Chapter 389 - 389 - Unbreakable Resolve: The First Challenge_Rise of The Abandoned Husband

I breathed deeply as we crossed the threshold of the Celestial Apothecary Guild, my eyes scanning the streets ahead. The familiar weight of power coursed through my veins—power I''d only just begun to understand. I nced at mypanions, Eamon Greene and Sofia Carrera, both nervously alert as they followed me into the open.

 "Stay close," I instructed, keeping my voice low. "Don''t react if we''re watched."

 Sofia nodded, her hand hovering near her concealed dagger. "They''re already tracking us, aren''t they?"

 "Yes," I confirmed, maintaining an unhurried pace. "Three observers at the corner market, another on the rooftop to our left."

 Eamon swallowed hard. "Master Liam, are you certain leaving protection is wise? The Fifth Elder warned about those Peak Grandmasters..."

 I understood his concern. Just weeks ago, a single Grandmaster had nearly killed me. Now I was deliberately walking into the path of three. But something had fundamentally changed inside me since climbing those eighteen steps.

 "We can''t stay hidden forever," I replied, my eyes fixed on the road ahead. "The September 9th deadline approaches. Isabelle needs us."

 The mention of her name steeled my resolve. Every day I spent safe within the Guild''s walls was another day she remained captive, her precious blood drained by the Veridia City Martial Guild.

 We continued through the busy morning crowds, gradually making our way toward the eastern gates of Riverbend Town. I felt no fear, only a strange calmness—like the stillness before a storm.

 "They''re following at a distance," Sofia whispered, her trained eyes spotting our shadows. "Seven men, moving in a formation."

 I nodded. "Good. Let them follow."

 "Good?" Eamon''s voice cracked slightly. "Master Liam, what exactly is your n?"

 A smile tugged at my lips. "To test myself."

 The truth was, I didn''t fully understand my own strength. The Monastic Peak stage had flooded my meridians with power beyond anything I''d experienced before, but theory and practice were different beasts. I needed to know exactly what I was capable of.

 As we approached the town boundaries, the streets widened and the crowds thinned. Perfect conditions for an ambush.

 "When we reach that crossroads," I murmured to mypanions, "be prepared for anything."

 Sofia gripped her concealed dagger tighter. "Should we run if they attack?"

 "No," I replied firmly. "Stay behind me. No matter what happens."

 Three hundred yards ahead, hidden behind a cluster of abandoned warehouses, Mr. Snyder crouched with two other ck-d figures. His scarred face twisted into a cruel smile as he observed our approach through a small pocket mirror.

 "There he is," he hissed to hispanions. "The so-called Alchemist who humiliated the Ashworth family."

 The taller man beside him cracked his knuckles. "Doesn''t look like much. You sure this is worth our time, Snyder?"

 "Master Corbin is offering fifty thousand spirit stones for his head," Snyder replied, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Besides, I have a score to settle with this brat."

 The third man, smaller but radiating a dangerous aura, nodded. "Remember the n. I''ll cut off their escape route. You two handle the kill."

 I felt their killing intent before I saw them—three distinct waves of hostility washing over us like toxic miasma. My steps didn''t falter.

 "Master Liam," Eamon warned, his voice tight with tension.

 "I know," I replied calmly. "Three Peak Grandmasters. One directly ahead, two nking us."

 Sofia''s eyes widened. "How can you be so calm? Even one—"

 "Trust me," I cut her off gently. "This needs to happen."

 We crossed the invisible line they had drawn—the point of no return. Immediately, the air thickened with pressure as three figures materialized from different directions, blocking our pathpletely.

 I recognized Mr. Snyder instantly. The scar across his face seemed to pulse with hatred as our eyes met. The memory of ourst encounter shed through my mind—me, barely escaping with my life as he hunted me through the streets of Veridia City.

 "Liam Knight," he sneered, his voice carrying across the empty street. "You''ve saved us the trouble of hunting you down."

 I stepped forward, positioning myself between mypanions and our attackers. "Mr. Snyder. I see Corbin still has you doing his dirty work." Thiscontentishostedat*.

 His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You won''t be so smug when I deliver your head to Master Corbin."

 The taller Grandmaster chuckled darkly. "This is the threat that has the Ashworth family in such a panic? He looks like a stiff breeze could knock him over."

 I assessed my opponents calmly. All three radiated the unmistakable aura of Peak Grandmasters—warriors who could shatter stone with a flick of their wrists. Before my breakthrough, even one would have been an insurmountable challenge.

 "Last time we met," Mr. Snyder continued, taking a step forward, "you survived by pure luck. Today, that luck runs out."

 I felt Eamon and Sofia tensing behind me, preparing for battle despite the overwhelming odds. Their loyalty touched me.

 "Stay back," I instructed them without turning. "This won''t take long."

 Snyderughed—a harsh, grating sound. "Bold words from a dead man. Kill him!"

 The taller Grandmaster moved first, covering the distance between us in a blur of motion. His fist, wreathed in crackling yellow energy, shot toward my chest with enough force to shatter granite.

 I didn''t dodge. I didn''t block. I simply stood my ground as his fist connected squarely with my sternum.

 The impact sent a shockwave through the street, kicking up dust and debris. Behind me, I heard Sofia gasp.

 When the dust settled, nothing had changed. I remained standing, unmoved, the Grandmaster''s fist still pressed against my chest. His eyes widened in disbelief.

 "Impossible," he whispered, staring at his fist as if it had betrayed him.

 I looked down at him calmly. "Is that all?"

 With a roar of frustration, he jumped back andunched another attack—a flurry of strikes too fast for ordinary eyes to follow. Each blownded precisely where he aimed, yet I felt nothing more than gentle taps against my skin.

 The third Grandmaster, watching from the side, cursed under his breath. "His body... it''s like striking iron."

 Mr. Snyder''s confidence faltered for the first time. "What trickery is this? What have you done to yourself, Knight?"

 I took a step forward, and the ground beneath my foot cracked from the pressure of my movement. "No trickery. Just the result of climbing eighteen steps."

 Recognition shed in Snyder''s eyes, followed by genuine fear. "The stairway to heaven... You''ve reached the Monastic Peak?"

 Instead of answering, I raised my hand. Golden light began to coalesce around my fingers, pulsing with barely contained power.

 "Retreat!" the third Grandmaster suddenly shouted, already backing away. "He''s not what we were told—he''s much more dangerous!"

 Mr. Snyder hesitated, torn between fear and pride. "No! I will not return to Master Corbin empty-handed again!"

 His body tensed as he gathered his energy—the same deadly technique he''d used against me months before. I recognized the swirling patterns of his spiritual energy, forming that wave-like attack that had nearly ended my life.

 "You remember this, don''t you?" he snarled, the air around him distorting with power. "Last time, you barely survived. This time, I won''t hold back!"

 Behind me, I heard Sofia cry out in warning. "Master Liam! That''s a killing technique!"

 I didn''t move, didn''t flinch. Instead, I formed my right hand into a fist, golden light wrapping around it like liquid sunlight.

 "The same move won''t work twice," I said quietly, my voice carrying despite its softness.

 Snyder''s face contorted with rage. "Die!"

 The wave-like energy surged forward, powerful enough to split stone and shred flesh. It roared toward me like a tsunami of destruction, just as it had that fateful day when I''d nearly lost everything.

 But I was no longer that same man.

 I drew back my golden fist, my eyes locked on the approaching wave. "My turn."

 With a roar that echoed through the empty street, I stepped forward to meet the attack head-on, my golden fist driving straight into the heart of Snyder''s deadly technique.

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Chapter 389 - 389 - Unbreakable Resolve: The First Challenge