Four months. That''s how long I''d spent in this dark tomb, meditating on top of that ancient coffin. My body had changed dramatically. The dark energy from the coffin had prated every cell, every meridian, transforming me inside and out. I was stronger now—much stronger—but still not enough.


    I opened my eyes and stepped away from the coffin that had been my meditation spot. My skin had grown paler in the darkness, and my muscles felt denser, more powerful. The injuries from my battle with the Guild''s assassins had long since healed, but the scars remained—a permanent reminder of my failure.


    "Fourth-rank Martial Marquis," I muttered to myself, clenching my fist and watching as dark energy swirled around it. "Still not enough."


    I''d made tremendous progress, absorbing the dark energy from this ce like a sponge. My cultivation had advanced far faster than should have been possible. But I''d hit a bottleneck—one I couldn''t seem to break through no matter how much energy I absorbed.


    Something was missing. Bnce, perhaps. The dark energy here was overwhelming, but my body needed light energy too. The Chaotic Body required both in equal measure, and I''d been feeding it only darkness for too long.


    I paced around the chamber that had be both my prison and sanctuary. The Man with the Mustache had never returned as promised. Either he''d abandoned me, or something had happened to him. Either way, I was on my own.


    My thoughts drifted to Isabelle. Four months in Guild custody. The image of her strapped to that table, her blood being drained... I mmed my fist against the wall, cracking the ancient stone.


    "I''ming," I whispered. "I swear I''ming."


    But I wasn''t ready. Not yet. The Guild had nearly killed mest time. I needed to be smarter, stronger.


    I walked over to the coffin that had been my power source these past months. It was an extraordinary artifact—perhaps the most valuable thing I''d ever encountered. The dark energy within it seemed limitless, and its construction was unlike anything I''d seen before. Not wood, not stone, but some material that seemed to exist between the two.


    A crazy idea formed in my mind. I removed my Spatial Magic Artifact—the ring Mariana had given me long ago. It could store objects many timesrger than itself, but I''d never tried to store something this significant.


    "Worth a try," I murmured, touching the ring to the coffin.


    To my surprise, the coffin began to shimmer and shrink, eventually disappearing into the ring. I felt the weight of it settle into the magical space—heavy, but manageable. The ring grew slightly warmer against my skin.


    I smiled grimly. At least I wouldn''t leave empty-handed. This coffin would continue to be useful, even after I left this ce.


    My gaze traveled to the other side of the chamber, where two figuresy perfectly preserved. The ancient cultivators—Reversion Void Stage experts who had somehow died here millennia ago. Their bodies hadn''t dposed at all, maintained by some mysterious force within the tomb.


    Another mad idea struck me. These were potentially the most powerful assets in this entire tomb—beings who had reached a cultivation level I could only dream of. In death, they might still hold secrets, powers, or at the very least, serve as study subjects.


    "This is insane," I told myself, even as I approached the first corpse. "But when have I ever yed it safe?"


    I touched my ring to the first preserved body—a tall man with angr features and robes of a style I''d never seen before. Just like the coffin, his body shimmered and disappeared into my Spatial Magic Artifact. I did the same with the second corpse, a woman whose face held a serene expression even in death.


    The ring grew noticeably heavier, and I felt a strange resistance—as if the magical space was nearly at capacity. But it held. Three priceless treasures, now mine to take from this ce.


    I looked around the chamber onest time. Four months of my life spent here, growing stronger in the darkness while the world above moved on without me. What awaited me up there? How much had changed?


    I thought of Jade Moon Vi, of Phoebe and the others I''d left behind. Of Isabelle, suffering every day I dyed. Of Mariana, who might be looking for me. And of the Guild, who believed me dead.


    "Let them keep believing that," I said to the empty chamber. "For just a little longer."


    I gathered my few possessions and made my way toward the exit, leaving behind the tomb that had sheltered and strengthened me. It was time to return to the world above—not as the Liam Knight who had fallen, but as something new, something more dangerous.


    And this time, I wouldn''t fail.


    ---


    In the Central Square of Veridia City, three young cultivators stood on an elevated tform as thousands cheered below. The Martial Guild had organized this public ceremony to introduce their new champions—prodigies who had risen seemingly from nowhere to be the face of the Guild''s future.


    "Citizens of Veridia!" announced a white-robed Guild elder. "Behold the might of our next generation!"


    The crowd roared as the first champion stepped forward—a slender young man with pale golden hair and eyes that seemed to sh with lightning. He raised his hand, and actual bolts of electricity danced between his fingers.


    "Atticus Frost!" the elder proimed. "Master of Thunder and Lightning, who defeated the renowned Thunder Fist of the Northern Provinces in mere minutes!"


    The second champion was a woman with crimson hair and a cold smile. She drew a sleek ck sword that seemed to drink in the sunlight around it.


    "Sable Nightshade! Whose dework has already imed the lives of seventeen challenger cultivators!"


    The third was the youngest—barely more than a boy, with an innocent face that contrasted sharply with the calcting look in his eyes. He simply bowed, but the ground beneath the tform trembled slightly.


    "And Felix Earth-Shaker! Who can copse mountains with a thought!"


    The crowd''s adoration was almost palpable. These three represented hope, strength, and the continued dominance of the Martial Guild after the rumors of internal strife following the "terrorist attack" that had supposedly killed the troublemaker Liam Knight.


