"Then I will kill you all."


    My words hung in the air like a death sentence. The crowd that had been so eager to attack me moments ago now hesitated, sensing the cold murderous intent radiating from me.


    Melvin ckthorne was the first to recover from his shock. "Are you insane? Look around you! There are ten Grandmasters here!"


    I surveyed the crowd with detached interest. Indeed, I could sense the powerful auras of multiple Grandmasters among them. Under normal circumstances, even one would be enough to pose a serious threat. Ten should have been overwhelming.


    "I don''t care if there are a hundred," I replied calmly. "Anyone who attacks me today will die."


    Conrad stepped to my side, his face grim but determined. "Knight, you don''t have to face them alone."


    I appreciated his loyalty but shook my head slightly. "Stay back, Conrad. This isn''t your fight."


    Melvin''s face twisted into an ugly sneer. "How touching. Two dead men saying their farewells." He turned to the crowd. "Attack! Now!"


    The air instantly became heavy as multiple Grandmasters activated their spiritual energies simultaneously. The pressure was intense, like being at the bottom of an ocean. Lesser cultivators in the vicinity staggered backward, gasping for breath as thebined might of so many powerful figures distorted the very atmosphere.


    I stood unmoved, like a rock in a stormy sea.


    Dirk Buchanan, a Peak Grandmaster known for his lightning-fast strikes, stepped forward first. His eyes gleamed with cruel anticipation.


    "I''ll handle this upstart," he announced confidently. "The rest of you can watch and learn."


    Conrad tensed beside me. "Watch out for him, Knight. Buchanan is known as the Bone Breaker. His strikes can shatter steel."


    I gave Conrad a small smile. "I know."


    Dirk circled me slowly, sizing me up with experienced eyes. "I''ve heard stories about you, Knight. They say you''ve reached the Inner Strength realm in record time." He cracked his knuckles loudly. "But cultivation speed means nothing if you haven''t mastered your power."


    I didn''t bother responding, which only seemed to irritate him further.


    "Nothing to say? Then perhaps I''ll make you scream instead!" He lunged forward, his right fist zing with condensed spiritual energy.


    The crowd held their breath as Dirk''s infamous bone-breaking punch hurtled toward my face. It was his signature move, one that had crippled countless opponents. The air itself seemed to shriek as his fist cut through it.


    I didn''t dodge. I didn''t even raise my guard.


    Instead, I met his punch with my open palm.


    The collision created a shockwave that rippled outward, causing nearby onlookers to stumble backward. Dust and debris swirled around us, momentarily obscuring the oue.


    When the air cleared, confusion rippled through the crowd.


    My hand had caught Dirk''s fist, stopping it cold.


    Dirk''s eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible!" He tried to pull back, but I held his fist firmly in my grasp.


    "Is that all?" I asked quietly. <em ss="in-imprint-a">Find this chapter''s source on *.</em>


    Rage reced shock on Dirk''s face. He poured more spiritual energy into his arm, trying to overpower me. "Don''t get cocky! I was holding back!"


    I tightened my grip gradually, watching as his expression shifted from anger to pain, then to fear as he realized he was trapped.


    "You know," I said conversationally, "when people say they were holding back after they fail, they''re usually lying."


    With a casual twist, I snapped the bones in his wrist.


    Dirk''s scream pierced the stunned silence. He desperately tried to free himself, but I maintained my grip, feeling the fragments of bone grinding against each other within his flesh.


    "Let go!" he shrieked, his face contorted in agony. "You''re breaking my arm!"


    "Yes," I replied simply. "I am."


    I yanked him forward and struck his chest with my free hand. The impact was like a thunderp, and Dirk''s body folded around my fist. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his ribs splintered under the force.


    He staggered backward when I released him, clutching his shattered wrist. His eyes were wild with pain and disbelief.


    "You bastard!" he wheezed through broken ribs. Despite his injuries, he raised his other hand to strike me.


    I caught that arm too, holding it in an iron grip. "Still haven''t learned?"


    I squeezed, and more bones cracked under my fingers.


    This time, Dirk''s scream was so raw it made several onlookers flinch. He copsed to his knees when I released him, both arms hanging uselessly at his sides.


    "A Peak Grandmaster," I announced to the silent crowd, "defeated in two moves."


    The silence that followed was absolute. The assembled cultivators stared at me with new eyes—eyes filled with fear.


    Burton Griffin, who had been so eager to attack just moments ago, took an involuntary step backward. "This... this is impossible. He''s just one man."


    Melvin ckthorne''s face had drained of color, but his pride wouldn''t let him retreat. "So what if he defeated Dirk? Dirk was always overconfident. Together, we can still crush him!"


    The remaining Grandmasters exchanged uncertain nces. What they had just witnessed defied their understanding of cultivation hierarchies. An Inner Strength Master should not be able to so easily defeat a Peak Grandmaster.


    Conrad Thornton watched from the sidelines, his expression a mixture of awe and concern. "Knight," he called out, "let me help you. At least watch your back."


    I shook my head again. "Stay where you are. I said I would handle this."


    Burton Griffin found his courage and stepped forward next. "Dirk was careless. I won''t make the same mistake." He nced at another Grandmaster beside him. "Wace, nk him. We''ll attack together."


    Wace nodded grimly, and both men began circting their spiritual energy, preparing for a coordinated assault.


    I stood calmly, watching them prepare with detached interest.


    "I''ll give you all onest chance," I announced, my voice carrying to every corner of the room. "Leave now, and live. Stay, and die."


    A few of the lesser cultivators at the back of the crowd began edging toward the exit.


    Melvin noticed and snarled, "Anyone who leaves is dering themselves an enemy of the ckthorne family! Think carefully before you choose sides!"


    The exodus halted immediately. The threat of the ckthorne family''s enmity was enough to keep even the frightened in ce.


    I sighed. "Then you''ve made your choice."


    As Burton and Wace prepared tounch their attack, an attendant leaned close to Dexter ckthorne, who had been observing from a safe distance.


    "Just don''t let him get close," the attendant advised in a carrying whisper. "He has nothing extraordinary except for his fleshly body."


    I smiled coldly, hearing this assessment.


    They still had no idea what they were facing.