Liam''s Perspective


    Blood dripped from my nose and mouth, my body wracked with pain despite my evolved Cosmic Form. Breaking Dudley''s Four Symbols Demonic Seal had cost me dearly. My chest heaved with eachbored breath, but I refused to show weakness.


    Dudley Lowell stared at me with undisguised horror. His signature technique—the one that had killed countless opponentsy shattered around us like ck ss.


    "Impossible," he muttered again, backing away on trembling legs. "No one has ever broken my seal."


    I wiped blood from my chin and took a step forward. The tform cracked beneath my foot. "There''s always a first time."


    My enhanced senses detected his fear. I could practically hear his racing heartbeat, smell the cold sweat breaking out across his skin.


    From the observation hill, voices carried on the wind.


    "He actually survived the Four Symbols Demonic Seal!"


    "Look at Dudley''s face. He''s terrified!"


    Jackson Harding''s voice cut through the chatter. "Watch carefully. What happens next will be remembered for generations."


    Dudley''s shock quickly hardened into rage. His ck aura red again, demonic energy crackling around his hands like dark lightning.


    "You think breaking one technique makes you my equal?" he snarled. "I''m still a half-step Martial Marquis!"


    Heunched himself at me, his speed blurring his form. His fist connected with my chest, enhanced by swirling demonic energy.


    Pain exploded through my already damaged ribs. I slid backward, golden feet leaving trenches in the stone tform.


    But I didn''t fall.


    Dudley''s eyes widened. "How are you still standing?"


    I grabbed his arm before he could retreat, my massive hand engulfing his wrist. "My turn."


    With my free hand, I delivered a straight punch to his sternum. The impact sent him flying across the tform like a ragdoll. He crashed into one of the few remaining pirs, stone crumbling around his body.


    I advanced steadily, my enhanced form towering over the battlefield. Each step left glowing footprints in the stone.


    Dudley extracted himself from the rubble, blood streaming from his mouth. His expensive robes were torn and filthy, his dignified appearance ruined.


    "I will not be humiliated by a Grandmaster!" he roared, his voice cracking with desperation.


    He drew symbols in the air, five dark sigils forming aplex array. "Five Elements Corruption!"


    The elements themselves responded to his call—fire, water, metal, wood, and earth—each twisted into a corrupted form. They spiraled toward me in a destructive helix.


    I didn''t dodge. Instead, I reached out with both hands and pped them together just as the elements converged.


    The resulting explosion rocked the entire arena. Spectators were thrown to the ground by the shockwave. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring the tform.


    When visibility returned, I stood unmoved, though blood now flowed freely from wounds across my body. My golden aura flickered but held.


    Dudley stared in disbelief. "What are you?"


    I didn''t answer. Words weren''t necessary anymore. I closed the distance between us in a single bound and seized him by the throat.


    His ck aura red against my golden one, two opposing forces colliding. But mine was stronger. My light consumed his darkness, pushing it back inch by inch.


    "You can''t—" he choked, wing at my hand. "I''m a Lowell! I''m untouchable!"


    I lifted him off his feet, bringing his face close to mine. "Not anymore."


    With my free hand, I struck him in the chest. Not a killing blow, but one designed to cripple his cultivation. I felt meridians breaking beneath my fingers, energy pathways copsing.


    Dudley screamed, a sound of pure agony that echoed across the arena. When I released him, he crumpled to the ground, his once-mighty aura reduced to flickering wisps.


    "Your cultivation is broken," I said coldly. "You''ll never advance beyond Grandmaster again."


    Horror dawned on his face as he realized the truth of my words. For a martial artist of his caliber, this fate was worse than death.


    "You''ve ruined me," he whispered, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth.


    "You did that yourself."


    The spectators were silent, stunned by the reversal they had witnessed. A Grandmaster had defeated a half-step Martial Marquis—something that simply didn''t happen.


    Jackson Harding stroked his beard thoughtfully. "The boy''s potential exceeds even my expectations."


    Suddenly, Dudley''s hand moved to his waist. He pulled out a small disc inscribed with arcane symbols—a space teleportation artifact. Rare and incredibly valuable.


    "This isn''t over," he spat, his fingers tracing the activation pattern. "The Lowell family will hunt you to the ends of the earth!"


    I should have been rmed. Space teleportation artifacts were near-impossible to counter. Once activated, he would escape beyond my reach.


    But instead, I smiled.


    I raised my hands, forming symbols that mirrored those Dudley had used earlier. ck energy began to coalesce between my palms, forming familiar shapes—a turtle, a dragon, a phoenix, and a tiger.


    Dudley''s finger froze mid-pattern. "That''s... that''s impossible!"


    The spectators gasped collectively. Even Jackson Harding stood up straighter, eyes widening with shock.


    "Is he... is he using the Four Symbols Demonic Seal?" someone asked incredulously. <mark ss="in-imprint-b">Part of a series hosted by My Virtual Library Empire (MV&LEMP&YR).</mark>


    "But that''s Dudley Lowell''s signature technique!" another voice protested. "It takes decades to master!"


    Jackson Harding''s voice cut through the confusion. "No, look closer. He''s not using it—he''s learning it. Right here, right now."


    The four symbols continued to form between my hands, ck energy swirling into recognizable patterns. They weren''t perfect—the edges were rough, the flow unrefined—but the essence was undeniably the same technique Dudley had used against me.


    "How?" Dudley''s voice cracked with disbelief. "That technique has been the Lowell family secret for generations!"


    I continued shaping the energy, my eyes never leaving his. "You showed it to me. I paid attention."


    "No one can learn a technique thatplex just by seeing it once!" Panic edged into his voice.


    My cosmic form began to recede, golden light dimming as I channeled my remaining energy into the forming seal. I was gambling everything on this bluff.


    Jackson Harding leaned forward, fascination evident on his weathered face. "Truly remarkable. He''s deconstructing and recreating the technique through pure observation and understanding. I''ve only heard of such abilities in legends."


    Dudley clutched his teleportation artifact tighter, desperation in his eyes. "You''re bluffing. You can''t possibly know how to execute it!"


    The four symbols were nearlyplete now, rotating slowly between my palms. ck energy pulsed with dangerous potential.


    "Do you want to find out?" I asked quietly.


    Dudley''s hand trembled. He looked from the forming seal to his artifact and back again. Fear won out. He threw the teleportation disc aside.


    "I surrender," he whispered, shoulders slumping in defeat.


    I maintained the seal for a moment longer, then allowed it to dissipate, ck energy scattering like smoke.


    Dudley looked up at me, confusion recing fear. "You don''t actually know how to use it, do you?"


    I met his gaze coldly, memories of the agony his technique had caused still fresh in my mind.


    "I don''t. I just learned it from you. But whether it works or not, I don''t know yet..."