Liam''s Perspective


    The murmurs of the gathering crowd hummed like angry wasps around Yago Lake. Thousands hade to witness what they''d already dubbed the "Battle of the Century." I stood at the edge of the stone tform, my focus razor-sharp.


    I spotted Jackson Harding on a distant hill, arms crossed, observing everything with calcting eyes. Even legendary figures couldn''t resist the pull of this confrontation.


    Dudley Lowell waited at the center of the tform, draped in an expensive ck robe embroidered with silver serpents. His face bore that same smug smile I''de to despise.


    "Knight finally shows his face," he called out, loud enough for the front rows to hear. "I was beginning to think you''d fled the country."


    I walked forward, each step deliberate. The crowd fell silent as I approached. My voice came out cold, controlled.


    "Where is Evelyn Norton?"


    Dudley''s eyebrows rose slightly. "Is that why you''re here? For that pathetic girl?"


    "What did you do to her?" I demanded, stopping ten paces from him.


    Heughed, the sound harsh against the stillness of theke. "She served her purpose. Quite willingly, I might add."


    My fingers curled into fists. "You used a forbidden spell on her."


    "Spell? Please." He waved dismissively. "She was eager to betray you. Some women are just... easily influenced."


    The crowd leaned forward, drinking in our exchange like vultures.


    "You''re lying," I said. "I''ve seen the marks on her mind."


    His smile faltered for a moment. "You know nothing."


    "I know about the Hydrating Tower in Dn City," I replied, watching his reaction carefully.


    Hisposure cracked. Eyes widening, mouth slightly agape. "That''s... impossible. How could you—" <mark ss="in-imprint-b">Keep us going by reading on *.</mark>


    "Your so-called Forbidden Power?" I continued, pressing my advantage. "It wasn''t difficult to ovee."


    "You''re bluffing," he hissed, but uncertainty had crept into his voice.


    "Am I?" I tilted my head. "Would you like a demonstration of what I''ve learned since west met?"


    Without waiting for his response, I closed my eyes and summoned my power. Not the restrained energy I''d been using since my return, but my true strength, unfiltered and raw.


    The aura erupted from my body like a volcano awakening after centuries of dormancy. Golden light spiraled around me, pulsing with each heartbeat.


    The ground beneath my feet cracked. Small stones levitated, caught in the vortex of my energy. The surface of Yago Lake began to churn, waves forming where there had been no wind.


    "What... what is this?" someone in the crowd gasped.


    I opened my eyes, fixing my gaze on Dudley. His face had drained of color.


    "Impossible," he whispered. "You were crippled. Your dantian—"


    "Was never broken," I finished for him. "You believed what I wanted you to believe."


    My aura continued to expand, pushing outward in concentric rings of golden light. The pressure in the air intensified. Several spectators at the front stumbled backward, overwhelmed by the force.


    "Run!" someone shouted from the crowd. Panic spread as ordinary citizens began fleeing the scene, sensing the danger of remaining too close.


    Only cultivators stayed, their eyes wide with disbelief. I recognized faces among them—rivals, former allies, neutral parties who''de expecting entertainment. Now they were witnessing something else entirely.


    "His power..." I heard one whisper to another. "This can''t be real."


    Dudley took an involuntary step back, his own aura ring defensively. "This changes nothing," he spat, but his voicecked conviction.


    I didn''t respond. Instead, I channeled more energy, drawing from the deep well of power I''d umted during my months of supposed exile. The golden light around me intensified, bing almost blinding.


    Theke water now churned violently, small whirlpools forming on its surface. The stone tform beneath us cracked further, jagged lines spreading like lightning across its surface.


    "He''s at Martial Lord level at least," someone murmured.


    "No, higher," came another voice. "Look at the water, the earth responding to him..."


    I could sense hidden masters around theke—powerful cultivators who''d concealed their presence to observe from afar. Even they were stirring now, their shock palpable.


    "How?" Dudley demanded, his face twisted with rage and fear. "How did you advance so quickly?"


    I maintained my focus, channeling yet more power. The golden aura darkened slightly at its edges, hints of crimson blending with the light. My Chaotic Body was feeding on both energies, growing stronger by the second.


    "You think I spent my time hiding?" My voice carried across theke despite its quietness. "While you were ughtering innocent families to prove your strength, I was mastering powers you can''tprehend."


    The crowd had backed awaypletely now, forming a wide circle around the tform. Only cultivators at Grandmaster level or above could withstand the pressure emanating from me.


    Dudley''s disciples had abandoned their positions, retreating to safer distances. Their master stood alone, his arrogance reced by naked fear.


    "This isn''t over," he snarled, gathering his own energy. ck lightning crackled around his hands. "Half-step Martial Marquis isn''t my limit either!"


    His aura expanded dramatically, dark energy swirling around him like a hurricane. The disy would have been impressive against anyone else.


    But my power continued to grow.


    The ground shook. Not just the tform now, but the entire shoreline. Trees at theke''s edge swayed as if caught in a storm. Birds took flight from the surrounding forest, sensing the unnatural disturbance.


    "This is beyond Martial Lord," someone whispered in awe. "How can a Grandmaster possess such strength?"


    I could feel my control stretching thin as more energy rushed through my meridians. I needed to maintain focus, to channel this power properly or risk injury to myself and others.


    Jackson Harding remained motionless on his distant hill, watching intently. I could almost feel his assessment—his calction of just how far I''de.


    The elder who had officiated the duel had retreated to a safe distance, but I caught the words he spoke to another master:


    "So strong... and the aura is still rising!"


    Dudley''s face contorted with fury and disbelief as my power continued to swell. The golden-crimson light formed a dome around me, pushing against his darkness, forcing it back inch by inch.


    This was just the beginning. I had yet to show him my true capabilities, the techniques I''d mastered in secret. The knowledge passed down to me by Jackson, by Mariana, by texts thought lost for centuries.


    Theke water rose in a circle around our tform, defying gravity itself, suspended in the air like a liquid wall. The sight drew gasps from even the most experienced cultivators present.


    "What manner of power is this?" Dudley shouted, his voice barely audible above the roaring energy.


    I stepped forward, the stone cracking beneath my feet with each movement. My voice remained calm, controlled, carrying easily through the chaos I had unleashed.


    "This is justiceing for you, Dudley. This is retribution."


    The water wall rose higher, the ground shook more violently, and my aura continued to expand without any sign of reaching its limit.