The spiritual pressure in the air thickened as Preston Ironwood''s aura red violently. His cultivation base radiated an oppressive force that pushed against us like an invisible wall. Adrian Whitlock stood his ground, but I could see the strain on his face.


    "Your arrogance blinds you, Preston," Adrian said, his voice steady despite the pressure bearing down on him.


    Preston''s lips curled into a sneer. "Arrogance? Or simply recognition of truth?" Without warning, he struck, his movement so swift it blurred before my eyes.


    Adrian blocked, but the impact sent him skidding backward. Even with decades of experience, he couldn''t match Preston''s raw power.


    "Stop this!" I shouted, stepping forward.


    Preston ignored me,unching another attack. This time, his palm strike connected with Adrian''s defensive arm. A sickening crack echoed through the clearing as Adrian''s wrist snapped.


    Adrian''s face paled with pain, but he didn''t cry out. Blood trickled from between his clenched fingers as he cradled his broken wrist.


    "Is that all?" Preston taunted. "The great Master Whitlock, reduced to this?"


    I couldn''t stand by any longer. "That''s enough!" I positioned myself between them.


    Preston''s cold eyes fixed on me. "The famous Liam Knight. Always interfering where you don''t belong."


    "This isn''t a fair fight," I said, my heart hammering in my chest. "You''ve stolen power that wasn''t meant for you."


    "Fair?" Prestonughed. "There''s no such thing in cultivation. There is only strength and weakness." His gaze drifted to Adrian. "He taught me that, ironically enough."


    I sensed the imminent danger. Preston was toying with us, but his patience would soon run out. I needed to buy time—time for Adrian to recover, time for me to think of a solution.


    "Then fight me," I challenged, the words escaping before I could fully consider their implications. "One week from today. Right here."


    Adrian made a choked sound of protest behind me, but I kept my eyes locked on Preston.


    Preston''s eyebrows rose in surprise, then amusement. "You? Challenge me?" Heughed again, the sound sharp and cruel. "You''re barely at Foundation Realm. I could kill you with a thought."


    "Then it should be an easy victory," I countered. "Unless you''re afraid."


    His amusement vanished, reced by cold calction. "What would I gain from killing an insect?"


    "The chance to make a statement," I said, thinking quickly. "Defeat the King of Eldoria publicly, and everyone will recognize your power."


    A sh of interest crossed his face. Then his eyes narrowed. "Or perhaps I simply want to kill you for interfering. For Isai Whitlock''s sake."


    I struggled to keep my expression neutral. So he knew about that too.


    Preston studied me for a moment longer, then smiled. "Very well. One week. I ept your challenge." He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "And when I''ve crushed you, I''ll hunt down everyone you care about, starting with that Ashworth woman."


    My fists clenched at the threat to Isabelle, but I held my tongue.


    Preston turned and walked away, his followers closing ranks behind him.


    "What have you done?" Adrian whispered, clutching his injured wrist. "He''ll kill you."


    I helped Adrian to a nearby bench. "I bought us time."


    "Time for what? He''s at Grandmaster Eighth Rank!"


    I had no answer. Truth be told, I had acted on impulse, with no clear n for how to survive theing confrontation.


    "I need to set your wrist," I said instead, examining the injury.


    Adrian winced as I carefully manipted the broken bones. "He''s too powerful for you, Liam. Even with your unique constitution."


    "I''ll find a way," I said with more confidence than I felt. As I bound his wrist with torn cloth, my mind raced through possibilities. "Do you have somewhere safe to stay?"


    Adrian nodded. "An old friend nearby. But what about you?"


    "I need seclusion," I said, an idea forming. "Somewhere I can work undisturbed."


    ---


    Three hourster, I sat cross-legged in a small mountain cave. Before mey my modest alchemical tools—a borrowed cauldron, simple herbs, and one precious ingredient: a small crystal vial containing the divine medicine I''d been saving.


    It wasn''t enough to create a Heaven Rank pill, but perhaps it would be sufficient for an Earth Rank Vitality Enhancing Pill. Not as powerful as I''d hoped, but it could give me the edge I needed.


