Marcus stepped into the Wind-Hearing Pavilion expecting solemn silence or grand ceremony. Instead, he found Liam Windrunner seated calmly across a low wooden table, playing chess.
Opposite him sat an elderly man dressed in flowing black robes, the kind of figure who looked as though he had walked straight out of an ancient legend. His white beard fell neatly across his chest, his eyes sharp and alert despite his age, carrying the quiet authority of someone who clearly held high status within the Harmony Peak Sect.
Neither man seemed surprised by Marcus's arrival.
Without looking up from the board, Liam placed a chess piece down with a soft click.
"Stonehaven. How did the trial go?"
That was all it took.
Marcus's frustration exploded immediately.
"Liam, your trial was insane!" he burst out, striding forward. "You sent me to fight a Mythic Beast one-on-one! That's not a trial, that's suicide! Completely unfair!"
