## Liam''s Perspective


    My meditation deepened as I focused on the Three Pure Ancient Trees'' essence flowing through my meridians. The breakthrough yesterday had been significant, yet I knew I needed more. With each passing hour in this sealed chamber, I grew stronger, but also more restless.


    A sudden chill ran down my spine, interrupting my cultivation.


    Something wasn''t right.


    I opened my eyes, scanning the empty chamber. Nothing seemed different. The Pavilion Master''s energy seal remained intact on the door. Yet the unsettling feeling persisted.


    "Mariana," I whispered, uncertain why her name hade to my lips.


    I''d witnessed her power firsthand. She was practically invincible within the Guild''s territory. So why did I feel this creeping sense of dread?


    I stood up, stretching my limbs to shake off the difort. My spiritual senses extended outward, seeking information beyond the room''s confines.


    The barrier dampened most external energies, but I could still detect fluctuations in the Guild''s defensive formations. They felt... normal. Perhaps too normal.


    I shook my head. "Focus, Liam. You''re getting paranoid."


    Returning to my meditation mat, I tried to resume my cultivation. But the nagging feeling wouldn''t subside.


    "Just a few more days," I muttered to myself. "Then I can leave this damn room."


    I closed my eyes again, but rest wouldn''te.


    ---


    In her private chambers, Mariana Valerius set down her empty bowl. The porridge had been nd but nourishing. She nced at Tang Wei, who stood watching her with an odd intensity.


    "Is something troubling you, Elder Tang?" she asked.


    Tang quicklyposed himself. "Just concern about our defenses, Pavilion Master. With the threat increasing..."


    "Our preparations are adequate," she assured him. "Unless they bring a Martial Saint, we can hold our ground."


    Tang nodded stiffly. "I should check on the perimeter guards."


    "Yes, do that," Mariana agreed, already turning back to her reports.


    Tang bowed and backed out of the room. Once outside, he exhaled slowly, his heartbeat finally steadying. It was done. Within an hour, the Spirit Severing Pill would take effect. By midday, Mariana Valerius would be powerless.


    He hurried toward the eastern wall, where he''d arranged to meet Maxim Huxley. Sess or failure, there was no turning back now.


    ---


    The morning sun had fully risen by the time Tang reached the meeting point. Maxim was already waiting, his eyes sharp with anticipation.


    "Well?" he demanded.


    "It''s done," Tang confirmed. "She consumed all of it."


    Relief shed across Maxim''s face. "Any suspicion?"


    "None. She trusts mepletely."


    Maxim''s lips curled into a cruel smile. "Excellent. Skyler Howe and the others will arrive within two hours. By then, the pill should be in full effect."


    Tang shifted ufortably. "And the terms of our agreement?"


    "Unchanged," Maxim assured him. "You''ll be installed as Pavilion Master once we''ve secured the Guild. The Ascendant Saints Order simply requires certain... considerations in return."


    "And Liam Knight?"


    "He''ll be dealt with. The Sect Master has special ns for him."


    Tang nodded, trying to ignore the churning guilt in his stomach. One betrayal had led to another, and now there was no way out.


    "I should return," he said. "My absence might raise questions."


    "Go," Maxim agreed. "And remember – when the attack begins, ensure the internal defenses arepromised. We need a clean entry point."


    Tang turned away without responding. His path was set. Twenty-three years of resentment had finally boiled over, and there would be consequences to face.


    ---


    Elder Foster paced nervously in the small clearing a half-mile from the Guild''s outer walls. Skyler Howe stood nearby, his massive frame still as a statue, eyes fixed on the Guild in the distance.


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    "They should have signaled by now," Foster muttered.


    Skyler didn''t bother looking at him. "Patience. These things take time."


    "If this fails—"


    "It won''t," Skyler interrupted. "Dudley Lowell''s poisons never fail. It''s why the Sect Master trusts him."


    As if summoned by his name, Dudley emerged from the trees, apanied by a squad of elite cultivators from the Veridia City Martial Guild. His thin face showed no emotion, but satisfaction gleamed in his eyes.


    "Our intelligence confirms the pill has been administered," he announced. "The First Elder reports the Pavilion Master is already showing signs of weakening, though she doesn''t realize it yet."


    Skyler finally turned, his massive sword gleaming on his back. "Then we move now."


    Dudley raised an eyebrow. "The pill needs more time to—"


    "We move now," Skyler repeated firmly. "Every moment increases the risk of detection. The pill doesn''t need to be in full effect – it just needs to weaken her enough for us to overwhelm her."


    Foster looked uncertain, but Dudley merely shrugged.


    "As you wish. But remember – she must be taken alive. The Sect Master was explicit about that."


    Skyler nodded grimly. "Alive, yes. Unharmed was never specified."


    He turned to the assembled cultivators – twenty elite fighters from the Ascendant Saints Order and fifteen from the Veridia City Martial Guild.


    "Remember your objectives," hemanded. "Secure the Guild, eliminate resistance, capture the Pavilion Master. And most importantly – find Liam Knight."


    A predatory smile spread across his face. "Today, the Celestial Apothecary Guild falls."


    ---


    Mariana Valerius frowned as she reviewed the morning reports. Something felt off, though she couldn''t pinpoint what. Her spiritual energy seemed sluggish, responding slower than usual to hermands.


