As the signal flare exploded in the sky, Asmon felt the shift in the air. Three powerful presences closed in fast, and in moments, three figures stepped into the clearing.

Asmon’s lips curled into a smirk as he recognized the newcomers. Sebastian, the head of the Yates family, stood alongside Theodore, leader of the Ashbourne family. Beside them was an old man in Taoist robes, his air of arrogance as thick as the forest fog.

“Well, well,” Asmon said, his voice dripping with mockery. “If it isn’t Sebastian and Theodore, gracing me with their esteemed presence. To what do I owe this honor?”

Sebastian’s glare could’ve frozen fire. “The three families of Goldenridge City have always been equals. Yet your Thrumpwood family dares to dream of domination! Today, we put an end to your ambition—and to you!”

“Ambition?” Asmon snorted, crossing his arms. “And here I thought you were just mad because my name keeps overshadowing yours.”

“Mock all you want, brat,” Sebastian growled. “We came prepared. No matter how strong you’ve become, you won’t leave here alive!”

Asmon tilted his head, his smirk growing wider. “You’ve overestimated yourselves—and underestimated me.”

The tension crackled in the air like a storm about to break. Asmon flexed his fingers, ready for the fight ahead.

“Let’s see if your bark matches your bite,” he said, his voice steady and calm, a sharp contrast to the brewing chaos.

Sebastian raised his fist dramatically and gestured toward the old man in the Taoist robe standing next to him. "Master Gong, it’s your time to shine!"

The old man, his expression calm and collected, responded coolly, "Don’t worry. Unless he’s some freak who’s broken through to the Imperial Tide Realm beyond Imperial Qi, this guy’s going nowhere." With a wave of his hand, a strange, glowing scroll materialized in his grasp, humming faintly with power.

Master Gong snapped the scroll open with a flick of his wrist and hurled it skyward. It floated midair, spinning with an eerie brilliance. Moments later, the scroll erupted in a dazzling cascade of light, spilling streams of radiance across the battlefield. Within seconds, the shimmering energy wrapped around Asmon and Merilyn, trapping them in a glowing sphere about ten meters wide.

"This is... a formation array?" Merilyn Snow's pretty face turned pale as she pieced it together. "He’s a formation master!"

Asmon’s brows lifted in surprise. Sebastian had actually gone all out and hired a formation master to deal with him? This was getting interesting.

Formation masters were rarer than alchemists, practically unicorns in the martial arts world. Their craft was nothing short of miraculous, creating deadly arrays that could turn people into minced meat, indestructible barriers that could fend off armies, and cultivation arrays that worked like magic steroids. The complexity of their work? Off the charts. Yin and Yang, Five Elements, the very fabric of the universe—formation masters toyed with it all like puzzle pieces.

Sebastian, sensing victory, broke into a triumphant cackle. "Haha! Asmon, you’ve met your match. I shelled out a fortune to hire Master Gong, a third-tier formation master. This guy’s creations can trap even the most powerful martial artists at the peak of Imperial Qi! Did you really think you could leave here alive?"

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Asmon, however, wasn’t paying attention to Sebastian’s gloating. His sharp eyes focused on the formation glowing around them.

[You’ve observed the Triune Seal Array, comprehension amplified, analysis accelerated, and insight maximized. You’ve comprehended the method to break the Triune Seal Array.]

The system’s notification chimed in Asmon’s mind like a well-timed joke. In an instant, he downloaded the blueprint of the formation, flaws and all, straight into his brain.

"Merilyn," Asmon said casually, "hit the formation with everything you’ve got."

Merilyn hesitated for only a moment. With a flick of her wrist, a sleek silver longsword appeared in her hand, its blade gleaming like liquid moonlight. She slashed at the glowing barrier, her movements precise and powerful. The sharp arc of energy slammed into the formation, sending ripples through the light.

The formation trembled slightly but held firm.

Sebastian’s smug expression faltered. "Master Gong, are you sure this formation can hold them?"

Master Gong chuckled, adjusting his robe with confidence. "Relax. That girl’s strong, sure, but she’s still stuck at the Imperial Qi level. My Triune Seal Array is a third-rank masterpiece. Unless someone here is secretly an Imperial Tide Realm powerhouse, brute force won’t cut it. This formation severs all vitality. In no time, they’ll suffocate like fish out of water."

As if to back up his words, the formation steadied itself, its light stabilizing into a deadly calm.

Merilyn Snow frowned, her frustration apparent. "Asmon, this thing’s too strong. Third-rank formations like this aren’t something we can brute-force our way out of. If we don’t escape soon, we’re done for."

Asmon smirked, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "It’s true, the Triune Seal Array is a strong piece of work. It’s designed to drain all vitality, leaving those trapped inside to suffocate. Sounds scary, right?"

Merilyn Snow nodded, her face grim.

"But," Asmon continued, his voice dripping with amusement, "this old guy barely scratched the surface of formation mastery. His Triune Seal Array is like a knockoff handbag—full of flaws and ready to fall apart with one good tug."

Merilyn’s jaw dropped, her beautiful eyes wide in disbelief. "Wait. You know formations too?"

Asmon gave her a lopsided grin. "Just a little." He tilted his head. "Enough to break this one, at least."

Merilyn stared at him, utterly stunned. This guy had unparalleled martial talent, ridiculous alchemy skills, and now he was casually flexing as a formation expert? What was next—cooking gourmet meals while reciting poetry? She shook her head, thoroughly exasperated.

Asmon’s grin widened. "Don’t look so defeated. Let’s break this thing before the light show gets old." He turned his attention back to Sebastian, his voice ringing out with casual mockery.

"Haha! Sebastian, you think this flimsy formation is enough to kill me? You overpaid for a second-rate job!"

Sebastian’s face darkened, his earlier smugness replaced by growing uncertainty. "You—"

Before he could respond, Master Gong stepped in, his tone laced with irritation. "Ridiculous! This brat knows nothing about formations. How dare he insult my craft?"

Asmon didn’t even flinch. He replied casually, “Whether I understand formations or not doesn’t matter. One thing’s for sure: your so-called 'Triune Seal Array' won’t even give me a yawn, let alone kill me.”

“Boy, I didn’t expect you to know a thing or two about formations,” Master Gong interrupted, his tone mixed with surprise and amusement. “You can recognize my Triune Seal Array, huh?”

Asmon gave him a condescending smirk. “Your Triune Seal Array? Let’s not get carried away. What you’ve got here is barely the surface level of the real thing—patched together and riddled with flaws. It’s embarrassing, really.”

Master Gong’s jaw practically hit the ground. His triumphant formation, the very thing he prided himself on, dismissed as “riddled with flaws”? This kid had some nerve.

“Big talk for a brat,” Master Gong snarled, his face darkening. “Since you think you’re such an expert, why don’t you show me where these supposed flaws are?”

“Oh, I’ll do more than that,” Asmon said, crossing his arms with a confident grin. “I’ll break your precious formation with just a few flicks of my finger. It won’t even take an hour.”