Arthur Drake stood before the doors of the Lotus Pavilion bedroom. Familiar sounds drifted through the wood, a rhythmic creaking of bedsprings mixed with soft moans. His stomach tightened into a hard knot. He pushed the doors open to step into the dim candlelight of his own marital chambers.His wife Clara Vale was pinned near the edge of their large mattress. Her silken robes were bunched around her waist, revealing the smooth curve of her hips and the sweat glistening on her skin. The outer sect prodigy Blake Mercer stood between her legs, his hands gripping her bare thighs with bruising force."You have so much more stamina than my husband," Clara whispered, trailing a manicured fingernail down Blake Mercer’s sculpted chest. "He cannot even handle a basic breathing technique. He definitely cannot handle a real woman like me."Blake Mercer flashed a wicked grin and leaned closer. "A powerful woman needs a man who can actually conquer her in bed. I will gladly plow your fields every

Arthur Drake pushed open the creaking door to his quarters. The small room was a deliberate insult built right onto the side of the main Lotus Pavilion. It shared a thin plaster wall with the master bedroom where his wife and her lover were currently entangled. The space was cramped and smelled faintly of old wood and dust. It had been his prison for three years. Tonight it would become his throne room.Serena stepped inside and froze in her tracks. She looked at the thin wall separating the rooms. The rhythmic thumping of a bedframe echoing from the other side cut clearly into the quiet space."They are right next door," Serena whispered. Her eyes widened with sudden panic as the reality of her decision settled over her. "If we make a single sound, they will hear us.""That is exactly what I am counting on," Arthur Drake said. He locked the heavy iron latch behind them and turned to face her. "We are going to make sure they hear every second of this."He stepped into her personal spa

The makeshift wooden barricade held firm against the cold night wind. Inside the cramped servant quarters, the tension finally broke. Serena let out a final, piercing cry that drowned out the crickets chirping in the courtyard. She collapsed against Arthur Drake, her skin slick with sweat and her breathing erratic. The release washed away years of her restraint. The rigid rules of the sect evaporated in the humid air of the small room.She lay on top of his chest, pressing her flushed face into the crook of his neck. The damp sheets tangled around their legs, ruined by their frantic movements. Arthur Drake stroked her tangled hair, feeling the frantic beating of her heart slowly return to a steady rhythm. Her body still trembled with lingering aftershocks. He had claimed her completely, proving his dominance not just over her, but over the arrogant man who had betrayed them both.A mechanical chime echoed directly in his skull, distinct and sharp. The translucent red screen materializ

The Ascendant's Path ended at the base of the mountain. Arthur Drake and Serena left the cold stone steps and slipped into the sprawling mortal city below the sect. They moved silently through the winding alleys to avoid the midnight patrols. Arthur Drake guided her away from the affluent districts and straight toward the underground entrance of Shadow Market Pass.This hidden tunnel system served as the true heart of the city's criminal network. The air inside the pass smelled strongly of cheap ale and burning torches. Smugglers and rogue cultivators lined the damp stone walls to peddle illegal goods.Arthur Drake needed money. The Bloody Harem System provided immense personal power and martial skills. He could purchase weapons and pills with Blood Essence. But conquering the martial world required an army and a network of spies. Empires ran on raw currency. He needed gold and silver coins to bribe guards, hire informants, and purchase property in the mortal realm.He opened his syst