## Liam''s Perspective


    The silence of the Celestial Apothecary Guild''s meditation chamber wrapped around me like a nket. My eyes remained closed as I focused on stabilizing the surging energy within my body. The battle at the Ascendant Saints Order had pushed me to my limits.


    Mymunication crystal suddenly pulsed. I opened my eyes and activated it.


    "Liam, you absolute madman." It was Elder Zhou, his voice uncharacteristically shaken. "The news is spreading everywhere. Ten half-step Martial Marquises... defeated by you alone?"


    "Not exactly alone," I admitted, thinking of the Dragon''s power coursing through me during that fight. "But they won''t be a problem anymore."


    Elder Zhouughed nervously. "You''ve set the entire cultivation world on fire. Every major family is scrambling to figure out what to do about you."


    I rose from my meditation cushion. "Let them scramble. I need to prepare."


    "For what exactly?"


    "September 9th," I said. "Isabelle''s wedding day."


    The crystal went silent for a moment. "Liam... every powerful family in Veridia City will be there. It''s suicide."


    I ended themunication without responding. Elder Zhou didn''t understand. Nothing would stop me from reaching Isabelle.


    A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. "Enter."


    Elder Lin stepped in, her usually stern face creased with unusual concern. "The Guild Council requests your presence."


    I followed her through the grand hallways of the Celestial Apothecary Guild. Disciples stopped and stared as I passed. News traveled fast in the cultivation world.


    The Council Chamber doors opened to reveal all seven remaining elders seated in a semicircle. The eighth seat – Mariana''s – stood empty.


    Elder Wei, the oldest among them, spoke first. "Liam Knight. Is it true you publicly dered a life-and-death feud with the Ascendant Saints Order?"


    "It is."


    "And you also threatened the ckthorne heir with death?"


    "If he attempts to marry Isabelle Ashworth," I confirmed, "yes."


    The elders exchanged nces. Elder Lin shook her head disapprovingly.


    "You realize," said Elder Wei, "that you''ve ced our guild in an extremely difficult position. We''re already weakened with Pavilion Master Valerius absent."


    I met his gaze directly. "I never asked the guild to fight my battles."


    "But your battles have be our battles," Elder Feng cut in. "The Ascendant Saints Order is already demanding we hand you over."


    I remained silent, evaluating each elder''s expression. Most seemed concerned, but not hostile.


    "And what did you tell them?" I finally asked.


    Elder Wei''s lips curved into a slight smile. "We told them to go to hell, of course."


    Tension I hadn''t realized I was carrying eased from my shoulders.


    "The Celestial Apothecary Guild does not abandon its own," Elder Lin stated firmly. "But we need to know your n for the Pavilion Master."


    "I''ll rescue her after I deal with the ckthorne situation," I exined. "ording to my information, she''s currently under Guild protection, not immediate danger."


    "And you believe striking during Isabelle Ashworth''s wedding is wise?" Elder Wei asked.


    "It''s not about wisdom," I said simply. "It''s about necessity."


    The discussion continued for another hour. The elders provided intelligence, resources, and eventually, their reluctant blessing. Not that I needed it, but their support meant I wouldn''t be fightingpletely alone.


    ---


    After the meeting, I retreated to the alchemyboratory. I needed to brew recovery pills for whaty ahead. As I crushed herbs with a mortar and pestle, my mind drifted to Isabelle.


    Was she thinking of me? Was she afraid? The thought of her being forced into marriage with that arrogant bastard Dashiell made my blood boil.


    "Your energy is unstable," said a voice behind me. "You''ll ruin those herbs."


    I turned to see Elder Lin watching me from the doorway.


    "I''ve brought something for you," she said, approaching with a small wooden box. "The guild doesn''t give these lightly."


    Inside the boxy three translucent pills, each glowing with an inner light.


    "Breakthrough Pills," she exined. "They might help you reach true half-step Martial Marquis before your confrontation."


    I stared at the pills in shock. These were worth a fortune.


    "Why?" I asked.


