2026-06-17 05:40:41Thaddeus smiled through the pain.
Hu Khan grabbed him again and punched him hard across the cheeks, causing everyone to gasp. Some even hid their faces to avoid the horrible sight. " This is what happens... when any of you dares to act foolish again." Hu Khan said, landing another punch on Rael's face Each moment his fists connected with Rael's face, the system chimed incessantly. [ PAIN THRESHOLD:28%] " Stupid boy..." another angry punch slammed Rael's head to the side. [PAIN THRESHOLD: 58%] " I'll make sure you learn a bitter lesson this time!" Hu Khan shouted, landing another punch as Rael's cries filled the air [ PAIN THRESHOLD: 95%] By now, Rael's face was almost covered in blood but Hu Khan didn't stop. Just as he was about to land one final blow, a loud voice called from behind, making him stop. " Enough...” Hu Khan growled in annoyance and turned. The moment he saw who it was, he instantly stepped back. “Y-Young Master.” Thaddeus slowly opened his swollen eye to see a young man, dressed in dark blue robes embroidered with silver threads that bore the Darkthorne crest. The robes was simple but designed to stand out among others. Everyone lowered their heads in respect as the man came closer. Unlike Hu Khan, the man possessed a stable qi equal to that of a great warrior. The man's eyes scanned the courtyard briefly before settling on Rael's face. He had the kindest eyes Thaddeus had ever seen. A faint smile tugged at Thaddeus's lips as he remembered him from Rael’s memories. He was First master Xavier, the eldest son of Grandmaster Darkthorne, leader of the Darkthorne clan. But unlike the rest of his family, he was loved by the servants for his kindness. Thaddeus could not count the numerous times Xavier had passed through the servants' quarters, offering a smile, a kind word, or a helping hand whenever he could. Just then, Xavier stepped closer to Thaddeus before turning to Hu Khan with a stern expression. " What happened here?... " He looked around "Why is he being punished?" Hu Khan stiffened his back before lowering his head. “ Master Xavier.. This cripple—” “…What about him?” Master Xavier shot him a glance at his choice of words. Hu Khan realized his mistake and hurriedly bowed. " I'm sorry master. This servant interfered with discipline which is why he's being punished for it " Xavier's eyes moved from Hu Khan back to the frail boy lying in front of him. He let out a quiet sigh. “ Hmmm, a servant interfering with discipline.” he chuckled to himself. That's rare," He thought, stepping closer with hands behind his back. Hu Khan quickly opened his mouth. “He was being arrogant, First master. I was about to correct him when you came.” Xavier ignored him as his gaze swept across the courtyard, taking in Rael's bloodied face, the frightened servant girl and finally Hu Khan’s folded fist. Unable to maintain the silence, Thaddeus spoke up. " She did nothing wrong. Her bucket was broken because of someone's careless action, and yet she was the one being punished for it." Hu Khan’s jaw tightened in anger. " How dare you talk back to First master, you unworthy thing?" " Enough, " Xavier raised a hand, stopping Hu Khan, then glanced toward Thaddeus. A faint smile settled on his lips as his eyes rested on the frail boy before him. Unlike the others, Rael wasn’t trembling or scared which he found interesting. After a minute of silence, he turned back to Hu Khan. " So a broken bucket caused all this?” his tone carried a sense of disappointment. Hu Khan lowered his head further. “I was handling it, Master...” Xavier glared at him. “ Well, you failed because this boy here says otherwise.” Thaddeus felt numb with shock. He had never had anyone in his life before who went out of his way to look out for him, to protect him and in this body, it was a new feeling to him. Hu Khan’s fists clenched slightly. “ Master Xavier... don't listen to him! ” " Enough, " Xavier silenced Hu Khan with a simple lift of his finger before looking down at Rael. " Was it true you interfered with discipline? " Rael limped forward, despite the ache dragging through his leg. “Yes.” Master Xavier smiled at the response, surprised. “And you admit it.” “Yes.” Rael said again without hesitation. Xavier paused and asked again. “Why?” The little boy before him met his eyes again and gave a soft smile. “Because it is the truth.” For a moment, nobody moved. Hu Khan’s expression darkened in anticipation, as he was expecting immediate punishment but to his surprise. Master Xavier only smiled. “That’s an interesting answer.” He crouched, lowering himself to Thaddeus’s level. " So... who do you think is responsible then? " He asked in a friendly manner. In that moment, the system suddenly chimed loudly inside Thaddeus's brain. It felt as if he was asleep and it was trying to wake him up. [ PAIN THRESHOLD MET ] [ DOMINION TRIGGER ACTIVE ] [ EFFECT DURATION: 20 SECONDS ] Thaddeus's eyes widened as his body jolted from the impact, forcing him to stagger. Xavier quickly caught him by the shoulders to support him from falling. " Twenty seconds?!..." Thaddeus screamed inside his head. What was he supposed to do with that? Xavier steadied him gently, his expression shifting from curiosity to concern. " Are you alright?" He asked, looking into Rael's face. Hu Khan frowned slightly as the sight burned through him. He hated seeing servants being cared for. Thaddeus slowly took a deep breath as Xavier's voice faded into the background. " Are you ok..... His eyes involuntarily closed shut and suddenly every heartbeat around him became louder. The noise startled him and he hurriedly opened his eyes, looking around in panic. He could not explain what was happening. He could see Xavier's lips were still moving, mumbling words but he was unable to hear. It was as if his ears had stopped functioning. Was this the Dominion Trigger? He asked himself in his thoughts. And at the last second, his senses suddenly returned as voices rushed into his ears all around him. Xavier sighed and rose to his feet, signaling Hu Khan to come closer. Thaddeus ignored them as his gaze was already focused on the dishonest servant who caused everything. Their eyes met and the man quickly looked away in fear. The system chimed inside Thaddeus's mind. [ WEAK-MINDED TARGET DETECTED ] Thaddeus locked eyes again with the man and focused. The man froze in panic, unable to look away. Thaddeus looked hard at him, letting the power envelop his senses, then spoke a single sentence. “Tell the truth.” Instantly, the servant froze in shock and his eyes bulged. People around him quickly moved aside when they noticed the man's unusual behavior.
