Preston Ironwood''s patience had run out.


    His eyes shed with murderous intent as he stared down at my broken body. Iy there, helpless and gasping for breath.


    "Enough games," he snarled. "You''ve wasted enough of my time."


    He drew back his uninjured fist, channeling devastating spiritual power that made the air crackle around us. This wasn''t just another attack—this was meant to end me.


    "Preston, stop!" Adrian Whitlock shouted, suddenly rushing between us.


    The older man''s body blurred as he moved with surprising speed, positioning himself as my shield. His hands formed rapid seals, summoning a defensive barrier of spiritual energy.


    "Stand aside, old man," Preston growled. "This doesn''t concern you."


    Adrian held his ground. "I won''t let you execute a defenseless opponent."


    Preston''s face twisted with rage. "Then you''ll fall with him!"


    What happened next unfolded in terrifying slow motion. Preston''s fist collided with Adrian''s hastily formed defense. For a split second, it seemed Adrian might seed in blocking the blow.


    Then his barrier shattered like ss.


    The force of Preston''s attack sent Adrian flying backward into me. Both of us tumbled across the rocky ground in a tangle of limbs. When we finally stopped rolling, Adrian groaned in pain beside me.


    "Pathetic," Preston sneered, stalking toward us. "The great Adrian Whitlock, reduced to this."


    I tried to move, to push myself up, but my body wouldn''t respond. Every breath felt like inhaling fire. Several of my ribs were definitely broken, and I could taste blood pooling in my mouth.


    Adrian struggled to his feet, his breathingbored. "Liam," he gasped. "Can you stand?"


    I couldn''t even answer. The best I could manage was a weak cough that sprayed blood onto the dirt.


    "How touching," Preston mocked, now standing over us. "Two failures, trying to help each other."


    Adrian nted his feet, raising his hands in a defensive stance. "If you want him, you''ll have to go through me."


    Preston''s eyes narrowed. "As you wish."


    What followed was no match—it was a ughter. Preston unleashed a barrage of punches that Adrian could barely track, let alone block. Each impact made the older man stagger, yet somehow Adrian remained standing.


    "Absolute Beginning Sacred Fist!" Preston suddenly called out.


    The technique—the same one I''d used earlier—erupted from his hand with ten times the power of my version. It mmed into Adrian''s chest with a sickening crack.


    Adrian copsed to his knees, blood streaming from his mouth. But his eyes still burned with defiance.


    "You use... the same technique as the boy," he wheezed. "How?"


    Preston smirked. "The Ironwood family has many secrets. This technique has been in our arsenal for generations."


    Understanding dawned on Adrian''s face. "Then you and the boy..."


    "Enough talk," Preston snapped. He casually shoved Adrian aside and turned his attention back to me.


    Iy there, broken and helpless, as Preston loomed over me. His shadow fell across my face, blotting out the sun.


    "Time to finish this," he said, drawing back his fist once more.


    The blow hit me like a mountain. My world exploded into pain as his fist connected with my face. I felt bones crack beneath the impact. Blood poured from my now-shattered nose and split lips.


    But he wasn''t done.


    Preston grabbed my shirt, yanking me upright. "Still alive? Let''s fix that." <mark ss="frag-9aa7d5">Help<i ss="node-sep"></i>us<i ss="node-sep"></i>continue<i ss="node-sep"></i>by<i ss="node-sep"></i>reading<i ss="node-sep"></i>at<i ss="node-sep"></i>the<i ss="node-sep"></i>source:<i ss="node-sep"></i>*.</mark>


    His second punch caught me in the chest. More ribs splintered. I couldn''t even scream—there was no air left in my lungs.


    He dropped me, and I crumpled to the ground like a broken doll. My vision swam, darkness creeping in at the edges. I was dying, and I knew it.


    "No!" Adrian shouted, somehow finding the strength to lunge forward again.


    Preston turned, annoyed by the interruption. He raised his palm, summoning a massive surge of spiritual energy.


    "Palm of the Copsing Mountain!"


    The attack hit Adrian squarely in the chest. The old man''s body flew backward, smashing into a boulder with enough force to crack the stone. He slid to the ground, unmoving.


    I wanted to call out to him, but I couldn''t form words. My face was a ruined mess. One eye had swollen shut, and blood continued to pour from multiple wounds.


    Preston turned back to me, disgust evident on his face. "Look at you," he spat. "The supposed rising star of Havenwood. You''re nothing."


    He kicked me viciously in the side, rolling me onto my back. I stared up at the sky through my one functioning eye, unable to move.


