One year of careful nning, wasted.


    I stood at the entrance of what was supposed to be my spiritual energy gathering formation, my hands clenched into fists. The tourist area that once bustled with life was now eerily quiet, a "CLOSED" sign hanging crookedly at the gate.


    "This doesn''t make sense," Eamon muttered beside me. "Your formation should have attracted hundreds of tourists by now."


    Sofia stepped forward, examining the padlocked gate. "Look at this," she pointed to a small notice. "Property requisitioned by order of River North Martial Arts Association."


    My jaw tightened. "Requisitioned? This is my property."


    The three of us exchanged nces. After our confrontation with Mr. Snyder, we''d traveled straight to White City to check on my investment. Now I found myself staring at yet another obstacle, another powerful group stepping on what was mine.


    "Let''s get inside," I said, reaching for the lock.


    With a quick application of force, the lock snapped like a twig in my hands. We slipped through the gate and made our way up the winding path toward my vi. The grounds, once meticulously maintained, were now overgrown in ces and carelessly trampled in others.


    When we reached the vi, I found it locked as well. Not bothering with subtlety this time, I kicked the door open.


    "What the hell?" A man''s voice bellowed from inside.


    I stepped into what should have been my spiritual energy sanctuary. The space was furnishedvishly—but not as I''d left it. Expensive leather couches that weren''t mine lined the walls. A massive television screen dominated one wall. Empty bottles and food containers littered the floor.


    Most importantly, there wasn''t a trace of the spiritual energy I''d spent months cultivating.


    A stocky man with a shaved head burst into the room, wearing only pants and an undershirt. His face reddened when he saw us.


    "Who the fuck are you people? This is private property!" he shouted.


    I assessed him quickly. Mid-level cultivation at best. Muscle over technique.


    "Funny," I replied coldly. "I was about to ask you the same question."


    The man puffed up his chest. "I''m Senior Disciple Chen of the River North Martial Arts Association. This is our new base of operations."


    "No," I corrected him, my voice dangerously calm. "This is my property. A property I paid for. A property where I established a spiritual energy gathering formation that should have been collecting energy for the past year."


    Chen''s eyes narrowed. "Your property? Impossible. Our president acquired this ce legally months ago."


    "Your president lied to you," I said, stepping closer. "Or worse, he knowingly stole from me."


    Chen''s hand moved to his waist, where I spotted a concealed weapon. "I don''t know who you think you are, but you''re trespassing. Leave now, or face consequences."


    Sofia tensed beside me, ready for conflict, but I raised a hand to hold her back.


    "Let me make something absolutely clear," I said, my voice dropping to a near whisper. "This property belongs to me. The spiritual energy that was being gathered here belongs to me. And you have exactly five minutes to contact your president and exin that you''ve encountered Liam Knight."


    At the mention of my name, Chen''s confident expression faltered.


    "Liam... Knight?" he repeated, his hand moving away from his weapon.


    "The very same," I confirmed. "Now make the call."


    Chen hesitated, then pulled out his phone with trembling fingers. He stepped away, speaking in hushed tones while casting nervous nces in my direction.


    Note from the editor: Always check * for corrections.


    Eamon moved closer to me. "The formation''s beenpletely drained," he whispered. "Not even residual energy left."


    I nodded grimly. "I can feel it. They''ve harvested everything."


    Sofia examined the room with disgust. "They''ve been living here like kings on your investment."


    Chen returned, his earlier bravado reced by forced politeness. "President Wu apologizes for the... misunderstanding. He''d like to meet with you tomorrow to sort things out."


    "Tomorrow?" Iughed humorlessly. "No. He''ll meet me today. And he''ll bringpensation for stealing my property and spiritual energy."


    Chen swallowed hard. "He''s in a very important meeting—"


    "I don''t care if he''s meeting with the Emperor himself," I cut him off. "He has one hour to get here, or I''ll personally visit your association and exin how I feel about thieves."


    The threat hung in the air. Chen nodded quickly and retreated to make another call.


    I turned to mypanions. "Eamon, Sofia, make yourselvesfortable. We''re staying here tonight."


    We began exploring the vi, and my anger grew with each room we entered. The careful setup I''d created for spiritual energy cultivation had beenpletely dismantled. Expensive furnishings had reced my practical equipment. In one room, we found female undergarments strewn about, along with empty wine bottles.


    "They''ve been using your spiritual sanctuary as a party house," Sofia said, her voice tight with indignation.


    I nodded, my fury cold and controlled. "And they''ll pay for it."


    Eamon''s eyes were apologetic. "I should have checked on this ce more frequently."


    "No," I shook my head. "This isn''t your fault. This is another reminder that in this world, power is the only thing people respect. Even my connection to the Celestial Apothecary Guild wasn''t enough to protect this ce."


    We returned to the main room just as Chen reappeared, his forehead beaded with sweat.


    "President Wu will be here within the hour," he announced. "He... he sends his deepest apologies and hopes to resolve this matter amicably."


    "Good," I said tly. "Now get out."


    Chen hesitated. "This is our—"


    "Get. Out." I repeated, each word like ice.


    He gathered his belongings and scurried away, leaving the three of us alone in the vi.


    After he left, I turned to Eamon and Sofia. "You two stay here. I want to check something."


    I headed to the basement, where the heart of my formation had been established. As expected, it waspletely dismantled. The carefully arranged spiritual stones were gone, the energy channels disrupted. A year''s worth of umted energy—enough to advance multiple disciples to new cultivation levels—simply gone.


    When I returned upstairs, my decision was made.


    "I need to build my own faction," I said abruptly.


    Sofia looked up. "What?"


    "Individual strength isn''t enough," I exined, pacing the room. "Not against the Ashworths, not against Veridia City. I need people. Loyal, capable cultivators who can form the core of a new power."


    Eamon nodded enthusiastically. "Like your own sect."


    "Something like that," I agreed. "But finding the right people won''t be easy."


    I pulled out my phone and opened The Warrior''s Scroll, the most popr martial arts forum in the region. My name appeared in several discussions—some specting on my disappearance from public view, others rehashing my past as the "son-inw of the Ashworth family" and my rise as the "Master of Celestial Apothecary Guild."


    It was strange seeing my life discussed by strangers, my achievements and failures cataloged and debated. But it also provided valuable insight into how the martial world perceived me.


    As I scrolled, a new post caught my eye. It had been published just hours ago and was already gaining significant attention.


    "Pyro''s Martial Artists Potential List," I read aloud.


    Sofia moved closer. "What''s that?"


    I clicked on the post, my interest piqued. "Let''s find out."


    The screen filled with aprehensive ranking of young martial artists,plete with power assessments, potential projections, and background information. Some names I recognized, others werepletely new to me.


    "This could be exactly what we need," I murmured, scrolling through the detailed analysis.


    If I wanted to build a force capable of challenging the established powers, this list might be the perfect ce to start.