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Xavier clenched his jaw and walked faster.When he finally reached the training grounds, he found the vast expanse almost deserted. Moonlight spread across the sandy ground, illuminating the scattered training posts and casting long shadows of surrounding trees.He looked around and noticed someone was lying on the sand a short distance away, staring up at the sky.The man wore dark heavy warrior's armour. His chest rose and fell heavily, and one arm rested across his stomach as though he had come there to escape the world for a while.Xavier studied his eyes deeply.Even from a distance, he could see the weariness in them. They were the eyes of a warrior who had witnessed too many battles and carried memories he would rather forget.Xavier slowed his steps.He knew those eyes. He had encountered countless cultivators throughout his life, and his instincts had rarely failed him when judging another warrior.The man before him was no ordinary person. It was exactly who he came for, Th
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Xavier didn't answer. He walked past them in heavy steps and with a grim expression.Disciples along the path hurried to bow as he passed, but their eyes followed him with unease. Some exchanged nervous glances, while others lowered their heads, afraid to ask what had happened."Why does he look like that?" one disciple whispered."Keep your voice down. Do you want him to hear you?""But look at his clothes. Those are sword marks!""Who could have forced the First Master into such a state?"The mumbling continued quietly as he passed.Xavier continued toward the inner grounds with a wait. His face remained cold, but the exhaustion in his eyes was difficult to hide.Even the senior disciples who usually greeted him confidently could only bow in silence.It was evident to anyone who saw him that whatever had happened beyond the Sect's walls, had not been an ordinary encounter.Xavier continued along the stone path lit by qi lanterns, barely acknowledging the disciples who bowed to him.
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" No, that's impossible" he thought.Reincarnation was believed to be a sacred level of cultivation, unattainable by humans so he was sure Thorin won't think that.But he couldn't be too certain.He decided to offer another explanation and see how Thorin reacted." There's something I never told anyone. I used to have strange dreams when I was younger," he said, studying Thorin's reaction..Thorin's fingers stopped tapping."Dreams?""Yes. I would sometimes see myself fighting strange people with movement and techniques I couldn't explain. The movements were always clear, even though I couldn't understand where they came from." Thaddeus lowered his gaze briefly. "I stopped having them for a while, but they returned not long before my cultivation began to improve."Thorin straightened in his chair."What other kinds of dreams did you have?"" Sometimes I would see a man teaching me different techniques. Some were simple, while others were difficult to understand. When I wake, I would h
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His voice grew louder."You are a small clan, and I have treated you accordingly. But if any of you ever speak to me like this again, I will not take it lightly."He swept his gaze across the table."I will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the Crestwood Clan upon Darkthorne. And believe me, that will not be the end of your troubles!" He yelled again, letting his voice vibrate through the room.The elders stared at him, their expressions caught somewhere between anger and restraint. They had expected his resistance, or even an argument, but they had not anticipated such an open threat inside their own hall.Thorin stood there for several seconds, while shooting each of them a deadly gaze before straightening his robes."I have not acted yet because I need to be certain of something before I make my move against that boy. I will not rush into a decision simply because you are growing impatient."He glanced directly at Elder Vokah."So, you will all wait until I am ready. When I
118- a moment of peace and chaos
Castle arrived with a tired expression and dropped onto the grass as he stared at Lysa."I swear, if I have to practice that sword one more time tomorrow, I'll throw it into the lake."Lysa laughed. "You won't last a day without complaining. You won't get any better this way.""At least I complain honestly. You pretend to be hardworking, but I saw you sleeping under a tree yesterday.""I was resting my eyes. I train harder than you by the way." She said and the others smiled.Mehek chipped in." I also saw him the other day chasing fireflies instead of practicing. He's so lazy. I wonder how you cope with him. " He said and the others started laughing.Castle pointed at them, smiling. "You people have no respect for your seniors.""Senior?" Reece scoffed. "You are still my junior. You're lucky I don't like to flaunt my senior badge."Castle burst into laughter. " So you are a Senior inner disciple? Yet you lost a sparring match to a disciple half my size.""That boy cheated!""Of cours
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The next morning, Thaddeus was careful not to stir up any trouble.After the rumour with Iris had spread so widely, he had been avoiding any incident that could draw unwanted attention to him and more importantly, the Heavenly Covenant was running out.[HEAVENLY PROTECTION: DAY 15/20][TIME REMAINING: 5 DAYS]Thaddeus glanced at the notification before dismissing it. Five days was all he had left and he needed to make every one of them count.Meanwhile, that fateful day in the inner Assembly, as the Elders discussed the Sect's affairs, a senior disciple rose from his seat and bowed slightly.He mentioned he had aissue to discuss, one that can not be ignored anylonger.They asked him to proceed and he began."Elders, may I ask whether the Sect has received any reports concerning the Crestwood delegates meeting with representatives of other Sects?"The hall fell quiet. The Elders had already heard the rumours, but all of them pretended not to know anything about it.Vokah looked at the
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