The ground trembled beneath my feet as Conrad Thornton approached. Sand and dust swirled around us, kicked up by the sheer pressure of his Grandmaster aura. The crowd stepped back instinctively, faces turned away from the miniature sandstorm his presence had created. I held my ground, refusing to show any hint of intimidation despite the suffocating weight of power bearing down on me.


    Conrad stood before me, his eyes burning with undisguised hatred. He was taller than I''d expected, broad-shouldered and imposing in his midnight-blue robes that rippled despite theck of wind. The lines on his face deepened as he stared at me.


    "Liam Knight," he spat, his voice carrying across the cemetery. "You dare cripple my brother and humiliate my son? The Thornton family has stood strong for five generations. We''ve crushed men far greater than you under our heels."


    I met his gaze unflinchingly. "Is that what they tell themselves? Men who prey on those weaker than themselves usually need suchforting lies."


    The crowd gasped at my audacity. Conrad''s face darkened with rage.


    "Your arrogance exceeds your station," he snarled. "I''ll make an example of you that will be remembered for decades."


    I smiled thinly. "By all means, try."


    Conrad didn''t waste another second on words. He struck with blinding speed, his palm strike creating a visible distortion in the air as it shot toward me. I barely registered the movement before the impact sent me flying backward, crashing into a mountain stone marking an ancient grave.


    The stone cracked, then crumbled around me as I slumped to the ground. Pain exploded across my back and chest. I tasted blood.


    "Is that all, Liam Knight?" Conrad called out mockingly. "Your reputation seems greatly exaggerated."


    I staggered to my feet, spitting blood onto the cemetery ground. "I''m just getting warmed up," I managed to say, though my ribs screamed in protest.


    Conrad''s eyes narrowed when he saw me standing rtively unharmed. He moved again, appearing in front of me so quickly it seemed like teleportation. His fist connected with my stomach, driving all air from my lungs before a follow-up strike to my jaw sent me spinning through the air. <mark ss="ref-9d5f51">Note from the editor: Always check * for corrections.</mark>


    I crashed into another grave marker, this one shatteringpletely under the impact. The world spun around me as I tried to regain my bearings.


    "You destroyed my brother''s cultivation with a single strike," Conrad said, walking slowly toward me. "Yet you can''t even defend yourself properly. What trickery did you use, boy?"


    I pushed myself up again, wiping blood from my mouth. "No tricks. Just knowledge your familycks."


    His face contorted with rage. Heunched another assault, his movements a blur as he unleashed a barrage of strikes. Each hit felt like being struck by lightning. My body absorbed punishment that would have killed an ordinary man several times over.


    The final blow sent me crashing into the ground, creating a deep pit in the cemetery earth. Dirt and stones rained down on me as Iy at the bottom of the crater Conrad''s attack had created.


    The crowd had gonepletely silent. I could hear whispers rippling through the onlookers.


    "Is he dead?"


    "No one could survive that."


    "Conrad didn''t even use his full strength."


    I coughed, pushing aside the debris covering me. Every movement sent fresh waves of pain through my battered body. Still, I forced myself to stand, climbing slowly out of the pit.


    Conrad''s eyes widened slightly when he saw me emerge. "Impossible," he muttered.


    I straightened my torn and bloodied clothes, a faint dark golden glow now visible on my skin. "My Saintly Body Skill," I exined, meeting his gaze. "Impressive, isn''t it? Most men would be nothing but broken bones and pulped flesh after those attacks."


    "A defensive technique," Conrad acknowledged, his expression calcting. "But it won''t save you. I''ve only been using fifty percent of my power."


    Before I could respond, he attacked again, moving even faster than before. This time, I managed to raise my arms in defense, channeling my energy to meet his assault. For twelve consecutive strikes, I held my ground, evennding a counter-blow that made Conrad step back momentarily.


    The crowd gasped at this unexpected disy of resistance. I saw uncertainty flicker across some faces in Conrad''s entourage.


    But the moment was brief. Conrad''s expression hardened, and the air around him began to distort as he finally unleashed his full power.


    "Enough games," he growled. "Let me show you the difference between a Grandmaster and whatever you are."


    He struck again, and this time I couldn''t even track his movement. Pain exploded across my chest as his palm connected, sending me hurtling across the cemetery. I crashed through three grave markers beforeing to a stop, my body broken and bleeding.


    I tried to stand but found I couldn''t move my right arm. Looking down, I saw white bone protruding through torn flesh. Blood pooled beneath me, soaking into the cemetery ground.


    Conrad appeared above me, hovering in mid-air, his robes billowing around him. "Look at you now, Liam Knight," he said coldly. "Broken and defeated, as all who challenge the Thornton family must be."


    I spat blood, refusing to lower my gaze. "Is that... what you told Killian Moreau... when your cowards ambushed him?"


    Conrad''s face twisted with fresh anger. "Your defiance ends now," he dered, raising his palm above his head. Energy began to coalesce, forming a sphere of devastating power. "This strike will erase youpletely. Not even your precious Saintly Body Skill can save you now."


    The crowd retreated further as the pressure from Conrad''s attack made the air itself tremble. Iy there, blood pooling around me, bone and shredded flesh exposed to the morning air. My vision darkened at the edges as Conrad gathered more power for his final strike.


    From somewhere in the crowd, I heard Caspian Kane speak quietly to Miguel Pratt. "Wait. Just wait."


    "For what?" Miguel hissed back. "The boy is finished."


    "I''m not so sure," Caspian replied, his voice calm. "There''s something about him..."


    Above me, Conrad''s palm glowed with blinding energy, ready to end my life. I stared up at it, my body broken but my spirit unbroken. Blood trickled from my mouth as I forced my lips into a defiant smile.


    The massive palm strike began its descent toward me, carrying enough power to obliterate my bodypletely. The crowd held their collective breath, anticipating my inevitable end at the hands of the Thornton Grandmaster.