## Liam''s Perspective


    The massive headquarters of the Veridia City Martial Guild loomed ahead. I watched from a safe distance as Corbin Ashworth strode through the main entrance, nked by two guards. His face wore the perpetual scowl I''de to associate with the man.


    Something was happening. Why would Isabelle''s uncle visit the Guild now, just before the trials?


    "You shouldn''t be this close," a familiar voice whispered beside me.


    I turned to face The Man with the Mustache, his trademark facial hair twitching nervously.


    "I need to track his movements," I replied. "He might lead me to Isabelle."


    "Or lead you straight into a trap." He tugged my arm, pulling me deeper into the shadows of the alleyway. "I have information. You won''t like it."


    My heart quickened. "About Isabelle?"


    He nodded grimly. "I found where they''re keeping her."


    "Where?" I demanded, gripping his shoulders.


    "Easy!" he winced. "The ck Prison. It''s the Guild''s most secure facility."


    The name meant nothing to me. "How do I get in?"


    The Man with the Mustache shook his head. "That''s the problem. The walls are made of ck Gold Stone."


    "What''s that?"


    "The rarest defensive material in our world. Nearly indestructible. It absorbs and nullifies spiritual energy attacks. Physical strength is useless against it too."


    My hope plummeted. "There has to be a way to break it."


    "Only one thing can counter ck Gold Stone – Golden Feather Stone. And that''s even rarer."


    I cursed under my breath. Every path to Isabelle seemed blocked by insurmountable obstacles.


    "How did you discover this?" I asked.


    He fidgeted with his mustache. "Paid informants inside the Guild. Nearly got caught. They''ve tripled security everywhere."


    I stared back at the Guild building, feeling a crushing sense of helplessness. How could I rescue Isabelle from an unbreakable prison?


    "The rankingpetition," I muttered. "It might be my only chance to get inside."


    "That''s suicide," he replied. "They''re expecting you."


    I knew he was right, but what choice did I have?


    ---


    Inside the Guild''s executive wing, Corbin Ashworth followed Darian Bancroft down a narrow corridor lit by softly glowing spirit stones.


    "This better be worth my time," Corbinined. "I have other matters to attend to."


    "I assure you," Bancroft replied smoothly, "what I''m about to show you will ease your concerns considerably."


    They descended a spiral staircase that seemed to burrow impossibly deep into the earth. The temperature dropped with each step.


    "Where are we going?" Corbin demanded as they passed the fourth underground level.


    "The ck Prison," Bancroft replied. "I thought you might appreciate seeing our security measures firsthand."


    Corbin''s expression darkened. "I don''t need a tour. I need guarantees that Knight won''t be a problem again."


    "The two are connected," Bancroft said, pausing before a massive door carved from gleaming ck stone. He ced his palm against its surface, and the door silently swung open.


    Inside stretched a long corridor lined with cells. The walls shimmed with an unnatural luster, absorbing the light around them.


    "ck Gold Stone," Bancroft exined, tapping the wall. "Completely impervious to spiritual energy attacks. We reserve this facility for our most valuable... assets."


    Corbin nodded appreciatively. "Impressive. And my niece?"


    Bancroft led him past several empty cells to one near the end of the corridor. Inside, a slender figure sat motionless on a simple bed.


    "Isabelle," Corbin called out, his voice echoing in the confined space.


    She looked up, her once vibrant eyes now dull with exhaustion. Her face, still beautiful, was drawn and pale.


    "Uncle," she acknowledged tly. No hint of emotion crossed her features.


    "You look terrible," Corbin remarked without sympathy.


    "The extraction process is... demanding," Bancroft interjected. "But her bloodline regenerates remarkably well."


    Isabelle stared at her uncle. "Have youe to gloat?"


    "I''vee to ensure my investment is secure," Corbin replied coldly. "The family needs stability. Your little rebellion with Knight threatened everything we''ve built."


    A flicker of defiance crossed her face. "You mean everything you''ve stolen."


    Corbin''s lips tightened. "Childish usations won''t change your situation. ept your fate, Isabelle. You''re serving a greater purpose now."


    "If grandfather knew—"


    "Michael is gone," Corbin snapped. "And his outdated sentimentality with him."


    Isabelle fell silent, turning her face away.


    "Let''s continue," Bancroft suggested, guiding Corbin away from the cell. "I have something else to show you."


    They walked deeper into the facility, passing cells containing various prisoners. Most looked broken, their spirits crushed by confinement.


    Chapter provided via *.


    "Here''s what you came for," Bancroft said, stopping before a cell housing a burly man with a long scar across his face.


    The prisoner rose, muscled arms crossed over his chest. "This the client?"


    "Corbin Ashworth," Bancroft confirmed. "Head of the Ashworth Family."


    "Not exactly what I pictured," the prisoner remarked with a sneer.


    Corbin red. "Who is this?"


    "Marcus Vale. Peak-level Martial Marquis. Former Guild enforcer convicted of excessive force." Bancroft smiled thinly. "He''s avable for private security work under certain... arrangements."


    Corbin studied the man with new interest. "What''s the price?"


