The linen curtain fell across the doorway, plunging cubicle four into dim shadows. Arthur stood near the simple wooden examination table. He gestured for Zoe to sit. The young outer disciple obeyed immediately. She cradled her swollen right arm against her chest. Her breathing was shallow and irregular. The intense pain from the shattered bone kept her muscles rigid.Arthur stepped closer to the table. He did not ask her for a medical history. The newly acquired Heaven's Touch Bone Refinement skill activated automatically within his mind. A highly detailed anatomical map overlaid his vision. He could see straight through her gray uniform and pale skin. He saw the exact structure of her skeleton glowing faintly in his mind. The radius bone in her right forearm was fractured cleanly in two places. The jagged fragments pressed dangerously against a cluster of nerves. The surrounding muscle tissue was inflamed from the poor handling by the pavilion staff."Lie back," Arthur instructed gen

Two more men in pristine green robes pushed their way through the frightened crowd of outer disciples. They flanked Weston and glared at the doorway of cubicle four. Ryder and Miles were veteran physicians of the Azure Healing Pavilion. They had grown fat and wealthy off the suffering of the outer sect students. They looked at the long line of injured men refusing their services and their faces twisted with greedy outrage."He operates without orthodox approval," Ryder yelled, pointing a thick finger toward the small wooden stall. "He is stealing our livelihood right out from under us."Miles nodded vigorously and crossed his arms. "We spent decades mastering the herbal arts. A vagrant cannot just walk into our courtyard and claim our clients. He must be banned from the premises immediately."Arthur stood near the edge of the thick linen curtain. He rested his hand on the hilt of his black sword and evaluated the three angry men. They looked soft. Their hands lacked callouses and thei

The guard led Arthur away from the gates. They walked across the expansive training grounds of the western barracks. The estate felt entirely different from the luxurious inner pavilions ruled by Victor Vale. There were no decorative koi ponds or silk banners here. Racks of steel polearms and training dummies carved from dense mountain timber lined the stone walls. The outer sect masters trained for survival and warfare.They reached a reinforced stone keep at the center of the compound. The guard pushed open a thick wooden door and guided Arthur down a quiet, dimly lit corridor.The scent of copper and rotting meat hung in the air. The smell grew stronger as they approached a set of double doors at the end of the hall. The sharp, bitter tang of orthodox herbal pastes failed to mask the underlying odor of infected flesh. The sect healers were clearly losing the battle against the beast wounds.The guard knocked once and pushed the doors open. He stepped into the private quarters and g

Arthur walked out of the fortified western barracks. The iron gates groaned shut behind him. He carried the sack tied securely to his belt. The thousand gold coins clinked against his thigh with every step. The sudden influx of wealth solved his mortal logistical problems. He could buy fine food, bribe the courtyard guards, and rent prime space in the inner rings. The gold offered zero protection against the escalating martial threats within the Cerulean Crest Order. He had reached a dangerous crossroads in his conquest.He needed to understand Spirit Refinement and Body Tempering. The system had diagnosed those unknown arts within Corry Shaw and his enforcers earlier that afternoon. Arthur knew his basic Qi Condensation would eventually fail against specialized combat techniques. Until he decoded those hidden martial arts, he remained at a severe tactical disadvantage. He could not beat Corry in an open duel without risking his own life. The squad commander possessed structured power

Corry Shaw stood at attention inside the private office of the Outer Sect Command Post. The doors were sealed shut to prevent eavesdropping. The squad commander kept his posture rigid and his hands clasped behind his back. He delivered his intelligence report with cold precision. He detailed the events at the Azure Healing Pavilion and the extortion of the gold coins.Outer Sect Master Sunny sat behind his scarred mahogany desk. He listened to the breakdown without interrupting. The elder rubbed his jaw, his eyes narrowing as he processed the sheer scale of the disruption."His medical skill is flawless," Corry reported. He maintained an objective tone. "He reset twelve shattered bones in a single afternoon. He cleared meridians that our orthodox physicians declared permanently ruined. The outer disciples are treating him like a living god."Sunny leaned forward and rested his elbows on the wood. "A beggar does not learn miraculous bone setting in the servant alleys. He is using a tri