Travis ckthorne had just crossed the threshold of the Celestial Apothecary Guild''s entrance when the pill detonated inside him. He doubled over, his face contorting in agony as he clutched his stomach.


    "What have you done to me?" he screamed, his voice echoing through the hall.


    I watched him without an ounce of sympathy. The Power-Dissipating Pill wasn''t supposed to cause pain—unless it encountered resistance from the body''s energy channels. Travis had clearly tried to use his cultivation to neutralize it.


    "I told you what it was," I said coldly. "Your own resistance is causing the pain."


    Travis fell to his knees, his bodyguards still too disoriented to help him. Sweat beaded on his forehead as his dantian—the energy core within his body—fought against the pill''s effects.


    "You don''t understand what you''ve done," he snarled through gritted teeth. "I''m a direct descendant of the ckthorne family! My father sits on the Council of Nine in Veridia City!"


    I stepped closer, towering over his crumpled form. "I understand perfectly. You''re a spoiled brat who''s never faced consequences for his actions."


    With deliberate slowness, I drew back my foot and kicked him squarely in the chest. The impact sent him sprawling backward. I felt his dantian shatter under the force of my strike—not just temporarily suppressed now, but irreparably damaged.


    Travis''s eyes widened in horror as he realized what had happened. "You... you crippled me?" His voice came out as a strangled whisper.


    "Consider yourself lucky," I replied, my voice devoid of emotion. "If we weren''t in the Guild, I would have done much worse."


    His bodyguards finally regained enoughposure to help Travis to his feet. His face, once flushed with arrogance, now paled with hatred and fear.


    "The ckthorne family will hunt you to the ends of the earth," he promised, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Your life isn''t worth the dust beneath my feet."


    I smiled, the expression never reaching my eyes. "Send your family my regards. I''ll be waiting."


    As they dragged Travis out, his final words lingered in the air like poison: "This isn''t over, Knight. Not by a long shot."


    The doors mmed behind them, leaving an eerie silence in their wake. I turned to find Sofia staring at me, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and admiration.


    "You crippled a ckthorne," she whispered, as if saying it aloud might summon demons. "Do you have any idea what they''ll do?"


    I began cleaning up the scattered medicine from the floor. "I have a pretty good idea."


    Sofia knelt beside me, helping gather the wasted ingredients. "I can testify that he provoked you. He struck me first and deliberately destroyed Guild property."


    I shook my head. "I don''t need your help, Sofia. But thank you for offering."


    She opened her mouth to argue but was interrupted by the rapid approach of footsteps. Fifth Elder appeared from the inner chambers, his usually calm face twisted with concern.


    "What happened here?" he demanded, looking between Sofia and me. "I sensed a violent energy fluctuation."


    Before I could respond, Sofia stepped forward. "A member of the ckthorne family came in and—"


    I raised my hand, cutting her off. "I crippled Travis ckthorne. He came here deliberately to provoke me, and I retaliated."


    Fifth Elder''s face drained of color. "You what? A direct descendant of the ckthorne family?"


    "Yes."


    "Liam," he said, addressing me by my first name for once, "do you understand what you''ve done? The ckthornes aren''t just any family. They''re one of the founding pirs of Veridia City''s power structure."


    I met his gaze steadily. "I''m well aware of who they are."


    "And you still chose to..." Fifth Elder trailed off, rubbing his temples.


    "He was testing me," I said simply. "Testing how far he could push before I broke. Now he knows."


    Fifth Elder looked at me with new eyes—not just concern, but something like fascination mixed with dread. "The ckthornes were already your enemies after what happened at the Ashworth wedding. This will escte things beyond measure."


    I nodded. "I know."


    "You could be expelled from the Guild for this." Uploaded by the *) team.</abbr>


    "I''ll ept whatever consequencese."


    A new voice cut through our conversation like ice through warm water. "Oh, I''m sure you will, Master Knight."


    Third Elder stood in the doorway, his thin lips curled into what might charitably be called a smile. His eyes, however, gleamed with triumph.


    "I couldn''t help but overhear," he said, gliding into the room. "A ckthorne heir, crippled within our sacred walls? This is unprecedented."


    Fifth Elder frowned. "The situation isplex, Third Elder. The young man provoked Master Knight deliberately."


    Third Elder''s eyebrows rose in feigned surprise. "Did he? How unfortunate. And how curious that this happened during Master Knight''s consultation hours—hours that I specifically assigned to him."


    The pieces clicked into ce. I studied Third Elder''s satisfied expression, understanding dawning on me like a cold sunrise.


    "You knew Travis woulde," I said, the words not a question but a statement. "You arranged for me to be at the counter today."


    Third Elder''s smile never wavered. "What an usation, Master Knight. Are you suggesting I would deliberately endanger a fellow Guild member?"


    I took a step toward him. "I''m suggesting you''ve been looking for a way to get rid of me since I arrived. You couldn''t match my pharmaceutical skills, so you found another way—setting me up against an enemy you knew I already had."


    The air between us crackled with tension. Fifth Elder looked between us, clearly trying to gauge the truth.


    "Your paranoia is concerning, Master Knight," Third Elder said smoothly. "Perhaps your rapid rise to fame has affected your judgment."


    "Or perhaps," I countered, "your jealousy has affected yours."


    Third Elder''s facade cracked just slightly—enough to confirm my suspicions. His eyes hardened, the pretense of civility slipping.


    "The Guild Master will hear of this incident," he said. "I doubt even your considerable talents will save you this time."


    I shrugged. "By all means, tell him everything. Including how you''ve been sabotaging my work since day one—diluting my ingredients, miscing my notes, spreading rumors among the apprentices."


    Sofia gasped softly behind me. Third Elder''s face darkened with rage.


    "You have no proof of such absurd ims," he hissed.


    "I don''t need proof," I replied calmly. "The truth has a way of revealing itself eventually."


    Fifth Elder stepped between us, hands raised. "Enough! This bickering solves nothing. We have a serious situation to address."


    He turned to me, his expression grave but not unkind. "Master Knight, I''ll speak to the Guild Master on your behalf, exin the provocation. But you must understand—the political ramifications of this incident extend far beyond our walls."


    I nodded, appreciating his gesture even though I knew it would make little difference. "Thank you, Fifth Elder, but don''t trouble yourself. The Guild Master will do what''s best for the Guild."


    "And what''s best," Third Elder interjected, "is certainly not harboring someone who has now made enemies of two of the most powerful families in Veridia City."


    As they continued discussing my fate, I tuned them out, my mind already racing ahead. The Guild Master was pragmatic above all else. He''d weigh the benefits of keeping me against the cost of defying the ckthornes.


    I already knew which way that scale would tip.


    In this world, power and self-interest always outweighed justice and morality. I had made my choice with open eyes, knowing the price I would pay. The ckthornes woulde for me now—openly, viciously.


    But I wasn''t afraid. In fact, as I looked at Third Elder''s smug face, I felt oddly calm.


    Let theme. All of them.


    I had lived my whole life being underestimated. It was time the world learned what that mistake would cost.