On the way to the hall, the corridors they passed through were still quiet—sect members who hadn't fully processed what had happened tonight hadn't returned to their usual routines, and likely wouldn't for some time.Caelan walked with Bai Li at his side."One thing I need to know before we get there." His voice came out without slowing his pace. "How does a sect this size sustain itself financially?"Bai Li didn't hesitate to answer."The Eternal Black Dragon Sect runs one business, Supreme Leader." His tone was measured, without excess color. "Assassination. Sect members scattered across the world take contracts—from individuals, from powerful families, from anyone who can afford our price. We charge well, of course. And we have never failed to complete a contract."Caelan listened without interrupting.One thing that had been nagging at him from the very beginning finally found its answer now. Harrison Blake, who had sent two cultivators to kill him, hadn't reached the Eternal Blac

He clenched his fist slowly, then harder, until his knuckles went white.I need to get stronger.What I have now... it's still not enough.I'm certain something big is waiting, and when that moment comes, I don't want to have any regrets.And as Caelan released his fist, slowly letting the color return to his skin, three knocks came from his room door.Quiet, even, with a consistent pause between each one.He knew immediately who was on the other side.Caelan smiled faintly before speaking."Come in, Rex."The door opened. Rex stepped in in a way no different from how he stepped into the hotel room at The Grandeur, into the penthouse dining area, into anywhere that had become part of his routine."Papa, breakfast is ready." Then, in a tone different from a simple report. "And interestingly—they have dishes that are just as good as what Layla brings. I've already tried them, and now it's your turn."Caelan looked at him for a moment.Rex could eat solid food now and was no longer relyi

Velmont welcomed them with the city lights both of them knew so well.The city's glow under a sky that had nowhere near as many stars as the Draethos Mountains, the sound of traffic so different from the wind at elevation, air not as clean as this morning but still comfortable.Eleven at night.The Grandeur stood where it always stood—unchanged, indifferent to everything that had happened in the Draethos Mountains the night before.The first thing Rex did the moment the Presidential Suite door opened was walk straight to the sofa, pick up the remote, and turn on the TV.The screen lit up.An action film. One he had watched more than once, its scenes memorized down to the small lines of dialogue that weren't even important to the story.Rex settled in with a smile that was different from every expression that had been on his face throughout last night in the Draethos Mountains. This was the smile of someone who had just reunited with something they hadn't met in a very long time.Not a

The day passed quietly.The patients who came after lunch weren't as many as the morning, but enough to fill the time until evening.One by one, with different complaints, each with their own unique way of showing what was there—and one by one, Caelan resolved them quickly, no more than ten minutes each.Between sessions, when the chair in front of his desk was empty and the next file hadn't come in yet, Caelan did light meditation.With steady breathing, energy circulated in small cycles that weren't aggressive but weren't wasted either. Every available moment was not allowed to pass without something to be taken from it.At eight in the evening, Caelan turned off his room's lights.The doctor's coat was taken from the back of the chair, his bag picked up, the door closed.He walked toward the exit.Tonight was dinner with Layla. Which meant there was no room for being late.---The Presidential Suite elevator opened.Caelan stepped out and stopped one pace before his suite door.Rex

A few moments before the Huracán pulled into the parking area.Inside Maison Delvaux, specifically near the entrance area with a large glass window facing outside, a man sat in the way of someone who had never learned the difference between confidence and arrogance, and felt no need to learn it at all.Carter Myles.Twenty-eight years old, with a body that showed money had been more than enough to buy the finest food but had never been enough to motivate its owner to move more than necessary, leaving him overweight.His suit was expensive—the kind of expensive visible from the way the fabric caught the light, not from the label.Around his neck, a gold chain of a thickness that honestly had no reason to be that thick. Around his wrist, a gold bracelet not far different. Together they added up to a weight uncomfortable for anyone wearing them with full awareness, but Carter had no interest in comfort. He was interested in attention.And tonight, there was plenty worth celebrating.His