I floated in an endless void, suspended between consciousness and oblivion. The searing pain of heavenly lightning had be my entire world. My flesh felt like it was being simultaneously incinerated and reborn with each pulse of energy that tore through me.


    Through my one functioning eye, I caught glimpses of the tribtion storm raging above. Dark, swirling clouds formed an ominous vortex directly overhead. Each new bolt of lightning that struck me was more powerful than thest.


    "It''s killing him," I heard someone shout from what seemed like miles away.


    I recognized Adrian Whitlock''s voice, strained with concern. The old man had tried to protect me, and now he was watching me burn.


    "Good," came Preston Ironwood''s cold reply. "Let heaven finish what I started."


    I wanted to move, to fight back, but my body responded with nothing but agony. The golden light that had begun to heal me now struggled against the overwhelming force of the tribtion. My breaths came in shallow gasps. Each one felt like it might be myst.


    Isabelle''s face shed in my mind. Her smile, her eyes, the way she looked at me like I was worth something. I couldn''t die here. Not like this.


    "The tribtion isn''t easing," Caleb Thorne remarked from somewhere nearby. His tone carried a hint of satisfaction. "He won''t survive much longer."


    "Indeed," Preston agreed. "And when he''s gone, I won''t have to waste time hunting Whitlock down. I''ll kill him right here."


    Through waves of pain, I focused on these words. They prated the fog of agony clouding my mind. Preston wasn''t just waiting for me to die—he was nning to kill Adrian next.


    I tried to call out, to warn Adrian, but another st of lightning struck me. My back arched involuntarily as electricity coursed through my veins. My teeth clenched so hard I thought they might shatter.


    "Look at that," Caleb observed with casual interest. "His skin is ckening. Another strike should finish him."


    "And then I won''t have to give up those herbs," he added under his breath.


    I heard footsteps approaching Adrian. Even through my pain, I sensed what was happening.


    "Why wait?" Preston said. "The boy is as good as dead. You''re next, old man."


    "You ungrateful bastard," Adrian spat. "After everything the Whitlock family has done for yours—"


    "Ancient history," Preston cut him off. "The Ironwood family bows to no one now. Especially not to washed-up relics like you."


    I forced my remaining eye open wider, trying to see through the haze of pain. Adrian was on his feet now, though barely. Blood stained his robes, and his breathing wasbored. He had no chance against Preston in this condition.


    "I should have dealt with you years ago," Adrian said, dropping into a defensive stance despite his injuries. "My greatest regret is letting you walk free after your betrayal."


    Prestonughed. "Your greatest regret should be stepping between me and my prey today."


    The lightning strikes had momentarily paused, as if heaven itself was taking a breath before delivering the final blow. In this brief respite, I watched helplessly as Prestonunched himself at Adrian.


    Their battle was brutal but one-sided. Adrian, despite his experience and technique, couldn''t match Preston''s raw power. Each exchange left the older man more battered and bloodied.


    "Master Adrian!" Eamon Greene called out from the sidelines. The young man looked desperate to help but knew he was outmatched.


    "Stay back, Eamon!" Adrianmanded between blows. "You''re no match for him!"


    Adrian managed tond a solid strike on Preston''s shoulder, but the younger cultivator barely flinched. Instead, he countered with a devastating palm strike that sent Adrian crashing into the ground.


    "Pathetic," Preston sneered, stalking toward the fallen man. "The legendary Adrian Whitlock, reduced to this."


    Adrian struggled to rise, spitting blood onto the rocky ground. "I may fall today, but others will stand against you. The Whitlock name stillmands respect."


    "Not for much longer," Preston replied, gathering spiritual energy into his fist. The air around his hand distorted with power.


    I felt rage building inside me,peting with the pain of the tribtion. These men had reduced me to a charred, broken mess, yet they ignored mepletely now, assuming I was as good as dead.


    The sky darkened further. The next strike would be the most powerful yet—likely the one to end my life. But I couldn''t die while Adrian fought alone.


    Preston''s attack crashed through Adrian''s hasty defense. The old man''s body tumbled across the ground,ing to rest just yards from where Iy.


