The morning sun beat down on the cemetery, its warmth a stark contrast to the chill radiating from Conrad Thornton''s eyes as he stepped into view. His face was contorted with barely contained rage, his expensive suit immacte despite the dusty surroundings.


    "Knight!" he bellowed, the name exploding from his lips like a curse.


    I recognized him immediately - not Tristin but Conrad Thornton, the middle brother and a Second-rank Inner Strength Greatmaster. His reputation preceded him - more pragmatic than Tristin but twice as vtile when provoked.


    "You darey hands on a Thornton?" Conrad''s voice carried across the silent graves.


    Behind him, Miles whimpered from where he sat, clutching his shattered knee. His face was pale and streaked with tears, but I noticed him tugging at his brother''s sleeve.


    "Conrad, please," Miles pleaded weakly. "Just give him what he wants and let''s go."


    Conrad shook off his brother''s hand. "Silence! You''ve brought enough shame to our family already."


    I stood my ground, watching Conrad carefully. The night''s battle with the conflicting energies had left me exhausted but stronger. I could feel new power flowing through my meridians, stabilizing my Foundation Building Stage 2 cultivation.


    "Did you bring what I asked for?" I kept my voice deliberately calm.


    Conrad''s nostrils red. "You think you can make demands of the Thornton family and walk away? Do you have any idea who we are?"


    "I know exactly who you are," I replied. "And I know what I need. The herbs. Now."


    Miles made another desperate attempt. "Brother, please. My knee... I need a doctor."


    For a moment, Conrad''s expression wavered between fury and practicality. Finally, he reached into his jacket and withdrew a small wooden box.


    "The Hundred-year Ginseng you demanded," he spat. "The rest is waiting outside. Release my brother, and we''ll forget this unfortunate incident."


    I almostughed at his transparent lie. Nobody from a family like the Thorntons would "forget" such an insult. But I needed the herbs more than I needed a conflict - at least for now.


    I took the box from his outstretched hand and opened it carefully. Insidey a gnarled root, its surface wrinkled like an ancient man''s face. I lifted it to my nose, inhaling its distinctive earthy scent, noting the faint golden glow at its core - a genuine Hundred-year Ginseng.


    "The others?" I asked. <var ss="story-note-vis">Hеlp us соntinuе by rеаding аt thе sоurсе: МV2LЕМРYR.</var>


    Conrad gestured impatiently to one of his men, who stepped forward with arger case. I examined each herb meticulously - the Purple Heart herbs with their characteristic violet veins, the Golden Essence roots shimmering with internal light, and the Nine-Petal extract in its crystal vial.


    Satisfied with their authenticity, I stepped back from Miles. "He''s free to go."


    Conrad snapped his fingers, and two men rushed forward to help Miles to his feet. The younger Thornton screamed as they identally jostled his injured knee.


    "Careful, you fools!" Conrad barked before turning back to me. "You should have requested a doctor as well, Knight. That knee will never heal properly."


    I shrugged, tucking the herbs safely away. "Not my concern."


    Miles leaned heavily on hispanions, his face contorted with pain and humiliation. "This isn''t over," he hissed as they helped him past. "The Thorntons never forget."


    "Neither do I," I replied quietly.


    As they began moving toward the cemetery entrance, I turned to leave in the opposite direction. This confrontation had already cost me valuable cultivation time, and I needed to begin processing these herbs immediately.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Conrad''s voice stopped me cold.


    I turned slowly to face him. "Our business is concluded."


    Conrad''sugh was like ice cracking. "You think you can humiliate the Thornton family and simply walk away? I fulfilled your demands because my father wants his son back in one piece - or what''s left of him. But make no mistake, Knight. There is a price to be paid for your insolence."


    I sighed inwardly. I''d expected this, of course. Men like Conrad couldn''t stomach losing face, especially not to someone they considered beneath them.


    "Think carefully about your next move, Conrad," I warned. "I''ve already demonstrated what happens to Thorntons who cross me."


    Conrad''s eyes narrowed as he shrugged off his suit jacket and handed it to an aide. "My brother is a weak fool who relied on our family name instead of his own strength. I am not Miles."


