Liam''s Perspective
I emerged from deep meditation with a gasp. The spiritual energy surrounding the Three Pure Ancient Trees had be so dense it felt like breathing underwater. My meridians hummed with power, and my dantian pulsed with newfound strength.
"Four days," I muttered, checking my internal clock. I had been in meditation for four straight days.
The transformation within my body was remarkable. My pathways had widened dramatically, allowing spiritual energy to flow like rivers rather than streams. I estimated I had advanced at least thirty percent toward the half-step Martial Marquis realm.
Not enough. Not nearly enough.
Standing, I stretched my stiff muscles and moved between the three glowing trees. Their light had dimmed slightly during my cultivation session. Even these legendary nts had limits to their output.
"I need to pace myself," I decided. The trees needed time to recover, and I needed to process the energy I''d already absorbed.
I left the inner chamber and headed for the main warehouse door. After days in istion, I needed information. What was happening outside? What deal had Mariana struck that gave me only one month?
The warehouse door swung open before I reached it. Mariana Valerius stood in the entrance, her small frame silhouetted against the light.
"Perfect timing," she said, gesturing for me to follow. "Walk with me."
Her expression was grim, lips pressed in a thin line. Bad news wasing.
"Has something happened?" I asked, falling into step beside her.
"Many things," she replied. "None of them good."
We crossed the courtyard in silence. Disciples bowed respectfully as we passed, but I noticed the worried nces they exchanged. Tension hung in the air like a physical presence.
Mariana led me to her private study, a modest room filled with scrolls and texts. Once inside, she activated a privacy formation with a casual wave of her hand.
"The Ascendant Saints Order has made their move," she said without preamble. "They''ve issued a public ultimatum."
My stomach tightened. "What kind of ultimatum?"
"The worst kind." She handed me a scroll bearing the distinctive mark of The Warrior''s Scroll, the most widely circted news publication in the region.
The headline made my blood run cold:
"ASCENDANT SAINTS ORDER ISSUES ULTIMATUM TO CELESTIAL APOTHECARY GUILD - SURRENDER LIAM KNIGHT OR FACE CONSEQUENCES"
"This is... public?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Very public," Mariana confirmed. "They''ve forced our hand. By making this deration known to everyone, they''ve ensured we cannot simply ignore it."
I scanned the text quickly. The Order demanded my surrender within three days, iming I had "grievously injured an elder" and "stolen secret techniques." Both usations were twists of the truth – Elder Foster had attacked me, and I had developed my own alchemy methods.
"What are our options?" I asked.
Mariana''sugh was bitter. "Limited. We could surrender you, which I won''t do. We could fight, which would mean war with the most powerful sect in the region. Or we could negotiate, which requires leverage we don''t currently possess."
"I could leave," I suggested. "Remove myself from the equation."
"And go where?" she challenged. "With this public deration, every mercenary and bounty hunter in three provinces will be looking for you. The Ascendant Saints Order has painted a target on your back that will follow you everywhere."
She was right. Running wasn''t an option.
"There''s more," Mariana continued. "Our herb reserves are critically low. I''ve had to announce a temporary closure of the Guild to external customers. We''re essentially under siege before the first blow has even been struck."
I sat heavily in a nearby chair. "This is my fault."
"No," she said sharply. "This is about power and control. You''re just the excuse. The Ascendant Saints Order has been looking for ways to diminish our influence for years."
"But I elerated the timeline," I countered.
Mariana didn''t deny it. "We adapt to the circumstances we''re given. Now, tell me about your progress."
I straightened my shoulders. "I''ve advanced about thirty percent toward half-step Martial Marquis."
"In four days?" Her eyebrows rose. "Impressive, but not enough."
"I know," I admitted. "At this rate, I''ll need at least three more weeks to reach the realm."
"We don''t have three weeks," she said grimly. "We have three days ording to their ultimatum."
The weight of responsibility pressed down on me. Disciples would die if I failed. The Guild itself might fall.
"There must be a way to elerate my progress," I insisted.
Mariana hesitated, her eyes calcting. "There is one possibility, but it''s extremely dangerous. The Soul Refinement Elixir."
I knew of this legendary pill from ancient texts. It forced open meridians andpressed decades of cultivation into days. But the risks were catastrophic.
"Doesn''t that kill most cultivators who attempt it?" I asked.
"Eighty percent mortality rate," she confirmed bluntly. "And those who survive often suffer permanent spiritual damage."
"Not eptable," I said firmly. "I need to be stronger after this, not crippled."
Mariana nodded, seemingly pleased by my response. "Good. I wouldn''t have allowed it anyway. There are no shortcuts to true power, Liam."
---
In Veridia City, Dudley Lowell paced his small room restlessly. The voice had fallen silent after their initial contact, but its offer lingered in his mind like poison.
"Power beyond my wildest dreams," he whispered to himself.
His hands still shook when he thought about Liam Knight. Thatmoner, that nobody, had humiliated him repeatedly. First by surviving his assassination attempt, then by publicly defeating him, and finally by stealing his position at the Celestial Apothecary Guild.
"He''s probably advancing rapidly," Dudley muttered bitterly. "While I''m stuck here, unable to break through."
A knock at his door interrupted his dark thoughts.
"Enter," he called.
