Restricting himself. Suppressing his qi. Holding back techniques he already knew how to use.
Alex had done all of that on purpose.
He didn't want Lucius to know the truth—that he had already stepped into the Paragon stage before ever joining the family clan. That secret alone could change how everyone treated him, and not in a good way.
Lucius was a stage seven warrior. A veteran. Someone who had seen too much and sensed even more. Hiding one's true stage from a man like that was no easy task.
Honestly, it bordered on madness.
If not for the peace energy helping to smooth and mask his qi flow, Alex knew he would have failed almost immediately. Even so, that wasn't enough. He still had to act. Every move had to look rough. Every reaction had to look slow. A young cultivator struggling to survive.
During the fight with Jimmy, Alex hadn't relied only on the Buster Skill.
He had used the Spiritual Eyes.
Just barely.
He kept it at the lowest level possible, thin enough that no glow showed in his eyes. When used fully, the Spiritual Eyes always gave themselves away. He knew that much. So he restrained it, feeding it qi in tiny drops, just enough to track the incoming attacks.
The others didn't notice.
But Lucius did.
Lucius had watched the fight more closely than anyone else in that hall. Not the crowd. Not the outcome. The flow. The rhythm. The way Alex's qi moved when danger came close.
With the sharpened senses of a stage seven warrior, Lucius followed the currents inside Alex's body as the fight unfolded. And in those currents, he felt something familiar. A pattern. A technique signature he recognized all too well.
The Spiritual Eyes.
That was the problem.
Lucius did not remember ever teaching Alex that technique.
And now, standing there with that calm smile on his face, Lucius had questions.
For a brief moment, Alex froze.
Lucius's question hit him hard, and with it came pressure—heavy, direct, pressing down on his chest like invisible weight. It wasn't an attack, but it was close enough to make his instincts scream.
He steadied himself and forced his breathing to slow.
Then he snapped out of it.
"Spiritual eyes… you mean how I was able to see Jimmy's attacks?" Alex asked, tilting his head slightly, playing the part.
Lucius didn't answer. He simply watched.
Alex took that as permission to continue.
"It's a theory I came up with based on what you taught me," he said calmly.
He raised a hand and tapped lightly near his temple, as if explaining something simple.
"Qi can be used to enhance the body. So I thought… if I could move qi in a careful way into my eyes, maybe I could see better."
He paused, then added,
"It worked."
Lucius studied him for a few seconds longer than necessary.
Then he nodded.
The pressure eased.
Lucius looked satisfied.
'I knew this would come up,' Alex thought.
'And I knew this answer would be safer than explaining anything else.'
Using another technique would have raised too many questions. This explanation stayed within the rules Lucius already knew.
"Well then," Lucius said, a faint smile forming. "You really are a talented one."
He turned slightly, already preparing to leave.
"I look forward to your performance," Lucius continued. "Make your family proud. Make them strong."
With those words, he started walking away.
Alex's heart skipped.
'Now or never,' he thought.
'I have to ask.'
"Can I know?" Alex said quickly.
Lucius stopped.
He turned his head just enough to look back, his expression neutral, unreadable.
"Know what?" he asked, his tone indifferent.
Alex swallowed once.
"What exactly is this Battle Royal all about?" he asked.
"I know it's about fighting and all that," Alex said, keeping his voice steady, "but I don't even know what it looks like. I don't know what kind of battle it really is."
Lucius didn't hesitate.
"You don't need to know that," he said plainly.
Alex frowned slightly, but Lucius continued before he could speak again.
"All you need to worry about is your training," Lucius said. "Focus on getting stronger. When the tournament comes, you'll understand what it feels like soon enough."
He turned away, already done with the conversation.
"Go get some rest," Lucius added over his shoulder. "Tomorrow's training will be serious. Harsher than ever. You'll need to be ready when the time comes."
And just like that, he walked off, his footsteps fading down the hall.
Alex stood there alone.
No answers. Not a single useful detail.
'useless…' Alex scoffed inwardly.
'Of course he wouldn't tell me anything,' he thought.
'Maybe the tournament is dangerous. Maybe he thinks if I know what's waiting, I'll run.'
That thought lingered as Alex turned and started walking toward his room.
Nothing had changed when he stepped inside.
The room was still large and luxurious, yet strangely empty. The bed sat in the center, clean and untouched. His clothes were neatly arranged in the closet, folded and organized.
Aside from that, there was nothing. No warmth. No signs that it was truly his.
