Ancient Tears BloodLine

Tier-4 Region

Days passed.

Spies from the foreign creatures’ side were looking for Zack Lockwood, but he was nowhere to be seen. However, the foreign creatures were not stupid.

They knew Dean Jerome might have done something. He must have moved Zack Lockwood to a safe location.

Consequently, they changed their tactics, using their resources to find Zack Lockwood within the Star University Territory.

They decided not to waste time on other territories, and many spies were activated.

Meanwhile, the Purple Mark Guard continued to guard the secret land; he would not leave the place until the three months were over.

On the other hand, Dean Jerome noticed the alarming increase of spies in the territory. He sent a team to identify and eliminate them. He could tell the foreign creatures’ side was desperate.

Since the match against the Elite Race Member ended in a draw, he understood the source of their desperation.

The foreign creatures likely wanted revenge. Specifically, the Elite Race members would not let this matter go.

Dean Jerome was glad he had sent Zack Lockwood to the secret land. Otherwise, those Elite Race members might have done something crazy, perhaps even attacking Star University.

If not for the orders from above, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to protect Zack Lockwood.

He had not done this for other talented warriors, including the disciples of the faction leaders and the main elders.

He had never overly protected them, and a few talented warriors had even died due to a lack of protection.

Among those fallen were warriors belonging to the elders. Right now, those elders were likely jealous of Zack Lockwood, knowing he was receiving special protection.

Jerome knew it was only a matter of time before they started complaining, but there was nothing he could do. It was an order from the higher-ups.

...

The Secret Land

My situation was better than it was on the first day, but it still wasn’t great. I still couldn’t run freely around this place; I think reaching that level might take a couple more days.

However, I could walk much faster now. Once I was done with my walking exercises, I shifted my attention to staff practice.

I brought the staff outside and started performing basic moves. I felt thousands of pounds of weight acting on the weapon. I gripped the staff in the middle and thrusted forward.

Boom!

A force of wind was released from the bottom of the staff.

As time passed, I continued to perform thrusts, side strikes, and downward strikes.

Compared to the first day, I could execute the moves without much delay, though it would still take time to fully adapt.

After practicing until my arms turned sore, I sat down to relax and looked around.

I had resources with me, but they weren’t enough. I needed to find a water source. Over the last couple of days, I had searched the area and mapped it in my mind.

I believed the secret land must have a water source, perhaps an oasis. After resting, I decided to search for it.

One hour later

I stood up and began looking for the oasis. After navigating a path between dry trees, I spotted a sunken area of land not far away.

Swoosh!

Seeing that, I darted toward the place. When I arrived, I saw a small pond. My eyes flashed with surprise; I didn’t expect to find it so soon.

I reached the pond and examined the water. It was crystal clear, so clear that I could see my reflection perfectly. It showed the water wasn’t polluted.

I drank some, and it tasted pure. After quenching my thirst, I filled my bottles to store the water. Then, I found an old, dry tree and sat underneath it.

That night, I started practicing the Lightning Method. I closed my eyes and focused on running the technique.

Purple lightning force was drawn in from the surroundings. The world energy in this place was incredibly strong.

As the purple lightning force entered my body, I guided it through my meridians. I could feel the energy tempering my pathways as it flowed.

After a full circulation, the purple lightning force entered my dantian. It gathered near the purple lightning seed, which made the energy even stronger.

Seeing this, I continued the process. I had a feeling my purple lightning method would break through first because I had been using it since the beginning.

As time passed, my understanding improved. I forgot about the outside world, and my doubts regarding the purple lightning were cleared.

Purple lightning bolts covered my body as the hours went by.

Previously, I could not use outward manipulation for long without a specific technique, but now that my doubts are cleared, I think I found a way to do it.

In the future, if someone tries a sneak attack, I can summon the lightning with a single thought.

Time passed

I ended my practice a few hours later. It was already night. I tried to manipulate the lightning power again.

Purple lightning arcs appeared around my body, slowly transforming into powerful bolts. Before entering the secret land, I could only maintain this for a short time.

Now, it was time to test it. My control over the lightning arcs had improved significantly, and my duration surpassed my previous records.

Since entering the secret land, I have been improving at a much faster rate.

I tried to shoot a lightning bolt at a nearby target without using a technique. A small bolt released from my index finger.

Boom!

In a flash, the lightning bolt struck a rock on the ground. Upon contact, the rock exploded into pieces. Not only that, but the residual lightning struck the earth, creating a small pit.

I decided to target one of the dead trees. I looked around and found one nearby that looked like it had been dead for a very long time.

I walked up to the tree and released another lightning bolt from my index finger. This time, the power was even stronger.

Boom!

A lightning bolt twice the size of the previous one struck the dead tree. A second later, the tree was pulverized into splinters.