Ancient Tears BloodLine

Night Cell Tower

The fight was raging intensely inside the tower, but it was also dragging on.

Outside

Blake, Kate, and the others were waiting outside for Zack Lockwood to emerge, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The large screen next to the gate hadn’t changed at all. It showed that Zack Lockwood was still fighting his third opponent.

It had been quite some time since the third opponent appeared, yet the battle continued. It seemed to indicate that Zack Lockwood had reached his limit.

Blake felt relieved in his heart, though he didn’t show it on his face. Kate and the others, however, were shocked.

They had to admit that the young warrior’s limits were far higher than they had anticipated.

They were not the only group gathered there; a considerable crowd had formed in front of the Night Cell Tower.

Everyone was discussing the same thing in amazement. They couldn’t believe that a Half-Step Red Mark Warrior from the sub-post had endured this long.

No one had achieved a similar record when they first entered the main post, and it would be embarrassing to compare their own results with Zack Lockwood’s.

...

Council Hall

Elder Freya had been keeping an eye on the Night Cell Tower, receiving frequent updates from the administration office.

Hearing that Zack Lockwood was locked in combat against his third opponent surprised her.

Knowing how much time had passed, she assumed he might have reached his limit.

It was entirely understandable, she believed. Zack Lockwood had come this far not only due to his lightning power, but also because of his bloodline and ancient inheritance.

She figured that once Zack Lockwood became a full-fledged Red Mark Warrior, he would be able to advance even deeper into the Night Cell Tower.

She then called her friend Rowena to update her as well. Back when Zack Lockwood was stationed at the sub-post, she had routinely shared updates about him.

Now, she did the same. Rowena mentioned that the entire sub-post was gradually returning to normal, whereas the atmosphere had been completely different while Zack was there.

His arrival had stirred up a massive storm; with his departure, it felt as though the tempest had finally passed.

All the council elders there felt relieved, including the elders of Star University. None of them had known how to assist him.

In truth, Zack Lockwood hadn’t needed their help at all. Elder Freya noted that the situation was no different here.

Zack Lockwood required nothing from them. All he needed was a place to fight, a place to sleep, and a place to train.

They had provided all three, and now he was causing an uproar in the training grounds.

The other council elders had cast aside their initial biases toward him. Previously, they harbored reservations due to inter-university rivalries.

However, ever since Zack Lockwood demonstrated his prowess at the sub-post and now on the special battlefield in their main post, they had all changed their minds.

Another pressing reason was that they did not want to incur the wrath of the Quasi-Gods.

Meanwhile,

Inside the administration office, the staff had paused their work entirely. Everyone was waiting for the Night Cell Tower challenge to conclude.

Unfortunately, they could not watch the battle live.

Inside, the elderly council member had also had a change of heart; he now fully expected Zack Lockwood to win. This sudden shift had come after observing the first two battles.

On another note, media outlets were actively broadcasting breaking news on the event, as most warriors had abandoned their training routines.

Instead, they had gathered outside the Night Cell Tower.

The Red Mark Warriors who had previously wanted to teach Zack Lockwood a lesson had fallen silent. Not a word came from them now.

The unfolding situation stunned them as well. Zack Lockwood was performing far beyond their expectations.

None of them wanted to face him at this moment. A victory might prove a point and bring fame, but a defeat would mean utter humiliation.

...

Night Cell Tower

One hour later,

Both of my hands were dripping with blood. The skin was torn apart, leaving the raw flesh exposed.

If I continued taking fist strikes like this, the bone would soon show.

Boom!

Across from me, the blonde-haired woman had expended a considerable amount of her inheritance power.

Yet she was deeply shaken. By now, her opponent should have been dead, yet the young man still stood before her.

Neither of his hands had been completely crippled, though both were badly mangled and drenched in crimson blood.

Her eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"Your physique is remarkably tough," she remarked.

Being a veteran warrior, she deduced the reason after exchanging dozens of blows. Both of her own hands ached as well.

Yet she was the one delivering most of the strikes; the young man had done little more than absorb the blows.

Ignoring her words, I focused entirely on the dark-purple lightning bolt within my mind. It was pulsing violently.

I was waiting for it to break through the limit.

Boom!

She shot forward from her spot, reappearing before me in an instant and driving a punch outward.

This time, however, her gaze was cold and composed. She had realized that the young man was merely using her as a sparring partner.

Boom!

I raised my injured hand to meet the blow, my bloodied knuckles colliding against her dual-colored green and golden lightning strike.

Boom!

Once again, my crimson bones clashed against the twin currents of lightning. The terrifying heat and agonizing pain surged through me instantly, but I refused to pull back.

Boom!

I met the attack head-on, triggering another violent detonation. My bones, tempered by pure blood energy, unleashed an immense force.

Boom!

The impact drove me backward. My reinforced bones withstood the strike, but the collision aggravated the injury, causing blood to splatter across the floor.

Planting my feet, I stabilized my stance without looking down at my hands, despite the blood dripping steadily onto the ground.

My attention remained fixed on the lightning bolt within. I waited for the breakthrough; it was only a matter of time.

The blonde-haired woman halted in her tracks, watching my reaction. Her eyes flared with anger as she realized the young man was plotting something.

Though she couldn’t tell what it was, she knew one thing for certain: his physique was extraordinary, concealing a terrifying hidden power.