The boy lifted Liam slightly off the wet ground. His two companions stood nearby, grinning as they were enjoying a performance."What's wrong, trash? Why aren't you saying anything now?" The boy shook Liam by the collar. "Didn't you just call us dogs? Go on, say it again. Let me hear you."Blood trickled from the corner of Liam's mouth, but his expression remained eerily calm. Beneath his battered appearance, a pair of cold eyes regarded the three disciples with undisguised contempt."Three against one," he murmured. "And you still need to hold me by the collar to feel brave. Tell me, is this the best the Azure Cloud Sect's outer division has to offer? No wonder the other sects look down on you."The boy's expression darkened. "You bastard! Do you have a death wish?"His grip tightened until the fabric around Liam's neck began to strain."Brother Chen, stop wasting your breath," the second disciple interrupted, cracking his knuckles. "Just break his other hand, then he'll learn to kee

Four days later, Liam finally stepped out of his room.Although his body had yet to recover completely, the improvement was undeniable. The bruises covering his body had faded considerably, and his damaged meridians no longer caused him unbearable pain whenever he tried to circulate his spiritual energy. He still felt a dull ache in his ribs, but compared to the condition he had been in two days ago, he was practically a different person.He stretched his arms slightly before looking around the small courtyard.He had spent the past four days resting and examining the condition of his body. His spiritual root remained sealed, and his cultivation was still pitifully weak, but he had managed to restore enough spiritual energy to move around without difficulty.For someone who had once stood at the peak of the mortal cultivation world, recovering to this extent in just four days was hardly surprising.Unfortunately, his current body was another matter entirely. Liam glanced at his hands

Brother Lang was still chewing on his roasted chicken leg when Liam finished speaking. He seemed to have completely forgotten that he had just announced his best friend’s impending death. After swallowing the mouthful, he wiped the corner of his mouth with his handkerchief and finally got down to business.“Fine, fine. Since you want to know everything, I’ll tell you.” He took another bite before continuing. “I went to the Red Spirit Pavilion earlier today. You know the place, right? My family owns several businesses in the city, and I occasionally visit our shop there to check on things. Anyway, I happened to overhear some people drinking in a private room. They were talking about the Mount Sinai excavation and how they planned to kill you there.”Liam's expression remained unchanged. “Go on.”“They said they would use a spirit beast as a cover-up. If a beast attacks you during the excavation, nobody will question your death. After all, Mount Sinai is full of dangerous creatures, so