Ethan lunged forward with explosive force—Boom! His foot struck the ground with a resounding bang, launching him five ters in a single bound. There wasn’t even a blur—he moved too fast for the eye to track. Channeling the montum, he roared, "Energy Fusion... Heavy Strike!" and threw a punch.
Boom! A muffled thud echoed through the air.
Matriarch Whitmore’s body swayed slightly. Her golden Dragon Soul Shield shimred, flaring brilliantly.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Ethan’s arm dropped limply at his side, and he staggered back three paces. Pain shot through him like lightning. The mont his fist touched the shield, the rippling pattern reappeared—and reversed—sending a fierce counter-shock directly into his body.
He ca to a stop, glancing down at the ground. His footprints had sunk three inches deep into the stone. His arm, he now realized, had been broken by the rebound force of the Dragon Soul Shield.
"How is that possible?" Markham’s shout ca from behind, disbelief thick in his voice.
linda and Maria covered their mouths, equally stunned. That the Matriarch had swayed—even slightly—despite her shield, was unbelievable. No wonder she had activated the Dragon Soul Shield right from the start. She must have sensed Ethan’s strength in advance.
Matriarch Whitmore lowered her shield and beckoned to Evelyn. Smiling, she looked at Ethan and said warmly, "Ethan, you’re impressive. Not like my Colt—he’s all talk and no progress."
Ethan gave a sheepish smile. She was on another level. He had given everything he had—and still couldn’t break through. Instead, he’d injured himself on her defense.
"Practice with Colt more in the future," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "As long as you don’t kill him, feel free to break a few bones!"
Leaning on her dragon-headed staff, she turned and walked away.
Maria rushed over to help Ethan stand straight.
"I won’t!" Markham shouted, sticking out his neck. "I don’t want to train with him—he has no sense of restraint! If that punch had landed on , I’d be in a coma by now!"
Slap!
Just as he finished, Matriarch Whitmore passed behind him and smacked him square on the rear with her staff.
"Aaagh!" Markham howled, jumping three ters into the air.
Evelyn, who was tending to Ethan’s dislocated arm, suddenly burst out laughing.
Ethan turned his head, puzzled. "What are you laughing at?" He was more curious how Markham had managed that vertical leap.
"Grandmatriarch’s technique is top-notch. She hit him right on the coccygeal plexus." Evelyn smirked, continuing to knead Ethan’s shoulder.
"The what?" Ethan frowned, unfamiliar with the term. He glanced over at Markham, who was still hopping around in agony.
"The tailbone," Evelyn said with a grin, looking up at him aningfully.
Ethan’s eyes widened. He was about to feel bad for Markham when—
Creak—
Evelyn suddenly twisted his arm.
"AHH!" Ethan howled in pain and turned to glare at her, but she simply clapped her hands together and pouted.
"You kept tensing up. I couldn’t even work on your muscles properly. But now you’re loosened up! The rest—you can fix yourself."
She had deliberately distracted him so she could reset the joint. It hurt—but only for a mont. Definitely better than Markham, who was still yelping, hair standing on end.
Ethan cast two quick Healing Spells on his arm. A cool, tingling sensation spread through his skin, and the minor fracture nded swiftly. But even so, he realized magic wasn’t perfect. Realigning joints still needed hands-on treatnt.
"Stop yelling and get out..." ca the Matriarch’s voice from inside.
Markham shut up instantly, face flushed red. He limped toward Ethan with pleading eyes.
Suppressing a laugh, Ethan reached out and cast a healing spell, gently pressing his palm against Markham’s lower back.
"Ooohhh..." Markham’s eyes rolled back dramatically, letting out a noise that made the entire room freeze.
Everyone stared at Ethan’s hand, still resting on Markham’s backside. Ethan felt his soul leave his body from embarrassnt.
"Comfortable... Ethan... do it again!" Markham groaned, completely unaware of what he sounded like.
"Get lost!" Ethan kicked him in the side.
Boom!
Markham flew several ters and tumbled down.
---
Half an hour later, the two stood outside the Hidden Territory, atop Dragonvault Ridge.
"How do we get down?" Ethan asked. He thought about just jumping, which would’ve been fast—but this whole area was a tourist zone now. There’d be people hiking up from below.
"Cable car," Markham said, already heading off. After a few turns, they reached the sightseeing lift.
Once on the cable car, Ethan finally took in the view. The Ashhorn Mountains were breathtaking. Heavenly Lake, nestled at the heart of the peaks, looked like a jewel—nature’s perfect handiwork.
At the base of the mountain, Markham turned to Ethan. "What kind of VR capsule are you looking for?"
Ethan gave it so thought. "Might as well go all-in. Get sothing high-end—great realism and full functionality."
"Then we’ll need to head farther out," Markham said. "These are just small towns. No stores carry top models."
"You sure? Or are you just trying to sneak off and have fun?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow.
Markham rolled his eyes. "My capsule cost over a hundred thousand! You think I found that here? I had to go all the way to Spring City."
Ethan shrugged. "Alright, then let’s move fast. Be great if we’re back by tonight."
Markham groaned. "You trying to reincarnate? It’s over four hours by car!"
As he complained, Ethan was already fiddling with his phone. Monts later, he slipped it back into his pocket and said, "Let’s go."
"Huh? Where?" Markham asked, trailing behind.
"White Mountain Airport. There’s a flight to Spring City in half an hour. I booked us tickets."
Markham froze. "I—I get airsick..."
Ethan turned. "Seriously?"
"Y-yeah. Badly."
Ethan gave a sly grin. "Don’t worry. I’ve got a cure."
"Really? Quick! Help !" Markham said eagerly.
"Close your eyes."
Markham obeyed.
Thwack!
Ethan chopped him on the neck.
"Gurgle..." Markham crumpled to the floor.
Just then, a flight attendant happened to round the corner—and caught the whole scene.
Her eyes widened in alarm.
Ethan smiled awkwardly. "Ah—don’t worry! He’s my friend. He’s scared of flying and gets airsick. We’re just in a rush, is all."
The flight attendant relaxed slightly. She rembered them from boarding—especially Markham, who had tried to flirt with her.
"Well... we do have lozenges that help with fear of flying and motion sickness," she said, pulling a small bottle from her pocket.
Ethan scratched his head, glancing down at the unconscious Markham.
"Pfft." She chuckled, handing him a lozenge. "If he wakes up, give him this."
Ethan waved her off. "He probably won’t. Flight’s only forty minutes. And I did hit him pretty hard."
The flight attendant gave Markham a sympathetic look, then wheeled her cart toward the back of the cabin.
---
Back at Dragonvault Ridge, inside the Hidden Territory—
"Aunt... is he the one?" linda asked quietly as she poured tea for Matriarch Whitmore.
The old woman shook her head. "Probably not."
linda’s shoulders sagged. Her voice trembled. "Starfall’s child... We’ve been looking for him for so many years. I just thought..."
"Sigh..." The Matriarch echoed her disappointnt with a deep, tired breath.
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