The days stretched into a blur as I pushed my body beyond its limits. One month of grueling cultivation had transformed me from a weakling into something more—but still not enough. Never enough.


    I sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor of my private chamber within the Celestial Apothecary Guild, another Vitality Enhancing Pill dissolving on my tongue. This was my fourteenth pill today. My meridians burned like molten steel as the powerful medicine flooded my system.


    Pain. Searing, unrelenting pain.


    But pain meant progress, and progress meant getting closer to Isabelle.


    "Breathe," I whispered to myself, guiding the surging energy through my body''s pathways. "Control it."


    My dantian—the energy center at my core—pulsed dangerously as I forced more power into it. Sweat poured down my face, soaking through my robes and forming a small puddle beneath me.


    A sharp crack echoed through my consciousness. Something had fractured inside me.


    I opened my eyes with a gasp, doubling over as agony tore through my abdomen. The room spun violently around me. Through blurred vision, I could see tendrils of golden energy leaking from my body—energy that should have remained contained within my meridians.


    "Damn it!" I mmed my fist against the floor. I''d pushed too far, too fast.


    The door burst open, and First Elder Ignazio rushed in, his weathered face tight with concern.


    "Elder Knight! Your cultivation is destabilizing!"


    With practiced movements, he pressed his palms against my back, channeling his own energy to stabilize my wildly fluctuating core. The pain gradually subsided to a dull throb.


    "What were you thinking?" he demanded once I could breathe normally again. "Consuming fourteen Vitality Pills in one day? You could have shattered your dantianpletely!"


    I tried to stand but wobbled precariously. "I don''t have time for caution, Elder Ignazio. Isabelle—"


    "Will have no use for a dead savior," he interrupted sharply. "Look at yourself! You''ve reached the Sixth Layer of the Monastic Stage in just one month—a miracle by any standard. But your foundation is cracking under the pressure."


    I knew he was right. My cultivation had advanced rapidly, but I''d built a pce on sand. One strong blow in realbat would cause my entire energy system to copse.


    "How long?" I asked hoarsely. "How long until I can continue?"


    Ignazio''s expression softened slightly. "At least two weeks of rest and recovery. Your dantian needs time to stabilize."


    "Two weeks?" Iughed bitterly. "I don''t have two weeks. The wedding is in less than a month."


    "Then you need a different approach." The voice came from the doorway, where Pavilion Master Mariana Valerius stood watching us with calcting eyes.


    I bowed my head respectfully, though the movement sent fresh waves of pain through my core. "Pavilion Master."


    "You''ve been trying to build a mountain by piling up sand," she said, entering the room with smooth, graceful steps. "Pills can boost your power temporarily, but without a proper cultivation method to circte and refine that energy, you''re merely creating a ticking bomb within yourself."


    Hope flickered in my chest. "You know of another way?"


    Her eyes, ancient and knowing despite her youthful appearance, studied me intently. "You need a meridian cirction skill—one that can amodate your unique physique."


    "My unique...?" I began, confused.


    "Don''t y coy, Liam Knight. I know what you are," she stated tly. "Your body can channel both light and dark energies—an extremely rare constitution. Themon cultivation methods would either suppress half your potential or tear you apart from within."


    I stared at her, stunned. Even I hadn''t fully understood what was happening within my body when I cultivated.


    "There is a ce," she continued, "where you might find what you seek. A hidden library containing cultivation manuals dating back thousands of years. If a method suitable for your constitution exists anywhere in this world, it would be there."


    My heart raced with renewed hope. "Where is this library? I''ll leave immediately."


    "Not so fast." She raised a hand. "This ce is forbidden to outsiders. The guardians are merciless to trespassers. Even with my rmendation, your chances of surviving the trial to enter are... minimal."


    "What trial?"


    "The Trial of Spirit Affinity. It tests not just your strength but your very nature—yourpatibility with the ancient knowledge contained within." Her voice softened almost imperceptibly. "Many who attempt it never return."


    First Elder Ignazio stepped forward, his face grave. "Pavilion Master, with respect, Elder Knight is in no condition to—"


    "I''ll do it," I interrupted firmly. "Whatever the risk, I''ll take it."


    Mariana''s lips curved into the barest hint of a smile. "I thought you might say that. Rest tonight. We leave at dawn."


    After they left, I copsed back onto my meditation mat, exhausted but determined. I reached for the jade pendant hanging around my neck—the twin to the one I''d given Isabelle. The cool stone always brought mefort, a tangible connection to her even across the distance separating us.


    I closed my eyes, picturing her face. "Hold on a little longer," I whispered. "I''ming for you."


    ---


    In Veridia City, Isabelle sat alone in her chambers, her once vibrant eyes now dull with despair. A month of istion had taken its toll. Her skin had grown pale, her cheeks hollow from barely touching her meals.


    She clutched her jade pendant—Liam''s gift—like a lifeline. It was her onlyfort in this gilded prison.


    The door opened without a knock. Corbin Ashworth entered, surveying her with cold disapproval.


    "You look terrible," he remarked casually. "Dashiell won''t be pleased if his bride looks like a ghost at the altar."


    Isabelle didn''t respond. She had learned that engaging with her uncle only prolonged his torments.


    "Still giving me the silent treatment?" Corbin chuckled humorlessly. "Such childish defiance."


    When she remained silent, his expression hardened. He crossed the room in three quick strides and seized her chin, forcing her to look at him.


