## Liam''s Perspective
The morning light filtered through the windows as I examined the newly updated martial arts leaderboards outside the Martial Guild headquarters. A small crowd had gathered, pointing and whispering about the significant changes.
"Still can''t believe they actually did this," muttered a young cultivator beside me.
I studied the main list carefully. Ignazio Bellweather and Jackson Harding remained firmly at the top – no surprise there. The true masters of our world, untouchable legends few had ever seen inbat. What caught my attention was the absence of several names I knew to be powerful figures.
My gaze shifted to the separate boardbeled "Young Masters Ranking." There I found my own name at fourth position. Above me were Dominic Ashworth at first, ise Rostova second, and Daphne Grenville third.
And there, at the tenth position, was a name that made my jaw clench: Dudley Lowell.
"That bastard made the list?" I whispered under my breath.
A man standing nearby noticed my reaction. "You know Lowell? Word is he''s been training like a man possessed since some humiliation a few months back."
I knew exactly what humiliation he meant. I had delivered it personally.
"Rankings don''t tell the whole story," I replied neutrally.
The man nodded. "Truth. Half these people haven''t fought openly in years. Who knows what their real strength is?"
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As I walked away from the boards, my mind raced with calctions. The uing Guild event was both opportunity and danger. I needed greater strength – not just to rank higher, but to find and free Isabelle from wherever they were keeping her.
Three months had passed since her abduction. Three months of her suffering while I struggled to locate her within the Guild''s maze of hidden facilities.
My fists clenched at my sides. "Hold on, Isabelle," I whispered. "I''ming for you."
---
Across the city in the secure heart of the Martial Guild, Corbin Ashworth mmed his fist on the polished oak table.
"You promised me results, Bancroft!" he shouted, face flushed with anger. "Knight should be dead by now! Instead, he''s fourth on your damned leaderboard!"
Darian Bancroft maintained hisposure despite Corbin''s outburst. "The situation has... evolved since our initial agreement. Davenport''s interferenceplicates matters."
"Complications?" Corbin sneered. "I don''t pay you forplications. I pay for solutions!"
"And solutions you shall have," Bancroft replied smoothly. "Knight''s position on the leaderboard is actually part of our strategy."
"What strategy? Letting him grow stronger while he threatens my family?" Corbin''s voice rose even higher.
A younger man who had been quietly observing from a corner chair spoke up. "Your family? That''s amusing."
Corbin whirled to face the stranger. "Who the hell are you to speak to me that way?"
The young man smiled coldly. "Just an observer. But I find it interesting how desperately you im ownership of a family that barely acknowledges your leadership."
"Careful," Bancroft warned the young man, but his tonecked conviction.
Corbin''s face darkened. "I am the head of the Ashworth Family! My word isw!"
"Is it?" The young man stood, approaching with casual confidence. "I''ve heard differently. Your martial artists don''t answer to you, do they? They remain loyal to old Michael and his precious granddaughter."
The room went deadly silent. This was information few outside the family should know.
"How do you..." Corbin began, then stopped himself.
"How do I know?" The young man circled Corbin like a predator. "I make it my business to know who truly holds power. And you, Corbin Ashworth, are merely a figurehead."
Corbin''s hand trembled with rage. "Bancroft, who is this insolent pup?"
Bancroft sighed. "An associate with... specialized knowledge. His methods are unorthodox but effective."
"You''ve been buying bodyguards," the young man continued, ignoring the question. "Three in the past week alone. You''re terrified Knight wille for you. And why? Because you know you can''tmand your family''s true strength to protect you."
Corbin''s face paled. "That''s enough!"
"Is it?" The young man leaned closer. "Your own son despises you. Your brother''s ghost haunts every decision you make. And Isabelle, even imprisoned,mands more respect than you ever will. It must burn you to know that."
The words cut like knives, exposing truths Corbin had desperately tried to hide.
"I''ve heard enough of this nonsense," Corbin said, standing abruptly. He red at the young man, fists clenched at his sides. "Are you looking for death?"
---
Back in my temporary quarters at the Celestial Apothecary Guild, I prepared for the day''s training. The uing qualifications would test every aspect of my cultivation.
A soft knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.
"Enter," I called.
Mariana stepped in, her expression grim. "I have news about the Guild''s internal structure."
My attention sharpened instantly. "Anything that might lead to Isabelle?"
"Perhaps." Sheid out several documents on my table. "My sources identified three high-security facilities where they might be holding her. Each is disguised as something else – a training ground, a resource vault, and a medical research center."
I studied the crude maps she''d brought. "The medical center seems most likely."
"That was my thought as well." Mariana tapped the location. "But it''s also the most heavily guarded."
"Can we infiltrate it?"
She shook her head. "Not directly. But there''s another opportunity." She pulled out a scroll bearing the Martial Guild''s seal. "This details the prize for the top three finishers in their new ranking system – including ess to their ''advanced medical cultivation chamber.''"
My heart raced. "That has to be it."
"Possibly. But Liam..." Her voice softened. "Thispetition is designed to break you. The challenges grow increasingly dangerous with each rank advancement."
I met her concerned gaze with determination. "Then I''ll just have to be more dangerous."
"There''s something else you should know," Mariana added hesitantly. "Corbin Ashworth has been making moves. Hiring protection, reaching out to mercenaries with... specific skillsets."
"He''s afraid," I said with grim satisfaction.
"Yes, but a cornered rat is most dangerous. He''s desperate to maintain his position within the Ashworth Family."
I raised an eyebrow. "His position?"
Mariana smiled thinly. "Let''s just say not everyone in the Ashworth household recognizes his authority. The family''s true strength – their elite cultivators and hidden masters – they answer only to Michael Ashworth and, by extension, Isabelle."
This was valuable information. "So Corbin''s power is mostly illusion?"
"A carefully maintained one." She nodded. "Without the Guild''s backing, he''s vulnerable. It exins his frantic efforts to eliminate you."
I absorbed this revtion, seeing new possibilities. "If Michael Ashworth doesn''t support Corbin''s vendetta against me..."
"Then you might find unexpected allies within the family," Mariana finished my thought. "Especially among those loyal to Isabelle."
The pieces were finallying together. The Guild, the rankings, Corbin''s desperation – all connected threads in the web I needed to navigate to reach Isabelle.
"When do the qualification rounds begin?" I asked.
"Tomorrow at dawn." Mariana studied my face. "You''re certain about this path?"
I nodded, my resolve hardening like steel. "I''ll climb their rankings, enter their fortress, and tear down their walls if necessary."
For Isabelle, I would walk into the dragon''s den itself.
And if Dudley Lowell stood in my path – all the better. Some debts remained to be paid.
"Prepare your resources," I told Mariana. "When I find Isabelle, we''ll need to move quickly."
The sun was setting outside my window, painting the sky in shades of crimson and gold. Somewhere in this city, behind walls and barriers, Isabelle was waiting.
And nothing – not rankings, not the Guild, not Corbin Ashworth''s schemes – would stop me from reaching her.
"Tomorrow," I whispered to the fading light, "it begins."