## Liam's Perspective
I rose from the ground, my body still vibrating with newfound power. The Man with the Mustache stared at with wide eyes, his jaw hanging open. There was fear in his gaze now.
"You're... still alive," he stamred.
I flexed my fingers, feeling strength surging through my ridians. "Disappointed?"
"Not disappointed. Shocked." He took a cautious step back. "Your aura... it's changed. You've touched the Martial Marquis realm."
I nodded, feeling the truth of his words. The Reincarnation Pill had worked better than I'd hoped. I was now at the half-step Martial Marquis level.
"How does it feel?" he asked, curiosity overtaking his fear.
"Like I could tear the sky apart with my bare hands."
The Man with the Mustache whistled. "The Martial Marquis realm is equivalent to the Golden Core Stage in ancient cultivation thods. Only one in ten thousand cultivators ever reach it."
I thought about my new capabilities. "And the Chaotic Body you ntioned earlier?"
His eyes lit up. "Ah, that! I once dug up the grave of a cultivator with a Chaotic Body. Most fascinating discovery of my career."
"What exactly is it?"
"A body capable of cultivating both light and dark energies simultaneously. Most cultivators can only handle one type of energy. Those who try to cultivate both typically die from the conflict."
This explained why I could use both types of energy without issue. Another piece of my mysterious heritage falling into place.
"I'd like to see this grave soday," I said.
He twirled his mustache thoughtfully. "Perhaps. If you survive your crusade against the Martial Guild."
"I will." There was no doubt in my voice.
We parted ways soon after. I needed to test my new powers, and I knew exactly where to go.
The Dragon Vein was the most coveted cultivation spot in Veridia City. Located at the highest peak of the northern mountains, it was a place where natural energy gathered in abundance.
I landed at its entrance with a single leap. Two guards wearing the emblem of the Veridia City Martial Guild stood watch.
"Halt! This area is restricted to—" One guard's voice died in his throat as he recognized my face. "Y-you're Liam Knight. But you're supposed to be..."
"Crippled? Dead?" I finished his thought. "Sorry to disappoint."
The guards exchanged nervous glances.
"We have orders to deny you entry," the second guard said, but his voice quavered.
I didn't bother responding. With a casual wave of my hand, I sent a gust of qi that pushed both n aside without harming them.
"Tell your masters I've co to visit," I said as I walked past them.
The Dragon Vein itself was a massive plateau with streams of golden energy visible in the air. About thirty cultivators were scattered across the area, all absorbed in their practices.
Among them, I recognized several elite disciples of the Martial Guild. There was also a contingent from the Ashworth family, including young Soren Ashworth, who was being personally guided by an elder.
A large pavilion stood at the center of the plateau. I knew that inside, Erson Hols was in seclusion, preparing for so important ritual.
My arrival caused a ripple of surprise. Conversations ceased. All eyes turned toward .
"Liam Knight!" soone exclaid. "The cripple lives!"
I smiled coldly. "Do I look crippled to you?"
The young Ashworth prodigy, Soren, stepped forward. He couldn't be more than sixteen, but his cultivation level was impressive for his age.
"My uncle said you were finished," he declared arrogantly. "Yet here you stand, trespassing on restricted grounds."
"Your uncle has been wrong about many things," I replied calmly. "Add this to the list."
Soren's face flushed with anger. "You dare insult the Ashworth family? I'll show you your place!"
The elder beside him tried to intervene. "Soren, this isn't the ti—"
"No!" Soren cut him off. "I'll handle this nobody myself. It's ti I demonstrated the fruits of my training."
I stood motionless, watching him with mild curiosity. "By all ans, demonstrate."
The young prodigy took a deep stance, his qi surging visibly around him. The other cultivators backed away, creating a large circle for our confrontation. C%ontent. s-our&ce@d f!ro%m. * – My Vi#r*tual Libr%ary E!m pi re.!
"Behold the technique that made the Ashworth family famous," Soren announced proudly. "The Mystic Heavenly Sage Hand!"
His right arm glowed with golden light as he moved through a complex pattern of hand seals. The air around him distorted as he completed the technique.
With a shout, he thrust his palm forward. The energy coalesced into a massive golden hand that shot toward with frightening speed.
I didn't move. The spectral hand slamd into my chest with enough force to shatter granite.
Everyone gasped, expecting to see flying backward, broken and defeated.
Instead, I stood unmoved, as if a gentle breeze had touched .
"Is that all?" I asked quietly.
Soren's face transford from confidence to shock to fear in rapid succession. "Impossible! That's our family's ultimate technique!"
"A decent technique," I acknowledged, studying the energy pattern. "But wasted on soone who can't fully utilize it."
The crowd watched in stunned silence as I raised my own hand. In seconds, I replicated the exact sequence of movents Soren had perford.
"You see," I explained, my voice carrying across the plateau, "the Mystic Heavenly Sage Hand requires precise control of energy circulation. You're forcing too much power through the wrist ridian and neglecting the heart connection."
Golden light gathered around my arm, forming a spectral hand identical to Soren's—but larger, more defined, and pulsing with far greater power.
"This is how it should be done," I stated.
Soren stumbled backward, terror etched across his young face. "You can't—how did you—"
"Your family's techniques aren't as secret as you think," I replied. "And they certainly aren't exclusive to your bloodline."
The Ashworth elder shouted, "Run, Soren! That's not the standard technique!"
Before his words fell, I had already swung my giant hand down!
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