Two days later, a sealed invitation arrived at the hut, the parchment embossed with the academy's crest. Zephyr turned it over in his hands, reading the elegant script twice before setting it down in front of Lucian. An invitation for him, for Lucian, not for Judge or anything of the sort. Just Lucian. "An academic gathering," Zephyr said. "Influential clans, academy elites, wealthy heirs. All in one hall." "And they invited me," Lucian replied, not phrasing it as a question. "They invited Seraphina's former husband," Zephyr corrected. "I doubt they know anything beyond that name." Lucian picked up the invitation, studying the seal. "Then why send it?" "That's what worries me," Zephyr said. "Nobody extends courtesy to someone they consider beneath them without a reason." "Maybe someone wants to see my reaction," Lucian muttered without interest. "Or maybe someone wants an excuse to humiliate you in front of half the Hidden World's aristocracy," Zephyr countered. "St

Several days passed after the academic gathering.The city had mostly moved on from the incident, although rumors about Lucian still lingered in certain circles.Some called him arrogant. Others claimed he was hiding his true strength.A few had already begun exaggerating the story, saying he defeated several trained disciples without breaking a sweat.Lucian paid none of it any attention.That afternoon, he sat outside the small hut, a cup of tea resting beside him while Zephyr sorted through several documents.Amara was inside preparing medicine.The quietness didn’t last.A woman stopped several feet from the entrance.She wore a dark traveling robe covered in dust from the road. A small leather pouch hung from her waist, filled with herbs and medical tools. Her long hair was tied loosely behind her head, and there was nothing particularly threatening about her appearance.Except for her eyes.They moved across the hut once before settling on someone…. “Is Amara here?”Zephyr look

A week later, the Hidden World was talking about Judge again.This time, the rumors didn’t begin with a battle or a bounty hunter.They began with a public challenge.It happened in the central square of one of the largest cities in the Hidden World, where a massive stone platform had been raised for clan announcements. Hundreds of cultivators gathered around it, while several projection crystals transmitted the declaration to distant cities.At the center of the platform stood a group of heavily armed men wearing the crest of the Blackridge Clan.The clan was one of the more influential powers in the region, with enough wealth and cultivators to make smaller factions think twice before crossing them.Their leader stepped forward.“Judge has become a threat.”His voice spread through the projection crystals.“He has hidden behind that mask for long enough.”The crowd immediately erupted into murmurs.Some people laughed.Others looked interested.Everyone knew the name.The masked fig

The Blackridge Clan leader stepped into the arena, and the laughter that filled the stands disappeared.He did not need to announce his name. His presence alone was enough.The air seemed to grow heavier as he walked across the broken stone, his dark robe moving around his legs while a powerful aura rolled from his body. Cracks spread beneath his feet with every few steps, not because he was deliberately attacking the arena, but because the energy surrounding him was becoming too intense for the damaged ground to withstand.Several spectators who stood closest to the arena immediately retreated.“That is the Blackridge Clan Master,” someone whispered.“He’s at the peak of the Earth Realm.”“No wonder they dared to challenge Judge.”A nervous laugh came from somewhere in the crowd.“Judge is finished.”The clan leader stopped several meters away from the masked figure.His eyes traveled over Lucian slowly before settling on the damaged mask.“So this is the great Judge everyone has bee

The moment Lucian turned his head toward the strange trace hidden among the crowd, the assassin knew.He had been discovered.For less than a second, the disguised man remained perfectly still, his face buried among the frightened spectators, but Lucian caught the tiny change in his breathing and the way his shoulders shifted beneath his robe. It was enough.The man suddenly shoved the person standing in front of him aside and moved.A thin blade flashed from his sleeve, slicing through the air toward the nearest Blackridge disciple before he kicked off the ground and rushed toward the outer section of the arena.“Stop him!”Someone shouted, but the command was almost swallowed by the chaos.Spectators screamed and scrambled away from the fighting, some stumbling over fallen chairs while others pushed toward the exits, desperate to get away before another attack erupted. Blackridge disciples rushed in different directions, trying to protect their injured clan leader while also stoppin