    Perhaps she needed rest. The past weeks had been taxing, with constant threats from multiple directions.


    A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts.


    "Enter," she called.


    A young disciple burst in, face pale with fear. "Pavilion Master! Intruders at the eastern gate! The Ascendant Saints Order has breached the outer wall!"


    Mariana rose immediately, dismissing her fatigue. "Sound the rm. Activate all defensive formations."


    The disciple bowed hastily and ran to carry out her orders.


    Mariana reached for her sword, a magnificent weapon forged from rare spirit minerals. As her fingers closed around the hilt, she felt an unusual heaviness in her limbs.


    "Strange," she murmured.


    She channeled her Inner Strength, preparing to teleport to the eastern gate. The energy responded, but weakly – like water trickling through a nearly blocked pipe.


    rm bells began to ring throughout thepound as Mariana strode from her chambers. Whatever was happening to her body would have to wait. Her Guild was under attack.


    ---


    The eastern courtyard had be a battlefield. Skyler Howe led the charge, his massive sword cleaving through the Guild''s defenders with terrifying ease. Behind him, cultivators from both the Ascendant Saints Order and the Veridia City Martial Guild poured through the breach, engaging the surprised defenders.


    "Find the Knight brat!" Skyler bellowed over the sh of weapons. "And the Pavilion Master!"


    A blinding sh of light erupted from the main hall as Mariana Valerius finally appeared. Her face was a mask of cold fury as she surveyed the carnage.


    "Skyler Howe," she said, her voice carrying across the courtyard. "You dare attack my Guild directly?"


    Skyler grinned, hefting his massive de. "Bold, isn''t it? But necessary."


    He lunged without warning, his sword trailing crimson energy. Mariana raised her hand, creating a shield of golden light to block the strike.


    The collision sent shock waves across the courtyard. Mariana staggered back – something that had never happened before in living memory.


    Skyler''s grin widened. "Not feeling yourself today, Pavilion Master?"


    Mariana narrowed her eyes. She attempted to gather her power for a counterattack, but her energy responded weakly, flowing like msses rather than the torrent it should have been.


    "What have you done?" she demanded.


    A slow p answered her. Dudley Lowell stepped forward, his thin face alight with malicious pleasure.


    "Remarkable, isn''t it?" he said conversationally. "The Spirit Severing Pill – perhaps my greatest achievement. It''s already reduced your power by half, and the effect is still growing."


    Mariana''s eyes widened in shock. "Impossible. Such a pill would need to be—"


    "Administered directly? Perhaps with your morning meal?" Dudley suggested slyly.


    Understanding dawned on Mariana''s face. "Tang Wei."


    "Twenty-three years is a long time to nurture resentment," Dudley confirmed. "Your First Elder was quite eager to help once we offered him your position."


    Fury shed in Mariana''s eyes. Despite her weakened state, the temperature around her dropped noticeably. "He will pay for his betrayal."


    "He already has," came a new voice.


    Tang Wei himself stepped forward, guilt evident in his stance despite his defiant expression. "The Guild needs new leadership – leadership that doesn''t favor outsiders over those who''ve served loyally for decades."


    Mariana''s gaze could have frozen fire. "You fool. They''re using you."


    Tang flinched but held his ground. "Perhaps. But my decision is made."


    Skyler stepped forward again, his massive sword pointed at Mariana''s heart. "By now, the pill has reduced your strength to barely thirty percent of its peak. You cannot hope to defeat us all."


    Mariana straightened her shoulders. Even at a fraction of her power, shemanded respect. "You underestimate me, Skyler Howe."


    "Do I?" He smirked. "Then prove me wrong."


    Golden light zed around Mariana as she summoned what remained of her power. Even diminished, she was formidable. With a gesture, she sent three attackers flying backward.


    But for every one she struck down, two more advanced. Her movements, normally fluid and lightning-fast, had be noticeably slower.


    Dudley watched the battle with clinical interest. "Fascinating. She''spensating for the energy loss by maximizing efficiency. Most impressive."


    After ten minutes of intensebat, the oue was bing clear. Mariana stood in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by fallen enemies – but she was visibly weakening. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her breathing had grownbored.


    Skyler approached slowly, confidence in every step. "Yield, Pavilion Master. This battle is over."


    Mariana''s eyes burned with defiance. "The Celestial Apothecary Guild does not surrender to thugs."


    "Perhaps this will change your mind," Dudley said, producing another jade box. "The antidote to the Spirit Severing Pill."


    Hope flickered briefly in Mariana''s eyes before suspicion reced it. "What''s your price?"


    Dudley smiled thinly. "Just one simple thing. Tell us where Liam Knight is hidden, and surrender him to us."


    Mariana''s expression hardened instantly. "Never."


    "Then you condemn yourself to a slow death," Dudley replied calmly. "Without the antidote, your spiritual core will suffer permanent damage within twenty-four hours."


    "I''ve lived a long life," Mariana said firmly. "I won''t betray my word for a few more years."


    Dudley sighed dramatically. "How noble. And how wasteful."


    He turned to Skyler. "Search thepound. Find the Knight boy. He''s here somewhere."


    Mariana''s hand tightened on her sword. Even weakened, she remained between them and the path to my hidden chamber.


    "You''ll have to kill me first," she stated simply.


    Skyler''s eyes narrowed. "That can be arranged."