ine''s fist hurtled toward my face with crushing force. I could have dodged it. I could have countered it. I could have even neutralized it with my own energy.


    Instead, I let it hit me.


    The impact exploded against my jaw. Pain shot through my skull as I allowed my body to crumple dramatically to the ground. I tasted blood in my mouth—a necessary touch of authenticity.


    "Liam!" Conrad shouted, rushing to my side.


    Laughter erupted from the crowd. ine stood over me, his face flushed with triumph and contempt.


    "The great King of Eldoria," he sneered, shaking out his hand. "Nothing but talk after all."


    I stayed down, pressing my palm against my jaw as if overwhelmed by pain. Conrad helped me sit up, his eyes filled with confusion as he whispered, "What are you doing?"


    "Trust me," I murmured back, barely moving my lips.


    Reginald Talbot approached, looking down at me with exaggerated disappointment. "How utterly... anticlimactic. It seems the rumors of your prowess were greatly exaggerated."


    The crowd''s whispers grew louder, more derisive. Exactly as I wanted.


    "One punch," someone called out. "The King of Eldoria fell with one punch!"


    I clutched my jaw, allowing a groan to escape my lips. The more they underestimated me, the better. I could feel at least a dozen hidden energy signatures around us—observers who weren''t making their presence known. Some of them were dangerously powerful.


    "Perhaps we should call you the Paper King," ineughed, turning to the crowd to bask in their approval.


    Conrad''s hand tightened on my shoulder. He understood now—this was deliberate. His expression shifted from concern to calcted worry, ying along with my charade.


    "You didn''t have to hit him that hard," Conrad protested, helping me to my feet. "This wasn''t meant to be a real fight."


    ine scoffed. "If he can''t take a simple punch, he has no business being here."


    I swayed slightly, keeping up the act. "You''ve made your point," I said thickly, as if speaking through pain.


    Reginald studied me with narrowed eyes. There was something in his gaze—not quite suspicion, but a hint of uncertainty. Good. Let him wonder.


    "Well, that settles that particr question," Reginald said smoothly. "Though I must admit, I expected... more."


    As the crowd''s attention began to disperse, the fourth member of their group—who had remained silent throughout—finally spoke up.


    "The mountain is stirring," he said quietly. "We should prepare."


    He was right. The purple clouds above had begun to swirl more intensely, and a low, distant rumble emanated from the peak. The divine medicine was responding to the growing energy.


    "Good point, Dirk," Reginald nodded. "We have more important matters to attend to than this... disappointment."


    As they turned away, ine couldn''t resist one final jab. He leaned close, his voice low enough that only I could hear.


    "Stay out of our way, Paper King. The divine medicine is for real cultivators, not pretenders."


    I met his gaze, allowing just a flicker of my true power to show in my eyes—enough to make him blink in momentary confusion—before resuming my facade of weakness.


    Conrad helped me move away from the center of attention, finding a quieter spot at the edge of the gathering. Once we were rtively alone, he spoke in a hushed tone.


    "That was risky. What if you''ve convinced them all you''re no threat? They won''t hesitate to eliminate you once we''re on the mountain."


    I wiped the trickle of blood from the corner of my mouth. "Better to be underestimated than to have everyone gunning for me from the start. There are too many unknowns here."


    Conrad nodded reluctantly. "I counted at least fifteen Grandmasters in disguise. And those are just the ones I could detect."


    "Seventeen," I corrected quietly. "And three potential Saints watching from a distance."


    Conrad''s eyes widened. "Saints? Are you certain?"


    Before I could answer, a light female voice interrupted us.


    "Actually, there are four Saints observing. You missed one hiding in the ley lines."


    I spun around, instantly on guard. A woman stood behind us—not Evelyn Norton, but someone I hadn''t noticed before. She appeared young, perhaps in her early twenties, with simple clothing and an unassuming presence. Yet something about her made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.


    "Who are you?" I demanded.


    She smiled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Someone who knows you''re pretending, Liam Knight. That was quite a performance."


    Conrad stepped protectively between us, but the woman waved dismissively.


    "Oh, rx. If I wanted to harm him, I wouldn''t have announced myself." She extended her hand toward me. "I''m Evelyn Norton. The real one."


    I stared at her in confusion. "But—"


    "That woman with Reginald and ine? A decoy." She shrugged. "I find it useful to let people think they know who I am."


