Around midmorning, the sun had fully emerged, scattering the last veils of mist over Brookfall.The manor’s tiled rooftops shimmered with light, and the warm golden hue of the sun danced across the training courtyard, where Oasis moved with practiced precision.His bare upper body glistened with sweat, muscles coiled with heat and mana, as he finished a final sequence of the Raging Phoenix Sword Technique—a fiery arc that sent a ripple of wind coursing through the garden.When the heat had intensified.Oasis exhaled calmly and sheathed his sword, wiping his face with a cloth before heading inside for a cold bath in the manor’s spring-fed chamber.Meanwhile, in adjacent training fields, Venak and Du Shiye were also engrossed in their respective drills—Venak practicing mist-based sword arts, while Shiye tested his poison arts using conjured mist clouds and controlled needles.The air was alive with their effort, silent but filled with unspoken focus.Not long after, the three regrouped

Next Day — In an Inn Among the BambooTucked in the heart of a vast bamboo forest, where emerald stalks reached high into the misty sky and rustled like whispers of old spirits, stood the lone sanctuary known as Fukugen Mount Inn.Its dark wood frame was aged but sturdy, built in tiers like a noble pavilion, with sloped tiled roofs that glistened faintly from the moisture clinging to the air.The inn looked as if it had sprouted from the bamboo itself, a quiet watchtower amidst the endless sea of green.The noonday sun was muted by a thick layer of clouds, casting a soft silver light over the forest.Merchant caravans rolled lazily down the winding paths that snaked through the valleys, the wheels of their wagons creaking as they came to rest near the inn’s courtyard.Equinores and Horses snorted, the metallic clink of armor mixed with the sound of boots in mud, and guards rotated in and out of the three narrow roads that fed into this isolated haven.Each road curved away into dense

“I don’t like you, pretty face,” the bald man growled, his steps thunderous against the grassy soil as he approached with his violet-tinged mace, pulsing with mana.His gait was confident, each step a declaration of his dominance.Behind him, three others followed, grinning like hyenas circling fresh meat, snickering with twisted delight.Their laughter echoed unnaturally through the bamboo.Zelaf's eyes narrowed beneath the soft shadows of the trees, and in a calm breath, he whispered to his team, “Don’t break the ground.”Each of his subordinates nodded silently, their footing remaining light, balanced—ready to unleash deadly force without disturbing the soil beneath them.“No last words? Or maybe you think your numbers mean something?” the bald brute spat, licking his lips like a butcher before a slaughter. “You think you can handle kings like us?”Zelaf’s expression didn’t flinch.“This is annoying,” he said, voice low and venomous. “Disgusting even. I doubt a pig like you has off

"Who does this thing think he is, to dare ignore me after taking my treasure?!" the cultivator down in the clearing howled.His voice quivered with fury, his bloodlust radiating across the battered glade.The being with the azure-tipped hair still stood atop the blood-slick skull of the slain Pandumon, eyes locked calmly onto the Lunaris brothers in the distance—completely unmoved by the shouting man below."No one has ever looked down on me. Never!" the man roared toward the dark sky. "Do you even know who I am? Do you know which sect I come from?!"His voice slithered with venom, each word laced with ego and desperation.“Keep quiet, young lord. Let’s leave this place,” whispered a man beside him, clearly sensing the danger.Another nearby nodded quickly in agreement and tried to pull him away."Don't you dare touch me!" the man snapped. "Did you forget who I am?! How dare he not even glance at me after stealing my treasure?!"Then—"Dragon Tongue: Húc."The words from the being abo

Zane glanced sideways at his elder brother, unable to shake the lingering question in his mind.“Do you think that elder will visit our Lunaris, brother?” he asked quietly, walking a few paces behind Zenon in the clearing.His gaze was distracted—still wrestling with how Qin Xian had known about his possession of the Moon-Blooming Lotus, a secret not even most of Lunaris was aware of.Zenon didn’t answer at first. A slow grin curled across his lips—sharp and unreadable. Then, the air around him began to pulse ominously.“I don’t think he will,” he replied flatly.Crackle…Suddenly, sparks of black lightning fizzled around Zenon’s body, dancing up his arms like whispering serpents.His aura stirred the air—dense, charged, humming like a storm caged within flesh.Even the bamboo leaves around him trembled, their edges curling under the pressure.Zane instinctively flinched. “Brother… why do you think so?”Zenon’s steps slowed. He turned, eyes cold. “That elder didn’t even ask our names.