Jaxon's friendly smile froze on his face. The muscles in his jaw tightened. For a moment, a flash of pure, cold anger, the ingrained pride of a core disciple from a great sect, threatened to break through his carefully constructed mask of diplomacy.
"Never heard of it?"
The words were an insult of the highest order. The Azure Sky Palace was one of the most powerful sects on the entire continent.
Its name was known and feared in every kingdom. To claim ignorance of its existence was either a sign of profound, backwater ignorance or a deliberate, calculated mockery.
Jaxon knew this man was no ignorant primitive. This was a direct challenge.
He took a slow, deep breath, forcing the anger down. He could not afford to be provoked. The man before him was an enigma, and the invisible entity beside him was a terrifying unknown.
