"Who exactly are you?" they demanded coldly.
"I should be asking you that. Who''s behind this? Getting five Half-step Martial Sages together - that''s not some nobody sect," I shot back coldly.
"You think we''re gonna spill?"
I let out a coldugh. "Don''t wanna talk? Fine by me. Whatever sect it is, they send one, I''ll drop one!"
The words barely left my mouth before I exploded forward!
My attack was raw and brutal - nothing but a devastating punch!
The two weren''t about to roll over and die. They whipped out their signature moves, hands raised, techniques zing.
But every technique they threw at me crumbled like wet paper the second it made contact!
Their eyes went wide with shock, and they spun around to bolt!
"Not happening." I mmed my foot down, and Heavy Falling Space erupted outward!
Now that I''d broken through to Consummate Inner Strength Grandmaster, my Heavy Falling Space packed way more punch!
The two didn''t just slow down - they got hit with a wave of confusion!
In a real fight, one slip-up can get you killed, let alone a moment of total brain fog!
I grabbed the opening. My fists crashed down like falling meteors, crushing both their skulls!
Seconds ago, these two half-step Martial Sages were running their mouths. Now they were stone cold dead.
I stared coldly at the five bodies scattered across the square, then turned to rip the golden cores from their corpses.
After cleaning up the mess, I rushed to the Pavilion Master Building. I reached the top floor in no time.
The Pavilion Master was patching up her wounds.
She wore nothing but a thin white gauze dress, carefully cleaning her injuries.
The sight made me pretty ufortable.
I looked away and said, "Lord Pavilion Master, you okay?"
"I''m fine," the Pavilion Master replied.
"What about... Mabel Sean?" I asked carefully.
"As long as I''m breathing, your little girlfriend stays safe," the Pavilion Master said.
She waved me over. "Come here."
I steeled myself and nced at the Pavilion Master, my face going red.
"Put this medicine on my back." The Pavilion Master didn''t seem fazed at all.
Even though I felt awkward as hell, saving someone''s life came first, so I pushed through it.
I did what she asked, spreading the medicine across her skin.
A light medicinal smell filled the room.
The Pavilion Master''s expression rxed a bit.
I asked her who those attackers were.
The Pavilion Master shook her head. "No clue, but they wanted Mabel Sean, and they won''t be thest bunch."
I took a long breath.
These people moved faster than we''d expected.
"Did you take out those three Half-step Martial Sages?" I asked, confused.
The Pavilion Master shot me a look. "Who else would it be?"
I couldn''t hide my shock!
When did the Pavilion Master reach that level?
"They won''t give up." The Pavilion Master suddenly spoke up.
I nodded grimly. "Looks like they''ve blown your cover. We need to move."
But where could we go that''d be safe?
"Lord Pavilion Master,e back to Green Moon Vi with me," I said.
"I''ll wrap this up in the next few days."
Surprise flickered in the Pavilion Master''s eyes.
"Wrap this up? How?" she asked.
I narrowed my eyes. "Since they all want Mabel Sean, I''ll give them what they want!"
The Pavilion Master''s frown deepened, like she couldn''t follow my logic.
I said coldly, "I''ll leak the info and wait for them to bite."
"Wait for them to bite? You know how many people are watching you?" The Pavilion Master''s voice was ice cold.
"Mason Raymond, until you hit Martial Saint level, numbers matter."
"You can handle five Half-step Martial Sages, but maybe not ten."
"Theirbined strength is beyond what you think."
But I didn''t give a damn. I was about to speak when that brutal pain hit again!
"Pfft!"
Blood suddenly sprayed from my mouth, and my vision went ck. I nearly copsed.
Seeing this, the Pavilion Master frowned. "You''re hurt?"
I nodded and filled her in on what had happened.
"I was wondering if there''s any way to fix the damage to my golden core," I said heavily.
But the Pavilion Master''s face went dark.
She stared hard at me. "You said... your golden core is cracked?"
"Yeah." I nodded.
"I don''t know what kind of damage this''ll do to me."
The Pavilion Master stayed quiet for a long time.
Finally, she sighed softly. "A busted dantian messes with your foundation and your training. Fixing it... that''s incredibly hard."
My face darkened too.
"You don''t have a solution either?" I asked with a frown.
The Pavilion Master shook her head. "It''s not that there''s no solution, it''s just really tough."
"I know of a pill that can fix the dantian, but the ingredients vanished ages ago."
I took a deep breath. "What''s the ingredient called?"
"Heavenly Vani," the Pavilion Master said.
"Heavenly Vani... got it." I memorized the name.
Then I helped the Pavilion Master to her feet. "Let''s move first. Green Moon Vi might be safer, and the Spiritual Spring there helps with healing."
But the Pavilion Master shook her head. "No rush. I still need to get some things ready."
Seeing that, I didn''t push it.
Since I was back anyway, no point worrying.
Later, I brought Ste Lucas to the Divine Alchemist Pavilion and set her up with a room.
Her injuries weren''t too bad, and the Pavilion Master gave me a pill. After she took it, her breathing slowly steadied.
Night fell.
I pulled out my phone and opened the Martial Arts Forum app.
I hadn''t been on the forum in forever. It seemed even more active than before.
I skimmed through it, then with fierce determination, I posted a message:
"I''m Mason Raymond. Starting now, anyone who wants Mabel Sean gets a personal visit from me."
"That includes Garcia Coleman from the Capital City Martial Arts Association, and all the martial arts families and overseas forces - I''ming for everyst one."
"This is both a warning and a deration of war."
"Hope you''re paying attention."