    "I''ll give you this much," Preston continued. "You''re stubborn. Most men would be dead by now."


    From somewhere nearby, I heard Adrian groan. He was still alive, at least. Smallfort, given our situation.


    Preston crouched beside me, examining my battered face with clinical detachment. "What makes you so special, I wonder? Why does the Ashworth girl care so much about a nobody like you?"


    I couldn''t answer, of course. Blood gurgled in my throat with each shallow breath.


    "No matter," he sighed, standing again. "You''ll be dead soon enough."


    He raised his foot, positioning it above my chest. One stomp would crush what remained of my ribcage, driving bone fragments into my heart and lungs.


    I closed my eye, waiting for the end.


    But then something strange happened.


    A faint golden light began to emanate from my skin. It was barely visible at first—just a subtle glow that outlined my broken body.


    Preston paused, foot still raised. "What''s this?"


    The light intensified slightly. And with it came a strange sensation—a tingling warmth that spread through my shattered limbs. My breathing, which had been ragged and wet, gradually steadied.


    "Impossible," Preston whispered, taking a step back.


    From the corner where he had fallen, Adrian lifted his head. His eyes widened at the sight.


    "He''s... recovering," the old man croaked.


    The golden light pulsed stronger now, illuminating the rocky ground around me. With each pulse, I felt a fraction of my strength returning. Not enough to fight—not nearly—but enough to cling to life.


    Preston''s expression hardened. "No. I won''t allow this."


    He drew back his fist again, ready to strike me down before whatever was happening could continue.


    But nature itself seemed to intervene.


    The sky, which had been clear just moments before, suddenly darkened. Heavy clouds rolled in with unnatural speed, blotting out the sun. The air grew heavy with electricity.


    "Heavenly tribtion," Adrian gasped, struggling to sit up. "The boy... he''s breaking through!"


    Preston''s face paled. "Breaking through? While unconscious? That''s not possible!"


    But the evidence was undeniable. The gathering storm, the golden light emanating from my broken body—all signs of a cultivation breakthrough so powerful it had triggered nature''s response.


    "Kill him now!" Adrian shouted, but his words weren''t directed at Preston. He was warning someone else—someone watching from the sidelines.


    I caught a glimpse of Eamon Greene standing at the edge of the clearing, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.


    Preston didn''t wait for further discussion. He lunged forward, aiming to crush my skull before the breakthrough couldplete.


    His fist never reached me.


    A blinding bolt of lightning shot down from the storm clouds, striking the ground between us with deafening force. Preston was thrown backward, his attack disrupted.


    "Heaven itself protects him," Adrian murmured, awe in his voice.


    Preston scrambled to his feet, his face contorted with rage and disbelief. "This changes nothing! I''ll kill him before the tribtion finishes!"


    He charged again, but the sky answered with another lightning strike, this one even closer to him. The message was clear: interference would not be tolerated.


    Meanwhile, the golden light around my body had intensified to a brilliant glow. Despite my unconscious state, my chest now rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Blood still covered my face, but the wounds themselves had begun to close.


    "What kind of monster is he?" Preston hissed, backing away from the supernatural disy.


    The storm above grew more violent. Thunder rolled across the sky in continuous waves. The wind picked up, howling through the canyon with enough force to send small rocks skittering across the ground.


    "Get back!" Adrian shouted to everyone present. "The heavenly tribtion is beginning!"


    No sooner had the words left his mouth than a massive bolt of lightning, thicker and more powerful than any before, shot down from the center of the storm. It struck me directly, engulfing my body in blinding light.


    The impact was devastating. The ground beneath me cratered from the force. Nearby rocks shattered. The air itself seemed to catch fire.


    But through it all, the golden glow around my body persisted, somehow absorbing and channeling the lightning''s energy.


    Preston and Adrian both staggered back, shielding their eyes from the intense light. Even Eamon retreated further into the shadows.


    For a moment, there was silence. The lightning faded, leaving behind a smoking crater with my glowing body at its center.


    Then, the sky darkened even further. The clouds above began to rotate, forming a massive vortex directly overhead. At its center, a new bolt of lightning formed—one that dwarfed all previous strikesbined.


    "Gods above," Adrian whispered, his voice trembling. "I''ve never seen a tribtion this powerful."


    Preston''s face had gonepletely white. "We need to leave. Now!"


    But before anyone could move, the monstrous lightning bolt descended. It struck with the force of a meteor, instantly turning everything around me into a sea of blinding electricity.


    In that moment, as heaven''s fury engulfed my broken body, my fate hung by the thinnest of threads.