    Adrian had offered me his sanctuary, but I''d declined. The fewer people who knew my whereabouts, the better.


    I took a deep breath and began the process, channeling my spiritual fire into the cauldron. The mes emerged from my palm—not the typical red of most cultivators, but a distinctive purple tinged with gold.


    Adrian had watched with wide eyes when he''d first seen it.


    "Your me," he''d whispered. "It''s like his."


    "Like whose?" I''d asked.


    "Your father''s." Adrian''s voice had been hushed with awe. "I saw it once, many years ago. The same purple me."


    Now, alone in the cave, I focused that inherited fire into the cauldron. The herbs began to dissolve, releasing fragrant steam that coiled like dragons in the confined space.


    I addedmon ingredients first—spirit grass, mountain crystals, purified river essence. Each melted perfectly into the mixture, the base forming just as the ancient texts described.


    Hours passed as I refined the mixture, removing impurities and bncing the energies. Sweat poured down my face, my concentration absolute. One mistake could ruin everything.


    Finally, I reached for the crystal vial. The divine medicine inside glowed with its own light—a precious substance I''d earned through great risk. I''d been saving it for something more significant, but survival took precedence.


    I carefully added three drops to the mixture. The reaction was immediate. The contents of the cauldron red brilliantly, the purple mes leaping higher. <small ss="in-imprint-b">Reader support at * made this trantion possible.</small>


    Energy pulsed through the cave, the spiritual pressure intensifying until the very air seemed to vibrate. I fought to maintain control, pouring more of my cultivation into guiding the process.


    Outside the cave, Adrian watched worriedly. I''d asked him to keep his distance—the process was vtile—but he''d insisted on staying nearby.


    "How much longer?" he called.


    "Hours still," I replied, not breaking my concentration. "This can''t be rushed."


    Through the night I worked, manipting the energies, guiding the transformation. The divine medicine amplified everything, making the process both more powerful and more dangerous.


    By morning, my body ached from maintaining the same position, but I couldn''t stop. The pill was forming, concentrating its power.


    Adrian brought water and food, leaving them at the cave entrance without disturbing me.


    "Your eyes are bloodshot," he observed. "You should rest."


    "No time," I murmured, hands still moving through the intricate patterns required to stabilize the pill.


    "He''s too strong, Liam," Adrian said quietly. "Even with this pill—"


    "I have to try." My voice was hoarse from the fumes. "For Isabelle. For everyone."


    Adrian fell silent, watching me work with a mixture of concern and respect.


    As day turned again to night, the mixture finally began to solidify. The golden-purple mes receded, revealing a single pill, glowing with internal light.


    "It''s done," I whispered, exhaustion washing over me.


    At that moment, the air in the cavepressed suddenly. Energy surged upward, breaching the ceiling and shooting into the sky. A massive pir of light erupted from our location, visible for miles.


    "What''s happening?" Adrian''s rmed voice came from the entrance.


    I stared in shock as pill clouds formed above us—huge swirling formations that typically only appeared during the creation of far more powerful pills.


    "Impossible," I breathed. The Earth Rank pill shouldn''t have produced this phenomenon.


    The clouds grew, expanding across the sky, taking shapes of dragons and phoenixes. Lightning crackled through them, illuminating the night with brilliant shes.


    Adrian rushed into the cave, his expression one of disbelief. "This is... Liam, what have you created?"


    I looked down at the single pill in the cauldron. It pulsed with power far beyond what I''d intended. "I don''t know. Something more than I nned."


    Miles away, in the Veridia City headquarters of the Celestial Apothecary Guild, Caleb Thorne stood on a balcony, staring at the distant phenomenon.


    "Pill clouds," he murmured. "Who could possibly..."


    Behind him, a messenger arrived, breathless with excitement. "Master Thorne! Reports areing in from the northern mountains. Someone has created pill clouds visible across three provinces!"


    Caleb''s eyes narrowed. "The location?"


    "Near Runeforge Valley, sir."


    A slow smile spread across Caleb''s face as he turned back to the distant lights. "So, Liam Knight. You continue to surprise me."


    The pill clouds continued to spread, a beacon calling to all who could recognize their significance. A deration of power—and an invitation to those who sought it.