The silence that followed my bold im hung in the air like a physical weight. Commander Wood''s face had turned an rming shade of red, his eyes narrowed to slits.


    "You have some nerve," he finally said, his voice dangerously low. "First, you arrive three dayste. Then you dare to criticize Master Bellweather''s methods. And now you im your unknown techniques are superior?"


    I stood my ground, meeting his gaze steadily. "I wouldn''t say it if I couldn''t back it up."


    Zane Avery stepped forward, barely containing hisughter. "This is absurd, Commander. We shouldn''t waste another minute on this... chatan."


    Commander Wood studied me for a long moment before turning away. "Continue with the scheduled training, Captain Avery." He nced back at me with dismissive finality. "Knight, your services won''t be needed."


    As they walked away, William ced a restraining hand on my arm. "Liam, that was—"


    "The truth," I finished for him. "That training program will destroy those soldiers."


    "Maybe so, but you''ve made powerful enemies today."


    I watched as Zane resumed barking orders at the exhausted troops. Already I could see at least three soldiers struggling to maintain proper form, their movements increasingly erratic.


    "They''lle around," I said quietly. "Sooner than you think."


    William sighed. "And what do we do until then?"


    "We wait." I turned to leave the field. "In five days or less, they''ll be begging for my help."


    ---


    Back at William''s residence, I settled into the guest room he''d prepared for me. ra brought tea, her curious gaze following me as I unpacked my belongings.


    "Father says you''re one of the most talented alchemists he''s ever met," she said, setting down the tray. "Is that why you were so confident with Commander Wood?"


    I smiled slightly. "Partly. I''ve also seen the consequences of improperly applied training methods firsthand."


    ra leaned against the doorframe. "And what happens if you''re wrong about the Commander''s program?"


    "I''m not wrong," I replied, taking a sip of tea. I studied her for a moment, noting something unusual about her energy signature. "You cultivate?"


    She seemed startled by my question. "I... try to. Not very sessfully."


    I set down my cup. "May I?" I gestured toward her.


    After a hesitant nod from ra, I reached out with my spiritual sense, carefully probing her energy pathways. What I found made me inhale sharply.


    "A pure dark energy body," I whispered, genuinely surprised. "Extremely rare."


    ra''s eyes widened. "What does that mean?"


    "It means standard cultivation methods won''t work for you," I exined. "You need specialized techniques designed for dark energy affinity."


    "But all the training manuals father brought home..." she trailed off, looking disappointed.


    "Were for bnced or light energy cultivators," I finished. "No wonder you''ve struggled."


    I made a quick decision. "I can teach you some basic techniques while we wait for Commander Wood toe to his senses."


    ra''s face lit up. "Really? You would do that?"


    "Consider it repayment for your father''s hospitality," I said, smiling at her enthusiasm.


    ---


    That evening, I began teaching ra a modified breathing technique designed for dark energy cultivation. We sat cross-legged in the courtyard garden, the setting sun casting long shadows across the stone tiles.


    "Breathe in through your nose for four counts," I instructed. "Hold for seven, then exhale through your mouth for eight. Focus on drawing energy into your lower dantian, but don''t force it."


    ra followed my instructions with impressive concentration. After several minutes, I could see dark energy beginning to circte more naturally through her meridians.


    "That''s it," I encouraged. "Let the darkness flow like water. Don''t resist it."


    William watched from the doorway, his expression a mixture of curiosity and concern. Later, as ra continued practicing, he pulled me aside.


    "Dark energy cultivation?" he questioned quietly. "Isn''t that dangerous?"


    I shook my head. "Only if improperly trained or tainted by negative emotions. ra has a natural affinity for it. Fighting against her nature would be far more dangerous."


    William nced at his daughter. "I''ve consulted countless masters about her cultivation difficulties. None identified this."


    "It''s extremely rare," I exined. "Most cultivators have mixed energy signatures. Pure types are umon, especially dark energy types."


    He nodded slowly. "And you can teach her properly?"


