Pain crashed through my body in waves. Each breath felt like inhaling fire. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids seemed sealed shut with lead weights.


    Where was I? Thest thing I remembered was Snyder''s de piercing my heart, then the surprising appearance of the Pavilion Master.


    "He''s waking up," a woman''s voice said nearby. "His vital signs are stabilizing."


    Soft hands touched my forehead. The contact sent fresh agony through my skull, and I couldn''t hold back a groan.


    "Easy, Elder Knight," the voice continued. "You''ve suffered severe injuries. Try not to move."


    Elder Knight? The title confused me through the fog of pain. I wasn''t an elder of anything.


    With tremendous effort, I forced my eyes open. The world swam into focus slowly—elegant jade-colored walls, the scent of rare herbs, and a young woman in Celestial Apothecary Guild robes hovering above me.


    "Where...?" My voice emerged as a raspy whisper.


    "You''re at the Celestial Apothecary Guild headquarters," she exined. "I''m Sofia Carrera, the Pavilion Master''s assistant. You''re safe now."


    Safe seemed an overstatement. Every cell in my body screamed with pain. But at least I was alive. That itself was unexpected.


    I tried to sit up but found my body wouldn''t respond properly.


    "Please, lie still," Sofia urged. "The Pavilion Master will be here soon."


    As if summoned by her words, the door opened. A regal woman in flowing jade robes entered, followed by Michael Ashworth. The contrast between them was striking—her face calm and impassive, his etched with worry.


    "He''s awake?" the woman asked Sofia.


    "Yes, Pavilion Master. Just moments ago."


    Mariana Valerius approached my bedside. Up close, her presence was even more imposing—not from physical size but from an aura of power that seemed to bend the air around her.


    "Liam Knight," she said, her voice surprisingly gentle. "You''ve caused quite a stir."


    Michael pushed forward, relief evident on his face. "Liam! Thank the heavens." He turned to Mariana. "Can you help him?"


    She assessed me with a critical eye. "His injuries are extensive. Multiple fractures, internal bleeding, and a punctured heart." She paused. "Ordinary medicine won''t save him."


    My heart sank. After surviving Snyder''s attack, was I going to die on this bed anyway?


    "But," Mariana continued, "I may have something that will work." She turned to Sofia. "Prepare the Phoenix Furnace."


    Sofia''s eyes widened. "The Phoenix Furnace? But Pavilion Master, you haven''t used that in—"


    "I''m aware," Mariana cut her off. "Also bring my Purple Spirit Fire. Time is essential."


    As Sofia hurried away, Michael spoke quietly to Mariana. "I''ve never asked you for anything before..."


    She nodded once. "I know what this means to you, Michael. I''ll do everything in my power." <q ss="ref-e3e5ce">Content presented by *.</q>


    Their familiarity surprised me. What was the connection between Old Man Ashworth and this powerful woman?


    Before I could contemte further, excruciating pain surged through my chest. ck spots danced across my vision as I coughed violently, blood spraying from my lips.


    "He''s deteriorating," Mariana said sharply. "We need to begin now."


    Assistants rushed into the room, carrying an ornate bronze furnace engraved with a magnificent phoenix. The craftsmanship was exquisite, making it look ancient and priceless. Behind them came another group bearing various herbs, pills, and a small jade box.


    The room quickly transformed into a flurry of activity. Guild members arranged equipment with practiced precision while Mariana issued rapid instructions.


    "Position the furnaces here," shemanded. "Prepare the Spirit Grass essence. We''ll need the Five Elements Pills as a base."


    I watched through a haze of pain as they set up not one but two furnaces—the phoenix-engraved one and another, more traditional model.


    Michael stood aside, looking both worried and awed. "She''s going to use dual furnaces?" he whispered to no one in particr. "I''ve never seen anyone attempt that."


    Mariana opened the jade box, revealing a small me that burned with an intense purple light. The temperature in the room instantly rose several degrees.


    "Purple Spirit Fire," I heard someone murmur reverently. "I thought it was just a legend."


    With graceful movements, Mariana transferred portions of the purple me to each furnace. The fires roared to life, casting an otherworldly glow throughout the chamber.


    "Everyone back," she ordered. "This requires absolute concentration."