    "You fought well for your age," Preston said, approaching slowly. "But this ends now."


    Adrian tried to rise again but copsed. His strength was gone.


    "I had such hopes for that boy," Adrian murmured, ncing toward me. "He could have changed everything."


    "He''s nothing," Preston spat. "Just like you."


    Above me, lightning gathered for what would surely be a final, fatal strike. The air hummed with deadly energy. My time was running out.


    Preston stood over Adrian now, his fist pulled back for a killing blow. "Anyst words, old man?"


    Adrian met his gaze without fear. "Only that I pity you, Preston. Power without honor is worth nothing."


    "Honor is for the weak," Preston snarled, driving his fist downward.


    In that moment, something inside me snapped. Not my body—my body was already broken beyond repair. Something deeper. A barrier I hadn''t known existed.


    The golden light surrounding me red suddenly, zing with renewed intensity. The approaching lightning strike seemed to hesitate, as if confused by this unexpected development.


    With every ounce of will I possessed, I forced my shattered body to move. Just my arm. Just enough to reach out.


    Preston''s fist descended toward Adrian''s chest. A killing blow, channeled with enough spiritual energy to puncture the old man''s heart.


    It nevernded.


    A hand—my hand—caught his fist mid-strike.


    "Didn''t I say that your opponent is me?" I heard myself say, my voice barely recognizable even to my own ears.


    Preston''s eyes widened in shock. "Impossible!"


    I stood beside him, my body still smoking from the tribtion''s lightning. My skin was ckened and cracked in ces, with golden light shining through the fissures like molten metal. Blood still covered much of my face, but beneath it, my wounds were closing before everyone''s eyes.


    "You should be dead," Preston stammered, trying to pull his fist from my grip. He couldn''t.


    "Many have thought that," I replied, tightening my hold. "They were all wrong."


    The heavenly tribtion still loomed above us, lightning gathering for another strike. But something had changed. The golden light emanating from my body now reached upward, interacting with the storm in ways I didn''t understand.


    "The tribtion," Caleb gasped. "He''s...municating with it somehow."


    Adrian stared up at me from the ground, his expression a mixture of awe and disbelief. "Liam... how are you standing?"


    I didn''t answer. I wasn''t entirely sure myself. All I knew was that I refused to die while my allies were in danger.


    Preston recovered from his shock quickly. His face contorted with rage as he threw a second punch with his free hand.


    I caught that one too.


    "You''ve made a grave mistake," I told him quietly. "You hurt someone under my protection."


    "Under YOUR protection?" Preston snarled. "You''re nothing but a half-dead corpse!"


    I smiled through cracked, bleeding lips. "Then why can''t you break free?"


    He struggled again, channeling more spiritual energy into his arms. I held firm.


    "What are you?" he whispered, the first hints of fear creeping into his voice.


    Above us, the lightning that had been gathering suddenly dispersed. The tribtion clouds began to thin, revealing patches of clear sky. The heavenly judgment was withdrawing.


    "He passed," Adrian murmured in amazement. "He survived the tribtion."


    Caleb Thorne took an involuntary step backward. "This isn''t possible. No one survives a tribtion of that magnitude in his condition."


    I released Preston''s fists and shoved him backward. He stumbled but quickly regained his bnce, eyeing me warily.


    "This changes nothing," he dered, though his voicecked its former confidence. "You''re still weak from the tribtion. I''ll finish what I started!"


    He lunged at me again, hands formed into deadly ws aimed at my vital points.


    I didn''t dodge. I didn''t block. I simply stood there as his attack connected with my chest.


    It felt like nothing more than a gentle tap.


    Preston''s expression shifted from confidence to confusion, then to outright fear. "What... what are you?"


    The golden light surrounding me pulsed once more, and I felt a surge of strength unlike anything I''d experienced before. My injuries, while still present, no longer hindered me. The tribtion hadn''t killed me—it had transformed me.


    "You asked earlier what makes me special," I said, taking a step toward him. "Why don''t I show you?"