    "You will eat. You will sleep. You will look beautiful for your wedding," he hissed. "Do you understand?"


    Isabelle met his gaze steadily. "And if I refuse?"


    His grip tightened painfully. "Then perhaps I''ll send men to that little clinic in Riverbend Town—the one your precious Liam rebuilt. I understand there are many helpless patients there who wouldn''t survive a night without medical attention."


    Horror shed across her face. "You wouldn''t—"


    "Wouldn''t I?" Corbin smiled coldly. "Or perhaps I''ll pay a visit to the orphanage where Liam grew up. Those children looked so happy when you donated all those toys and books."


    Tears welled in her eyes. "They''re innocent children."


    "Then ensure their safety by cooperating." He released her chin roughly. "Your maid will bring dinner shortly. I expect the te to be empty when she returns."


    As he turned to leave, Isabelle found her voice again. "He''sing for me, you know. Liam wille."


    Corbin paused at the door, his back to her. "I''m counting on it." He nced over his shoulder, his eyes glittering with malice. "In fact, I''ve prepared a special wee for him."


    After he left, Isabelle copsed onto her bed, her body shaking with silent sobs. She wanted to be strong—for Liam, for herself—but each day drained more of her resolve. She waspletely cut off from the outside world. Even the servants were too terrified of Corbin to help her send messages.


    "Please," she whispered, pressing the jade pendant to her lips. "Please be safe, Liam."


    ---


    Dawn broke with a blood-red sky as I followed Mariana Valerius through the misty mountains north of Havenwood City. My body still ached from yesterday''s cultivation ident, but I pushed through the pain, determined not to show weakness.


    "The library is called the Archive of Forgotten Paths," Mariana exined as we hiked a narrow trail. "It predates the founding of the Celestial Apothecary Guild by several millennia."


    "Who maintains it?" I asked, puzzled. "If it''s so ancient..."


    "That," she replied enigmatically, "is something you''ll discover for yourself—should you survive the trial."


    We traveled in silence after that, climbing higher into the mountains until the air grew thin and cold. By midday, we reached a strange formation of seven stone pirs arranged in a perfect circle on a t mountaintop.


    "We''re here," Mariana announced, stepping into the circle.


    I looked around in confusion. There was no building, no cave entrance—nothing but weathered stone pirs and barren ground.


    "I don''t understand."


    Mariana beckoned me forward. "Stand in the center."


    Cautiously, Iplied, positioning myself in the exact middle of the circle. The ground beneath my feet seemed to hum with subtle energy.


    "The Archive exists between realms," Mariana exined, tracingplex patterns in the air with her fingers. "Neither fully in our world norpletely outside it. The trial begins the moment you attempt to enter."


    She pressed her palm against one of the stone pirs, which began to glow with faint blue light. The other pirs activated in sequence until the entire circle was illuminated.


    "I can open the gate, but you must cross the threshold alone," she said solemnly. "Remember this: the trial will test not just your strength but your resolve. Many powerful cultivators have failed because they wavered in their purpose."


    "I won''t waver," I promised. <kbd ss="in-imprint-b">Catch the formatted version at *.</kbd>


    "Onest warning," she added, her eyes intense. "Once you enter, I cannot help you. If you fail the trial, you die. There is no middle ground."


    I nodded, epting the risk. "For Isabelle, it''s worth it."


    Marianapleted the activation sequence, and the air within the circle began to shimmer like heat rising from summer pavement.


    "Good luck, Liam Knight," she said, stepping back outside the circle. "May your determination be enough."


    The world around me began to blur and distort. As reality itself seemed to fold inward, I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing.


    I thought of Isabelle—her smile, her touch, the way her eyes lit up when sheughed. For her, I would face any trial. For her, I would return stronger.


    Just as the transportation was about toplete, I felt a sharp, searing pain in my chest. My eyes flew open in rm as I clutched at my neck.


    The jade pendant—the token that connected me to Isabelle—was burning hot against my skin. Before I could react, a terrible cracking sound filled my ears.


    I pulled the pendant from beneath my robes and stared in horror as hairline fractures spread across its surface like a spiderweb. In seconds, the beautiful green stone shatteredpletely, crumbling to dust in my palm.


    "No!" I screamed, understanding instantly what this meant.


    Isabelle was in mortal danger.


    The transportation spell continued to pull at me, drawing me inexorably toward the Archive and the power I desperately needed. But Isabelle needed me now—not tomorrow, not after I''d grown stronger. Now.


    I locked eyes with Mariana, who had also recognized the significance of the shattered pendant.


    "I have to go to her," I shouted above the roar of the transportation spell. "Now!"


    For a heartbeat, indecision flickered across Mariana''s face. Then she nodded sharply and thrust her hand into the circle, disrupting the spell with a burst of her own power.


    The transportation halted abruptly, throwing me to my knees. The pain in my dantian red anew, but I ignored it, scrambling to my feet.


    "The Archive," Mariana said grimly, "will have to wait."


    "I need to reach Veridia City as fast as possible," I said, my voice tight with desperation. "Every second counts."


    Mariana studied me for a moment, clearly weighing something in her mind. Then she pulled a small jade token from her robes—a teleportation talisman of incredible rarity and value.


    "This will take you directly to our Guild branch in Veridia City," she exined, pressing it into my palm. "But, Liam—your cultivation is unstable. If you fight in your current condition..."


    I closed my fingers around the talisman, my decision already made. "Some prices are worth paying."