    From the edge of the crowd, Phoebe Reeves watched with a scowl. She''de to Veridia City seeking allies after Tobias''s coup, only to find the Guild more powerful than ever.


    "Theatrical nonsense," she muttered to herself. "Those three are nothing special."


    A man beside her overheard and chuckled. "Don''t let the Guild hear you say that. People have disappeared for less."


    Phoebe gave him a sharp look. "If they were truly as powerful as imed, they wouldn''t need this spectacle."


    "Maybe." The man shrugged. "But did you hear what happened to the Three Titans of the Western Shorest week? All defeated in a single afternoon by those ''theatrical'' champions."


    Phoebe''s eyes widened slightly. The Three Titans were legendary figures—cultivators who had dominated their region for decades. If these new champions had truly defeated them...


    She looked back at the tform with renewed concern. The Guild wasn''t just maintaining its power—it was growing stronger. And the world was moving on as if Liam Knight had never existed.


    As if to emphasize this point, she noticed workers disassembling a statue in the corner of the square—thest public monument to Liam in the city, being removed as if he were nothing but an embarrassing footnote in history.


    "Master Liam," she whispered. "Where are you when we need you most?"


    ---


    In a private room of The Gilded Peony, Veridia City''s most exclusive tea house, three figures sat around an ornate table, speaking in hushed tones despite the privacy wards that ensured their conversation remained confidential.


    "The Guild is unting these new champions everywhere," said Daphne Grenville, sipping her jasmine tea delicately. "It''s rather heavy-handed, don''t you think?"


    ise Rostova, a sharp-featured woman with silver streaks in her dark hair, snorted. "Heavy-handed is the Guild''s specialty. Those three puppets are just distractions from whatever Bancroft is really nning."


    "Puppets or not, they''re dangerous," said Emmett Monroe, a stocky man with a perpetual frown. "My sources say they truly did defeat the Three Titans, and without much difficulty."


    Daphne set down her cup. "What about Knight? Any news?"


    Both ise and Emmett exchanged nces.


    "Nothing," Emmett said finally. "Four months without a trace. The Guild''s im of his death seems increasingly usible."


    "Or he''s nning something big," ise countered. "The man has resources we don''t know about."


    Daphne''s elegant fingers tapped against the table. "And the Ashworth girl? Still captive?"


    "Yes," Emmett confirmed. "Heavily guarded in their inner sanctum. No one gets in or out without Bancroft''s personal approval."


    A thoughtful expression crossed Daphne''s face. "I''m curious about her. What makes her blood so special that they''d risk keeping her alive rather than simply draining her dry?"


    "nning a rescue mission?" ise asked sarcastically.


    "nning to understand what pieces are still in y," Daphne corrected her. "Whether Knight is dead or alive, the Ashworth girl remains valuable. To whom and why—those are the interesting questions."


    Emmett leaned forward. "You''re not suggesting we—"


    "I''m not suggesting anything yet," Daphne interrupted smoothly. "Merely gathering information. Knowledge is power, especially in uncertain times."


    ise shook her head. "These are more than uncertain times. The old powers are falling, new ones rising. If Knight is truly gone—"


    "Then we adapt," Daphne said simply. "As we always have."


    She gazed out the window at the Central Square, where the crowd continued to cheer for their new champions. Change wasing to Veridia City—she could feel it in her bones. Whether that change would bring opportunity or destruction remained to be seen.


    One thing was certain: the game had new yers now, and the stakes had never been higher.


    --- <samp ss="in-imprint-a">Brought to you by *.</samp>


    Deep within the tomb, I stood before the exit tunnel, my mind racing with ns and possibilities. The weight of my Spatial Magic Artifact felt significant against my finger—three priceless treasures now in my possession. The ancient coffin alone would have been worth the four months spent here, but the two Reversion Void Stage corpses? Those were beyond value.


    I''de here seeking power and had found it, though not in the way I''d expected. My cultivation had advanced tremendously, but the true prizes were what I was taking with me.


    The coffin would continue to provide dark energy, allowing me to cultivate anywhere. And the corpses... I wasn''t entirely sure what I would do with them yet, but ancient cultivators of that level must hold secrets worth uncovering.


    I took a deep breath, feeling the imbnce within my body. Too much dark energy, not enough light. It would make me vtile, unpredictable until I could restore the bnce. But perhaps that unpredictability would be an asset when facing enemies who thought they knew what I was capable of.


    "Time to see what''s be of the world," I said to the darkness.


    I stepped into the exit tunnel, my mind filled with questions. What had happened to Jade Moon Vi in my absence? Was Mariana still searching for me? Had the Guild growncent, thinking me dead?


    And Isabelle... was she still alive? Still herself?


    The weight of the ring on my finger was nothingpared to the weight of that question. Four months of her blood being drained, her essence being used to create the Guild''s super-soldiers. What would that do to someone, even someone as strong as her?


    I quickened my pace. I''d taken what I needed from this ce. Now it was time to use it—to return to the world above and finish what I''d started.


    The Guild thought they''d seen thest of Liam Knight. They were wrong. What emerged from this tomb wouldn''t be the same man who entered it—it would be something far more dangerous.


    And I had the treasures of the Immortal Bane Sect to prove it.