Alex walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
The mattress dipped under his weight.
'If Lucius won't answer me,' Alex thought, 'then someone in the Pendragon clan will.'
He leaned back slightly, staring at the ceiling.
'I could ask the system,' he added.
'But it's been a while since I visited there properly. Better to go in person.'
With that thought settled, Alex exhaled slowly.
Decision made.
Ever since he moved back into the Wyndhams' house to officially join their clan, Alex hadn't visited the Dragon Roar base even once.
Not a single trip.
He raised his palm, and with a soft flicker, a small circular device appeared in his hand.
Quiet. Smooth. Cold against his skin.
Alex walked into the bathroom.
The space was large, almost excessive. A wide bathtub rested along one side. On the other was a glass-fenced shower area, transparent yet oddly hard to see through from the outside. At the far end sat a spotless white toilet seat.
The bathroom screamed luxury, just like the rest of the house. Too clean. Too perfect.
Alex stared at the toilet for a second.
'No way I'm putting it there,' Alex thought.
'This is my room. I get to decide where it goes.'
His mind drifted back to the first time he had been taken to the Dragon Roar base. The journey had been strange. Disorienting. Even now, after getting used to it, he didn't like it.
If there was another way, he would take it.
'Caspian said to hide it somewhere no one would think to check,' Alex thought.
His eyes flicked to the toilet again.
He shook his head.
Instead, he walked to the bathtub and placed the device on the sink, right where the water would normally flow away. A careless spot. The kind people never paid attention to.
The moment it touched the surface, the device dissolved, sinking into the material as if it had never been there.
Alex turned on the water.
The bathtub began to fill, water flowing smoothly, covering the spot completely.
Perfect.
'I'll set the password later,' Alex thought.
'After I come back.'
With that done, Alex straightened up, his face calm, his mind already moving ahead to the next step.
Before joining the Wyndhams, Alex already knew one thing for sure.
Getting into the city whenever he wanted to visit the base would not be easy.
The Wyndhams' estate sat deep in the woods, surrounded by mountains and isolation. No busy roads. No quick exits. Everything about the place was designed to keep people in—and outsiders far away.
Because of that, Caspian had given Alex a device. One that would always allow him to reach the Dragon Roar base, no matter where he was.
Now, standing in his bathroom, Alex placed the device inside the bathtub and turned on the tap.
Water flowed in.
The tub filled.
Then it happened.
Without warning, the water began to move on its own. Thin streams twisted and stretched, forming liquid tentacles that burst upward from the tub. Before Alex could react, they wrapped tightly around his arms, his waist, his legs.
No pain. Just force.
In the next instant, he was yanked forward.
Alex was dragged straight into the water, his body swallowed by the surface as if it were never solid at all. The tub splashed once, violently, then stilled.
The water settled.
The tentacles vanished.
All that remained was the steady, ordinary sound of the tap filling the bathtub, as calm and harmless as before.
Alex was gone.
Meanwhile, some time passed.
Alex's room remained silent. Too silent.
Then came the soft click of the door unlocking.
A few seconds later, it opened.
Two figures stepped in slowly, careful with their movements.
"Are you sure about this, Henry?" Jimmy whispered, peeking around the room as if expecting Alex to jump out at any moment. "Maybe we should pick another place. Somewhere else. Not his room."
Henry scoffed, closing the door behind them.
"Trust me," he said quietly. "This is our chance."
He glanced around, eyes sharp.
"With just the two of us, it'll be quick. Easy. We'll hit him before he can react. He won't even have time to fight back or struggle."
Jimmy hesitated, then nodded.
"He deserves it," Henry continued, his voice low and bitter. "Someone has to teach him a lesson. If we don't, people will keep looking down on us like we're nothing."
The room stayed silent.
And Alex was nowhere in sight.
Jimmy took in a slow, steady breath, forcing his nerves down.
Then they stepped fully into the room.
Their eyes moved fast, sweeping the space from wall to wall. The bed. The closet. The empty floor.
"He's not here," Henry said, a frown forming as he scanned again, just to be sure.
Jimmy tilted his head.
"I think he's in the bathroom," he said, nodding toward the faint sound of running water coming from behind the door.
Henry's expression shifted. The frown faded. A thin smile crept onto his face.
"Even better," he said quietly. "A surprise attack."
No hesitation followed.
Henry moved first, Jimmy right behind him. They crossed the room in quick steps and pushed into the bathroom.