    "The basics, at least. Enough to get her started on the right path." <code ss="phantom-imprint">Th@i@s c%h&a!pt%e*r# is fr#o%m- the c^o@llectio*n at *.^</code>


    William sped my shoulder gratefully. "Thank you, Liam."


    ---


    Three days passed. Each morning, I checked in at the Battle Zone, watching from a distance as Zane pushed the Dragon Tiger Team through increasingly grueling exercises. Each afternoon, I returned to train ra, whose progress was remarkable once she began using appropriate techniques.


    On the third day, I noticed a marked decline in the soldiers'' conditions. Their movements were sluggish, faces pale and drawn. Several were missing from formation, presumably in the infirmary.


    William confirmed my suspicions when he returned from headquarters that evening.


    "Five soldiers copsed today," he reported grimly. "Commander Wood is concerned, but Zane insists it''s normal for intensive training."


    I shook my head. "It''s only going to get worse."


    "How much worse?" William asked.


    "By tomorrow night, they''ll have serious injuries. Possibly permanent damage to their meridians."


    ra, who had been practicing nearby, looked up in rm. "Can''t you do something?"


    "Not until they ask for help," I replied. "Sometimes people need to see the consequences of their mistakes firsthand."


    The next day dawned with an ominous feeling in the air. I spent the morning preparing medicinal herbs, anticipating what was toe. By evening, my predictions proved tragically urate.


    The urgent pounding on William''s door came just after sunset. A young lieutenant stood outside, breathing heavily.


    "Commander Wood requests Mr. Knight''s immediate presence at the Battle Zone medical facility," he gasped.


    William and I exchanged nces. "What happened?" I asked, though I already knew.


    "Multiple casualties during night training," the lieutenant replied. "At least twelve soldiers down with severe injuries."


    We followed him through the darkened streets to the Battle Zone. The medical building was chaos—medics rushing between beds, moans of pain filling the air. Commander Wood stood in the center of it all, his earlier arrogance reced by grim concern.


    When he spotted me, a sh of anger crossed his face, quickly reced by resignation.


    "Knight," he acknowledged stiffly. "It seems we may have a situation."


    I surveyed the room. Soldiersy on cots, some writhing in pain, others ominously still. "Meridian copse," I diagnosed, examining the closest patient. "Internal bleeding. Energy pathways ruptured."


    Zane Avery burst into the room, his face ashen. "What''s happening? They were fine yesterday!"


    "This is exactly what I warned you about," I said, keeping my voice level despite my anger. "The pressure has been building for days. Tonight it finally reached critical levels."


    A doctor approached, his expression grave as he addressed Zane. "Captain Avery, I''vepleted my assessment. These men have extensive internal damage. Multiple fractures in their meridian channels. I''m afraid they won''t be training again anytime soon—if ever."


    The shock on Zane''s face would have been satisfying under different circumstances. Now it just confirmed the disaster I''d tried to prevent.


    Commander Wood turned to me, his pride visibly crumbling. "You predicted this. How did you know?"


    "Because I understand energy cirction and its effects on the human body," I replied simply. "Something Ignazio Bellweather''s iplete training n clearly didn''t ount for."


    The Commander straightened his shoulders, making a visible effort to regain hisposure. "Can you help them?"


    I looked around at the suffering soldiers. The damage was severe, but not beyond repair—at least not for all of them.


    "Yes," I said. "But I''ll needplete authority over their treatment and future training."


    Commander Wood hesitated only briefly before nodding. "Do whatever you need to do. Just save my men."


    As I rolled up my sleeves and prepared to work, I caught Zane''s devastated expression. The realization dawned in his eyes that his blind adherence to a wed system had caused this suffering.


    I moved to the first patient, cing my hands over his damaged meridians, channeling healing energy into his system. The road to recovery would be long, but at least now there was a path forward.


    Behind me, I heard the doctor''s grave voice speaking to Zane. "I''m sorry, Captain, but these injuries are catastrophic. The meridian damage is extensive, and several men have sufferedplete energy pathway copse. Unless a miracle urs, their cultivation careers are finished."