    "Because Mariana believed in you," she said simply. "And because what you''re attempting is either the bravest or most foolish thing I''ve ever witnessed. Either way, it deserves some recognition." <i ss="meta-ref-static">Read ahead and get updates by visiting *.</i>


    She left me alone with the pills and my thoughts.


    ---


    For the next three days, I pushed my body to its absolute limits. Training, meditation, alchemical enhancement – anything to squeeze out everyst drop of power before the confrontation.


    On the evening of the third day, exhausted and drenched in sweat, I sat cross-legged in the center of a formation circle. The three Breakthrough Pillsy before me.


    I took a deep breath and swallowed the first pill.


    The effect was immediate and violent. Power surged through my meridians like liquid fire. I gritted my teeth against the pain, forcing my body to absorb rather than reject the energy.


    The second pill followed an hourter, pushing me dangerously close to energy overload. My skin glowed with golden light as the Dragon''s power responded to the influx of energy.


    By midnight, I was ready for the third pill. This would either push me to breakthrough or kill me in the attempt.


    As the final pill dissolved, I felt something crack within me – not physically, but a barrier in my cultivation that had been holding me back. Power flooded through the breach, transforming me from within.


    When I opened my eyes again, the room around me had changed. My perception had sharpened to an impossible degree. I could feel the individual energy signatures of insects crawling on the walls outside.


    I had broken through to true half-step Martial Marquis.


    A knock at the door interrupted my wonder.


    "Enter," I called, my voice stronger than before.


    Elder Zhou stepped in, his eyes widening at the sight of me. "You''ve broken through."


    I nodded, rising to my feet. I felt lighter, stronger.


    "Good timing," he said. "Because I''ve just received disturbing news from our spies in Veridia City."


    My focus sharpened instantly. "Tell me."


    "The ckthorne family has struck a deal with Emerson Holmes of the Martial Guild. They''re using a forbidden technique to temporarily boost Dashiell''s power to Martial Marquis level for the wedding day."


    I absorbed this information calmly. "They''re that afraid of me?"


    "It gets worse," Elder Zhou continued. "Corbin Ashworth has arranged an ambush. He''s stationed forces throughout the city, ready to strike when you show yourself."


    I walked to the window, looking out at the night sky. Two days remained until the wedding.


    "They''re preparing for war," I said quietly.


    "And you''re still going?"


    I turned back to Elder Zhou. "Of course. But I won''t be walking into their trap blindly."


    ---


    Thousands of miles away, in the ruins of what was once the Ascendant Saints Order, a lone figure walked through the devastation.


    Josiah Hale, one of the three Supreme Elders of the Order, surveyed the destruction with cold fury. Bodies of disciplesy scattered among the rubble. Ancient artifacts, treasured for generations, reduced to worthless shards.


    All because of one man.


    An injured disciple approached him cautiously. "Supreme Elder, we''ve recovered Elder Foster''s body from the eastern courtyard."


    Josiah barely acknowledged the information. His eyes remained fixed on the massive crater where the Great Hall had once stood.


    "How?" he whispered, more to himself than to the disciple. "How could one man do this?"


    "He... he wasn''t normal," the disciple stammered. "His body glowed with golden light. He shattered the four Martial Marquis Weapons like they were nothing."


    Josiah''s fist clenched so tightly that blood dripped from his palm. Five hundred years of history destroyed in a single day. Hundreds of disciples dead or scattered. The Ascendant Saints Order – once among the most prestigious sects in the region – reduced to ruins.


    "Bring me everything we have on Liam Knight," hemanded. "Every scrap of information, every rumor, every witness ount."


    As the disciple hurried away, Josiah knelt and picked up a fragment of the ancient bronze bell – one of the shattered Martial Marquis Weapons. Even its remnants hummed with power.


    "From today onwards," he vowed, his voice resonating with cold hatred, "I will personally capture Liam Knight. I will break his body and soul. I will make him beg for death a thousand times before I grant it."


    The fragment in his hand crumbled to dust as his power surged with his rage.


    "This I swear on the blood of our fallen brothers and sisters."


    The words hung in the air like a physical presence, a vow of vengeance that would soon set in motion events that would shake the very foundations of the cultivation world.