A junior disciple stepped inside, bowing respectfully. "Senior Lowell, Sect Master Hale requests your presence in the main hall immediately."
Dudley frowned. What could Josiah Hale want with him? The Sect Master rarely dealt directly with junior members.
He straightened his robes and followed the messenger through the sprawlingplex of the Ascendant Saints Order. The main hall was imposing, with towering pirs carved with scenes of the sect''s glorious history.
Sect Master Josiah Hale sat on a raised dais, speaking with Grand Elder Maxwell. Three other figures stood nearby – Corbin Ashworth, Roderick ckthorne, and Emerson Holmes. The three most powerful men in Veridia City.
Dudley''s heart raced. Something significant was happening.
"Ah, young Lowell," Josiah Hale called. "Come forward."
Dudley approached and bowed deeply. "Sect Master, you summoned me?"
"Indeed." Josiah''s eyes were sharp, assessing. "You have personal experience with Liam Knight. Tell these gentlemen what you know of him."
Dudley straightened, eager to please these powerful men. "He''s dangerous but untrained. He possesses unusual spiritual energy and some skill in alchemy, but hisbat abilities are limited. His real strength is his connection to Pavilion Master Valerius."
"And what of his temperament?" Emerson Holmes asked. <em ss="in-imprint-a">Please read this chapter on its original tform—*.</em>
"Arrogant," Dudley spat. "He pretends humility but believes himself superior to everyone. He''s vengeful, too. He never forgives a slight."
Corbin Ashworth snorted. "Amoner with delusions of grandeur. Typical."
"Do not underestimate him," Roderick ckthorne cautioned. "My son made that mistake."
The room fell silent at the reference to Dashiell ckthorne, who had been thoroughly defeated by me at the ill-fated wedding.
"Our ultimatum goes public today," Josiah Hale said. "The Warrior''s Scroll will carry it to every corner of the region by nightfall."
"A bold move," Emerson Holmes observed. "Mariana Valerius will not take this challenge lightly."
"Let her rage," Corbin Ashworth dismissed. "The woman needs to be put in her ce. She''s forgotten that the Celestial Apothecary Guild exists by our tolerance."
Roderick ckthorne frowned. "Her connections extend beyond our borders. There could be...plications."
"What sort ofplications?" Josiah Hale asked, suddenly alert.
"Rumors suggest she trained in the Southern Continent," ckthorne said carefully. "If true, she may have powerful allies we cannot see."
Corbin Ashworth waved a dismissive hand. "Southern Continent nonsense. If such allies existed, why haven''t they shown themselves?"
"Perhaps they haven''t needed to," Holmes suggested. "Until now."
The implications hung in the air. The Southern Continent was home to cultivators of legendary power, far beyond what wasmonly seen in their region.
"Regardless," Josiah Hale said firmly, "we havemitted to this course. The ultimatum stands."
"And what of Liam Knight when you have him?" Dudley asked, unable to contain himself.
All eyes turned to him, and he instantly regretted speaking out of turn.
"That," Josiah Hale said coldly, "is not your concern."
"Your only task," Grand Elder Maxwell added, "is to assist in identifying him when the timees. Nothing more."
Dudley bowed his head, properly chastised. But inside, frustration burned. They would capture Liam Knight and do what? Imprison him? Kill him quickly? Neither option satisfied Dudley''s need for revenge.
The voice''s offer echoed in his mind again. Power to kill Liam himself. Power to watch the light fade from those arrogant eyes.
"You''re dismissed, Lowell," Josiah Hale said, already turning back to the three city leaders.
Dudley bowed and backed away. As he left the hall, he made his decision.
"Yes," he whispered to the empty corridor. "Give me the power. I ept your offer."
A cold chuckle tickled the back of his mind. "Excellent choice."
---
Back at the Celestial Apothecary Guild, disciples gathered in small groups, whispering anxiously. The public ultimatum had spread through the city like wildfire. Everyone had seen the deration on The Warrior''s Scroll.
"What will be of us?" a young alchemist asked her senior.
The older woman shook her head. "Have faith in the Pavilion Master. She won''t abandon us."
"But can she stand against the Ascendant Saints Order? They have seventeen Martial Marquises and two Martial Saints!"
"Numbers aren''t everything in battle," the senior replied, but doubt clouded her eyes.
Throughout thepound, simr conversations yed out. Faith in Mariana Valerius warred with the reality of their situation. The Guild was outnumbered, under-resourced, and publicly challenged.
In her private chamber, Mariana stood before a small shrine. A single candle illuminated an ancient jade tablet inscribed with unfamiliar characters.
"I had hoped to avoid this," she whispered to the tablet. "To keep my oath."
She knelt and pressed her forehead to the cold stone floor.
"But I may have no choice but to call upon you. The boy is special, just as you predicted. If he falls, everything we''ve worked for is lost."
The candle me flickered as if in response, casting eerie shadows across the walls.
"Three days," Mariana murmured, rising to her feet. "Three days to prepare for war."
As the ultimatum spread across the region, all eyes turned toward theing conflict. The Ascendant Saints Order had thrown down the gauntlet. The Celestial Apothecary Guild had to respond.
And I, Liam Knight, had be the focal point of a storm that threatened to engulf us all.