Chapter 30

"..." Lianchen gritted his teeth, the weight of the disfigured man's words striking deep. The truth they carried gnawed at him, fueling a growing frustration that made his body tremble. With a defiant roar, he pushed his already battered body beyond its limits, the strain evident in every movement.

The disfigured man raised an eyebrow, intrigued, as the world around them shifted. Strange, glowing lines spread across the ground, etched by Lianchen's overwhelming Ki and Qi. The lines pulsated with energy, radiating a chaotic power that distorted the very fabric of reality.

"I Am Atomic!" Lianchen roared, his voice warped and distorted under the sheer strain of the technique.

A blinding light engulfed his figure, its intensity outshining the sun. In that instant, Lianchen became an atomic bomb. The chain reaction that followed was massive, overwhelming, and unlike anything the world had ever seen. Yet, it was not chaos, it was controlled destruction, a force of annihilation contained within a razor-sharp boundary.

The earth trembled, the heavens recoiled, and the very air vibrated with unrelenting power as the explosion expanded outward, threatening to erase everything in its path.

The destruction was immense, cataclysmic in scale. If Lianchen had unleashed this attack back in the Dragon Ball world, the outcome would have been simple: total erasure.

I Am Atomic wasn't just a technique; it was a declaration of annihilation. In this moment, Lianchen had transformed himself into the embodiment of a nuclear weapon, his energy mimicking the devastating effects of a nuclear bomb. By burning through his reserves, he initiated a controlled chain reaction that unleashed power far beyond his natural limits.

For a split second, Lianchen's might expanded exponentially, millions of times greater than his normal peak. But this wasn't all. His ever-growing strength fueled the chain reaction further, causing the level of destruction to escalate with every passing moment. What began as an already devastating explosion quickly spiraled into something far more dangerous, threatening to push the limits of what this frozen world could contain.

At this moment, Lianchen had become a multiversal bomb, his might transcending even a universe as destructive as the Dragon Ball world. His energy condensed and focused within a confined range, ensuring its potency didn't dissipate but instead reached unfathomable levels of destruction.

Yet, as the chain reaction spiraled toward ultimate annihilation, the frozen world around him reacted. Its power surged exponentially, the laws of frozen time reinforcing themselves in response to the unprecedented force. The chain reaction stuttered, then halted entirely, as the explosion and its energy were frozen in place, held back by the overwhelming might of this strange dimension.

Reduced to dust, no, to the very erasure of his atoms, the disfigured man slowly began to reform, his broken form piecing itself together bit by bit. His eyes widened in sheer amazement for a brief moment, the shock of Lianchen's attack still fresh in his mind.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a violent fit of coughing cut off his words. The coughs grew more severe, wracking his body as he stumbled, his breaths labored. Blood spilled from his mouth, staining the ground.

The sight forced the intervention of a figure, a presence that had kept the frozen world intact and stable. This figure stepped forward, their aura commanding, as they moved to address the unraveling situation.

"As reckless as always! Do you think it's smart to show off in your current condition, especially with the plan ahead?"

A white-haired man appeared, his tone sharp with frustration. He moved as if to kick the disfigured man in anger but stopped himself at the last moment, remembering the man's fragile state. Instead, he let out a sigh of exasperation and stepped closer, his hands glowing faintly as he worked to ease the disfigured man's violent coughing.

"It was worth it… after all, I've found my eighth disciple," the disfigured man said, a rare, almost joyful smile spreading across his face as his gaze settled on Lianchen, who remained frozen in time.

But before he could say more, Lan Mei appeared before the two men, her presence sharp and commanding. Her eyes narrowed, a deep frown etched across her face as she locked onto the disfigured man.

"Excuse my rudeness… but anyone can be Young Master Lianchen's master, anyone but you," Lan Mei said firmly, her voice unwavering.

Her words struck a nerve, and the disfigured man's already grotesque face twisted further, his expression darkening with irritation. For a moment, an oppressive silence fell, the tension between them palpable.

"Well, how about we let the kid decide for himself… and you stay out of it," the disfigured man said, his voice sharp as his warning glare bore into Lan Mei.

Lan Mei froze, her confidence wavering under the weight of his gaze. She almost wanted to cry, she wasn't equipped to handle this situation. The disfigured man was leagues above her in strength, and as much as she despised the idea, they were supposed to be allies. Yet, she couldn't let Lianchen fall under this man's tutelage.

The disfigured man turned to the white-haired man with a silent command, and with a subtle gesture, the flow of time around Lianchen began to reverse. The world around him seemed to distort and rewind, his overwhelming strength fading like a fleeting dream.

In an instant, his cultivation plummeted, dropping rapidly until he was once again at Level 1 Body Tempering. Lianchen blinked in confusion, the sheer disorientation of the moment leaving him momentarily frozen.

"Who… are you?" Lianchen asked, his voice steady but laced with a hint of reluctant acceptance. Today, he had lost, a rare occurrence but not an unfamiliar one. As a legendary Saiyan, he had tasted defeat before. He had fallen to the likes of Whis, Gogeta, Vegito, and others in the vast world of Dragon Ball.

But this? To be trounced by a cripple, someone still visibly suffering from old injuries was a humbling blow. His pride burned, but his curiosity burned brighter as he stared at the disfigured man who had so effortlessly put him in his place.

"You're not worthy of knowing my name just yet," the disfigured man said dismissively, his tone carrying an air of absolute authority. "Just hearing it would cause your mortal mind to shatter."

He ignored the obvious contradiction, that Lianchen was no ordinary mortal, his power far exceeding even the highest expectations. To the disfigured man, it didn't matter. His statement wasn't about logic; it was a declaration of his overwhelming superiority.

"Do you want to be my disciple?" the disfigured man asked, his voice carrying a weight that seemed to press down on the very air.

Lan Mei and the white-haired man immediately turned their gazes toward Lianchen, their expressions tense, their anticipation palpable. Lan Mei's eyes were filled with silent pleading, while the white-haired man's sharp gaze seemed to dare Lianchen to refuse.

"...What do you have to teach me?" Lianchen asked lightly, his tone calm yet laced with a hint of defiance. "I'll admit I'm walking in the dark with this power of mine… but not just anyone is qualified to help me master it."

His words hung in the air, a subtle challenge masked by his composed demeanor. Even in defeat, Lianchen's pride remained unyielding, his sharp gaze meeting the disfigured man's without wavering.

"Oh... okay," the disfigured man said lightly, his tone almost casual as he tilted his head slightly. "Let me rephrase my words, then."

His voice carried an unsettling edge, like the calm before a storm, as he regarded Lianchen with an unreadable expression. The air around them seemed to grow heavier, as though reality itself was bending to the weight of his words.

"Your power is too great," the disfigured man said lightly, his voice carrying an ominous weight. "If you fall into the wrong hands or continue down this reckless path... you'll jeopardize everything we've worked for. You have two choices ahead of you: death, or becoming my chess piece."

He paused, his gaze sharp and unyielding as he continued. "Like it or not, you've been in this game since before you were even born. No matter how much your parents may wish otherwise, you're an unstable piece that could undo everything we've built."

Lan Mei's body tensed at his words, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. But after a long moment, her shoulders sagged in silent defeat. She couldn't refute the disfigured man's reasoning. The stakes were too high, and the role Lianchen had to play was non-negotiable. Resistance would mean only one thing: his death.