Chapter 48: With My Pen, I Write History

In the secret realm, there was no moon, no stars, no natural light whatsoever. Without any flashlights, the only illumination came from the glow of each person's superpowers and the Divine Cores scattered on the ground by Liam.

The pitch-black night added an ominous, almost horror-movie-like atmosphere to the impending battle, making the scene even more tense and terrifying.

"Xu Feng, switch to infrared vision! This lighting isn't good enough," Cain suddenly broke his long silence, turning to the bald-headed man next to him.

Hearing this request, Old Xu shot Cain a surprised glance. For people of their level, the current light should have been sufficient to see clearly. Cain's insistence on better visibility showed his deep interest in catching every detail of what was about to unfold.

Without a word, Old Xu complied, and the screen switched to a strange semi-infrared view, enhancing the edges and making every action in the dark clearly visible to both the students and the judges.

Meanwhile, in the secret realm, the tension between the two sides had reached its peak—at least Liam's had. Despite their numbers, the student coalition felt no sense of ease.

Facing the floating Liam, they had almost forgotten he was one of them, feeling instead as if they were confronting one of the monsters from earlier in the test.

Liam, however, felt no pressure. Instead, he was in high spirits, suddenly feeling playful. With a grin, he spread his arms wide and called out:

"Do you want the Divine Cores? I've placed them all here. Come and take them! Whoever gets them will definitely be number one!"

This mischievous statement, meant as a playful homage to "One Piece," was lost on the other students, who didn't understand the reference. After all, there was no "One Piece" in this world, and they weren't in the mood for jokes.

One of the student coalition members finally spoke up, breaking the silence:

"If we keep fighting, it will harm both sides. Why not make a truce? We won't take your Cores, and you won't take ours. We can leave the test peacefully."

"You already have more than enough Divine Cores to secure first place. Why do you insist on taking ours?"

The speaker was Yun Fei, whom Liam recognized as one of those who had earlier robbed him of his Cores. Back then, Yun Fei had been ecstatic to steal Liam's spoils, thinking he had become the dark horse of the test. He had even gained a share of the loot during the division of the spoils.

Now, the tables had turned—Liam was the one robbing them.

What goes around comes around.

"I can't do that. It wouldn't be fair to those I've already beaten," Liam replied.

"What do you mean, unfair?" Yun Fei asked, clearly confused.

But Liam was done wasting time. Whether they were ready or not, he was prepared.

With a loud shout, Liam propelled himself high into the air using his energy chains. In one swift motion, he hurled his ice staff down like a missile into the crowd below.

A deafening crash followed as Yun Fei ducked just in time. The ice staff whizzed past his head, embedding itself halfway into the ground. The impact shattered the earth, sending debris flying and cracking the ground—a testament to the power behind the blow.

Realizing how close he had come to disaster, Yun Fei broke out in a cold sweat. Though the secret realm wouldn't let anyone die, the near-death experience was enough to give him nightmares. He looked up at Liam in disbelief and shouted:

"You actually dare attack us?! Do you really think you can defeat more than thirty of us by yourself?"

"I think I can!" Liam replied confidently from above, his fingers twitching as the ice staff below exploded into a spray of icy spikes, shooting like steel needles toward the students.

Seeing this, Dong Wushuang turned to Sophia.

"Did you teach him Ice Burst?"

"No," Sophia replied calmly.

Hearing this, Dong Wushuang nodded in approval. Liam hadn't even been formally trained in martial arts, yet he had developed a technique with the power of a martial skill. His talent was extraordinary.

Back in the secret realm, Yun Fei, being closest to the ice staff, bore the brunt of the explosion. He was knocked down by the shockwave and riddled with icy spikes that left bloody streaks across his body.

As he struggled to get up, a large hand suddenly pressed down on his face, slamming him back into the ground.

"If you're too scared, then get out of the way!" roared Ryan, one of the few familiar faces to Liam, as he stepped forward. He glared at Yun Fei, then turned to Liam.

"Brother, we know each other. I have no ill will towards you, but... I want to see how I measure up against you!"

As he spoke, his voice grew deeper, eventually turning into a beastly growl. His body began to swell, muscles bulging until his combat suit burst at the seams. In moments, he had transformed into a towering figure, over 2.5 meters tall, with muscles like granite. A black "王" (king) symbol appeared on his forehead, and he was left wearing only his specially made elastic shorts, preventing an unintended show.

This was Ryan's A-rank peak ability—Beast God Form!

ROAR!!

With a roar that shook the heavens, Ryan stomped the ground, creating a crater as he launched himself into the air like a missile, heading straight for Liam.

Liam, of course, wasn't about to back down. He clenched his right fist, forming a massive ice gauntlet, and dove down to meet Ryan head-on.

Simultaneously, the hundreds of ice swords hovering behind him whistled through the air, raining down indiscriminately on the thirty-plus students below.

Seeing this, Dong Wushuang turned to Sophia once more.

"Did you teach him how to fight with ice swords too?"

"No," she answered again.

"He's developed this all on his own, hasn't he?" Dong Wushuang marveled at Liam's ability to create such powerful techniques independently.

Back in the secret realm, Ryan grinned as he saw Liam charging straight at him. He let out another terrifying roar, further increasing his momentum.

The next second, their bodies collided in mid-air like meteors, fist to fist!

BOOM!

A blinding light accompanied by a thunderous explosion erupted as the two unleashed everything they had. The impact was so intense it didn't seem like something two humans could produce.

At the same time, a cacophony of clashing sounds filled the air as Liam's ice swords rained down, forcing the students below to activate their powers in full, trying desperately to defend themselves.

Meanwhile, various beams of light and energy attacks were launched toward Liam, who was still in mid-air.

As all this unfolded, the intense focus of the students and judges outside the secret realm was suddenly interrupted by an unexpected voice.

"Hehehe, this is something else. After so many years of hiding my true identity, I guess I can't keep up the act any longer, not after witnessing what this child is capable of. I believe he's worth it!"

"So—with my pen, I write history!"

One of the judges, seemingly out of nowhere, declared this strange statement. As the words left his mouth, a brilliant light burst forth before him!