## Liam''s Perspective
The heavenly thunder crashed down on me like a mountain. My golden body cracked under its raw power. Pain tore through every fiber of my being, but I refused to fight it.
Instead, I embraced it.
"More," I whispered through gritted teeth. "Hit me with everything you''ve got."
The storm clouds above churned violently, responding to my challenge with another deafening rumble. I could feel Josiah Hale''s eyes on me, filled with terror and disbelief.
"You''re insane!" he shouted from across the courtyard. "No one invites tribtion!"
I ignored him. This was my moment—my transformation. Each bolt of heavenly lightning wasn''t just a test of my worthiness to be a Martial Marquis; it was a forge for my body.
The third thunderbolt struck. This one was different—more concentrated, more deliberate. It tore through my chest, shattering my golden body like porcin.
For a heartbeat, I felt myself dispersing, my consciousness fragmenting.
Then something miraculous happened. My body began to reform. Golden light knit my flesh back together, stronger than before. Each cell regenerated with newfound resilience.
Iughed, the sound mixing with the thunder overhead. "Is that all?"
"Impossible," Josiah muttered. "He should be dead. No cultivator can withstand direct tribtion strikes."
A fourth bolt answered me, then a fifth. Each one destroyed my body, only for it to reform more powerful than before. By the seventh strike, the pain had transformed into something else—an exhrating rush of power.
My skin glowed brighter with each resurrection. The golden hue deepened, taking on a metallic sheen that reflected the lightning above.
When the tenth thunderbolt struck, I didn''t break. My body absorbed itpletely.
Josiah''s face went pale. He backed away slowly, then turned and sprinted toward the vi''s exit.
"This can''t be happening," he shouted as he ran. "Master Ashworth needs to know!"
I barely registered his retreat. My focus remained on the storm above and the transformation within. The lightning continued its assault—eleven, twelve, thirteen strikes. My body grew more resilient with each hit, absorbing the heavenly energy rather than being destroyed by it.
By the fifteenth bolt, I was standing upright, arms spread wide, weing the storm''s fury. The courtyard around me was scorched and shattered, but I remained unharmed.
"Come on!" I roared at the sky. "Finish it!"
Three final strikes answered my challenge—each more powerful than thest. The eighteenth bolt was a pir of pure white light that engulfed my entire being. Itsted nearly ten seconds, pouring unfathomable energy into my body.
The M|V|LE&MPYR team worked hard on this chapter.
When it finally subsided, silence fell over Jade Moon Vi.
I looked down at my hands. They appeared normal now, the golden glow subdued to a faint shimmer beneath my skin. But I could feel the difference. My flesh had been remade, tempered by celestial fire into something beyond human.
In my dantian, a golden core pulsed with newfound power. The mark of a true Martial Marquis.
Phoebe Reeves was the first to approach, her face a mixture of awe and relief. Behind her, the surviving members of Jade Moon Vi emerged from their shelters, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Master Liam," Phoebe whispered, dropping to one knee. "You''ve... you''ve done it."
The others followed suit, kneeling before me one by one.
"Rise," I said, my voice deeper and more resonant than before. "We don''t have time for ceremony."
I surveyed the courtyard. Bodiesy scattered across the stone—some were enemies from the Ascendant Saints Order, but many were my own people. Their sacrifice twisted in my chest like a knife.
"Caspian?" I asked, searching for my friend.
"Here, boss," came a weak reply.
I found him propped against a broken column, blood soaking his clothes. His right arm hung at an unnatural angle, and a deep gash crossed his torso.
I knelt beside him, cing my hand over his wound. Golden light flowed from my palm, seeping into his flesh. The bleeding stopped almost instantly, the edges of the wound beginning to close.
"That tickles," Caspian mumbled, attempting a smile despite his pain.
"Save your strength," I told him. "You''re going to live, but you need rest."
I moved through the courtyard, healing those I could, closing the eyes of those I couldn''t save. With each fallen member of Jade Moon Vi, my resolve hardened.
"The Ascendant Saints Order will pay for this," I promised the dead. "Everyst one of them."
"Master Liam," Phoebe said urgently. "Josiah Hale escaped. He mentioned reporting to Ashworth."
I nodded. "Let him run. Let him tell them what he saw here today."
"What exactly did he see?" asked one of the senior disciples, eyeing me with a mixture of reverence and fear.
I smiled grimly. "The birth of a Martial Marquis who can''t be killed by heavenly tribtion. Let them chew on that while they n their next move."
"Your aura," Phoebe observed, stepping closer. "It''s different now. More...plete."
She was right. The chaotic mixture of light and dark energies that had defined my cultivation had finally found bnce. They swirled together in perfect harmony, neither dominating the other.
"We need to prepare," I said, addressing the gathered survivors. "Josiah Hale will return with reinforcements. The Ashworths won''t take this news lying down."
As I spoke, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, staring at the screen with narrowed eyes.
"It''s Corbin Ashworth," I said, showing Phoebe the caller ID.
"How did he know already?" she asked, brow furrowing.
"Let''s find out." I epted the call but remained silent, waiting.
"Knight?" Corbin''s voice came through, unusually strained. "Are you there?"
Still, I said nothing.
After a moment of silence, I heard another voice in the background—Josiah Hale''s panicked tones: "Mr. Ashworth... bad news, Liam... Liam Knight reached the realm of Martial Marquis..."
I ended the call without speaking, a cold smile spreading across my face.
"So it begins," I said, pocketing the phone. "The real war starts now."