Being the protector Liam had failed to be for his family was at the core of his existence, its deepest aspect, what had driven him to start that journey and still guided most of his actions.

However, protection had a broad meaning and could come in many forms. At its most basic, it involved defending loved ones from danger, but Liam’s understanding of that whole concept had broadened.

Taking care of someone was a form of protection. Creating the environment and conditions where they could bloom fit, too. It was the responsibility of a life, which demanded more than being a shield to treasure.

There was an even higher interpretation, a twisted enlightenment that served as its ultimate expression. Liam didn’t have to wait for threats to do something before stepping in. He could eradicate them before they caused any damage.

No threats meant no need for protection. It was really that simple.

As flawless as the new philosophy was, enforcing it was tricky. Liam couldn’t read minds after all, not quite. He couldn’t just predict whether someone would decide to become a threat.

However, Liam could punish those who tried anything with disproportionate measures. He could follow in his Master’s footsteps in the way he responded to insults, making them even worse so that no one would ever think about crossing him in the future.

In the past, Liam would have been unable to enforce that method. He had hidden during the Bloodline Screening and merely acted as a human shield against the level three snake because he had been too weak.

Yet, Liam didn’t need to limit himself to shameful passive actions now. He wielded enough power to go on the offensive. Lady Jessica had almost killed Grace, so he would destroy her branch and eradicate whoever tried to stop him.

And if that weren’t enough, Liam would keep destroying things until the entire world learned what the price was of messing with him and became too scared to try.

As expected, no one left at the announcement. Many couldn’t even believe it despite the hole in the gate. As fearsome as Liam’s cloaked figure was, the place was a branch of the Mercenary Guild. The sole idea of anyone attacking it was unthinkable.

Still, Liam wasn’t one for empty words. He hadn’t even come there to employ one of his clumsy demands for compensation. He had said his piece, so he would act on it.

A flask materialized under Liam’s long sleeve, and he casually threw it to the ground. The container shattered, and its liquid quickly tainted the soil, creating an expanding dark stain.

A Guild’s branch was a place for cultivators, so Qi was everywhere in the area. Even that seemingly simple soil had talismans reinforcing it, sending magical energy through it, to which the Master’s Pride could latch onto.

It didn’t take long for yellow fumes to rise under Liam’s feet and more to arrive as the black stain continued to expand. They had no effect on him. That was the original Master’s Pride that used his venom.

Despite the lack of clients due to the recent rumors, a building so big still hosted over thirty cultivators to keep it running. Much was automated through talismans and magical items, but that left many tasks that required manual review.

There were missions to address and reorganize, pieces of information to arrange, inventory to do, trades, and more. Liam mostly sensed foundation experts, but there were close to ten rooting experts, which was quite a high share.

That was due to the sensitive nature of some tasks. It wasn’t that foundation experts couldn’t handle them. They couldn’t know about them since they were core to the Guild’s workings, which only their superiors were cleared to interact with.

Liam didn’t care for those inner workings. He had fought against worse odds and won, so he could avoid going all-out, both because he had just recovered and to save resources.

Nevertheless, Liam wouldn’t underestimate opponents, especially when they had the home advantage. Also, the goal wasn’t just to win. He had to terrify them and anyone who heard the story.

The opportunity didn’t even take long to arrive. If there was one thing Liam had learned about the cultivation world, it was that cultivators spoke too much.

Once the dark stain expanded to five square meters, it became clear it wouldn’t stop. The yellow fumes it released even terrified the audience to their core, so much so that windows opened along the walls, showing curious heads that soon wore shocked expressions.

The training area had fifteen cultivators, with only three rooting experts, and the bald, middle-aged man with a diagonal scar on his face among them decided to address the threat in the only way Guild members knew how.

"How dare you attack the Mercenary Guild’s grounds?!" The man cried, pointing at Liam. "Once we are done with you, you’ll regret being born!"

Liam threw a pill under his hood as a spell formed in the middle-aged man’s lifted hand. It was a giant fireball, the same Liam had seen the Scorching Sun Sect and Lancelot use.

The fireball quickly shot forward, but not before the pill’s effects came into play. Liam experienced immense strength flowing through him, vouching for the improved recipe, leading him to do something reckless.

In alchemy, ingredients had to be burned to perform tests, and an alchemist was no different. Also, there was shock value to be had.

The fireball reached Liam, and he just swung his arm, as if wanting to deflect it with his bare hands, only for something that shocked even him to unfold.

The spell just shattered under the heavy blow. Its structural integrity crumbled, its fire shooting away in the shape of harmless fiery tongues.

With the black Qi and the immense momentum such a simple gesture had generated, Liam’s sleeve didn’t even burn. The pressure he had unleashed and his innate defenses had kept the cloak intact against a rank 2 spell from a rooting expert.

And then, thunderous explosions resounded.