Liam's Perspective
Pain. Blinding, all-consuming pain.
The lightning struck again, tearing through muscle and bone like they were paper. My skin blackened, cracked, and peeled away. The sll of my own burning flesh filled my nostrils.
But I remained conscious. That was the true torture of a breakthrough tribulation—you felt every excruciating mont.
"AAAAARRRGH!" My scream echoed through the pit as another bolt hamred down.
The difference between regular cultivation and reaching Grandmaster was like comparing a sumr rain to a hurricane. This was no gentle tempering—this was destruction and rebirth.
I forced my eyes open between strikes. Above, the heavens had turned an unnatural purple-black. Lightning danced between clouds, gathering power for the next assault. Each bolt was stronger than the last. Each one should have killed .
"Not... yet..." I growled through clenched teeth.
Clara watched from her hiding spot, horror etched across her young face. I'd told her to stay hidden, but she couldn't look away. Smart girl. At least she remained silent.
Another crack of thunder, and lightning lanced down. This one split from crown to navel. My ribcage burst open, exposing my still-beating heart.
"FUCK!" I roared, my voice barely human.
I wasn't just enduring this tribulation—I was embracing it. Each strike reshaped , burned away impurities, forced my cells to beco sothing greater.
High above, beyond my field of vision, I could hear voices.
"It's magnificent!" That was Sammy Taylor, awe in his voice.
"The treasure must be phenonal to cause such a reaction," another voice chid in.
Idiots. They still thought this was about so ancient relic. They had no idea I was becoming the weapon they should fear.
---
Above the pit, Sammy Taylor paced excitedly, his eyes fixed on the swirling storm clouds. Three n stood with him—Glenn Talbot, a burly treasure hunter; Sammy's assistant Wei; and Mr. Noble, a supposed expert brought by the Ashworth family.
"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Sammy asked, gripping Glenn's shoulder.
Glenn shook his head. "Never. Whatever's being born down there... it's special."
"Liam Knight was right," Sammy said, pride in his voice. "The Ashworths will reward handsoly for this discovery."
Mr. Noble stepped forward, stroking his thin mustache. "This is nothing impressive. I've witnessed far more intense heavenly phenona in the Eastern Provinces."
Wei rolled his eyes. "Of course you have."
---
The pain reached new heights as the seventh bolt struck. My lungs exploded, my eyes lted in their sockets, and still I endured.
"More," I challenged the heavens, though I had no lungs to speak with. My consciousness remained intact even as my body disintegrated. "GIVE MORE!"
The lightning responded with renewed fury. This ti, rather than just striking , it ford a cage around my broken form. The Sea of Thunder technique. This was my chance.
With what remained of my will, I drew the lightning inward instead of resisting it. Let it course through what remained of my ridians, let it reshape according to my design rather than destroying completely.
Every master who reached this level had their own thod. So used artifacts to deflect the tribulation. Others hid behind formations. I faced mine head-on, using my enemy's strength against it.
The lightning burned blue-white inside , illuminating the pit with ghostly light.
---
"Look at that glow!" Sammy exclaid, peering down. "The treasure is materializing!"
Mr. Noble scoffed. "This lightning is weak. Watch."
Before anyone could stop him, Noble thrust his hand into the downward stream of energy. His smug expression instantly transford into agony.
"AAAAAHHH!"
His hand vanished—not just burned, but completely incinerated. Nothing remained but a smoking stump at his wrist.
Glenn burst out laughing. "Still think it's weak?"
Noble collapsed, clutching his arm and howling. Nobody moved to help him.
"Fool," Wei muttered. Reader support at * made this translation possible.
---
The ninth bolt was different. Bigger. Darker. It didn't just strike—it consud.
When it hit, I ceased to exist as a cohesive being. My body shattered into fragnts, each piece scattered across the pit floor. My consciousness wavered, dimming like a candle in a storm.
This was the mont of truth. Either I would reform, or I would die.
Clara couldn't contain herself any longer. "LIAM!" she scread, her voice breaking with terror.
The sound of my na anchored . Pulled my awareness back from the brink. I focused on that single point of connection—Clara's voice, her concern for .
The fragnts of my body began to glow. First dimly, then with increasing brightness. They lifted from the ground, drifting toward each other like magnetized dust.
Pain beyond description accompanied the reassembly. Every nerve ending reconnected, every sinew reattached, every bone reford—but stronger now. Different. The lightning had transford the very essence of what I was.
---
"Did you hear soone calling Liam Knight's na just now?" Glenn asked, turning to Sammy.
Sammy frowned. "What? No. Why would anyone be calling for that loser?"
"I swear I heard a girl's voice..." Glenn continued, moving toward the edge of the pit.
Wei grabbed his arm. "Don't get too close. That lightning isn't done yet."
As if to punctuate his warning, the clouds pulsed with renewed energy. The final phase was beginning.
---
My body had reford, but the tribulation wasn't finished. The clouds gathered for one final assault—the killing stroke ant to test if my new form was truly worthy.
This bolt was pure white, concentrated destruction. It struck with the force of a mountain falling from the sky.
I didn't resist. I opened myself fully, accepting the heavenly judgnt. The lightning filled , beca .
For an instant, I was pure energy—boundless, formless, perfect.
Then reality reasserted itself. The clouds dispersed. The pressure lifted. And I stood, whole again, steam rising from my renewed flesh.
Every cell in my body humd with power. My senses extended beyond normal limits—I could hear the heartbeats of everyone above, sll their sweat, feel their anticipation.
I had done it. I was a Grandmaster.
Clara erged from her hiding place, tears streaming down her dirt-streaked face. "Liam? Are you... are you okay?"
I flexed my fingers, watching as small arcs of electricity danced between them. My skin glowed with an inner light, and my muscles felt dense as steel.
"Better than okay," I replied, my voice deeper and more resonant than before.
Before I could say more, Glenn Talbot's voice echoed down from above.
"I'm telling you, I heard soone say Liam Knight's na. And look—there's sothing moving down there!"
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