I jolted upright in my seat as the ne began its descent into Eldoria Provincial City. Something had been nagging at me all day, and it finally clicked.


    "The special training!" I eximed, earning a startled look from Eamon beside me.


    "What training?" he asked, closing the book he''d been reading.


    I ran my fingers through my hair, frustration mounting. "I promised William Vance I''d help train the Dragon Tiger Team at Eldoria Battle Zone. Itpletely slipped my mind with everything that happened in Riverbend."


    Eamon raised an eyebrow. "When were you supposed to be there?"


    "Three days ago," I admitted, wincing at my own carelessness.


    "Well," Eamon said, his voice carefully neutral, "I imagine Commander Wood isn''t pleased."


    That was an understatement. Commander Wood''s reputation preceded him—a decorated military leader with zero tolerance for unreliability. I''d never met him personally, but William''s stories painted a clear picture of a man who valued punctuality above all else.


    "This is bad," I muttered, mentally calcting how quickly I could reach the Battle Zone afternding.


    The ne touched down with a jolt, and I was the first passenger on my feet, grabbing my bags from the overheadpartment.


    "Tell Isabelle I''ll be dyed," I told Eamon as we disembarked. "I need to fix this immediately."


    Eamon nodded. "Good luck. You might need it."


    I gged down the first taxi I saw outside the airport, giving the driver William Vance''s address. The city blurred past my window as I rehearsed exnations in my head, none of them adequate for my inexcusable absence.


    William''s house was an elegant two-story building in the military district. The moment I knocked on the door, it swung open to reveal William''s stern face.


    "You''rete," he said tly, stepping aside to let me in. "Three dayste, to be precise."


    I nodded, not bothering with excuses. "I know. It''s unforgivable."


    William closed the door behind me, his disappointment palpable. "I staked my reputation on you, Liam. Commander Wood has already reced you with Zane Avery."


    "Zane Avery?" The name was unfamiliar.


    "The Commander''s protégé," William exined, leading me into his study. "He''s now captain of the training team, using Ignazio Bellweather''s methods." <strong ss="phantom-imprint">Y%our s*up#por.t at *@ keeps the s&e$r-i#e+s go^in@g.+</strong>


    I frowned at the mention of Bellweather. The man was famous, certainly, but his techniques had critical ws when applied to soldiers at the level found in provincial battle zones.


    William handed me a folder. "Here''s the training n they''re implementing as we speak."


    I flipped through the pages quickly, my concern growing with each diagram and instruction I saw. After a minute, I looked up, rmed.


    "This isn''t even theplete version of Bellweather''s technique," I said. "It''s missing crucial stabilizing exercises. If they''re using this, they''re risking serious injury to the troops."


    William''s eyes widened. "Are you certain?"


    "Absolutely," I replied, already heading for the door. "We need to stop them immediately. This modified version will cause energy bacsh in anyone below the third level of cultivation."


    "Most of our troops are at the first or second level," William said, grabbing his coat. "Let''s go."


    As we hurried toward the door, a young woman appeared from the kitchen.


    "Father, are you leaving already? I made lunch," she said, then noticed me. "Oh, hello."


    "ra, this is Liam Knight, the alchemist I told you about," William said hurriedly. "Liam, my daughter ra."


    ra Vance was perhaps neen or twenty, with intelligent eyes that assessed me quickly.


    "Nice to meet you," I said with a quick nod. "I''m sorry, but we have an urgent situation at the Battle Zone."


    ra''s expression turned serious. "The new training regimen? I''ve heard the medics are already treating muscle tears and meridian strains."


    William and I exchanged rmed nces.


    "It''s worse than I thought," I said. "We need to move now."


    ---


    The Eldoria Battle Zone sprawled across nearly a square mile of cleared terrain at the edge of the city. Training fields, barracks, andmand buildings formed a fortifiedpound that housed over five thousand troops.


    William led me directly to the main training ground where dozens of soldiers moved through synchronized forms. Standing at the edge of the field was a tall man with amanding presence—Commander Wood, I presumed—watching with obvious approval.


    Beside him stood a younger man, around my age but with the confidence of someone born to privilege. He called out corrections to the soldiers with practiced authority.