    Hispanions stepped back, giving him space. I could feel the surge of energy as Conrad began drawing on his cultivation, a powerful aura radiating from his body.


    "Second-rank Inner Strength Greatmaster," he announced proudly. "Our family''s Dragon-Tiger Fist has been refined over twelve generations. What do you have, Knight? Some stolen techniques? Parlor tricks that let you intimidate weaklings?"


    I remained silent, assessing the situation. Conrad was powerful - perhaps more powerful than Killian Moreau had been. But I had reached Foundation Building Stage 2, and my body had been forged through trial after trial.


    "Last chance to walk away, Conrad," I offered, knowing he wouldn''t take it.


    "Arrogant dog!" Conrad snarled, dropping into a fighting stance. "I''ll show you what happens when you provoke your betters!"


    Heunched forward with impressive speed, his right fist glowing with concentrated qi. The Dragon-Tiger Fist was indeed formidable - a punch capable of shattering stone.


    I didn''t move.


    Conrad''s fist struck my chest directly, and a metallic ng rang out across the cemetery. The impact sent a small shockwave through the air, disturbing the fallen leaves around us.


    But I didn''t budge an inch.


    Conrad''s eyes widened in disbelief as pain shot through his hand. He staggered back, staring at his reddening knuckles, then at my unharmed chest where his punch hadnded.


    "Impossible," he whispered.


    I looked down at the spot where his fist had struck, then back at Conrad''s shocked face. My shirt was torn, revealing a glimpse of golden skin beneath - the result of my body refinement techniques.


    "The Thornton family''s Dragon-Tiger Fist," I said calmly. "Impressive heritage. But heritage alone isn''t enough anymore, Conrad."


    Conrad clutched his wrist, his face flushing with a mixture of pain and humiliation. "What... what are you?"


    I stepped forward, and Conrad involuntarily stepped back. The bnce of power had shifted visibly, his confidence crumbling in the face of something he couldn''t understand.


    "I am what happens when you push someone past their limits," I answered. "When you force them to find strength where none should exist."


    For the first time, I saw fear flicker in Conrad Thornton''s eyes - the same fear I''d seen in countless others who had underestimated me. The realization that they''d miscalcted, that the hierarchy they''d taken for granted was crumbling before their eyes.


    "This isn''t possible," Conrad muttered, flexing his injured hand. "No one can withstand the Dragon-Tiger Fist without moving."


    I felt a cold smile spread across my face. "Perhaps it''s time for the Thornton family to update its understanding of what''s possible."


    Conrad''s men exchanged uneasy nces, their hands hovering near concealed weapons. The atmosphere had changedpletely - what should have been a simple punishment had be something else entirely.


    "Your family has power, Conrad," I continued, taking another step forward. "But power based solely on inheritance is fragile. It shatters when confronted with something new, something it doesn''t understand."


    Conrad''s fear quickly morphed back into anger - the predictable response of a proud man facing humiliation. "This changes nothing! The Thorntons will—"


    "The Thorntons will what?" I cut him off. "Send more brothers for me to break? Hire assassins? Make threats?" I shook my head. "I''ve heard it all before, from people far more frightening than you."


    I turned again to leave, gathering my belongings.


    "This isn''t over, Knight!" Conrad shouted after me, his voice carrying a tremor that hadn''t been there before.


    I paused but didn''t turn around. "For your sake, Conrad, I hope it is. Tell your family to leave me be, and I''ll extend the same courtesy. Force another confrontation..." I let the threat hang in the air unfinished.


    As I walked away, I could feel Conrad''s hateful stare burning into my back. I knew I''d gained a powerful enemy today, but also that I''d passed another crucial test. My new strength was real, my advancement undeniable.


    The herbal treasures secure in my possession would elerate my cultivation even further. And that was what mattered most - continuing to grow stronger, continuing to rise.


    Behind me, I heard Conrad barking orders to his men, his voice strained with suppressed rage and pain. "Find everything you can about him! I want to know where he lives, who he associates with, everything! No one humiliates a Thornton without consequences!"


    I smiled to myself as I left the cemetery. Let him search. Let him n. By the time Conrad Thornton thought he understood who I was, I would have already be someone else entirely - someone even more impossible for him toprehend.