    I remained skeptical, keeping my guard up. "What do you want?"


    Instead of answering, she reached out and touched my bruised jaw. Before I could react, I felt a cool stream of qi flowing into the injury, healing it instantly.


    "Better?" she asked.


    I stepped back, startled. The pain had vanishedpletely, the swelling gone. What''s more, I hadn''t sensed her channeling the energy—it had simply happened, as effortlessly as breathing.


    "How did you—"


    "I''m older than I look," she said simply. Then, she leaned closer and whispered, "Much, much older."


    A chill ran down my spine. There was only one exnation for someone who could heal with such effortless power.


    "You''re an immortal cultivator," I stated, not a question but a realization.


    Evelyn smiled again, neither confirming nor denying. "You''re quite observant for someone so young. I can see why they call you the King of Eldoria."


    Conrad looked between us, clearly ufortable. "Liam, we should—"


    "It''s alright, Conrad," I said, not taking my eyes off Evelyn. "I believe she means no harm. For now."


    "For now," she agreed with a lightugh. Then, her expression grew serious. "The divine medicine will appear soon, but you should know—you have more enemies here than you realize. That little disy didn''t fool everyone."


    I tensed. "You''re reading my thoughts."


    "Not all of them," she replied. "Just the surface ones. Another advantage of being... older."


    The implications were staggering. If she could breach my mental defenses so easily, what else could she do?


    "Why tell me this?" I asked cautiously. "What''s your interest in me?"


    Evelyn nced toward the mountaintop, where the purple clouds were now forming a massive vortex. "Let''s just say I''m curious about your potential. It''s been a long time since I''ve seen someone with your... particrbination of talents."


    More rumbling emerged from the mountain, louder this time. The crowd began to stir with anticipation. <q ss="in-imprint-b">Always read at the source—*.</q>


    "It''s starting," Conrad murmured.


    Evelyn nodded. "Indeed. The divine medicine is awakening." She turned back to me. "I propose we travel together, Liam Knight. The path will be dangerous, and we might benefit from mutual protection."


    I studied her carefully. An immortal cultivator offering alliance was unprecedented, possibly life-changing—and potentially deadly if her intentions weren''t pure.


    "Why should I trust you?" I asked bluntly.


    She smiled. "You shouldn''t. Notpletely. But consider this—if I wanted your life or the divine medicine for myself, I could have taken both already."


    It was true, and we both knew it. Her power far exceeded mine, at least for now.


    "Very well," I decided. "We''ll travel together. But Conrades too."


    "Of course," she agreed.


    As we prepared to move, a familiar, mocking voice called out from behind us.


    "Look who''s recovered miraculously! The Paper King lives!"


    Dirk Buchanan approached, his eyes gleaming with malice. He nced at Evelyn with momentary confusion before returning his attention to me.


    "You may have fooled ine with that pathetic act, but I''m not so easily deceived," he hissed. "I know what you''re doing, and it won''t work."


    I kept my expression neutral. "I have no idea what you''re talking about."


    "y innocent all you want," he sneered. "When we''re on the mountain, there will be no witnesses, no rules. Just remember that."


    Before I could respond, a deafening roar shook the ground beneath our feet. Everyone froze, looking toward the summit where the purple vortex had begun to pulse with blinding light.


    Another roar followed, then another—these weren''t the sounds of the mountain or the divine medicine. These were living creatures.


    "Guardian beasts," Evelyn whispered beside me. "The medicine is closer than we thought."


    As if responding to her words, the crowd surged forward, everyone scrambling to be first up the path. Dirk gave me one final threatening re before rushing to join hispanions.


    "We should move," Conrad urged.


    I nodded, but before we could take a step, the unmistakable sound of rotors cut through the air. All heads turned as a sleek ck helicopter appeared above the treeline, its downwash powerful enough to tten the surrounding vegetation.


    The crowd scattered as the machine descended, hovering just above the ground before executing a perfectnding in the newly created clearing.


    Silence fell as we all stared at the helicopter. Its side door slid open.


    "Who is that?" Conrad whispered beside me.


    I didn''t answer, my eyes fixed on the dark opening. Whoevermanded resources like this was no ordinary yer in this game.


    "Get ready," Evelyn murmured. "Things just got much moreplicated."