    "My freedom after one year of service," Marcus answered. "And fifty thousand spirit stones upfront."


    "Expensive," Corbin noted.


    "Cheaper than a funeral," Marcus replied bluntly.


    Corbin couldn''t argue with that logic. With Liam Knight still atrge and growing stronger, he needed elite protection.


    "I''ll take him," Corbin decided. "When can he start?"


    "Immediately," Bancroft said. "The paperwork is already prepared."


    As they left the prison level, Corbin cast one final nce toward Isabelle''s cell. For a moment, something like regret crossed his features, but it quickly hardened into resolve.


    "Is Knight still expected to participate in the trials?" he asked Bancroft.


    "Without question. Our intelligence suggests he''s desperate to infiltrate the Guild."


    "Good," Corbin nodded. "The sooner he''s eliminated, the better."


    ---


    In his private chamber, Julian Radford studied the roster of trial participants. The list of names was impressive—the cream of the younger generation of martial artists.


    A knock at the door interrupted his review.


    "Enter," he called.


    Darian Bancroft stepped into the room, followed by an elderly man with piercing eyes—Roderick ckthorne.


    "Lord ckthorne," Julian rose respectfully. "This is an unexpected honor."


    "I''ll be brief," Roderick stated. "My son wishes to participate in your trials."


    Julian raised an eyebrow. "Dashiell? I was under the impression he was still recovering from his... setback."


    Roderick''s expression darkened. "That ''setback'' is precisely why he must participate. Dashiell has be obsessed with his defeat. It consumes him, weakens him."


    "I see," Julian replied carefully. "And you believe the trials will help him?"


    "Only if Knight is there," Roderick answered. "My son needs to witness Knight''s destruction to move past this fixation."


    Bancroft cleared his throat. "We fully expect Knight to appear. He''s desperate to rescue the Ashworth girl."


    "Then ensure he dies," Roderick said tly. "Make it public. Make it absolute. Let my son see the object of his obsession broken and defeated."


    The coldness of the request hung in the air. This wasn''t just politics orpetition—it was a death warrant.


    "Knight won''t leave the trials alive," Julian promised. "You have my word."


    Roderick nodded curtly. "Good. Dashiell will register tomorrow."


    After the elderly ckthorne departed, Bancroft turned to Julian.


    "Thatplicates things," he observed.


    Julian shook his head. "It simplifies them. Now we don''t need to maintain pretenses about Knight''s chances. This can be what it was always meant to be—an execution."


    "And the other participants?" Bancroft asked.


    "Coteral damage if necessary," Julian replied with a shrug. "Knight''s death takes priority. Too many powerful figures want him eliminated now."


    ---


    Back in my room at the Celestial Apothecary Guild, I paced restlessly. The information about the ck Gold Stone prison had shattered my immediate rescue ns.


    "There has to be another way," I muttered.


    The door opened, and Mariana entered, her expression grim.


    "Any news?" I asked.


    She nodded. "Corbin Ashworth visited the Guild today. He hired a convicted Marquis fighter as a bodyguard."


    "He''s scared," I observed.


    "With good reason. My sources tell me his position within the Ashworth Family is deteriorating. Michael Ashworth''s loyal forces are questioning his leadership."


    I stopped pacing. "Could they help us free Isabelle?"


    "Possibly, but they''re cautious. Michael''s disappearance and Isabelle''s capture have left them vulnerable."


    I mmed my fist against the wall in frustration. "Every path is blocked! The prison is imprable, the Guild is expecting me, and potential allies are too afraid to move!"


    Mariana waited patiently for my outburst to pass. "What about the Golden Feather Stone?"


    "The Man with the Mustache says it''s too rare. Finding it could take months or years."


    "Then the trials remain your best option," she concluded. "Dangerous as they are."


    I nodded slowly. "I know. But how do I win apetition designed specifically to kill me?"


    "By changing the rules," Mariana suggested. "They expect you to y their game. Don''t."


    Her words sparked something in my mind—a desperate, dangerous idea.


    "If I can''t break Isabelle out from the outside..." I said slowly, "maybe I can break her out from the inside."


    Mariana''s eyes widened. "You don''t mean—"


    "Exactly. If I can''t defeat the ck Gold Stone, I''ll get myself arrested and thrown into the same prison."


    "That''s madness, Liam! They''ll never put you in the same facility. They''ll execute you immediately!"


    "Not if I have something they want," I countered. "Something more valuable than my death."


    Mariana stared at me. "What could possibly be worth more to them than eliminating you?"


    I smiled grimly. "The secret of my father''s cultivation technique. The very power they''ve been trying to understand."


    "You''d risk everything on this gamble?" she asked quietly.


    "For Isabelle? Without hesitation."


    Outside my window, night had fallen over Veridia City. Somewhere in the bowels of the Guild headquarters, Isabelle waited in her unbreakable prison. And tomorrow, the deadly trials would begin.


    I would face not just the normal challenges, but thebined vengeance of the Ashworths, the ckthornes, and the Guild itself. They had conspired to create the perfect trap for me.


    But they had made one crucial mistake.


    They thought I wasing to win theirpetition. In reality, I wasing to bring their entire system crashing down.