I walked away from No.1 Winery, Caleb Thorne's mocking laughter still ringing in my ears. The jade box containing the Nine Transformation Pill felt heavy in my pocket—not from its physical weight, but from the significance of the decision I was about to make.
"So much for sharing knowledge," I muttered under my breath. "If they're too blind to see what's right in front of them, that's their loss."
The streets of White City bustled around me, merchants hawking their wares, cultivators discussing the latest martial techniques. None of them paid me any mind. Just another face in the crowd—for now.
I arrived at my villa just as the sun began its descent toward the horizon. The familiar stone walls and carefully tended garden welcomed me home. This place had become my sanctuary, a testament to how far I'd come since being kicked out of the Sterling family.
