An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori (official version)

In the wee hours of the morning, a group of individuals dressed in black encircled the inn. With light movements,

they moved without a sound.

Resembling a pack of wolves hunting for prey, they were cautious, stealthy, and filled with the intent to kill.

Currently, there were two guards stationed at the main entrance of the inn. However, they failed to notice

anything unusual due to the darkness.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze wafted through, carrying a faint mist with a unique fragrance.

Moments later, the two guards felt dizzy. Before they knew it, their vision went dark, and they collapsed onto the

ground.

After dealing with the two vigilant guards, the elite fighters from the Embersteel Order and Harmony Sect,

dressed in all black, swiftly surrounded the inn.

To avoid alerting anyone, they continued the use of drugs to clear their path instead of launching a direct

assault, spraying the sedative mist through door and window slits of every room.

The sedatives were Harmony Sects' secret concoction. While scarce, they were extremely potent. Even divine-

level martial artists would be incapacitated once exposed to it.

"Chester, how is it going?" After administering the sedatives, the two factions met in the corridor to exchange

information.

"The small fry have all been knocked out. Now, we just need to deal with that grandmaster," Chester whispered.

"I've gathered information. Dustin's room is located on the far eastern side of the second floor. I'll administer

Tranqurin shortly while you seize the opportunity to inflict significant damage.

"We should be done after that!" Bertha whispered back.

"Understood." Chester nodded.

Bertha fell silent and made a gesture, leading a few highly skilled individuals with her upstairs. They moved

stealthily.

Chester and his group followed closely behind, leaving most of their martial artists downstairs to handle any

unexpected situations.

Only semi-grandmasters were allowed to head up with them.

Both Chester and Bertha were grandmasters, and they were further backed by six semi-grandmasters.

Together, their combined forces would prove more than enough to deal even with Damien, the number

one martial artist in the Southwest.

The group held their breath as they ascended the stairs quietly to the second floor, halting outside the room at

the far east.

After exchanging a nod with Chester, Bertha carefully pulled out a bamboo tube from her pocket and inserted it

under the door crack, giving a gentle blow.

A semi-transparent mist billowed out from the bamboo tube, entering the room and spreading rapidly.

The bamboo tube contained Tranquirin, which Bertha had manipulated into a colorless and odorless mist. It was

especially hard to detect at night.

After releasing Tranqurin, the group took out the masks they had prepared beforehand and covered their faces.

At the stime, it would prevent them from inhaling the substance.

They waited at the door for three minutes until the effects fully kicked in when Bertha suddenly signaled, "Break

in!"

Without hesitation, Chester forcefully kicked the door open, leading his skilled fighters as they charged into the

room.

However, halfway through, the unexpected sight inside left him stunned. The room was empty!

"What's going on? Where is he?" Chester widened his eyes and turned back to Bertha, who had entered after

him.

Bertha was equally puzzled, scanning the area with a bewildered expression, but there was no trace of Dustin

anywhere.

"Bertha, did we get the wrong room?" Chester asked with a frown.

"Impossible!" Bertha denied it immediately.

"I sent Sophia to check earlier. Dustin is staying in this room."

Bertha had always been careful. How would she make such a rookie mistake?

"Why is there no one here if he's staying in this room? He can't be answering nature's call at this time, can he?"

Chester snapped.

He cursed inwardly. They had been on edge the entire time, only to find the room empty. They had even wasted

half a bottle of Tranqurin.

"Hey, are you looking for me?" An icy voice rang out from behind them.

The group was startled and turned to look, only to find a newcomer by the door. That person was none other

than their target—Dustin!

"How did you end up behind us?" Bertha was shocked and puzzled. Dustin's elusive nature left her inexplicably

uneasy.

"I was in the next room and heard a noise, so | cout to check," Dustin responded indifferently.

Chester's expression darkened at his words, and he gave Bertha a questioning glance.

He grumbled silently, "Didn't you say you were sure you got the right room? Well, fuck, it turns out he was in the

room next door! How incompetent!"

Dutin's response made Bertha doubt herself. Did she really make a mistake?

What they didn't know was that Dustin had already changed rooms early on to be on the safe side, and it

appeared like he had been in luck.

"What are you still standing there for? Attack!" Bertha commanded sternly. Despite her misjudgment, she had to

press forward at this point.

"Attack!" Two semi-grandmasters nearest to the door unsheathed their swords without hesitation and lunged at

Dustin with ferocious slashes.

With the sudden attack at such a close range, even a grandmaster would find it challenging to react without

prior preparation.

Two blades struck Dustin's shoulders solidly. However, Dustin stood motionless, unaffected. Instead, the two

blades were shattered on impact.

"What?" Staring at their broken blades, the two men were dumbfounded.

Their precious blades were forged through countless refinements and were supposed to cut through everything

like butter.

Yet, when they slashed at Dustin, they didn't even manage to cut through his skin. Just how strong was his

energy armor?

"Ignorant fools!" Dustin sneered before raising his hand and slapping them.

Two thunderous claps echoed, and the two men were sent flying more than 30 feet away. They crashed right

through the walls and windows before falling heavily outside the inn.

Their bones had shattered, and blood spewed from their noses and mouths as they lay there on the brink of

death.