    Preston backed away, raising his hands defensively. "Stay back!"


    "Adrian," I called, not taking my eyes off Preston. "Can you stand?"


    The old man struggled to his feet with Eamon''s help. "I''ll manage, boy. But you... how are you even alive?"


    I smiled faintly. "I''m not entirely sure myself."


    Preston''s face hardened. He was cornered, and cornered beasts are at their most dangerous. "Don''t think this is over," he hissed. "I''m still a Sacred Realm cultivator. You''re nothingpared to me!"


    "Then why are you backing away?" I asked.


    Help us out by reading on *.


    His response was a sudden, explosive burst of spiritual energy. "Divine Ironwood Technique: Crushing Mountain Palms!"


    Both his hands shot forward, carrying enough force to shatter stone. This was his ultimate technique, one he had been holding in reserve.


    I raised my own hand in response. Not to block, but to meet his attack head-on.


    "Absolute Beginning Sacred Fist," I said quietly.


    Our techniques collided in a blinding sh of energy. The ground beneath our feet cracked and split. Waves of force radiated outward, causing Adrian and Eamon to shield their faces.


    When the light faded, Preston stared at me in horror. His ultimate technique had been stopped cold by mine.


    But I wasn''t finished.


    "That was for Adrian," I said, stepping closer. "This is for me."


    My fist connected with his chest before he could react. There was no shy technique this time, just raw power channeled through my knuckles.


    Preston flew backward, crashing through a boulder before skidding to a stop nearly thirty yards away. Hey still for a moment, then began coughing violently, blood spraying from his mouth.


    "You..." he wheezed, struggling to rise. "This isn''t... possible..."


    I walked toward him slowly, each step steadier than thest. The golden light still shimmered across my skin, healing my wounds even as I moved.


    "Leave," Imanded when I reached him. "Take Caleb and go. If I see either of you again, I won''t be so merciful."


    Preston''s eyes darted between me and the others. Calcting his chances, weighing his options.


    "This isn''t over," he finally spat, stumbling to his feet. "The Ironwood family doesn''t forget insults."


    "Neither do I," I replied calmly. "Remember that."


    He backed away, gesturing frantically for Caleb to follow him. The two men retreated hastily, disappearing into the mountain paths.


    Only when they were gone did I allow myself to feel the full extent of my injuries. The golden light was healing me, but slowly. I was still badly wounded.


    I swayed on my feet, suddenly lightheaded.


    Adrian was at my side instantly, supporting me with his shoulder despite his own injuries. "Easy, boy. You''ve done the impossible today. Don''t push yourself further."


    I nodded weakly, finally allowing the exhaustion to overtake me. "Are you alright?"


    Adrian chuckled despite the pain evident in his face. "You''re asking me? I''ve never seen anyone survive a tribtion like that, let alone stand up and fight afterward."


    "I couldn''t let him kill you," I said simply.


    Adrian''s expression grew serious. "What you did shouldn''t have been possible, Liam. The power you disyed... it''s beyond anything I''ve seen in someone your age."


    I didn''t know how to respond to that. I barely understood what had happened myself.


    "Master Adrian is right," Eamon added, stepping closer to examine me. "The heavenly tribtion should have killed you. Instead, it seems to have... strengthened you somehow."


    I looked down at my hands. The golden light still flickered beneath my skin, though fainter now. "I just knew I couldn''t die yet. Not while there''s still so much to do. Not while Isabelle needs me."


    Adrian nodded slowly. "That kind of determination... it''s rare. But it doesn''t exin everything we saw today."


    He studied me intently, as if seeing me for the first time. "There''s something special about you, Liam Knight. Something that goes beyond mere talent or determination."


    I met his gaze, suddenly feeling the weight of everything that had happened. "What happens now?"


    Adrian smiled faintly. "Now, we rest and recover. And then... then I think it''s time I taught you a few things. If you''re willing to learn?"


    I looked at the old master, then at Eamon, who nodded encouragingly.


    "I''m willing," I said, feeling a new chapter beginning. "I''m ready for whateveres next."