    "That''s Zane Avery," William murmured. "Top graduate from the Imperial Military Academy."


    As we approached, Commander Wood noticed us. His expression hardened when he saw me.


    "So this is the missing alchemist," he said, making no effort to hide his disdain. "Finally decided to grace us with your presence?"


    I bowed respectfully. "Commander Wood, I apologize for my tardiness. But I must speak with you immediately about the current training."


    The Commander crossed his arms. "There''s nothing to discuss. The Dragon Tiger Team is making excellent progress under Zane''s leadership."


    I looked past him at the soldiers. To an untrained eye, they appeared to be performing impressively. But I could see the strain in their movements, the unnatural flow of energy through their bodies.


    "With all due respect, sir, they''re in danger," I said firmly. "This training method is iplete and potentially harmful."


    Zane Avery stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "Who do you think you are? This is Ignazio Bellweather''s signature technique."


    "It''s a bastardized version," I countered, opening the folder. "Look here and here. The energy cirction pattern is missing critical release points. Without those, pressure builds in the lower dantian with nowhere to go."


    Commander Wood snatched the folder from my hands, examining it briefly. "These are the exact instructions Bellweather provided."


    "Then he gave you an intentionally wed version," I said, earning gasps from the officers within earshot. "Either that, or this was meant to be supplemented with specialized pills to manage the energy buildup."


    A tense silence fell over the group. Questioning the methods of someone as renowned as Bellweather was tantamount to heresy in military circles.


    "Bold usations from someone who couldn''t even show up on time," Zane scoffed. "Commander, I''ve trained with Master Bellweather personally. This method is sound."


    "Then demonstrate the full sequence yourself," I challenged. "Including the meridian expansion in the third phase."


    Zane hesitated just long enough for me to know I was right.


    "You see?" I turned to Commander Wood. "The full technique requires either advanced cultivation or medicinal support. Without it, your soldiers will suffer progressive damage to their meridians."


    Commander Wood studied me with new interest. "You im to understand Bellweather''s methods better than his own disciple?"


    "I understand the principles of energy cirction," I replied. "And I can see when a technique is iplete."


    The Commander gestured to one of the soldiers. "Zhou, how do you feel after three days of training?"


    The young man stepped forward, saluting. "Sir, I feel stronger, but there''s a burning sensation in my lower abdomen that won''t subside."


    Several other soldiers nodded in agreement.


    "That''s the beginning of meridian stress," I exined. "If they continue, it will progress to internal bleeding and possibly permanent damage to their cultivation base."


    Murmurs spread among the officers. Commander Wood''s expression turned grave.


    "What do you propose?" he asked.


    Before I could answer, Zane interjected. "Commander, you can''t seriously listen to these allegations. Master Bellweather''s techniques have produced champions for decades."


    "For naturally gifted cultivators with proper supplementation," I corrected. "Not for standard troops."


    I turned back to Commander Wood. "I can provide a modified training regimen that achieves the same results without the risks. One that''s actually suited to your soldiers'' current levels."


    Zaneughed dismissively. "And I suppose your method is better than Bellweather''s?"


    I met his gaze steadily. "For these specific circumstances? Absolutely."


    "Outrageous," Zane spat.


    Commander Wood raised a hand for silence. "Knight, you''re either incredibly knowledgeable or incredibly arrogant. Perhaps both." He studied me for a moment before continuing. "You have one day to prove your ims. If you''re wrong, you''ll leave Eldoria immediately."


    I nodded. "That''s fair. But we need to suspend the current training now, before more damage is done."


    The Commander hesitated, clearly torn between his trust in established authority and the evidence before him.


    "One more thing," I added, deciding to go all in. "You mentioned wanting Eldoria Battle Zone to rank in the top three. With my method, you could be number one."


    William sucked in a breath beside me. Even I knew I was overstepping.


    "Number one?" Commander Wood repeated, incredulous. "Based on what?"


    "Based on a holistic approach that develops both physical and energy cultivation simultaneously," I said confidently. "Also, even if it was theplete version of Ignazio Bellweather''s training n, I don''t think it''s better than mine."


    The gathering fell silent, all eyes on me after my audacious im. Commander Wood''s face reddened, and I braced myself for theing storm.