Liam''s Perspective
The energy inside the Hydrating Tower swirled around me like a living entity. Three days had passed since I''d entered this sanctuary, and every cell in my body hummed with newfound power. I''d pushed through to Grandmaster of the Fifth Rank now—my advancement elerating beyond anything I''d experienced before.
A peaceful smile touched my lips as I cultivated in silence. The outside world seemed distant, irrelevantpared to the transformation happening within me. My Divine Dragon Power roared through my meridians, strengthening with each passing hour.
Little did I know that outside these walls, a storm was brewing. A storm with my name at its center.
---
Dudley Lowell paced his luxurious hotel suite, his footsteps heavy against the polished floor. Morning sunlight streamed through the windows, marking the third day since he''d issued his challenge. Liam Knight had not appeared.
"Perfect," Dudley muttered, a cruel smile forming on his lips.
He paused at the window, looking out over Eldoria City. The skyscrapers gleamed in the morning light, unaware of the violence about to unfold. Roderick ckthorne''s words echoed in his mind—the offer that had changed everything.
"The duel with Knight is merely a formality," Roderick had told him the night before. "My son Dashiell has unfinished business with him. We prefer Knight enters that confrontation... diminished."
"What exactly are you asking of me?" Dudley had questioned.
"Break him," Roderick''s cold voice had replied. "Cripple his cultivation. The ckthorne family will ensure your family''s rise in return."
The offer was too good to refuse. Alliance with one of the Four Great Families of Veridia City meant power, influence, and wealth beyond his wildest dreams.
The clock chimed noon. The deadline had arrived.
Dudley adjusted his tie and summoned his assistant. "Gather the reporters. It''s time to make good on my promise."
---
Conrad Thornton sat in his office, fingers drumming nervously against his mahogany desk. Reports spread across the surface—reports of Liam''s continued absence and Dudley''s mounting threats.
"Sir," his assistant announced from the doorway, "the deadline has passed."
Conrad''s weathered face tightened. "And still no word from Mr. Knight?" <cite ss="story-note-vis">Cоntеnt prеsеntеd by МV|LЕМР|YR.</cite>
"None, sir. Our sources report he hasn''t been seen anywhere in the city."
Conrad gazed at the portrait of histe father hanging on the wall. The old man seemed to look back with disappointment. The Thornton legacy—built on strength and honor—now hung by a thread.
"Keep trying to reach him," Conrad ordered, his voice strained. "And double our security. If Lowell makes good on his threats, we could be first on his list."
---
Dudley stood before a crowd of reporters in the central za of Eldoria. Cameras shed as he raised his hands for silence.
"Three days ago, I challenged Liam Knight to face me in honorablebat," he announced, his voice carrying across the square. "Three days have passed, and the coward remains hidden."
Murmurs spread through the crowd. Some were martial artists who had witnessed Liam''s previous victories, now confused by his absence.
"I''m a man of my word," Dudley continued, his tone hardening. "Since Knight refuses to face me himself, I will be forced to seek satisfaction elsewhere."
A reporter raised her hand. "Mr. Lowell, are you threatening violence against innocent parties?"
Dudley''s smile was cold. "Not innocent, no. Those who allied themselves with a fraud must bear the consequences of that choice."
Another reporter pushed forward. "Can you be specific about your intentions?"
"Watch the news tonight," Dudley replied enigmatically. "My actions will speak clearly enough."
As he stepped away from the microphones, his phone buzzed with a message from Roderick ckthorne: "Make it brutal. Make it public. We want Knight distracted and desperate when he finally emerges."
Dudley typed back a simple reply: "Consider it done."
---
Night fell over Eldoria like a shroud. In his secluded mansion on the city''s outskirts, Jaelen Wyatt of the Pierce Family was finishing his evening meal. As one of the Four Great Families of Eldoria, the Pierce namemanded respect throughout the region.
Jaelen dabbed his lips with a napkin and turned to his butler. "Any word about this Knight situation? The whole city seems obsessed with it."
"Nothing new, sir," the butler replied. "The deadline passed at noon. There are rumors of threatened repercussions."
Jaelen waved dismissively. "Thuggish behavior from nouveau riche upstarts. It hardly concerns us."
Just then, the lights flickered and went out. The mansion plunged into darkness.
"Check the breakers," Jaelen ordered, annoyed but unconcerned.
The butler never made it to the door. A sickening crack echoed through the room, followed by the sound of his body hitting the floor.
"Who''s there?" Jaelen demanded, rising to his feet, summoning his qi to protect himself.
A figure materialized from the shadows. "The nouveau riche upstart," Dudley Lowell announced, his voice eerily calm. "Here with a message for Liam Knight."
Jaelen''s hands trembled slightly. "I barely know Knight. We''ve met only in passing."
"You''ve supported establishments he frequents," Dudley replied. "You''ve spoken well of him in social circles. That makes you part of hiswork."
"This is madness," Jaelen protested, backing away. "The Pierce Family has powerful allies—"
"None as powerful as those backing me," Dudley interrupted, advancing. "Nothing personal, Jaelen. You''re simply the first example."
The fightsted less than a minute. Despite his status, Jaelen was only at Martial Master rank—no match for Dudley''s half-step Martial Marquis power. His death was swift but brutal.
Afterward, Dudley arranged the body carefully, ensuring it would be found exactly as he intended. On the wall, written in Jaelen''s blood: "Knight''s cowardice has consequences."
---
The next morning, Eldoria awoke to shocking headlines. "PIERCE FAMILY HEIR MURDERED!" screamed the front pages. The gruesome details of the killing sent ripples of fear throughout the city''s elite circles.
By mid-morning, the head of the Alcott Family—another of the Four Great Families—was also found dead in his home, the same bloody message left at the scene.
Panic spread through Eldoria''s upper echelons. Two patriarchs of Great Families, killed within hours of each other. The connection to Liam Knight was explicit and threatening.
---
In the Thornton estate, Conrad sat in his secure room, surrounded by his most trusted guards. Uncle Armando, his elderly steward, wrung his hands nervously.
"Master Conrad, please reconsider," the old man pleaded. "Three of the Four Great Families have been targeted. We''re clearly next."
Conrad''s lined face was grim. "You''re suggesting I run? Abandon the estate my grandfather built?"
"It''s not abandonment—it''s tactical retreat," Armando insisted. "Just until Knight returns, or until other help arrives."
Sofia Carrera, the head of Conrad''s security team, stepped forward. "Sir, we''ve doubled the guards, but if Lowell is truly at half-step Martial Marquis, our defenses won''t hold."
Conrad looked up at the portrait of his father again. The old man had never retreated from a fight, never shown weakness.
"Liam Knight stood by me when others wouldn''t," Conrad said quietly. "He risked himself for my family. I won''t be the first to abandon him."
"But sir—" Armando began.
"Wait a little longer," Conrad interrupted, his voice firm despite the fear in his eyes. "Just a little longer. Liam wille."
Outside the estate, shadows moved in the gathering darkness. Dudley Lowell watched from across the street, calcting his approach. The Thornton Family would fall tonight—another message written in blood for Liam Knight to find when he finally emerged from hiding.
"Your move, Knight," Dudley whispered to the night. "How many more will die before you show your face?"