at the five rays of light and asked, “Five stars? Is that strong?”
Leopard nodded and said, “The five-star mecha masters we spoke about earlier actually refer to those who rely on mechas to gain and increase their strength, but this is a real five-star talent practitioner!”
Keegan snorted coldly and said, “It’s too late for you to find out now!”
As he spoke, Keegan stepped out with overwhelming power and charged at Philip.
Seeing this, Philip stepped out too, but his step brought him right in front of this five-star talent practitioner. Immediately after, a burst of red light exploded from Philip’s body.
That was the flame of fire attribute!
Seeing this scene, Keegan immediately punched Philip.
Philip did not dodge at all. He received the other party’s punch but threw out a punch at the same time.
The result was apparent.
Philip remained on the spot, but Keegan was sent flying. Not only that but his whole body was burned by Philip’s flames. Not one area on his body was unharmed.
Leopard and the others were stunned at this sight.
This five-star talent practitioner was defeated by Philip with one punch?
Philip retracted his powers and mumbled, “Is a five-star talent practitioner very strong?”
With that said, Philip left.
Leopard and the others quickly followed.
At this time, Leopard thanked his lucky stars. Fortunately, he did not continue to fight Philip but turned the tide around instead. Otherwise, with Philip’s skills alone, it would be as easy as crushing an ant to kill Leopard!
However, as Philip walked past Keegan, he heard Keegan mumbling, “This isn’t fair. If I were a five-star water elemental talent practitioner, I certainly wouldn’t have lost!”
Philip glanced at him before he left.
At this point, he already had an estimate. His strength at a half-step to the other shore should be roughly equivalent to an eight-star talent on the land of the other shore.
After arriving at Leopard’s underground boxing arena, Leopard naturally complimented Philip first. In this process, Philip also learned more about this world.
Chapter 3175
A star talent practitioner could practice the elements of heaven and earth and use them to enhance their strength, offense, and defense. It was the same as the attributes in the original world.
The stronger the elemental level of the star talent practitioner, the stronger their ability. They could enter a higher and more powerful level.
Leopard scratched his head and said, “Boss, I have something to discuss with you…”
With a glance at Leopard, Philip said, “Just speak your mind. Don’t dilly-dally.”
With that said, Leopard looked at Philip worriedly.
“Boss, the person who messed with you today is an expert from the lower eastern district. His name is Keegan Weldon. He belongs to the Rain family, which has ruled over the lower eastern district for a long time. He’s also in cahoots with Young Master Curry…”
Philip glanced at the Leopard in front of him. “What are you trying to say?”
Leopard said to Philip, “Boss, you defeated him today but didn’t kill him. He’ll definitely come back and mess with you. I’m scared!”
Philip said coldly, “He can come and mess with me if he wants. If we want to be a king in this place, we have to see who’s stronger. Once we weaken, only death awaits!”
Hearing that, Leopard said, “Boss, can you give us some pointers now?”
Philip smiled and said, “Don’t be so impatient. I need to see your strength before I decide on your future direction!”
However, Leopard became glum upon hearing that. “Boss, to tell you the truth, all of us have gone through the test before, but none of us have the potential to become an expert!”
Hearing that, Philip pulled Leopard to his side.
With just a light touch of his fingers using his power of insight, Philip found a trace of fire attribute in Leopard. Although weak, it was present.
“Where did you get tested?” Philip asked.
Leopard said, “The test tower on the lower floor, of course! That’s the most official test in the whole underground city!”
‘Test tower?’ Philip frowned at that.
If this test tower could not accurately discern the attributes and potential of an individual, perhaps something was wrong with this place. It was also possible that someone did it on purpose.
As he thought about it, Philip suddenly had a plan. It was a good plan to make a fortune in this new world.
Anyway, he came to this new world to find a way to prevent the civilization on the other shore from destroying the ancestral civilization, and this cutting-edge technology must only exist on the top floor. Therefore, earning star dollars was the top priority for Philip now.
Seeing Philip spacing out, Leopard asked, “Boss, what’s the matter with you?”
Philip said to Leopard, “Take me to the test tower now. I want to see if there’s something wrong with that place.”
Hearing Philip’s remark, combined with the way Philip examined him just now, Leopard was instantly ecstatic.
Was it possible that he could become a star talent practitioner too?
If that was the case, he really had to thank his lucky stars!
