As Cloudia effortlessly dismahe leader's subordiheir cries of pain and desperation eg through the mist, Reon turned his attention to the leader himself.

  Blow after precise blow nded with ruthless efficy, breaking the man's defenses and redug him to a pitiful state.

  Bloodied and battered, the leader could barely remain on his knees, much less stand, as Reon loomed over him like a dark specter.

  On the sidelihe little white tiger watched ily, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and frustration. Her cws flexed against the earth as she let out a soft growl, she previously wao join the fray and prove her strength.

  But Cloudia, ever the guardian aor, wasn't about to let that happen. With a flick of her tail and a sharp gnce, she stepped between the white tiger and the chaos. Her stance was firm, almal, as if to say, "This is my fight, little one. Watd learn."

  Cloudia moved with a grad ferocity that left no room for doubt. Her strikes were calcuted, eae a showcase of her mastery over the mist and her lethal prowess.

  The little tiger sat back, her frustration slowly giving way to admiration as she watched Cloudia domihe battlefield.

  "If she fights now," Reon thought, casting a quice toward the tiger, "Cloudia won't be able to funt her full strength as a senior."

  The fog began to clear, revealing the aftermath of the battle. The subordinates y scattered and unscious, their ons and pride abandoned in the dirt.

  The leader, trembling and barely ging to sciousness, desperately tried to crawl backward, his wide, terror-stri eyes locked on Reon, who loomed over him like an unyielding shadow.

  The young white tiger sat silently, her gaze shiftiween Reon and the battered leader kneeling before him. For the first time in this life, a flicker of uanding crossed her eyes. These weren't just protectors; they were something more.

  A memory stirred within her—fragmented and distant, remnants of a past she had lo behind.

  It was a something that had led her here, in search of clues to something deeply signifit she had lost and had also driveo bond with Xue Taiyang, being his tracted beast. For now, however, she would observe and learn.

  Reon stood tall amidst the defeated Inner Sect disciples, his Sword Aura now calm, though his preseill radiated authority. His eyes fixed on the leader, who krembling before him.

  Despite the group's defeat, the task was not yet marked as plete. That could only meahing: the young tiger's life was still in danger.

  The leader broke the silence, spitting out his words with a mix of defiand despair. "What are you staring at? If yoing to kill us, just do it! At least death would be better than enduring this humiliation!"

  Reon's gaze didn't waver. His tone was cold and deliberate. "I'm not going to kill you... not if you do exactly what I tell you to do."

  The leader hesitated, his eyes dartiween Reon and the swirling fog that still g to the battlefield. His voice faltered. "Y-you won't kill us? Fine, fine... I'll do whatever you say."

  But as he bowed his head in submission, his thoughts told a different story.

  "Heh, all I have to do is py along with what he says for now. Once I'm back at the sect, it'll be a different story. Does this bastard really think he humiliate me like this a away with it? No matter what it takes, I'll make sure he pays for this tenfold," the leader thought, his mihing with vengeful determination.

  His lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smirk before he spoke again. "What do you want from me? I'll do it."

  Reon's eyes narrowed as he studied the man's expression, his instincts warning him to tread carefully. Still, he id out his demands. "Yoing to keep everything that happened here to yourself. When you return, tell Niu Ling you found nothing in the Mystic Evergreen Forest—that I likely died there. And most importantly, you will say nothing about the White Tiger. Not a word. Is that clear?"

  The leader's head was bowed, but inside, his thoughts ed with spite and ing.

  "Hah, this fool. Does he holy think I'll ply? I'll expose everything after returning to the sect—his pet's strength and the White Tiger. Young Master Niu will send even stronger subordio deal with him, and with this information, I'll earn his trust... maybe even a p his family. That'll be my revenge. I'll make sure to watch as you're crushed beh the weight of Niu Ling's wrath."

  "But for now," the leader thought with a smirk hidden by his bowed head, "I'll agree to everything he say. Let him think I'm obedient."

  The leader raised his head slightly, nodding with an air of false urgency. "Of course, Brother Xue. I'll do exactly as you say. I won't breathe a word to Young Master Niu or anyone else. If I do, may I bring disgrace upon my aors."

  His tone carried the weight of an oath, but the faint gleam in his eyes betrayed the insiy lurkih the surface.