Ancient Tears BloodLine

Secret Land

I was descending toward the ground. Before I knew it, my feet touched the earth. I looked around and found that Dean Jerome was right: the land was barren.

The next second, I felt tremendous pressure acting on me. Gravity was different here. At first, I couldn’t move; then, I slowly adjusted to the pressure.

The effect of gravity was palpable. My bones and organs were experiencing the tempering. I sat cross-legged on the ground.

I began to observe the changes in my body. How long had it been since I felt this much pressure acting on me?

I tried to lift my hand to see how fast I could move, but it was difficult. If it were easy, the dean wouldn’t have sent me here.

I lowered my hand and decided to run the "Blood Method." The Blood Method strengthens the body, and I wanted to see whether it could help me withstand the pressure.

I closed my eyes and started practicing. Since the secret land had no monsters, I could be at ease. The blood-ring-type rune in my mind began to flicker.

Shortly afterward, blood force power from the surroundings started gathering toward my body. It entered me, and I began guiding it.

The blood force went to the bloodstream before it could enter the bones. Then, the power conversion happened. The blood force was turned into a white, mysterious force by the blood light.

Next, the white force entered the bones. It caused terrible pain, but I endured it. I am now a Silver Mark Warrior, yet the pain feels terrible every time.

Slowly, the dark red skeleton absorbed the white force. I could feel a small surge in strength. The weight pressing me down became lighter.

Seeing that, I repeated the process.

Time passed.

Once I reached my limit, I ended the practice. I stood up and tried to move. This time, it was better; I could take one step at a time.

It was better than before, yet I needed a few hours for this. In order to train here, I needed to adapt to the place faster. Then, I would be able to run around this place.

I thought for a moment before taking out my staff.

I tried to move the white bone staff, but it felt heavy. I decided to perform the staff basics first, then I would practice my staff techniques.

I didn’t forget the words spoken by Dean Jerome. He wanted me to become a Gold Mark Warrior within this three-month period.

I decided to follow a strict schedule. After I was done with the staff training, I would resume the method practice.

Time passed.

At first, it was hard to move the staff, but it improved over time. When my arms felt tired, I put away the staff and sat down.

The ten-times gravity was still acting on me. I didn’t start practicing right away; instead, I began to rest.

....

Tier-5 Region

The news about the draw had reached every household. Those who didn’t know about Zack Lockwood had started to learn more about him.

The news didn’t stop there; it reached the forces of the Tier-5 region. The news was eventually learned by Zack Lockwood’s Master, Lowell McClain.

Lowell McClain was shocked. It was unbelievable to him. Zack Lockwood had reached heights beyond his imagination.

He was now being compared with warriors from famous families. It didn’t take long for him to receive a call from the Federation.

Federation Head Ben got the news as well. He wanted to confirm it with Lowell, to which Lowell replied that the news was true.

His disciple, Zack Lockwood, was doing great in the Tier-4 Region, so much so that foreign creatures were after his life.

Federation Head Ben and Elder Robbie played important roles in Zack Lockwood’s growth as well. When Zack Lockwood was still in the Tier-5 Region, they protected him from his enemies.

Obviously, they were worried about the foreign creatures. They knew the pressure faced by Zack Lockwood, but they believed in Star University.

Zack Lockwood’s talent was recognized by Star University. They wouldn’t let the enemies take advantage. Dean Jerome would protect Zack Lockwood from both internal and external enemies.

....

Meanwhile

The dean and the higher-ups of other universities learned some things from the warriors who returned from Camp 4.

Everyone saw Zack Lockwood facing hundreds of foreign creatures alone. It was no exaggeration; they saw Zack Lockwood eliminating all those foreign creatures.

Now, the foreign creature side confirmed the news that an Elite Race Member had drawn a match against Zack Lockwood.

It made them think deeply about Zack Lockwood. They had to re-evaluate him. Even the neutral forces wanted to know about Zack Lockwood’s current strength.

They could imagine that Zack Lockwood would become a powerful Purple Mark Warrior. If that happened, it would be a huge advantage for the human side and a threat to other forces.

The influence of Star University was already high, and because of Zack Lockwood, it was going to become even higher.

None of the disciples of the faction leaders or the main elders had this much traction.

Yet, Zack Lockwood’s name had become a household word. The name had become famous on the foreign creatures’ planet as well. The other elite race members wanted to wash away the shame.

They were waiting for Zack Lockwood to enter the battlefield. It didn’t take long for them to verify the fact that Zack Lockwood had returned from Camp 4.

When the news reached other universities, they wanted to confirm it through their spies. However, none of the people in Star City or on campus had seen Zack Lockwood.

Even the Main Elders wanted to confirm the news, but the people of the Thunderflame Faction were tight-lipped. One of the outer circle elders had been killed not long ago.

They didn’t want another person to cause problems. Among them, Leader Francesca got an idea. She thought Dean Jerome might have sent Zack Lockwood to the secret land.

Because it had happened before, she thought it was truly the safest place for Zack Lockwood to stay. Anything could happen outside.

Francesca was making efforts to find the planted spies. They were enemies to the human side.