Leopard excitedly took Philip to the test tower.
A bustling group of people was walking to the test tower, causing much surprise along the way. They had no idea what these people were doing.
When he saw the test tower, Philip pointed in that direction and asked, “Is that what you’re talking about?”
Leopard nodded and looked at the test tower. “Yes, Boss. That’s the one!”
They walked quickly to the front of the test tower, and an old man beside the test tower said to them, “What are you doing? You’re now within the boundaries of the test tower!”
Chapter 3176
The old man’s voice attracted the attention of many people around. They were here in a big group, and everyone was already talking about it.
Seeing Philip and the others heading to the test tower at this moment, everyone wanted to see the excitement and see what Philip and the others were about to do.
Philip turned to the old man and said with a smile, “What else can we do in the test tower? It’s to test our talent, of course!”
The old man sneered when he heard that Philip and the others were here to test their talent.
“You should know the rules for using this test tower. If you don’t have talent, it’ll cost you 100 star dollars for the test. Can you afford it?”
Hearing that, Philip just smiled lightly and said, “Only one of us will be taking the test.
Why can’t we afford it?”
When the old man heard Philip’s words, he turned his head away immediately!
“The test can’t be done with just one person!”
The old man’s words were extremely tough, not polite at all.
Leopard lowered his head and said, “Boss, why don’t we forget it? If the test result comes back negative, not only will we have to spend money, but we’ll also lose our dignity!”
Philip immediately kicked Leopard’s butt and said, “Why are you so useless? Don’t you believe that you have elemental talent?”
Hearing the conversation between Philip and Leopard, the old man laughed uncannily.
“What did you say? Are you saying that Leopard has elemental talent?”
Philip raised his eyebrows and said, “Yes, he has elemental talent. I brought him here for the test today!”
The old man suddenly put his hands behind
his back and said with a smile, “When Leopard came to test his talent back then, I was the one who assisted him. He’s nothing but a white husk!”
White husks referred to people with no talents. In other words, not only did Leopard have no elemental talent, but he even lacked the talent to practice.
Philip confronted the old man and said, “So what if you said he’s a white husk? I say he has fire elemental talent!”
Hearing this, the old man suddenly moved and came in front of Philip.
“Why don’t we make a bet? Let’s bet 2,000 star dollars. If he’s not a white husk, I’ll lose 2,000 star dollars to you and vice versa. What do you think?”
Philip waved his hand upon hearing that.
“Why? Don’t you dare?” The old man looked as if he had expected this.
“2,000 star dollars isn’t enough. I bet you 20,000 star dollars!”
Hearing Philip’s words, the old man’s expression suddenly changed.
“Why? Don’t you dare?” Philip repeated the old man’s earlier question back at him.
The old man said sternly, “Why wouldn’t I? Since you’re willing to fork out the money, I have no reason to refuse!”
Hearing that, Philip kicked Leopard into the scope of the test tower.
Although it was called a tower, it was actually a stone inlaid with various gems with many colors corresponding to various elements!
“Let’s start!” Philip looked at the old man and said.
This test tower could be used at any time, which was why people stood guard there. The reason was to select talents at any time to enter a higher level of space.
At this time, the test tower radiated a ray of light that shrouded Leopard, who still looked a little blank.
Philip said sharply, “Leopard, perk up and sense the fire element in your body…”
Chapter 3177
However, Leopard looked at Philip glumly and miserably.
The old man snorted coldly. He had already tested Leopard, who had no talent at all, so he was certain that Philip would lose for sure.
Everyone was staring at Leopard at the test tower. They wanted to see if Leopard had the strength and talent. However, as the light that shrouded Leopard faded a little, there was still nothing on the stone that represented the element of fire.
The old man was very smug. He could almost see the 20,000 star dollars shining before him.
At this moment, however, Philip’s voice suddenly became distant and clear. This voice did not seem to sound in Leopard’s ears but in his heart!
“Mobilize the raging fire element in your heart. Use your anger! Think about how you were belittled by others. Are you willing to accept it?”
Leopard’s expression suddenly changed at this time.
As he was always bullied by others when he was a child, he became a bully when he grew up.
He thought this was the only way to protect himself!
When Philip mentioned it at this time, he remembered all sorts of experiences in his childhood.
‘It’s not fair. I won’t accept it!’
Suddenly, Leopard’s eyes closed tightly, and a dark red light rose from Leopard’s feet. Then, the stone that represented the fire element lit up.