    The room fell silent as Mariana began her work. Her hands moved with incredible speed, adding precisely measured ingredients to each furnace in turn. She maintained two separate alchemy processes simultaneously, her concentration never wavering.


    Despite my pain, I couldn''t look away. I had studied alchemy extensively since my awakening, but what I witnessed now transcended anything in my knowledge. This wasn''t just skill—it was artistry of the highest order.


    The atmosphere in the room grew thick with medicinal fragrance as herbs and rare materials dissolved in the purple mes. Colors shifted and changed—gold, crimson, emerald, azure—each representing different stages of pill formation.


    "Impossible," a guild elder whispered. "She''s refining Earth Rank pills in both furnaces. Simultaneously."


    Twenty minutes passed. Thirty. Sweat beaded on Mariana''s forehead, but her movements remained precise, her focus unbroken.


    Then, with a final gesture, she sealed both furnaces and stepped back. Momentster, they opened with synchronized puffs of aromatic smoke.


    Insidey dozens of perfectly formed pills—blood-red in one furnace, golden in the other.


    Whispers of amazement rippled through the room. Even Michael looked stunned.


    "Blood Restoration Pills and Heartcore Mending Pills," Mariana announced, her voice showing the first signs of fatigue. "Both Earth Rank."


    Sofia approached with reverence, collecting the pills in jade containers. She brought one red pill to Mariana, who took it and came to my bedside.


    "This will be painful," she told me, "but necessary if you are to survive."


    She ced the pill against my lips. I didn''t hesitate, swallowing it despite the effort.


    The effect was immediate and excruciating. Liquid fire seemed to spread through my veins, burning away at my injuries from the inside. I arched off the bed, a scream trapped in my throat.


    "Hold him down," Mariana instructed calmly. "The process has begun."


    Strong hands pinned my shoulders as convulsions wracked my body. Through tear-blurred eyes, I saw Mariana watching me with clinical interest.


    "His body epts the pill," she noted. "Interesting. Most would reject such potent medicine."


    The agony peaked, then gradually subsided to a dull throb. I copsed back against the bed, exhausted but aware that something fundamental had changed. The most critical damage was healing.


    Mariana nodded, seemingly satisfied. "He''ll live." She handed the containers to Sofia. "Continue with one red pill every four hours, followed by a golden pill. Monitor him constantly."


    Sofia bowed deeply. "Yes, Pavilion Master."


    Mariana turned to Michael. "Walk with me. We have much to discuss."


    As they left the room, the other guild members followed, leaving only Sofia and a few assistants with me. The room buzzed with excited whispers.


    "Did you see that?" one assistant asked another. "Dual furnace refining! And she made it look effortless!"


    "Those were Earth Rank pills," another responded in awe. "Created in less than half an hour!"


    Sofia silenced them with a look, then turned her attention back to me. "Rest now, Elder Knight. Your body needs to recover."


    "I''m not..." I began weakly, "not an elder."


    She smiled slightly. "The Pavilion Master dered you one before rescuing you. No one questions her decisions."


    As she tended to me, I heard the door open again. A man in guild robes entered, his expression bewildered.


    "Sofia," he called. "What''s happening? I heard the Pavilion Master used the Phoenix Furnace!"


    "Yes, Eamon," she replied. "For him."


    Eamon Greene stared at me with undisguised curiosity. "But why? Who is he to warrant such attention?"


    Sofia hesitated. "This is Liam Knight. He was nearly killed for... stealing Old Man Ashworth''s corpse."


    Eamon''s eyes widenedically. "He WHAT?!"


    Before Sofia could borate, amotion outside drew their attention. One of the assistants hurried to the window.


    "It''s Mr. Snyder," she reported. "He looks terrible! Someone''s beaten him severely."


    Sofia frowned. "The Law Enforcement Elder must have punished him for his failure."


    In another part of Havenwood City, Mr. Snyder huddled in the back of a private car, his face swollen and bloody. His hands trembled as he dialed a number on his phone.


    After several rings, a cold voice answered. "Report."


    "Mr... Mr. Ashworth," Snyder stammered, terror evident in every syble. "The mission failed."


    Silence stretched for several seconds.


    "Exin." The single word carried deadly promise.


    Snyder swallowed painfully. "Mr. Ashworth, it''s the Celestial Apothecary Guild! The Pavilion Master of the Celestial Apothecary Guild saved Liam Knight!"