“Fire element level 28!” The old man muttered in disbelief.
“Impossible!”
At this point, without waiting for any explanation, Philip could clearly see the level of the element.
In the beginning, Leopard’s fire element stayed on S before increasing to 2S. This meant that the higher the number, the higher the element level. The highest should be level 5S.
At this time, discussions broke out around them.
The test was over, and everyone was aware that Leopard was a level 2S fire element!
Philip walked to the old man, picked up his communicator, and said, “Here, hand over the star dollars!”
The old man’s face froze and he suddenly said, “This is just a coincidence. If there’s another one, you definitely won’t be able to tell!”
Hearing that the old man was going to default on his debt, Philip said softly, “Do you want to bet again? This time, we bet 40,000 star dollars. How about it?”
Philip provoked him on purpose. He wanted the old man to have the illusion that he could win everything back in one shot.
This was a gambler’s mentality. Philip did it so that he could sink deeper!
“Okay, I agree!”
Hearing this, Philip pulled Leopard over and transferred 40,000 star dollars to Leopard!
“To avoid any cheating, I want this elementalist to be the referee. You don’t have any objections, do you?”
Philip blocked all escape paths from the old man.
Seeing this, the old man gritted his teeth and handed Leopard 40,000 star dollars!
At this time, everyone watched this test with great interest. They wanted to see if this person who came with Leopard could really tell if someone had elemental talent!
Chapter 3178
The old man suddenly grabbed a very timid-looking child next to him. It was a little boy, seven or eight years old, still wet behind the ears.
The old man pushed the child in front of Philip.
Philip chuckled and asked, “What do you mean by this?”
“This is the subject for our second test, of course!”
Philip said indifferently, “You can’t just pull a child with no elements over for the test. No matter what, we can’t find any elements, can we?”
After a pause, Philip continued, “Let’s do this. If anyone has taken a test under this gentleman before, let me check if anyone has been overlooked. That’s only fair!”
Hearing that, the onlookers who came for the show gathered together quickly.
The old man wanted to say something but he did not want to cause public outrage!
So, he snorted coldly and said, “Okay, I’ll see what tricks you can come up with!”
Hearing that, Philip simply smiled faintly and started walking past these people one by one.
Soon, Philip found a girl of fifteen or sixteen in the crowd. She was quite pretty, and her family was quite reputable on the lower floor too.
At this time, she was among the crowd purely out of curiosity.
A year ago, she had indeed taken the test but found no elements at all. Now that there was a chance in front of her, she still wanted to give it a try.
Philip patted her on the shoulder twice before he pulled her out and said, “She’ll do!”
When the old man saw that Philip had chosen Arlene Shannon, he sneered.
“Boy, you are sure to lose this time. Arlene is the daughter of the Shannon family, the white husk among all white husks. You actually chose her!”
Philip was unperturbed.
He whispered in Arlene’s ear, “Miss Shannon… I may do something offensive to you later, but everything is for your own good. I hope you don’t mind…”
After Philip finished speaking, he pressed his hand on Arlene’s belly!
Everyone was dumbfounded.
What was this?
Was he trying to molest Miss Shannon in the street?
This kid must be tired of living!
Everyone knew that Arlene’s father was the famous Lion Shannon on the lower floor. An absolute six-star expert!
An absolute six-star expert referred to someone who could reach the strength of a six-star without the help of any force multipliers!
He was more or less one of the strongest combat powers on the lower floor.
Arlene blushed but she was pushed to the test tower by Philip.
“What? Miss Arlene didn’t put up a fight at all. Something’s up with this kid!”
“Yeah, isn’t he afraid of dying?”
This was simply unbelievable for most people. However, Philip simply crossed his arms and looked at Arlene as if nothing happened.
The old man snorted coldly.
Without further ado, he activated the test tower. However, to everyone’s surprise, when the test started, Arlene, who was notorious for being a white husk, lit up the stone that represented the water element. Moreover, like Leopard, she was also a level 2S!
This time, everyone regarded Philip as a god. He could actually tell if someone had elemental talents, and he was more accurate than the test tower.
At this time, Philip swiped 80,000 star dollars from Leopard and left with him.
“If anyone wants me to check if you have any elements, be here at 10 o’clock tomorrow morning. Each session will cost 50 star dollars!”
As Philip spoke, he left under the escort of Leopard and his gang.
Chapter 3179
Leopard asked Philip, “Boss, how did you manage to make Arlene possess the water element?”
Philip knocked Leopard on the head and said, “She already has that in her. I can’t make people get elements out of thin air!”
While talking, Philip and Leopard headed to the boxing arena.
In fact, Arlene’s condition was caused by a special cold energy that prevented her talent from activating. At that time, although Philip seemed like he was touching Arlene’s belly lightly, that brief moment required Philip’s precise control over the fire element to eliminate the cold energy without hurting Arlene.
Arlene felt as if she was dreaming. At first, she had promised her father she would enter into a political marriage. After all, she was a white husk, so she could hardly achieve anything great in this lifetime. However, now that she was a level 2S water elemental talent, even in the face of her father, Lion Shannon, she had the right to refuse to get married.
Arlene watched as Philip left. She did not even know that man’s name!
He gave her a different life.
How could she thank him?
As Arlene thought about it, she walked back home. As for the old man, his expression was extremely ugly a t this time, not because he lost the 60,000 star dollars, but because of what Philip said at the end!
He was actually coming to the test tower at 10 o’clock tomorrow morning to check other people’s elemental talents at half-price. This was snatching his business!
No way, he had to report this matter to the president without delay. Immediately, the old man locked up the test tower and left.
At this time, Philip was tutoring Leopard.
Leopard behaved as a good student as he was tutored by Philip. His buddies looked at Philip in admiration, and they even wanted Philip to help check if they also had talent.
“Leopard, you haven’t given me the star dollars for the mechas yet!”
Philip looked at Leopard.
Leopard scratched his head and said, “Boss, you know that my mechas are all at Iris’ bar, so I can’t go out and fight with others now. So, uh…”
Philip frowned when he heard Leopard’s remark.
“Stop doing this in the future. As for toys like that mecha, just sell it. It’s useless anyway.”
Leopard’s expression changed at Philip’s words.
Suddenly, a voice rang, “I thought it was some bigshot who dared to touch Keegan, but it’s just a punk!”
Chapter 3180
Philip and the others turned around and saw a young man in a leather jacket.
When Leopard saw this person, his expression changed drastically. “Kerry Rain, why are you here?!”
Hearing that name and seeing Leopard’s expression at this time, Philip roughly guessed the identity of this person.
“Someone from the lower east area?” Philip did not look at Kerry but asked Leopard.
Leopard promptly nodded.
Philip stood up from his chair and said softly to the young man named Kerry Rain, “Are you here to seek revenge?”
Philip’s face was calm with no expression.
Kerry snorted coldly and said, “Are you afraid?”
Hearing that, Philip just chuckled and shook his head. “Not exactly, but it’s a waste of my time when one pops up after I beat one down!”
Kerry scowled at Philip’s words.
This person did not take him seriously at all. Or rather, the other party did not see him as a threat.
Six rays of light exploded from Kerry’s body, and he leered at Philip with a sneer.
He said, “It seems that you have a lot of confidence in yourself!”
Philip narrowed his eyes and glanced at Kerry.
According to the standard of strength in this new world, this Kerry Rain in front of him should be a six-star talent powerhouse!
Philip snorted coldly and asked Leopard, “Leopard, go outside and cordon off a place for me. I want to have a match with this guy!”
Leopard nodded and went out.
Philip looked at Kerry and said, “Let’s go outside. It’s not nice if we break something here.”
Kerry snorted, “Okay, since you want to die outside, I’ll grant your wish!”
After saying this, he turned around and went out, and Philip followed suit.
Certain news spread very fast among people, especially some bizarre things, and news about Philip was pretty bizarre. So when Philip appeared on the street, he immediately attracted many onlookers.
Philip looked at Kerry, who glowed with six rays of light again, and said to Philip, “I’ll kill you here today!”
However, after he finished speaking, the people around interrupted and said to Kerry, “Who are you? How dare you touch this mister? Don’t you know that he’s our human test tower here?”
As the chatter grew louder, the crowd became more excited.
Some people even started throwing things at Kerry. Even if Kerry was a six-star practitioner, he could not withstand so many things thrown by so many people against him.
In an instant, Kerry felt miserable, and Philip only spoke up when he felt that things had progressed far enough. “Everyone, please stop!”
Hearing Philip’s words, everyone stopped what they were doing.